A little over a year ago, Alison and I threw our stuff into a 5×10 storage unit in Charlotte, NC and boarded a one-way flight to Bangkok, with basically no other plans. It’s been almost two months since we returned from our 12 month round-the-world jaunt and the time at home has afforded some reflective…
After arriving in Belize City by water taxi from Ambergris Caye, we were quickly brought back to our elementary school days as we boarded an old US school bus at the terminal. We found open seats and looked around in disbelief as we noticed our bus was a spitting image of those we spent years…
Tuk-tuks are prevalent throughout Southeast Asia and are basically motorized rickshaws. It’s a slightly more expensive alternative to taking a cab, and sometimes the only means of transport around small towns. Back in January, Alison and I took a tuk tuk to a bus stop in the small city of Sukhothai before traveling onward to…
There are a lot of ways to get around this great big world of ours. Some like to hit all the hot spots, tagging all 897 of the self-proclaimed “eighth wonders of the world.” Others will literally go to the ends of the earth to place the first human footsteps on an unnamed mountain or…
We showed up in Asia as the dumbest guys in the hostel room, assuming we could continue streaming Netflix, WatchESPN, HBO Go, and all the other media comforts of home while travelling outside the US. A few of the below messages quickly put us in our place and we realized we’d be without them for…
Cambodia is a case study on how good we have it in the U.S. From 1975-1979, ~25% of their population was killed (2 million people) by the ruthless Khmer Rouge regime through a combination of mass murder, disease, and starvation. Along with 2 million people, the Khmer Rouge also killed the Cambodian (also known as…
“This bank charges a transaction fee of $5 for using this ATM. This charge is in addition to any fees that may be assessed by your financial institution. Are you sure you want to continue with the transaction?” Seeing this message 2-3 times a week followed by an obligatory press of the “Yes” button can…
One of the primary tourist attractions in southern Laos is Wat Phou, the site of ancient ruins located just outside Champasak in between Pakse and the 4000 islands. The ruins date back to the Khmer empire in the 5th century and the area was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sounds awesome, right? So how…
Beaches & Backpacks 