Driving past the holiday park leaves me feeling fuzzy — numbed to my actions and what they symbolize. I’m driving to the Catlins and leaving Te Anau. My home for the past 4.5 months, Te Anau is a tiny, buzzing little place popular simply because it’s the closest town to the iconic Milford Sound. Jobs are plentiful …
sea
Cruise in Doubtful Sound
The prow of the boat cut through the waters of Lake Manapouri like a knife through as much butter. Gusts of frigid, pre-dawn air buffeted us as we fought for balance on the viewing deck, and the sun broke over the hills in the East. It was a fine day, and my coworker Marketa and …
Nature Cruise in Milford Sound
Fiordland, a vast tract of mountainous terrain that occupies the south-west corner of South Island, New Zealand, is one of the most astounding pieces of land anywhere on God’s earth, and one’s first impulse, standing on a cliff top surveying it all, is simply to burst into spontaneous applause.” – Douglas Adams “Who here is …
JUCY Cruise in Milford Sound
Kipling is rumored to have named Milford Sound the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. He also — verifiably — said that New Zealanders are great tellers of tales. Perhaps the former is merely an example of the latter… But as much as that particular claim to fame is debatable, the splendor of Milford Sound is not. And …
Getting Settled in New Zealand
There’s a real purity in New Zealand that doesn’t exist in the States. It’s actually not an easy thing to find in our world anymore. It’s a unique place because it is so far away from the rest of the world. There is a sense of isolation and also being protected.” – Elijah Wood After …
Five Things to Do in Bohol
For my second trip to the Philippines, I was torn between two destinations: Palawan or Bohol. I’d heard great things about both, but elected to go with Bohol. I’d been told the diving was fantastic, and there seemed to be a variety of things to do around the island — perfect for the Philippines vacation …
Tea on the Bosphorus
The old man pushes the tea at you; not like he’s a tout trying to sell his wares, which he is, but like you really need to try it, which you do. So you do, because you’re thinking of the Bosphorus and the fog of history that settles on it like a mist settles over the …
Sanbangsan and the Yongmeori Coast
We called a cab to pick us from the chocolate museum (post coming soon) after learning that the next bus wouldn’t come for four hours. Island time… Our destination was Sanbangsan (산방산), and we each had wildly different ideas about what would happen there. I was absolutely set on hiking it, while Alisha was more …
Four Things to Do in Sokcho
Sokcho; the last major city on South Korea’s east coast before the DMZ. It is an international port, the gateway to Seoraksan National Park, and home to a small community of North Korean refugees. Spending a full two days exploring Sokcho and the attractions around it was an awesome experience. Here is a list of …
The Goseong DMZ
“It will be $270 for two days.” My friend Cody and I stared at the car rental associate. Seriously? For a crappy little sedan? We had plans for the weekend of heading up the east coast of South Korea to Sokcho and, from there, going to the Goseong Demilitarized Zone. Since public transport to the …