I survived a shipwreck. Saying that feels unreal – like it happened in a dream, or a really bad Lifetime movie. Seriously, did this actually happen to me?! But it did happen, and I survived. This is my story. The Beginning I was invited to join Perama Tours’ Hunting Komodo by Camera tour as a […]
Adventurous Kate Gets Shipwrecked in Indonesia Read More »
One reason why I returned to Sihanoukville is because I loved it – my ultimate backpacker beach paradise, the land of all-night parties and 50-cent beers and awesome backpackers from all over the world. I also realized that I was running low on cash and had to start living a lot more cheaply if I
Why I Didn’t Get a Bar Job in Sihanoukville Read More »
They are the cutest kids you’ve ever seen, they can swear their heads off in multiple languages, and they can get you to buy anything. They’re one of the symbols of Sihanoukville, Cambodia – the child vendors selling bracelets on Serendipity Beach. You will grow to love these kids, who spend their days selling overpriced
The Adorable, Trash-Talking Kid Vendors of Sihanoukville Read More »
In Southeast Asia, the line between prostitution and dating is often murky. Especially between young local women and much-older Western men. In Chiang Mai, east of Tha Pae Gate, you’ll find dozens of bars where local women wait for Western men to arrive, hoping to become their girlfriends and have access to their money. In
Well, I’ve Been Taken By A Hooker. Read More »
I think I need to give my friend Ste a regular column on this site, because he instigated so many of our adventures! Our Vietnam group, sadly, had just broken up. Dave and Mike flew back to England. Sander and Jitske went on to Cambodia. And since I had no place to be, really, I
The Cambodian Merry-Go-Round of Death Read More »
For our final night together after traveling through Vietnam for nearly a month, we decided to do something special: finally go to karaoke in Saigon! Karaoke is a big deal in Vietnam — as it is all over Southeast Asia. You can find karaoke rooms and studios all over the city, including our neighborhood of
It takes a lot for me to lose my cool. I’ve managed 34-hour bus rides with locals lying in the aisles and smoking cigarettes. I’ve managed beds full of ants and squat toilets covered with cockroaches. I’ve managed scams, strep throat, and sleep deprivation. So when I finally lost my cool and freaked out, what
Meet My Nemesis: Durian Fruit Read More »
One of the great surprises about traveling in Asia is discovering that there’s always been a biker chick hiding inside me. Never did I ever dream it could be possible, but it’s true. From the first moment I got on my motorbike in Pai, I was in my element. Through Laos and Cambodia, I continued
Learning to Drive Like a Vietnamese Madwoman Read More »
As our bus hurtles down the road to the beach town of Mui Ne, Vietnam, my friends and I have abandoned the laptops and guidebooks in our laps. The reason? We’re unable to drag our eyes away from the landscape unfolding before us. How can this place exist? In Vietnam, nonetheless? It looks like the
Mui Ne: Like Nowhere Else in Vietnam Read More »
Was Month Four the best month yet? Yes. I don’t say that to disrespect the other months. It’s just…IT WAS GOOD. SO GOOD. As I said last month, every month has a theme. Month One was about being thrust into long-term travel and going to extremes in just about every way possible. Month Two was
The Asia Jaunt: Month Four in Review Read More »