Hanoi, VN — The owners of Bun Cha Huong Lien were informed that a lot of reporters and international media were coming to check their place out, but they had no idea, they were going to be visited by a U.S. President and a celebrity host. In 2016, Anthony Bourdain, Read more
Hanoi, VN — Hanoi was not my favorite city in Vietnam. Walking through its Old Quarter made me feel claustrophobic. It’s sidewalks were crowded with vendors and motorbikes. The smell of exhaust fumes and the constant honking of horns made me feel ill. I needed to find open space and Read more
Saigon, VN –It’s official name may be Ho Chi Mihn City, but most people still call it Saigon. When I first arrived in Saigon 25 years ago, the airport was old and badly needed modernization. Many places did not accept credit cards and it was difficult to find ATM machines. Read more
Phnom Penh –I got emotional when I saw the tree again. The sight of it still affects me even after 25 years. They call it, “The Killing Tree, ” during the Cambodian genocide 1975-79, Khmer Rouge soldiers murdered infants, by snatching them from the hands of their mothers and smashing Read more
Siem Reap –Rats are plague carrying vermin. The only good rat is a dead one, I once believed. Then I met these rats. In Cambodia, these rats are called heroes. When I first arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia, 25 years ago, I couldn’t help but notice the large number of Read more
Siem Reap –A circus without animals? More than 600 people in stood up and applauded the night I attended Cambodia’s Phare Circus. Cambodia’s circus traditions date back to the 6th century. When Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975 they abolished all forms of art, culture Read more
New York, NY — “The cockpit is not answering. Somebody’s stabbed in business class, and um I think there’s mace and we can’t breathe. I don’t know, I think we’re getting hijacked, ” Flight attendant Betty Ong, described from an airfone in her jump seat on the morning of September Read more
Montgomery, AL –It was the end of a long work day on December 1, 1955, but the passengers going home on the Cleveland Avenue bus couldn’t believe what they were seeing. “Are you going to stand up?, ” the driver James Blake demanded. “No, I don’t think I should have Read more
Birmingham, AL — Kelly Ingram Park in downtown Birmingham is a tranquil place where one can relax and enjoy some time outdoors, but sixty years ago events in this park shocked and angered people around the world. In 1963 Birmingham was called, “The most segregated city in America.” Most African Read more
Atlanta — It felt like someone was kicking the back of my stool. “Get the fuck outta here boy!” an angry voice shouted. The kicking became more intense and the voices closer to my ears. The harassment I was getting was at a simulated segregated lunch counter exhibit designed to Read more