One of the biggest highlights was when John and I rented a tandem sea kayak and paddled to an island just north of Koh Lipe, called Koh Adang. Koh Adang is a nature preserve, and no one but the park rangers are allowed to live on the island. When we found the deserted beach on its western shore, John described it very accurately by saying it was "like walking into a stock photograph in your computer's screensaver."

Beyond Jalpak Tash

March 25, 2013 From Karakol, we drove 40 minutes to Ichke Jergez for a night with a wonderful local family, and then surfed the back of a flat-bed truck up an already melted-out mud road to the start of an hour long tour to the yurt, known as Jalpak Tash. The location is pretty much unbeatable, all things considered, from the views of the mountains above to the lake below.

High & Abroad on my Birthday: The Petronas Twin Towers

March 22, 2013 We spent close to twenty minutes up high, looking at the hills in the distance and the city below. It was a pretty amazing experience, especially considering I had never been so high in a man-made tower, let alone the tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004.

Tropical Metropolis

March 21, 2013 We took the bus from the AirAsia "discount" airport to KL Central Station, and then took the above-ground metro to our hostel, the Reggae Mansion. We settled in at the rooftop bar with a few beers, and, for the only time during our entire stay, some reggae music. The clouds broke and we admired the Kuala Lumpur Tower as rain splattered around and Bob Marley skipped on the speakers.

50¢ Haircuts & Chicken Foot Soup

February 9, 2013 I noticed quite a few people will ask you, upon finding out that you traveled to Indonesia, Malaysia, and/or Thailand, "what was the weirdest thing you ate?" For me, it was definitely Chicken Foot Soup. Don't get me wrong, the dish was delicious, with fresh veggies and bits of chicken, but it was a little odd putting a chicken foot in my mouth, suckling the fat off it, and spitting the foot bones out. Luckily, by the time I got to the sixth toe, I felt like a natural.

Sampling Seoul’s Architecture I meandered back down the street, now heading south towards Gyeongbokgung Palace. Along the way, I passed Cheongwadae, or the Presidential Residence. Similar to Almaty when the President is in town, there were police on every street corner, standing around completely unoccupied. You may have heard that I have not had very good luck with Kazakhstani police, so I did what I've trained myself to do, which is keep my head down and act normal. When I glanced up, one smiled at me (smiled!) and said with a friendly tone, "Hey! How are you? Where are you going?" I cautiously answered, "Ge-ong-bok-gung? The Palace?"

Scenic Photos from Barnard Hut

March 1, 2012 Advice for those looking for it: Stay more than one night; go here if you are looking for mellow ski terrain and good views; and make sure you come back to Aspen when there is some stereotypical wild techno-champagne party at the base of Aspen Mountain (complete with tacky, expensive outerwear) to make it feel as if you took a wrong turn in Basalt and ended up in Europe somehow...
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