Updates

Milford Sound, in the Fjordland part of southern New Zealand, is said to be one of the most beautiful places in the world and my trip today didn’t disappoint. Milford Sound is actually a fjord (an area where the land has been carved down to the sea by glacial activity). In this case an inlet has been carved through the mountains resulting in the Tasman Sea flowing about thirty miles inland.…

Just a short update to let you know that I’m still in Queenstown. I was supposed to leave this morning and head north, but I’ve decided to spend a few extra days here (and consequently a few extra days in New Zealand). I’ve been having a great time the past few days hanging out with people I met on the bus, exploring Queenstown, and getting some down time.

Unfortunately I don’t have as many pictures as I would like from the past few days since many of the places restrict the use of cameras (either because cameras wouldn’t survive the activity or because they want you to buy their photo packs).…

I told myself it had to be safer than climbing in Laos or dirt-biking in Cambodia and as the plane climbed higher I reminded myself that it was undoubtedly safer than the buses in India and more than likely safer than Lao Airlines.

The thing is at a certain point none of these things matter. The small Cessna plane reaches 12,000 feet, the door opens, the wind rushes in, and you have to step out of a perfectly good plane and into the void.…

Apologies for the lack of New Zealand updates. I’ve been spending the past few days touring the West Coast of New Zealand via a Kiwi Experience bus. Besides cheap rental cars and campers, limited public trains and buses, and the occasional hitchhiker, one of the main ways for backpackers to get around are independent hop-on, hop-off buses; the buses have stops they go to, but you are free to do whatever you want at the stops, and to stay at each stop for as long as you want.…

I met up with my dad and sister (who is studying abroad in China) for a long weekend in Tokyo. It was hardly enough to more than get a feel for Tokyo, but we managed to cram a lot in our time here.

After months of having to constantly worry about drinking water, late buses, getting run over by cars and trucks, and all the other things that come with backpacking around developing areas, it was nice to be able to brush my teeth with tap water and have sidewalks and crosswalks (and drivers that stop for pedestrians).…

I’m not usually one to aimlessly wander around malls, but I am more than willing to make an exception for MBK. It’s not an understatement to say that one could easily get lost in the throng of electronic stores, cell phone stores, food courts, knock-off clothing stores, and more.

But it’s not just MBK’s size that makes it so impressive, it’s what’s there. Take the food for example;  each of the many food courts feature more options than most gourmet restaurants.…

Luang Prabang, a small city on the bank of the Mekong River, is a mix of Lao wats (Buddhist temples) and markets and French architecture and cafes. The scent of freshly baked French pastries and Lao street food wafts through the city. At night one of the main roads is transformed into a bustling night market. Stalls of Lao handicrafts, cheap t-shirts, fruit shakes, and food (including an amazing vegetarian buffet!) line the previously mundane street.…

I wasn’t sure what to expect going overland from Thailand to Laos, but after Poipet I knew I should be prepared for just about anything. For the most part (with the exception of actually getting the visa sticker, but I’ll get to that later) the Lao border is a lot simpler, and certainly less sketchy, than the Cambodian border.

There are many ways to get to the Lao border from Bangkok, the simplest being the overnight train.…

I arrived in Tonsai, on the Railay peninsular of Krabi (in southern Thailand) a few days ago for some rock climbing and beach time. This area has some of the world’s best climbing; limestone cliffs jut hundreds of feet out of the sea (even if you don’t climb they make for a pretty spectacular view).

This area is also known for deep water soloing (climbing without a rope over water). Twice a month Base Camp Tonsai offers sunset deep water soloing trips that include an afternoon of deep water soloing followed by trip to Chicken island for sunset viewing, a cookout, and fire show.…

The driver pulled over to the side of the road and told us it was as far as he could go— the border crossing can only be done on foot.

“If you hold him [the immigration official] to the price on the sign over his head, though, he’ll probably ask for anything from 100-300 baht as an expedite fee, and if you decline that, he’ll angrily tell you the wait is “long time” and stare off into space or simply shut the window and go back to sleep” –WikiTravel

Given that the border crossing into Cambodia can take several hours unless you are willing to bribe the immigration officials leaving Cambodia was relatively pain-free.…