No, I am not back in Myanmar, I am still in Hawaii...but I came across this Special Series by the BBC that might be helpful to people thinking about traveling there. They were written by a journalist who just got back. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 No matter what is said in these articles, I still hold to my view that you SHOULD visit Burma. My blogs about Burma... BEFORE url=http://www.travelbl... read more

"(I am) happy with that inordinate happiness that comes of exhaustion and achievement, and with which nothing else in life - no joy of either body or the mind - is even able to be compared" - George Orwell, Burmese Days So after… *Spending 5 months… *In 8 countries (US, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar)… *On 3 continents (North America, Asia, Australasia)… *With people of 35 nationalities (Canadian, Korean, Malay, Indonesian, British, Turkish, Kiwi, Ozzie, Brazilian, Indian, Spanish, Swiss...)… *While sleeping in 58 different beds in 58 different hotels, guesthouses, bungalows, dorms, ships, trains… *In 55 different towns, cities, and villages (Bangkok, Pai, KL, Hoi An, Pakse, Sydney, S’Ville, Siem Reap, Pak Beng, Nah Trang, Koh Tao…)… *Accessed using 31 means of transport (planes, tuk-tuks, boats, trains, horses, elephant, j... read more

OK, I know I have been bombarding you with blogs lately...but I wrote this one for myself, to get my thoughts straight about Burma, and figured I might as well post it. The reason I came back to Bangkok was because of a possible job opportunity, but it's going to take some time to get things worked out there, and it was too hard to change my flight to come home right away...so I am heading into Burma for about 2 weeks before I fly back to Hawaii. As far as I know, Burma, renamed Myanmar by the military regime, is the only country that Lonely Planet dedicates a whole chapter to “Should You Go?” There is a big debate about foreigners visiting Burma. On one side of the debate stands Aung San Suu Kyi, a ... read more

I think that should be the new motto. I swear Malaysia is the friendliest country I have ever been too. Everybody is just so upbeat and helpful. The guesthouse staff, the taxi and trishaw drivers, the people in restaurants and on the streets. This is really a great place to be. It’s strange that many SE Asia travelers don’t make it down here. They are missing out on one of the most comfortable Asian countries. I need to start out with this funny story. The place I am staying right now has wireless Internet. But the owner started messing with the settings and it stopped working. Myself and this other guy started messing with it and got it to work. When the other guy saw I had a Mac he asked if he could check something. ... read more

I have been getting quite a few comments about how negative my last few blogs have been. Some people, who remain anonymous, are saying that maybe it says more about me than the country I am in. I absolutely agree with that, and I hope I never led anyone to believe otherwise. Australia is an amazingly beautiful country. Gorgeous beaches, great cities, amazing wildlife and the extremely beautiful deserts and geology of the Outback. You really couldn’t ask for more in a country. So why the negativity? I think it was just too much like home for me. The costs, the scenery, the language, and the people…it was a lot like America. What’s wrong with that? Nothing at all, it’s just not what I was in the mood for. I would love to go back to ... read more