One thing that traveling has done for me is that it has a given me a more visceral and emotional connection to many places around the world. When a disaster strikes someplace I’ve been, it isn’t just a abstract curiosity. Traveling makes the people and places who are effected real. The Philippines is a real …
I’m writing this in Napier, NZ. A very nice town, with I’m guessing a very strict policy on new construction, and a very destructive past. The city center is pretty much all art deco architecture. The reason is, back in the 1930’s, the town got hit by and earthquake, so when they rebuilt, everything had …
My stay in Taiwan has lasted longer than I had originally expected. This is mostly due to my sloth and the fact that I’m living here so cheap. I’m literally spending less than $20 per day on everything. Despite this being the most difficult place to communicate on my trip so far, I’ve found it …
All the effort I went through to back up my photos may have been for naught. I took everything to a FedEx/Kinkos store in Sydney to send it back to the US. So far, the package hasn’t been entered into the FedEx system to track packages, and there hasn’t been a charge to my credit …
I’m in Samoa. My priority right now is going to see a doctor about these sores. I haven’t had access to a mirror in a week and my right underarm is really bad. Some sort of boil is appearing on my hands and arms and I might have one on my leg. Why this appeared …
I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be speaking at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas on Friday, October 15 at 11:00 am. I’ll be the first speaker in the travel track at the show and my presentation will be an extended version of my TBEX speech on “Travel Porn”. Given the time …
I got FIVE shots today. Yellow Fever Tetanus Typhoid Fever Hepatitis A & B Meningococcal Meningitis I passed on rabies and polio, so there is a chance I will spend the rest of my life in an iron lung or foam at the mouth. Oh well. Everyone at the travel clinic was sort of aghast …
I’m off to Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marinas Islands in a few hours. I have my flights booked through to October 3, so the month of September is locked up. Here is my schedule: August 31: Saipan, CNMI Sept. 3: Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Sept. 5: Pohnpei, FSM Sept. 7: …
Tomorrow morning I leave for three days in the bush. I’ll be sleeping outside under the stars. This three day trip was cheaper than a two day trip, so I figured “why not?” I get back on Friday and I hope to be in Singapore by Monday. As far as I can tell, flights to …