Palawan: The Busuangan Good Life Manu and I managed to meet up and travel a new land with a couple of his friends just as we did one year ago. After tossing and turning with Workaway projects and indecision for the first half of my trip, I welcomed the break from solo travel and the shock of transitioning from the… Read More
Chasing Calories: Chiang Mai Welcome to my first of a series of food guides. Chiang Mai was so delicious it had me walking miles in the June heat searching for the perfect bowl of khao soi noodles. It had me slugging down one icy drink on high speed just so I would finish it before I got to the next… Read More
The Spiritual Journey I Accidentally Started Landed Me At The Mindfulness Project By spending half of my Thai days volunteering at my third Workaway project, I confirmed my theory that the more popular a destination was, the less interested I am. I couldn’t bring myself to go for the beach parties and elephant sanctuaries. Instead I went to a dusty unknown village to learn more about Buddhism… Read More
Thai Smiles: Hosted By Akeapot In Maha Sarakham Thailand. Perhaps my most anticipated destination for the past year or two. Thai food. I had promised Ake so many times I would come find him. And his Thai food. I took myself to the dusty Isaan province and rode my first songteau to his small university town. I made it clear that other than… Read More
Things I Cannot Ignore Regarding Anny To my pleasant astonishment, a girl from the Brazilian Amazon reached out to me on Instagram. I had posted about some clinical volunteering with a medical team from Yangon and was about to head to ThaBarWa for my first experience with social work. Anny told me she was a doctor, and asked if I knew… Read More
Barefoot Begging And Patient Caring At ThaBarWa Meditation Center Life was hard and it was what I needed. During my week with the 3,000 residents (1,000 of which are patients) of this donations-run sanctuary for all, I focused on self discipline and awareness of the present. I woke at five to meditate, ate two meals a day, and meditated once more in the evenings.… Read More
A Lengthy Thought On Donations Southeast Asian Summer Day 32 Yangon, Myanmar Three days of medical experience were done. I finally got to sleep in, so naturally I felt the need to draft a Go Fund Me from my phone in bed and unexpectedly raise enough for not one, but two refrigerators over the course of breakfast because even… Read More
Clinical Volunteering In Yangon: Finding Truth In My Intentions In Burmese, Yangon means void of danger. After nearly a month of sightseeing, I was ready to volunteer and connect with a local community of medical staff to take away the dangers that patients in the rural jungle villages might suffer from. Nothing felt more reaffirming of “Yes, I want to be a doctor” than seeking a presence… Read More
Shan State: Over The Gokteik And Across Inle The more I travel the more I find alone-ness to be dangerously addicting. I submerged in this feeling I have tried explaining before as I took a train across an engineering wonder of the rail world and a boat ride through parts of a famed lake. Two of Myanmar‘s most iconic landmarks would have been ideal at… Read More
Shan State: Adventuring Around Hsipaw Usually ignored by most backpacker itineraries, Hsipaw and it’s ever-growing popularity was a nice little town that many use as a base for jungle treks and village home stays. I checked out the ruins in “Little Bagan,” listened to a tragic love story in the historic Shan Palace, and befriended a couple Oregonian hippies who… Read More