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Bathing with Elephants: Karen Hill Tribe Elephant Sanctuary
When I went to Thailand, I wanted to just see an elephant, maybe touch one. I didn’t expect to be able to bathe with them. But that’s what you get at the Karen…
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The Power of Rock, Scissor, Paper in South Korea
I’m sitting in Starbucks writing an article about the increasing Chinese influence in Cambodia, when I see four grown clenched fists moving rhythmically over a tray of empty Starbucks cups and croissant wrappers,…
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Peace Corps Ruined Travel for Me, But I’d Do It Again in an Instant
I served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2010-2012 in Ukraine, and if I’m talking to fellow Peace Corps volunteers, they know what that means. I don’t have to explain what an amazing,…
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The Legend of Korea’s Haesindang Penis Park
Before I even moved to Korea I heard about a one of a kind place referred to in the western world as “penis park”. My friends sent me links to it that showed up…
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Three Hours at a South Korean Love Hotel
I’ve driven by their flashy neon lights along the highways on Jeju Island, and walked past them in the middle of the city in Seoul. I’ve been curious how the Korean love hotel…
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Why Are There So many Old, White, Single Men in Phnom Penh, Cambodia?
That was what I typed into Google after one morning waking around Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. And I should have already known the answer. Walking down any street in Phnom Penh where there…
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Dining in the Dark Saigon: Unlock Your Senses
“Of the five senses, sight dominates. Take away sight, and our other senses emerge to interpret the world from another perspective. Smell becomes more subtle. Taste becomes more acute. Hearing becomes more sensitive.…
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Exploring Pai on a Magic Mushroom Drink
Thailand is a funny place. Drug laws on the books are pretty strict, but make your way to any island or hippie community, and with a little druggy intuition, you can find yourself…
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Why I Decided to Eat Meat After 25 Years of Being Vegetarian
Most of the people in my life have always known me to be a vegetarian. We’ve never shared a hamburger or a meat-lovers pizza, never gorged on chili cheese fries or all-you-can-eat sushi.…
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Tokyo’s Fukagawa Fudo Temple Fire Ritual
Fukagawa Fudo Temple | A Buddhist temple where the monks perform a fire ritual to give strength to the god of justice, a menacing, protective deity. The experience of Fukagawa Fudo Temple is…
