Travel Articles: Asia

When our group arrived to Siem Reap, Cambodia, we were greeted with one of the most beautiful airports I had ever seen — it looked like it had been recently built, with shiny spotless floors, lots of glass, and uniquely Cambodian touches inside. Staff from the hostel we had booked were waiting outside the airport for us with tuk-tuks; we …

Hanoi was followed by a luxurious overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay aboard the Peony. We were greeted at the boat by friendly staff and a hearty buffet lunch as we cruised across the bay. After our humble experience of Hanoi and the havoc of the big city, kicking back on our cabin’s balcony watching the limestone karst formations drift from …

After our two days in Hoi An, we caught another flight from Da Nang north to Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. I was excited but not quite prepared for the next level of sensory overload; nearly everything I knew of Hanoi was gleaned from TV, mostly food documentaries like Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown series. It all seemed condensed into …

The overwhelm of Hong Kong was nothing compared to the rush of our first cab ride in Vietnam. I didn’t realize the level of motorbike traffic until we were right in the thick of it — there seemed to be no rules, no braking, just a steady stream of people weaving in and out and around each other, hitting roundabouts and entering the …

We arrived in Hong Kong late in the evening. I was exhausted and ready for a hot shower and a cold beer. My travel partners, my friend Mason and his cousin McKenzie, were equally beat, nodding off a little during our taxi ride from the airport. We rolled the red Toyota cab windows down and let the late-night bustle wash over us; the city was muggy …

You simply can't meet more pleasant people anywhere in the world than in SE Asia. Laos in particular was full of smiling faces and welcoming individuals. Two interactions stand out among the rest.

The first was a Baci ceremony on our last night in Luang Prabang. We walked with our guide into an area with more houses and arrived at a community …

Can I just start by saying, I love Laos! It is an often overlooked destination in SE Asia, not having any beaches, but do yourself a favor and schedule a few days in Laos.

Our first day was spent in the city with our wonderful guide. Walking through the markets alone was an education. There were so many new vegetables, fruits, spices and meat …

Ha Long Bay is one of the incredible natural wonders of Vietnam. I was looking forward to our 2-day, 1-night cruise on a junk boat to get the full experience.

First, I have to say, if you have an extra day, opt for the 3-day/2-night cruise on the Bay. The transfer time from Hanoi is long, and I felt like I spent about as much time getting to and …

Over the past several years, the majority of my travel has been in Central America. Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize have all topped the list the past few years, but I was ready for something totally new: Southeast Asia.

My colleagues have raved; my friends have sung the praises; family members have drooled over the photos and memories of their …

So we packed a lot into our China travels over the course of six days, to Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi'an: Shanghai museum, cooking lesson, the French Concession, the Bund, bullet trains, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Peking duck dinner, Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an city wall, historical Chinese theater, art museum, …

Our second day in Beijing, we ventured to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall about an hour and a half from central Beijing. This section is not as crowded and in a more rural, mountainous area. Brad teaches about the Great Wall in his sixth grade social studies class, so this was a thrill for him especially.



Most people opt to take the …

Food is a central part of any culture, and eating together is one of the common relationship-building experiences in that culture. So while on our China adventure, we were excited to have different food experiences. It was important to us to experience Chinese food in an authentic way. Our only prior exposure to “Chinese food” was …

We are 3/4 of the Herron family, Brad, Terri, and Taylor (unfortunately the other 1/4 of the Herrons couldn’t make this trip). Brad is the dad and a sixth grade teacher in Missoula, one of his subjects being social studies with a focus on ancient history (including China!!). So Brad is our resident history geek. Taylor is the older son, a …

Namkhan eco farm or Namkhan project is a mission or one can say that an effort doing by Namkhan eco farm to spreads out the advantages of Permaculture farming techniques, as well as organic farming of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Namkhan eco-farm is parallel to Namkhan River as well as to Namkhan village. Namkhan eco farm includes different kind …

Again I have to give props to Adventure Life and Khiri Travel for their wise decisions on when to get to the airports or get picked up for excursions. We avoided most traffic and long lines at the airport. Today was one of the primary reasons for our trip... on this day we visited Kien Giang Orphanage in the Mekong Delta. Our nephew was adopted …