Kampot, the small fishing town on the Preaek Tuek Chhu River in Southern Cambodia, was my absolute favorite trip in the country. When my friends and I finally got WiFi again after a few days on Ko Rong Samloem, we were surprised to find that most accommodation had already been booked because of Khmer New…
Tag: Photography
Celebrating Loi Krathong
This year while my family and friends were stuffing their faces with turkey and pie for Thanksgiving, I was celebrating Loi Krathong in Thailand! It is purely coincidence that Loi Krathong fell exactly on Thanksgiving this year, but I was happy to have a reason to celebrate while far from home. Loi Krathong is a…
A Weekend in Nan, Thailand
This weekend my fellow foreign teachers and I ventured away from our home in San Pa Tong to Nan, Thailand’s Northeastern-most province, which borders Laos. Just a cozy 5-hour night-bus away from the city of Chiang Mai, Nan is a rural province that borders Laos and is known for its spectacular national parks, the most…
Grand Palace, Bangkok
I have been to some beautiful mountain tops that can’t be beat, but the Grand Palace in Bangkok is by far the most beautiful man-made structure I have ever seen. It’s not just one Palace, but a complex of temples and buildings where the king lived for centuries (until the mid 1900s). The Grand Palace…
Nights Out in Bangkok
I only had one week in Bangkok, and because of jet lag and exhaustion from a busy teaching orientation schedule, I only had three nights out to explore the city. Night one was a trip to the famous Khao San Road, known as ‘the center of the backpacking universe’. This long street is lined with…
I Made it to Thailand!
After 30 fantastical hours of traveling (not really fantastical at all) I have arrived in Bangkok, Thailand! Before I write about my first impressions of Thailand, I have to mention how insane the Incheon/Seoul Airport is (insane in a good way). South Korea’s largest airport was not only massive, but also super clean (employees with…
Last Table Mountain Hike
On Sunday I climbed Table Mountain for the last time (that is, at least until I somehow make my way back to Cape Town in the future). I used the Platteklip Gorge trail, which is the most direct way up the mountain, but is also basically a giant, stone stairmaster. It took me a grueling…
The Garden Route
Last weekend my housemates and I took a trip along the garden route, a famous stretch of coastline on Route 62 between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The garden route is 300 kilometers of beautiful South African mountains, Karoo plains, vineyards, and game reserves littered with lots of little towns and attractions. Views from the…
Life in Cape Town
Behind the mountains, beaches, wineries, and wildlife that make Cape Town famous are the everyday lives of locals. Void of tourist attractions, what the day to day lives of local Capetonians lack in paragliding and shark cave diving, they make up for with diversity and character. Now that I’ve been living in Cape Town for…
Echo Valley and Boomslang Cave
On Friday I headed to Boyes Drive just above the Kalk Bay train station for a 3 hour hike through Echo Valley. The Echo Valley trail leads up to Boomslang Cave, a cave that cuts right through the mountain. The hike to the cave was very steep and rocky, often requiring us to climb over…