As I near the end of my Southeast Asia bike trip, I’ve finally begun writing about the beginning of it.  Eventually, I hope to be caught up… but for now I hope you enjoy these little stories from when I first got on a bike!

 How can I describe those first few heady days of biking? I’m hopelessly naive about my timeframe, sunburnt, my knees, thighs, and BUM are endlessly sore, terrified to deviate from My Pumpy’s biking guide, and most importantly, excited again about travel. I’m happy to be off the bus, biking through rice paddies and past exquisitely decorated monasteries, while farmers, their faces protected from the sun with T-shirts functioning as masks, slowly overtake me on tractors. Where I go is entirely up to me.
Continue reading Rewound: Bangkok to Chiang Mai by Bicycle (Feb 2009)

Well, returning to Thailand to meet my little brother reminded me of some of the delicious Thai treats I never really commented on here.   Fortunately, because I’m biking I feel that not only is it ok for me to eat many delicious sweets - it’s actually healthy to consume lots of calories!  That’s how it works, right?
Continue reading Thai Treats - Yummy!

Well, I’ve run across some really delicious candy over the last few months. I’ve also tasted some very strange sweets. I hope you enjoy this little candy sampler!
Continue reading Candy of Tuna, Corn, and Durian - Yum!

Well, I’ve now been traveling for more than fourteen months and biking for more than three! I no longer hesitate at bargaining over guesthouse prices and internet cafes, fearlessly stare down border guards who try and bribe extra money out of me, eat at even the dodgiest of restaurants, use Brit/Euro terminology occasionally when I talk, have the strangest tan lines I’ve ever seen, barely squeak when mice crawl over my foot, don’t mind those big hills quite so much (but developed a deep and abiding hatred of a headwind) and have - at last! - finalized my plans for the next four years. So, without further ado, for the people who know me “in real life” and are curious, and those who just know me through the blog, read on to find out where I’ll be in a few weeks, months, and years:
Continue reading Updates: Future Life and Travel Plans

My original trip plans did not include Vietnam.  In fact, after speaking to people who visited there, I was even more confident in my decision to forsake it for more time in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.  After all, Vietnam suffers from a bit of a reputation problem: overcharging, aggressive salespeople, harassing motobike drivers, and crazy, crowded roads made it far down on the list of my must-visit travel destinations.  Almost no one seems to have loved it - rather, for backpackers and even other bikers, tolerating Vietnam seems to be the name of the game. I added the destination on a whim and didn’t expect much, but it seemed a shame to go all the way out here and not see it.  Well, my confession:  I LOVED Vietnam!
Continue reading A Small Confession

Rather than try and arrange things coherently in this entry, I’m just going to string together some stories from my time on the road. Click on to read about getting lost looking for a cave, some small things I really like about biking, and the best way to get from Hue to Hoi An in Vietnam. If you’d prefer to read about candy, might want to skip this one and come back for the next one, because there’s more sweat than sweets here!
Continue reading A Few More Biking Stories

So I talk mostly about traditional candy here on this blog, for a variety of reasons.  First of all, in most developing countries, the traditional candy is more interesting.  Also, sweets like  goat milk caramel or coconut milk jellies aren’t available everywhere, and sometimes reflect back in interesting ways on the country I’m visiting.  Mass-produced stuff is almost always imported from overseas, and is generally pretty similar from country to country.  I’m not sure reviews of Snickers bars and Skittles are what people are expecting from this website!  However, while I haven’t written much about the candy aisles of grocery stores or gas stations (where most of the mass-produced candy is located) I’ve certainly spent a lot of time looking at it, thinking about it, and occasionally eating it!
Continue reading Candy Round the World

This was a delicious gelatinous candy that I bought in the markets of Bangkok.  I believe it is made of rice flour and coconut milk and had a sweet, pudding-like texture.  The coconut flavor wasn’t strong, the texture was soft and squishy, and the candy was actually a bit bland.  Still, it was strangely addictive, and I actually much preferred this candy to later, similar looking ones I found in Northern Thailand with much stronger tastes and textures.
Continue reading Random Candy: Delicious Thai Sweet (also: Picture of my Bike!)

Well, I’m back in Thailand again after spending several weeks biking through North/Central Laos.  Crossing the border from Laos to Thailand, it’s easy to see the wealth differences between the countries.  Seeing so many bright, shiny new cars on the road was a bit of a shock, as were all the international brands and air-conditioned stores along the highway!  In Laos, you find air-conditioning in banks (and as a result, many local people seem to spend all afternoon just hanging out in the bank enjoying the cool air!)  I liked Laos, but it’s nice to be back in the land of fast internet, at least for a little bit.
Continue reading From Thailand to Laos and Back Again