48 Hours in Vientiane, Laos

When people arrive in Laos, the land-locked, slow-moving, peaceful country in Southeast Asia, they generally gravitate toward Luang Prabang as far as cities. But while a different vibe, the capital city of Vientiane has a lot to offer. It’s much larger, and more crowded and busy, than Luang Prabang to be sure. But it is [...]

Inle Lake, Myanmar: The Land that Time Forgot

The longboat glided silently through the water, as the narrow channel opened up into the large expanse of Inle Lake. The shores seemed very far away, their green mountaintops disappearing into misty clouds. We passed other boats occasionally; mostly fishermen who swung their nets overhead and moved their wooden craft with a unique one-legged rowing [...]

Finca San Juan: A little bit of paradise on La Isla Ometepe

Just where is La Isla Ometepe, you might ask? I myself had never heard of it until I began planning a trip to Nicaragua in mid 2011, with my boyfriend Keith. After setting up a home exchange in Granada, our exchange host there, Peta, strongly suggested we consider a visit to Ometepe. La Isla Ometepe [...]

Farm Peace & Love – Little Corn Island, Nicaragua

You have to really want to get to Little Corn Island, off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. First, you take a flight to Big Corn Island from Managua, via La Costeña airlines. Yes, there is a Big Corn and Little Corn island. The Little Corn locals refer to Big Corn as the “big island,” although it’s [...]