Photo Essay: View From My Window

View From My Window
Penang, Malaysia

Sometimes a new post idea is created before I reach a destination. Sometimes they don’t even present themselves until I’m right in the middle of an extraordinary (and not so extraordinary) experience. And sometimes I get a little inspiration for a new post by other travel bloggers.

One of my favourite travel bloggers is Stephanie from Twenty-Something Travel. I’ve been following her adventures for the past 2 years and get a kick out of her posts. Her writing is honest, funny, and insightful. A couple of months before starting my backpacking trip, I read her post “Out My Window: A Retrospective” showcasing shots from the windows of places she stayed in. I loved the concept and decided it would make a great post at the end of my trip as well.

8-months of traveling meant there were a lot of accommodations that Tristan and I had stayed in, with varying styles and comfort levels. From overnight trains and buses, to hostel dorm rooms and guesthouses, to beachside bungalows and campervans, I managed to narrow the field down to 13 places. Compiling these photos was a trip down memory lane, bringing back the feelings and specific stories that surrounded these locations. Not all of our destinations are featured, but the post gives you overall view of where our travels took us. Read more “Photo Essay: View From My Window”

An Idiot Abroad: The Bat Out of Hell

Location: Chengdu, China

Type of Idiocy: Ignorance, One track mentality, Powers of observation of a drunk panda

Consequences: Angry dorm mates, Heightened potential of unfortunate future confrontations, Addition to the as of yet unwritten “Do not House” list.

Description: Staying in a four bed dorm room with only three filled beds, Arienne and I decided to head to bed at the ripe old hour of 11pm. Sometime shortly before midnight, the door thunders open and our dorm mate storms into the room like a bat out hell. Whoosh! On goes every single light in the room. Clack clack clack! Her high-heels smack their way into the bathroom. A moment or two later, clack clack clack… slam! Our dorm mate has announced her exit from the room with a healthy slam of the door leaving on every single light in the room… including the bathroom light! Read more “An Idiot Abroad: The Bat Out of Hell”

From Hong Kong to Hanoi: An Overland Journey

Traveling from Hong Kong to Hanoi overland.
Traveling from Hong Kong to Hanoi overland.

Even before Tristan and I began our trip, I had started researching how we would cross over from China into Vietnam. Since we were going to be making the trek overland to save costs, we needed to figure out the best route, mode of transportation, and visa requirements for Vietnam. I searched Google and perused chat forums to see if others had done it and what was involved for them. But everything seemed outdated (posts from 2008) and no one really wrote exactly what they had done and what their experience was. Read more “From Hong Kong to Hanoi: An Overland Journey”

Hong Kong

Hong Kong from Victoria Peak

Arriving in Hong Kong was like a breath of fresh air, which is a little funny considering the hazy atmosphere it is sometimes known for. However, after having just spent 3+ weeks in mainland China, it was a pleasure to find ourselves in a city where the culture felt a little closer to home. Gone were the barebellied gut slapping men, the cacophony of throat wretches, the impatient press of subway traffic, and the pervasive anxiety known as the ‘language-barrier’. Here was a place we could sink our teeth into. Read more “Hong Kong”