When I think back to some of the most disgusting things I’ve eaten over the course of my travel career, even I have to wonder what I was thinking. I’ve sampled scorpion, live termites, dog, guinea pig, snake blood, scorpion, lamb’s penis and live aphrodisiac worm, but I’ve never done embryo. Balut sure is one for [...]
Something to add to your party bucket list....Each month, when the moon is full, some 20,000 international fun-seekers find themselves at the crescent-shaped beach of Haad Rin for this infamous all-night party. Hip travelers from around the world pound back buckets of cheap potent booze, watch fire-eaters, and dance to the beat of throbbing techno.Hopping [...]
Every year, thousands of tourists come to Maldives looking for fun, sun and a pina colada paradise. A tiny chain of islands in the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Sri Lanka, Maldives is rich with high-end resorts that promise beach-side relaxation far from the realities of urban living. One thing many tourists might [...]
Donghuamen Night Market boasts dozens of stalls selling some of the world's most exotic snacks: from silk worm, to scorpion, starfish to centipede, you can find it and TRY it, here!
Our story unfolds with a loitering young man, an invalid ticket and an overbooked train. My friend Jenny and I were sitting comfortably in our supposed seats, preparing for the overnight, 27-hour journey from West Bengal to India’s capital city. We were approached and told we were in the wrong berth. I argued belligerently. The conductor was summoned and, surprise surprise, he informed us that our second class A/C tickets are for the right day but the wrong month. Duh. Lesson #1: When buying a train ticket, confirm all details and check the date before making a fool of yourself.
The 5th century philosopher St. Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” For those looking to read all the “chapters” this world has to offer, consider booking a holiday with an inspirational element. There are plenty of places to inspire, from the tops of Machu Picchu, to the rose-red rock of Petra’s canyon-like Siq, from gorilla trekking in the Ugandan mountainside, to living with holy men in the divinely-inspired churches of Northern Ethiopia.
I never thought I’d be caught eating out of a toilet bowl, but there I was, scooping out chunks of brown stuff from a lime green loo. The loose watery goo looked remarkably like you-know-what, but I tried not to think about it. Instead, I chose to wash the slop down with yellow liquid served from a plastic bed pan. This is a typical lunch at the Modern Toilet restaurant, a kitschy café in the heart of Taipei’s Shilin district.
Khao San Road is an affront to the senses. For the fresh-off-the-plane traveler, a visit to this part of Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city, may have you wondering what the hell you got yourself into. It’s a frenetic scene of neon signs, drunk backpackers and scantily-clad promo girls (who may or may not be transvestites), but Khao San is also the crux of the budget traveler scene, where hostels, tour operators and sarong shops converge. It’s the ultimate backpacker hub for the budget South East Asian traveler. This strip is where you can book overland trips to Laos, find cheap flights to Vietnam or get your visa for Cambodia. Chances are good that, if you’re going through Bangkok, you’ll end up on Khao San Road.
