Talk Travel Asia

Happy New Year - it’s 2017 and our gift to you is a celebratory episode of Talk Travel Asia. Today we’ll revel in our very favorite things about Asia in a multitude of categories from how to get around to where to imbibe and a whole lot in between. We take on a variety of categories from best transport, to airports, best movies theaters and a whole lot in between. This is our Best of Asia from more than 33 collective years living and traveling in the region. Ring in the New Year by celebrating travel and get planning your trip to Asia for 2017!

A game cafe trend took off in Asia a few years back that included both board game cafes and beer pong tournaments, and it doesn’t seem to be dying down. Today, there are a wealth of opportunities to get your game on both in and out of bars across the region. In fact we recently organized and competed in the first Bangkok Bar Games Olympics. Today we are going to talk about a variety of places to play different games across Asia, everything from family fun to just get drunk.

There's a long and rich history of textile production across Southeast Asia both through history and across geography. While many are familiar with Thai silk they may not be familiar with some of the other textile traditions across the region. On this episode we chat with Chomwan Weeraworawit about the variety of unique textiles across the region and how you can experience them.

The only thing that stays the same is that things are constantly changing and that’s nowhere more true than in rapidly developing Asia. Scott & Trevor talk about how places change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but they always change. Often it’s your memory that’s not accurate too and the people you were with, mood you were in, etc, can impact how you remember a place. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Trevor and Scott talk about how a number of places in Asia that they know well have changed over the years, both for good and for bad.

Vietnamese food is one of the world’s great cuisines. As the country has opened to tourism over the last couple decades, more and more travelers have gotten the opportunity to try the real thing in-country. At the same time Vietnamese restaurants have opened all over the world with more and more people becoming fans of this fantastically diverse and tasty fare. Heavy in its use of fresh vegetables, Vietnamese food can also be a healthy choice. Today we’ll discuss Vietnamese cuisine, its place in the world and growing popularity with celebrity chef Bobby Chinn.

Some people that haven’t traveled much of Asia can be mistaken and think it’s very similar from country to country in the region. While some countries and their respective peoples have similarities, there are some nations that are completely unique. There’s Asia, SE Asia, then there’s Japan. No country in the continent is remotely like it. Steeped in history, rich traditions, deep culture, and turned slightly inward, few places in Asia dazzle like Japan does. A teeming population that’s preserved natural surroundings, are exceptionally civilized, maintain a safe society, embrace modernity, while celebrating tradition, Japan is a world unto itself and should be on every traveler’s bucket list. Today we’ll chat about our experiences in the Land of the Rising Sun and what it means to us.

On May 31, 2015 we posted a special episode of Talk Travel Asia, ‘Traveling Nepal Post-Earthquake with Mads Mathiasen’, which was one of our more popular episodes. We are following that up, chatting again with Mads about how the country is fairing more than one-year post earthquakes. You'll be surprised to learn that it's still a great place to travel!

Now that he seems to have hung up his pen as a travel writer, Talk Travel Asia podcast co-host Trevor Ranges talks about his decade-long experience as a travel writer, discussing the highs and lows of living the freelance travel writing life. From writing pieces for magazines and websites around the world, to authoring for Fodor's and producing first editions of the National Geographic Thailand and National Geographic Cambodia guidebooks, Trevor's produced some pretty amazing stuff. So what's that life like? Have a listen and all will be revealed!

On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, we discuss the dangers and benefits of "voluntourism" (doing volunteer work while on holiday), discussing our firsthand experiences, particularly in Thailand and Cambodia, and then talking with James Sutherland of Friends-International, a Cambodia-based organization whose work with underprivileged communities, particularly children, we have long admired.

It’s been more than two years since our first episode went live on June 11, 2014 and we’re suddenly at our 50th episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast! It’s been a ton of fun thinking of topics to cover and share, and we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride as much as we have. To mark our 50th episode, we’re going to share 50 Things We Love About Traveling in Asia. The categories will be broad, responses at times surprising, and we guarantee there are a few things in here you’ll want to try. Thanks for listening and celebrating 50 episodes with us!

When people hear ‘Hong Kong’ they naturally think of towering, futuristic skyscrapers not mountains suitable for hiking and mountain biking. But it turns out there are tons of fantastic trails on those mountains you see from the city and on this episode of Talk Travel Asia we chat with owner of CrossCountry Hong Kong, Steve Coward, and journalist Dave Stamboulis about hiking and mountain biking opportunities in Hong Kong.

Many parts of Southeast Asia are famous for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. There are few parts of the world with as many great areas to get your face and body under the water than over here in the tropics. Countries including the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, in particular, have world-class snorkeling and diving sites. If you’re thinking of getting your open water certification, want to get dives in, or love snorkeling, Southeast Asia is the place. Today we’ll chat about our favorite locations to get in and under the water and share tips from some of our friends. Get ready to get wet!

Nepal is famous for having the world's highest peaks, the Himalayas, and most travelers know the country is a hotspot for trekking, and likely have such a trip on their bucket list. But Nepal and trekking is much more than just big mountains. This ‘small’ Himalayan nation on the map would actually be about the size of the US if flattened out - it’s huge! In just 230km the country rises from its southern border at 70m to 8,848m in the north. That’s some serious vertical gain! The country has pretty much every climate covered and a lifetime of walking to be done. Our guest today, Robin Boustead, has been working on what must be one of the world’s longest walks for more than a decade, the Great Himalaya Trail. Going through Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, it’s over 6,000km long and looks incredible. We chat with him about how the Trail came about and how travelers can enjoy it.

The world is a big place, but air travel, opening borders, and less restrictive visa requirements have made it easier for travelers, in effect making the world a much smaller place. In December 2014 we shared some of the places in Asia we’d like to visit on ‘Dream Travel Destinations 1’. We’ve compiled a new list of destinations we’re keen to get to and are going to share them with you today. Dream big of new destinations in Asia with us!

Today we feature a real adventurer: someone pushing the envelope of creativity in travel and transportation, going above and beyond the beaten path. Many people take at least one trip per year, then spend the rest of the year dreaming about their next one. For some, this trip is a week or so in length, but there are a growing number individuals that are finding creative ways to make travel their full-time gig. These people roam the world experiencing places and activities, then blog about them, take photos, videos, and find creative ways to generate a full-time income. Today we’ll chat with Ric Gazarian, an American who’s been doing just that for a number of years.

Traveling by foot is perhaps the best way to see a new area. On this episode, we share our favorite day hikes in Asia. In recent months we’ve had guests on to talk about trekking in the Himalayas and we’ve told a few stories that involve trekking, including some great hikes in New Zealand. Literally traveling at ‘street level’, you meet people along the way, see key sites, can try local foods, and get some good exercise while exploring. On this episode we’ll share some of our favorite day hikes in Asia that are ideal for you to try while traveling. These can be done in a few hours, provide great views, interaction with locals, and are a ton of fun.

‘Adventure Travel’ is a broad term. For some it can mean simply making their way around a developing country, while for others it may mean hurtling down Class-5 rapids in a kayak. That’s one thing that’s so great about travel - it means different things to different people and can be qualified in many different ways. On this episode we speak with three industry leaders in adventure tourism in Asia, John Roberts, Mei Zhang, and Willem Niemeijer, and hear where they think the industry is headed.

Where and how we travel has changed dramatically over the last couple decades. What’s changed at an even faster pace is the way we plan our trips and the tools we use. Just a few years ago travel guides were more or less the ‘Holy Grail’ of learning about where to go, how to get there, and most importantly, how to find a decent place to sleep. In just a few years we’ve started to ditch printed books for websites and increasingly turned to our mobile devices while on the road. Today we’ll look at the tools that are shaping how we travel and ones we enjoy using.

Seoul-based journalist Geoffrey Cain enjoyed an 11-day excursion to North Korea - as a tourist, since journalists are generally restricted from visiting the reclusive nation - traveling by train from Pyongyang to the more remote cities of Chongjin, Wonsan, and Hamheung, and the provinces of North and South Hamkyung and Kangwon. Geoff discusses his trip with Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges on this week's episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast.

What makes travel so memorable? Many times it’s simply visiting a new land, a new culture, experiencing new foods and seeing exotic animals. Other times it’s because we’ve gotten outside of our comfort zone, testing ourselves with new challenges that we couldn’t experience back home. But a sure byproduct of traveling are the great stories we acquire along the way and the fun it is to share them with others. This is the third episode sharing some of our tantalizing travel tales, a series in which we’ve told stories about when we got outside our comfort zone, experienced unexpected cultural or logistical challenges, and found ourselves in unusual situations. At the time, many of these adventures seemed like nightmarish scenarios, where our own ignorance or naivite placed us in situations where we didn’t know how to react. But in the end, they taught us something valuable about the nature of travel: things don’t always go as planned and although things may have seemed problematic at the time, in the end they make for pretty good stories.

Scaling mountains is a pursuit that attracts some of the world’s most adventurous people. Attempting to climb the world’s tallest mountains within the Himalayas is an entirely other sport. On this episode, Scott and Trevor chat with Billi Bierling, a German who has spent much of her life living, working, and climbing in Nepal, among other Himalayan nations, about her passion for tackling some of the world’s tallest and toughest peaks, including Mount Everest, which she has successfully summited.

Roughly 200km south of Bangkok, Hua Hin is a different kind of beach destination. Favored by Thai Kings for more than a century, the area has never grown too much nor turned into a beach party destination. It’s traditionally a place where Thai families escape for the weekend, enjoy the beach together, have some seafood, and partake in wholesome fun. Essentially, the larger area is 20km or so of long, beautiful beaches, with condos dotted along the shore. In the last decade, many places have gone upmarket with well-healed, younger Thais opening up trendy shops, restaurants, and boutique resorts. For those wanting a quiet, relaxing, different Thai beach holiday, Hua Hin is a pretty solid bet. On this episode we’re going to share our favorite things to do if you have three nights in Hua Hin!

In a day and age of digital everything and seemingly every topic at our fingertips, it’s rare nowadays, compared to say 50 years ago, to meet a true ‘explorer’: a person who has ventured out into truly unique and remote lands, having cultural exchanges where outsiders have perhaps not, and bringing the tales home. Our guest today, Canadian Jeff Fuchs is just that - an explorer. In 2006/7 he trekked more than 5,000km over 7.5 months through some of the world’s most remote and challenging terrain to experience, then chronicle, one of the world’s great trade routes - The Tea Horse Road. Running from Yunnan in China, then through Tibet, he did this with a couple other locals and has seen things few western eyes ever have. He passed through some amazing villages, terrain, came in contact with incredibly unique and remote villages, and does a wonderful job documenting it in his book 'The Ancient Tea Horse Road'.

After being asked a ton of small questions over the years by new travelers to the region, today we’re taking a step back for this episode, to share some of the base-level knowledge we’ve acquired via our three decades of collective travel in the region. Some items will be obvious to some, others not so much so, but we’ve had some fun thinking of little ins’ and outs’ of traveling in the region that we think are worth sharing. From navigating red tape to railroads, we’re set to tackle getting in and around Southeast Asia. Pour yourself a drink, sit back, and enjoy!

Few areas in Bangkok are as colorful, multi-ethnic, busy, and diverse as the Nana area. Situated on Sukhumvit Road, roughly between Sois 1-15, almost everything can be found here within a few square kilometers. Traditional Thai massage: check; Arab food: check; cheesy souvenirs: check; go-go bars: check; you get the idea - there’s a little bit of everything and then some in this frenetic and fun district. On this episode we’ll dive into everything that is Bangkok’s Nana area and then some.

Laos is a sleepy country of 7-million people that many have heard about but know little beyond the name and perhaps a few key destinations. Some tourists are familiar with the charming riverside town of Luang Prabang in the country’s northwest and maybe the capital Vientiane but know of little else there. Sharing borders with Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia, this landlocked nation, run by a Marxist-communist government, has a lot going for it. Many say it’s like Thailand 30 years ago, is very quiet, and is truly off-the-beaten-path. On this episode we dig into this fascinating country that is, for the most part, off most traveler’s radar with Paul Eshoo, who heads up a tiger conservation project in Laos, and has a long history in ecotourism in the region.

Phnom Penh is a city mired in mystery. The name is exotic to some, unknown to many, carries a storied history, and in reality is a little of all of the above. At one time, in the 1960s, it was an up and coming SE Asian cosmopolitan center, then the unthinkable happened. The bloodthirsty Khmer Rouge regime took over the city in 1975 and emptied its 2 million residents out into the countryside in a matter of days. Suddenly Cambodia’s main center of commerce and knowledge was empty, a shell of its former self. A four-year-war ensued, the Vietnamese kicked the Khmer Rouge (KR) out in 1979, occupied the country for the next decade, then the United Nations ran things for more than a decade. Today, Phnom Penh is an exciting, vibrant, and ever-changing city that we love. On this episode we’ll share some of our favorite things to do if you’re there for three nights.

Cycling has been gaining global popularity over the last few years and Bangkok is no exception. While the city is more famous for its teeming traffic and exotic temples, while a bit tricky at first, it’s truly a magnificent place to get out for a ride. On this episode, Scott and Trevor explore what the city has to offer atop two wheels, things to keep in mind when heading out, and why you should consider making a bike ride part of your trip here. We're joined by longtime expat and bike guru, Greg Jorgensen, who shares his experience plotting routes and riding on two wheels in the City of Angels.

Bali is one of the world's most well known tropical tourist destinations. That said, it's a big, smallish island, with a wide range of different districts. Knowing where to go (beaches, mountains, artistic villages)can be a bit of a challenge. Luckily Talk Travel Asia co-host Trevor Ranges has spent a good deal of time living, and writing about the island for various publications. On this episode he helps makes sense of the island and offers a range of tips for visitors, helping you make the most of a visit.

On Episode 30 of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges talk with longtime Cambodia resident and Lonely Planet author Nick Ray about Cambodia’s up and coming hotspots. Nick Ray knows as much about Cambodia as any foreigner, has traveled most of its far corners, and is going to share some of his favorite, not-so-well known spots that he recommends hitting before the word gets out --in the next Lonely Planet, perhaps!

Chiang Mai’s one of those legendary travel destinations. Most travel enthusiasts know the name, many have been, yet almost everyone has a different picture of it in their mind: small town, mountain hideaway, thriving/modern city, historical hub, artistic enclave, or emerging hipster hangout? In reality, Chiang Mai is a bit of all of these things bundled into a nice package. Today, Talk Travel Asia’s Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges explore what Chiang Mai means to them, sharing some of their favorite spots in the Rose of the North, and giving you some great tips to make the most of your first or next trip to Thailand's Northern Rose.

Making sense of the massive area that is the Angkor Historical Park and figuring out where and how to spend your time is no easy task. There is simply so much to see that you could never fit it in, in a single holiday, let alone 10! As a follow-up to an earlier episode, Angkor 101, where we talk about how to best use your time and info for first-time visitors, on this episode we focus on some secondary sites, mostly a little further afield and share some deeper tips to make the most of your time exploring this incredible area just outside Siem Reap, Cambodia. While Angkor Wat itself is incredible, there really is so much more here to enjoy. Dive in!

Many travelers want to have an outreach capacity to their trip to Asia, but doing so in a constructive, non-disruptive way can be quite difficult. The terms ‘ecotourism’, ‘green travel’, sustainable travel’, and ‘responsible tourism’, among others, have been thrown around over the years, and often abused. On this episode we chat with Bodhi Garrett of Andaman Discoveries, who says, “Responsible travel is about minimizing the negative impact of your travel and directly giving back to the communities you visit. It’s about understanding the story behind the price you are paying, and knowing the local people who are working hard to make your holiday an enjoyable one.”

In the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Nepal, millions have donated to relief efforts. Yet the devastation people have witnessed on TV and social media only tells part of the tale. While back to back earthquakes have undoubtedly caused great destruction in certain parts of the country, much of Nepal remains unaffected, that is, except for an anticipated decline in tourism that is certain to harm an economy that desperately needs tourism revenue. While this reaction is somewhat to be expected, we wanted to chat with someone on the ground who could talk about the unaffected regions, how tourism attractions and activities are still open for business, and why you should travel to Nepal in 2015. We chat with Mads Mathiasen, a Danish citizen, who’s lived and worked in the Himalayan nation for more than a decade. He’s deeply embraced life and the traditions of Nepalis and has led the way in developing breakout tourism ventures in the country. He joins us via Skype from Kathmandu.

When living or traveling in Asia, it seems there is always something exotic or wild waiting right around the corner – and actually occurring on a weekly, if not daily basis. On Ep. 13 we shared some of our favorite travel tales and decided to have another go, sharing even more tales from life on the road, including one about a mysterious missing bag, a low supply of Thai rum, driving a tuk tuk in Bangkok, hitchhiking, and a very persistent rat. Have a listen!

It seems that vegetarianism is getting more popular by the year and some vegetarians wonder if they’ll be able to stick to their non-meat diets while traveling in Asia. The good news is that it’s very easy to enjoy incredible food throughout much of the region as a vegetarian. You’ll want to learn a few key local words to ensure cooks understand you are a vegetarian, but once you get those down you’re set. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia, Scott and Trevor talk with Adam Platt-Hepworth, owner of bike tour company Grasshopper Adventures, about living and traveling in Asia as a vegetarian. He shares tips on how to find the tastiest food, ensure you eat only vegetarian, and how to best approach your trip.

Planning a honeymoon (which of course must be perfect from start to finish with no fights) is no easy task anywhere in the world, let alone in a region so different from home that the chances of unexpected things happening are high. Isolating what you ‘really’ want to do, how you want to spend your time, what the budget is, hitting the ‘must see’ spots, while also experiencing a host of other things, and ensuring there’s a balance for both of you is no easy feat. This is your first trip as a married couple and you don’t want it to be anything less than perfect. So how do you do it? First off - it won’t be perfect. We offer lots of tips for planning a honeymoon and how to make the most of your trip of a lifetime together in Asia.

Traveling professionally, as a full-time job, is a dream for many people. But making it happen, bringing in a regular salary that sustains, arranging all the elements to keep travel happening, getting sponsored, and documenting the journey is no easy feat. But two Canadians, Dave and Deb, have done just that, creating The Planet D, and becoming celebrities in the process. They share with us what it's taken to launch this career, keep it going, and remain a happy couple while traveling full-time. Have a listen!

Bangkok is teeming city of 10 million people and it’s arguably one of the most dynamic, exotic, and action-packed cities on the planet. How you should spend a few days there is a hugely subjective question, one with a myriad of answers. We’re often asked by friends, family, friends of friends, and friends of friends of some guy they met one time at a bar, “What should we do while in Bangkok?” On this episode we share with you some of our favorite things to do, places to visit, how to get to them, best spots for a drink and tasty food, and ensure that you don’t waste your time in Bangkok. Here’s how to spend Three Nights in Bangkok.

Paddling is not only a great workout, and environmentally friendly activity, but can be an outstanding way to see parts of the world, if you know what you’re doing. Canadian Ian Taylor is best known as a professional photographer but he’s also an accomplished paddler. He’s kayaked Thailand’s southwest coast from Myanmar to Malaysia and he shares that epic 560km, 25-day trip with us. Have a listen!

One of the greatest things about the diversity of Asia is the wide range of food available both across the region and within each individual country. Every foodie and every local seems to have a favorite dish and knows the best place to get it: Scott and Trevor are no exception, and in Episode 19 of Talk Travel Asia they talk about some of their 'Favorite Foods of Asia' and fill you in on the restaurants that they think serve the best!

Writing for a living and making a living at it is no easy feat. There are few writers who manage to turn-out some really great books about aspects of the regions they live in and also make a living from it. In a day an age of blogging when everyone online is a ‘professional writer’, there are few people that really are experts in what they’re writing about, spend the proper time to craft a real work, and can be trusted. Our guest, Tom Vater is a rare example of someone who writes great books, be it guidebooks or novels, and manages to make a living doing so.

Where to find the perfect drink and spot to enjoy it while traveling in Asia can be tricky. Scott and Trevor record together at the FCC Bar and Restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and share their favorite watering holes in the region. The hosts explain that when you hit bars and spend some time in them, you also meet some of the most colorful locals around, get insider info, and usually end up having a hell of a time. From Bangkok to Luang Prabang, Kathmandu and a host of other spots, this episode will put you on the right drinking track.

'Digital Nomads' are individuals who leverage telecommunications technologies to perform their work duties, and more generally conduct their lifestyle in a nomadic manner. Technology's furious pace of development has quickly upended how we live, travel, and work. It’s made businesses and lifestyles possible that weren’t just a decade ago. This episode features two guests, Gary Arndt and Niall Doherty who talk about how they’ve embraced technology to make a working/traveling lifestyle possible. Trevor and Scott then talk about their own experiences living Digital Nomad-esque lifestyles. Trevor explains how, for coming on a decade now, he’s been predominantly employed as a freelance travel writer, based in Bangkok but occasionally renting rooms in neighboring countries to set up temporary bases to work out of. At times he would live in Bangkok, work in Cambodia, and study in Vietnam. He explains how he has experienced first-hand the benefits and drawbacks of living the nomadic lifestyle, but he’s also old enough to have traveled in the days before smart phones and internet and can’t imagine how he could have lived this lifestyle without modern technology.

After collectively living and working in SE Asia for nearly 30 years, there are still lots of spots that podcast hosts Trevor and Scott have not yet been. On this episode they share their top spots to visit in the coming years. From a remote corner of Cambodia along the Vietnamese/Laos border, to a volcanic island in Indonesia, and 4,000 islands in the Mekong River, there's a pretty interesting list of spots to visit. Have a listen and great dreaming travel!

Taking good photographs while traveling is challenging. While digital cameras and other technology have made capturing quality images easier and more affordable than ever, having an eye for great shot is something one must learn. Trevor and Scott then discuss some of their own experiences taking photos while on the road, then ask our guest, Dave Lemke, for tips on how to get the most out of shooting photos while traveling. He shares some valuable tips and gives insight on how to emotionally get more out of the experience.

Scott and Trevor have likely been on more interesting adventures than the average traveler due to the nature of their careers. On Episode 13 of Talk Travel Asia podcast, listen to six of their tantalizing travel tales from Nepal, Cambodia, Australia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Most times when people travel, they know the key sites they’re going to seek out and experience but are often surprised by what else they discover along the way. In the case of visiting Siem Reap in Cambodia, most everyone’s there to see the temples of Angkor but some discover something entirely unexpected: Phare, The Cambodian Circus. Once in a while, ingenious people come up with something completely new, introduce it to an area, and that can become a new attraction. Think Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas – an entertainment show that’s nearly become as popular as gambling. Phare, The Cambodian Circus has put a new attraction on the map in an area that people are going typically only to see temples. We chat with Craig Dodge, Director of Sales & Marketing at Phare about the circus, its development, and what visitors can expect.

In this episode Scott and Trevor talk about some up-and-coming beaches and islands they’ve discovered over the years that aren’t as-of-yet overrun with tourists but are likely to be places you will be hearing about soon. Scott kicks things off by recognizing that the perfect beach is something different for everyone. For some it’s quiet and secluded, with soft white sand and nearby snorkelling and diving; for others it's access to nightlife and shopping. Trevor joins Scott in Kuala Lumpur for this episode en route from Thailand's Koh Samui en route to Bali. Both are famous tourist destinations, but Trevor admits, after his 16th trip to Samui that it would be worth an episode entitled 'Rediscovering Samui'.

Scott and Trevor discuss how the beer scene in Southeast Asia isn’t what it is in Europe or North America: there are a few international brewers mass-producing traditional lagers but in general there’s not a wealth of beer diversity. Luckily, Scott points out, beer in most SE Asian countries is some of the least expensive in the world, save Malaysia and Singapore, and if you scratch the surface a bit, there are some interesting beer discoveries. We're joined by Aaron Greiser and Brian Bartusch, who have such a love for fine beer and an affinity for Southeast Asia that they made it their profession. They're the founders of Beervana, a craft beer import and distribution company. Now in their second year of operation, Beervana has literally revolutionized the beer scene in Thailand. They join a discussion about the beer scene around SE Asia. Have a listen (preferably while enjoying a beer!).