Michael Holmstrom
In late 2006 I fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling around the world by purchasing a one-way ticket to Cairo, Egypt. From there, I wandered through exotic lands, where I met many fascinating people and experiences amazing cultures.In less than three months I was able to cover not only Egypt, but Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Wanderlusst
Through the trip, I rediscovered my long pent up ambition to become a writer and photographer by "travel-blogging" my entire experience here at travelblog.org. I'm currently planning my first exhibition of photo's from the trip - with a show at Alcazar Tapas Restaurant in Santa Barbara, California opening February 17th and running through May 1st.
To view my personal photo gallery, please visit: http://www.wanderlustphoto.ifp3.com/
Thank you for reading about my travels and I hope you enjoy the journey.
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware"
Travel Blog Posts
January 15th 2007
Wednesday January 12th Together with Oliver, Juliane, and Mike, I left my private paradise of Coco Loco Island today and headed out for the bus station in Roxas for a four hour bus journey to El Nido. Once we stepped foot off the boat in Roxas, a man appeared and offered us a private min-van to El Nido for the bargain price of five-thousand pesos. We eagerly accepted his offer, knowing that riding in a minivan would be like taking a limousine compared to the hot, sweaty and jam packed busses running up and down the dirt island roads. This time, the universe had conspired to make things a little bit easier on all of us and we were thankful for that. Arriving in El Nido, we all decided to stay at a place called the ... read more
January 11th 2007
Tuesday, January 9th The exciting overland transportation fun continued this morning when I joined three Italians from Mary’s in organizing a minivan to take us further Northward on the Island of Palawan. Leaving Sabang early in the morning, we sped down the RFH (Road from hell) until we reached a rain slicked muddy incline and the van came to a spinning, wheezing stop. Instinctively, we all got out and started pushing from behind while the driver spun the wheels and plenty of mud onto us trying to break the van free and get up the hill. After about fifteen minutes of wiggling the van up and down, left and right, one final triumphant push got us back on the road again. After another hour of speeding along the road at maniac speeds, our minivan started sending ... read more
January 8th 2007
A short one hour hop from Manila lays one of the really pristine treasures of the Philippines, the island of Palawan. The elongated island stretches from the Mindoro Straight down to the tip of Borneo and its isolation and distance from the other islands in the Philippines has enabled it to maintain unspoiled beauty. The gateway to Palawan is through the small town of Puerto Princesa which for me was nothing more than a jumping off point to the scenic treasures I hoped to see further North on the island, including the largest subterranean river in Sabang and the the town of El Nido for the famed Bacuit Archipelago. On arrival into Puerto Princesa, I had a tricycle ferry me a few miles over to the bus terminal where I mulled over transportation options for reaching ... read more
January 5th 2007
NOTE: These are some photos from my last day in Boracay and a night in Manila last week before Jimmie left back to California and I continued my island hopping adventure to Palawan. I never got around to writing a blog for these last few days, but I figured the pictures were worthy of inclusion here. Enjoy! ... read more
January 4th 2007
We’ve settled into a groove here and as of yesterday have purchased a beachfront bungalow with a few mopeds, opened a joint called the Sand Bar, enrolled in Filipino language class, and have been taking our catamaran out to sea every morning to fish for our lunch. Okay, well at least the last one is true but the rest of it also becomes such a tempting possibility when you’ve spent a week on Boracay. It’s the type of place where a two day visit can easily turn into two weeks or even two months. The highlight here is “White Beach” a two mile stretch of postcard perfect palm fringed beachfront with the finest powdery white sand I have ever walked on. The clear blue green waters here are perfectly warm and I’ve already spent many hours ... read more
December 31st 2006
After about forty five days of globetrotting, my body was telling me it was time for a break. On Christmas Eve, we arrived into Bangkok at the Dream Hotel and I spent the better part of three days ensconced in my room sucking down fluids, watching movies and trying to get well. I had to make an exception to venture out of the hotel on the night after Christmas to meet up with Vegas buddies Adam and Oleg who were looking mighty tanned and relaxed - fresh off a ten day stint from the island of Koh Samui. They probably added a few more weeks to their lives by rejuvenating from their island time at the Bangkok Oriental, one of the worlds top luxury hotels - serving world leaders, heads of state, dignitaries, and my friends ... read more
December 24th 2006
Our available options for transport to Siem Reap included air, overland by bus or high speed boat up the Tonle Sap river, the latter two options we were told taking about five hours or so….lies, lies, all lies. There is no more scenic way to travel through a country than by boat we thought, so without further research we purchased tickets for the Rambo Express boat and showed up on the docks early the next morning. The Rambo is a long narrow low slung boat that speeds up with river crammed with up to 100 passengers sitting side by side in close quarters below deck. Climbing aboard, we quickly realized why all of the passengers were sitting on the top of the boat; downstairs was akin to a long gas chamber filled with noxious fumes and ... read more
December 21st 2006
Sadly, after an insufficient amount of time spent in Saigon I boarded a flight bound for Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Not sadly, I had my dear pal Jimmie waiting on the other side to join me for the next few weeks in doing what we do best together, having a good time. Checking into the hotel in Phnom Penh five hours later than Jimmie, I was not surprised to be informed by the front desk staff that he was next door receiving a manicure and pedicure. Jimmie likes to travel brilliant far off lands around the world, and he likes to do it in style. After a warm embrace and getting caught up, it was time to explore Cambodia. Cambodia is a country which differs from its neighbors in that the people and the psyche of a ... read more
Beach time and twenty something hours in Saigon
Published: December 21st 2006Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City
December 20th 2006
My anticipated visit to Nha Trang turned into a few days of braving out the wind, clouds and occasional shower while sipping mojitos by the pool and doing plenty of reading. Nha Trang is a medium sized city situated towards the southern end of Vietnam, and showcases some of the nicest beaches in all the land here. Long stretches of white sand are lined with palm trees and loungers covered by big thatched umbrellas. The two plus mile beach runs parallel to the main boulevard behind which a vibrant neighborhood of hotels, restaurants, dive centers and tourist shops thrive. Nha Trang could probably best be described as the Hawaii of Vietnam and for many upwardly mobile Saigon city dwellers; it serves as a weekend getaway just one hour by air. And despite the spike in upscale ... read more
Lovely Hoi An, the sweetest place in Viet-nam
Published: December 17th 2006Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Hoi An
December 16th 2006
The overnight train from Hanoi down to Hue was about twelve hours, but less painful than I imagined, due in part to the abundance on Heineken onboard the train. My sleeper cabin fit four people snuggly on two bunk beds. Aside from the two local Asian speaking cabin mates (one of which I had to scold for trying to smoke a cigarette in our tiny compartment), I was lucky enough to be accompanied by a friendly Dutch PhD student traveling on two week holiday. We had a surprising amount in common and spent the first portion of the trip knocking back a few beers and discussing travel, politics, religion, & women. After a bumpy sleep to the central coast of Vietnam, I awoke to the cloudy and drizzly city of Hue. Things didn’t look too exciting ... read more
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