aawAny trip to Laos will inevitably include time spent in Luang Prabang. While this city is not the capital of Laos, it once was. Today, it is a hub for travelers in the region and a great base to explore Northern Laos from.
more “Luang Prabang: Ancient Kingdom and UNESCO Heritage Site”
A little more than 40 years ago, a genocide was happening in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge had risen to power and were implementing their vision of a Maoist, communist society. This began with converting the country into an agrarian society, expelling people to the countryside. It also involved torturing and murdering the opposition, and as time went on anyone accused of conspiring against the party. Cambodia has made it point to preserve this history, to ensure it isn’t repeated.
For a while when I was younger, I thought that Kathmandu was just a made up place. Turns out, it’s the capital city of Nepal, nestled in a beautiful valley among the Himalayas. There’s plenty of things to do within Kathmandu, from Swayambhunath (the monkey temple) to Durbar Square. However there are some interesting and great places to visit as a day trip if you base yourself in the city.
Think of Thailand and you likely conjured up images of pristine beaches, massages and elephants. While it’s true that all of these things could be used to represent Thailand, elephants are actually the national animal and they play a key part in Thai history, culture and identity.
If I told you that there is a historical site in Southeast Asia that dates to the time of Ancient Greece, but we know nothing concrete about, what would your reaction be? If you’re like me, you’ll want to at the very least know more about it and at the most visit.
That place exists and it’s known as the Plain of Jars near Phonsovan in Laos.
Over the two weeks that I spent in Bhutan, I was constantly noticing small beautiful details. It seemed like every little thing required a closer look. And then, when you got closer, you would find the incredible craftsmanship that went into whatever you were looking at.
Turns out, that’s all by design. Bhutan has 13 traditional arts that imbue a sense of beauty into everything. There’s even a vocational school dedicated solely to teaching these 13 arts, ensuring their practice is carried on.
There are two things that I love to do when I travel: trekking and community-based tourism. So when I was planning my trip to Cambodia a few years ago, I was thrilled to find Chi Phat.
I was of course planning a visit to the Angkor Wat Historical Park and wasn’t going to pass up history in Phnom Penh. But I wanted something a little more special and off-the-beaten-path. When I found out about Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains, I knew that was where I wanted to go. Chi Phat is a community-based eco-tourism initiative there.
When people think of Asia and religion, Buddhism is usually what comes to the forefront of most people’s minds. What many don’t always realize is that there are a different schools of thought within Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is pretty widely known, but the two sects that I’ve become familiar with through my travels are a bit less widely known. So, I’d like to explore some of the similarities and differences between Theraveda and Mahayana Buddhism.
I fell in love with hiking when I lived in Portland. Now, when I travel, I almost always search out a way to incorporate hiking into my trip. When I read about the Nam Ha National Protected Area in Northern Laos, I knew I had to go there.
Just a few days ago, “First They Killed My Father” began streaming on Netflix. The movie, based on the book with the same name, follows the story of a girl who is forced to become a child solider while her family is sent to labor camps under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The other famous film about this time in Cambodian history is “The Killing Fields,” that tells the true story of a journalist and his interpreter. While the genocide in Cambodia that occurred from 1975 to 1979 under the rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge may be generally known, the legacy of that time that stretches into the present is much less so.