MIRISSA, SRI LANKA — I was shuffling my way along a south coast beach at dusk, kicking up sand and ruminating over love found-then-lost-then-found back in Canada, when I nearly collided with four figures hunched in the dark. Three were human, silent and still. The other bucked and flapped.

UBUD, INDONESIA - White smoke rises from five aluminum trays nestled on damp earth as we round a bend hiking toward Ubud’s famous Monkey Forest sanctuary.

MYITKYINA, MYANMAR - As the twin-engine turboprop bumps onto the narrow tarmac of the Myitkyina airport, I am acutely aware I have entrusted my safety to a man I hardly know. Acting on raw instinct, I have accepted an exclusive invitation to meet a rebel army in Myanmar’s far north.

BANGKOK - When I arrive in Asia, the contents of my luggage includes six pairs of high-heels, two kilograms of jewelry and hundreds of dollars in hair products.