What Uncertainty Teaches Us About Change
Updated on March 31st, 2020 during lock-down in Laos with my family as we wait out the COVID-19 Pandemic Over the past 20 years I have traveled and worked [...]
My Karate Kid Moment: Bar Fight in Japan
I was clubbing in Tokyo, Japan and it was three to one. Three soldiers, to me. An ex-girlfriend on my arm, scared. How did I get myself into this [...]
People Watching in Tokyo Japan, Yoyogi Park
Japan is not all Samurai, Sushi and Modesty! Japan accepts quite a bit of eccentric freedom. If you are heading to Tokyo, changes are you are looking [...]
A Guide to Tokyo’s Red Light District Kabukicho
As far as red light districts go, Tokyo’s Kabukicho near Shinjuku station is relativity tame. Unlike Amsterdam there are no pot houses (aka “coffee shops”), sex workers are not [...]
When Japanese Toilets Fight Back
Don't get too close! I was excited, nervous and sweaty. It was 2000 and I was on a date in Japan. I chose the perfect spot, the [...]
The First Time I Almost Died-Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Another story from my 2 decades of travel. This story took place in 2001. By the end of this story a number of people will be dead. The compact [...]
Fighting Fires in Luang Prabang, Laos
This is an older story from 20 years ago in Laos. It also won the People's Choice Award from the Southeast Asian Travel writing Competition in 2010. No, Thank [...]
How I Paid for 20 Years of Continuous Travel
This year marks 20 years since I first left the US for Japan in 1999 to live abroad and travel the world. Ten years ago people where wondering how [...]
Get a Taste of old Tokyo and Drink in Golden Gai
Dark and seedy, just how I like my alleyways. Just about every visitor to Japan searches for that stereotypical traditional atmosphere where they can sit and breath [...]
Welcome to my shiny new website
Getting blessed for my new job in Laos with a full chicken and an elder. Welcome to my shiny new website ToddWassel.com and my companion blog, The [...]