| Japan | Thailand | New Zealand | Fiji | Turkey |
| Vietnam | Cambodia |
Japan: Osaka
"I Think Im Turning Japanese'" (03/15/24)
We are still based in Thailand, so this was a relatively short flight, unlike the circadian rhythm- destroying 15 Hour flight from the US. The plan here was to get into the country before Sakura Mania hits. We would spend a few days in Kyoto, and then do some hiking in the Kii Peninsula. Continue Reading
Vietnam:Da Nang / Phong Nha
"These Mist Covered Mountains, Are a Home Now For Me" (01/15/24)
This title will not become applicable for a few days. It is taken from a Dire Straits song, “Brothers in Arms” It describes the life of a soldier, living in conditions similar to what fighting men experienced Vietnam during the Second Indochina War, although actually meant to describe a war in South America in the early 80s. Continue Reading
Thailand:Bangkok / Phuket
"Comfortably Numb" (12/05/23)
It was our second winter in Thailand. We left the beginning of December this year. Since it was our second time around you would think that things would be much smoother. You would think. Instead of flying Detroit to Korea and then onto Bangkok, we decided to fly East through Paris. This allowed a more even flight time for each leg. Also, the Air France seats seemed a bit more comfortable, which is important when you are sitting next to an obnoxious flyer in the window seat. Continue Reading
Cambodia: Siem Reap
"Wat’s Up With the Khmer Empire" (01/28/23)
With a short trip over the Siem Reap in Cambodia, I would fill that requirement and not have to leave the country again until the trip home in March. Our plan was to spend 3 days in Siem Reap and visit the ancient Khmer temples of the Angkor complex, the most famous of which is Angkor Wat. “Angkor” means Capital City and “Wat” means Temple. I had done some basic research on the area but was about to get thrown into the deep end of Southeast Asian History. Continue Reading
Thailand:Bangkok / Chiang Mai / Krabi
"The King and I" (01/01/23)
It was just past Thanksgiving. The cold weather was delayed in arriving in Michigan, but no doubt it would make an appearance soon. It was time to take the trip that was supposed to happen 3 years ago before COVID screwed up everyone’s life.Amy and I packed up the bare essentials (pinwheels, foam cowboy hats, and a temperamental 10-year-old psychotic dog) and headed to the “Land of Smiles” for a 4-month immersion. I have never spent much time out of the US on a continuous basis and was excited to try my hand at “slow travelin’”. Continue Reading
Japan: Tokyo
"...And The World is Your Oyster" (10/01/19)
Off to Japan, well really Thailand, with a “brief” stop over in Tokyo. I will get into that meaning behind that punctuation that surrounds the word ‘brief’ later. Am I supposed to use double or single apostrophe for either/both of those references? I will be honest, if you keep up to date with my blog, like I know you do, then you know I don’t really care too much about grammar or spelling. Probably because I suck at it. During grade school we had a spelling bee every year. Continue Reading
Thailand: Bangkok
"...And The World is Your Oyster" (09/30/19)
We Boarded a Morning flight from Tokyo to Bangkok, where according to the Murray Head song, one night and the world will be your oyster. We used a low-cost carrier, but it worked out fine. A 6 hour flight, fortunately I slept through the whole thing. Amy’s sisters picked us from the airport and we had dinner at the house with the family. Her sisters had recently finished construction on a house on in Bangkok. Continue Reading
Japan: Kyoto / Tokyo
"Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto" (03/15/18)
Headed to the land of Lucky Cats, Hello Kitty, and Cat Cafes. The holy trinity of feline adoration. A cheap flight to Japan came across my inbox and we jumped on it. Although Amy had just been there a year ago she had no qualms about a reboot. After last year’s trip to Vietnam I knew that I wanted to make this trip a local as possible. I always try to shy away from tourists, but I was doubling my efforts to experience things as a local. That meant no westernized hotels or restaurants. And even try to get off the path of the main cities. Continue Reading
Vietnam: Hanoi
"Good Morning Vietnam" (04/23/17)
Been planning this trip for a while. I read a bunch of travel articles and usually file them away or add them to my list of places to visit and/or adventures to undertake. I read an article about riding motorcycles around Vietnam. I have always wanted to go there since my younger days of playing army in the woods and researching the American War there. Why not add a bit of danger by throwing in a motorcycle? Most of my trips I travel solo and just bounce from town to town. Continue Reading
Fiji: Suva
"It's All About the Water" (04/04/14)
I landed in Fiji’s capital city of Nadi about 6pm. My bags arrived with me; always a good thing. I had reserved a room at hotel before I left NZ. They picked me up at the airport and we proceeded to drive around running errands and getting gas. I was now on "Fiji Time” which meant we are gunna do things slow and you will deal with it. Continue Reading
New Zealand: Christchurch
"See You on the Flip Side " (04/15/15)
Let's get some of the basics about NZ out of the way before we start the trip. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses – that of the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu – and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 900 miles east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 600 miles south of the Pacific island of Fiji. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. Continue Reading
Turkey: Istanbul
"It's Nobody's Business But the Turks" (05/25/13)
Ok, for some reason I have been putting this blog off forever. Spring has sprung here in Michigan and I am trying to stay as active as possible, or at least that is the excuse I am going with. I decided on a whim to travel to Turkey in March. The flight was cheap and looked interesting as I could knock both Europe and Asia off the list at the same time. Turkey is the only country I know of that actually sits in two continents. Continue Reading