She was late and burst into the hostel like a hurricane hitting the beach. Her eyes darted about wildly. She was searching for the young backpacker who signed up for her tour. There were no young backpackers in the hostel’s… Read More ›
Travel
Travel
Coffee and Piranhas In Vietnam
If I asked you what country grows the best tasting coffee you might say Columbia. After all they produce 15% of the world’s coffee and their Arabica beans are highly sought after by Starbuck’s and others. If you’re more of… Read More ›
Welcome To Vietnam
In Chicago we called it the Vietnam war. I was too young to serve and too young to understand why guys my brother’s age, swaddled in bloody bandages, were constantly being slipped into the belly of green helicopters by soldiers… Read More ›
My Last Night In Cambodia
I enjoyed my time in Cambodia but I was ready to move on. I hoped to check in for my morning flight to Saigon the night before but as expected I was too early. It didn’t really matter because… Read More ›
A Walk Through Siem Reap, Cambodia
Sometimes, when I’m wandering cluelessly down a street of an unfamiliar city in a country that doesn’t share my language or alphabet, I wish I had a local with me to explain things. In America, telephone poles have 3 or… Read More ›
Sun Rise Over Angkor Wat, Cambodia
From the stairs of the bus I could see through the open air diner to the muddy river meandering on the other side. A silver pot the size of a washtub sat on a bucket of glowing coals belching steam…. Read More ›
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Part 2
(Note: This piece deals with an important and difficult moment in history.) My first few days in Cambodia were unsettling but good for me. Like most tourists I came to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, four hundred acres of jungle,… Read More ›
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Part 1
At the Phnom Penh airport, before stepping out into the staggering heat, I exchanged a few American dollars for Cambodian riels. An oddity of Cambodia is it uses two different currencies, American dollars for most purchases and Cambodian riels for small… Read More ›
Leaving Thailand At Last
The matriarch had flecks of silver in her thick black hair and a soldier straight spine which made her look deceptively tall and regal for being only about 5 feet high. I handed her my room key and thanked her… Read More ›
Serendipity – Part 2
After a few sips of iced latte a women’s voice asked, “Where are you from?” Cocking my head toward the sound I noticed bare brown shoulders against a thin white top that started half way down her cleavage and… Read More ›