We arrived in Sandakan after a bit of trouble finding space on a bus. We ended up hitching a ride from a local to the next town and stopped at a road side stand for her favorite local snack, bosou,…
Sandakan – Bosou, Orangutans, and Rehabilitation
Kinabalu National Park – Summitting, Birding, and Waiting
Kinabalu National Park is two hours inland from Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo. It’s headquarters is located at about 5000′, and the weather, compared to the sweltering heat of the jungle and coastland, is excellent. Kinabalu National Park is home…
Borneo Homestay – Volunteering, Building, and Beaching
We left Cambodia in such a rush, and unfortunately, skipped Phenom Phen and all the nice beaches because we had already signed up to do a homestay in Borneo via HelpX. (HelpX is an awesome website for signing up for…
Angkor – Temples, Ruins, and History
Angkor Wat and the area of Angkor is a beautiful, sweeping landscape full of history. The rulers of Angkor started construction about 1000 years ago and over time built an incredible city. Originally, the temples were built with the Hindu…
Don Khong – Relaxing, Teaching, and Homestay-ing
We arrived at Don Khong a day earlier than our volunteering gig began so we could spend a day exploring around the local islands. The island we would be staying on is part of the 4000 Island area in Laos.…
Pakse – A Long Ride, an Ancient Temple, and a Man With a Machine Gun
The ride from Phonsavan to Paske was insanely long. Estimated to be 15 hours, it ended up taking 19 hours to get there. The ride was less exhausting than we imagined, however. We had a good number of stops for…
Phonsavan – Jars, Jars, and more Jars
Phonsavan is a dusty town in east-central Laos. It is the center of the aftermath of the American-Vietnam War in Laos. It is also home to an ancient treasure called The Field of Jars. The Field of Jars in now…
Vang Vieng – Hammocking, Biking, and Caving
Vang Vieng is know for drunken tubing down the river that runs along town. A couple of years back, the city shut down the majority of the bars that lined the river previously. Apparently, tourists were getting hurt and a…
Luang Namtha – Night Markets, Jungle Treks, and Motion Sickness
The road to Luang Namtha is long and winding. By car or bus, it is six hours of non-stop weaving and turning through mountains. To get there from Nong Khiaw, we had to stop in Pak Bang to buy, and…
Nong Khiaw – Sunrises, Sunsets, and Smart Cats
We arrived in Nong Khiaw and found it to be a beautiful mountain town along the Ou river. We found a great hostel called Delilah with our new friend, Sean. We met another new friend, Tock, in the common area…