December 24th, Sandakan, Malaysia – Booking a day before we wanted to go meant our only choice for accommodations at Mt. Kinabalu Park was the hostel. Staying in dorm rooms contains a major negative and a major positive attribute; on … Read More
December 20th, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia – That Brunei is wealthier than its neighbors is immediately noticeable; the number of new luxury cars spanning Mercedes to Lexus to a few Ferrari and Porsche sprinkled in and the elaborate design of some … Read More
December 16th, Miri, Malaysia – After some thought we decided not head to Batang Ai for a remote possibility of seeing orangutan (we will have other opportunities in Sabah) but instead, inspired by a book I read on our trek … Read More
December 10th, Kuching, Malaysia – The contrasts between Indonesia and Malaysia are noticeable as soon as you cross the border. The first difference you see is that the roads are wider with better pavement, signage and frequent, intelligible distance markers. … Read More
December 5th, Pontianak, Indonesia – While most people here are good natured there are some who are just trying to take advantage of you; and even when they are not, the difficulties of communicating can lead to situations where it … Read More
November 28th, Semarang, Indonesia – They say it is always darkest before the dawn; I don’t know if that is completely true but it is really dark outside. We’ve come this far so we might as well go through with … Read More
November 22nd, Cemoro Lawang, Indonesia – The first difference you notice stepping off the plane is the humidity; we have been in the temperate world for so long that it is a shock to our systems. After that you notice … Read More
November 18th, Perth, Australia – Rain; I do not think there was a day in Tasmania without it. But this rain is different; you don’t have those slowly gathering clouds leading to downpours, instead the rain is very localized in … Read More
November 12th, Derwent Bridge, Tasmania – Whenever you switch countries there are certain adjustments you need to acclimate to. Such as: currency changes from the New Zealand Dollar worth .70 U.S. Dollars to the Australian Dollar worth .75 U.S. Dollars, linguistic … Read More
November 7th, Christchurch, New Zealand – Our last week in New Zealand has come and gone with more amazing vistas, exciting adventures and memorable experiences; as well as the side show of a depressing election result (a topic of discussion … Read More