I was in Vientiane, Laos last week getting a new visa for Thailand. That’s not where I was supposed to be, but it’s where I ended up, almost last-minute. I left the day my visa expired (with the extra 30 day extension), which is something I try not to do. I was supposed to be …
Continue reading “A Visit to Vientiane (via Suvarnabhumi and Hau Lamphong)”
I’ve been to quite a few places around the world and I can honestly say I have never been any place where people flat-out disliked me because I was visiting (or because I am American). Nonetheless, there are some places that have people who are just not very nice. I know, it is not very …
Several people have asked me how to get to Siem Reap, Cambodia from Bangkok and back again. While it’s not actually that difficult, there are a few things to be aware of when making the trip to Siem Reap so you avoid some pitfalls that other travelers have encountered. The first thing I suggest is …
Continue reading “Getting to Siem Reap from Bangkok (and back again)”
The last time I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia I met some really great guys from Australia. We had a blast together. So when they said they were coming back to Siem Reap I had to go meet them. Siem Reap is not far from Bangkok by bus, though the journey can be a bit …
Since I was in Laos to renew my Thai visa, I decided that I might as well visit more of the country than just the capital, Vientiane. There are many destinations that seemed appealing but I couldn’t stay very long in Laos, just a couple of weeks, so I chose Luang Prabang because it is …
Update, 20 November 2013: The process was exactly the same as it has been that last couple times I did this. Though, this time around, I was asked questions about why I wanted double entry, what I was doing in Thailand, why I wanted to stay in Thailand so long, why I stayed so long …
Nyaung Ohak was one of my favorite places to visit around Inle Lake in Burma. A typical visit to Inle Lake involves a day or two visiting the villages around the lake and the floating market. Nearly all of the sights around the lake are treated as fairly equal by the Burmese, though that is …
Continue reading “Inthein, Inle Lake: Nyaung Ohak & She Inn Thein Paya”
Lake Inle is not that large of a lake, though it certainly feels like it. Most people live very close to the lake and make their living from it. They fertilize their fields with the nutrient rich black mud they pull up from the bottom and they use the floating plants they gather to create …
Continue reading “Lake Inle, Burma: Pagodas, Floating Markets & Jumping Cats”
I went out for drink the other night with my friend and we started chatting about Burma, specifically my time in Bagan. I spent most of my time in Bagan while I was in Burma so a lot more happened than just visiting some temples like I wrote in my post. I was telling him …
Continue reading “Wandering Backwards: What Really Happened in Bagan”
When I first arrived at Nyaung-U in Bagan after a short flight from Yangon I was greeted with free wifi at the airport so I thought it wasn’t too bad. Then I saw my “taxi” to the hotel—a horse and carriage. I kid you not. This is a major form of transportation in Bagan—throughout much …