Italy feels to me like two different memories: one great, one not so much. It was filled with beautiful art, awesome architecture, and tasty food. Unfortunately it was also filled with confused tourists (we were among them), expensive seat-less toilets,…
Our 27 days in Greece were terrific. A rest after trekking Nepal, the weather could not have been more perfect. Sunny days in the mid-60’s, azure blue beaches, great food and warm showers were exactly what we needed. The Greeks…
Overall we were in Nepal for 22 days. We had been in “underdeveloped” countries before, but this was a totally new experience. Nepal was already a developing country, but on top of that it has suffered tremendously of late. The…
I have been following the US presidential race very closely for the past 6 months. I have noticed that people like to use different government systems as insults (Obama’s a communist, Trump’s a fascist, Bernie’s a socialist, etc. etc.). I have also…
Thailand was fantastic. On all levels, it delivered – from the picturesque ruins and villages of Sukhothai, to the Wats and shops of Chiang Mai; from the colorful streets of Bangkok to the outdoor adventures across the country. We ziplined,…
We took the train from Beijing, China all the way down to Saigon. We trained from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and back. But to get through Cambodia, you have to take a bus. On day 104, we raced out of…
Most of Vietnam was a great break for us from the big cities, since we spent 24 of our days on a boat, at the beach, or a short walk from it. From the moment we arrived, the pace was…
To wrap up the China section for now (and to delay talking about my blown budget until later in this post), here are some random thoughts about China and the Chinese… Public Toilets abound Read the star rating and take…
Away from Europe for a while, here are the costs now for our 27 days in Paris, 13 in Normandy, and the roll-up including Stockholm. Of course, I have a bit of a smile right now at how close my projections…
We have made it to China now, and we have taken another down day. It’s raining and we have laundry and school work to catch up on. Good thing this trip lasts a while so we can actually see a…