Cambodia breathed life back into me. It was easy to fall into a pattern in Chiang Mai. My Airbnb was cozy, quiet, and dark. I would sleep in, roll out of bed and over to the coffeemaker and hammock, and read or write. A few blocks away, I became a regular at the Chiang Mai …
To be honest, I was a bad tourist in Chiang Mai. I never ended up doing any of the typical day trips around the city, and I was there nearly two weeks. Blame it on my election depression fog and a general lack of interest in doing anything other than writing and eating khao soi. …
I arrived back in Chiang Mai on a high from my week at Elephant Nature Park. On my first night back, a group of the people I’d met while volunteering made plans to meet for a drink, and it was so lovely to see everyone back together that evening after wandering the Sunday night market solo. …
Thailand has been on my bucket list for over a decade. When I originally dreamed about visiting, the picture in my mind’s eye was always of me riding an elephant. How great would that be on Instagram? But that was before I learned about the dark side behind what it takes to put a human …
After a grueling, bumpy bus ride back to Luang Prabang from Phonsavan, I checked back into my hostel and immediately set about changing my plans. I had originally planned to take the slow boat to Thailand the next day, but my travel exhaustion and my reluctance to leave Luang Prabang made it clear: I was not waking up …
Although I am loving Laos, the other classic destinations on the backpacking trail, apart from Luang Prabang, did not interest me much. Tubing and drinking in Vang Vieng, no thanks. The capital of Vientiane, sounds ok but maybe not worth the trip. Phonsavan, though, a less touristed town in northern Laos, piqued my interest. It …
Strictly speaking, there isnt that much to do in Luang Prabang. It’s more of a place to not do things. But of the things you can do, I found that most of my favorites took place in the evening. I really enjoyed hiding from the sun in a cafe during the heat of the day and …
I could tell I would love Laos from the moment my plane dipped down into the verdant green mountains mirrored by muddy rivers snaking their way through the landscape. After over two weeks in Vietnam, I was ready to explore a new country and I had heard that Laos was a low key and lovely …