One woman's journey through the world
With a change in elevation of 863 meters (2831 ft) over 20.2 km (12.6 mi), running between the end of a fjord and a small mountain town, Norway’s Flåmsbana makes for one scenic ride. The track passes multiple waterfalls, goes through 20 tunnels, across one bridge, and is doubled in only one spot so that trains traveling in opposite directions can pass one another. The rest of the way, there’s
When I decided to visit the Philippines, I planned to stay one month and I made a list of places I wanted to dive and a few, like El Nido, that I wanted to see and maybe dive if people on the ground vouched for their awesomeness. I did no research into anything other than diving, trusting that people would tell me about other places I should visit. I stayed
Described as a “special place” by a woman I met on Guimaras, “my favorite island in the Philippines” by one I met on Apo, and simply “a unique spot worth a day or two” by a couple I met in Malaysia, Siquijor has been on my radar for a while. But I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. What I found was a sense of tranquility and an immediate understanding
“Typhoon warning 1 has been issued. We have rooms available tonight but I don’t think boats go any more. I don’t think you can come.” So said the voice on the other end of my phone just before I ran out of credit and the call cut off. I was sitting in the back of a taxi, stuck in rush hour traffic in Iloilo (pronounced eelo-eelo), nearly 2 km from
My favorite days of traveling are those when I’m both relaxed and busy: when I see or do something active but also enjoy a leisurely meal – ideally with someone whose company I enjoy; when I eat a new food or witness something unique to where I am; and when I end the day with a drink, I wind up in conversation with people who become friends. These are the
Traveling solo in Laos can be expensive if you want to join any sort of organized activity or tour: prices are determined by the number of people participating and many won’t occur if there are fewer than four people. In the busiest tourist months, this probably isn’t an issue but in rainy season, which is now, it is. In Vang Vieng, I went to multiple offices to find one that
“There’s a path across that bridge. I want to see where it goes.” Paul, my British traveling companion for the day, remarked casually. The bridge is at the base of Kuang Si waterfalls – or in the middle of the falls, depending on how you view it. The path opposite us looked like a muddy, wet tangle of stone steps created by years of erosion, tree roots, and the odd
“Nature. Yuck. No, thanks.” Me, approximately age 14, speaking to my mother about hiking in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. “An eco-retreat with no electricity or indoor plumbing that requires a 2km walk from the nearest road? Sounds great, when do we leave?” Me, about a week ago, speaking to two women I’d just met at a hostel in Vientiane, Laos. Looking back at the wasted opportunities to explore what was in
There’s much to love about Dalat, a mountain “resort” town north of Saigon. We didn’t go canyoning or pay a visit to the Crazy House but we still fell in love with this relatively calm city. These are just 12 things we love about Dalat. 1. You can walk around without sweating through every fiber of clothing you’re wearing. Dalat has been a resort area since the French controlled Vietnam