In the late 1990s, residents of the ancient town of Halfeti, situated on the east bank of the Euphrates, found themselves in a dire predicament. The Birecik Dam was set to flood the
Part Three of this chronicle takes us from Laos back again to Thailand. Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew, the current home of the Emerald Buddha, is the most visited temple in the entire country.
Nong Khai tends to be a place that people merely pass through. Just across the river from Vientiane, Laos, the town is perhaps most known for its bridge and its immigration checkpoint. Foreign
The Pak Ou Caves near Luang Prabang contain Buddha statues in the thousands, and have been used for sacred purposes by locals for hundreds of years. Over time, they’ve also become one of
It was still dark when I got out of the taxi, somewhat groggy and disoriented after only managing a few hours of sleep. My luggage in hand, I walked down a sandy hill