Tubing in Vang Vieng was the driving force behind my visit to Laos.  It turned out to be as good a reason as any, and I was glad to make it to the little backpacker haven for my 32nd birthday as well.  I celebrated with rock climbing by day, and Korean BBQ and beers by [...]

I stopped in Vientiane for 4 nights of boutique hotel bliss and top notch French food.  I found there was actually quite a bit to do in and around the capital city of Laos.

Pakse Pitstop
A Deluxe Apartment in the Sky – photos from the only boutique hotel of my trip.
My 3-Course Lunch at Le Central [...]

Aside from river tubing in Vang Vieng, I didn’t know what Laos would hold for me.  Crossing over from Cambodia, I quickly found myself on Don Det, one of the better “developed” islands situated in the midst of the Mekong River in southern Laos.  Life was slow, very slow.  Sip a beer, talk with other [...]

In an effort to go off the beaten track in Cambodia, I decided to explore the rural, northeast province.  Aside from my minivan breaking down both on the way there, and on the way out, I had the chance to visit ethnic villages and swim in my first volcano crater lake.

Welcome to My Nightmare
Swimming in [...]

After zipping through rural Cambodian villages outside Battambang on the back of a motorbike, I found downtown Phnom Penh to be rather unpleasant.  I had to go though, if for no other reason, then to visit the former Khmer prison of S-21, which was an emotional, thought-provoking experience.

Destination: Phnom Penh
The Royal Palace
French Colonial Architecture
A Morning [...]

I spent a full afternoon cruising through floating villages to arrive in Battambang.  It was here that my motorbike guide gave me his first hand account of living through the Khmer Rouge genocide, and later invited me to eat dinner with his family.  In the most unassuming, and seemingly random location, I had several of [...]

After bonding with several backpackers during the bumpy bus ride from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia, we set about exploring the various temples together.  The top 3 are Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm.  Then, if you’ve still got the energy, you can bicycle or tuk-tuk around to the smaller, lesser visited sites.  But, it [...]

I wrapped up my first two months in Thailand with an impromptu trip to Koh Tao, before returning to Bangkok for a few final Singhas.

The Overnight Ferry to Koh Tao (check out how the crew fixed our ferry with a giant metal crane)
Chillin Like a Villian
7 Hours of Fun, Sun, and Snorkeling (Koh Tao has [...]

After spending a week on Phuket that was intended to be spent on smaller, more idyllic Koh Phi Phi Don, I finally boarded a ferry toward Maya Bay, aka The Beach.  The first person I spoke with, before the ferry even left, was Josie from Canada, and her friend Catherine.
In addition to the company of [...]

Almost all of my American friends I made while studying abroad were majoring in international relations. At Syracuse University, like most others, it is a broad field, incorporating law, organizations, security, diplomacy, political economy, and international communication in each geographic region of the world.
As a a magazine journalism and modern foreign language major, I was [...]