During the three years, eight months, and twenty days that the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia, an estimated one-third of the population died through systematic murder, starvation, and illness. To put that into terms that we as Americans can understand, it would be as if all residents of California, New York, Texas, and Florida died between …
Some of my favorite travel moments are those that were completely unplanned, unexpected, and that ended with a BANG! The evening pictured here fits that description to a T. For three days (May 13-15), Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh celebrated King Norodom Sihamon’s birthday with nightly fireworks shows in front of the Royal Palace. It just …
When traveling outside of the United States, the “must see” sites often include churches, temples, wats, mosques, cemeteries, and other locations of spiritual significance to the local population. When I first started traveling, I was pretty ignorant to dress expectations. I figured that I was dressed pretty modestly by Western standards, so it was OK. …
Let’s talk about bears. Think about all of the bears that were a part of our youth: Yogi, Smokey, Teddy Ruxpin, The Berensteins, Balu, Poo, Paddington, Fozzy, and the Care and gummy varieties. Holy crap that’s a lot of bears. And yet, how often do we think about bears now that we’re adults? In my …
This week’s Photo Focus is from my day spent as a “volunteer bear keeper” with Free the Bears Fund, just outside of Phnom Penh. This sun bear cub is thoroughly enjoying his mid-morning snack served in a hard plastic ball meant to challenge him mentally and physically. Stay tuned for a more detailed post and information …
Let me start by saying that I have learned my lesson after my second motorbike tumble. No more 125cc-induced wind beneath this woman’s wings. But more on that later. About a year ago, my aunt sent me this New York Times article about the Cambodian coast and wrote, “Ali, thought you’d enjoy this. Your chances …
