Vientiane from stupa to pupa
Laos has two capitals: an official one and a tourist one. While Vientiane is the largest city of the country and its political center since 1975, the much smaller historical capital of Luang Prabang serves as its main tourist attraction. Many travelers go straight there. …
A tale of food, old stones and couch surfing
Oh mighty Buddha and all the Hindu gods combined, how much do I adore Thai food! The big thing to be loved about Siamese cooking, particularly for a traveler, is its street food nature. Of course an haute cuisine incarnation of Thai cookery exists – …
The art of rice noodles
A photo shoot of a noodle workshop in Tha Bo, Thailand. Let me take you to the far northeastern corner of Thailand. Tha Bo (ท่าบ่อ) is a small town in Nong Khai (หนองคาย), a municipality that stretches along the Mekong river and borders the Lao …
The art of wheat noodles
Weishan 巍山 is a lovely ancient town in Yunnan. I walked a little bit away from the crowded main part of the historical center and found myself in a quiet alley. Long strands of noodle where hanging in front of a house. There was a …
Taste of North Korea
No, I haven’t been to North Korea… yet! But let me tell you about this restaurant I found in Laos… There are not many countries which maintain active diplomatic ties with North Korea. Well, among them is Laos, and while in Vientiane, I took the …
Hu Guo 糊锅, an unusual treat
The more some dish is unique to the location – the more satisfaction it brings to trace it and nail it. I have my foodie travel routine. First, read about the destination extensively. Second, make a list of food (local dishes, snacks, products) and places …
Of melons and deserts
Kasper embarks on the melon trail: Hami and Shanshan in Xinjiang. Hami melon waste container, hami melon bench, hami melon paintings, hami melon monuments. In Hami, melons are bigger than life. Everyone in China knows these melons, but not everyone knows the namesake town. Hami …
Fengjing 枫泾
Fengjing 枫泾 is a small canal town on the outskirts of the Shanghai metropolis. It lies just on the border with Zhejiang province. It is actually easier to get here from some places in Zhejiang than from central Shanghai. I reached it from a dusty …
Guitar clangs, Beggar’s Chicken
Beggar’s Chicken 叫化鸡 is a simple yet brilliant concept: a whole chicken is covered in clay and baked, resulting in utterly succulent and fragrant meat. Today, clay is often replaced with dough or oven bags. We prepared it with friends beside a small stream that …
Beihai, Guangxi 北海
Old buildings and seafood. I was in Yunnan and my visa was going to expire soon. I still had about six days left, but there is many tempting destinations on the stretch of 400 kilometers between Yunnan and the border with Hong Kong – and …
