A Year in Southeast Asia

How to get back into the rhythm of travel

DAY 1 — How do you switch from being at home to being on a long trip? It helps to open your eyes to small but significant events along the way.

Multicultural Kuala Lumpur makes your head spin

DAY 4 — Kuala Lumpur offers a very potent dose of multiculturalism, and it's not just limited to Chinese, Malays, and Indians but includes many others.

The tourist scam that actually worked

DAY 10 — Unbelievable tourist scam story from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Would you play a card game for money with a stranger on your first day in a new country?

The view of Malaysia from atop an elephant

DAY 12 — Sometimes a regular day turns into a crazy, unique, and unexpected experience. That's how I ended up petting elephants in central Malaysia one afternoon.

How your travel funds can get stolen via wi-fi

DAY 15 — Tips about not getting your ATM card info stolen over public wifi, based on this real story that happened to me at a Malaysian Starbucks.

The crazy weightless room of Kuala Lumpur

DAY 29 — You can't keep your balance in the "Crazy Weightless Room" in Malaysia's national planetarium, which looks vertical but is actually on a steep angle.

Thumbing a ride from Muhammad Ali

DAY 31 — Lost in rural Malaysia without a place to stay, we were offered a ride by a guy named Muhammad Ali. The kindness of strangers always comes when you need it.

Kuala Selangor's wild menagerie

DAY 35 — Monkeys and human-sized lizards are just some examples of the bountiful wildlife in and around the town of Kuala Selangor, Malaysia.

A single night in Klang, Malaysia isn't enough

DAY 36 — Klang's Indian food gave me high blood sugar, but still I want to go back because it's one of those places you pass through without seeing properly.

22 days in Kuala Lumpur: now THAT'S slow traveling!

DAY 58 — Your traveling pace can be super fast or super slow, or somewhere in between. Read about how we killed 22 days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and loved it.

Rich cultural mix of Malacca, Malaysia

DAY 62 — Sometimes a mix of international culture, rather than local color, makes a place interesting. Malacca, Malaysia is one such place. But bring enough insulin!

Visiting the Orang Asli deep in the Malaysian jungle

DAY 69 — About a trip we took into the mystical deep Malaysian jungle to visit a primitive Orang Asli community and get to know about their lives among the trees.

A dizzying day of merging cultures in Cameron Highlands

DAY 77 — A day in central Malaysia turned out to be a kind of trip to Britain and to Tamil India. Every day should be as illuminating and varied as this one!

The waterfall walks of the Tanah Rata jungle

DAY 80 — Traveling slowly means you can see everything a place has to offer – like the Jungle Walks and waterfalls in the green hills around Tanah Rata, Malaysia.

The total rip-off tour of George Town, Malaysia

DAY 92 — Some "local tours" are just crass, dull visits to trinkets dealers. This one in George Town, Malaysia was a particular waste of money. Here's what happened.

Sleeping between bombs: An accidental night in Hat Yai

DAY 94 — Thanks to some miscommunication, we ended up staying overnight in Hat Yai, Thailand where bombs had killed people at locations all around our hotel. Gulp.

Out of harm's way and into Trang

DAY 96 — Trang, Thailand is pleasant with a typical Thai feel but with amazing temples hidden amongst the trees on the periphery. Plus, my insulin stayed cool there.

Ladyboy show at Kae's Guesthouse, Chumphon

DAY 99 — We were persuaded to extend our stay at Kae's Guesthouse in Thailand to see a ladyboy show. We didn't know what that was but we sure found out!

Soaked with water and chalk: Day 100 on Songkran!

DAY 100 — As it happened, Day 100 of this Southeast Asia trip was Songkran, the Thai new year when people squirt water and smear chalk all over each other.

Buying cheap insulin in Chumphon, Thailand

DAY 102 — I ran out of insulin in small-town Thailand and had to find more somehow. I couldn't find my usual so I bought another type. It worked out fine, luckily.

The MacBook breaks and threatens to end my trip early

DAY 113 — When several keys on my money-earning MacBook stopped working in Thailand, I thought I'd have to end my trip. Here's how I fixed it (I think).

Just visiting Chumphon, Thailand – or do we live here now?

DAY 121 — A day in Chumphon has become a month – I've restocked my insulin, joined a bike rally, seen ladyboy shows, and even fixed my MacBook with a toy keyboard.

Forget the big cities – go to the provinces

DAY 127 — Do you prefer big cities or smaller, unknown places when you travel? Here are some reasons the smaller places might offer you a better experience.

A reunion and a romp through Bangkok

DAY 179 — Long-term, open-ended travel allows you to explore obscure sights in a big city at your own pace. For example, these places in Bangkok, Thailand.

Over the river and through the woods to Vientiane we go

DAY 180 — On Day 180 of this long SE Asia trip we entered only our fourth country: Laos, and its capital of Vientiane. A busy day of trains 'n' tuk-tuks.

International culture and medicine, Laos-style

DAY 183 — Vientiane is not chock-full of amenities but we have managed to find wi-fi, coffee, riverside meals with new road friends, and even some thyroid pills.

Emergency ambulance across an international border

DAY 192 — The gory tale of how I got so sick with a mystery illness in Laos that I had to take an ambulance across the border back into Thailand.

Recuperating by the Mekong River: After the hospital

DAY 201 — Out of the hospital and eating more and more, the last week in Nong Khai, Thailand has gotten me over my weird tropical illness. Time to continue the trip!

Somewhere over the rainbow is Udorn Thani

DAY 206 — How much insulin do you need for chicken feet? I had the chance to explore this dilemma in Udorn Thani, Thailand, but my stomach was having none of it.

Sukhothai's split but happy personality

DAY 211 — Visit Sukhothai, Thailand to feel the instant and warmly welcoming embrace of 800-year old ruins lying with beautiful inevitability under the golden sun.

Why nobody stays overnight in Poipet

DAY 218 — Between Thailand and Cambodia lies the town of Poipet, a rough and chaotic place. Most travelers pass right on through but I stuck around to check it out.

Unexplained dinosaurs and psychedelic statues by the river

DAY 227 — Battambang, Cambodia is a small and sleepy town with a prideful air and some really weird statues and temples. And an English-speaking doctor!

As Khmer kids in canoes do circles around my motorboat

DAY 228 — Traveling Cambodia by river, like we did today, can be a great way to see local people and the real countryside. As long as your insulin stays cool and dry.

The strange beauty of Sa Pa, Vietnam

DAY 333 — Sa Pa is the best of northern Vietnam in winter: cold, rugged, with nice guesthouses and a mystical feel. Here's how it inspires you to continue traveling.