This Way More Better
Stories and Photos from Asia's Back Roads
Shu’s Story – Sapa, Vietnam
A 10-year-old Hmong girl takes us walking through the mountains, and into her life.
This Way More Better – Sapa, Vietnam
Here near the Chinese border, the hard work of hardwood logging is done entirely by hand.
The Plain of Jars – Northern Laos
It’s one of the most dangerous archaeological sites on the planet, still littered with old American bombs.
Getting to Sophoon – Northern Laos
It takes four days over bone-rattling terrain to travel from northern Thailand to this little village where a bomb-clearance team scours the land for ordnance.
Picturing Cambodia – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
A writer archives her memories in photographs.
Running on Empty – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Mok Bonthoeun is one of the country’s greatest distance runners. Some days, he has no money for breakfast. This is how he trains.
Om’s Love – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
A Khmer professor recounts his marriage in tragic times.
Baking Break, Making a Living – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Caked in sweat and covered in soot, factory workers bake the city’s bread.
The Dancer King – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
An heir to the throne takes his place in a royal coronation.
The Splendors and Smells of Bangkok – Bangkok, Thailand
This is no city for soft souls or delicate noses.
An Oven in the Jungle – Pilok, Thailand
An Australian bakes cakes in her far-flung corner of the world, on the Burmese border.
A Little Sip of Yunnan in Northern Thailand – Mae Salong, Thailand
Former Kuomintang soldiers gave up their guns (and other business) to grow a supreme variety of oolong.
Eating My Way Through Krabi – Krabi, Thailand
This seaside paradise has fed 40,000 years of people.
After the Waves – Khao Lak, Thailand
Nothing but destruction and memories remain in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunamis.
Conversations With Exiles – Chiang Mai, Thailand
For years, Burmese journalists live in limbo, working from their undercover outpost.
Shan State Diaries – Shan State, Myanmar
The year is 2002, and the era is one of isolation and fear.
Inbox – Sapa, Vietnam
Sisters on the Sea – Various places, Indonesia
It’s a long, slow ferry from Bali to Timor, with ample time to talk with the women.
Dr. Dan – Dili, East Timor
One American doctor attempts to heal a nation.
Timor’s Caves of Liberation – Ile Kere Kere Caves, East Timor
These rocks hold the ancestors’ art and the legacies of independence fighters.
DiliDiliDiliDiliDiliDiliDili – Los Palos, East Timor
The passengers on the bus go round and round, round and round…
And We Eat Pig – Bario, Malaysia
A jungle trek turns into a pig hunt, Borneo style.
The Cradle of Wildlife – Various places, Sri Lanka
Wildlife still roams through the battle-scarred island.
Journeys on a Tea Train – Kandy to Haputale, Sri Lanka
It’s all floor seating on this serpentine journey through the inland hills.
The Sea Before – Various places, Sri Lanka
It’s life as usual on the island’s edge—until nature washes it away.
Tibetean Diary – Various places, Tibet
This is what people want you to know.
Stuck in Kolkata – Kolkata, India
A maelstrom of life sweeps through the streets of India.
Finding Shu – Sapa, Vietnam
After 11 years and countless miles, a reunion takes place in the far northern hills of Vietnam.