Author Archives: Archana
A three-day motorbike tour of the Bolaven Plateau: elephant rides and spectacular coffee
The last part of our southern tour of Laos was a three-day motorbike trip around the Bolaven Plateau, a higher elevated chunk of land with cool temps, dramatic waterfalls, coffee plantations and friendly villagers. Touring the region by motorbike is no longer a secret, but it definitely hasn’t reached epic tourist proportions. It’s easy to … Continue reading
Wat Phu, riverside bungalows and a spa day in Champasak, Laos
Of course it was raining. We seem to have a knack for visiting major sights only when it’s a downpour. (See Machu Picchu and Torres del Paine.) But on we went. It’s rainy season, after all, and the best we could ask for was for the rain to stop just as we arrive at the … Continue reading
An (early) open love letter to Laos
Dear Laos, It’s now been two weeks since we arrived in your country, and I have to say, expectations were high. Hong Kong was too busy, Vietnam (and as we’ll probably see in Thailand) too touristy, and Myanmar is still so new to the game that we figured you would be the perfect middle-of-the-road destination, … Continue reading
Hoi An: More than pretty lanterns and cheap tailors
We didn’t plan to go to Hoi An, a beachy town in central Vietnam, but we needed to get to Laos via Hue, not far from Hoi An. So it made us think, before skipping out on Vietnam, maybe some due diligence on Vietnam was needed. After all, we had seen only the north. Why … Continue reading
Hanoi food porn: Our 3 favorite meals
In Argentina, we (mostly Eaman) were excited for the steak. In Asia, we (again, mostly Eaman) were excited for the street food. Besides being mostly vegetarian, I generally err on the safe/boring side thanks to a sensitive stomach, but there was no better way to build immunity for the remainder of Asia than with street … Continue reading
Homestays, motorbiking and chugging rice wine in Mai Chau, Vietnam
Our most enduring memory from Vietnam was, hands down, a three-day trip to Mai Chau, a mountain village town southwest of Hanoi known for its ethnic minorities, rice farming, bamboo production (lots of chopsticks!) and most crucial to us, an experience similar to the popular Sapa trekking in the northwest without the commercialism. Though gaining … Continue reading
DIY pottery in Bat Trang, Vietnam: good, cheap fun
I aspire to travel like Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations, eating as the locals do, visiting anything but the touristy spots and doing it all with a fixer, a local who can navigate us across language barriers and through the inner workings of a place. And finally, in Hanoi, we founds ours. Meet Daisy.
Change of plans: Laos tomorrow, Cambodia out, Malaysia in!
If you follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram, then you know we left Hanoi Saturday night and spent the past days in Hoi An, a relaxed city on the central coast known for its food and romantic old town. It was a pleasant couple days, but now we’re back on the road. It’s probably the … Continue reading
