Kuala Lumpur to Melaka and On

‘Malaysia: Truly Asia’ is Malaysia’s current tourism slogan, but I think a better one would be ‘Malaysia: A Nice Break From Asia.’ With Muslims, Indians (and/or Bangladeshis) and attractive men who weigh more than me everywhere, Malaysia is quite a refreshing change of scenery. Besides which, people are so friendly here, almost as eerily friendly as Canadians. Continue reading “Kuala Lumpur to Melaka and On”

Hoi An to Hanoi

On my last day in Hoi An, April and I ate at our cheese-and-chocolate restaurant three times in one day (same server each time, embarrassingly) and in between, we hired the tiniest, most ancient man ever to row us up and down the river for an hour. I felt sure he would expire from the labor, but he had a grand time, starting water fights with the other boats and making us take his picture forty times.  Continue reading “Hoi An to Hanoi”

Dalat, Nha Trang, Hoi An

Due to a mix-up with my bus ticket (I confirmed for the bus to Dalat at 7:30 a.m., only to be told when I phoned after no bus appeared that there was no bus that day and I would instead be going tomorrow, causing me to completely lose it over the phone so that they put me on another company’s 1:00 p.m. bus) I ran into April again, and we’ve been traveling together once more.  Continue reading “Dalat, Nha Trang, Hoi An”

Saigon

My Aunt Joan, a high school teacher in New Jersey, has a student from Vietnam, and when Aunt Joan told this student I was visiting her home, she very kindly hooked me up with her family. I called them my first night in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City, technically, although District 1, where I stayed the first night is still officially called Saigon, and locals tend to call the whole city by its former name) and they arrived at my hotel early next morning. Continue reading “Saigon”

Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville and On

Our first night in Phnom Penh, April and I took a walk out of the backpacker’s ghetto (where the guesthouses all charge three bucks a night and make up the difference with the 24-hour bar out back), past the mosque (how I love chanting Muslims in the morning), into the alleys and industrial districts in the Northwest of the city, so April could get photos of picturesque squaller for her portfolio. Continue reading “Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville and On”

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the main temple in a complex of hundreds, built from the 9th to 15th centuries. There’s a formula for viewing these temples: most people purchase a three-day pass for $40 and hire a tuk-tuk driver to cart them around. Continue reading “Angkor Wat”

Savanakhet to Siem Reap

Perhaps it’s only because ‘Savanakhet’ sounds like ‘Savannah,’ but it reminded me of a slow, Southern town in the States. On the day I visited, the streets were nearly empty, the pavement hummed in the constant heat, and people lurked around in what shady nooks they could find. I tried to locate the local museum (Savanakhet also has a dinosaur museum, which is hilarious to me, though I didn’t attempt to visit it). Continue reading “Savanakhet to Siem Reap”

Vientiane and On

My mood, you will be happy to hear, improved upon arrival in Vientiane. Not that Vientiane’s so wonderful – it’s just a city. But it’s a city that would exist whether or not tourists came and that’s all I really required. Continue reading “Vientiane and On”

Vang Vieng

I have rarely witnessed anything as truly ludicrous as Vang Vieng. Droves of backpackers originally flocked to this town because of its position on the Nam Song surrounded by limestone karst formations and tons of caves, and in response to the influx, Vang Vieng has completely whored itself out. Continue reading “Vang Vieng”