Ireland surprised me with their version of summer and immediately I was sent shopping for socks and warm clothes. There tongue in check humor quickly warmed me over as I passed a door store called, "Knobs and Knockers." So it is with relaxing thoughts that I nestled into a pub with a pint and a book. I hadn't really thought much about Ireland. I started this trip with the simple idea of chilling out in a one pub town and checking out the Cliffs of Moher. My mind sometimes comes up with ideas that I just can't seem to let go. [View Full Entry]

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14 days is never enough time to fully grasp anything let alone a country and their lifestyle. Yet I needed something to do besides see old towns and churches and what have you. Granted it has been a lot of fun exploring the places that I have seen. I have run around the charming capital of Zagreb, the magnificent old town of Drubovnik, hiking along Plitvice's endless waterfalls and even sojourned to Slovenia for the weekend in order to learn how to pronounce it's capital city Ljubljana. Today however, I chose the town of Zadar to begin my ˝Croatia Day˝and attempt [View Full Entry]

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What a difference 48 hours makes. Instead of wandering down dirt roads, I am strolling tree shaded cobblestone lanes. There are no mosquito nets draping over my bed. No longer do I have the choice of green or brown Carlsberg but instead a variety of hearty ales brewed nearby. Traditional Malawian music has been replaced with symphonies and concertos. Gone are the how and knife instruments and in are the violin and oboe. The steady and frequent greetings and basic conversations are now a thing of the past, I am completely ignored now. When I consider how quickly things have changed, [View Full Entry]

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"When do the other students arrive?" "You are the only student in the course." So it goes. I enrolled in a two week pottery course along the shores of Lake Malawi. Had hoped it would offer me some interaction with people who could talk about other things besides travel. Instead I was left feeling like Tom Hanks in Castaway. Of course I wasn't stranded on a deserted island and I had a sweet room, hot shower and a restaurant at my disposal but close enough. Instead of talking with a volleyball, I spent my evenings discussing things of great importance with [View Full Entry]

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Waking up to the gravelly tearing rips, loud chewing and deep satisfying grunts of a 1.5 ton hippo outside my tent is not the most ideal 4am wake-up call. Yet it appears that this Hippo enjoyed the grass surrounding my tent. Somehow these behemoths are Africa's leading killer of humans every year. Apparently catching a hippo off guard or getting between them and their safety nest in the crocodile infested waters of the Luangwa River mean a whole lot of trouble for you. After witnessing them open their jaws almost 180 degrees, I could see why they might easily snap someone [View Full Entry]

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Trying to describe Lusaka, Zambia's capital city is difficult. It is a city with a bit of and edge to it in terms of grime but definitely pleasant enough. The guidebooks were quite right that it isn't really designed for tourism which explains why few people stay there. With hardly any museums and a few shopping centers as the highlights, I made quick work of Lusaka. Although I truly enjoyed the National Museum it seemed as if it was put together as a middle school project. Things were haphazardly strewn about presentation boards. Tacky Tape was used to hold the printed [View Full Entry]

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There is a generic term for the tribes of Jordan. They are called Bedouin. The Bedouin were desert people who understood the struggle of day to day life in the harsh desert climate. Part of their culture is based upon hospitality due to their environment. The Bedouins would welcome strangers passing through into their homes to escape the desert. People were given the best the home had to offer in regards to food and drink as well as a place to sleep. The Bedouins believed in taking in the strangers because it might be themselves that need a place to stay [View Full Entry]

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Initial alarm went off at the airport as I tried to get the bus into Amman. The taxi drivers outside of baggage claim were waiting to take people to the Israel border. Apparently few people stay in Amman. From the majority of my flight running off to the transfer desk to the taxi drivers shock at the fact that I was going to the capital city to the complete absence of foreigners on the bus ride into town, it was clear that Amman was overshadowed by Petra and the Dead Sea. Amman itself has a few museums and some ruins of [View Full Entry]

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Islands often give the feeling of peace and tranquility. You travel to them to relax, read some books, grab some sand and sun. I had such visions in my head as I headed to Ko Lanta in Southern Thailand. Careful research led me to this island as it was less prostitute filled than Phuket and more laid back than raving Ko Samui. A little diving, some light reading and a lot of sleeping on Khon Klong beach were the plan for a couple of days. I arrived at a place called Fisherman's Cottage which was a beachside group of bungalows that [View Full Entry]

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Singapore is amazingly good at making a first impression. It is extremely clean and modern in it's skyline, transportation and general population. It is alive with activity and people are eager to show it off. The diffusion of culture is rather amazing for such a small nation state. With only 4 million people they have a rather large ethnic diversity. Chinese, Malay, Indian and British cultures have combined to form a rather unique place. The mixture of cultures hasn't always gone well. At one point the government of Singapore decided to give each culture its own cultural hub. Theref [View Full Entry]

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