A Beginner’s Guide To Chiang Mai

Dear friends – We are excited to hear you will be visiting Chiang Mai. Here are some thoughts as you plan your trip. With about a month under our belts, we aren’t experts by any means, so keep researching, and I’ll give you the best overview I can.

10,000 monks alms ceremony…Chiang Mai, Thailand

We dust off the sleep from our eyes, throw on our warm clothes and step out into the streets of Chiang Mai. The crescent shaped moon is very much alive and bright this early hour, illuminating the contrasting night sky. The time is 5:20 am in the morning. The day is Saturday, December 28th. Tuk tuks, songthaew’s (red trucks with …

Private Cooking Class in Luang Prabang, Laos

Taking a cooking class in another country, exploring the cuisine of a foreign land, is a treat. Having a private lesson in an open-air kitchen, cooking the finest of Lao cuisine, is an experience. Luang Prabang is a small city in Laos, whose borders were established by France in 1893. Sandwiched between the expansionist governments of Thailand and Vietnam, Laos …

A MAGICAL TALE OF OUR WEDDING CEREMONY

Here is a magical tale of how a potent seed planted many moons ago, flourished into a beautiful day filled with love, sacred vows and a spiritual union, ushering two world traveling souls to show up in Thailand for their wedding day. *A friendly tip: You may want to take a moment to brew a tea, or beverage of your …

My Gratitude To The Hong Dynasty

Dear Hani, Andrew, Aunt Ten and Ms. Hong – AliSun and I are deeply blessed. What began as a hazy sketch of a trip to Asia a year ago crystallizes in a beautiful celebration of family under the starry skies of the Vietnamese coast. The invitation is a delight. Saw your itinerary, writes Hani. Andrew and I are celebrating our …

TEMPLES and TREES…DEER and AUTUMN LEAVES…NARA, Japan

NARA, JAPAN… Straight from the mouths of Wikipedia… Nara (奈良市 Nara-shi?) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture located in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture. Eight temples, shrines and ruins in Nara, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace remain, together …