Laos is the complete opposite of Vietnam. Vietnam might be one of the fastest places in the world. When I arrived at the Laos border, a woman helping me told me that the border agent would be back in 20 minutes. I then saw the border agent proceed to walk out of his office, go to a TV and light up a cigarette. This is Laos. So very slow and so very relaxed. Si Phan Don is located at the very southern tip of Laos. It is a collection of small, fishing islands. So q...

Every place in Vietnam has been breathtaking, so why would Hoi An be any different. There was a 60 year old Vietnamese woman in my cabin on the overnight train ride from Hanoi. She had a brother who died in the war, and I asked if she had any feelings against the US still and she said "the past is the past." She bought me dinner and breakfast, and was the sweetest woman in the world. Everyone over here has let go of the past. It makes me feel peace...

I was in Hanoi for 2 weeks, because it was a place that felt like home the moment I arrived there. The buzz of the thousands of motorbikes, the momentary bliss at the city cafes, the energy of the Old Quarter, the smell of Bun Ca guiding me towards it like a missile. The city has this sensual allure, especially in the evening. My favorite activity was to ride on a motorbike through the backstreets of Hanoi at night. All I have to decide now is when I will be ...

Vietnam... The land inspires ideas from so many different war movies. I really had no idea what to expect. On the travelers circuit I only heard great things about Vietnam. What will it be like? I took an overnight bus from Kunming, China to the Vietnamese border. I arrived at 6am before the border even opened. Where it China everyone ignored me, in Vietnam everyone gives me constant attention. It usually comes by way of wanting me to buy something. They are alw...

China......1.3 billion people......20% of the world's population......the birthplace of Asian culture and lifestyle....world reknown food....everyone has a vision when they think about China. I came to China because I could not get back into Nepal from Tibet. I took a 44 hour train through the Tibetan plateau to the city of Chengdu. Once I left the plateau and entered onto mainland China I could not see the sky. Pollution, smog and grey filled the sky and filled...