Angkor Wat and the other Hindu and Buddhist temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia, was the latest stop in my tour of Southeast Asia. For better or worse, that’s just what it has become to most other people as well. These thousand plus year old temples and the surrounding town of Angkor contrast the ancient and primitive with the modern and cosmopolitan, and accordingly, its population hovers with one leg in each sphere. The stones that make up the temples, depicting life in ancient times, were intricately hand-carved by millions of Khmer several generations past. Although now crumbling and overrun by trees, if you can block out the sights and sounds of Japanese tour groups, they still provide a magical backdrop. A recently constructed opera hall and modern hospital remind us that we’re in the 21st century, ... read more

My trip to Singapore once again proved to me that expectations can make or break life for people: Expect too much, and life will undoubtedly be miserable; expect little, and the sun seems to shine just a bit brighter. It also emphasized how narrow our impressions usually are of the world out there. Singapore was never high on my destination priorities list. But thanks to a required exit from Thailand to apply for an extended visa and new no-frills airlines that ensure that “now everyone can fly”--from Bangkok to Singapore at least--I found myself heading for that funny city-state most famed back home perhaps for the caning of Michael Faye. Hailed as a development success, arguably at the expense of true democracy and human rights, Singapore to me has always been as a series of gray ... read more

I just finished my first muay thai lesson, and it kicked ass! Both literally and figuratively, that is. For those not familiar with it, muay thai is kickboxing Thai style. A sort of no-holds-barred version of the Western variety where the best of the best hardly ever have both their feet on the ring floor at once in a fight and to the naked eye, it would seem neither feet. Three practically non-stop hours of stretching, cardio warm-ups, sparring and toning is what my “lesson” consists of. My coaches, muay thai fighers on the international circuit, show little mercy for not so athletic squealing females like myself. Actually, when I squawk in pain my trainer Chai who speaks just a handful of English words, finds it hilariously funny and laughs his head off. At least Mr. ... read more

Enough about me. Happy Songkran! Songkran is the Thai Buddhist New Year, which was just celebrated this past week. Thais are fortunate enough to celebrate three New Years: Western, Chinese and Thai. According to the Thai Buddhist calendar, it is 2546! During the holiday, most Thai revelers returned to their home provinces so that Bangkok was the quietest it would be for a year, which was equivalent to DC on a weekend. But all over the country, including Bangkok, people battled it out a in an all out 4-day water war. Children, teenagers and adults alike threw buckets of water and sprayed water guns at one another, including random strangers. I suppose it’s not a bad way to beat the heat here. April is Thailand’s hottest month with high temperatures pushing between 100 and sometimes as ... read more

Holy crap. I know I get myself into some crazy sh** sometimes. Ok, those of you that know me can stop nodding your head in agreement already. Well, last night definitely ranks up there with some of the crazy scenarios I have found myself in. Ready? Here goes: A plan for an innocent and mild introduction to Bangkok’s nightlife at one of the city’s many pubs somehow morphed into me getting a shoulder rub in the men’s bathroom of a high society gentleman’s club and shortly thereafter, being dragged on the dance floor by one of the establishment’s many high-priced prostitutes. And yes, I was completely sober the whole time. Now, I know you’re thinking, “So, Myra. What idiotic thing did you do now to get yourself in that situation?” Well, when one moves to a ... read more