Author: Stephan

Naturally, while in China, we had to see the Great Wall. In an effort to escape the crowds, we signed up for two days of hiking with an organization called Beijing Hikers, whose trips tend to move outside of the … Read More

Our journey to Beijing was a long, 35-hour train ride from Hanoi, spanning two nights. It started off rocky when the person arranging our tickets was late dropping them off, leaving a cluster of us frantic and wondering whether we’d … Read More

Our evening arrival in Hanoi was somewhat less than stellar, as we checked into our guesthouse to find the room barely larger than a closet (I had reviewed photos online, and it had also received excellent reviews). Now, we’ve stayed … Read More

Long before we embarked on our [potentially] year-long adventure, Jenn had stumbled across a company called Oxalis Adventure Tours that does caving expeditions in Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Oxalis has an exclusive license to operate in a number … Read More

We looked over our remaining days left in Vietnam, and determined that we were either going to have to skip visiting one of the cities we had originally planned, or our last couple weeks were going to turn into a … Read More

As an excursion from Ho Chi Minh City, we went to visit the Cu Chi district. Starting with the war against the French in the 1940s, tunnels were dug in Cu Chi to help local fighters survive airstrikes and other … Read More

As we evaluated our filling passports, we began to worry about the lack of blank pages available for the full-page visas required by our upcoming countries. When we began the trip, we calculated out what we would need, but failed … Read More

Kep is a quiet, coastal province just southeast of Kampot, which seems to be known chiefly for its seafood and the abundance of small, beachside resorts that dot the coastline. Signs as far away as Kampot city announced the direction … Read More

About 150 km southwest of the busy city of Phnom Penh sits the coastal town of Kampot. Renowned for its pepper farms, Kampot’s weather and mineral-rich soil create the perfect growing conditions for peppercorns. Jenn was excited to visit the … Read More

Our journey to Phnom Penh was quick and painless. A private bus company called Giant Ibis operates in Cambodia, running a spotless and efficient bus service. With online ticket purchasing and seat selection, quiet, comfortable and modern busses with power … Read More