This week’s Ask Kate is a question that I get asked with surprising frequency. Two years ago, Nomadic Matt wrote a post called Why I’ll Never Return to Vietnam. It got quite a bit of outcry — many of his readers were in complete agreement; many more disagreed. Here I try to help a reader …
Ask Kate: Is Vietnam As Bad As Nomadic Matt Says? Read More »
Today is Australia Day — and I’d love to wish a very happy Australia Day to my beloved Australian readers. This time last year, I was in Hanoi, Vietnam, and celebrated Australia Day for the first time…in a truly unique fashion. I was staying at the excellent Hanoi Backpackers, home to one of the best …
Shortly after arriving in Florence for my semester abroad, I met a guy wearing a gold belt buckle shaped like a lion’s head, a pair of boot-cut jeans tight enough to cut off circulation on top, a shirt unbuttoned almost to his navel, and the trendiest near-mullet I’ve ever seen. And he was American. This …
One of the highlights of spending extended time in Southeast Asia was that I got to see so much beauty, and so many different kinds of beauty. Here are the most beautiful places in Southeast Asia: Thailand’s Andaman Coast Clear turquoise water, limestone cliffs, white sand, longtail boats — this is the Thailand of postcards, …
You know how much I live for adventures! My six months in Asia were filled with them, and I don’t regret any of them. I’ll be telling these stories forever. But some of the adventures were a lot better than others. Here are my top 10 adventures in Southeast Asia: Fighting Muay Thai in Koh …
Adventurous Kate’s Top 10 Adventures in Southeast Asia Read More »
Southeast Asia is home to some of the best beaches in the world, and some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. Unlike my favorite places in Southeast Asia, I’m going to rank this list — I’ll list my top three beaches in Southeast Asia, and everything else is an honorable mention. My favorite …
Since coming home — and even before coming home — I’ve been asked one question more than any other: “What was your favorite place?” I could never narrow it down to one! To me, my destinations are like my children — I could never say I love one more than all the others! That said, …
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 …
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 …