I write this post from thousands of feet in the air, somewhere over China. My eyes filled with tears as I watched Thailand disappear from my window seat, just as they did when I left home. I’m on my way back to New York for the first time in nine months. For some, that will seem…

Those of you that were keeping up with my Photo of the Week project/real time updates know that as soon as we got back to Koh Tao from Vietnam I locked myself in our bungalow and glued myself to the computer for two weeks straight. I was not only catching up on work I had avoided…

You know what, readers? I think we are getting pretty serious. We’ve known each other for years now, some of us. I think it might just be time to take that next step in our relationship. It’s time to meet the family. After all, you are going to be hearing a lot about them. When I…

I can think of very few countries that inspire as passionately varied reactions from travelers as Vietnam does. Its fans wax poetic about the breathtaking landscape, the intriguing culture and the resilient population. Its detractors spew bitterly about the traffic, the crime, and most of all: the unfriendly people. I’m fascinated by this. What is it…

This post is super long. Read it anyway. If your attention span is short, skip ahead to My Reactions. For many people in this world, “Vietnam” is the name of a war and not a tourist destination. I’m ashamed to say I knew very little about the Vietnam War (or what the Vietnamese call the American…

It’s nearly 1am and I am with my group of friends on Pub Street trying to carry on a conversation in spite of the ever-increasing volume of music from the competing bars. The place is buzzing as travelers drink and socialize, tuk tuk drivers buzz anxiously outside the entry of every establishment like moths to a…