Livin'n Th'Eest

Hark, a Dan is far from home. Here you may find reports of his journeys around Southeast Asia, which he will pen whenever he finds the time to do so. 

Parting Thoughts

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure how one could spend twenty years in Billings, Montana without either committing suicide or becoming a willful sacrifice to whatever Gods are worshipped in the slums of Lockwood. Same result either way, a Dan as dead as a doornail."

Beng Maelea

"Although much smaller in size than the temples of Angkor Wat, the site of Beng Mealea is no less beautiful. Adorned In the snakelike roots and branches of banyan trees, and crowned by layers of moss and lichen, Beng Mealea is a living jewel and a testament to a great civilization that vanished from the earths crust over 600 years ago." 

Bangkok, the big mango, waves hullo

"It's considered a "primate city" which basically means that it's so much bigger than any other city in the country such that everywhere outside of the city depends on it for cultural, economic, political, and major transportation needs. Think London, Dublin, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, and Seoul. Bangkok, however, has been referred to as the most primate city on earth because it is a whopping thirty five times as large as the second largest city in Thailand." 

First impressions of Phnom Penh

"I found what I can only describe as a mart, or a gas station without gas, and was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that a gigantic bottle of water, a lighter, and a pack of smokes would cost me two dollars even. These are prices I could get used to, I thought to myself." 

Transition to the Land of Smiles

"Three of us (Colum, Sarah, and the lovely author) embarked on a thirteen hour bus ride to Pattaya from Sihanoukville. The journey should normally take about eight hours, but what can you do? This part of the world is full of surprises. To my astonishment, a good many people were throwing up on the bus, including the woman sitting next to me with a kid on her lap. Fun!"

Lanna, at long last

"The journey to Chiang Mai started off in a typical fashion: hungover confusion and a scramble against time. The traffic in Bangkok is some of the worst in the world and even though we were prepared for this, it still would have made us late for our flight if my partner in crime Fifi hadn't gotten crafty. "

Angkor Wat/Perspiration Baptism

"It is impossible for me to overemphasize the amount of perspiration that poured out of my body while we dwelt agape among the ruins. I'm pretty sure that my shirt became a new, hitherto unknown form of ecosystem for all kinds of microscopic, sweat-dwelling life." 

southern island saturnalia

"We wasted no time in finding accommodations, and soon found ourselves crossing the vestibule of a wonderful little hostel called Chill Inn, located right on the waterfront. Complete with a kitchen, a bar, ash trays always within arms reach, plenty of places to lounge about, and with the beach mere feet away, a more ideal location could not have been found as far as my needs were concerned."

Furlough in 'Nam

"Our hotel the was located in old quarter and it took about half an hour to get there. We crossed over a magnificent bridge on our way to the city and its scaffolding came alive via waves of different colors emanating from LED lights. Another display that came alive for us was a hammer and sickle, a common sight in Vietnam, radiating against the night in its electric glow. Sets of these little trinkets adorned the mouth of the bridge on both sides like snakebite piercings."