When I started this site over 6 years ago, I hadn’t even been to Asia. Now, I’ve been to over 10 Asian countries and lived in 2 of them. I love Asia. There is so much to see and do, so many attractions for travelers. The culture is incredibly unique from country to country. There was a time I thought Vietnam and China were similar. Not even close. If you are looking for an alternate view of Asia, this collection of tips and articles will help you plan a trip, or learn about the largest and most populous continent in the world.
We made the move from Ecuador to Cambodia, and after a 2 week long quarantine, it’s time to find an apartment in Phnom Penh. Apartment hunting in Cambodia is a wild ride. There are a ton of options at a variety of levels. I’m here to break it all down for you.
Watch the video to get a look inside over 15 apartments.
Right now, as I type this, I am sitting in a hotel in Cambodia.
We recently moved from Ecuador to Cambodia – a move that was about 6 months in the making. Back in January, Sara was offered a teaching job at what seems to be an incredible school. We were ready to leave Ecuador and go back to Asia, so the move was planned for early July.
Even though we had moved to a new country 5 times already, it’s always difficult packing up everything you own and flying across the world.
One day I was exploring a tacky tourist shop in Chengdu, where I’m currently living. I came across a pack of playing cards that featured a different Sichuan specialty dish on each card. A big part of the reason why I moved to Chengdu was because I fell in love with Sichuan food after frequenting an authentic Sichaun restaurant back when I lived in Vietnam. I bought the cards and vowed to try every dish – all 54 of them.
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While Hong Kong is generally raved about, it’s not typically a backpacker stop, mainly because it’s too damn expensive. I’ve seen a lot of lists putting it in the top five most expensive places to live in the world. Even worse, it’s the 2nd most expensive place to drink beer in the world.
Oh my god! Why would anyone even want to go to such a hellish place?
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Shangli has been through a lot, but you wouldn’t know it from the peaceful feeling you get while walking its lanes. It’s one of 10 Chinese ancient villages in Sichuan province, but unlike its counterparts the village has been able to keep its authentic charm.
The absolute number one thing we were looking forward to in South Korea was the food.
It did not disappoint.
We were introduced to new dishes we had never had before, and some old dishes that we had eaten bastardized versions of.
This post consists of photos (some of which lack quality because they were taken on my phone – or maybe because I was all like “screw these photos, I just wanna eat this!”), videos, and information that will help you find the perfect meal in South Korea.
Note: This list has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to hide our McDonald’s shame.
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Give me some time and I’ll be linking to a How To Successfully Attend a Festival in China article right here.
But for now, I’ll admit that my attendance at the Longquan Peach Blossom Festival was a short-lived one. The mass of people that shuffled along the uneven paths, the noise that blared from horrendous sound systems, and the foolish purchases that were being made all around me — it’s not my style.
But perhaps it’s yours?
If you’re interested in attending the yearly festival, I’d love to tell you everything I know. I must warn you however, you might not like what you find.
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Busan’s Jagalchi Market (자갈치시장), the largest fish market in South Korea, has taken up two very different places in my memory. The first one is a very positive place, where the memories of incredible lunches, lively atmospheres, excitement and intrigue all sit. The second place is dark. It’s usually avoided at all costs. This memory is based on the 8 or so rats that we saw scrounging through a pile of garbage (watch the video til the end).
I hate rats. When we go to a country for the first time, we always keep a rat count. Vietnam took the title during our first trip to Southeast Asia with 5 rats in 22 days (a rat every 4.4 days). But, in the matter of 10 seconds, South Korea managed to make Vietnam look like the outskirts of Alberta with a total of 9 rats in 12 days – a rat every 1.33 days.
That being said, this article is about fish, not rats, so I’m going to focus on the positive memories of Jagalchi Market. But know, as I write this with my feet off the floor, that those rats are haunting my memories.
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In this guide, I will share all the details of our Southeast Asia budget backpacking trip that included Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.
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Sha Tin is not only great for immature puns (I Sha Tin your shoe), it also has some worthwhile attractions. You can check out the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, or the the oldest walled village Tai Wai, there’s also the horse racing track, the well maintained Sha Tin Park with its gardens and grandstand, and there are plenty of villages that have a charm that you won’t get in the densely populated downtown. One of these is Pai Tau village.
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Tours are for foo-ls. I tried my best to make that rhyme.
While Vietnam may seem a little daunting at first, the country is not difficult to travel – especially if you have a great blog to aid you, with details on every leg of the trip, written by a man who lived in the country for years and who has sex appeal that is on par with Don Draper fixing a sink.
While 10 days in Vietnam certainly isn’t enough time to see everything, this detailed itinerary will insure that you have 10 packed days of adventure, amazing food, mountains, rivers, and culture.
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I’ll admit, I’m a little confused about Korea’s market scene. Gwangjang Market (광장시장) is located in what I believe is the oldest market building in Korea. It opened in 1905, when it was called Dongdaemun Market, which was the name of an older market that was destroyed in the Korean War and rebuilt in 1959. Meanwhile, Namdaemun Market was around since like 1414, but the Japanese took control of it and it was eventually burnt to the ground… a few times. Gwangjang actually was created because of the Japanese take-over of Namdaemun Market. Several Korean investors and business men didn’t like the fact that their largest market was controlled by the Japanese, so they spent a whopping 100,000 Won (like $88) and bought some land to build what is now the 10 acre Gwangjang Market.
