I’ve never been to a place for which photos do so little justice as the Fairy Caves in Kuching, Borneo. At some point during the planning of my Borneo trip I came across these caves and, along with the Bako National Park, they became the main reason I flew to Kuching for a few days.… Continue reading The Magical & Mysterious Fairy Caves of Borneo
Category: Destinations
Close Encounters at Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, Borneo
One of the main reasons I was excited to go to Borneo was to see the famed and endangered orangutans. My wish was granted on my first full day in Borneo after a quick flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and an hour cab ride out into the jungle. Before embarking on our Kinabatangan river… Continue reading Close Encounters at Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, Borneo
Adventures in Bako National Park, Borneo
It was my second day of traveling alone in Borneo. I’d spent a few days searching for crocodiles on the Kinabatangan river followed by another four days dodging pirates in Mabul, but those days had been with friends; now, here I was, heading to a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Borneo to… Continue reading Adventures in Bako National Park, Borneo
Is Mabul Island Safe? Why I Went Where They Told Me Not To
After visiting Mabul Island in August, each person I met throughout Borneo gasped when I told them I had just come from that region. “Isn’t it really dangerous?!” they would cry. Since I had made it out alive, I’d shrug and say it was fine. I hadn’t been so indifferent a few weeks prior,… Continue reading Is Mabul Island Safe? Why I Went Where They Told Me Not To
10 Things I Learned in My First 10 Days as a “Solo Female Backpacker”
I fought back the tears as I hugged Chelyn goodbye at the airport in Borneo and wished her a safe flight home. Not so much because I would miss her (though I would, of course) but because I now faced 10 days of travel in a third world country– as well as Singapore and peninsular… Continue reading 10 Things I Learned in My First 10 Days as a “Solo Female Backpacker”
Crocodile Diaries: Adventures On the Kinabatangan River in Borneo
Click click. The buzz of the motor muffled the satisfying click of my shutter as we cruised up the Kinabatangan river. The sun beat down on us from a clear azure sky flanked by wispy clouds in the distance, and reflected pictures in the muddy colored water of the lush green trees along the banks.… Continue reading Crocodile Diaries: Adventures On the Kinabatangan River in Borneo
Jungles, Beaches, Monkeys, and My Epic Trip to Borneo
It’s midnight. Eighteen long hours of travel and I’ve finally arrived, sweaty and exhausted, at the hostel in Borneo. We have five hours until we have to be back to the airport to catch our morning flight. I expect some hugs and giggles when I see my friends, some chatting and catching up before getting… Continue reading Jungles, Beaches, Monkeys, and My Epic Trip to Borneo
Holy Crap I’m Going to Borneo Next Week! (Wait, where?)
Up until a few months ago, the only thing I could describe about Borneo was head hunters. It was the ultimate example of somewhere totally remote and exotic. Then I overheard someone describing their recent trip to Borneo, and I gasped. Wait, people can actually GO to Borneo?! It was in that very moment that… Continue reading Holy Crap I’m Going to Borneo Next Week! (Wait, where?)
The Awesome & Inspiring Person I Met From CouchSurfing
At 2am the doorbell rang. I peered out the window with some trepidation, wondering if this person might be a serial killer, but opened the door for the stranger anyway. In front of me stood a British man with a chipped tooth and a rucksack; we’d never met, but I smiled and invited him in.… Continue reading The Awesome & Inspiring Person I Met From CouchSurfing
What It’s Like to Visit Home After a Year Abroad
As I leaned my heavy head on the glass window, the dry and weathered countryside streaming past, the effects of the extra strong IPA, two days of travel, and jet lag pressed down upon my eyelids with urgency while I struggled to keep them lifted. I was home. As my dad drove us through the rolling… Continue reading What It’s Like to Visit Home After a Year Abroad
Back in Cali! Being a Tourist at the Golden Gate Bridge
I bounced my knees in excited anticipation. I tried to look out the windows, leaning both forward and backward to see around my neighbors, but I was seated in the center of the plane. I couldn’t see the skyline of the city I had watched disappear into the horizon eleven months ago, but blue skies… Continue reading Back in Cali! Being a Tourist at the Golden Gate Bridge
Bali’s Magic and How I Got My Groove Back
The taxi driver occasionally glanced at the road as he swerved around the hairpin turns and played chicken with oncoming traffic on the narrow highway; most of the time his eyes were fixed in the rearview mirror at my face, while he waved an arm about, emphatically describing to me Balinese life. He pointed… Continue reading Bali’s Magic and How I Got My Groove Back