Hong Kong travel tips

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Fantastic frog figurine from the Hong Kong Museum of Art | Photo by Lauren Girardin The Ratings Explained: YEH – Like a hot, fresh baked egg tart. YEHs are as good as you can get, especially for your backpacker buck,…

The awkward love child of old and new

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We’re trying something new in this post – larger images! We hope you like them. Of course, you can still check out all our Chiang Mai photos in our slide show. And now the story… Webbigail’s a Buddha groupie |…

Where the wild things limp

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Under the watchful eye of an elephant | Photo by Lauren Girardin It’s near impossible to visit Chiang Mai, Thailand and not spend every day checking something off the traveler’s list of must-dos. It seems as lazy and cliché as…

Be not afraid of fermented fish

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Pad thai ingredients | Photo by Lauren Girardin In 2005, Todd’s brother Joshua and our freshly minted sister-in-law Sutay spent over a year on an extended multi-continental honeymoon. When they settled into Chiang Mai, Thailand for a month of tranquilo…

Gold foil and temple guardians – Art from Chiang Mai

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View of Wat Phra Singh, chiang Mai, ThailandSOLD, mixed media on paper, 8″ x 10″ At first, Raja wanted to commission a drawing of rusting war artillery in Vietnam, but his wife Sarah convinced him that a drawing of temples…

Before I kick your ass, may we dance?

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Teen Muay Thai fighter | Photo by Lauren Girardin What you want, Chiang Mai‘s got, whether it’s mini-skirted, fake-boobed, pool-hustling hookers; the lulling kneading of a three dollar foot massage; a new wardrobe of cheap designer knock offs; a gluttonous…

And Kala devours it all – Art from Bangkok

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And Kala Devours it All, Bangkok, ThailandSOLD, mixed media on paper, 8″ x 10″ When my friend Travis commissioned a drawing of Bangkok, Thailand, he gave me an interesting assignment: “What I remember best about traveling is observing the commotion…

Missionaries, mercenaries, and misfits

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Stylish street food cart | Photo by Lauren Girardin For most people, Bangkok is their first encounter with Southeast Asia. The months-ago closing of Thailand‘s southern Pattaya airport due to political protests made Todd and I wary of banking on…

Skulls, sand, and Garuda – Art from Cambodia

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I knew that I would find inspiration for artwork in the temples of Angkor, and I was not disappointed. Fantastic jungle trees twist around intricately carved ancient temples, slowly crushing them. Lauren and I spent three days biking around the…

Cursed out in paradise

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Fish head at Otres Beach | Photo by Lauren Girardin When we crossed from Laos into Cambodia, Todd and I met a German traveler headed in the opposite direction. This is always a gift, someone who’s been where you want…