There’s something impossibly romantic about traveling by sleeper train. I hadn’t been on one since I was 15 years old in France, so I was charmed into taking the sleeper to Sapa, a trekking base about 7 hours from Hanoi, just on the border with China. However, I was slightly apprehensive: it’s anybody’s guess who …
Hanoi hit me like a ton of bricks. My three-hour flight from Singapore was easy enough, but flying always exhausts me no matter how long or short the flight. Getting to the airport, getting through customs and immigration, figuring out how to spend the rest of that particular currency, flying, visas, more customs and immigration, …
I woke up on a Singapore Sunday craving some yoga. Although I thought I would practice a lot in Bali, I didn’t really get into the scene there. Plus, I really needed to atone for the intense digestive workouts I was giving my stomach in Singapore! Luckily there was a small, warmly lit studio just …
On my first full day in Singapore, I was waiting out a short rainstorm in my hostel when I overheard another guest trying to plan his day with suggestions from the hostel owner. He didn’t seem too thrilled with any of the options, and as the rain began to let up and I was tying …
Singapore gets a bad rap in the travel and backpacker community. It’s not as gorgeous as Thailand, as gritty as Vietnam, as groundbreaking as Myanmar. Plus, of course, it’s wildly expensive, on par with New York and Tokyo amidst a subcontinent of cheap places to live. I’d read that there wasn’t much to do and …
How did I even find out about Kuala Lumpur? Malaysia never factored into my travel dreams. I’m not sure why. I’ve long dreamed of elephants in Thailand, seeing the temples at Angkor Wat, and eating street food in Vietnam, but Malaysia never pinged on my radar. But when I altered my plans to include Sumatra, …
I was pretty excited to flee Bali. Don’t get me wrong—I had some great experiences there. Snorkeling Menjangan Island; joining the locals in a parade for Kunigan; practicing yoga in the rice fields; enjoying cheap Balinese massages. But at the end of the day, I think it just wasn’t for me. I was glad to …