The Indian province of Goa has over 70 kilometers of beautiful beaches and excellent cheap food. That combination kept me in my beach hut two weeks longer than planned. India’s transportation network kept me there another two weeks. Flying in and out of Goa seems relatively simple, but leaving by land proved exceedingly difficult. When […]
Survive New Delhi Station and the Rest of India is Easy
New Delhi railway station serves as a great introduction to India in that it combines much of what is annoying about the country into one location. Every visitor to India will have stories of annoying touts and scams and some people will have nothing but. In actuality, only a small part of the country provides […]
Bagan by Horse Cart: The Best of Three Bad Options
When most people think of Myanmar, they imagine a hazy, flat plain with hundreds of reddish-brown stupas poking up above the patchy tree cover. The area they are picturing is called Bagan. It lies in Myanmar’s dusty central plains on the banks of the Irrawaddy River and is characterized by not hundreds, but thousands—over 2200, […]
How to Enjoy, but Not Visit, the Taj Mahal in Agra
The difference between the words ‘enjoy’ and ‘visit’ in that title is very important. This is not a guide on how to visit the Taj Mahal, but one on how to enjoy it despite not visiting at all. Why would anyone go all the way to Agra and not visit the Taj Mahal, you ask? […]
Four Simple Ways to Go Broke In Beijing
While food, accommodation and transportation costs in China have been creeping upward and admission fees to popular attractions are reaching astronomical levels, it is still very possible to travel the country quite cheaply. That said, it is also possible to spend ridiculous amounts of money and get very little in return. I’ve written plenty on […]
Redefining Greek Salad on Goa’s Palolem Beach
One of the greatest things about traveling in India is the abundance of cheap, yet tasty food. Even the lowest priced dishes from the filthiest street carts rarely taste bad and for a few more rupees, you can get some pretty amazing meals. Nevertheless, every western visitor will eventually crave some western food; and you […]
Fake Cop “Helps” With ATM in Jaipur
Getting cash in India can be quite an adventure at times. Finding a functional ATM is not always easy, even in the big cities. Finding a functional ATM that also has cash is even more difficult. On top of that, most visitors seem to prefer a cash machine that actually accepts whatever card they may […]
Yangon’s Black Market Money Changers
When I went to Myanmar in 2011, the official government exchange rate was around 7 kyats per US dollar. A bottle of water went for 200 to 300 kyats and a cheap restaurant meal was around 1000 to 2000. That would make this the most expensive country on earth. Luckily, I read up on Myanmar […]
Poipet Rhymes with Toilet for a Reason
Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of Poipet before—you’re one of the lucky ones. A Cambodian town on the border with Thailand, Poipet has become a miniature exhibition of sorts, displaying everything that’s wrong with Southeast Asia in one convenient location. Many visitors to Cambodia avoid ‘the toilet’ altogether by flying into the country. […]
5 Easy Ways to Spot a Scam
If you travel, they will scam. It’s unavoidable. Wherever you go, you will encounter people doing their best to separate you from your money. And if you stay on the tourist loops, especially in countries like Thailand or India, you will be hard pressed to have an encounter with a local who doesn’t have an […]