Every good traveler wants to get off the beaten path. Unfortunately, here in Cambodia, stepping too far off the path can have explosive results. A very toxic history here has left this country with an estimated two to three million landmines and unexploded cluster bombs. You don’t do too much wandering through the forest here.

Enter Aki Ra, a former child soldier who laid an untold number of landmines for the Khmer Rouge. Aki Ra (his self-chosen new Japanese name) has made it his life-mission to use his rather questionable expertise to Continue…

Siem Reap, the town outside of Angkor Wat, is well prepared to pamper tired, temple-hopping tourists. Fish massage centers seem to be springing up on every corner offering a very different kind of pedicure. Clippers, scissors and files have been replaced by sucking fish lips eager to work on crusty feet.

Walking around town, you can hear the giggling and squeaking first-timers as they are sitting around inflated pools enjoying the new-found sensation. But the best thing is that fish massage parlors have even made it to Continue…

What better way to celebrate love than with traditional lotus sweets!

Randomly rotating from rain to drizzle to cloudless blue skies, the weather framed the temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia in multiple moods. A natural theater, the temperamental environment revealed and concealed the ancient city’s secrets. Vines, carvings and colors appeared and then disappeared, along with the tourists and wildlife. A symphony of contrast, the vast array of temples were like instruments being played by the elements.

Beverly Gallagher has discontinued her blog NomadicNarrative.com. A link to the full article is no longer available.

I’m always baffled that people feel the need to feed wild animals. This video shows visitors to Angkor Wat feeding wild macaques. I don’t get it. It’s not cute – it’s grotesque and horrifying. Obese monkeys waiting for their bananas by the side of the road. Although we are only showing one chunky monkey, there were several overweight animals which could barely walk. Stupid tourists, please get a clue.

There might still be a couple of people out there who don’t recognize the name Angkor Wat. That won’t last long. Clearly one of humanity’s greatest architectural and sculptural achievements, the phenomenal temple-city of Angkor Wat is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest religious structure in the world. It’s big, very big.

What many may not realize is that Angkor Wat is just one of many spectacular structures in the no-longer-lost world of Angkor. Scattered throughout the jungle is a selection of palaces, temples, pyramids and ritual tanks with names unfamiliar to those who have never visited the region. To give our visitors a little taste of Angkor, we’ve put together a pictorial of its treasures.

The Beverly has landed! And she’s made her way to Angkor Wat, just like Angelina in “Tomb Raider” (except sexier).

Yes, the Nomads of the world are uniting as ContemporaryNomad.com joins forces with NomadicNarrative.com to take on Southeast Asia. Our blogs, and Asia, may never be the same.

Just as we were arriving in Siem Reap, site of the world famous temple-city of Angkor Wat, a man ran towards us and pointed to the sky. “It’s happening now,” he yelled as he pointed to the sky, “an eclipse!”

Instinctively, we all looked directly towards the sun before realizing that burning our eyes out before viewing Angkor Wat was a bad idea. Some quick thinking, overcast skies, and multiple layers of sun glasses allowed us to finally take in the view.

And there it was, a sign from the heavens. Somehow, the cosmic event seemed to portend adventurous explorations of a lost city. Or, perhaps, the gods were trying to warn us of the impending arrival of our notorious friend… Beverly.

As Thomas, Lisa, Garrett and I travel to Siem Reap via Kampong Chhnang and the waterways linking Batambang and Siem Reap, we enter the parallel universe of Tonle Sap. Stilt villages and pontoon towns dot the waterscape. Semi-nomadic boat people line the rivers, canals, and flooded wetlands along the way.

This alternate floating world is full of sights and sounds to challenge a landlubber’s assumptions. Fishermen cast hand nets into murky waters as school children paddle their way to class. Teens manipulate ancient Continue…

Sometimes, when sampling exotic cuisine, you’ve just got to take a leap of faith! (Pun intended.) Thank God, that was ginger stuffing in the stomach!!!