Cát Bà: So Long, Hạ Long Bay
You know Hạ Long Bay. Maybe not by name, but by iconic representation. It’s like Bayon Temple in Cambodia. The name probably causes a puzzled look, but once you see a picture of those massive…
Swimming To Vietnam
Getting out of Cambodia was surprisingly pleasant. First, when we’d dashed through the Siem Reap airport on arrival, after 30+ hours of travel, I think our eyes were too crusted over to properly appreciate how…
Haircut à la Hà Nội
There are other places that do this in Southeast Asia, but it wasn’t a thing in Cambodia. Of course it’s a Thailand thing. You’d expect that. And it’s not the dominant model anywhere, but it’s…
Phnom Kulen: The Holy Mountain
Two days before our departure to Vietnam we have one last adventure: a visit to Kulen Mountain. We’ve pushed it so far back in our schedule because it has the potential to be the most…
Temples All Around, Barkeep
This region of Cambodia, the beating heart of the ancient Khmer Angkor kingdom, reminds me of nothing so much as Carthage (here and here), in the sense that you can’t swing a cat without hitting…
Arts & Crafts
At first blush, Cambodia seemed to us to be a relatively handicraft light culture. Obviously, that’s not the case. Anywhere. There’s weaving, painting, leather work, ceramics, printing… What fooled us is that the aesthetic here…
Performance Review
One of the most fun things about our adventures is the constant exposure to the, to us, unusual and unknown. Other than Mexico, a culture we were already deeply familiar with, every place else we’ve…
Chasing The Hammam
I am on record as a hammam slut. There is something so gloriously decadent about holding still and being bathed by someone else. It’s good to be pasha. Hammams are a distinctly Muslim invention, deeply…
Wats Up
Angkor Wat is many things. It’s an iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, driving Cambodia’s tourist industry. It’s the largest religious structure in the world. It’s a 12th century Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It’s the…
A Horse Walks Into A Bar…
On the evening of Day Two post-apocalyptic fall, I abandoned Dorothy and headed out on a solo visit to Siem Reap’s famous night markets. The night market area is also the locus for what’s known…