Episode 58: Asian Bar Game Olympics

Episode 58: Asian Bar Game Olympics

A game cafe trend took off in Asia a few years back that included both board game cafes and beer pong tournaments, and it doesn’t seem to be dying down. Today, there are a wealth of opportunities to get your game on both in and out of bars across the region. In fact Scott and I recently organized and competed in the first Bangkok Bar Games Olympics. Today we are going to talk about a variety of places to play different games across Asia, everything from family fun to just get drunk.

Continue reading →

Episode 57: Textiles in Southeast Asia with Chomwan Weeraworawit

On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, we talk with Chomwan Weeraworawit about the rich textile history and diversity across the region and how you can experience it.

Continue reading →

Episode 56: Asia Then & Now

The only thing that stays the same is that things are constantly changing and that’s nowhere more true than in rapidly developing Asia. Scott & Trevor talk about how places change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but they always change. Often it’s your memory that’s not accurate too and the people you were with, mood you were in, etc, can impact how you remember a place. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Trevor and Scott talk about how a number of places in Asia that they know well have changed over the years, both for good and for bad.

Continue reading →

Episode 55: Vietnamese Cuisine with Bobby Chinn

On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Scott and Trevor talk with legendary chef Bobby Chinn about eating Vietnamese food, cooking Vietnamese food, and his experience on Top Chef Middle East. Have a listen and enjoy!

Continue reading →

Episode 54: Impressions of Japan

On this episode Scott and Trevor discuss the Land of the Rising Sun. They compare their thoughts on the Asian island nation prior to traveling there and discuss their experiences traveling to Japan. The following is a general outline of their discussion. 

Continue reading →

Episode 53: Nepal One-Year Post-Earthquake with Mads Mathiasen

On May 31, 2015 we posted a special episode of Talk Travel Asia, ‘Traveling Nepal Post-Earthquake with Mads Mathiasen’, which was one of our more popular episodes. We are following that up, chatting again with Mads about how the country is fairing more than one-year post earthquakes. You’ll be surprised to learn that it’s still a great place to travel!

Continue reading →

Episode 52: Life as a Travel Writer with Trevor Ranges

Now that he seems to have hung up his pen as a travel writer, Talk Travel Asia podcast co-host Trevor Ranges talks about his decade-long experience as a travel writer, discussing the highs and lows of living the freelance travel writing life. From writing pieces for magazines and websites around the world, to authoring for Fodor’s and producing first editions of the National Geographic Thailand and National Geographic Cambodia guidebooks, Trevor’s produced some pretty amazing stuff. So what’s that life like? Have a listen and all will be revealed!

Continue reading →

Episode 51: Volunteering While Traveling with James Sutherland of Friends-International

Children are Not Tourist Attractions - courtesy of Friends-International - Talk Travel Asia Podcast

Children are Not Tourist Attractions – courtesy of Friends-International

Continue reading →

Episode 50: 50 Things We Love About Traveling in Asia

It’s been more than two years since our first episode went live on June 11, 2014 and we’re suddenly at our 50th episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast! It’s been a ton of fun thinking of topics to cover and share, and we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride as much as we have. To mark our 50th episode, we’re going to share 50 Things We Love About Traveling in Asia. The categories will be broad, responses at times surprising, and we guarantee there are a few things in here you’ll want to try. Thanks for listening and celebrating 50 episodes with us!

Continue reading →

Episode 49: Hiking & Mountain Biking in Hong Kong with  Steve Coward and Dave Stamboulis

When people hear ‘Hong Kong’ they naturally think of towering, futuristic skyscrapers in a city teeming with people. As one of the world’s most densely populated cities, to the uninitiated, Hong Kong wouldn’t seem like a place with mountains suitable for hiking and mountain biking. But it turns out there are tons of fantastic trails on those mountains you see from the city and lots more beyond the cityscape than most tourists see or experience. Today we’re going to chat with two experts about hiking and mountain biking opportunities in Hong Kong.

Continue reading →

Episode 48: Snorkeling & SCUBA Diving in Southeast Asia

Many parts of Southeast Asia are famous for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. There are few parts of the world with as many great areas to get your face and body under the water than over here in the tropics. Countries including the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, in particular, have world-class snorkeling and diving sites. If you’re thinking of getting your open water certification, want to get dives in, or love snorkeling, Southeast Asia is the place. Today we’ll chat about our favorite locations to get in and under the water and share tips from some of our friends. Get ready to get wet! Continue reading →

Episode 47: Trekking the Great Himalaya Trail with Robin Boustead

Nepal is famous for having the world’s highest peaks, the Himalayas, and most travelers know the country is a hotspot for trekking, and likely have such a trip on their bucket list. But Nepal and trekking is much more than just big mountains. This ‘small’ Himalayan nation on the map would actually be about the size of the US if flattened out – it’s huge! In just 230km the country rises from its southern border at 70m to 8,848m in the north. That’s some serious vertical gain! The country has pretty much every climate covered and a lifetime of walking to be done. Our guest today, Robin Boustead, has been working on what must be one of the world’s longest walks for more than a decade, the Great Himalaya Trail. Going through Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, it’s over 6,000km long and looks incredible. We chat with him about how the Trail came about and how travelers can enjoy it.

Continue reading →