Only 36 km from the China-Vietnam border, and a overnight train ride from Hanoi, lies the quiet mountain town of Sa Pa, which straddles the misty, rice-terraced highlands of Vietnam. Sa Pa is home to migrant lowlanders and a great diversity of ethnic minority peoples, primarily Hmong and Dao. The villagers from areas surrounding Sa … Continue reading
I often hear that travelers avoid Phuket, Thailand, like cats avoid water. Yes, there are plenty of reasons not to go to Phuket, such as the hordes of speedo-wearing, backpack-toting tourists and the polluting and seedy overcommercialization. But if you look beyond the grit and longtail exhaust, Phuket offers landscapes of astounding beauty, fantastic food, and wonderful culture. So … Continue reading
Just a three-hour bus ride from Hanoi is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, the azure home for 1,200 limestone islands called karsts. The magic of Ha Long Bay is the stuff of legends. According to ancient folklore, Ha Long was the resting place of dragons sent by the gods to defend … Continue reading
One of my most highly recommended travel experiences is to visit a local market. So of course, when I went to the Northern highlands of Vietnam, I took my own advice. At the Bắc Hà, Sunday Market, located in a rural district of Lào Cai Province in the Northeast region of Vietnam, the smells of … Continue reading
Tonle Sap lake, located just 15 km south of Siem Reap, is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. This gigantic lake that stretches its muddy waters far beyond the eye can see is literally the fish bowl of Cambodia, providing more than half the fish consumed in Cambodia to feed 3 million people per … Continue reading
As I perch on a single piece of temple stone that seems lonely for the wall it was once a part of, its fellows carted away long ago by ancient Khmer villagers, I sense the forest around me—moist, strong, and distinctly alive. I swear I can see the forest slowly encroaching before my eyes, ready … Continue reading
Khao Lak is the sleepy little Thai town 80 km north of Phuket that became famous when it was literally swept off the map during the 2005 tsunami. What is amazing today is that the resilient Thai people have rebuilt Khao Lak into a world-class beach town once again, aided by the fact that Khao Lak’s natural … Continue reading
This Wild of Mine 