During the sixth lunar month, in villages throughout Laos and eastern Thailand (Isaan), one of the more unusual Buddhist festivals, Bun Bang Fai, or Rocket Festivals are held. This is the hottest and driest season in Southeast Asia (early May), and villagers are...
What Does it Take to Retire Overseas? A simple Google search will show that there are hundreds of websites and other resources devoted to telling you how much money you need to retire in exotic places all over the world. There are many other sites that will tell you...
Watch the Video on YouTube Halong Bay, or as it is known in Vietnamese “descending dragon bay”, is a body of water in the Gulf of Tonkin, a little over 100 miles east of Hanoi. The area is famous for the thousands of limestone karsts, islands and islets that thrust...
For many years I have heard tales of adventurous foodies drinking cobra blood and eating various snake dishes made from other parts of snake in a mysterious village just outside of Hanoi. When Sarah and I planned our trip recent nine-day trip to Sapa, Halong Bay and...
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces in Bali Just before I retired in 2011 I sold almost everything I owned. It wasn’t because money was tight, but because I wanted to spend my life as an adventure, traveling the world, pursuing my passions of writing and...
I Woke in a Hill Tribe Village in Northern Laos I was awakened from sleep by a blood-curdling scream. It wasn’t quite a human sound, but, in that middle ground between slumber and consciousness, I couldn’t be too sure. Streaky shafts of pale sunlight were streaming...
Note: This guest post was written in 2015 and reflects the cost of living in Krabi at that time. Prices have changed considerably since then, so the figures below should be treated as a historical snapshot rather than current costs. Beach Near Krabi, Thailand One...
What is Betel Nut? When you have spent a bit of time in Myanmar — after you have gotten used to the spectacular landscapes, the incredible temples and the colorful characters — you begin to notice little things: pleasant aromas emanating from the tea...
