For my fairly brief stopover in Hong Kong, I had three main goals: 1) Jump off the Macau tower (attached to a rope of course) 2) See crazy tall buildings 3) Eat delicious food I am delighted to say that I accomplished all three! I had been mulling over the possibility of jumping off the …
Just when I thought that my life couldn't get any better, I have just spent three incredible weeks in the Thai Islands. I needed to reward myself a bit after slogging through the heat in Laos and Cambodia, and the beach was calling. I headed first to Koh Tao, the budget scuba diving capital of …
After a relatively relaxing few weeks in Laos, I decided to brave the madness that is Cambodia. Crossing the border from Laos into Cambodia was interesting, to say the least. The drive to Phnom Penh took about eight hours. We were supposed to be on a nice, air-conditioned bus with a toilet and comfy seats. …
I left the land of 7-11, Burger King and McDonald's, and crossed the border by boat to Huay Xai, Laos. Border crossings in Southeast Asia can range from completely painless to an absolute nightmare. This one was more a nightmare than anything else. The whole process took three hours, during which I experienced my worst …
Bangkok I have to admit, at first, I didn't like Bangkok at all. I found it way too overwhelming. You have to be proactive when crossing the street as the cars never stop for you, it smells bad most of the time, and it can be very dirty. Upon arriving at my hostel (which was …
I got off the plane in Singapore dazed and jet lagged, and stepped into the cleanest country that I have ever seen. The MRT (no eating or drinking or smoking or littering allowed!) spat me right out into the heart of Chinatown, and I made my way to my hostel. I was thinking two things. …
After leaving behind beautiful Queenstown, I headed up to Christchurch. I was lucky enough to have incredible weather for the drive, and I had amazing views of the Lindis Pass, Lake Pukaki, Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo. The drive itself was quite long, but I entertained myself by playing (and losing) round after round of …
Continue reading New Zealand – Christchurch, Kaikoura, Picton, Nelson
Dunedin I heard that Dunedin had lovely architecture, the world's steepest street, an awesome beach, and a chocolate factory, so I decided to pay the city a visit. I stayed in a beautiful old house transformed into a hostel and visited all of the above. I also enjoyed walking around the botanic gardens, where a …
Christmas I have just had some of the best and most exciting few weeks of my entire life. For Christmas, I headed up to Nelson from Franz Josef to join Rosemarie for a few days. I arrived on Christmas Eve and we set out to explore the town. It was so warm! We stopped for …
Continue reading New Zealand – Nelson, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sound
After I left Wellington, I took a magnificent ferry ride across the Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton to begin my adventure through the South. Kaiteriteri I spent two nights in Kaiteriteri, which is right next to the Abel Tasman National Park. I took the aquataxi and spent a day exploring the park's trails and beaches. The sand and …
Continue reading New Zealand – Kaiteriteri, Westport, Franz Josef
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