South Korea is the most westernised country of Asia…at least it is to me! There are so many American military bases there, that it may explain this influence. Koreans tend to socialise through drinking as much as British/Irish do, they party on the street, go out in groups, and leave less space to the random stranger encountering. I understood better then why travellers have so much more trouble connecting with locals than any other country in Asia. Fortunately, I met some local friends before even touching ground in the country (the perks of traveling long time), they showed me the best South Korea has to offer.

Overall I spent 24 days in South Korea, just enough time to discover and party in Seoul as locals and long-time expats do, go hiking in Seoraksan National Park (with its mind-blowing colours in Autumn), celebrate Halloween in Busan, enjoy time with friends in their traditional costumes in Jeonju and visit the year-long holiday destination that is Jeju Island before heading back to Seoul then Daegu.

For Westerners, Taiwan is not a very trendy touristic destination, so I had very little expectations… And yet, I was mesmerised by the richness of this small country. Torn apart between China and Japan, Taiwan forged its own identity: welcoming and smily citizens, amazing street food everywhere and intense cultural background! I spent almost a month in Taiwan, there is a lot to see and public transports are not really adapted to tourists who want to go off-the-beaten track. Without a car, it is not easy to visit the mountainous inside of the island without spending days on buses.

I focused mainly on the perimeter, starting from Taipei and the northern region (Yangmingshan National Park, Jioufen and Keelung and its impressive Shen’ao Elephant Trunk Rock), and traveled clockwise to Hualien to bike around the incredible Taroko Gorges, then Taitung and Kentig National Park, the most southern point of the island. Going back north, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and the Sun Moon Lake before getting back to Taipei.

I had heard about Indonesia many times before setting foot on this archipelago, this was often described to me like a big favourite of travelers. And I have to admit, I also loved my time over there. Originally I wanted to spend 2 months there, but I could barely dedicate one in the end.
I spent about 2 weeks in Bali: enough time to meet and get to know local people, visiting Ubud, its Monkey forest and rice terraces, Amed‘s diving sites, the Ujung Water Palace and the temple Of Lempuyang Luhur as well as the Uluwatu temple in the south.
Then 2 days in the Gili islands to chill, 4 days in Lombok to hike the Rinjani volcano and 4 days in Flores to meet the Komodo Dragons and hike some gorgeous little islands of paradise there.
There is so much more to see in Indonesia, Java and Sulawesi amongst others, I will be back!

With the same friend I’ve visited Laos, we arrived in Cambodia to join a couple of friends of his and visit the country. We spent about two weeks in Cambodia, it was hurricane season, and it felt a little frustrating at times. Cambodia is a delightful mix of Ancient Culture, Peaceful Nature and Modern History.
The latter is represented by Phnom Penh and its shocking Killing Fields and S21 tours; these are mandatory to visit, these hurt, some people cry by just hearing the audio guide, reacting to how inhumane this Khmer Rouge regime executed 1 in 4 Cambodians during one of the biggest genocides in History (official figures approx. 2 million people died).
Ancient history is much brighter and a 3-day visit of Angkor and its incredible temples felt just right. Lots of tourists there, but it doesn’t feel too overwhelming as long as you’re lucky not to meet any massive wave of Chinese tourists.
Cambodian islands are ideal to relax, and Koh Rong was our choice for a few days…not doing much, just chilling and partying.

I arrived in Laos through the Lao – Thai Friendship Bridge. There was almost no-one there but a couple of tourists that I’ve met again in Luang Namtha, my first destination. I had decided to go jungle trekking in this area, when I met a really cool French guy, Norbert.

He and I decided to travel together for a little bit, from the Luang Namtha jungle, to the 4000 islands, via Luang Prabang and its fantastic multi-stage Kuang Si waterfall, and the 2 famous scooter ride loops: the Thakek loop and the Bolaven Plateau. A lot of tourists and a lot of fun on those loops, with some crazy Lao drivers (especially by night).

One of the most typical and remote places we’ve been was a small riverside village called Muang Ngoi Neua, where we went even further by cycling and hiking to a small place where we fished and hunted with some local villager. One of my best memories so far!

Thanks Norbert, my friend for this great time!

I visited Thailand a couple of times before, but I never had the chance to visit the Northern part, close to the Golden triangle. So before heading to Laos, I decided to spend about a week in the region of Chiang Rai.

From Myanmar border I took a direct bus to Chiang Rai, where I hired a scooter for a few days. It was not the touristic season, so I was pretty much alone everywhere I went along the Laos border: Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, Doi Mae Salong, Golden Triangle, Chiang Khong and finally Phu Chi Fa Forest Park to see an amazing Sunrise over Laos.

Later that year, I went back to Bangkok to visit a dear friend of mine during Songkran, Thai New Year celebrations with water gun battles all over the city. It is really fun to participate, such a good vibe! I also used some time to get myself certified in Thai Massages. Overall, that city never disappoints with its vibrant and bubbly life, tasty and varied street food, large expat communities and friendly locals.  There you also have inexpensive dentistry that I used quite a few times already by the way, you know just in case you need it.

Bangkok, like Las Vegas, sounds like a place where you make bad decisions. 

– Todd Phillips