Notes From
the Road

Longer writing that does not fit in a video — essays, budgets, kitchen experiments and the etiquette of filming in someone else’s market.

Essays

What Years of Travel Taught Me About Ordering Food

The single question that gets you the good dish, and why pointing at another table beats reading a menu. Also: the four words worth learning in any language before you land.

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Meat skewers grilling over charcoal

Sahachai in Sai Mai: The Noodle Wok Behind My Most-Watched VideoFoodSahachai in Sai Mai: The Noodle Wok Behind My Most-Watched Video

Eggs, noodles, a big flame and a plate of pad thai for about a dollar fifty. The Sai Mai noodle shop behind my most-watched video.

2 min read
Puy Roti Lady at Sala Daeng: The Banana Roti I Keep Going Back ForFoodPuy Roti Lady at Sala Daeng: The Banana Roti I Keep Going Back For

Paper-thin roti, banana, egg and condensed milk for 25 to 40 baht. The Sala Daeng cart I've filmed seven times, and once flew back for.

2 min read
Kampala From Above: The City of Seven Hills in 4KDestinationsKampala From Above: The City of Seven Hills in 4K

Kampala makes more sense from the air. A 4K drone view of Uganda's capital, the hills it was built on, and what it tells you before a first visit.

1 min read
Hotpot at Home With a Haidilao Soup BaseFoodHotpot at Home With a Haidilao Soup Base

No restaurant, no queue. Hotpot made at home with a packet of Haidilao soup base, and the short list of what you actually need.

2 min read
Deep-Fried Seafood on Sala Daeng Road, SilomFoodDeep-Fried Seafood on Sala Daeng Road, Silom

Shrimp, squid and crab, battered and fried for 60 to 200 baht, then banana roti for dessert. A short street food walk on Sala Daeng Road.

1 min read
Srinakarin Train Night Market: Pancake Art and My First Sago WormsFoodSrinakarin Train Night Market: Pancake Art and My First Sago Worms

A stall that draws cartoon characters in pancake batter from 40 baht, and the night I dared myself to eat sago worms. Two visits to Talad Rot Fai Srinakarin.

1 min read
Three Thai Street Snacks I Didn’t See ComingFoodThree Thai Street Snacks I Didn’t See Coming

A tom yum crepe, seafood takoyaki and a bag of jackfruit for 10 baht. Three Thai street snacks that surprised me.

1 min read
Vientiane Street Food: Five Bold Bites, From Flaming Beef Skewers to Sticky MilkFoodVientiane Street Food: Five Bold Bites, From Flaming Beef Skewers to Sticky Milk

Mixed skewers, flaming beef, Lao-style spaghetti, sticky milk and Lao pizza. Five street food bites in Vientiane, plus the night markets worth your evening.

1 min read
Lao Breakfast at Mama Soiy Noodle Shop, VientianeFoodLao Breakfast at Mama Soiy Noodle Shop, Vientiane

Bouncy pork noodles, rice porridge, fried bananas and iced coffee. A cheap, proper Lao breakfast at Mama Soiy on Rue Hengboun.

1 min read
Pattavikorn Market: Cheap Thrift Shopping in BangkokDestinationsPattavikorn Market: Cheap Thrift Shopping in Bangkok

Second-hand clothes, sneakers and vintage finds at low prices. Pattavikorn Market on Nawamin Road, and how to thrift it properly.

1 min read
Songkran in Bangkok: What the Water Festival Is Really LikeDestinationsSongkran in Bangkok: What the Water Festival Is Really Like

Temple blessings in the morning, a city-wide water fight by afternoon. What Songkran in Bangkok is actually like, and what to bring.

2 min read
A Tuk-Tuk Ride and Thai BBQ: Grilled Chicken and Salted FishFoodA Tuk-Tuk Ride and Thai BBQ: Grilled Chicken and Salted Fish

An open-air tuk-tuk ride across Bangkok, then Thai-style grilled chicken and salted fish. What to know about both before you go.

1 min read
Fried pastries served with green chilli Home Cooking The Rolex Is Not a Watch: A Kampala Breakfast

Chapati, eggs and cabbage rolled in thirty seconds on a street corner, and how to make it badly at home.

5 min read
Kayiwa holding a ten-dollar note over a night-market table of som tam, grilled skewers, sticky rice and khanom bueang Travel Tips How I Budget a Month in South-East Asia

A line-by-line breakdown of what thirty days actually costs when you eat where the drivers eat.

9 min read
Halved papaya on a banana leaf Behind the Scenes Filming in Markets Without Being That Guy

Ask first, buy something, keep the rig small. The etiquette that keeps vendors talking to me.

6 min read
Turkish breakfast plates on a table Food Istanbul Breakfast Is a Two-Hour Sport

Twelve small plates, unlimited tea, and a table that nobody expects you to leave quickly.

6 min read
Street leading to a pagoda in Kyoto Essays Why I Stopped Chasing New Countries

Going back to the same three cities made the channel better than any first visit ever did.

8 min read

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