Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, was probably the place I was most nervous to visit. Very few of the travelers I met liked it, and it is notorious for motorbike thefts: men on motorbikes will ride by your tuktuk, grab your bag, and speed off. But it was also the place where I could …
Most travelers who explore Cambodia outside Angkor Wat head to the southern beaches or French colonial towns like Battambang or Kampot. But I had had my heart set on Kratie, a tiny town on the Mekong River, ever since I read you could see the endangered Irrawaddy river dolphin there. These funny looking guys are …
There aren’t any official animal shelters in Siem Reap, but when I googled around I found Siem Reap Pagoda Cats, a one woman show run by expat Josette Vanneur. Josette goes each morning to a local pagoda to take care of the many cats living there. I contacted her and she got back to me quickly and …
The temples of Angkor Wat blew me away. But I was also looking forward to spending time in Siem Reap. From my research, it seemed like a cute little town with good shopping and tasty food. I planned for a week in Siem Reap so I could have some days off from temple hopping to …
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 …