
Getting what we want out of Lima
Looking a bit embarrassed, Elder takes a deep breath before admitting, “I’ve never had cuy. Eeeeh! Just to see it, with the claws and the teeth! I want to try it. I’m working up to it. I love meat. But…

Mong Kok blocked
The social melee in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok neighborhood induces our first bout of culture shock on this trip. Most of the past three months we’ve traveled slowly overland through swaths of mellow and, relative to Hong Kong, underpopulated Southeast…

“Eating Live Animals” in South Korea on Matador Abroad
We skip willy-nilly through the time-space continuum over on Matador Network, who just published my new travel story about eating live animals in South Korea. Here’s a taste: My chopsticks finally aim towards the last untried morsels, a substance that…
Between despair and ecstasy in Bangkok
Wat Arun from a commuter boat | Photo by Lauren Girardin Though Todd and I actually had two nights in Bangkok before we were kicked out of Thailand, I still felt justified in singing Murray Heads’ song, One Night In…
A strict diet of Buddhas and blood
Buddha in a field of columns | Photo by Lauren Girardin I was curious about the literal translation of tom yum goong, which I understood simply as Thai spicy prawn soup based on what was in my bowl. Goong was…
The awkward love child of old and new
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
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
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…
Before I kick your ass, may we dance?
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…
Missionaries, mercenaries, and misfits
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…