Language is always one of the barriers you have to deal with when travelling, especially in areas where English is not widely spoken. Your troubles will start from trying to get a ride from the airport to getting around to wherever you’re going. I was in a taxi with a friend late one afternoon in…
The floating markets are among the most popular attractions in Vietnam and if you are in the country, put it in one of your must-visit destinations. Some months back, I went with a couple of friends to visit the famous Cai Rang floating markets in Can Tho, about four hours away by car from Ho…
The Long Neck Karen Hilltop tribe is one of the top attractions that draws a never-ending stream of tourists to Chiang Rai, Thailand’s northernmost city. Some time ago, I finally got to see the tribe in their village one afternoon. Thatched huts with rows of open stalls met our eyes, all filled with displays of…
The dispatcher made another call and a rickshaw appeared. We were loaded into it and off we zoomed into the rain and darkness with instructions to pay the driver 200 rupees. The driver flew the rickshaw over humps and bumps while we held on for life. THERE’S nothing worse than missing your bus in the…
One thing about air travel that I never look forward to is having to go through TSA inspection. I have yet to meet someone who looks forward to having to take their shoes and jackets off and surrendering all their belongings for X-ray, then raising their arms in total surrender to the body scanner, but…
Some months ago, when our tour guide in New Delhi asked if we wanted a quick stopover at one of the most prominent temples in India, my travel buddy and I said “yes” right away. I normally do a bit of research on top attractions in a place, but the temple was not in my…
I tried to mentally calculate how much money I had when my math button suddenly froze. Just like that. The numbers stopped registering and I couldn’t add or multiply anything anymore. Panic and fatigue took over, then everything started to spin and go dark ever so slowly around me. Traveling gives one lessons that…
Do you remember that Visa card commercial back in 2002 where James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) rented a tuk-tuk, those sputtering three-wheeled open air taxis to cut through the traffic and catch up with his date Zhang Ziyi in Bangkok and how the tuk-tuk collapsed to the ground from fatigue? I always thought that…
A trip to the northernmost part of Thailand gives you a chance to visit the borders of three countries in one day—Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (formerly called Burma). Start your trip from Chiang Rai passing through scenic roads until you notice a dramatic change in the landscape as you get closer to Mae Sai,…
One of the most popular destinations for sunset lovers in Ho Chi Minh City (more popularly called Saigon) is the Thu Thiem Bridge in Cầu Thủ Thiêm. There is a lookout on the side of the bridge over the Saigon River which gives people access to shoot the sunset reflections on the waters and skyscrapers…
