Soon after we moved into our rental house near Hoi An, (on the organic farm of Tra Que),there was the threat of the first big storm of the season. Typhoons are part of life, in Asia. The last big one…
Our first visitor! a sign that we are “home” in Hoi An, Viet Nam Lois from Cincinnati
Our first friend to jump on the opportunity to join us in Vietnam, is my life long friend Lois (aka Lo, Loi, Loee po…). We go back to my Cincinnati days, before our kids were born and have dealt with…
Experiencing the cycles of rice harvest in Central Viet Nam.
Seventy percent of the Vietnamese economy is comprised of the agricultural sector.Of this, rice is the principal crop cultivated and processed for the domestic and export market (China primarily). Yet, a crisis is brewing in Vietnam as the youth no…
Animal update, Hoi An, Viet Nam.
It was only a matter of time. Inevitably a feline would cry out for help. A first kitten rescue led us to host kitty #1 out of our hotel room in Hoi An. After just a bit of food and…
Ancestors and the spirit world, Hoi An, Viet Nam
A fundamental organizing principle for Viet Nam: The belief system and rituals that regard the spirit world. Vietnamese believe that there are two kinds of ghosts – those spirits who are “at peace” and were buried nearby their ancestral home…
A rural wedding in Tra Que, Viet Nam.
The value of living sequentially in exotic locales is that you can experience cultural events first hand. By renting a house in Tra Que (outside of Hoi An) we aim to immerse ourselves in this small farming community, for however…
The quirky town of Siem Reap, Cambodia
Siem Reap has gone from a sleepy, dusty town to become Cambodia’s fastest growing tourist destination as a result of its close proximity to the magnificent Angkor archaeological complex. It has much the feeling of a frontier town that has…
Of ephemeral and permanent beauty ~ with butterflies and silkworms in Cambodia
Banteay Srey is a butterfly farm outside Siem Reap. The center was started by a Danish man, to create work for local families by cultivating and exporting butterflies and cocoons. An enclosed atrium is packed with butterflies, at all stages…