Before we serve up a snapshot-mosaic of what we sampled while here in Singapore, a note on what we mean by “return” to India.

For each of us, India served as a first trip outside of North America, albeit at very different times in each of our lives. Audrey’s senses were barraged at five weeks old. Despite her good memory, she obviously doesn’t recall much of that first trip, nor of the subsequent two years she lived there. Dan’s visit happened at 26 years. He’ll never forget it; he almost didn’t make it back due to a bout of dengue fever. Continue Reading »

Twilight quickly yields to night at Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city.

Obstacle-removing turtles, cavorting monkeys, remarkable chana masala and free shoe repair. We didn’t find entries for these in our guidebooks, but we did find them on the streets and in the hills of Penang, Malaysia.

Guidebooks certainly give us places to go. But the most memorable moments of cultural experience, introspection and human kindness often pass somewhere between all the “must see” stars plotted on tourist maps.

You’ve probably heard this all before. It’s hardly an epiphany. So why do we bring it up? Continue Reading »

Perhaps you’d like to know what happened after I was robbed at Bangkok Airport security last month. Well, the saga continued with more “investigations” and a mysterious wire transfer. Transparency is not the first word that comes to mind. Continue Reading »

If I were ever tortured, my captors would break me by playing the morning music from the elementary school next door.

– Dan, after the fifth straight day of waking up at 7:15 AM to enjoy a 45-minute syrupy Thai musical loop resembling “It’s a Small World After All” followed by a live, 15-minute booming drum and bass cadence used to drive a herd of students to their seats. Continue Reading »

After reflecting on the challenges faced by Myanmar (Burma) yesterday, we wanted to leave you with a more pleasant image of the country for the weekend.

News stories take on increased significance when we’ve actually visited the place being covered. For example, we’ve recently been reading more about the effects of a harsh winter on the lives of ordinary people in both Tajikistan and China. As we read these stories, images of the people we’ve met become superimposed on a piece of news that we might otherwise regard with detachment.

We now follow Myanmar (Burma) more closely, as well. Just a few days ago, the junta (military government) there made news by announcing another “road map to democracy” and elections in 2010. Continue Reading »

I was robbed.

It didn’t happen at a grungy guest house, in a crowded local market, or down a dark alleyway at night. It happened in Bangkok’s shiny new Suvarnabhumi Airport at a gate security checkpoint. Worse yet, the thief was a security employee. Continue Reading »

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 »