Sssh… This is Secret Bangkok

Best known for colorful weekend markets, glitzy malls and seedy after-dark activities, Nima Chandler reveals another side of Bangkok that most visitors never get to see… “I used to walk past this restaurant that was just disgusting. They had blackened rice cookers outside and dirty floors. No farang would ever go in there. But a

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The Shifting Sands

From the golden sands rises a city of epic proportions. Shiny and new, it dangles an “Under construction” sign around its neck as it rapidly expands. This is Dubai… Dubai at its peak was the global media’s darling. The shimmering city that rose rapidly from the Arabian sands could do no wrong. Working under the

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The Nature of Laos

Before my first visit to Laos, I had heard it described as a ‘less developed’ Cambodia. I was soon educated on how woefully wrong that was… I’d never realy wanted to visit Laos. Despite avid travel in the region, Laos simply never made it onto my bucket list. It didn’t help that anytime Laos came

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Taboo Travel: Saigon in a More Dangerous Era

John Gardner, GM of the Caravelle Hotel, reflects on the allure of Saigon in the 1960s and the price of a luxury escape… Think of the great places that are verboten when it comes to travel these days: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, all lands of great, exotic appeal, and all off-limits to people who put a

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7 Countries, 6 Trains, 18 Days

From the craggy mountains of northern Vietnam to the cobbled streets of Berlin, one traveler embarks on an unforgettable journey across the world by locomotive… The last few hours in Vietnam are a blur – cleaning out the fridge, locking the windows, chucking out the rubbish, having one last shower, turning off the hot water,

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