Asia

Eating in Yangon

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Every time we travel out of the country, we get the same warning from our doctor: do not partake in street food.  Each and every single time, we chose to ignore that advice because to me, eating street food is half the fun of travel.  It’s where you get to try the most authentic local cuisine that also just happens to be super affordable.  That’s exactly what we did in Yangon.  Our motto was: forget the pizza and hamburgers (not that there are a lot McDonalds there),  jump in and try something that you won’t be able to get at home. Continue reading →

Myanmar: A Photo Tour of Markets

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One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to visit to the local markets. The cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells adds to the ambience of the city. Watching people as they go through their daily tasks is a wonderful way immerse yourself in the local life of a new city. Continue reading →

15 Things to Know Before Traveling to Myanmar

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Myanmar (pronounced me-ann-mar) has become a traveler’s hot spot in recent years, and will get even more popular now that they’ve held democratic elections.  Their new found political freedom shined the spotlight, and brought a surge of people into the once isolated country. Hotel and infrastructure are being built to support the rapid growth as the country moves towards becoming the next must-visit Asian destination. Things are changing fast and information on the web gets quickly outdated. Here are a list of  things we learned from our trip (taken at the end of Nov, 2015) that will hopefully make your planning easier: Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Descending Dragon

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IMG_3385Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam

This picture really captured the scene for me with a mystical quality that makes the seascape looks like a watercolor painting.  Designated a World Heritage site, Ha Long Bay archipelago is made up of around 2,000 islands of various sizes.  It is well known for its towering limestone pillars rising out of the emerald water as seen above. Arguably, one of Vietnam’s most famous and stunning locales, it attracts many visitors each year.  For two days, we cruised around the bay, appreciating my country’s natural beauty.

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

Photo of the Week: Chedi

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Ayutthaya, Thailand

Ayutthaya, located about 80 km north of Bangkok used to be a bustling Siamese capital.  After it was attacked and destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century, it was never rebuilt.  Nowadays, the sleepy market town stands as an archeological site with many ruined temples and palaces that give visitors an idea of its past splendor.

Walking around the courtyards, we encountered many headless figures of Buddha adorned in orange silk, sitting serenely under the shade.  The heads were lopped off by looters after the city was destroyed and left defenseless and sold to private collectors.  At Wat Phra Si Sanphet remain the three grand chedis that are believed to contain the relics and ashes of Ayutthaya’s greatest rulers. This photo was taken at the top of the steps of one of the temples.

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

2015 – Year in review

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2015 Year-in-Review

Now the the holiday season is over, and the New Year draws near, it’s that time again… Time to look back on 2015 and reflect on all the places we’ve been and things we’ve seen.

At this time last year when we were writing our 2014 post, I think we had said something along the lines of 2014 being a big year for our travel; and that we might take it easy in 2015… Fast-forward one year, and all I have to say is “ha!” We didn’t have a lot planned going into 2015, but we ended up covering a fair bit of ground. It started with a mistake fare to Rio, and ended up with an aspirational booking in first class to Hong Kong on one of the top airlines in the world. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Stone Face

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IMG_4352Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Thom, also known as the “Great City” was the last capital of the Khmer empire.  The city was founded by Jayavarman VII, one of Angkor’s greatest kings who came to power in 1181 AD, ruling his city of over a million people. The spectacular Bayon temple was built at the heart of the ancient capital as the official Buddhist temple.

Pictured above are the distinctive stone faces atop the towers of the temple.  The serene smiling face of the bodhisattva faces outward, keeping a sharp watch at each compass point. After almost a thousand years, these stone carvings are still awe-inspiring to look at.

Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.

Day 14: On the Road in Ngapali

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On our last day in Ngapali, we paid a visit to the nearby fishing village where the local fishermen were just coming home from a night out on the sea. The catch of the day was quickly brought up on shore.  Here you can see fish laid out to dry under the hot Burmese sun. The market was just opening, and buzzing with people out to buy their food for the day.  In these remote villages,  it’s more common to buy fresh ingredients every day, instead of relying on the fridge. 

Day 13: On the Road in Ngapali

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We were walking around the beach when we saw this little girl running around and playing on the rocks while her mom was busy selling trinkets nearby.  She stood out in her pink dress, running back and forth, full of energy.  When we got near, she became shy and hid behind her mom.  After we came over to say hi, she got over her shyness and once again started running around.  Here she is posing for me in a perfect jumping shot.