Buenos Aires

My original plan to fly from Bangkok to Rio de Janeiro was foiled because of a Brazilian visa issue, so I decided to fly to South America via Buenos Aires, Argentina, instead. Typically, before I arrive in a new country or city, I'll do a little online reading ahead of time, watch a movie set in the city I'm traveling to, or maybe listen to some advice from a podcast. However, I'm not the type to create a list of 15 must-see tourist attractions. I like for my experience of a city to unfold naturally.

I think one of the best ways to understand a city is to reach out to your network, the people you already know. Some of the best advice I've ever received has come from people who live in, or have lived in, the city I was visiting. What recommendations could be better than those from a local or someone who gets nostalgic about a place they used to live? Social media makes this extremely easy, and you'll be surprised by the places your third cousin, work colleague, or high school sweetheart has lived.

I was lucky enough to tap into a connection from my previous job back home. Here are some of his recommendations. If you're reading this, Mark, I appreciate the pro tips! Your love for Buenos Aires made my experience there that much more enjoyable.

Buenos Aires Travel Story and Photo Journal

Pictured above is the neighborhood of San Telmo. It's the oldest barrio in Buenos Aires. It's filled with cafés, antique markets, parrillas, tango shows, and plenty of art. To me, it's the heartbeat of the city and a great place for travelers to understand instantly what Buenos Aires is all about. If you happen to go, Hotel Bolívar is a great place to stay. It has character and stories for days, and it's cheap, with rooms around $12 to $20 USD per night. If you're looking for a nightcap, hit up The Gibraltar. It has tasty food, stiff drinks, and an atmosphere you can't beat. Big shout-out to Tom! Since it's a traditional British pub, you'll find expats, locals, and bartenders who speak English or will work with you on your español.

Also in San Telmo is this little gem of a parrilla, or grilled-meat restaurant. It's said that you can cut your steak with a spoon. I'll second that.

Beef is incredibly delicious and inexpensive in this town. The cuts of steak are a little different from traditional U.S. cuts, so do a little research before you visit a parrilla.

Maté. It's a slightly caffeinated, grassy, earthy-tasting herbal drink that's always sipped in a social setting among friends, family, and travelers. This was my first go at it.

Empanadas. A cheap, go-to meal for locals and travelers alike.

The Thinker, situated at Congressional Plaza. It's one of 12 copies in the world.

Eva Perón. She came from humble beginnings, and when she died, it's said that she had more power and influence in Argentina than her husband, who was president.

The beautiful, European-influenced Avenida Presidente Roque Sáenz Peña.

Pope Francis' barber.

Plaza de Mayo, with Casa Rosada in the background.

Teatro Colón. It's one of the most beautiful man-made structures I've ever been in.

Teatro Colón. This picture was taken during a tour. We were allowed to sit and listen to the orchestra practice for an upcoming opera. It's supposed to be one of the top acoustic buildings in the world. Luciano Pavarotti said, "Its acoustics are perfect! Imagine what this signifies for the singer: if one sings something bad, one notices immediately." Ask about tickets for a show. The opera may not be in town, but they hold regular local shows. They're less formal, and the tickets are very inexpensive. I actually got tickets for a Sunday show for free!

Pictured above is Cementerio de la Recoleta. You wouldn't think a cemetery would be a must-do, but the different types of mausoleums range from incredibly expensive to neglected. It's such an interesting place to spend an afternoon. Eva Perón is also buried here.

Buenos Aires has a history of revolutionaries and protesters. Many people came out to Plaza de Mayo to show their displeasure with President Obama's first visit to Argentina. The visit was controversial because it came on the 40th anniversary of the March 24, 1976, military coup that the United States initially supported. Resentment still lingered over the tens of thousands of people who disappeared or were killed under the military dictatorship. (@usatoday.com) Note: The building to the right is where Bishop Francis, now Pope Francis, held Mass on Sundays.

Located on the famous Avenida 9 de Julio, the Obelisco de Buenos Aires has often been used as a political prop or to raise awareness of certain issues. In 2005, it wore a giant pink condom for World AIDS Day. However, on the day I took this picture, you could see the sign "40 Years of Justice." What you can't see are the words on the other two sides of the obelisk: "Memory and Truth." Altogether, it reads, "40 years," while asking for memory, truth, and justice.

I was determined to go to a tango show, but then I realized that you could find street performers in just about every neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It's fun to sit and watch people who are so passionate about their craft.

The locks along the Río Dique. It's just a short walk east of San Telmo.

One of my favorite things to do while traveling in a large city is to check out its urban parks. I believe I found this charming group of trees on my way to Palermo. Palermo is roomier and much more modern than San Telmo. It has great restaurants and a hip nightlife.

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Another import from Italy, Fernet-Branca may be the most popular alcoholic drink in Buenos Aires. Picture credit: lifeandthyme.com.

My new favorite type of wine: Malbec.

Want a fútbol game? You can find one on weeknights after work or on weekends just about everywhere.

Angkor Wat

If you're traveling to Southeast Asia, Angkor Wat is a must-do. Depending on which direction you go, it's roughly 300 miles from Bangkok to the west or Ho Chi Minh City to the east. You'll be rewarded with a completely different world, and the Khmer people are some of the most gentle and beautiful I've met.

Come get lost with me on my two-day adventure through the temples of Angkor Wat.

Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh - A 15 Day Tour

It was sometime in December, right before Christmas, when I got a message from my cousin Chad saying that he and his wife, Ivy, wanted to meet me somewhere in the world. After a few back-and-forth messages, we decided to meet in Vietnam. A few more messages with Ivy helped us carve out a travel itinerary that started in the northern capital of Hanoi and ended in the southern city of Ho Chi Minh City. The two cities were more than 1,000 miles apart, and we had 15 days to make the trip. It was an aggressive timeline for any time of year, but Chad and Ivy's arrival date coincided with Tết, which made our schedule even more challenging. Here's a 15-day account of our whirlwind tour of Vietnam.

Days 1 and 2: Hanoi

Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City: A 15-Day Vietnam Tour

After a flight of more than 20 hours from Chicago and losing an entire day to the time change, they arrived just in time for the Tết celebration.

After a little recon, we sniffed out a Western-style hotel that was showing Super Bowl 50. At 7:30 in the morning, we were in Hanoi, Vietnam, enjoying eggs Benedict and Bloody Marys while watching Peyton Manning's last game.

Hanoi barber.

Hot pot, cheap plastic seats, Bia Saigon, and good company. Ahhh... Vietnam.

Day 3: Ha Long Bay Cruise

Ha Long Bay selfie.

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its limestone towers shooting up out of the South China Sea, you can see why.

Day 4: Back to Hanoi

There may be more cafés in Hanoi than in Paris. Vietnamese coffee is some of my favorite. It's slightly sweet and chocolatey. You can get it many different ways, but it's usually served iced, either black (cà phê phin) or with sweetened condensed milk (cà phê sữa đá). Quick fact: Vietnam is the world's second-leading exporter of coffee.

Bia hơi. It's fresh, it's local, and it's probably the cheapest beer in the world. I think one 12-ounce glass cost around 13,000 dong, or 60 cents USD.

Just another day in Hanoi. Everyone in Vietnam seems to be an entrepreneur.

Day 5: Overnight Train to Huế

Day 6: Huế

Pictured above is the Citadel. It's surrounded by a moat and a giant brick wall. It was the imperial city of the Nguyễn dynasty, where emperors used to rule the region. Huế was the capital of Vietnam until the capital moved to Hanoi in 1945.

Tự Đức Tomb. It was constructed from 1864 to 1867 and served as a second imperial city. It's such a peaceful place that you can't help but reflect on the past.

Huế is known for having some of the best food in Vietnam. No, this is not phở. It's bún riêu, or noodles with tomato broth and crab.

Huế street food. Meat on a stick, anyone?

Huế was one of the major battlegrounds of the Tết Offensive, a series of surprise attacks launched by the North Vietnamese under the cloak of the Tết holiday. Pictured above is a small portion of a ceiling mural from a bar in Huế.

Day 7: Overnight Train to Nha Trang

Being in Vietnam during the week before Tết and on the day of Tết was a unique experience. The energy of the country is hard to explain. However, after the actual day of celebration, everything shuts down and everyone travels home to visit their families. I would not recommend planning a trip to Vietnam immediately after Tết. Trains will be packed, and stores may be closed for up to a week after the holiday.

Days 8, 9, and 10: Nha Trang

The beach! Nha Trang is known for its beaches and inexpensive diving. We dedicated a full day to it.

Po Nagar Hindu temple.

Nha Trang, also known as Little Russia. Ninety percent of the tourists and bartenders here seemed to be Russian. Pictured above is Chad's Russian doppelgänger.

Nha Trang charcoal salesman.

A small fishing neighborhood within Nha Trang.

Days 11, 12, and 13: Mũi Né

Our little motorcycle gang. We took a full day and toured the coast of Mũi Né. If you live in Vietnam or are traveling there, riding a motorbike is a must. There's a population of 90 million and 37 million registered motorbikes.

Sorry for the sound quality in the video. The wind was brutal on the dunes. I'm still picking granules of sand out of my cameras.

Poz-Gambill Motorcycle Club.

Small fishing boats on the South China Sea.

Tourists trying to get the perfect "jumping" shot with the sunset.

Chad and Ivy taking in the views.

Days 14 and 15: Ho Chi Minh City

Chad and I at the War Remnants Museum. It's one of the most difficult museums to walk through. It's hard to imagine that the Vietnam War happened in a country we were enjoying traveling through.

The largest post office I've ever visited.

The Lunch Lady, another Bourdain recommendation in the north of Ho Chi Minh City.

Ivy getting her tourist picture on.

Hotel Majestic, an old French colonial-style hotel on the Saigon River.

A parting shot. You guys made a huge effort to join me! Thanks for the company in Vietnam.

Tết (2016) - The Year of the Fire Monkey

February 8th, 2016 was the start of the Chinese new year. It's based on Chinese astrology and each year represents an animal sign and one of the five elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, or Earth. 

2016 is the year of the Fire Monkey. It's a big deal. Most of Asia celebrates the Chinese new year in some form or another. Vietnam calls their new year Tết, but they follow the same principles. Tết is short for Tết Nguyên Đán, which stands for "Feast of the First Morning of the First Day". I was lucky enough to experience the build up and celebration of their most important holiday. To me it felt like one part Christmas, one part New Year's Eve, and one part spring cleaning, all wrapped into one.  

Laos And The Secret War

I knew about the Vietnam war, everyone has, but I really had no idea of the scale of the war and what that meant for the surrounding countries. There were a bunch of proxy wars happening all along the region, to "fight against the spread of communism". While in Laos I realized that the Vietnam war had no boundaries.  

I visited Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars. The cultural significance of the jars didn't get lost on me, but what really sunk in was the second half of the tour. Among hundreds of other sites in Laos, this area is well known for being heavily bombed by the US between 1964-1973. This was part of the Vietnam war I knew nothing about. It was known as the Secret war.  

Laos and the Secret War: History and Travel

Stone jar with lid. 

Mine Advisory Group (MAG). This marker lets you know the boundaries that have been cleared and are now bomb free in the area. 

Bomb crater from a US mission in 1969. 

Local entrepreneurs make key chains and spoons from bomb scrap metal found in the area. 

Bomb shelter used by locals in the Xiangkhouang province from 1964-1973. 

Inside the bomb shelter. 

In Vientiane (the Laos capital) I heard about this museum called COPE that displayed bombs from the Vietnam war, so I was curious. COPE stands for the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. At the time I had no idea what an impact the museum would have on me. 

For me the Vietnam war was terrible, yes of course, but it was generations ago, in a small country far away I knew next to nothing about. The COPE museum was a powerful realization of the horror of war. The tons of bombs we dropped were real. The destruction we caused was real. The people we killed had names. People actually lost their arms, legs, and other body parts, sadly, they still are. The blunt force of our tactics was on full display and it was hard for me to keep watching.

A Laos chid's drawing of their village during the secret bombing missions. 

Mural made from cluster bombs. These terrible bombs are still exploding today. More than 270 million cluster munitions (or ‘bombies’, as they are known locally) were used; up to 80 million failed to detonate, remaining live and in the ground after the end of the war.

Here's a trailer for the documentary that plays on a loop at the COPE museum. It's an eye opening video that shares stories of the past destruction caused and current state of a bomb's life cycle. 

Bomb Harvest Facts (pulled from maginternational.org):

• There were more than 580,000 bombing missions on Laos from 1964 to 1973 during the Vietnam War.  

• That's equivalent to one bombing mission every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years.  

• Over two million tons of ordnance was dropped on the country, with up to 30 per cent failing to explode as designed.

• Approximately 25 per cent of the country's villages are contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO).  

• All 17 provinces suffer from UXO contamination.  

• More than 50,000 people were killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents from 1964 to 2008.

• From the end of the war in 1974 to 2008, more than 20,000 people were killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents.  

•  There have been approximately 300 new casualties annually over the last decade.  

•  Over the last decade 40 per cent of total casualties were children.

Slow Boat to Laos

This is just a small snippet of my trip on the mighty Mekong river but hopefully it gives you some idea of my ride from Chiang Rai, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos. It's a two day, one night trip (you sleep in one of the local towns at the half way point - accommodation are separate from boat). This was a perfect way to see the Mekong and it's communities while still keeping me on my North to South course in Laos. 

After the boat trip I gained a new perspective for how important the river is to not only Laos, but all of Asia, spanning from Tibet to the far south of Vietnam. 

I highly recommend this voyage to anyone traveling from Chiang Mai, Pai, or Chiang Rai to Laos (the three jump off points in Thailand). It's cheap, an adventurous means of transportation, and you're guaranteed to make a few new travel comrades. 

Mekong River Fast Facts:

-Mekong translates to "Mother Water"

-11th longest river in the world 

-Economic fishery value of $3.9-7 billion

-Over 30 Hydropowder plants in four different countries. 

-Home to the Giant Mekong Catfish. One part real, one part urban legend. This endangered fish can reach up to 8 ft in length and weigh 700 lbs. 

Early morning Alms giving ceremony. Typically the locals will give gifts to the Buddhist monks, but children also line the streets in hopes that the monks will give sweets to them. This was a powerful scene and one that I'll never forget. Just remember, if your a tourist, be sure to obey the local customs.  

Kouangxi Water Fall, Luang Prabang, Laos. One of the most magical places I've been. 

Our little place in Vang Vieng, Laos.  

Party! Vang Vieng tubing.  

Vang Vieng, Laos - View point. 

Munks at the Mekong. Vientiane, Laos.

Khao Sok, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai - A Picture Tour

After being in Bangkok for so long it was time for me to go exploring and see more of Thailand than just its capital.

Side note: Bangkok is the most traveled to city in the world.

BUT, the country has so much to offer, from the beaches in the south, to the mountains in the north. You can spend months... years here, and some do. My goal was to see a little bit of everything without growing roots and staying in one place for too long like I did in Bangkok. 

Here's a picture tour of my time in Khao Sok, Koh Samui, and Chiang Mai. 

Khao Sok, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai Photo Tour

Cheow Lan Lake, just outside of Khao Sok national park. Its a man made lake with giant limestone pillars that rise above the water line. For some reason I took very little pictures on this trip and the few that I have don't do it justice. 

We stayed on the lake in little floating houses. You can see them in the far right of the picture. The water was so clear and clean. After a long day of caving and hiking it was nice to take a dip. 

My next door neighbor at Jungle Huts Resort in Khao Sok. I took this picture from 25 feet away and used all of my 30x zoom.  

Aboard the traditional Thai long tail boat. This is how everyone gets around the lake since there are no roads.  

Welcome to Koh Samui Island.

Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai). Shout out to Tracey for being my travel buddy while touring the island. She may be the goofiest most fun person I ever met. 

The terquious waters of Koh Samui. 

Ko Pha Ngan Christmas day full moon party. Haaawwwwool!  

This picture isn't anything artistically special, but to me it represents the most difficult bike ride of my life. It's significant because I road from Lisbon to Berlin and this is the one that I struggled with the most. I went from my guest house, in the heart of the city center, to Wat Phratht Doi Suthep. It's a 30km ride almost straight up. It took me 3 hrs to climb the "mountain" with a 45 minute decent. The climb had me almost in tears, but the decent was exhilarating. Can't wait to get back in cycling shape. 

Chiang Mai is a digital nomad hub. I know many people that call this place home, if only for part of the year. It's dirt cheap (check out the sign above, that comes out to about $1,000 PER YEAR for an apartment). You can be entrepreneurial and not worry about your living expenses. 

Chiang Mai is said to have the best food in Thailand, although every region would argue, I would not. This is the famous Cowboy Lady. She serves up some great street food. Thanks Mr. Bourdain for the recommendation.