Vietnam: Mũi Né

Mui Ne is a funny little place. During my stay, I came across this blog entry by Jodi Ettenberg who has a fantastic blog called Legal Nomads and felt that she perfectly captured the place.  It is overwhelmingly trendy for Russian tourists, with many resorts sharing ownership with Russians. (No, really: it is packed with Russians.) …

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City

Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving Vietnam. After spending a month here (with a few weeks in Laos part way through), leaving feels bittersweet. In the last day alone, I have said both that I can't wait to leave and that I don't want to leave. I haven't written any posts for awhile because, yes, I've been moving …

Siquijor

After Australia, I flew to the Philippines where I met up with my aunt and uncle, Carol and Michael, who were spending a few months traveling in India and the Philippines. Our first stop was visiting IAT, an NGO that Carol and Michael have been involved with for many years. This post will come, but …

Climbing at Mount Arapiles

A second climbing trip brought me to Mount Arapiles. Arapiles is climber’s candy—basically all of the climbing is within a 15 minute approach of the campsite, which makes it deliciously easy to enjoy amazing climbing. And by amazing climbing, I mean thousands of climbs of all grades on beautiful, hard metamorphic sandstone (quartzite). Most of …

The Great Ocean Road

From Sydney, I took the train to Melbourne—eleven hours of travel, but for me, that meant eleven hours to gather my thoughts, write, and relax. I was meeting up with an old friend in Melbourne and would be joining her on her road trip down the Great Ocean Road. Bianca and I had met when …

The Blue Mountains

I’ve gotten a bit behind on the posts… and yes, it’s because I’ve been having too much fun :D. This post is from my time in the Blue Mountains, a beautiful area near Sydney, Australia, where I spent a few days during the first week of February.   I’m suspended on the side of a cliff, my …

Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, and around

I headed to Cairns next (pronounced 'Cans', as in 'beer cans' is what I was told after being laughed at by the airport security man). I didn't spend much time in town, but it seemed like a comfortable, easy-going town, with boulevards lined with trees, and trees filled with large, swooping bats that made me think …

Brisbane

Brisbane is Australia's third largest city, Queensland's largest city, and my first stop. I knew nothing about the city when I booked my ticket, just that it was there was a direct flight from Vancouver (only 16 hours!), which was much more appealing than the 25 hours+ options. Brisbane is a lovely city. The tall, modern skyline …

A Pickle Tattoo

I'm in Australia! And nope, it's not for school or work this time. I've been saying for years that I'd like to travel after finishing up grad school, but as I was nearing the end, I wondered whether it would actually happen... The thought of finishing and taking off without knowing what's coming next (i.e. …