My Travel Diary

by E Cho We've all heard travel horror stories. Travelers return from Mexico or the jungle with Montezuma's revenge or malaria. Cruise passengers complain of having shared a viral epidemic with their fellow travelers. You shouldn't limit or change your travel plans because you fear an illness. There are several steps you can take before your next trip to ensure you remain healthy enough to enjoy your entire adventure. 1. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) regularly posts information regarding dangers in certain countries. Check with the CDC to make sure the area you plan to visit is safe. 2. Make sure your vaccines are up to date. If not, plan to have them finished well before your departure date. Some vaccines have mild side effects and you'll want to make sure you have time to recover if you do have a reaction. 3. Take an inventory of the prescription medications you will be traveling with, especially if you are leaving the country. Ask your doctor for a note explai...

by sunny There's no better way to discover the real Cambodia than by mixing a river safari with a culinary odyssey, says Richard Strange. Stéphane Delourme, still in his chef's whites, is smoking a cigarette on the terrace of Pacharan, Phnom Penh's elegant riverside restaurant. The lightning from an electric storm illuminates his face. He is exhausted but content. He raises a glass of white wine and toasts no one in particular. "We did it! We did it!" he repeats, in his irresistible French accent. As the culmination of a two-week long Cambodian adventure, part-river safari, part-culinary odyssey, Delourme has just cooked a five-course dinner for 60 guests at one of the city’s hottest restaurants, and the evening has been a triumph. For nine years, Brittany-born Delourme has been head chef at Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall. Wishing to broaden his culinary horizons, Delourme persuaded Stein to let him take a two-week sabbatical and join ...