Like most little girls of my generation, I was moderately obsessed with The Little Mermaid. Splashing around in the pool pretending to have fins, arguing over who got to be Ariel, and passionately belting the words to Part of Your World was a staple of my childhood. But unlike most others, I never quite outgrew… Continue reading Mermaid Life: Shipwreck Diving in Coron, Philippines
Author: kaleenamq
Monthly Recap: May 2015
The Philippines is like that lover I keep coming back to. Vietnam is the one with everything I want but we’ll only ever be friends. Cambodia used and abused me, but I know I’ll still go back for more. Thailand, now, is in the process of slowly courting me. While it didn’t initially steal my… Continue reading Monthly Recap: May 2015
6 Interesting (and hilarious) Things About Teaching in Thailand
Surprise! I live in Thailand now! The last place I wrote about was Vietnam (and how I fell in love), and I completely skipped over my travels through Cambodia. I’ll get back to those, but for now I’ll tell you about my current adventure and new job in middle-of-nowhere, Thailand. A few weeks ago… Continue reading 6 Interesting (and hilarious) Things About Teaching in Thailand
Falling in Love Under the Lanterns of Hoi An
Colorful lanterns swayed in the warm evening breeze above and around us, lending a warm and inviting glow to the crowded streets below. “All these lanterns make me want to fall in love,” my friend, Anne, quipped. We laughed and joked at how ridiculous that sounded, but she had a point. Every evening under the… Continue reading Falling in Love Under the Lanterns of Hoi An
Monthly Recap: April 2015
April has been a month of stuffing my face and adventuring through the country of Vietnam. I worked my way north to south, from trekking in the highlands to lounging on the beaches and everything in between. My body has inflated like a balloon and I’m like a walking cup of jiggly jello, but every… Continue reading Monthly Recap: April 2015
A Vietnam Food Tour: Photos To Make You Drool
I’ll be honest: My expectations for the food in Vietnam weren’t high. Although everyone had raved about it as an incredible place for foodies, my experience with the food had been limited to pho, the simple noodle soup dish that, while delicious, did not inspire in me a hope of brilliantly varied and spiced dishes.… Continue reading A Vietnam Food Tour: Photos To Make You Drool
The Best Way to Go Trekking in Sapa
I hunched over for Mae to put the final touch, a heavy silver chain necklace, over my head. She brought her arms back down to her tiny four-foot frame and smiled up at me with a pleased glimmer in her eyes. I was now decked out in her clothes, the traditional garb of the Black… Continue reading The Best Way to Go Trekking in Sapa
What It’s Like to Arrive in Vietnam
The first thing I noticed about Vietnam was the smell. I hadn’t even stepped outside yet, but as I drug my suitcase out of customs the unmistakable scent of pho wafted across my nostrils. At least I thought it was pho. But then it dawned on me that it was merely the same smell… Continue reading What It’s Like to Arrive in Vietnam
Island Hopping in El Nido, Palawan
Crammed for 6 hours into a 10 person van with 14 other people and their luggage as we bumped over unpaved roads and careened around mountainous corners, I wondered bitterly why I had wanted to go to El Nido, anyway. These had better be the best damned beaches I’ve ever seen. Luckily, they were.… Continue reading Island Hopping in El Nido, Palawan
Monthly Recap: March 2015
I have literally been across the world and back again in the last month and a half. Because my round the world trip is going to have me visiting lots of new places and going on all kinds of adventures I’m going to start doing a monthly recap of where I’ve been, what I’ve done,… Continue reading Monthly Recap: March 2015
Palawan’s Underground River (Tourist Trap)
In planning for Palawan, an island on the west side of the Philippines, everything kept pointing to the famed “Underground River”. It’s the 7th wonder of the natural world! It’s the most amazing thing you will ever see! It’s cooler than ice cream and better than sliced bread! So, persuaded by the exuberant advertising, we… Continue reading Palawan’s Underground River (Tourist Trap)
Professional Beach Bumming: The First Week of my RTW Trip
Floating in water clear as glass, palm bordered white sand stretching into the distance on either side of me, I lay back and eye the clouds billowing across the azure skies. I have to remind myself that this is my life now. It’s not a vacation, it’s not just a temporary respite from the… Continue reading Professional Beach Bumming: The First Week of my RTW Trip