Far East Travels Podcast

Angkor Wat and the rest of the Angkor Ruins should definitely be included on your Southeast Asia itinerary. In this episode of the podcast I give you my overview and introduction to Siem Reap, the town where trips to the ruins are based from and advice on getting the most from the sites, especially if you are a photo enthusiast. As I mentioned in the podcast episode it is difficult to rent a motor...

“Live From Asia” Your Random Travel Questions Live On Spreaker/Periscope. Send your questions or feedback to john@fareastravels.com . Follow me on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/johnsaboesfareasttravels/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/FarEastAdventureTravel/ Support the podcast by becoming a patron and unlock exclusive content! Visit my Patreon page to see all of the offers now:https://www...

Weekly Live From Asia-Taking Your Random Questions About Travel/Life In Asia. Don't forget every Sunday night at 10pmEST(New York) I take your live questions either on the chat feature on the Spreaker.com platform or watch live on Periscope! During this episode I was right in the middle of sacrifices and firecracker explosions on the first business day of the Lunar New Year in Taipei, Taiwan. I'm...

Xin Nian Kuai Le, Happy New Year! I have been so blessed to have been spending the Lunar New Year in Taiwan for the last few years. In this episode I will share with you what I ate on New Year's Eve with my host family and some audio from one of the most famous temples of Taiwan, The Longshan Temple. Thousands visit this temple during the first few days of the Lunar New Year and it's always inspir...

During the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year Taipei literally empties out as many people travel to their hometown to enjoy the holiday. Streets are quieter, many local style restaurants close and the MRT lacks the usual crowds that ride the trains everyday. But if you look closer, particularly at the city's significant and historic temples, there are lots of people out for the first prayers of th...

Live From The CNY Market in Taipei, Taiwan! More background on the festivities of Lunar New Year in Taiwan and Taipei, This past week many people received their Chinese New Year bonus, which can be up to the equivalent of 30% of a person's yearly salary. Needless to say the stores have been busy and of course were ready. But many will also wait until after the New Year before they start spending....

A recent viewer from my YouTube Channel, http://www.youtube.com/c/JohnSaboefareastadventuretravel , asked about eating at food carts in Vietnam versus eating establishments or restaurants. I think food carts can be just as safe to eat at as restaurants, in some cases even better! Especially if you think about the restaurants that have huge menus with dishes that might not be ordered as frequently...

What cities should I include on my trip to Vietnam is the most common question I’m asked when discussing traveling in the country, especially when people are planning their south to north or north to south trip. This itinerary is from my 2016 six week trip. There may be some areas or cities you would want to add or subtract based on your interests. For example there aren’t really any opportunities...

Dihua Street Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year Market is the biggest one of it's kind in Taipei, Taiwan. The street is closed off to pedestrian traffic exclusively and each side of the street is lined with stalls selling speciality food items for the holiday. This market starts 2 weeks prior to CNY every year-this year the Lunar New Year falls on February 5th-The Year Of The Pig. Chinese New Year...

Continuing short form podcasts that answer your travel questions. I was asked by a loyal listener from Park City, Utah what are some activities to do that would be off the tourist trail in the Taiwan cities of Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Taipei. Here are the links for resources that will give you further descriptions of where I recommended. Included here are the Hayashi Department Store, Tainan Martial...

I'm starting a short-form version of the podcast with a question/answer format. Send me your questions about travel in East Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia. Whether it's ziplining in Laos, trekking in Nepal, finding a place for great pad thai in Bangkok, or where to go for awesome (shui jian bao, dumpling buns), in Taipei. Send me your questions to either john@fareasttravels.com , johnsaboesfa...

Starting in January 2019 I will be going live on Spreaker(app & desktop) and Periscope and opening up discussions on travel topics. This week discussing Lonely Planet's top 10 Destinations for Countries and Cities in 2019 and their Asian picks. I always look forward to seeing LP's destination picks every year and there was one surprise for me and one I'm so grateful they chose. For cities Shenzhen...

I have been enjoying The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year for several years now in Asia. It has become my most looked forward to celebration just because that's what everyone else looks forward to here, at least in East Asia and parts of Southeast Asia. I have seen so many wonderful festivals that take place around CNY and I have been fortunate enough to have had invitations for New Year's eve d...

Have you made New Year's resolutions that include new and exciting travel plans? Awesome! What's holding you back? I see so many people talking themselves out of traveling until one day when they come into a windfall then go overboard and are let down by the whole experience. In this episode I talk briefly about traveling in Asia, costs, options, and why it's so important when you first start trav...

After spending a week in the rapidly growing Ho Chi Minh City more thoughts on the future of this megalopolis of Southern Vietnam. District 7 and 2 are expat enclaves with modern shopping facilities along with Western style restaurants and shopping. I think there are even more Western tourists along with visitors from across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. It has been just as interestin...

In this latest broadcast from Ho Chi Minh City I’m coming to you from Cafe Vy near The Ben Thanh Market. I believe there is even a greater presence of Western tourists then 2 years ago. This city is definitely prepared with lots of amenities and a young workforce, one of the youngest and biggest on the planet per capita, that is capable of basic English speaking skills. The Vietnamese government r...

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on Christmas Eve not expecting as many Christmas decorations and a vibrant acknowledgement of the holiday as I’ve noticed. Most Vietnamese don’t view the holiday as anything more than a fun time of year. Tet is the most important holiday in Vietnam and in 2019 it falls on February 5th, which will be the Year Of The Pig. It’s Vietnam’s Lunar New Year or Chinese New Yea...

People often ask me what it's celebrating Christmas is like in Asia. Depending on which part of Asia you are located in it can feel as exuburent as anywhere in the West or other than commercial displays that offer fancing lighting and gigantic trees quite alientating. Christmas if it, along with Christianity had a chance to be established by a Western nation like Great Britain during colonization,...

Continuing with tips and advice for finding accommodations in East/Southeast Asia. The biggest piece of advice I will pass on is to make sure you have your room booked at least a few days in advance of a weekend. This wasn't so much of a problem at one time but now with the huge emerging middle class of Southeast Asia it's best to have your weekend accomodations in place by midweek. Check in advan...

In this episode I talk about finding accommodations in East Asia And Southeast Asia. First off the couple of oddities that you may not be used to, one of which are hotels or hostels that only occupy one or two floors of a building. Secondly the Capsule Hotels, which became famous in Japan but are now seen in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. If you're not familiar with them they are basically an elongate...

The Gibbon Project in my opinion is one of the most exciting adventure and wildlife experiences in Asia. It's not like Laos's Gibbon Experience, where you zipline through the forest and stay in treehouses for a completely immersive jungle adventure, with an opportunity to hear wild gibbon singing and the off chance of seeing one at a distance. The Gibbon Project of Ratanakiri Province gets you up...

Phnom Penh is changing rapidly with modern development and investment taking over some neighborhoods. In this podcast I wanted to share briefly the Russian Market or Toul Tom Poung area as many visiting foreigners may find it interesting. Although the neighborhood is becoming gentrified there are still lots of signs of traditional Khmer culture and you must go say hi to Mr. Bounnerath at his Best...

This podcast relies on support from listeners like you! Become a patron and get access to exclusive while supporting production and travel expenses. Visit my Patreon page to see all of the offers:https://www.patreon.com/FarEastTravels Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA! Other than expats you won't find anyone celebrating Thanksgiving in Asia but you will see signs of Christmas almost everyw...

My apologies for being silent over the last couple of weeks. I have been knee-deep in video editing of my Everst Base Camp Trek which as well encompasses processing the experience of the trip. I said to my friends who had accompanied me on the trek that it would take some time, weeks or months to fully process the experience. Especially since it was their first trip to Asia and trekking in the Him...

Typhoons can have a devastating impact on Taiwan and other countries in Asia/Pacific. As I record this podcast Typhoon Yutu having had a devastating effect on Northern Philippines was leaving the region but leaving lots of precipitation behind in Taiwan. For Taiwanese, typhoons are a normal part of life, during the season between June and November. I talk about some of my past typhoon experiences....