For the past three days, I've been in Bangkok as a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, taking part in their 50th anniversary celebrations. The weather has been warm, the food amazing, and the people friendly and welcoming. My introduction to the city has only wet my appetite for exploring more of this beautiful...

As China and America's relationship draws them ever closer together, it was inevitable that some influences would cross borders. UPI had a great photo essay dedicated to this topic: American brands in China . How do you feel when you encounter American brands abroad? My reactions have varied. In Europe, I shunned Starbucks like the...

Blazing-fast Internet has become commonplace in Asia. Japan and South Korea frequently rank as the most wired countries in the world. Singapore is looking to boost its broadband infrastructure too, according to this NY Times article: Singapore gets wired for speed . John, an Australian expat friend of mine, just moved into a new apartment...

One thing you might notice rather quickly after arriving in Korea is the bounty of ginseng available seemingly everywhere. Dried ginseng leaves have found their way into many popular teas across North America and experienced quite a boom. In this form the effects of ginseng are considerably milder, and it is certainly a much watered-down...

For travelers expecting Asia to be all about pious monks and tranquil temples, they can be thrown off by the gigantic shopping centers. Some see them as monuments to the consumerism and materialism they were trying to leave behind. This AP article talks about the malls of Manila . Despite being one of the poorest...

Among expats in Asia, having access to high-quality, affordable health care is one of the biggest advantages of living overseas. For retirees, it's often the first consideration in choosing where to relocate to. Travelers are now looking outside their own borders when they need treatment. The main reason is because it's so expensive to go...

One of the time-honored traditions of expat life in Asia is bashing other foreigners. Familiarity can breed contempt, and it is amazing how you run into the same kinds of people over and over again. Sarah Grooms playfully took aim at these expat stereotypes in The Faster Times : The 11 foreigners you meet in...

Communication technology is getting better all the time, but how about their human users? They may still lag behind the times, as globalization brings people closer, while they can't speak to each other in a common language. Matt Gross, writer of the NY Times Frugal Traveler Blog, set out to find a way to improve...

"Privacy" is a novel concept in Asia, where questions about salary, marital status, and race aren't taboo. Novelist Vanessa Hua faced this sort of casual interrogation on a taxi ride in China: The fare to Yangshuo . Although she's ethnically Chinese, she still felt out of place in China. This piece resonated for me on...

Becca and Nate in Surin, Thailand. Photo: Becca Becca and Nate are the writers of the hi & thank you blog , for which they were recognized as a 2010 Lonely Planet Featured Blogger. In the post Reflecting: The Cost of Travel , Becca paints a vivid financial and spiritual portrait of their trip through...

Every once in a while, I'll meet grizzled older travelers who talk about traveling in Southeast Asia before the advent of Air Asia. It was either spend ridiculous amounts on flying or spending 10+ hours on a rickety bus. Budget airlines were once a secret of the locals and savvy backpackers. Now they've become much...

Varanasi -- The leg of the stool started to buckle underneath him, and I warned my friend of the imminent collapse. "No worries," he said, "I have a feel for the balance of Indian things." The balance of Indian things? He was right -- there's a lot of precariousness here. Yet I hadn't realized that...

Recently Rolf posted some tips on making the transition into life as ESL teacher in Korea. But what happens after you’ve been in the country for a while and you’re starting to feel worn down by the hidden demands of teaching? Here are some great ways to relax and stay healthy while getting to know...

Some travelers go to a place that seems wonderful. They think, "Wow, I want to live here." But after they move, they realize that living somewhere is a much different situation than simply passing through as a traveler. As a traveler, you see the wonderful sights. As an expat, you get an up-close look at...

More expats are moving to China, attracted by business opportunities and hopes of advancing their careers. However, working with the locals can be tricky, as illustrated by this New York Times article: For American workers in China, a culture clash . The Chinese have a saying that captures this challenge neatly: "same bed, different dreams."...

Asia is full of dedicated foodies, both locals and expats. Debating dishes between countries and even between cities in the same country qualifies as a national sport. The foodie discussion forum Chowhound.com has a great thread on an impossible question: Best cities in Asia to visit for chowing? Although it's a year-old, replies are still...

Delhi, India I've written previously about the pleasure of a local newspaper set next to a cup of coffee. In this post I want to zero in on one of the benefits of this arrangement. Here it is: In addition to a hopefully pleasant aroma rising from your cup, inside your paper are stories about...

The news is full these days about a "green revolution." Is it really the wave of the future? Or is it actually a return to the past, when living in harmony with the environment was standard practice? The Tokyo expat magazine Metropolis published excerpts from a new work titled Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green...

The Chinese language is notoriously complex. There are the tones, the accents, and not to mention the writing! China and Singapore use simplified Chinese characters, while Hong Kong and Taiwan still use traditional Chinese characters. Then there are the different dialects. Mandarin is spoken in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Hong Kong and China's southern Guangdong...

It's one of the great train journeys: the Trans-Siberian Railway. The train makes tracks from Europe on one end to Asia on the other. If you can't make it out to Russia anytime soon, you can get a sample of the trip from the comfort of your computer. Here's the NY Times article: Trans-Siberian Railway...