tim morch

“I fell in love with the area,” Bateman said, “so I built a shop.” Soon, Bateman’s company Sanghalei Canoe and Kayak was shipping canoes.

We stumbled on the Sooksavan Cafe. Dating to 1966, the rustic French colonial building now sports WiFi and cappucino amid the nostaglia.

On the road from Villabouly to Xe Pon, we dodged potholes big enough to swallow a truck, finally turning onto a good highway to Muang...

After a smooth ride to Nong Chan, near the Vietnam border, we turned south to get lost. Just outside town, Astried had her first flat...

On Nov 14, 2016, we started a 2,100km mostly off-road motorcycle adventure in southern Laos in search of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. What a ride!

We had just rounded the southwestern point on Phayam Island and conditions were good to cross the strong currents of Ratchakrut Channel.

A short sea kayak trip from Picton, ON, into the scenic Thousand Islands region.

Imagine an exotic destination where cyan waters meet cerulean skies. Throw in a handful of downy-white cumulus clouds scudding overhead.

The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operating canal in North America. When completed in 1832, it connected Kingston with Montreal via Ottawa. It was originally constructed to prevent against attacks from the United States and ensure the safe transfer of supplies from Montreal to Kingston. The St. Lawrence River bordering New York State left ships vulnerable and the new route prevented that. Take note: the Rideau Canal is definitely worth paddling. It is relatively

With more than 3,000 km of coastline and over 1,000 islands, it is surprising that Thailand is largely unknown to sea kayakers.

My trekking companion was down for the day. Yesterday’s hike left its mark, literally, in the form of blisters. The result was a fit young man reduced to whining and complaining. I left him early to wallow in the pain of his proud army boots, but not before unloading several sarcastic snipes. I wanted to explore the valley below and hike to "Shenpu", the Sacred Waterfall. The endless view from the guesthouse perched above the Yubong Valley invited discovery. Framed by the M

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a popular trek in Yunnan Province. The rugged terrain is striking, it is easily reached, well-supported, and a straightforward walk. The "High Trail" can be completed in two days, but I think it deserves at least three or more. The Naxi culture predominates in this region and the people are known for their hospitality. Several guesthouses along the trail provide clean and friendly accommodation. How to Get There The trail starts in the village of Qiaoto

Discovering Yunnan If you Google “Yunnan Province, China” there are over 138,000 hits in less than .15 seconds on hi-speed internet. Yunnan is everything you learn from the first 5 hits yet so much more. The independent traveler can rediscover the old ways, living in the modern world. Few sites fail to note that Kunming is known as the “City of Eternal Spring” or mention the renaming of Zhongdian to “Shangri-la” in reference to the Hilton novel. The biodiversity underscor