While traveling around Uganda I received a message from our friend Mira Seewald. “Are you going to Fort Portal?” “I…
Category: Travel
Visiting Wild Mountain Gorillas in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park Our excitement was electrifying. I could barely contain myself. Our guides…
The events of this story took place in November of 2017 “Do you have any medicine?” A voice whispered in…
I had dreamed about visiting the Simien Mountains for many years since I came here. I was drawn by the…
A series of heinously long flights brought us to Ethiopia. We spent a few days recovering in Addis Ababa before…
This region of Colombia is all about pushing your physical limits. I did my third bungee jump here in San…
Colombia has some excellent rock climbing if you now where to look. Vibrant communities have sprung up around the emerging…
Minca was a runner up prize for us. We had originally planned to visit Tayrona National Park, which has incredible…
Cartagena needs little introduction. This colonial city on the northern coast of Colombia is the country’s biggest attraction. We spent…
Western Colombia is not a particularly popular tourist destination. Cali is known for it incredible salsa dancing but it doesn’t…
Crossing the Colombian border in the Amazon had left us deep in the jungle. Luckily, Leticia has an airport and…
It was time to bid Peru farewell. We had done and seen so much. We had trekked, climbed and explored…
During the 2017 winter in South America we climbed four mountains in the high Andes. The first was Huayna Potosi…
On our second visit to the famed Machu Picchu we decided to walk. Our journey took us over high passes and through deep valleys. Val’s friend Jan flew in from Alaska to join us and we had an incredible time.
When Jan came to Peru to visit us she need to get accustomed to the high altitude. What better way to prepare than climbing to above 15,000 feet to Cerro Colorado / Rainbow Mountain.
Life is hard in the high plains of southern Peru. Few animals survive here. Endless seas of grass stretch as…
Nevado Ausungate 6,384m / 20,945ft is Peru’s fifth highest mountain, but perhaps it’s most sacred. Most of the high peaks…
Our final stop in Bolivia was Copacabana, a quaint and beautiful town on the banks of the Lake Titicaca. We mostly relaxed and watched the sun make it’s way through the sky but we also got to see an amazing parade.
We had a fun romp around central Bolivia taking in sugarloaf hills, animal sanctuaries, beautiful colonial towns, and crazy highways.
The air is thin at 13,350ft (4,090m) in the colonial village of Potosi. The town sprawls on the flanks of…
This is a place that needs little introduction. It is firmly embedded in the South American backpacker circuit, and for…
Though we had originally had a great time in San Pedro de Atacama we had been there during the middle…
Our time in El Chalten, Argentina had come to a close. The seasons were changing in Patagonia. Bus services were…
At the bottom of the Americas, in the deep South of Patagonia there exists a town called El Chalten. Five…
The 120 kilometer (75 mile) trail around Torres del Paine in southern Patagonia is one of the world’s best treks.…
Once again we were back in Chile. This time near the famous Torres del Paine National Park. It was the…
Most glaciers in the world are getting smaller. The Perito Moreno Glacier is a rare exception and continues to grow…
Steak, wine, cinema, tango, history, and sausage. Buenos Aires is a sprawling metropolis of over 10 million people, we only…
Mendoza is all about one thing: Wine. We toured through many vineyards and wineries. We drank a lot of wine.…
Valparaiso is Santiago’s bohemian cousin on the coast. It is a beautiful, crumbling bastion of contrasts. Rickety funiculars rise up…
Santiago is an eminently livable city. It’s full of great food, the public tansportation is fast and efficient, and the…
Our romp around South America with my parents continued as we crossed the border into Chile. We had been spoiled…
We came to Arequipa, Peru’s white city, to eat. We wanted find out what Peruvian food was all about. We…
Homestays are always an interesting experience. It can be awkward, it can be transcendent, and it sometimes dizzily sways between…
After Machu Picchu we began making our way back to Cusco. Along the way we visited Ollantaytambo, a weaving center,…
It’s not easy to find a traveler, or anyone really, that hasn’t dreamed of visiting Machu Picchu. I had the pleasure…
Our final stop in Ecuador brought us to Loja. A modern city surrounded by beautiful nature and a massive national…
Cuenca is an exceedingly comfortable city in southern Ecuador. After spending a few weeks with the predominantly indigenous populations of…
As the weather in Ecuador continued to spoil our trekking and climbing plans we shifted course and focused on humans.…
From the jungles of Cuyabeno we were ready for the cool weather of the mountains. We took an overnight bus…
We had come to see mountains and trek through hillsides. Clouds, rain, and stomach problems kept our wanderings contained to…
The Amazon touches 11 countries and is the defining feature of South America. By its very nature jungle is difficult…
After a wonderful time in the Galapagos we headed for Quito. As the oldest city in the Americas Quito is…
The Galapagos Islands are an almost mythical travel destination. When the naturalist Charles Darwin visited the flora and fauna prompted…
Our lives are a repeating cycle of feverish work and long-term travel. Since returning to the USA in 2013 it…
About a month ago I stumbled upon the Motor Transport Museum while in Campo, CA. It was love at first sight.…
In the land of smokey whisky, pete bogs, and plaid kilts there is much to be discovered. Scotland was the…
Photos from a brief trip to Lisbon and Porto, Portugal. The lovely Valerie Orosco, Dan Dusek, and Terri Dusek were…
I didn’t take many pictures in Israel. My attention was focused on trying to grasp what life is like there…
My first impressions of the middle east were formed in Jordan. In April of 2013 Val and I landed in…
The state of Punjab in Northwest of India is the vibrant homeland of the Sikh religion. In the city of…
Love it or hate it Delhi has everything. It contains some of India´s most impressive architecture and offers a dazzling…
North Central India is plagued by heavy fog in winter. Apparently, Indra, the Hindu god of weather, forgot about our…
Valerie and I travel for extended periods. Time is a valuable and we choose to spend ours traveling. Most people…
India is overflowing with legendary sights. The erotic temples of Khajuraho are no exception. They appear like a mirage out…
The Ganges is India´s most sacred river and most important pilgrimage. To Hindus dying here guarantees transcendence from the cycle…
India had been whispering to us for years. Traces of its influence were everywhere, flavoring everything we had seen in…
With two weeks left on our Nepali visa we considered our options. We had to return Kathmandu to get our…
Annapurna is the deadliest of the world’s big mountains. One climber dies for every two that make it to the…
A road has overtaken the second half of the Annapurna circuit.* A small section, near the trail’s end, remains blissfully…
After 31 wonderful days in the Everest region we found ourselves back in Thamel, the tourist district of Kathmandu. It…
Having recuperated from the week long trek from Jiri to Namche Bazaar we bid steak dinners and apple pie farewell…
Most people fly from Kathmandu to Lukla to get into the Khumbu (region around Mt. Everest). Flights aren’t exactly cheap…
I’ve dreamed of going to Nepal since I was a little boy. By the time I started climbing mountains my…
September was a great month for us this year. It kicked off in Thailand with the arrival of Valerie’s mother…
Waking Val up before 9am can be a dangerous endeavor. Waking her up at 4:15am is downright suicidal. I was…
The central hills of Sri Lanka are home to many small villages. The land is beautiful. Pine trees mingle with…
After a lackluster experience in Kandy we were in search of greener pastures. The train ride through the central highlands…
Extrapolating from our love of sugar laden snacks that we would love the city of Kandy may have been unwise.…
Before we arrived in Semporna, the jumping off point for diving Sipadan island, we’d taken an overnight bus to Tawau,…
The very name conjures up images of dense jungles, head hunting tribesman, and venomous species at every turn. Once this…
After coming from the tourist centric El Nido it was refreshing to arrive in an actual settlement. Coron is a…
El Nido is a small village near the Northern tip of Palawan Island. By Filipino standards it is remote, but…
Palawan is considered to be the last frontier of the Philippines. It was long separated from the rest of the…
The most interesting part of our trip to Moalboal was the ride there. From Oslob we were going to catch…
Should we go to Oslob? The question had been plaguing us for weeks. Well, actually just me because when I…
Continuing on with our “best of the Philippines” diving tour we boarded a boat to Dumaguete, Negros. It’s a small…
Our first trip out of Panglao was to the world famous Balicasag Island. A 45 minute cruise brought us to…
Bohol lies in the dead center of the Philippines. It has a plethora of attraction such as the chocolate hills,…
For an island that has so much to offer there’s one thing that Malapascua doesn’t have and that’s an ATM…
Getting here was an adventure. We left Donsol about two minutes too late and the ferry tickets we needed went…
We weren’t to keen on the idea of spending more than a day in Manila but competing with the hundreds…
It seemed miraculous to hear the wheels touch down on Philippine soil. Our Malaysian airport foray had proven disastrous but,…
In the year that we live in Australia the rich cuisine and its exotic, allergy-inducing pollens were not kind to…
It’s been almost 3 years since I’ve seen “the mountains”. The mountains in SE Asia were covered in jungle, with…
With just a few days left in our Tasmania our focus finally shifted from the natural to the human. A…
Wineglass Bay had spoiled us. We found ourselves thinking we’d had hit the apex and that it wouldn’t get any…
There’s a hole in the ozone layer above the deep Southern Hemisphere. Dan and Ally paid heed and fastidiously applied…
The Bay of Fires is a Tasmanian rite of passage. The beach, or rather beaches, stretch along the Northeastern coast…
Cradle Mountain When we arrived in Launceston, Tasmania’s second largest “city”, we thought we head straight to a trailhead and…
Our plan to go to Tasmania was hashed spontaneously over a Thai food dinner and two rounds of drinks. We…
We rise early. It’s 6:30am but the roosters have been crowing all night. I shake Val; she squirms in protest…
It’s January 2011 and Val and I have been in Komodo, Indonesia for six months. Today we guided four Ukrainians and…
What a difference a few weeks make. We’ve accomplished so much and acclimated to the rhythm of life in a dive…
Our first weeks have gone by in a blur. We’ve completed exams, spent hours mercilessly repeating skills, and above all…
Val and I are becoming PADI Divemasters. For those of you that don’t scuba dive a divemaster is basically a professional dive…
Arriving at the airport in Labuan Bajo was encouraging. Despite the poetic soliloquies we’d heard about the diving here, not…
With the DM decision finally made, we headed to our hub in Kuala Lumpur to arrange plane tickets, visas, and…
Here we are again, painlessly over the border and back in Malaysia. The free 3 month visa on arrival certainly…
Flying into Bangkok was a shock to the system. Sure only 28 days had elapsed, but what a difference those…
Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is one of the more interesting major cities we have been too. The electricity only works about…
This bus ride was an interesting one. Taking one vehicle from our hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia we arrive at…
Angkor Wat is the crowing jewel of Cambodia. Angkor Wat is actually a single temple amongst many but its astounding…
Yet another smooth, successful border crossing puts us into Phnom Penh (PP), the capital and largest city in Cambodia. It’s…
We were expecting Saigon to be a lot like Hanoi, which is to say so busy that your personal countdown…
Nha Trang is one of the most developed beach towns in Vietnam, the kind of place we generally steer clear…
Getting here was quite and adventure. All of the regular “open tour” buses that pick you up from your hotel…
Hue, Vietnam was the royal capital for the Nguyen Lords, a fuedal dynasty that controlled all of Southern Vietnam between…
Leaving the frantic pace of Hanoi, we hop a bus to Vietnam’s third most populous city Hải Phòng (which doesn’t…
Just the name conjures up images and connotations. The nicest bus we’ve ever taken brought us into the heart of…
Leaving Laos is a little bittersweet. The people here have been beyond kind and regrettably we aren’t going to be…
“Do you want some motion sickness pills?” asked a concerned co-passenger. “It’s not motion sickness.” -Scotty 5 hours in to…
Aside from the constant smoke, a staple here in Laos, Luang Prabang is an inviting town. We would have liked…
Travel in Laos is usually a difficult affair, so the boat ride from Nong Khiaw was a much appreciated pleasure. …
Getting here was a little slice of magic, and another dose of torture. But after many hours in mini-busses on…
–Day One– Fully rejuvinated we book a 3 day trek and hit the road. There is another couple booked with…
Val’s feet splash down on the wet sand and it’s official, we’ve reached Laos. As we walk up the hill…
North, north and further north. Hopping another bus we find ourselves finally in Chaing Mai, touted as the culture capital…
I’m pretty sure Scotty shed a tear when we left the beautiful beach in Southern Thailand. What he didn’t know…
Well, you might say this place has a reputation. And we’d probably tell you that from what we could see…
After a surprisingly fun night in Satun drinking Thai Whiskey with a local family, we hopped a boat (a large…
Indonesia and Malaysia share a common language, which happens to be one of the easiest in the world to learn. …
We ended up staying in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for 3 weeks. Celebrating Val’s 30th Birthday, Christmas, and New Years. We…
Considering that we have been gone for 3 months, taken 8 flights, and traveled about 13,680 miles (22,016 km), our…
…and then suddenly we found ourselves in Bali, the most touristy area in Indonesia, and we would quickly find out…
As we began readying ourselves to leave Yogyakarta it became clear that getting to Bali was going to be a…
This particular destination was not originally on our SE Asia radar of things to do, but a landslide covering a…
Here’s the evidence of our underwater escapades in the Togean Islands, courtesy of our divemaster. Those of you that know…
The Togean Islands are a collection of limestone plots huddled in a large peninsula formed by North and Central Sulawesi. …
***I had to make this photos very small to get them uploaded, which is unfortunate because they have lost a…
Pulau Bunaken is a small island off the Northeast coast of the Sulawesi, Indonesia. We’re here for only one reason…
Welcome to the jungle baby!! Arriving in Bukit Lawang (Boo-keet Lu-wang) after a very long travel day, we were snagged…
Orangutans are critically endangered. Their biggest threat is the ever growing palm oil industry. Palm oil is used in countless…
Banda Aceh definitely deserves its own post. Banda Aceh was the epicenter of of the earthquake that caused the 2004…
Well we’re back in Kuala Lumpur and finally have reliable internet. Here are the photos from Pulau Weh, Sumatra, Indonesia…
We’re still in Pulau Weh for one more day. Next we’re off to search for Orangutans in Gunung Leusur National…
Hey Everyone, The internet has been a bit dodgy. We were completely unaffected by the Earthquakes near Padang, and equally…
Well, we did it! We are officially Advanced Open Water Divers. The class was not super challenging but we got…
We started our day today with lamb, chicken, and pork in a variety of delicious sauces at an Indian restaurant…
I’m in Asia…..finally!! Yeah. I have made some attempts to post sooner but the Internet apparently hates me in Malaysia.…
Guess what? We’re in Malaysia! After 27 hours we finally have a room booked in the “Little India” district of…