Thailand

This is the engaging story of an intrepid unsupported cycling trip in Southeast Asia. From the ethereal beauty of Sapa’s hill-tribe country in the Tonkinese Alps on the Chinese border, to the Viet Cong tunnels in the south of Vietnam, this tale will captivate you. Become absorbed in the scene in Bangkok’s backpacker ghetto and the frenetic energy-charged cities of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

The Khmer Rouge had slaughtered all of our driver's family except for one grandfather. In 2003, I traveled through Thailand and Cambodia with my cousins and their Thai relatives. From Songkran, the national New Year's water fight, to the jungle Angkor temple of Ta Phrom, strangled by massive fig trees, to a meeting in Phnom Penh with a Minister of Justice to discuss the trial of Duch, famed Khmer Rouge killer, to a children's hospital in Siam Reap, to the torture prison of Tuol Sleng, where innocents were tortured before being sent to the Killing Fields, to a strange labyrinth of con men in search of the perfect ruby, I traveled.

Tips for visiting Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam

Can you feel it? Your emotions are running away with your heart, which beats wildly at the center of a tug-of-war, balancing fear and joy. The sheer exhilaration of a backpacking adventure is intoxicating, however, fear of the unexpected can derail plans, postpone dreams, or even worse, cancel them.

Imagine that on the eve of your upcoming trip to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, you are invited to a party. At this party are fifty guests, all of whom live in or have traveled extensively through these countries. Among this eclectic and well-versed group of connoisseurs are authors of acclaimed guidebooks, popular newspaper columnists and pioneering adventurers. As the evening passes, they tell you tales from their lives in these exotic places.

A journey through South East Asia exploring history, architecture, culture and religion.

Sandy beaches, grand Buddhist temples, spicy cuisine, world-class spas, and a rich language--Thailand is unique among Southeast Asian nations and a not-to-be-missed destination. Thais have a deep cultural history and contrasts abound in the country, both geographically and socially.