May 2013
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Good news
Terribly sorry for my long absence. I got back from traveling last year and just could not keep the posts coming. However, I will be continuing my travels in September a which will mean more content will be coming. And in the mean time, I want to finish all the reviews and posts that I never got to from my trip last year.
And the best part of this all is that I am building my own website to...
June 2012
12 posts
a message to my dear followers
Let me begin by saying how wonderful you have all been. Your support has been a much appreciated blessing. And so it is sad for me to say that my trip is coming to a close. This does not mark the end of my posts as I still have much left to say and many places left to review, but it does mean one thing. As you may or may not notices or cared, my posts have become less frequent. Keeping the blog...
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Mui Ne, Vietnam
(Sigh) I hate writing reviews about places I didn’t really enjoy because everyone’s experience is unique and I think tons of people would really like this place. Its not that I didn’t like it, I just had to spend took much time there and would rather have just skipped it entirely. It just wasn’t my kind of place.
A lot of this things to do here revolve around the ocean because it is just a small...
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“You’ll seldom experience regret for anything that you’ve done. It is what you...”
– Wayne Dyer
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon as the locals still call it is basically the capital of southern Vietnam. It is an incredible, bustling city with tons to do and see. Just make sure you get some practice crossing busy streets because this city has definitely earned its nickname; Motorbike City.
I spent about a week here and really enjoyed my time. This relatively long stay allowed me time to check out two...
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Cambodiaa Recap
I have heard many people ramble on about how much they liked Cambodia, and I wish the case was the same for me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Not to say it was bad, but I came here after Laos, my favorite country so far, so everything was a step down. However, I will say that even with my expectations too high, Cambodia was a cool place. The people there are quite friendly and helpful, but come...
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Traveling is awesome. And I hope most of my blog posts reflect this. However, I’d like to take a minute to touch on a more serious subject. Which is the first mass genocide that comes to your mind? Ok, I admit its not a pleasant subject, but go with it for a minute. Can you think of a time in recent world history where a whole type of people was being collected and systematically killed for such...
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May 2012
29 posts
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Why I Love my Travel Bud
Phil: "Alright, I'm going to make a phone call.
But stay stoked on life.
It's intoxicating.
You...intoxicate...me.
Peace."
Me: "Haha. Alright man. As long as you do the same for me. Peace out."
If you would like to follow Phil as well, his page can be found at www.onewayticketphil.com
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Siem Reap, Cambodia
Obviously, no trip to southeast Asia is complete without a trip to Siem Reap. In the off chance that you don’t know, Siem Reap is the city that plays host to Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And while this alone is enough reason to visit this major city in Cambodia, it offers plenty of other reasons to spend some time there as well.
While in Siem Reap I stayed at a place called...
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The Bamboo Train Experience
Wind rushes by as you hear the sound of the motor running. You shift a bit in your seat trying to get comfortable but you cant. It could be the firm bamboo platform you’re sitting on or it could be the fact that nothing is keeping you in, or nature out. Nothing keeping you from falling out into a mess of scrapes, bruises, and probably a few nights in a hospital. That’s just what you need;to be...
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“Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the...”
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
candlewickz asked: Hey, I've loved hearing about your travels recently! I am visiting Laos next year (I am SO psyched) and just wanted to know if there's anywhere that are must see places to travel? Tips on travelling/costs and general little things about the country would be so much appreciated as well. I look forward to hearing more about your travels! (:
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Battambang, Cambodia
Battambang was a pleasant little surprise for me. I sort of had an idea what to expect, and it wasn’t much, but it was ready to surpass. When you go anywhere with relatively low expectations or none at all, its much easier to enjoy the little things. For me, that was Battambang. [[MORE]]When I first got there, I had a good idea of where the bus dropped me off, but it was 11pm and every...
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Stranger on a bus
In 1997, I was just a nine year old kid. Snot-nosed and ignorant. No idea about anything in the world beyond my tiny little, population 2,000 town. Especially unaware at the time that on the other side of the world, in Cambodia a child was pushing his way into existence who was equally unaware of me. And it would remain that way for fifteen years.
Flash forward to the present. The stars have...
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“Some beach, somewhere. There’s a big umbrella casting shade over an empty...”
– Blake Shelton
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Sihanoukville, Cambodia
I don’t want to say that Sihanoukville was my favorite place in Cambodia, but it was definitely the place where I spent the most time, and considering how cheap and fun it was, I would have no problems going back. The reason I don’t want to say it was my favorite was because there really isn’t much to do there that you can’t to anywhere else. Its just another party beach town to kill time and...
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The pearl of southeast Asia. Not sure if I agree entirely, but I definitely had a good time in Phnom Penh. It is the first really big city I have been in since Bangkok which means it offers many big city options that you can’t find in small towns and villages. [[MORE]]The things to do in Phnom Penh range from visiting the national museum to firing a grenade launcher at cows. No joke. But in my...
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"F**king" in Laos
While in Laos, you may discover that “f**king” is inevitable. It’s done practically every single day. Guys do it. Girls do it. Everyone does It.
I first learned about this in what I’m sure will be the funniest cooking course I have ever taken. Apparently the word “f**k” means to chop in Laos so naturally this lead to a very sophisticated conversation during food preparations. Throughout which we...
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So Phan Don (4000 Islands), Laos
Ah, four thousand islands…quite possibly my favorite place in my travels so far. Picture the Mighty Mekong spread wide and calm to a collection of small islands (could easily be four thousand) in the southernmost part of Laos. You wake up in a bungalow overlooking the water and ask yourself what the day has in store. Maybe a bike ride to the waterfall on Don Kohn, or a kayak tour to see the river...
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Travel Tips: Buses
Some of this advice may work for buses in other parts of the world, but my experience is with those in southeast Asia.
Make sure you get on early. Most of the time if you take a tourist bus there are assigned seats, but sometimes seats get swooped, and seats on local buses are always up for grabs. There’s nothing worse than riding cramped for six hours straight.
When buying a local bus...
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Laos recap
As I have reached then end of my Laos posts, I decided to make a very short review about the country as a whole. Its hard for me not to be a bit biased about Laos. I’ll admit it. It was my favorite country in southeast Asia so far. And a lot of it had to do with the people I met, so its hard to guarantee that anyone would have as good a time there, but I thought it was great and everyone...
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April 2012
16 posts
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“People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.”
– Bob Dylan
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The Secret War
The title is no joke. No play on words. No charming euphemism. Southeast Asia is clearly a place full of rich history and while a lot of it is interesting, unique, or beautiful, it’s the grimy things like war that give us appreciation for the fair.
Now, it doesn’t take an American history major to come up with an example of war in southeast Asia. The Vietnam War (as we call it) is...
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Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane is the capital of Laos, but looking around you wouldn’t guess it. It’s not really the biggest or busiest city, and from what I gather, the only reason it is the capital is because the French decided that it made for easier trade of the capital was there. I didn’t spend a lot of time there so I can’t really say too much about it, but here’s what I...
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“Regrets for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the...”
– Sydney J. Harris
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A Traveler's Love Letter
My dearest love,
So much time has past since I saw you last, but your memory haunts me. In the day it’s like a dream, I can’t focus on anything. At night it’s a nightmare that prevents any sleep. All I see is your face, graceful and stoic awaiting my order.
You might serve other men, I know. But I don’t care. I tell myself that it’s only because you have to and...
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Vang Vieng, Laos
Vang Vieng…what a shit show…
If you’ve looked into traveling Laos at all then you probably already heard of tubing in Vang Vieng. If not, then just YouTube “tubing Vang Vieng” real quick…go ahead…I’ll wait.
Anyway, getting onto business, you’ll want to find a place to lay your head at whatever unholy hour of the morning you decide to get home. Most of your time at your Guesthouse will be spent...
