Every once in a while, I realize that people are fascinated by what I consider the most trivial parts of my travels. This week it came to my attention that homestays are a mysterious thing. After telling a couple of women that we were staying in a homestay, they looked intrigued and said, “What is […]
Taking a Nepali Cooking Class in Pokhara & Making Momo
Momos seem to be synonymous with Nepal. It was the one thing I heard consistently every time I did research or told someone what country I was visiting. “Eat all the momos,” they said. I knew they were a form of dumpling, but I wasn’t really sure what made them so special. I arrived in […]
Bali Cheat Sheet for First Time Visitors
I’d met several people who claimed they didn’t like Indonesia, but when I told people I’d be spending most of my time in Bali, their eyes lit up. It was as if I was talking about a different country. In Bali, the people are Hindu, they speak Balinese, and they have their own local cuisine. […]
Book Review: A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout
Usually, I read travel memoirs or stories about what it was like to live in a country during a certain time period. For some reason, all of the books on my list didn’t appeal. I stumbled across A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout on a blog listing the best female travel memoirs, though […]
Thailand Backpacking Budget with Cost Breakdowns
Thailand is one of the countries where it’s easy for me to live on a $30 a day budget. In January, I spent 18 days in Northern Thailand, but I knew I wanted to go back and explore the south. The second time I stayed for just under 4 weeks (27 days), and managed to stick […]
Shopping in Asia: A Guide to Haggling
Every once in awhile, I realize I have a skill that I didn’t know was unique. I grew up with parents who owned an antique business, and I was going to flea markets before I could walk. Haggling is something I was exposed to at a very young age. As I got older, I’d go […]
The Best Restaurants in Nusa Lembongan on a Budget
My mom and I decided to visit Nusa Lembongan after looking at a map of Bali for hours. We originally confused the small island with one of the Gili’s, but once we realized it was a different place we began to do some research. There was little information out there about the island since it’s […]
Taking a Balinese Cooking Class in Ubud
If you follow my blog, then you know that I like to take a cooking class in every country I visit. Truth is, I’m a terrible cook. The great thing about cooking exotic food for friends back home is that they have no idea if you’ve messed up. This has given me a little more […]
Exploring the Mondulkiri Elephant Sanctuary & Town
For some reason, southern Cambodia just wasn’t calling my name. Koh Rong, Kampot, and Sihanoukville were seeing monsoon season full force. I had no intention of venturing away from Phnom Penh until I met an awesome girl from Denmark who happened to be interning at the Mondulkiri Elephant Sanctuary. I know what you’re thinking…dream job. […]
Cambodia Backpacking Budget with Breakdowns
If you’re coming from a western country, you’ll think Cambodia is cheap. However, if you’re coming from another country in Southeast Asia, you’ll find it surprisingly expensive. While beautiful hotels are cheap, food and tourism is on the pricey side. My Cambodia backpacking budget was for $30 a day, but I ended up going over […]