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The Mekong’s Mirror Image: How AI Found My Quiet Corner of Thailand
After a multi-stop train journey up the coast of Vietnam, I found myself longing for the relaxed atmosphere of Laos. Since my return trip to America was set to depart from Thailand, I started looking for a Thai destination that could offer that same tranquility. I was struggling to choose between various beaches and islands…
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Vietnam on the Reunification Line: Coasting from Saigon to Da Nang
This has been the year for checking things off my list. I wouldn’t call it a bucket list, but I’ve had a mental tally of “must-dos” for years. Last month was the train from Hong Kong to Laos. This week, I closed the loop on Vietnam by train. A decade ago, I rode the rails…
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The pro traveler’s guide to almost missing my train, my plane, and an entire country
I‘d pretty much resigned myself to abandoning my visit to Vietnam. It would have cost me a little over $100 in non-refundable train tickets and hotel stays, but the hassle of getting there, while knowing the ease of Thailand, had already prompted me to look at flights and hotels for the next day. I was…
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Losing Sleep But Finding Peace in Laos
There was a time when waking at 4:00 AM felt like a sentence, a period of quiet distress where sleep remained stubbornly out of reach. Now, I find myself disappointed if I sleep one minute past then. I headed out to the deck of the hostel this morning, a wooden perch overlooking the emerald Nam…
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From Shenzhen to Kunming: A 10-Day Journey from China’s Skyscrapers to its Karst Peaks
From the gleaming skyscrapers of Shenzhen to the tranquil riverbanks of Luang Prabang, my recent 10-day journey through Southern China was a whirlwind of high-tech marvels, ancient landscapes, and a few “cultural adjustments.” For those of us used to the “Right of Way,” traveling through China is a masterclass in a different philosophy: the “Right…
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The Great Wall of Bureaucracy: Getting into China
The Consulate Shuffle It all started with a train trip through Laos. I was riding China’s sleek new high-speed rail from the current capital, Vientiane, to the former French colonial capital of Luang Prabang. Looking at the tracks stretching north, I was struck by a thought: if I just stayed on this train, I could…
