From spending 24 Hours at Angkor Wat to aimlessly walking around the capital of Phnom Penh, in order to fit in to the Cambodian lifestyle, you will need to follow a few or possibly all of these tips.
1.  Parkas and Gore-Tex
If you venture outside or somewhere onto the street, whatever you do, don’t forget the North Face down parkas.  Locals don’t appreciate the glorious sunshine.  I saw numerous people rocking the latest in mittens, leggings,  scarves, and long johns.
2.  100cc Family Vehicle
The Dodge Caravan is no longer the family of 5 vehicle …

When 2009 rolled in, I had just returned to the the United States from Patagonia to attend my sisters wedding in Phoenix, Arizona.
It was in February 2009 under the influence of a carne asada burrito that I decided it was time to record my migrationology travels in the form of online documentation. I knew next to nothing about the web world, (twitter was literally just the sound of a bird to me).  Utilizing gallons of my parents coffee and my addiction to yerba mate from Argentina, along with free internet, I …

A three day break from teaching English in Thailand was clearly a justifying claim for a brief excursion to Hong Kong from Bangkok.  I arrived mid afternoon to the very friendly and high tech airport.  The airport link train located literally inside of the airport was an easy ride to Hong Kong train station.
Through the green forested mountains we traveled.  For a jiffy I thought I might come face to face with an Orangutan, when abruptly the green dissolved and transformed into monstrous fabricated structures of engineering impossibility.
That evening we …

After hearing about boating the Mekong River, there was absolutely no way I could leave the country of Laos without embarking on the water journey.  I happen to be getting a Thai visa in Vientiane and had some spare time to explore the country a little further North.  After a number of ultra lazy days in the charming town of Luang Prabang and setting up the transportation logistics, I boarded a slow boat en route to the Thai border.
For 250,000 Kip (equal to about $30) we would receive 3 days …

It somehow seems hard to find concrete information on the web regarding how to make a Thailand visa run to Vientiane, Laos.  I have been on two visa runs to Vientiane recently and have taken notes to show the costs and how it really is not a very difficult process.  The first time I went, I obtained a 2 month tourist visa.  The second time I got a job teaching English in Bangkok and went to Vientiane to apply for a non-immigrant B visa so that my job could then apply for …

1. Chili Peppers…Please!
I grew up eating food with spice and sometimes with chili.  Throughout SE Asia however, I have nurtured my ever craving lust for the succulent seeded heat of chili peppers.  I simply can’t taste food unless there is an abundance of hot chilies involved in the meal.  In my month in Indonesia, I was able to come up with 9 mandatory foods to eat in Indonesia and every single dish would not be the same without a massive dollop of sambal chili sauce.
2. No Toilet Paper …

As I exit my van back to Bangkok, I get out to urinate and see a pick up truck with something massive in the back.  After nearly choking in my awe, the vehicle begins to maneuver its way out of the parking lot.  It is literally a small Nissan Frontier with an 18 wheeler truck load in the bed.
We don’t really know, this guy could have figured out how to drive a car in Indonesia, maybe he loves to booty shake in Bangkok, or eat durian buffets; but there is …

This is Part 1, check out Voluntouring in Bicol, Philippines: Part 2
Recently a super typhoon has battered part of the Philippines including the region of Bicol.  Many people have gathered together to make efforts at helping others through the devastating destruction.  GK is making efforts for relief, clean up, and rehabilitation.
In July 2009, I ventured to the Bicol Region in the Philippines to check out some Gawad Kalinga villages (if you don’t know what GK is check out Building Houses with Hope), do some touristy things, eat some chili peppers …

The People’s Democratic Republic of Laos had already impressed me.  The sense of community, the warmness of the people, and the loyalty.  I could observe friends and family members alike helping each other out, caring for each other,  and socializing everywhere.  It seemed to me that the people of Laos really took time to enjoy small and simple things in life like relaxing under a crimson sunset, or watching the consistent calm flow of the Mekong River go by.
I arrived in Luang Prabang early one morning to a magnificent sunrise …

I had been eying, smelling, hearing, and came close to touching, but still had not officially tasted the famous Dampa seafood extravaganza in Manila, the Philippines.  Dave Damron from Life Excursion (check out his site) donated a small monetary fund which translated directly into getting dirty in some Dampa, also known as engorgement.

Dampa is a wet market full of all living and dead great tasting things from the sea.  Stalls at the market are piled high with an abundance of ultra fresh, squirming goodness.  I went to the Macapagal Blvd. …