Not The Least Bit "Laos-y" “Seung, Mae Nam! Seung!,” yelled our Mahout. Obediently, Mae Nam bent her massive tree-trunk sized leg, creating a step up to allow her trainer to climb aboard. “Your turn,” said the Mahout. “Seung!” I beamed. The elephant obliged and I was able to climb onto the massive animal. A grin settled onto my face. Bareback riding an Asian elephant in the middle of the Laotian mountains is definitely something to write home about. Laos is a country of smiling people, tangerine cloaked monks and French colonial architecture. While ‘The Land of a Million Elephants’ is one of the poorest and most undeveloped countries in the world, it is also a land full of picturesque landscapes where farms outnumber buildings and kids chase foreigners for a smile and a wave. The 21st ... read more

Cambodia: A Country of Contrasts From the majestic prangs of Angkor Wat to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, Cambodia has filled us with emotion. It all began when we crossed the border. That first emotion was anxiety. The Thai/Cambodian border was as chaotic and stressful as anywhere we’ve been. The anxiety had nothing to do with risk; we never felt as though we were in any danger. The real concern was being taken advantage of or robbed of our possessions. We had read quite a bit of information about crossing the border to prepare for it, and every source was telling us to beware of scams. We were both on edge during our approach, but felt equipped to make our way across. The bus dropped us at the border to cross by foot and after ... read more

Bangkok: The Honeymoon Bangkok is a city unlike anywhere we have ever visited. It is chaotic, colorful, and aromatic. Teeming with temples, transvestites (no joke) and Tuk Tuks, we are never far away from another head-turning discovery. We started our Bangkok experience rather timidly due to the fact that the city is huge and the language barrier is noticeable. Since we arrived late from Seoul, and Bangkok was the official beginning of our honeymoon, we booked a Mercedes to pick us up at the airport. Laura, with Thai phrasebook in hand, spent the entire 45-minute drive as her personal language class, asking the driver everything from where he’s from to what his birthday is, then flipping around attempting to decipher the answer. Aaron was distracted with the fact that the cars had right-side steering, and he ... read more

Departure Lying in bed in the early morning, full of anticipation and excitement like a kid on Christmas day, Laura remains dozing next to me. I can't sleep. The big departure day has finally arrived! It is so exciting to think we are off on another adventure. Neither Laura nor I have been to Indochina and this will be a big change from Latin America. It is the first time I will be in a place in more than 10 years where I cannot speak the language, and this time around, even the alphabet will be indistinguishable. This last month has been a complete whirlwind. Today is exactly one month from the biggest day of our lives, our wedding day (10/10/10, baby!). It has been 4 1/2 weeks filled with preparation, parties, visiting, cleaning up, travel, ... read more