Lombok, the island directly east of Bali, is one of the places we loved most on our travels and was a real highlight of our time in Indonesia. We first ended up in South Lombok for a few nights chasing waves because of my dad’s desire to surf and its proximity to the airport (30 minutes). In the end we loved it. On top of the surf we found sandy beaches nestled in...
Standing at 3,726 meters (12,224 feet) and rising in a steady, virtually unbroken line from the nearby coastline, Mt. Rinjani is Indonesia’s second highest volcano. And we—Mica, myself, and my parents—were climbing to its crater rim at 2,639 meters (8,658 feet). The two day hike involves going up over 7,000 vertical feet one day and straight back down it the next...
I, like most, have grown up with the photos and mystical lure of Angkor Wat. It was enough background to know I wanted to go there, but not enough to know much about the 1,000 year Khmer Empire that spawned the construction of so many monumental temples. But with a 40 hour window of time between Vietnam and Indonesia off I went to explore (with Mica heading to...
It’s a cliche that the barbershop is a bastion of male camaraderie. I’m not sure I fully buy that notion, but I can say that I’ve always strived to become a regular with a barber that I felt cared about their craft and created a welcoming space. Being on the road precludes the type of relationship you can only build over time of course. But one still needs a haircut...
After flying from Tokyo to Bangkok and enjoying a refreshing 24 hours in Thailand we prepared to embark on the Thakhek Loop (also known as the Kong Lor Loop or just The Loop). The Loop is a 450 kilometer 2-4 day motorbike journey through Central Laos. The route meanders past myriad rice paddies and rural villages passing through unique towering limestone karsts...
It’s early. About 7am. I woke up at 4:30 to the cry of roosters and the rustle of feet as our hosts began their day. We’re in the village of Ban Donkham somewhere deep in the Jungle between Luang Namtha and Huay Xai, both sizeable one-road towns in Northern Laos. Two kilometers up a dusty, winding track is the one store, fifteen house village of Ban Donchai...
Chased out of the Japanese Alps before the famed Daikeretto ridge between Mt. Yari and Mt. Hotaka due to rain, fog, and high wind we hadn’t quite gotten our fix of the Japanese high country. So when we saw a two day window of beautiful weather open up we started looking for an accessible overnight hike in the Matsumoto region that would afford us an alpine experience...
Japan’s cities deservedly get so much of the tourist attention, but the mountains are just as spectacular. In fact, one of our drivers for visiting Japan was the chance to explore the so-called Japanese Alps: a long mountain range dominating much of Northwestern Honshu. In the end Mica and I decided to make the Denver-like city of Matsumoto our home-base to spend a...
The “famous” Tokyo Robot Show is simply a must miss attraction. This is despite (because?) the fact that the robot show/restaurant in Tokyo is one of the most consistently cited tourist attractions that you must see when traveling to the city. Literally dozens of articles and reviews gush about the spectacle. It has a 4.1 out of 5 on google reviews with...
Bulgaria possesses beautiful and rugged alpine mountains. In our time there we visited two different ranges in mid-September: the Rila mountains and the Pirin mountains. Both are easily accessible from Sofia or Plovdiv. Both are highly worth the time and effort. This post, Part I, talks about getting into the back-country of the Rila Mountains. Part II discusses our...