Stories From Month 5

Ask travelers who enter Indonesia through Jakarta to describe the city and you will hear nothing but criticism. They cry out about the city's dirt, pollution, crowds, and traffic. They will tell you t

We flew into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today. On the hour long bus ride from the airport into the city center I was immediately struck

Tamran Negara National Park is fast becoming one of Malaysia's best tourist destinations. With 4343 sq kilometers of ancient unto

While in the jungle, Tim and I took a tour of the "Batek" people, the Orang Asli - the Malaysian aborigines who live in the jung

After a long day of hiking, Tim and I were looking forward to dinner. At the bank of the river are a number of floating restaurants. It's a relaxing atmosphere to eat while watching boats go by, but t

Palau Perhenitan Kecil, or "Island Perhenitan Small", is located off the northeast coast of peninsular Malaysia about two hours distance on a slow ferry. Like the name says, the island is small. It is

Photo check-in.

We entered Penang on an all-night bus from the west coast town of Kota Bahru. I awoke to the noise of activity as people packed bags to leave and the driver shouted that we had arrived. My head felt t

Today is Tuesday, but it doesn't really matter. While traveling, the days seem to meld together and become one long stream of vibrant experiences. We took a six hour bus ride today from Pe

We arrived in Thailand today. This is the 9th country we've visited! We celebrated with a wonderful dinner of Tom Yam soup and steamed sea bass. Tomorrow we head to the west coa

Enough with the long bus rides. We've arrived to Ko Lanta and plan to stay about a week. The narrow island is about 20 x 5 km and has one poorly paved road, wide beaches, and nothing much to do except

Our off-season beach resort on Ko Lanta was nearly empty. With a full week to be productive on a quiet beach, I had the perfect chance to learn the basics of the Thai language. I worked thr

I talked at length about this trip before I left. Most people told me how lucky I was to go and added, "I wish I could do that." I felt the most sympathy for those with a family and a house

We took the snorkel trip from hell. The boatman picked us up that morning half an hour late. His longboat was old -

This evening, Tim and I climbed over a hill at the end of the island into a cove. There, nestled by high cliffs, sat a small secluded beach, perfect for watching the sunset. The tide was ou

We were sorry to say goodbye to Ko Lanta, but were glad to hitch a ride to the pier from Chuey and the staff.

Four months have passed since I last saw a friend from home. And although I've met plenty of new friends along the way, I was happy to hear that Bob was coming to Thailand. Bob is a "friend

People are starting to ask us, after being on the road for 5 months, if we are getting tired - tired of not having the same bed to lie our heads on every night, tired of living out of a backpack, and