The year 2000 was a big deal for me. I turned one of those milestone ages, traveled to Southeast Asia for the first time and got my first tattoo. I also rode an elephant. I thought I was pretty cool. It wasn’t until 15 years later that I read a blog post about the plight […]
My Best Travel Hacks For Southeast Asia
In the past couple of years of Southeast Asia budget traveling, I have packed and unpacked so many times I should be an expert by now. But I’m not. Predicting what I might need falls into the ‘Murphy’s Law’ category, which is if I bring it, I won’t need it and if I don’t bring […]
Saving Malaysian Sea Turtles; the Good, the Bad & the Promising
Who knew that Malaysia is literally the love nest to so many sea turtles!? My first awareness of the existence of Malaysian Sea Turtles was from snorkeling encounters in the Perhentian Islands. The Perhentian Islands (Perhentian Kecil and Perhentian Besar) are located just off the east coast of Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The resort where I […]
Goosebump Moments from Malaysia and Beyond
Ghost stories are plentiful in Asia. And many are quite believable. Ghost stories in Malaysia alone are enough to make a believer out of the most skeptical. Mix the modern day it-happened-to-me narratives of ordinary people with cultural beliefs and legends and it does make one wonder which came first; An innate belief in the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Year of the Fire Rooster & the Blonde Bombshell
There is no snooze button on a rooster. And whomever declared they start crowing at the crack of dawn is very much mistaken. How do I know this? Because I live with one. Quite by accident actually. But I live with one none the less. And there are many reasons for what they deem crow-worthy; […]