8,471 miles and Counting

My first stop in Cambodia was the most famous: the temple ruins at Angkor Archaeological Park, just north of Siem Reap. The site sees over two million visitors per year. Admission is steep but that number is only rising and it's easy to see why: these thousand year old ruins are impressive. I met a couple other travellers and we shared a tuk tuk for the day. A number of the more connected drivers have taken to Facebook to find customers, and that's where we found ours. We set off at 4:30am in hopes of getting our own shot of the sun coming up over Angkor Wat, the Khmer Empire's capitol and largest temple. The drive through the woods in almost total darkness was nice and cool, and things were already coming to life before 5am. Locals were out and about, with vendors setting up shop. Crowds of early birds showed up in the darkness as they do every morning, but the sun did not. Even with the clouds, it was still a treat seeing that famous silhouette emerge from darkness. ...

As soon as I read about Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, I booked arrangements to see the impressive caves there and planned the rest of my time in Vietnam around it. I stayed outside the national park at Easy Tiger which is everything a hostel should be. Clean, comfortable, and consistently sold out. Excellent food and genuine friendly service. There's a pool, plenty of outdoor seating, and dozens of hammocks out back. Every morning they enlighten travellers to the various tours and activities in and around the national park. They won't push anything on you and will even advise against a few tours that are better explored on your own. They don't rent motorbikes or sell bus tickets because plenty of local shops down the street do. Staff encourage guests to explore their personal favorite restaurants and hidden spots and will sit down to map out a day of adventure with you. They train and hire locals. They want to share the wealth of tourism with everyone that was here fir...

Thanks to BBC driving program Top Gear's special in which they traveled the length of Vietnam by motorbike, that trip has gained popularity. The Hai Van Pass that divides Hue to the north and Danang to the south is known to be especially great. People who bike all or part of Vietnam tend to call it one of their best trips ever. I didn't want to totally miss out on biking Vietnam, but wasn't game for doing it myself. The solution was an "easy rider" tour. A lot of these shops have popped up recently, in which safe-driving local guides on comfortable, well-maintained bikes will take you and your luggage anywhere in the country, on or off the beaten path. A fellow traveller arriving at my hostel in Hoi An by easy rider recommended a company, so I booked a day trip from Danang to Hue. Hieou picked me up on his 125cc Honda after a breakfast of steaming pho and we hit the road. We stopped every 30min or so for photos, snacks, and to take in the sights. He pulled...