Southeast Asia is one of the places where you arrive and immediately feel overwhelmed. People tell me they could never live the way I have for the last year, backpacking in Southeast Asia without the comforts of home. It’s definitely an experience, but if you learn to open your mind to everything, it makes one […]
Being Scammed at the Chinese Fishing Nets in Kochi
I was hit with the distinct smell of fish that had been sitting in the sun too long as the ocean breeze whipped across my face. Combined with the shade from the canopy of trees above me, I almost remembered what it felt like to be cool. It was the first time since I arrived in […]
Myanmar Travel Tips for First Time Visitors
I’d done a ton of research on Myanmar before arriving. Below is everything I learned before I went and all the things I experienced first hand while I was there. Myanmar is a beautiful country, but there are some things to know. These Myanmar travel tips will help you have a smooth trip without any […]
Finding Calm in Chaos: My Month in Myanmar
My life in New York was a series of scheduled moments. Wake up, walk the dog, go to the gym, shower, eat breakfast, go to work, come home for lunch, walk the dog, back to work, grocery shop, eat dinner, walk the dog, watch tv, sleep, repeat. Weekends weren’t much different. Every second was scheduled […]
Taking a Burmese Cooking Class in Inle Lake
My quest of learning to cook continues, and this week, I learned to make Burmese food at a cooking class in Inle Lake! I have to be honest, I didn’t actually know what Burmese food was until I got to Myanmar. Even then, it took the whole month before I really felt like I had a […]
Inle Lake, Myanmar: Boating from Sunrise to Sunset
Visiting Inle Lake, Myanmar has been kind of surreal. I did little research on this location before arriving, and most people who visited described it as “touristy.” By Myanmar standards, it is. In Yangon, I maybe saw one other tourist a day. In Bagan, there were plenty of tourists, but with a playground of temples […]
Kalaw Trekking to Inle Lake in Myanmar
I had read about Kalaw Trekking in Myanmar to Inle Lake while doing research. For some reason the idea of walking three days was not as appealing as taking a bus for a few hours, so I decided not to include it in my plans. After asking several people what their favorite part of their Myanmar […]
Riding a Hot Air Balloon in Bagan: Is it worth it?
The short answer is yes, yes, and yes again. The steep price of riding a hot air balloon in Bagan can be discouraging, but I promise it’s worth it. Riding in a hot air balloon made my bucket list for things I’d like to do before turning 30, so taking a ride over temples at […]
Speaking English in Yangon, Myanmar
One of the reasons I traveled halfway across the world was to understand cultures that were so different than my own. I’d see photos of people living in what we would consider a shack and smiling. They looked genuinely happy. Meanwhile, in my world, people would have everything and still seemed so miserable. So what […]
Backpacking Thailand Tips for First Time Visitors
Before leaving to visit Thailand, I did an insane amount of research. I read every blog I could find, and every article that was emailed to me. I read a 1,000 page informational guide on safety in the 10 countries I’d be visiting. Never has a person been more prepared than me in the moment before […]