I awoke late morning to silence which was a change from the previous morning’s traffic jam outside my window. The entire city was silent and celebrating the Festival of Holi, the celebration of colors. My first sight in the hotel was outside my door as a family of Indian women sat on the stairs having their picture taken. They wore traditional Indian dresses and headgear but looked as if they had been subject to firing squad by paintball. One old woman’s face was yellow but her hair was red. The younger girls shared the same purple hair but had green faces [View Full Entry]

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There’s little I can write about this ancient city because I simply don’t know much. I was eating dinner with my Swedish friend Emma at the Laughing Leprechaun, an Irish Restaurant in Chiang Mai and with the menu, the Thai waitress brought us a local magazine. I was immediately drawn to the picture on the front cover of the magazine that held an article about Wieng Kum Kam, the ancient city that has only recently been unearthed 5 km south of Chiang Mai. The low light prevented me from reading the full article but the pictures all seemed to be from [View Full Entry]

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These quotes were taken from the grounds of Wat U Mong [View Full Entry]

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Any Idiot can hit a fastball if he knows its coming. My job is to teach you when to look for it and how to hit the curveball. - Penn State Professor Clemente P.h.d. Sociology When we first heard that we’d be able to go for an overnight trip, consisting of seven dives over two days, it was agreed, done and done. The fact that the dive company we signed up with was using a converted squid fishing boat was even better news as we were told that most of the night would involve squid fishing. I had no idea what [View Full Entry]

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There are certain aspects of travel that are indisputable. Clothing optional beaches, for instance are one part of globetrotting that I’ve found most agreeable. The beachside stride of an attractive topless woman contains very little to argue with. The beachside stride of a greasy fat dude rockin a Speedo, however, is enough to turn the stomach in ways I’ve never thought possible. Since I left the islands of southwest Thailand, which seemed to be a European pretty people party relocated, I’ve found a lot to disagree with in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s not all negative [View Full Entry]

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I have to write about writing so that I can get it out there. I’d rather publish this essay about the writing of these blogs in one singular entry than let scattered thoughts drip into every blog and detract from the experiences captured within. That’s my disclaimer. Enjoy: The power of the written word has been rediscovered through the emergence of emails. Instant & Text messaging have stripped a lot of nonsense often accompanying attempts at communication while simultaneously adding emphasis to often used words and words have even been created in order to convey meaning in [View Full Entry]

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Since I’ve been traveling with Royal, we’ve had many conversations about perspective, but perspective as it mainly pertains towards our individual view points and how each of us is continually developing different aspects of the world we are seeing into distinctly individual observations. I’ve been attempting to view the world through the eyes of others, but as I must admit, I had thought I was failing in my efforts to do just so. The idea of writing down what I am seeing and leaving my observations open to interpretation by whomever has been reading my work has not only he [View Full Entry]

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Snowbirds beware, I've entered bikini territory. I hate the fact that I've completley skipped winter this year because I do enjoy the changing of the seasons but I suppose that the substitution of sand and sunshine rather than snow shovels and ski hats isn't all too bad. I was shocked to say the least by difference of cultures simply on either side of the Thai/Malay border. While Malaysia was enjoyable if you were to seek out your own happy spot, I think I might die here in Thailand from an overdose of the fun button. As delicately as I can say [View Full Entry]

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I got robbed last night, and maybe I deserved it… I arrived onto the smaller of the duo known as the Pernehitian Isliands. The weather was rough that morning and the waves were choppier than usual. It was advised that if you wanted to ensure passage from the mainland, that you take the earliest ferry before the winds take control of everything. 8:30 Fast Boat. The boat will only take you towards the island where you have to fetch a water taxi nearly 40 meters from the beach. By the time I reached the island, the waves had picked up and [View Full Entry]

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Water level ran nearly six feet higher the day I traveled up river towards Taman Negara National Park. After a brisk three hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur, I quickly realized that the Jungles of Malaysia was not the type of place that would have ATM machines on every corner and I’d literally be up shit’s creek without a paddle. Before boarding a glorified canoe with a canopy and a motor, the local booking agent was able to coerce the chef of bus station to give Royal and I a thirty minute ride into town to acquire some cash for the [View Full Entry]

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