I spent over an hour at a travel agent in Hanoi. Not by choice, but because to get a good deal in Vietnam you really have to work for it. You can rarely take the first price offered; instead it becomes a game of Deal or No Deal, trying to inch out every last dollar … Read more
I’ve never been a Julia Roberts fan. I think I’m a pretty good judge of character and for some reason she just doesn’t seem like someone I’d like to spend any time with, and I can’t stand watching her on screen. Two things really sealed it: An awful interview on The Late Show with David … Read more
While researching southern Laos I stumbled across two interesting facts: 1.) Laos, the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, has islands. 2.) It doesn’t just have one or two; apparently there are 4000 of them! That was more than enough information to convince me to check them out, so off I went on an all … Read more
One of the things I love about Southeast Asia is being able to see so many monkeys. I’m not sure why I’m so interested in them (in my defense, they do kinda look like people) but I could spend hours watching them go about their lives. Here are some of the best places to mix … Read more
Phuket has a bad reputation. Travel snobs will tell you it sold out long ago, that it no longer holds any mystery or allure and that you’d be better off going to one of the lesser known islands in Thailand instead. It’s popular because it appeals to the masses. Think of anything you’d like to … Read more
Five million people crammed into an area four times smaller than my hometown Dunedin (which has a population of around 120,000). People everywhere, all the time. This place has energy, a stir-fried charm that clings to your skin and makes you feel alive and exhausted at the same time. Every now and again, to stop … Read more
It was 3 am and I was sitting on an ice-cold bus heading to a town that I didn’t even know the name of. Tired from a day of sightseeing in Yangon, I had just about fallen asleep when the bus stopped. Everyone started filing off. Where was I? Was I asleep? Had I slept? … Read more
It had always been a dream of mine to see wild monkeys, but after six months living in Taiwan I was yet to lay eyes on one and I was getting restless. To me, seeing a monkey in the wild was a sign I’d finally ended up somewhere exotic, a magical place far away from … Read more