Destinations
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Laos by Motorcycle
We got off at a rest area somewhere in the middle of Laos, happy to get a stretch, grab a bite to eat, and in general break the monotonous bus journey. By the time we got to Laos, we were eight months or so into our RTW, which meant that we’ve seen our fair share
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Spaces Around the Globe: Notre Dame Saint Michele – Paris
Interiors have been on my mind a lot lately, particularly as we are planning to start another phase of our own house renovation (the idea is actually to build up our travel fund with this project). It’s going to be busy, hectic, and exciting. We are pumped. So it’s high time to share more properly a key
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They Might Be Giants in Phonsavan, Laos
Once upon a time – many, many centuries ago – there was a land known as Hills of Paradise. It was perched high in the mountaintops of what is modern-day Xieng Khuang province of Laos. Towering pine trees dominated the rolling hills, rivers and waterfalls irrigated and nourished the bountiful land, flowers bloomed year round
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Cabin Weekend: Lost River, WV
For the foreseeable future we are based out of Washington DC, but still intend to travel far and wide, explore closer to home, and pretty much engage any and all wanderlust opportunities that come our way. We recently went away for a cabin weekend, that quintessential American retreat, and it was wonderful. There is something
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A Shock to the System: Luang Prabang
Having been in Laos for a few weeks, our arrival in Luang Prabang – the country’s most famous and most visited city – was a shock to the system. We had heard about the bougie cafes serving wine in proper glasses accompanied by cheese, the charming cobblestone streets dotted with flowering frangipani trees and ornate
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A Stroke of Luck in Vang Vieng
We weren’t really sure of what to expect of Vang Vieng. For a while it was the infamous party destination in Southeast Asia, second maybe only to Ko Pha-Ngan with its monthly full moon throw down. In fact, when I first read blog recounts of Vang Vieng, I was sort of enticed. Tubing down a
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Big city living in VIENTIANE
Ok, you might have heard that Vientiane, Laos is unremarkable, boring, skippable, meh of a town in the middle of Laos. It’s true to a degree – Vientiane doesn’t quite have the buzzing energy and hipster cafes of Hanoi, nor the shiny skyscrapers, skyline trains, and crazy nightlife of Bangkok. There is no great shopping
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Thakhek Loop Guide
So – if you’ve read out account of Day 1 and Day 2 & 3 of Thakhek Loop, you know that we had an awesome time exploring the caves, riding the scooter, and swimming in the Lagoon. Even considering the poor road conditions on the few stretches of the Loop, we would wholeheartedly recommend this
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Thakhek Loop: Day 2 & 3
This is a second installment of a 3-part series about Thakhek Loop in Laos. If you are curious about how our first Day of the Loop went down, have a look here. And stay tuned for the last part in the series explaining logistics of doing the Loop!~ The neat thing about guesthouses on the
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Thakhek Loop: Day 1
Sergey and I were sitting on the dock, enjoying a nondescript Southeast Asian beer – probably a Cambodian one, since local brands tend to be cheaper. The lakeshore guesthouse camps in Kampot, Cambodia are a backpacker mecca; travelers come down to relax, party, and swap stories. A fellow backpacker put down a Beer Lao next to
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Celebrating Songkran in Laos
Sabadee Pee Mai! Splash…the water – as if in slow motion – drains down my shirt. Before I know it, my face is smeared in talcum powder. Not that I expected to be spared. In fact, I had hoped I wouldn’t be. It’s just that first trickle of water was a bit jarring, that’s all.
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Vietnam Itinerary
How we spent 37 days in Vietnam, and you can too! Vietnam is deceptively large. We spent five weeks here and still could travel for five more without repeat destinations! Vietnam is very diverse — desert sand dunes give way to high altitude pine forests, urbanites from megapolises wouldn’t look twice at a tourist, while