The Journey Begins - 1/1/12

We started our Southeast Asia journey with mixed emotions. We felt both excitement and anxiety for the unknown in terms of daily living conditions away from the familiar comforts of home. One main focus has been maintaining our good health. Both of us hit a snag towards the end of January, but we now head into February strong and geared for the charm and adventure of Cambodia and Vietnam! Continue Reading

Queen Inn - Shan Family

Upon arrival, I tried (not for the first time) to rid myself of “damaged” USD at the airport money exchanger. They wouldn’t take any of my ten $5 bills. I slammed my hand down and took my money and left. Not the mellow way I wanted to start the Inle Lake leg of the trip. All taxi’s charge 25000 kyat ($32) to Inle Lake, so we shared a taxi with a nice Spanish couple (living in Hanoi) for 12500 ($16). The government charges a $5 entrance fee per person as you drive toward Inle lake. Again, I argued with the guy about the quality of my $5′s and wound up giving him a bunch of crappy $1′s. Continue Reading