Canyon Death Rides and Coca Leaves: 40 Days on a Motorcycle Through the Andes Mountains
Things look differently from the seat of a motorcycle going 90 kilometers per hour through the Peruvian Andes. They become more than your standard mountain range, they feel like a personality test. The mountains don’t just rise, they explode. Peaks like harpoon tips stab the sky before collapsing into rivers. I rented my motorcycle in […]
Waterfalls of Wisconsin: Rewarding Hikes and Epic Skinny Dipping
Why do we love waterfalls? Is it their power? Hundreds of thousands of gallons of falling water-the hydrogen dominant substance of life-making us feel small and insignificant? Or is it their awe-inspiring beauty? Waterfalls can often be found in remote and mysterious locations such as mist shrouded forests or rocky gorges. Perhaps it is the […]
Langkawi Island During Ramadan: Glass Bottom Sky Bridge, Fish Head Curries and Shameless Monkeys.
In this adventure we travel from Thailand to the Malaysian Island of Langkawi during the holy month of Ramadan. We rent a motorbike,
From “The Land of Smiles” to “The Land of Golden Pagodas”: Our Failed Attempt to Explore Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago
Our destination was Myanmar’s Myeik Archipelago, also known as the Mergui Archipelago, a chain of some 800 islands stretched across nearly 400 kilometers between the southern ports of Myeik and Kawthaung. We end up being denied entry, but rediscovered an important gift that only comes from slow travel. The countries you pass through have voices, faces and heartbeats and a country’s greatest resource isn’t its beaches, or temples, or oil fields: it’s its people.
Exploring Koh Lanta: A Journey on Two Wheels, Jungle Trails, and Reggae Beats
Only after the larger beautiful tropical islands become over-developed, over-populated and polluted, it’s the small fishing villages – quiet islands – which look charming and attractive. Koh Lanta was once a quiet island populated by small fishing villages before it caught the eye of developers and, although its tourism industry is bustling, it has yet […]
Trekking the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
The landscape of Lushoto was incredible! It was Hollywood scenery: hobbit land. Lord of the Rings meets Jurassic park. Unlike anywhere else I had visited in Tanzania. Perhaps it was the rolling hills and cool elevation which gave it a particular indescribable character. Or maybe it was the cool vibe of subsistence farmers, far from […]
Tanzania Safari: Maasai Warriors, The Big 5, Claustrophobia and Learning How To Kill Lions
After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, I spent two days recouping in the town of Moshi, before heading out on a 3-day safari. If you love the opportunity to interact with locals, Moshi is an exciting destination. Perhaps a little too exciting. In fact, the quantity of attention I received was overwhelming. At times I was approached […]
I spent my 42nd Birthday Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
2022 started out rough! I was racing against a writing deadline, while also trying to plan a trip to southeast Africa in efforts to escape another mid-west winter. I had spent the previous 6 months writing a hiking guide for Wisconsin where each of the treks ended at a scenic waterfall. This involved traveling to […]
Week 8: Cycling in and around Chiapas
My first week in San Cirstonal De Las Casas I hardly rode my bike at all. Aside from going in search of local bike shops and mechanics, my bike stayed parked at the hostel. The narrow cobblestone roads were just too difficult and annoying to properly explore the historic city on two wheels. A week […]
Week 7: San Cristobal De Las Casas, Chiapas
“It is hard to stay mad when there is so much beauty in the world.” – Lester Burnham Bus Station Adventures: Two days in Villahermosa was enough for me to check out the local bike shops and see the city in all of its cultural and ecological diversity. Next stop: San Cristobal De Las Casas, […]