The Year in Review: 2010 in Travels and Tribulations

My good years and bad years seem to come in waves. In order for She’s in Love with the World to even have a “Year in Review,” I need to bring it all the way back to mid-2009, when I first decided to take the leap into the unknown world of travel and blog writing. I was laid off, the economy was bad and I was pretty damn directionless. Ask anyone. As 2009’s close drew near, it looked as though 2010 would be the Year of the Awesome for me, and for the most part, it was.

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The Best in Southeast Asian Food

The abundance of food in Southeast Asia is not something to be ignored. Rather, it's something to embrace and experience as frequently as possible, ensuring you get the best smattering of the local cuisine. There is something innately charming about the tiny, yet slightly grungy-looking metal street-cart set up on a small soi surrounded by lawn ottomans and chairs as makeshift tables. The knives are filthy, the water undrinkable and the stove hasn't been washed in ages.

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Meeting an Unconventional Community

Last Saturday, after many missed opportunities, I spent the evening at Chris Guillebeau's New Haven, Conn. meet-up for the Unconventional Book Tour. The evening was full of goodies and spirited conversation about living a remarkable life on your terms while doing good for the world.

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In Search of Mangosteens in New York City

After a day-long quest to find my favorite fruit in Chinatown, I finally able to convert my two most vocal mangosteen-nonbelievers into semi-supporters in this follow-up post about the wonderful mangosteen fruit from Southeast Asia.

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Visiting Refugees in Bangkok’s IDC

Now that I'm back in the States, as promised I'm taking the time to write about the things I did along my route that I never had the opportunity to write about previously on She's in Love with the World. Follow along as I revisit some of my favorite, memorable and most stops on my journey. First up are my twice-weekly visits to Bangkok's Immigration Detention Center, a place that few tourists venture deep enough into the city to see.

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The Absentee Travel Blogger

I've been absent from She's in Love with the World for the last week, but have no fear: I'm back with what I hope you'll let me use as a passable excuse!

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Shalom Israel!

I spent almost a month in Israel exactly this time last year and when planning my backpacking trip back in October, I knew I had to come back. This time around though, I find myself unprepared and unsure of how to travel Israel secularly, beyond the organized tour.

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How to Deal: Budgeting (Part II)

Weeks ago, I published one of my most successful posts yet on how I budgeted myself throughout Southeast Asia. It wasn’t meant to be a comprehensive guide on how any subsequent Southeast Asian vagabonds should travel, but just a rough outline of where I spent the most and what I spent my money on. Since then, I’ve been compiling my best tips and tricks (and those of other travel bloggers) for Part II of my budgeting extravaganza.

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A Post Devoted Entirely to Mangosteens

The flavors of the mangosteen are unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It’s a cross between mango, papaya, tangerine and peach; it’s sweet, it’s tangy, it’s soft and in fewer words, it’s heavenly.

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A Return to Normalcy in Bangkok

In a foreign concept that doesn’t sit well with the Western mind, Bangkok has reverted to normalcy in just under a week. Mai pen rai, or "no worries," we’ll survive. The large mall complex (the same shopping centers that were rendered shut for nearly a month) around Ratchaprasong has reopened, the BTS SkyTrain and MRT have resumed service and people are bustling about the city as though last week's crackdown were nothing but a distant memory.

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