I got my bags back on a roll heading out there and I'm ready to go looking real good

in my passport photo

5 Amateur Traveler Traveler episode 199.

Today the Amateur Traveler talks about Buddhist monks trekking and purple sticky rice

as we go to the country of Lau. Loe. I'm going to sit in one more cafe.

I know that I should be heading home, but maybe not, maybe not today. Welcome to the Amateur Traveler. I'm your host Chris Christensen. Before we get into

today's interview I do have some news stories for you. The first one is a family

has been banned or was originally banned from Carnival Cruise Lines for life.

And they were banned because the cruise line thought that they had scratched some of the furniture in their cabin and it wasn't until they

produced photos that showed that those scratches had happened previously that Carnival

dropped the issue. So something to think about if you take a cruise. Also think about that. the International Federation of Federation of Journalists is calling for a boycott of Fiji. If you're unaware there was a

coup in Fiji. We talk about this moron this week and traveled this week about

the situation in Fiji and just so you're aware at least one organization is

calling for you to boycott that country. Speaking of countries you may not want to

travel to Afghanistan has its first national park.

Thanks to U.S. taxpayers who spent nearly a million dollars to help establish the

landmark, there is a national park in Afghanistan.

You can't drive there. The roads don't get there yet.

So still a country probably not quite yet ready for mainstream tourism.

For links to those new stories, check out the show notes at amateur traveler.com.

I'd like to welcome back to the show San Oppenheim.

Sam has joined us on two other shows previously, both talking about trekking in India as well as the show about Cuba.

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