Author Archives: cheeseskipper
monkey business at Angkor
I found a troop of monkeys just inside the north gate of Angkor Thom, and pulled my rental bicycle over to the side of the road to watch them. A big monkey was scooping out a coconut, three youngsters were tumbling around, and a few others were just hanging out. While my back was turned, […]
fuel your vehicle with the divine power of the naga
Legend says that the Khmer people are descended from the union of a mortal and a Naga princess, the Naga being an ancient reptilian race. Images of the naga as a multi-headed, hooded serpent are everywhere in Cambodia. So far I’ve only seen ones that have an odd number of heads, but apparently those with […]
to cross the street in Vietnam, just follow the dog
I was standing at a big intersection in Saigon with a friend, waiting for a break in traffic to appear. This was within two days of arriving, so I was still terrified to cross the street. A tiny, elderly Vietnamese lady materialized between us, and I figured that she knew what she was doing, and […]
swimming the murky tourist waters of Halong Bay
I do believe that Halong Bay is not only the premier tourist destination in Vietnam, it’s also the prime cause of headaches for tourists. I wasn’t going to write anything about it, because so much already exists out there in internet-land, but after going through the Halong Bay revolving door, thought I’d commit a few […]
Hanoi sidewalk chickens
I took the bunk bed sleeper bus from Hanoi to Hue. I’m really going to miss the sidewalk chickens. I’ll be walking along, and then there’s a chicken or three pecking around the sidewalk. Often bedraggled and of a cute miniature stature, they are almost all unique, and rather grand under the street grime. I’m […]
Phu Quoc
I met a smiling lady with a bag of live scorpions on Phu Quoc island. I don’t know if they were for eating, making medicine, or steeping in alcohol. She also had a bottle of cobra alcohol that she offered to sell me for 150,000 VND (approximately $7.50), which seemed like a cool bargain, but […]
fried frog, snake sausage, bánh cóng, and floating markets in the Mekong Delta
I’m a little loathe to contribute to the excess of internet food photos, but I took a food tour in Can Tho that included a few interesting, and tasty, specimens. The snake sausage picture is too dark to bother posting, but it basically looked like a coarse sausage. Our guide recommended snake in sausage form, […]
airport overnight: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
I had a ten-hour layover in Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport. Since it was overnight, between 23:00 and 09:00, I didn’t bother passing through immigation. I had planned to spend most of the time asleep, but my Pacific Standard Time body clock wasn’t cooperating, so I just wandered around the Arrivals and Departures halls, and Goldilocks-ed […]
amusing Americana: at the dog wash
I found this very cheerful, purpose-built dog wash shack in the corner of a gas station in San Diego. Unfortunately, I did not have a pooch present, under 75 lbs. or otherwise, to receive an Oatmeal Treatment and Gentle Dry, so I had to settle for photos. But I’d really like to break the “1 […]
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