After a short flight from Bangkok, my boyfriend, Jeff, and I arrive in Vietnam late one Monday night. A blur of customs, on-arrival visa applications and airport taxis later, we drop our bags off at the Phoenix Hotel in the Old Quarter, just west of Hoan Kiem Lake. Famished, we decide to step outside… [Read More]
Gone Bamboo: Falling in Love with Vietnam
Welcome to my place of dreams – Vietnam. I promised myself I would visit this country before I turned the doddering old age of 30 and now – a few months before I cross the threshold to my thirties, I have arrived in Hanoi. My boyfriend, Jeff, and I are staying in a hotel on Hang… [Read More]
How to ‘Eat Pray Love’ Your Way Around Bali
It’s afternoon in Bali. My fingers are resting on my laptop as I try to sum up the last month of travel through Indonesia. How Elizabeth Gilbert managed to eloquently (and concisely, I might add) put her year of self-discovery into writing is beyond me. The effects of Gilbert’s runaway success, Eat Pray Love, is seen everywhere… [Read More]
A Quick Introduction to Wakatobi in Indonesia
I remember working at an advertising firm in Manhattan. It was January–by far one of the worst months to be in New York. The holidays had passed. The charm of snow had faded. All the was left were the months of waiting until Spring. My cubicle–which was a veritable collage of travel images–felt suffocating… [Read More]
A Guide to Ilocos Norte of the Philippines
It was Monday morning when I received an e-mail inviting me to fly to the Philippines that very Saturday. Up until that point, my weekend plans had consisted of Netflix and couch time as I prepared to usher in another hot, New York summer. I hadn’t anticipated much that weekend so when 120 hours later I… [Read More]
10 Filipino Dishes to Try in the Philippines
Before my plane touched down on the tarmac in Manila, I was already anticipating my first savory bite of South East Asian fare. Countless books, television shows and films had left me dreaming about the classic plastic stools, balmy fragrant air and complex flavors that are unique to this part of the world and… [Read More]
