We just finished a three-day trek that landed us at Inle Lake, Myanmar. While the people, markets, temples, villages and floating gardens here have all been wonderful, internet connectivity and availability of electricity leave much to be desired. With rolling brown-outs, random power outages, and heavily censored dial-up internet, staying in touch with the outside world has been next to impossible. Being able to view one’s inbox is cause for fist-pumping victory; sending an email is cause for nationwide celebration. That we have been able to post this article is something of a minor miracle. Continue Reading »

Don’t worry, we’re not feeling lonely. The title refers to the current reality here in Myanmar where once bustling tourist sights and streets have been transformed into ghost towns. Strings of flashing lights still hang from restaurants advertising the best Burmese, Indian, Nepalese - and even Tibetan - food in town, but the sobering and obvious fact is that most of these restaurants have only a few customers per day…and that’s on a good day. There are simply very few tourists here. Continue Reading »

A couple of notes, dear reader. We are headed to Myanmar and things may be quiet, or they may not. We just don’t know. If you don’t hear from us on the home page, take a look at “The Very Latest” on the left-hand sidebar. Twitter seems to have worked in most countries, even those with heavy internet controls and painfully slow connections.

We are also still catching up on Central Asia. It left an impression on us that has rendered us far behind in our writing. While we figure out Myanmar, we offer you the following: the best people, food and landscape/cityscape shots from a journey that still leaves us surprisingly nostalgic for the intensity, challenge, and people of Central Asia. Continue Reading »

When we arrive in a new location, we usually seek out the local market. This is how we orient ourselves. Markets provide an easy way to meet real people in a friendly context. They also offer an insight into local food and culture. Central Asian markets proved no different. We found ourselves frequently sampling local fruits (OK, having fruit heaped upon us by the lapful) and talking with vendors about their products. We decided that the markets, the vendors and the produce in Central Asia deserved a video. Continue Reading »

Our visit to the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan introduced us to some the most spectacular scenery we’ve taken in on our journey thus far. Other mountainous areas, hyped in guidebooks and on travel websites, have only paled in comparison. The Pamir region not only stands out for the severity and beauty of its landscape, but it shines most of all for the colorful, hospitable and fascinating Pamiri people who live there. Continue Reading »

When times were difficult during the years following independence, the men felt sorry for themselves and the women carried on with the business of providing for the family.

- a Georgian friend explaining the situation there during the early 1990s. Continue Reading »

We are often asked “What were your best experiences? What are your favorite places?”

“All-time favorite places” is a difficult one to answer without writing a book, but if we limit the question to 2007 (as we did in our personal growth exercise last night), the answer becomes manageable and something worth sharing with our readers. Continue Reading »

Early on New Year’s Eve, before the festivities began, we dropped by a local cafŽe in order to perform our annual year-end ritual of reflection and looking forward. Although the specific exercises have evolved, the objective of our ritual remains the same - reflect on the past year and determine themes for the year ahead. Continue Reading »

This is great! I’m getting kisses from random gender benders.

– Audrey, on our 2008 New Year’s Eve night out in Bangkok.

Last night, we found ourselves welcoming in the New Year in true Bangkok style - with a band, a late night street food nosh, and a swamp of kisses from a horde of Bangkok’s third genders. Continue Reading »