Ubud: The Heart Of Darkness
Ubud is full of galleries, boutiques, and performing troupes, and is billed as Bali’s cultural center, aside from the capital, Denpasar. It’s also one of Bali’s most heavily touristed areas, which is why, net, we…
Temples & Textiles
Once again, fabric beckoned. After our visit to Tenganan to see their double ikat geringsing, we planned a visit to Sidemen to see songket brocades being made. The Besakih Temple was close enough to Sidemen…
Day Tripper
As lovely as it is to bob in the water, you just knew we couldn’t go a full month with nothing but ocean for entertainment. To what I’m sure will be absolutely no one’s surprise,…
They Call Him Flipper…
I’m of two minds regarding writing about snorkeling. On the one hand, swimming with the fishes is objectively amazing. It’s as close to visiting another planet as we’ll get. Maybe not you. You’re young. But…
Bali? Hi!
Bali, land of deep, resonant culture, jaw dropping natural splendor, and breathtaking coral extravaganzas. Also, land of wellness centers, yoga retreats, and invasive tourists. Getting the one without the other is a challenge, happily accepted.…
*sigh* Gone…
This will be our last post from Vietnam. We hadn’t even planned on visiting Ho Chi Minh City (or Sài Gòn, as the locals still call it). Hội An was supposed to be our last…
Huế To Go
We had one last road trip in us before leaving for Indonesia. The Imperial City of Huế was a convenient three-and-a-half hour bus ride from Hội Án, and an easy decision. A provincial capital since…
Mỹ (other) Sơn
Don’t think for a moment that Cambodia’s Angkor-era ruins are the only dead things in Southeast Asia. There’s us, of course, but there are also spectacular ruins of the pre-Angkor Champa kingdom that dot Vietnam.…
Hội Án Crafts
Hội Án’s arts and crafts scene is completely different than Hà Nội’s. Hà Nội presents as a typical capital city, collating handicrafts from all over Vietnam, while Hội Án offers a more local perspective and…
Splish Splash
While many of our trips have been focused almost exclusively on culture, we’ve been careful on our Southeast Asia tour to make sure we visit places with natural splendor. And water. I think we’re both…