One woman's journey through the world
The world’s largest flowers are not particularly pretty. At least, not after their first two days in bloom. And some of them smell like decaying flesh. Yet people pay guides to lead them through jungles to see them. Last week, in the Cameron Highlands of peninsular Malaysia, I was one such person. Squeezing as much as I could into one day, I joined a tour that covered most of the
Superlatives are not my forte. In fact, I hate them. Tastiest meal I’ve ever eaten? Most beautiful place visited on this trip? Best dive I’ve ever done? Favorite food? Nicest hotel stayed in? I can’t answer any of those questions. But I can isolate a few experiences I’ve had, a handful of places I’ve gone, meals eaten, dives enjoyed, and days lived and identify them as truly outstanding. With each
About four hours north of Luang Prabang by minivan or jumbo tuk-tuk sits Nong Khiaw, a village on the banks of the Nam Ou with simple guesthouses, one nice hotel, a handful of outdoor tour operators, and just enough restaurants for the tourists who trickle through. Until recently, it could be easily reached by boat but a dam under construction between Luang Prabang and Nong Khiaw has made that a
Traveling solo in Laos can be expensive if you want to join any sort of organized activity or tour: prices are determined by the number of people participating and many won’t occur if there are fewer than four people. In the busiest tourist months, this probably isn’t an issue but in rainy season, which is now, it is. In Vang Vieng, I went to multiple offices to find one that
Kengtung, Keng Tung, Kyaingtong, Kyaing Tong, Chiang Tung: same place, different spellings and pronunciations. The first is what the locals call it as many speak a Shan language (and also the Myanmar language spoken around the country). Kyaingtong, according to at least one local resident, is the official name given by the government and the first two letters make a j-like sound. Whether there should be a space between the