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Good Morning Elephants!
The hum of bugs and the roar of water is interrupted by a bellow from the thick jungled hills. I lower my book onto my lap, raising my gaze from the wild-wood balcony to the green hill beyond. I can hardly believe what I know to be true. It’s the call of an elephant.
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Singapore Kaleidoscope
May 20-22
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Trekking a Trio of Deadly Volcanoes in East Java
I'm cold. I'm in Indonesia and I'm cold. Shivering. Shivering, on an island that is about 8 degrees of latitude away from the equator. To be fair, I am about 6,000 feet above sea level and it is 2:30 am. Why, you might be wondering, am I awake at 2:30am?
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Dragons & Mermaids – An Adventure in Komodo National Park
Small boats bobbed around the pier, shoving to get forward, to get close enough to the pier that passengers could stumble aboard or that luggage could be tossed onto the deck. But there was no order, just who could squeeze into which sliver empty space.
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Peace, Love, and Turtles – Gili Air, Indonesia
Beneath my feet, beneath the planks of the dock, it is the brightest turquoise. A pale sandy beach runs in each direction and the most perfect shades of blue stretching away. To my right is the large island of Lombok with green hills and mountains. To the left is Gili Meno and Gili T.
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Beginning in Bali: The Start of My Asia Travels
When I arrived in Bali, the heat and humidity fell over me like a bag of bowling balls. Waiting for my driver in the Arrivals hall was like standing in the dryer room at my mom’s laundromat while also taking a hot shower—sweat rolled down my face but there was nothing to wipe it with because my arm was encased…
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Embracing Surrealism: Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef
For as long as I can remember, my parents have spoken of the Great Barrier Reef as a thing of dreams, as a wonderland so breathtaking that it feels imaginary.
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World of Waterfalls in Blue Mountains National Park
The fog was so low and heavy that I felt as though I were in a snow globe that started and ended at the ends of the block. Church spires rose like phantoms, trees were mere shadows. I could hardly get a feel for the town of Katoomba, much less what lay beyond.
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A Quarter of a Century Old in Sydney, Australia
I cried when the plane left New Zealand, but in the air, as I crossed the Tasman Sea, I regained my sense of exploration and landed in Sydney, Australia with the wide eyes and the eager heart of an adventurer.
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1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: March & April
For the next couple months I travel all over the place, just watching the kilometers on my car add up and up. My grandparents join me for 16 days of fun (but not 16 nights of hostels). Then, lo and behold, I have more visitors.
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Haere Rā: Farewell, New Zealand
I’m sitting by a beach in west Auckland. It’s a sheltered beach, part of the Manakau Harbor. The waves are soft and calm and consistent and they are the only sound other than the occasional whistle of a bird and a few chirping insects. I’ve been in NZ for 288 days.
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Three Actual Trip Itineraries I’ve Done in New Zealand
This post includes three actual itineraries for trips I planned and executed with the participating parties. Each group came for a different amount of time with different goals (which I've also listed). Each was a successful trip, though I will include a few lessons learned at the end of each itinerary.
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Tongariro Alpine Crossing – A Love Affair with a Volcano
When we went out to the car in the morning, the air was crisp and chilly. A thin layer of ice coated my windshield. I was reminded of Colorado, of pink-nosed mornings watching the sun come up while out hunting. Hardly a cloud threaded the sky.
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Why I Had to Jump in New Zealand
"Any advice?" I wonder if the man I'm speaking to can hear the wobble in my voice. I imagine my eyes are coated in a shiny sheen of madness, but he must be used to that by now.
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Kunkels in Kaikoura: the End of the Line
I wake up on day 18. There's a horrible little thought in my head. Abel Tasman was such a world of it's own that there was no room for intruding thoughts. But Abel Tasman is now behind me, and there is that horrible little thought growing bigger and bolder...
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Spoiled in the Sand: Adventures in Abel Tasman National Park
The beach-side spoiling actually starts two days before Abel Tasman National Park when the bus pulls up to our AirBnB in Mapua, which is a small coastal town about half an hour from Nelson in the Tasman Bay. Not only is it beach front with a beautiful deck and soft sand, but it is so close to the Mapua Wharf...
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Everything I Know About the Kunkel Curse
For as long as I can remember, my dad has talked about the Kunkel Curse. Along the same veins of Murphey's Law, the Kunkel Curse says: The more I want something, the more likely it will never happen. Already, just talking on the phone with my dad before he flew to New Zealand, he was already warning me of the…
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The Kunkel Clan Arrives in New Zealand!
It starts months ago. First there are flights to buy. Then, when I buy a four-seater Suzuki Swift, there's a five person rental car to reserve. Later, there are emails and phone calls and FaceTimes, accommodations to choose, activities to book, bikes to rent.
Find adventure. Write it down.
