http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/JakeEd1/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from JakeEd1 en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:34:23 +0000 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:34:23 +0000 When you look one in the eyes for the first time it happens. In the wild in their homehellipItrsquos like looking into the eyes of a friend or some long lost relative that is elated to make your acquaintance. A sense of connection bridges the gap of species difference and millennia of evolution and biodiversity are summed up in one moment by one feeling. And one look deep into a motherrs http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Bukit-Lawang/blog-393696.html If New York is the ldquomelting potrdquo of the west then Malaysia must be the ldquostir frywokrdquo of the east dishing out a smorgasbord of people tastes sights and sounds that are anything but monotonous. A refreshing blend of ethnicities churn together inside a giant smoothie of culture to create one delicious gulp of travel in this benevolent land. The dominant faith is Muslim http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Wilayah-Persekutuan/Kuala-Lumpur/blog-388635.html The shimmering rays of the setting sun are chased away by massive black clouds like a thousand angry soldiers. The day turns to night in an instant and the clouds break. Brilliant white lightning bolts streak across the sky. Your instinct tells you to go indoors and hide but the phenomenon is too beautiful not to bear witness. Throw in the fact that its hot itrsquos the tropics and a little http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Lanta/blog-384618.html The exhalation of fresh air that was traditional Laos soon gave way to the inhalation of another new world light years ahead. Just steps over the border into Thailand we were greeted with the warm luminous glow of 711 signs and other amenities that represent modern civilization. As wonderful as Laos was in its primitivism it was great to be able to stroll inside those glass doors and see fam http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-382427.html Laos has always been one of the far away lands shrouded in a veil of mystery. Not much is ever said about the place. Other than it was the target of the American bombing campaign known as the secret war in which more ordinance was dropped on this sleepy country than in the entire second world war an average of one B52 bomb load every eight minutes 24 hours a day for NINE years straight betwe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Luang-Prabang/blog-376726.html A king fell in love with a girl. Her name was May. He asked for her hand in marriage. Every animal throughout the land was invited to the wedding. The ceremony lasted seven days and seven nights. When it was over all the animals turned into stone...Or so the story goes... The story about the origins of the rock formations inside the Heavenly Palace Cave at Halong Bay may be fantasy but the real w http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Halong-Bay/blog-371002.html When is the last time you honked the horn in your car A week ago A month Here in Vietnam you cannot go one minute on the road without hearing a cacophony of earsplitting horns. The roads are an amazing spectacle of transportation chaos. Motorbikes outnumber cars twenty to one. There seem to be millions of them. They fly through the streets at breakneck speeds at mere inches from each othe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Nha-Trang/blog-368928.html Killing time in the Killing Fields The capital of Cambodia Phnom Penh has a way of growing on you. All of the high speed hustle and bustle of Bangkok minus the high rise buildings plus a higher ratio of motorbikes to cars. Itrsquos not a beautiful place but itrsquos a place of intense emotional feeling. From stunning Buddhist temples to depressing monuments to genocide one morning tuk http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Angkor/blog-364523.html Sorry people but its been a frantic couple weeks of relaxing on the beach getting cheap massages and crossing international borders. I know its been over two weeks but we've been busy bronzing and exploring tropical islands via motorbike taking six hour bus rides etc... Right now we're in Cambodia in the beach town of Sihanoukville so I'll give you a stripped down play by play of how we g http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Ko-Chang/blog-361313.html CLICK HERE to Watch our Bungy Videos on YouTube Queesntown New Zealand. The mecca for all that is reckless abandon.Looking in between your feet through a metal grate at a raging aqua colored river carving a rocky canyon 100 meters below. Strapped in to a harness equipped with carabiners and tie downs as your only lifeline. Legs convulsing uncontrollably. Heart beating through your chest. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Queenstown/blog-356459.html MotuekaKaiteriteriMurchisonGreymouthI've been meaning to mention that it doesn't get dark until around 1000 this time of year These days are insanely long and its easy to take advantage of them. The pictures of the sky were taken at 920p.m. Its hard to believe that a 12 hour flight can take you to a different season. Also hard to believe is the fact that I won't experience winter at all this ye http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Kaiteriteri/blog-355469.html Three days into it and we're having the time of our lives. We got the campervan on Saturday don't forget we're a day ahead of you so technicallly I'm writing this from the future so the real New Zealand adventure has begun. I will never forget hitting the road for the first time on the opposite side of the road sitting in the driver seat on the right side of the vehicle. I admit the first c http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Hanmer-Springs/blog-354351.html After a grueling 12.5 hour red eye flight we arrived in Christchurch the largest city in the south island at around 800 a.m. We hired a taxi van to bring us to our hostel for a much needed crash out session. The place is accordingly named Tranquil Lodge. A sprawling old shack in a neigborhood with more greenery than I've ever seen in one place. This city has an impressive amount of flora and http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Christchurch/blog-353587.html Home base. Not exactly home town but home... for now. As for the next few months the world will be home my home base. Equipped with only a backpack the essentials and my beautiful partna I will become a wanderer by choice. This is what Ive always wanted I have no reason not to do it. A wise woman once told me not to dare is to lose one's self and I have no intentions of losing myself http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Diego/Pacific-Beach/blog-314511.html