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 »

We introduced Adrianne and Rick earlier on this blog. Having told their story to several people recently and feeling renewed inspiration, we wanted to share more about them and their work.

We feel that Adrianne and Rick can tell their story better than we can. Below are excerpts from an email interview conducted after they returned to Canada from their latest work in Cambodia (December 2006-March 2007).
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As we write this, we are in Tbilisi, Georgia and about to head to Armenia. But just after spending almost five months in Southeast Asia and releasing our site, we find that we’re being asked “what was your favorite ______ in Southeast Asia?”

Here is our attempt to answer those questions, preempt a few others, and provide an overview of our experience. Continue Reading »

When we began our journey, one of our goals was to meet inspiring people who are making a difference in this world - however small – and to tell their story. Adrianne and Rick, a couple we met while admiring the monitor lizards in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park, were the first people to fit this description. We feel fortunate to have met them. It’s not just the work that they do that is inspiring - it’s who they are and how they go about it. Continue Reading »

Why try to be funny when others can do it for you?

In that vein, we’d like to share some advice from Khmer Guides on entertainment and relaxation in Phnom Penh. This is a direct quote.

Relaxing Places: There are many foreiners night clubs along the riverfront and all the visitors can relax with snooker and romantic song with beautiful girls. Moreover, all the visitors can make special occationally with the girls that earn money by body Continue Reading »

If you refer to the statistics on Cambodia – poverty is widespread, as is AIDS, the country is still recovering from the Khmer Rouge (and has yet to put anyone on trial for war crimes), corruption is institutionalized and entrenched, health care is lacking, there are still an estimated 6 million unexploded land mines, indentured sex workers are common (children too), and the list could go on - it seems like a pretty hellish place. Yet, why is it that for many of the travelers we talked to, they (and we) put Cambodia at the top of the list of favorite countries visited? Continue Reading »

There are two ways to get to Battambang from Siem Reap: 1) bus on reliable roads, 5 to 6 hours or 2) boat on less than reliable waterways, 5 to 10 hours. We chose the boat option, having read that the journey along Tonle Sap Lake is the best water trip in Cambodia, where beautiful scenery and active floating villages accompany you most of the way. Continue Reading »

First the bugs
Curious, Dan struck up a conversation with a table of people enjoying their late afternoon snack of bugs and sugar cane juice near the river in Battambang. After inviting us to sit with them, he received a proper - and unexpected - lesson in art of bug eating. Step 1: remove the wings and legs. Step 2: pop them into his mouth, Step 3: chew a long, long while, Step 4: chase them with a healthy gulp of sugar cane juice. Step 5: Pray your digestive system approves of this curious new protein. Continue Reading »

Spending a day on the back of a motorbike going around the villages and sites near Battambang is one of the best ways to take in Cambodia’s countryside while getting a bit of an adrenaline kick. This trip proved one of our personal travel hightlights in Southeast Asia. Continue Reading »

While visiting Battambang, we hired motorbike drivers for a day to take us through the surrounding countryside. Our day with them yielded an authentic look at Cambodian country life. Our drivers also shared glimpses of their own personal stories with us. Their stories were typical of many Cambodians and serve as a collective memory of a country that lost half its population during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s. While the scores of smiling children we encountered throughout the day still bring smiles to our faces, the day underscored how thankful we are for the fortunate lives we’ve had until now. Continue Reading »