On Traveling with a Smart Phone
I’d been thinking on the ramifications of traveling with my iPhone for some time now, and now that an inattentive moment and a group of street kids have parted me from my beloved gadget, it seemed a good time to write about it. Honestly, I’ve kinda felt like I was cheating somehow, that as a […]
The Awkward Person’s Guide to the Mekong Delta
So, look, I apologize for teaching that cute little girl to pickpocket, but I’m sure she had it in her anyway. She was weird and sneaky, okay? But I’m getting ahead of myself. A few hours earlier, I was pissed at my tour guide. I don’t know why such a simple gesture filled me with […]
Eat, Drink, Saigon
Saigon is crazy and alive, a chaos of motorbikes, skinny buildings looming over skinnier alleyways, tangled power lines, shouting people. The blinking lights, the whizzing traffic, the sudden rain storms, mesmerize. I was instantly in love. Saigon—the locals almost universally using the old name for Ho Chi Minh City—is as much a state of mind, […]
Singapore Layover
I awoke at 4am in a nipa hut by a jungle river, grateful that I’d not been pooped on by one of the massive geckos in the middle of the night. Seriously, these guys are the biggest damn geckos I have ever seen, even making a loud grunting noise rather than the cute giggle of […]
Barely Bohol
I recalled with chagrin my unkept promise from Sabang to buy better sandals as I slipped and hopped along the dark hilly path to Nuts Huts. I’d been told that the alternately rocky and muddy trail, which winds from the small highway through a tiny village and down into the jungle to the infamous stairs […]
Fiestas on the Far Shore
When I arrived in Siargao, Dexter, who was sent from Ocean 101 Beach Resort to retrieve me from the ferry, excitedly told me all about the fiestas happening around the island for some saint’s day. Not particularly religious, he promised, dancing and partying all night, very fun, I must come with him and some of […]
I Crashed Into a Restaurant
I debated whether or not to share this post, partly out of shame, and mostly for fear that my father may have a minor heart attack upon reading it (Hi Dad, go grab a beer, or scotch, or two). But in travel, everything is an adventure, and so far many of mine have been foolish, […]
Stuck in Siargao
I’d only intended to stay in General Luna, Siargao Island for four days, or so I’d said when I made my reservation at Ocean 101 Beach Resort. I hadn’t even planned on showing up when I did, but upon arriving in Cebu City from Palawan, I found the city rainy, distant, and my accommodation depressing, […]
Romancing Sabang
I think one of the many culprits of my wanderlust is the classic 80’s flick, Romancing the Stone. Romance, adventure, and intrigue, all set in the dense jungles, rolling countryside, and ancient cities of Colombia. (Do not get me started on wanting to visit Cartagena). In addition to featuring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, there […]
Typhoon Expedition: Paradise in Palawan
As we sailed toward the towering clouds, like vast floating islands, dark misty columns of rain below, the choppy sea began to heave, sending the bow of the Aurora Lakbay skyward, and the outriggers smacking down against the waves on the decent. The wind picked up and rain began to lance across the deck and […]
