From post-revolutionary obscurity, the once ancient kingdom of Champasak is at the center of southern Laos’ eco-tourism incentive.
On Don Khone, the Siphandon, Champasak Province, Laos
Cheap airfares, especially from Australia, and even cheaper cost of living attracted budget seekers of alternative vacations in the early 1990’s to the sleepy isolated islands of the Siphandon.
The Siphandon (4,000 Islands), from Don Khong, Champasak Province, Laos
Just 25 miles from the Cambodian border, Laos’ Mekong spreads up to 8 miles wide creating a delta-like region, the Siphandon, sheltering human and wildlife.
Hotel Senesothxeune and the Siphandon
Don Deth and Don Khone epitomize the Western vision of a tropical existence, sleeping in a hammock with mosquito netting, playing the guitar at night, picking fruit and spending as little money as possible.
Purple sticky rice: this nutty deep purple variety of Laos’ ubiquitous grain is usually reserved for desserts. Although a festive addition to dinner and delicious even when not sweetened, I was reminded of my favorite recipe for Purple Sticky Rice in Coconut Sauce.
varieties of sticky rice
You can read about all these topics in my latest articles on Suite101:
“Welcome to my home. Good to see you. May the Creator be with you,”
Ginger Songbird Martin, Cultural Concierge at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, explains that the Pima and Maricopa people have no words for “hello” and “goodbye.” Rather the greeting is, “Welcome to my home. Good to see you. May the Creator be with you,” and the salutation, “Hope to see you soon.”
Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa is a luxurious adobe-like structure set amidst a lush desert landscape on the banks of the Gila River. It’s as perfect a classic southwest setting as it gets.
table at Kai, Yukon Gold Potato hor’s doeuvre
Kai is the Resort’s award winning restaurant and an innovator of Native American cuisine. The menu is a fusion of traditional native foods, locally sourced, time honored classic preparations and stunningly imaginative reductions, pairings of grains, vegetables and use of herbs.
Kai Grilled Buffalo Steak and assorted local cheeses, dried fruits, nuts and seeds
View from, and interior of, Tamarind Cafe, Luang Prabang, Laos
Long the ancient royal capital of Laos’ many national permutations, Luang Prabang was a favorite of the French during their century of domination with their architecture, but not their cuisine, influencing and complimenting the Laotians own superb sensibilities. The city is stunning, serene and a foodie mecca.
Ban Phousy Morning Market, Luang Prabang, Laos
Laos and its food is fascinating, relaxed, less spicy and refined.
Ban Phousy Market, Luang Prabang, Laos
In a city known for its cooking classes, Tamarind offers unique full day experiences starting with a shopping expedition to the morning market.
spices, herbs and rice: Luang Prabang, Laos
Read more at Suite101 – my latest Featured Article on the Food & Drink page’s Culinary Tourism section, including the recipe.
Whizzing by on the bus in the dusty southern rural countryside a women flashes a big smile as I snap a picture through the windshield.
5th grade girles at the Hartzell School
If the future of a nation is in its youth, a visit to two rural schools confirms for me the resourceful exuberance of Zimbabwe’s young generation.
A young student at the Hartzell School in Mutare takes a break from his chore hoeing kale at the school’s vegetable plot to give me a wave.
The tables are turned as a student with a smartphone photographs the travel journalist while I snap away.
These were the facial expressions I encountered as I toured this beautiful land for two weeks in October, not the quizzical expressions of mild shock when I informed American acquaintances of my travel plans.
Spread out over the heart of downtown Columbia yet anchored at the University of Missouri’s Peace Park, the Roots, Blues and BBQ Festival offers both music and food enthusiasts something to crow about.
Jackie Gleason learned how to play golf at Shawnee in 1959
“Out with the old and in with the older.”
Shawnee’s Centenary motto
On Pennsylvania’s Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort’s spacious and secluded grounds guard bees congregate on the porch of the hives providing ventilation for the life of the queen. Six varieties of tomatoes, white eggplant, Chinese five-color peppers and multi-colored chard thrive in the middle of one of America’s oldest award-winning golf courses. Micro-beers are being bottled by a former electronics engineer of advanced defense weapons. Goat cheese is delivered fresh from a local farm. The mist on the Delaware River swirls through the tree-covered Pocono Mountains, and Frank Sinatra’s voice croons softly through the 100 year old lobby. This is the 21st Century?
The River SanctuaryShawnee Inn (1911)guard bees in the Apiary – they’re providing cooling ventilation for the QueenChinese 5-color pepper at the Shawnee FarmThe Verandah at Shawnee InnThe Inn in the evening
Galveston, Texas, once the New York of the Southeast, is struggling to regain its much deserved prominence among America’s ocean side retreats.
Galveston: Birthplace of “Juneteenth”Galveston Beach, (lower right) Jamaica Beach area of Galveston island
Stately Oak trees once shaded all of Galveston but Ike’s tidal surge killed most of the trees. A city art project has turned dozens of trunks into fanciful sculptures. This one (lower right) is in front of the fire station. (upper right) house in the 1930’s Cedar Lawn district
The free ferry service (both car & pedestrian) to Bolivar Peninsula across the Ship Channel and Galveston Bay
Travel with Pen and Palate 
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