This is the second installment of Mike James’s 51-day Southeast Asia journey. Known to many as the Gringo in Paradise, he began in the Philippines, easing into the pace of travel in Manila and Panglao, where he discovered an unexpected cultural familiarity. The road ahead leads to new cities, borders, and stories — but this installment marks the point where the journey truly began to take shape.
A Gringo in Paradise Heads East
Mike James — Gringo in Paradise — is slow-traveling his way across Southeast Asia, trading schedules for sunsets and taking the world as it comes. From biking the ruins of Sukhothai at dawn to floating candle-lit krathongs in Bangkok, from Hanoi street noodles to monsoon-soaked bar nights, he’s collecting the small moments that make unfamiliar places feel like home. Here, paradise isn’t a place — it’s a pace.