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L’Hotel de Triomphe – Settha Palace
The history of a hotel that has navigated, degenerated and been reborn through the phases of changing government and shifting cultural influences in Laos over nearly the last 80 years.
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Local Voices: Peter Kim
In this installment of Local Voices we interview Peter Kim, an advocate working to eridacate cluster munition bombs. He lost his eyesight and both hands as a result of a bomb that was originally dropped in a war that ended before he was born.
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Everything You Need to Know Before You Slowboat
Thinking about taking the slowboat in Laos? Read this first.
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The New Life Foundation
Check out our time volunteering at the New Life Foundation outside of Chiang Rai, Thailand.
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Royal Elephant Kraal & Village.
While in Ayutthaya, Thailand we had the opportunity to visit the Royal Elephant Kraal & Village. This is a not-for-profit rescue that allows guest to stay, volunteer or visit for the day like we did.
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Local Voices: Ask a Monk
We visited the Wat Chedi Luang (Buddhist temple) in Chiang Mai Thailand which hosts an activity called “monk chat.” During these set hours curious people sit down and ask the monks questions. I couldn't resist asking away!
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Put Some Spring in your Yoga Wardrobe
The sun has come out and the flowers are starting to bloom. My newsfeed is filled with daughters in bright pink Easter dresses and sons in pale blue button ups. I love this season, when color makes a reemergence into our wardrobe. It’s also the time when we start to hit our...
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Argentina’s Tigre Delta, Bizarre yet Beautiful
I’d never heard of the Tigre Delta in Argentina before getting connected with a volunteering opportunity there via Help Exchange. If you take the train about an hour North outside of Buenos Aires you’ll find this place, named after the jaguars (Tigres in Spanish), which...
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What to Pack for Travel in Extreme Heat and Humidity
While preparing for the next leg of our adventure it became obvious a new packing strategy was necessary. The upcoming months will include traveling through no less than seven countries in Asia. We know the weather will be fry eggs on the sidewalk hot, and the climate humid....
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Vote to Make a Dream Come True
Want to help someone win 6 months of free travel AND 50k when they are done?
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"Two Career-Breakers Exploring and Volunteering our Way Around the World"
Local Voices
Thai Monk, Sompha Khounvilayx
Name?
Sompha Khounvilayx
Age?
24
How long have you been a monk?
10 years, I was 14-years-old when I began my studies.
Have you always lived in Chiang Mai?
No, I lived in Laos as a child. I came here to further my studies within the Wat.
On the way in I read that I cannot pass you anything or touch you. Why is that?
To become a monk I vowed to abstain from any physical contact with women.
Reviews
La Residence Phou Vao in Laos
As you slowly gain ground up the hill that takes guests away from Luang Prabang and into the sanctuary of La Residence Phou Vao, you immediately start to unwind. The hustle and bustle of the city fades away. The air tastes clean and you can relax without worry of getting hit by a rouge tuk tuk waiting to dart into traffic.
The sound of Lao pop music flooding from the popular karaoke bars retreats from earshot. It’s replaced with birds chirping, roosters crowing and the bartender shaking up a refreshing poolside drink.
The lush coconut and mango trees provide an exclusive walled retreat into a world of your own. The vegetation is thick and tropical. The sweet smell of gardenia and frangipani emit a tropical scent that dances in your nostrils. You have arrived. Away from the chaos, high on the hill, perched in the clouds, you are at the La Residence Phou Vao.
The Latest
The Tigre Delta
I’d never heard of the Tigre Delta in Argentina before getting connected with a volunteering opportunity there via Help Exchange. If you take the train about an hour North outside of Buenos Aires you’ll find this place, named after the jaguars (Tigres in Spanish), which were once hunted there.
To get an accurate picture of the area today imagine combining the honky-tonk everglades with the waterways of Venice. Then add in the industrial shipping efforts of a small harbor town nuzzled in an abandoned seaside resort damaged by years of neglect, frequent rain and hot sun. Envision aggressive wild dogs protecting shells of once stunning plantation-style Victorian homes and you’d start to see the unique and somewhat bizarre modern Tigre.
Multi Media Bar
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