Some general thoughts on China: This is the biggest blog I've written so far. When I decided to take this trip, China was the main country I wanted to see. I thought I would take two weeks to see the main sites. I ended up staying for a month. This is a very interesting time to be in China. They get a new president this year and the senior leadership gets shuffled. There was a major scandal involving Bo Xilai, that was a major embarassment for a government that tries to control the message the world sees. This is China's biggest struggle - realizing they are losing control. More disturbing is the case involving Chen Guangcheng, a civil rights advocate and the man who has exposed China's ... read more

Hong Kong and Macau: I had a good mini-vacation in Boracay for about 6 days and felt rested up to start some serious traveling. I headed to the airport in Boracay early to make sure there were no complications. The only issue I ran into was needed to exchange money for the fees I did not anticipate (terminal fees, additional baggage fee, ect.) I exchanged just enough to have lunch when I got to Manila. I was looking forward to seeing Hong Kong, especially the skyline. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed an hour. Hong Kong - I arrived in Hong Kong a bit later than I expected. I was planning to meet my friend Jennie from LA and her friends for dinner. They were doing a week long study abroad program for their MBA at UCLA. ... read more

Myanmar (Burma): A few weeks before I left on my trip, the United States reestablished diplomatic relations with Myanmar. Before then all I knew about Myanmar was that it used to be called Burma. I had seen "Beyone Rangoon" about 13 years ago, but I never kept up with the politics. I recognized the face of Aung San Suu Kyi, but didn't know her story. After talking to a few people who had been there I decided to get the visa and see what all the hype was about. Myanmar hasn’t quite been commercialized like the rest of SE Asia. The generals who control the country are starting to implement reforms. Getting to Myanmar involves a bit of planning. You need a visa, which I was able to pick up in Bangkok. Most importa... read more

Laos: Laos is the second of three Communist countries on my trip and I thought for sure I would be given a proper interrogation, asked about my papers, and possibly burned with a cigarette, punched, and beaten with a billy club before being allowed to walk free. Again, this has not happened. What’s wrong with these “Communist run/corrupt” countries I’ve been traveling to? That’s the problem these days – no one takes the time to do a proper interrogation, draw up some false allegations, and threaten a simple tourist with the 20 years to life of hard labor based on the false allegations. They just want your visa fee now. They even itemize the ‘processing fee’ of $1. I suppose it’s easier. The world is getting lazy! Luang Prabang- I flew from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. ... read more

Cambodia: Cambodia is one of those countries that are filled with contradictions. You’d expect it to be overtly corrupt, dangerous, non-English speaking. I didn't experience any of that. Well, before I continue, let’s end with leaving Thailand. I took the bus out of northern Bangkok to Siem Reap. To get there I took the very modern sky bridge and then a taxi to the bus station. The online time said the bus left at 9:30. Luckily I showed up at 8:59, which gave me a whole minute to catch the bus, which actually left at 9:00. To get to Siem Reap I needed to take a bus to the border, then walk across the border, then take a bus or taxi two hours to Seim Reap. Well, the actual bus ride took 5 hours, crossing the ... read more