My flight was booked. I was headed to Vietnam. Now it was time to get excited, not to mention anxious. This was way back before One Way Ticket Phil had ever crossed my mind. I couldn’t even yet call myself a traveler. I was green. I’d sort of backpacked once previously, but never alone. And […]
My normal traveling plan is to plan as little as possible. Plans are for the uptight, the less adventurous, for my parents. I love my parents, but they love to know exactly what the deal is. It gives them peace of mind. It removes the stress. I completely agree with that last point. Not planning […]
Welcome to Taman Negara! The jungle with the distinction as the world’s oldest. Pretty cool if you ask me. It’s located in the heart of Peninsular Malaysia and is definitely worth a visit. Especially since all the rainforest surrounding it for as far as you can drive has been converted to palm oil plantation. But […]
When was the last time you did something for the first time? I came across this question the other day, and besides immediately making me want to walk out the door and do something crazy, I started pondering the last few months of my trip. Technically, just about everything I did, I did for the […]
I was back on my own, traveling solo through one of the less traversed areas of Indonesia. This was no Bali. Seriously, I would eventually go almost 10 days without seeing another Western traveler. So at the time, it only made sense to try Couchsurfing again. It’s hands down one of the most authentic ways […]
I just did one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I swam with giant manta rays. Our boat searched and searched the coast of Nusa Penida and my anticipation was starting to turn to disappointment. It started to look more and more as if we’d be unlucky and miss the giant animals. We passed […]
May 2012. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s getting late and Austin and I have done our site-seeing for the day, so we decide to head out for a bite and some beers with some newfound friends. It’s fairly standard procedure during our travels, but after a few drinks, Austin chimes in about a crowded gathering a […]
Way back in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I got a little rash on the inside of my elbow. It was a bunch of tiny red bumps and itched like crazy. Not as bad as poison oak (the worst) but bad nonetheless. Obviously, I did what you’re not supposed to do and went straight to the inter-webs […]
What follows is an account of my trip to Gunung Stong State Park and our search for the summit. I had no original intention of even paying the park a visit, but after meeting Julian, an over-eager budget traveler from Germany, I was convinced to check it out. Since the trip was a series of […]