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up to our ears
Lha Sow, our trekking guide, is a sprite 26 year old family man. He sees his wife and son in incremental spurts, on his occasional day off and on the first night of a three day trek; as the top floor...
View ArticleTaunggyi lantern festival
During the November full moon each year, the Burmese hold a lantern festival to trump all lantern festivals - at least in size and ammunition.Giant hot air balloon-sized lanterns carry gondolas filled...
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Pushing and Shoving
We were caught in a washing machine of people. As much as I towered over the Burmese, crowds of them still managed to lift me from the ground as they churned this way and that. Esther and I grabbed...
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chugging along...
I've been privy to many-a-train ride in my day but the most memorable, the most heart pounding, and easily the most enjoyable ride I have ever had the pleasure to experience was a short 7 hour journey...
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Twilight Over Burma
Inge Sargent was six years old when the Nazi's first invaded her village. But even post-war Austria, years later, was hard to deal with. So when afforded the opportunity, Sargent moved to the United...
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"It's not power that corrupts, but fear. Fear of losing power..."
It takes strong and courageous people to speak out against a corrupt government. People who are willing to accept the consequences, whatever they may be, in hopes of providing a better life for not...
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road to Mandalay
He was a monk the most of his life, before becoming a teacher and later starting a family. Today Thura is a mushroom farmer who supplements his family's income as a tour guide - something he started...
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what a difference a border makes...
During our 28 day stay, the Burmese way of life - what little we were exposed to - didn't feel taxing. Amid the limited resources (it was sheer elation when we stumbled across a pack of Saltine...
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it's easy as...
"You can't go to northern Thailand without going to Pai!""You totally have to go to Pai.""You're going to Pai, right?"The amount of times I heard similar statements in my preparations to head north got...
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"long last the nation's pride and victory..."
A few years ago, a French expat living in Chiang Rai, Thailand got upset because he was unable to purchase alcohol that evening. Elections were the next day, precipitating the ban on drinking, and he...
View Articlerose of the north
Chiang Mai, located in the rolling foothills of the Himalayan mountains, is the fifth largest city in Thailand. Centuries old, it was only until recently - 1920 to be exact - that journeys into the...
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Red or Yellow
Before the recent coup d'etat, the tension in Thailand was rather palpable - in certain, specifically designated, areas. Protests, primarily peaceful (the number of fatalities can be counted on one...
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the perks of long term travel
Short term holidays require planning. Hotels, attractions, transport. Details worked out well before your first vacation day to ensure the least amount of stress and the maximum amount of...
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first impressions
Cambodia opened to tourism in 2003. In 2004 over one million tourists flooded its lands. Ten years later, the number has jumped to over four million per year. Despite the deluge of holiday-goers being...
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History, in brief
I may have once mentioned I paid less than no attention in history class. My eyes glazed over when trying to read textbooks filled with ancient dates of boring facts that happened in far away lands....
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Promotor of Peace
At 12 years of age, Suon's parents were killed in front of his eyes. The soldiers who had done so recruited him as one of their own. He cried for three weeks until he was thoroughly brainwashed and...
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the killing fields
At the time of the war, there were 15 million people in Cambodia. 85% were farmers, 10% office workers and 5% other. The Khmer Rouge, the governmental leaders, were well educated teachers, most...
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Memories of Christmas Past
It was mid December of last year when I entered Cambodia. Yet, it doesn't feel as though a year has passed. Certain memories seem as though they occurred just yesterday. Like one revolving my foot,...
View Articlethe time I slept in a drug den
I ended up hopping from accommodation to accommodation (literally); my maimed foot forcing me to remain in one of the most touristed areas of Cambodia for the Christmas and New Year's holiday....
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In with the new
Unlike a large majority of entrance visas in the world, Vietnam requires an entry date. One in which you will only enter on or after. However, just like the large majority of the world's entry visas,...
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"It's strange to think that you have to come to a communist country in order...
It was on the long bus ride to Saigon, where we reclined in seats that lay like incredibly narrow bunk beds - two high and three rows across, the entire length of the bus (except for the back which is...
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Easy rider
It was still early in the morning when I arrived in Da Lat. The air was crisp and had a chill to it I hadn't experienced in months. Although only a few hours away from Saigon, the altitude's effect on...
View ArticlePotty break
I have a million travel memories in my head. They float in and out at random, distracting me for a split second from whatever it is I'm doing. I'll smile and think, "I really need to write this...
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