Have you ever walked 30 minutes into a foreign country only to realize that you had somehow overlooked the immigration checkpoint? Yes, it does sound a bit farfetched, but imagine my surprise and sudden discomfort to realize that was exactly what I had done, on my way from Langkawi, Malaysia to Hat Yai, Thailand. And […]
5 Foot Way Inn Changed My Opinion Of Hostels
Hostels are not for everyone and I’m pretty sure I fall into that ‘everyone’ category. Or at least I was sure. I had written hostels off years ago after a brief uninspiring experience. But you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks and sway their opinions as well. My recent stay with 5 Foot […]
What I Learned On A Day Trip To Saparua Island
No one should actually take a day trip to Saparua Island. Of course I didn’t realize this until later and I had no choice at the time either way. As the water taxi sputtered its way across the scenic waters of the Banda Sea, my mind had already envisioned a requisite media style picnic on […]
Perils of Pet Sitting, What You Should Know
I’m going on my fifth year of pet sitting in Southeast Asia. I wasn’t even aware that such a thing as pet sitting or house sitting existed in a ‘professional services’ category, until I read a blog about it on the 1 Dad 1 Kid website. I signed up immediately and was an official pet […]
Meeting the Rainforest with Flight of the Gibbon
I clutched the rope for dear life, as the distant tree tops below made me feel slightly light-headed. I’m not sure when I had become phobic of high places. Maybe it had always been with me and I hadn’t noticed. But as I embraced my first Flight of the Gibbon Chiang Mai zipline adventure, I […]
Leave Boring Behind with Hotel Jen Penang
When a hotel offers themselves, not only as a top-notch accommodation, but as enthusiastic tour guides as well? That’s a hotel that thinks outside the guest services box. Hotel Jen Penang has raised the bar when it comes to making guests feel at home by also recommending plenty of local sights, activities and food to […]
Bed Bugs, the Gift that Keeps on Giving
Scientists say that the only living creatures found at, post atomic bombed, Hiroshima were cockroaches. But it wouldn’t surprise me if they possibly overlooked a bed bug or two. If any insect could survive a nuclear attack, I would lay my money on the dreaded bed bugs. As I was sitting down to write a […]