An estimated 15 billion bricks are produced in Bangladesh each year by an industry that employs nearly 2,000,000 workers during the peak season and 800,000 during the off-season. At the nearly 1,200 brick kilns surrounding Dhaka, workers often live in … Continued
Scattered around Dhaka, Bangladesh’s chaotic capital, brick factories cut and bake the foundation of the countries breakneck building boom. Despite recent initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce green house gasses, Bangladesh’s brick making produces 6-million tons of CO2 annually, according … Continued
Hope often finds itself in the most dire of places and Dhaka’s School of Hope takes no exception. Planted in a slum in the city’s northern edge and surrounded by mosquito-filled marshes and grinding poverty, the School of Hope nourishes … Continued
Yangon, which means “End of Strife,” was founded in the early 11th century. Nearly 4.5 million people call this sprawling city home that was the country’s capital until 2005, when the military government decamped 200 miles north to the newly … Continued
Militant monks? Sounds like a contradiction; but not in Myanmar, a beautiful, elusive country full of paradoxes and conundrums that tease the traveler’s mind. Monks play a huge role in Myanmar – from spiritual leaders to fomenting political discussion and descent. … Continued
Most travelers who venture into Laos stick to the country’s mountainous north. Southern Laos, under appreciated and hardly explored, holds as much beauty – if not more – than its northern cousin. Below are a few pics from Kong Lor … Continued
Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is often overlooked by travelers but given a few days, you’ll be smitten by the city’s laid-back vibe, a rarity for any Southeast Asian capital. Further north, Luang Prabang, the former colonial town and royal … Continued
Imagine a place where reruns of Friends and Family Guy play 24/7. Where throngs of backpackers stoned on “happy food” and Laos whiskey float on tubes from bar to bar on the Nam Song river’s chilly current. Where limestone cliffs … Continued
Outside of the city Luang Prabang, a former French colonial town, rescued logging elephants live the good life hauling tourists instead of downed trees. Despite their massive size, riding on these gracefully surefooted animals is a meditative experience – watching … Continued
At Indonesia’s 8,660 foot Kawah Ijen volcano, miners toil in hellish conditions as they pry raw sulfur from the volcano’s crater. Despite the roiling liquid sulfur, acidic steam and a boiling acid lake, the miners toil without any protective equipment. … Continued