The 12 hour bus ride, heading north on the island of Luzon (the most popular island in the Philippines) was bearable. But arriving in Banaue is a giant breath of fresh air. I quickly forget the stifling atmosphere of Makati, a suburb of Manila, as the pristine green landscape unfolds before me. After paying the […]
Category Archives: Southeast Asia
Annapurna Circuit (Part 2), Nepal ??
Barefoot stragglers limping up cobble stone alleys, small movie theathers showing replays of Everest, 13 years in Tibet, and my personal favorite, Into The Wild, all accompanied by the smell of freshly baked goods from bakeries on every street corner. I am not describing downtown Portland, Oregon, rather Manang; a mountain town at 4,000 meters […]
Annapurna Circuit (Part 1) Nepal ??
3.5 hours on a bumpy country road is rough, imagine doing it on board a rickety bus packed with Naples locals and eager foreign trekkers. As we arrived in Besisahar all the hikers happily filled off the bus. This town is the official start of the Annapurna Circuit, one of Nepal’s most traversed treks. The […]
Kampot, Cambodia ??
“Can’t do it, too much,” I say fegining shock at her proposal. “Okay I do $55” she counteroffers. Negotiations are not going well. Attempts at haggling with a handful of travel agents cause me to ditch the idea of a taxi for the more affordable shared minivan. I secure us seats on a small van, […]
Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia ??
“No information whatsoever, multiple changes underway to smaller and smaller vehicles, unexpected additional fees and in the end they left us in Trat and we had to find our own way to Koh Chang. Don’t use them.” I read out loud to Esther while scrolling through dozens of negative reviews on TripAdvisor. It is our […]
Angkor Wat, Cambodia ??
Three bruised apples, two unripe oranges, one bright yellow lemon, “We did not just endure 14 hours in the air to be fined because we forgot to eat our packed lunch,” I think to myself as a Chinese customs agent methodically weighs each piece of fruit, ignoring my questions. He presents me with a pink […]