Wo chi su- Vegan Traveling in China

Before we arrived in China we heard a lot about the hardships of being a vegan traveling around China and I started researching what to do or what to say in order to get by. After a long search on the web I found that saying "i eat vegetables" is about the best phrase I can use that will hit the spot by trying to explain I'm a vegan. You can say a phrase that means "I don't eat meat" (or without meat-meyo rou) but they may understand that you eat other things like chicken or worse, dog.

Thai Cooking in Peaceful Pai, North Thailand 17-28 June 2015

To get to Pai in Mae Hong song province, whether you choose to travel by motorbike, minivan, or bus, you'll have to endure an adventurous steep and winding ride going through the infamous 762 curves connecting Chiang Mai and Pai. Its about 110 KM and 3.5 hours of twists and turns but once you reach Pai you'll see that it was worth it. In the small town of Pai which has become a must-visit tourist destination in northern Thailand you'll find a relaxed laid-back atmosphere and somewhat hippy vibe, great restaurants including many healthy and vegan options, nightly food markets, poetry nights and jam sessions, detox, yoga and cooking classes but also vibrant bars and parties, surrounded by waterfalls, green fields and beautiful nature all around. 

Burmese Cooking in Inle Lake (Nyaung Shwe), Myanmar, June 2-4 2015

In Nyaung Shwe we mainly rested and relaxed after trekking for 3 days and didn't do much aside from sampling delicious food at local stalls and the "night market" (really just a row of a few outdoor restaurants, but the food is cheap and good!). We decide to skip the boat tour on the lake which is popular among tourists thinking our boat ride the day before was enough. We booked a bus to Hsipaw for the following afternoon and decided to sign up for a cooking class together with our new friend Liron with the highly recommended Bamboo Delight Cooking School (20$ per person) run by the lovely Leslie and Sue, who use a percentage of their profits towards various charitable causes in the local community (more info on their facebook page).

"Tha-tha-lo" - Vegan in Myanmar

Myanmar has a rich and unique cuisine which incorporates some Indian, Thai and Chinese influences and varies throughout different regions of the country. It is perhaps less known than its more famous neighboring kitchens but it is just as delicious (in our opinion), and is the proud owner of some truly distinct dishes  that you won't find anywhere else. 

The Hardships of a Vegan Traveling in the Meat-lovers' Paradise of the Philippines

OK, so to be a vegan in the Philippines is not an easy thing to do but the good news is-  it's not impossible! The local diet is definitely meat-based and I'm talking breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even just being a vegeterian is hard- for example there are many pizza chains in the big cities but it's hard to find a pizza without ham, chicken or pork on it! In local eateries and street stalls it is very rare to find vegetarian or vegan options among the heaps of pork, chicken, fish balls, hamburgers etc but the the restaurants that cater to tourists will usually have a few veggie (easily-turned vegan) options. After a month-long trip in the Philippines I have some helpful advice and useful tips for the vegan traveler: