Tea time in Saigon.

Lao, Hmong, Khmuic children in village of Ban Tin Kaew .

Young drumming student at Champey Academy of Arts, Phnom Penh.

Village woman coming home from market in Ban Tin Kaew, Laos.

Village of Ban Tin Kaew, Laos.

Housewife and lottery seller, Saigon. Shares 800-square-foot apartment with 23 other people, all family members. The 24 people are part of four related families. Each one has its own burner for preparing meals. There is only one toilet in the apartment.

In his home Hmong man demonstrates costume worn for special occasions as well as an instrument he plays.

Hmong man and family.

Fishing family whose home is in a village built entirely on the waters of Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia. Mattress on the left becomes bed at night for the two older folks. Son, daughter-in-law and children sleep in the same room in separate bedding. The grandparents survived the Khmer Rouge terror in the 70s, though they were removed from the village and were forced to work as farmers. After the Khmer Rouge were defeated, they returned to the lake to find the village destroyed, forcing them to start over.

This Vietnamese woman makes a good living selling mealworms--between 100 and 300 pounds of them a month.

We talked with two monks at the Wat Sri Salet temple in Laos and learned about their way of life. Even got a lesson in meditation.

In Vientiane, Laos we were hosted for dinner in a family home. Our host was the matriarch of the family, shown here. She said she was a retired travel agent.

The family son, a plane mechanic with Lao Airlines. Had to explain the Eagles to him.

The daughter and cook for the evening.

The granddaughter performing an after-dinner dance.

A former Viet Cong guerrilla explains tactics used in the Vietnam war. We later talked with him at length about his experiences.

Hong Kong street market. Hong Kong is not an ancient kingdom, but it was a good place to stop before starting the trip through the other countries.

At at Bangkok facility for disadvantaged youths a boy learns Muay Thai, an-all limbs and all-tactics martial art. He and others living and learning at the facility hope to become professionals in the sport.

Restoring murals at the Grand Palace of Thailand, Bangkok.

Grand Palace, Bangkok.

Making Thai cotton candy in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Boat on Mekong River, Laos.

Family of fishers in the Mekong Delta, near Saigon.

In Luang Prabang, Laos, local monks go on a daily food alms walk at 6 a.m. to receive rice from residents.

An outdoor restaurant in Luang Prabang serves a traditional breakfast of coffee (or tea) and donuts to be dipped in condensed milk.

School room in village of Ban Tin Kaew , Laos.

COPE Visitor Centre in Laos is part of complex where victims of unexploded bombs, dropped by U.S. during the Vietnam war, are treated. The bombing was aimed at the Ho Chi Minh Trail which ran from north to south Vietnam, through countries bordering Vietnam. There are still an estimated 3 million unexploded bombs in Laos. More than 20,000 people have been killed or injured since the bombing stopped, according to Reuters.

Children at Cambodia amusement park .

The Lao New Year gives people an excuse to have water fights.