North korea postcard soldier and rifle

Postcards from Pyongyang: Images of North Korea

We'd like to share some images of North Korea from postcards we picked up in Pyongyang. Some of them display the incessant propaganda while others are images of the modern city center. Unless you've avoided all media, you've probably…
Landmine danger sign-cambodia

A visit to the Cambodian Landmine Museum

The Cambodian Landmine Museum and Relief Centre may be the only museum in the world that prints this disclaimer on their tickets: "Everything on display has been inspected 100% free from explosives." Would that the fields in the nearby countryside…
Kokorec best sandwich turkey
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The 11 best sandwiches in the world, which one costs only 35 cents?

Sandwiches are one of the universal foods, they're cheap and convenient. We ate way too many of them on our trip and offer up the 11 best sandwiches in the world. 1) Shawarma in Jerusalem A shawarma is a Middle Eastern sandwich made from meats…
Rocky statue Arch of Triumph North Korea
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From the Smithsonian: Traveling with the Rocky statue in North Korea

As we traveled around the world with our statue of Rocky Balboa, there were only two groups of people who didn't recognize him: North Koreans and the San people of the Kalahari in Namibia. Everywhere else he was quite the celebrity and a…
Michael eating pizza
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The surprising best pizza in the world

Pizza is our go-to food on the road, our favorite is New York-style. And when we return from a trip it's usually the first meal we eat. On our year-long journey we tried pizza on six continents, including at its birthplace in Naples, to…
Free things in bangkok

Free things to do in Bangkok

By Bethaney Davies ~ Surprisingly, there aren't many free things to do in Bangkok. Many of Bangkok’s attractions (with the exception of the Grand Palace) cost next to nothing to attend but if you’re doing a lot of sightseeing…
Unique Places to stay Little petra Bedouin camp
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7 unique places to stay in the world

From a kitschy throwback hotel in North Korea to a nudist B&B in Portugal, we found a few unique places to stay in the world. Here are some of our favorites: 1) Little Petra Bedouin Camp, Jordan   The Little Petra Bedouin Camp…
Singapore national Orchid Garden

A day in Singapore: He Saw, She Saw

The city-state of Singapore is an intriguing place. An island perched at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, it’s a major trading port where goods have been exchanged among China, India and Arabia for centuries. Eventually a wide array…
Trishaw Malacca Melaka Malaysia

The colorful trishaws of Malacca

The historic port town of Malacca, Malaysia offers a wonderful blend of Asian and European influences. Also spelled Melaka, it bears traces of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese and Dutch cultures. This varied background is displayed by the…
How to travel to North Korea DMZ

How to travel to North Korea

Update June, 2017: Since our visit to North Korea in 2011, the recent death of American tourist Otto Warmbier, who was detained while visiting the country, is a tragic situation that is inexcusable. Accordingly, despite our feelings that…
Durian donut Big Apple donuts
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The world's stinkiest donut

One of the things we're tasting on this journey are donuts from around the world. But there was one donut that smelled so awful we couldn't eat it. It pains us to even think of donuts in a bad way, but we met our match in a durian donut in…
Malaysian cooking
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Larissa gets spicy with authentic Malaysian cooking

LaZat Cooking SchoolMalaysian cooking was a mystery to me. The country is a dynamic blend of cultures: half Malay with the rest mostly Chinese and Indian. Over the years their cuisines have mingled, creating fantastic flavors…
Bali beach trash
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Drowning in a sea of plastic

One of the more sobering aspects of our journey has been the environmental abuse we’ve seen, sometimes in the least likely places. Although we've traveled all over the world and written about some incredible sights, the story that resonated…

The child vendors of Angkor Wat

As we were leaving the temple of Angkor Wat a boy who looked to be about ten years old sidled up alongside us. It’s hard to guess someone's age in Cambodia, where the people are slight, even by Asian standards. His little legs matched…
Angkor Wat bas relief
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Visiting Angkor Wat without crowds

Siem Reap, Cambodia ~ We bounced along the road in a tuk-tuk—picture a rickshaw attached to a moped—anxious for our first glimpse through the trees of the temple of Angkor Wat. Our imaginations flared with visions of hacking our way…
Chiang Mai pollution

Purple Haze: Pollution in Chiang Mai

We really looked forward to visiting Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Travel writers outdid themselves crafting clever similes to describe its ethereal beauty and local color. Others used one word repeatedly to describe it: amazing. That…
changi Airport Singapore butterfly garden (750x647)

Butterflies are free at the Singapore airport

Airports say a lot about how a city feels toward its visitors. The chaos of JFK conveys the message "Hey, we're New York. We know you'll come here no matter how we treat you. Get over it." The long lines of Heathrow say, "You chose to come to…
Hoi An Vietnamese food tofu custard lady
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Vietnamese food: Taking it to the street

From Hoi An, Vietnam ~ One of the reasons to travel the world is to taste the wide varieties of food out there. Vietnamese food is one of my favorites and the best examples are often sold by street vendors. However, before leaving on our journey…