When I heard you could hang out with elephants in Thailand, I admit I was hesitant. I’d heard stories of animal abuse – drugged tigers you could pet, and overworked elephants carrying tourists around and around on their backs. But then someone told me about Happy Elephant Home, a rescue refuge that takes elephants out of hard labor and gives them a life of supposed relative ease, And I have to admit, they look pretty happy! A young...

Why did I return to Thailand after a week in Cambodia? Because the artsy town of Chang Mai was calling me, as were my new friends from the meditation retreat. As an American, you get a month tourist visa in Thailand, then if you leave the country, even for an hour or two, you can get another month. I had thought I’d continue on in Cambodia and Vietnam, but when friends suggested that, as an artist, I might appreciate Chang Mai, I decided...

Just outside Siem Reap is a silk farm, where for free, you can go on a tour and see the whole process. They will even give you a free ride on their shuttle bus. Yes, they have a gift shop at the end, a very lovely one, but there is absolutely no pressure to buy anything, although you might be tempted to! And it’s nice to tip your tour guide. I was amazed at what it takes to go from a worm to a single piece of fabric. I think you will be...

He grew up in a village in Cambodia, and was working in the rice fields with his parents, making very little money and getting nowhere, so he decided to try his luck by moving to the city of Siem Reap to look for a job, which he found as a tuk tuk driver at the guesthouse where I was staying. “I have a confession to make,” he told me, as we ate lunch on my day trip to Angkor Wat. “The reason I was late this morning to pick you up was...

Siem Reap, Cambodia, is the gateway city to Angkor Wat, with exotic appeal, as well as the ease provided by being set up for the tourist trade. If you are looking for adventure, with all of the comforts of any major tourist destination, and a much cheaper price tag than most, you might want to consider a trip to Cambodia. I’d booked a guesthouse ahead, based on a recommendation from a traveler I met in a hostel in New Zealand (hostels are...