When I turned around, Aaron, one of the only others who stayed behind, asked me why I didn't go with them. And I replied, "I don't know." Because none of my excuses seemed valid. Then Aaron asked me if I wanted to go book a ticket with...
I expected Koh Phangan to be a party town. One where I'd spend my days relaxing on the beach and my nights drinking buckets until I passed out. In five nights there, though, I mostly sipped beer, nary finished a bucket, hardly even made it...
In retrospect: showing a guy the condom that you keep in your purse and telling him that you have your own room may send a strong signal. Like that he should ask if he should come upstairs before he even kisses you. And that when you...
After a bumpy bus ride from Vientiane, one that was an hour late in arriving and only made pit stops by the side of the road, forcing me to pee in a bush, we arrived in Vang Vieng: a backpackers mecca revolving around rafting, drinking,...
I make weird faces at myself in the mirror. It's a quirky little habit that I picked up somewhere in my lifetime. Pursed lips, puffed cheeks, flipped tongue, squinted eyes. All kinds of nonsensical expressions. I've recently noticed I do it on Skype too, so...
I didn't even really want to go to Nha Trang, Vietnam. I'd heard it was beautiful, but after spending way too long in Sihanoukville I wasn't quite in the mood for another party beach town. But I wanted a quick one or two day diversion...
The next day was more than a little awkward. We said our goodbyes and I left to see if I could find a room. I went back to the place I was staying at before and they said to check back in an hour. And...
"Find a man who thinks your silence is beautiful." I often remember those words that an old artist told me while we were sitting in a bar in Amsterdam. It was a chance and brief encounter. He probably never would remember me or remember uttering those...
The bartender, one of about seven working behind the small bar of Monkey Republic asked me where I was from. When I said "America" he didn't believe me. Apparently when they were all talking in a language I didn't understand and glancing over at me...
Again came just five days later. Gabriel and I arranged to meet in Koh Lanta, a nearby island, where we rented a bungalow for three nights on a quiet beach. It rained. A lot. But there was just enough sun for swimming, for lying in...