I have seen thousands of pictures of Halong Bay. It is one of the places I think almost every traveler considers at some point. Of all the ‘have you been’ conversations I’ve been a part, it has not only cropped…
Pies and Lodges in the Mackenzie Country
VISTA: There are miles of roads like this all across the South Island There is a lot to love about New Zealand, and anyone who has spent any amount of time in The Land of the Long White Cloud (a…
New York is just a city?
New York City. It’s long been a holy grail for travelers. One might say it is the default capital of the world, but I’ve always harboured a suspicion that New York City is nothing more than – a city. Sure,…
Extra Cut! Fox Glacier Ice Climbing
Some things are hard to put in to words. So when words fail, pictures prevail! This is what a day of ice climbing looks like in New Zealand’s South Island at Fox Glacier.
Jealousy and Longing in the Middle East
I miss Egypt. Not just Egypt actually, but the Middle East in general. Forget the modern monoliths of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, what I yearn for is the excitement of exploration and the thrill of being set adrift…
Salt, Speed, and Utah – Bonneville Salt Flats
Every couple of days, I walk out my back door; forsaking anything that normally catches my attention, and I sit in my tiny shed. I survey the table of parts that will one day become the bike that I have,…
Mirissa – Southern Sri Lankan Stopover
“Can’t we just take a tuk-tuk?” I asked. “But the bus is cheaper.” It was the same discussion every time we travelled. I wanted comfort speed and a just a little legroom. Linh, on the other hand – at 5’1”…
Extra Cut! Snow Boarding in New Zealand
It has been some time since my last post and during my hiatus, there have been plenty of adventures. They’ll be heading your way shortly, along with a few new stories from our past trips! To ease back into the…
Blowing through windy Wellington
New Zealand is a unique place, and when it comes to the nation’s capital – Wellington – that is true in fantastic style! One of the wettest, windiest places on the planet, New Zealand’s capital city lies nestled in the…
New Zealand: Rushing through the North Island
Three weeks is nowhere near long enough to spend touring New Zealand. This was a concept that was abundantly clear to us, long before we picked up our van in Auckland for the 20-day tour of the North and South…
In search of Lorien: Finding Middle Earth in Glenorchy
Snowboarding in Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island was a far different experience to the comfortable, resort-style treat you might be used to in Europe or America. Each morning was an early start for a 45-minute or more drive up…
Underground in a land without litigation.
The central region of New Zealand’s North Island is fertile, green, and lush. The hills are used for farming, lovely towns like Cambridge, Hamilton, Mata Mata and Hobbiton make driving distances manageable and pleasant, and one of the country’s principal…
Picnic at White Island
Anyone who has attended middle school should have learned that volcanos – in addition to being fascinating – can be pretty hot, and an altogether inadvisable place for a picnic. With this wisdom in mind, it may come as a…
New Zealand, Middle Earth and The Shire
About two and a half hours driving south of Auckland will take you to another world. Much has been said before about the hidden world spread across New Zealand, but until you actually find yourself in Middle Earth, it’s hard…
Einstein’s Barber Shop Itinerary – New Zealand: Ice, snow, and Middle Earth
Itinerary 4 – New Zealand
Thailand – Floating Markets
I’ve heard of Thailand’s floating markets many times, and my mind had conjured images of a sprawling flotilla of water-borne stalls, loosely connected to create a labyrinth of alleyways where long tail boats jostle for space, rocking to the ebb…
Musings from a Bangkok Mall
Eight days in one city is not something I would usually relish. Even at home in Perth, I rarely spend that amount of time in the city in a month. So when I found myself booked to supervise a tour…
Einstein’s Barber Shop Itinerary – Sri Lanka: Exploring Mountains, Temples, and Coastlines
Itinerary 3 Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, we made effective use of trains and busses to see a large percentage of the island in a relatively small period of time. The trip initially took us from Colombo to Kandy by…
Behind Unawatuna
We spent the last few nights in Sri Lanka staying on the south east coast of the island. We’d taken a tuk-tuk from Mirissa in the morning and found a spot on the beach to spend a couple of…
Last on Hill
RED LEADER: Our first red run The sun had fallen behind the mountain and the golden hue that hung like a shimmering halo above the peak had shifted to the icy blue of impending dusk. Apart from the brief racket…
Meeting Linh: Part 2
The phone’s ring dragged me from blissful slumber, and I hadn’t even accepted the call when my stomach leapt into my mouth and wrenched me in to full consciousness. I was still bumbling through apologies as I stepped into the…
Einstein’s Barber Shop Itinerary – WA: The South West
Welcome to the second Einstein’s Barber Shop Itinerary! This week, we’re looking at the first significant trip I took in Western Australia (and the trip during which I met my partner Linh)! If you’d like to download the PDF which…
Meeting Linh: Part 1
When people ask how Linh and I met, the answer often elicits a condescending smile – at least until we provide a little more detail. The short version of this story is that I found Linh on Gumtree, but before…
Extra cut! Power Lines Track Shenanigans
A few years ago, we spent a day driving the Power Lines Track with some friends. I made a video at the time, but failed to consider relevant copyright considerations for Facebook. Today I found some royalty free music and here…
Matara Island Temple
We had been on the road for almost 6 hours and although this stop was only brief – just long enough to drop off a couple of passengers and take on another collection of travelers and commuters – it was…