Battling leeches and bamboo roots on the Doi Inthanon jungle trail to the hidden pagoda of Kew Mae Pan
The rain started about forty-five minutes in, which was almost exactly when I realized my boots were a size too…
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The Wrong Island, and the Right One
The diesel fumes hit first, before any view of the water. That’s the smell of a real ferry terminal, not…
The hour before the long-tail boats start
The canal was the colour of a used tea bag and the smell was something between river silt and the…
The handwritten sign on corrugated metal
The first time I tried eating khao soi with my hands, I ended up with broth dripping from both wrists,…
The Same River, a Different Taste
I was on my third prawn before I realized I hadn’t looked at the water once. The floating market at…
The blue apron was already gone
I found the first one by accident, which is how most good things happen in Bangkok’s old town if you…
The oil was too hot, and I knew it before the first strand of egg noodle hit the surface
The oil was too hot, and I knew it before the first strand of egg noodle hit the surface. But…
Driving the Hai Van Pass at Dawn: Why the Fog, Coffee Stalls, and Empty Hairpin Turns Beat Any Postcard
The fog didn’t lift so much as it thinned, one layer at a time, like sheets pulled off furniture in…
When the Motorbike Sputtered Out Near Km 17
The road from Hanoi to the north doesn’t ease you into what’s coming. For the first hour out of the…
The sampan driver pointed at the far cliff and laughed
We were already lost, which turned out to be the best way to arrive in Tam Coc. The sun had…