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Colors of Colorado: Photos from a September Road Trip
Autumn photos from a van trip through Buena Vista, Crested Butte, Ouray, Silverton, and Mesa Verde National Park
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1 Year of Travel Selfies: July & August
I've looped! I booked a flight home for the end of August, meaning that my travel duration has been finalized at fourteen months, or 428 days. That's a lot of selfies! The finish line nears, but some of the best has been saved for last.
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Kuching: The White Rajas of Sarawak and a Floating Mosque
My first thought, as my Grab car speeds through the night, is that Kuching is a sharp city. Sharp, clean lines. Paved roads and sidewalks. Even washed in night, it looks clean. The lighting is like what I see at home: bright and white or blue or red. Crisp. It doesn’t flash, like cheap attention grabbers.
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Amazing Angkor Wat and the Churning of the Sea of Milk
July 20-23, 2024 The morning after I arrive in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I wake at 3:55am. I am doing a touristy thing. I am going to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. I don’t really care about the sunrise. In fact, I expect there to be no real sunrise. It’s rainy season and also, it seems like every time I get up early for a special occasion sunrise, it never works out. The best sunrises are exactly when you least expect them. But at least if I’m there for sunrise, I’m not there for the hottest part of the day. Actually, I’m trying to keep my expectations super low. Because, even…
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My Love for Laos Restored by Looms and Rice
A month ago, I read about Living Land Farm in a Lonely Planet Guidebook and immediately clocked it as something I wanted to do. I’d been looking forward to it for several weeks and it lived up to my expectations. At Living Land Farm I learned how to... Grow, harvest, and prepare RICE.
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Laid-Back Laos Loses My Vote
Backpackers love Laos. Usually, when I ask them why, they say things like "it's less touristic." Another version of the same thing that I've heard it "it's more authentic." I understand the push for authenticity, to see how people really live.
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Solo Travel Snapshots in Vietnam: Street Food in Nha Trang
This is my Solo Travel Snapshots in Vietnam Series: 9/12. The smoke draws me first. And the crowds. Only after I get closer do I realize this is exactly the little restaurant I am seeking; the big red 51s on the plastic banner above the shop give it away.
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1 Year of Travel Selfies: May & June
May and June were busy and exciting--something new all the time! I explored Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
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Death by Starfruit & Other Things I Never Considered
June 22 I’m laying in my hostel dorm bed. I’m on the bottom bunk. My shower towel is draped over the bar by my face like a curtain closing me off from the rest of the room. This is good, because I feel like I’m unraveling. I feel like I can’t relax my limbs. My neck is tight. My heart isn’t racing, but it’s pulsing, quick and steady. I hate it. I hate that I am afraid. And I hate that this isn’t a fear I can face head on, like my fear of heights. I can’t jump off a bridge. Because this is a fear that has no solidity,…
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Solo Travel Snapshots in Vietnam: Not Sweating the Small Stuff in Cat Ba
This is my Solo Travel Snapshots in Vietnam Series: 4/12. My first night on Cat Ba Island, I climb the steep hill out of town, walking on the road until I come to a turnoff. I am looking for the sunset spot I'd read about: Cannon Fort.
