Bali is one of the best places in the world. It is such an amazing island and there is so much to see and do. It is one of the premier backpacker destinations and known as a major party place, at least in certain areas of the island. It also happens to be one of […]
Sunrise at Borobudur
October 21, 2012 by 15 Comments
Ever since I first laid eyes on Angkor Wat, back in 2004, I wanted to also visit Borobudur. Each time I have been in Southeast Asia since 2004 it hasn’t worked out where I could get to see it. Well this time it did. I flew from Singapore to Yogyakarta and based myself there to […]
Prambanan Temple Complex
October 17, 2012 by 18 Comments
Prambanan is the most evocative Hindu temple complex in Java. It features about 50 temple sites, many of which suffered extensive damage during the 2006 Earthquake that devastated the island. The temples survived but many incurred lasting damage that will take years to fix, especially on the main Shiva Temple; which had damage to 479 […]
A New Singapore
October 16, 2012 by 43 Comments
Fourteen years ago, the first time I came to Singapore, I came away thinking Singapore was really nice but really boring. I loved Singapore Airlines; I loved the food, and thought the city was like Disneyland because the streets were so clean. Well, the streets are still really clean, I still love the food and […]
Why Singapore Airlines is the Best Airline in the World
October 12, 2012 by 32 Comments
Many things in travel are debatable. What’s the best country? Where is the best food? What’s the best city? Beach? Resort, etc.? In my mind, and in the minds of many of the world’s premier travelers, one thing that’s not debatable is that Singapore Airlines is the best airline in the world. The first time […]
Chichijima, Ogasawara
December 14, 2011 by 11 Comments
Arriving into the harbor on Chichijima, the main island in the Ogasawara archipelago, was like arriving in the new world. After a long and arduous journey aboard the Ogasawara Maru we pulled into the gorgeous port to throngs of islanders welcoming us to their island. It was very nice to be greeted so warmly after […]
The 25.5 Hour Ferry to Ogasawara
December 5, 2011 by 10 Comments
The Ogasawara Archipelago is located about 1000 km south of Tokyo. The entire area is administered as a single rural municipality, Ogasawara Village, which itself is a subprefecture of Tokyo. The archipelago consists of four island groups: the Mukojima (Bridegroom Island) group, the Chichijima (Father Island) group, the Hahajima (Mother Island) group, and the Volcano […]
#300 Jeju Island
December 3, 2011 by 6 Comments
Three years ago, when the Travelers Century Club added Jeju Island to the list of countries that I had to visit to achieve my goal I was a little annoyed. I had already spent some significant time in South Korea proper and Jeju wasn’t exactly the easiest place to get to. You really had to […]
Langkawi, Penang and Singapore
November 25, 2010 by 8 Comments
Happy Thanksgiving to all! After five weeks through some of the most dangerous and least visited places on Earth I found myself back on the Malaysian Peninsula as my last stop. Malaysia is one of my favorite countries in Asia, except of course for their stupid tourism slogan, “Malaysia, Truly Asia”. I have been to […]
Good Morning Vietnam!
November 19, 2010 by 11 Comments
Kiss me goodbye and write me while I’m gone… Goodbye my sweetheart, Hello Vietnam. -Johnny Wright, “Hello Vietnam” If you’ve seen Stanley Kubrick’s epic Vietnam War movie “Full Metal Jacket” then you’ve heard that song in the opening scene when the soldiers are all getting their heads shaved. I couldn’t get it out of my […]
