When I tell people I live in Indonesia, they picture me living in a cute beachside bungalow in Bali, spending my carefree days working on my tan and sipping fruity cocktails. Guys, I hate to break it to you, but that’s most definitely not my life. Jakarta is a gray, sprawling, traffic-snarled metropolis. And though a…
As our ferry puttered toward the island of Camiguin, Philippines, it felt as if we were sailing toward a lost world. Set amid the cobalt sea, the untamed oasis felt worlds away from the crowded beaches of Boracay and Bohol. Fringed with lush palms, lime green rice paddies, and pebbled beaches, its appearance was deceptively tranquil. Also…
There a lot of quirky things about living in Jakarta but the one thing that I cannot get used to is Indonesia’s trash problem. To be specific, the overuse of plastic bags is the number one thing that drives me crazy about living here. I’m from California and I am, admittedly, a bit of a hippie. But as…
I was lured to the island of Bohol for the same reason every other tourist is. Promises of dreamy tropical beaches, cuddly miniature primates, and surreal Chocolate Hills made it impossible not to visit this popular island getaway during my trip to the Philippines. But, honestly, it was the prospect of motorbiking Bohol that was the…
When most travelers think of Penang, the first thing that comes to mind is street food. In fact, many travelers visit the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ solely to sample the island’s world-famous cuisine. But I have to admit, I was less than enthused about the prospect of being a vegetarian in Penang. I seriously questioned…
As I wrote in a previous post I was a bundle of nerves about my first ever solo trip to Penang. As it turns out, solo travel is pretty fantastic. And I was ecstatic that my three-day jaunt to Malaysia went off without a hitch – well, it almost went off without a hitch. I…
As I waited for my plane to take me to Penang it struck me that I hadn’t boarded an international flight alone in exactly 10 years. It had been a full decade since that trip to Europe and even then I was meeting up with a friend. Some of my favorite blogs are all about…
Some say that the nine-hour ferry ride from Coron to El Nido is a hellish one. I’ve read stories of seasickness, overcrowded boats and even shipwrecks. But I experienced none of these things. Our ferry – which was actually more like a large boat – had only a handful of passengers. It was a flawless…
After I found out I was moving to Jakarta, I only had three weeks to fly “home” to California, pack my life into two suitcases, and get to Indonesia’s capital city. I didn’t have time to prepare or do the proper research about what to bring. I didn’t do much shopping back in the US because…
As I mentioned before, my trip to the Philippines was ill-timed. A week before my arrival Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) ripped through the country. It just so happened to stop off at many of the same destinations on my itinerary, including the city of Coron, Palawan. Coron is known for having some of the most stunning scenery in all of…