Above is my receipt from my time in Cambodia for the $7 hotel room.

Is It the Principle…Or Is It Being Cheap? is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

My weight loss nonetheless, I ate pretty well on my round the world trip. Here is a video slideshow I put together of my experience at Cambodian BBQ in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Some of the meats available at Cambodian BBQ: Beef, Ostrich, Kangaroo, Chicken, Crocodile and Snake (Python).

I actually enjoyed it so much I went twice. The first time by myself and another time with some folks I met in Siem Reap.

All the meats tasted fine to me. Most had the texture and consistency of slightly chewy beef or chicken. The python was really good and the ostrich really reminded me of slightly tougher beef, especially the deep color.

Check out the video below.
If you cannot see the video because you are viewing this in email or from the feed, please click here

RTW Travel – What Did I Just Eat? What Animal?! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Remember I said there were so many stories I didn’t have time to tell. Well, for those of you going through withdrawal, frantically hitting REFRESH in your web browser, these are some more tales from the road…

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Looking through the ruins of Angkor Wat, I met Australian Bradley and his girlfriend Catherine (Cat). Bradley and I hit it off and he shared with me a secret: He was going to propose to Cat in the ruins of Angkor Wat. This is him giving her the ring. He didn’t get down on one knee, which would have made the shot perfect, but I think Cat was so surprised she didn’t even notice. Somehow, I’m trying to get to Australia for that wedding…

That is a tree growing within the ruins of Angkor Wat behind Cat and Bradley. I’ll find some more shots of that.
Siem Reap, Cambodia

Notice anything about these two shots? Yes, there are YOUNG children riding on these bikes, with no helmets. In fact no one seems to wear a helmet in Southeast Asia. Most people can’t afford cars and gas is relatively expensive, so everyone rides a scooter or motorbike. And a whole family gets on the family motorbike. Dad in front then children, INCLUDING toddlers, wedged between Mom in the back. Crazy to me as a Westerner with all the motor vehicle laws we have. But when you’re used to doing something since you were born, it becomes second nature.

This child in red cannot be more than a year old!

The Venetian, Macau, China

I talked about being an Instant Celebrity in Macau. But you see the woman in the picture below? I’m not sure who she thought I was, but when I had my arm around her to take pictures, she was SHAKING! I tried to pat her to calm her down and say it’s OK, but she probably didn’t understand me.

Or maybe she just felt the power! Yeah baby!

Ao Nang, Thailand

The main reason for me to go to Thailand was to see some muy thai fighting, live and in person. What I did not know was that they start these fighters early. These two look like they can’t be any older than seven. Muy Thai is Thailand’s national sport and a source of pride for the entire country. This is no different than American kids getting involved in Pee Wee football or Little League at young ages. Except that these 7 year olds are trying to knock each others heads off!


Bangkok, Thailand

I don’t eat at McDonald’s much…since I care about my health! But when I was overseas I always stopped into McDonald’s to see what was on the menu. Just like McDonald’s in Hawaii had SPAM with rice, the menu conforms with the local appetites and customs of the local country.

McDonald’s in Bangkok had a shrimp patty on the menu. It wasn’t bad actually, but you could tell it was cooked in the same oil used to make the fries. Hey, why let all that grease go to waste?
Also all the Thai McDonald’s had Ronald McDonald in the traditional Thai greeting – a slight bow with hands pressed together. I’m lovin’ it!

Going Thru Withdrawal? Get Your Fix Right Now!! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

South African postcards were dropped in the mail.

The cards were so nice I bought 5 extra.

Five extra – ladies and gentlemen, going once…going twice….

So if you’ve been lurking (and there are many of you slowly coming out of the shadows) and too shy to ask for a postcard, this is your time to shine and speak up.

Just click “GET A *REAL* POSTCARD” and follow the instructions. You’ll get a postcard from the one of the most southern locations on the planet Earth.

I’m actually closer to Antarctica than to most other countries in the world right now. Impress friends, family and your mailman/woman!

I’m really happy the Cambodian postcards are being delivered, some 3-4 weeks after I mailed them. Just had to give Cambodia some time, that’s all.

Postcard Update – South Africa is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

More from the Cambodian Wedding is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

In my time in Cambodia, one of the drivers at the hotel took a shine to me and invited me to his sister’s wedding reception. I talked about poverty in Cambodia, but not everyone is like that. There are two sides to every coin and this is the side of Cambodia most don’t see.

Drink and drink some more

Trying to explain why he was looking at that girl…

The bride and groom with family around

Are my eyes closed here?

More pics next time…

The Cambodian "Invited" Wedding Crasher is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Hong Kong – I am here! And you know what? There are TOO MANY English speakers.

I’m so used to people talking and me not understanding that it became nice. I didn’t have to hear their problems. The boring, inane stuff. I could be among and oblivious at the same time.

No more.

Every word I understand…

When you travel like this, you’re bound to lose things. For me that means:

My iPod is gone. In over a month on the road I did not use it. At all. I read before I left to leave it at home, but I said I would use it on long flights, long bus rides. Not even. I’ve been so busy writing postcards, experiencing the trip or blogging about it that I did not touch it. It’s OK. Everything is still on the computer at home. Just sync up again with a new one.

And in a twist of irony, my satellite tracker is gone. I think I may have left it on the flight from Ho Chi Minh to Hong Kong. I’ll call Cathay Pacific and find out. Honestly I’ve been seriously disappointed with it. You’ve got to hold it up to the sky and baby it to get it to transmit. I think a cell phone GPS would have been better, but the data charges would have been killer. I saw the iPhone GPS work in Japan like a champ.

I’ve got to catch you up with my last night in Cambodia. Maybe the best night of the trip so far….

Hong Kong – Entering the Dragon! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Ok, I’m just going to pass thru the airport in Vietnam to get to Hong Kong. But it’s a way out.

Bangkok is not going to open anytime soon. I realized that when I went back to the hotel yesterday afternoon, took a nap and turned on the TV. They were talking about opening the airport at 2PM. When I woke up at 3PM, the ticker across the TV screen said, “Bangkok Airport Tower Under Protester Control”

No, that airport is not opening anytime soon….

I’ll check in with everyone when I hit Hong Kong.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US countrymen and women, whether you are at home or abroad.

I’m Going to Nam! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

This is what you travel for, to tell stories…

First, everyone I am fine. Relax.

Remember how I liked Bangkok so much it would be become NoDebtWorldTravel.com’s Southeast Asia HQ…

Those plans are off.

Because protesters closed the airport in Bangkok to try to force out the current government!

Normally this would not bother me since I’m in Cambodia.

But the Bangkok airport is the hub for the entire region. I planned to fly from Siem Reap in Cambodia to Bangkok tomorrow, wait a couple of hours and then fly to Hong Kong, my first deviation from the original round the world travel plan.

Since my flights were scheduled for tomorrow, I went to the airport this morning and they didn’t have a lot of info. They said the airport MIGHT open at 2PM but who knows at this point. I’m going to check out a few travel agents locally and see what can be done. I just talked to two Canadians, who are going from Siem Reap to Vietnam to Taiwan to get back to Canada.

Not the greatest, but the roundabout way might have to be done.

Political Unrest and I Go to Plan B is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

One thing about Cambodia is that much of the world has not touched it.

That includes Black people! Me, if you didn’t know already…

It is hilarious. When I went about an hour and a half outside of Siem Reap to see a small river with a waterfall, I was out in the countryside with folks who rarely, if ever it seems, saw a black person.

Stares of wonderment is the only phrase I can use. Not anger or malice, but “Wow! Where are the rest of you?”

I think I might have nearly caused a few accidents. I was in an open tuk-tuk the entire time, so anyone on the roadside could see me.

After a while I started waving and yelling “Hello!”. Most waved back and yelled. One girl’s jaw dropped as she pointed.

The people I talked to said they rarely see people of my complexion and features. I’m only a shade or two darker than most Cambodians so I am “fascinating” to them.

The other thing about Cambodia that strikes you is the poverty and the disconnect many tourists can have from seeing the temples and tourist areas vs. how the average Cambodian lives.

If you come to Cambodia, you must have one thing:
A strong heart to be able to look people in the eye and say, “No.” Because you can’t help everyone.

It’s not uncommon for someone to approach you and ask for money, with one or two limbs missing, either from birth defects or a remnant of the many land mines still in the fields of Cambodia.

It’s not uncommon for a mother to approach you with a half-naked child cradled in her arms, begging for money.

It’s not uncommon for a child with no shirt on to come up to you at a restaurant and point at his mouth. I was sitting at dinner last night with 3 other people and we gave him a plate of rice and some meat. He ate everything off the plate. Before he could finish, the wait staff ran out, ready to shoo him away. We assured the waiter it was OK. We gave the little boy some money and he left, his stomach full for the time being, but what about tomorrow? The next day?

I did not take pictures of people begging for money. Or kids half naked. I felt uncomfortable doing it. Someone’s misery should not be put on display on the Internet…at least not by me.

Seeing all of this I decided to do something…anything.

I asked my tuk-tuk driver to take me to the nearest orphanage. I went to Sunrise Children’s Village in Siem Reap yesterday. I met with Robert, the Manager of the center. I was hoping to work with some kids, but he said too many perverts come in and take advantage of the poverty of the children so they limit outsiders to donations of money or food or school supplies.

So I made a monetary donation. A drop in the bucket, but a few drops over time will fill any bucket.

The kids in Cambodia will sell anything and everything. Be prepared for that. Books, trinkets, postcards, hand fans, batteries, bottles of water. If you’ve been to Brazil, Egypt, anyplace that has a large amount of tourists with poverty prevalent, you know what I’m talking about.

But I admire these kids because they are relentless, they don’t take no for an answer and when you reject them, they go the next person. Hunger is a powerful motivator.

“One dollar, sir, good deal for you.”
“Please, you buy when you come back, right?”
“If I tell you the NEXT President of the United States and can name the capital of New York, will you buy my book?”

I heard this over and over.

I wish these children and their country a bright future. They just need a chance and hopefully they will get it.

Cambodia’s Real Story – The People is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel