As usual I have a radar for finding like-minded people doing the same stuff as me. I made some friends on the rooftop deck of my hostel and ironically they were headed on the same tour the following day to Petra and were in the same room as me. Now is when things got interesting… Continue reading “Petra-fied!”
Where to start… The last two weeks have been an utter whirlwind of amazing and laughable experiences.
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Scuba diving has quickly become my passion since I first learned to dive on small island in Thailand. It has taken me from the icy waters of Iceland to plane wrecks in the Bahamas. Even with the diverse locations scattered through my logbook, my next trip is gearing itself up to be one hell of an adventure. Continue reading “Diving into the next adventure”
Finally, the day had come. I was going to go into an ice cave. Continue reading “Into the Glacier”
Who knew ice caves flooded, rendering them inaccessible. I didn’t. Continue reading “Ice, Ice, Baby”
I picked up my rental and hit the road on my 6-hour drive to Höfn so that I would be nearby to my ice cave tour. Continue reading “The long drive and the beauty of the unexpected”
I decided that it was about time to take a proper trip again. The destination was a simple choice of where I could go on the cheap. Iceland was the winner. Continue reading “Ice Breaker”
I am finally not hopping from place to place and have been able to enjoy myself for the last week. Continue reading “From Couch Surfing to Sleeping with the Fishes”
One week down and one to go. Continue reading “The Reunion Tour Continues”
Iceland has mesmerized me again. This time with its’ beauty below the surface. Continue reading “Diving the Drift”
Once again Iceland has not disappointed. Continue reading “The Alien Landscape of Iceland”
I’ve been lucky enough in my travels to come across some great people and spend time with them in their home countries. Scotland was no different, except for the minor caveat that I got to visit a friend from home at her new home and finally get to meet her boyfriend. Continue reading “Scotland!… or 2 Days of Whiskey, Pizza, and Football”
Ireland, you’ve been grand. Continue reading “On the Road Again”
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit an amazing place while I was in Kanchanaburi, ElephantsWorld. ElephantsWorld is a sanctuary for sick, old, disabled, abused and rescued elephants. It is essentially a retirement home for elephants where they can receive the rest and joy they deserve. Continue reading “A Day With The Elephants”
Here are some shots from our ride on the Death Railway from the River Kwai Bridge to Nam Tok. Continue reading “Riding the Death Railway”
Last week we decided to have a relaxing day and go to the Erawan National Park to see the 7-step waterfall and swim in the steps. All went well until the 7th step, when one of my travel mates decided that now would be a good time to walk in-between a momma monkey and her babies. Needless to say, it was not. But we got over the monkey bite and enjoyed ourselves before the eventual trip to the emergency room for a tetanus and rabies shot. Continue reading “All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Bit By a Monkey”
I will preface this post with I am okay.
Some of you know that I was less than 200 meters away from Erawan Shrine when the bomb went off last night after 7pm local time. I was supposed to be out there on the street, but for some reason I went into a store for one last look before I left the Central World shopping center and headed out, towards where the bomb would go off, to grab a taxi. The bomb went off across the street when I was coming out. Continue reading “The Deadly Blast at Erawan Shrine”
It has been a while since my last post and boy have things changed. I have spent the better part of the last week under the sea, among the corals, in the day and at night, becoming a PADI certified “Advanced Open Water” diver. Continue reading “Out Of The Blue”
Between making some great friends, planning my next stop, and drinking with pretty much the entire hostel, I managed to see a little of what Kuala Lumpur had to offer. Continue reading “No Koalas in Kuala, Just Monkey Gangs”
For my last outing in Singapore I really wanted to get a good look at Little India and finally have a taste of goreng pisang. Continue reading “Little India, the Pursuit of Goreng Pisang, and the Botanic Gardens”
It is amazing how there can be so many beautiful temples buried deep within the cityscape. Continue reading “Temple Running”
I spent the morning walking around the Bukit Timah Nature Preserve. The preserve is only about a 30 minute drive (or hour bus ride) from the city center and is located in the only remaining stretch of rainforest in Singapore. Continue reading “Bukit Timah Nature Preserve and a Trip to Singapore Zoo”
Better late than never, but it’s been good Budapest. It is time to give my liver a good long rest and actually get some sleep that isn’t interrupted by drunken yelling and people stumbling in at all hours of the night. It has been a wild ride and wouldn’t have been the same without all the crazy nights and antics, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Now I am in Asia, enjoying Singapore until the next stop.
Here is one last batch of gorgeous scenery featuring Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church, and Buda Castle. Continue reading “Szia Later Budapest”
I recently learned that if you carry a big enough camera and actually know what you are doing, people at music festivals have no idea that you actually aren’t an official event photographer. This happened to me at Balaton Sound, a 5 day music festival in Zamárdi that was home to 145,000 visitors over the weekend. The best part of looking like an event photographer is the fact that everyone lets you get to the front of all the sets. Continue reading “Balaton Sound and the Unofficial Photographer”
Budapest is not normal by any means, and its’ wild nights dwarf anything I have experienced back home. From ruin bars to pub crawls to pool parties, Budapest has it all, and it’s always amped up to 11. What is there to say about a city that is equal parts insane night-life and beautiful scenery that can’t be summed up in the phrase that everyone who comes here ends up saying every night, “Buda-fucking-pest, man.” Continue reading “Sex, Drugs, and A Naked Serbian”
Because I was so close to Bratislava, Slovakia, about an hour away when I was in Vienna, and was looking for any excuse to get out of the city, I took a day trip. I had to cut my time there a little short because I had messed up my feet the previous day walking 20km in sandals with wet feet. But from what I saw I liked the look of Bratislava. I checked out the Blue Church, UFO, and the remains of Devin Castle. Continue reading “Quick Day Trip to Bratislava”
Don’t worry, there will be cute cheetahs and pandas as a pallet cleanser after the rant! Just skip the writing and go to the pictures if you want to not know the pains of visiting Vienna. Continue reading “An Open Letter to Vienna”
Last shots of my time spent in Prague seeing the Lennon Wall, going to the State Opera to see Romeo and Juliet and finding Cerny’s weird statue in Prague. Continue reading “Lennon, the Ballet, and the Pregnant Lady”
More shots from my third day walking around the PQ, this time the student exhibitions. Also a visit to a really good Warhol and Dali exhibition. Continue reading “PQ Day Three, Warhol and Dali”
Collection of photographs from my second day going around PQ and the awesome after-party at night in an abandoned building turned art space and dance club. Continue reading “PQ Day 2 and SpaceLab Off-Stage”
When I started booking my time in Prague, I did not know about the Prague Quadrennial, a vibrant exhibition bristling with art and unusual experiences. Continue reading “PQ15 and Paddle Boating in Prague”
A collection of photos from my recent visit to the Prague Zoo. Continue reading “Lions, Tigers and a Pissed off Llama”
It only took 12 hours to get to Prague after Germanwings decided to delay my first flight and then outright cancel my second leaving me stuck in Düsseldorf with a drink voucher that didn’t cover the cost of any drink in the airport. I arrived in Prague with just enough time to go to bed. Not how I wanted to start this leg of my trip. Continue reading “Impromptu Prague Walkabout”
Deep in the middle of Grunewald forest, to the West of Berlin, lies Teufelsberg, a relic of a bygone era. The Cold War era spy tower has long since been abandoned and is now home to some amazing views and graffiti. Only until recently was it completely illegal to visit Teufelsberg but policy has relaxed and now you can get in to the grounds and climb the towers for less than what it would costs you to visit any of the museums in Berlin. Thankfully it is not some attraction known to all and only a handful of normal people actually maintain the grounds and keep records of who enters. Continue reading “The Secret of the Grunewald Forest”
Once again I lucked out in meeting some interesting people in my travels. I happened to be rooming with Raphaëlle and Julien, two Canadiens on holiday, and hit it off with them after some free shots at the hostel bar. Continue reading “The Casual Berliner”
I had one day to spend in Copenhagen before my flight to Berlin the following afternoon and what better way to spend it than at the Tivoli Gardens. Of course I had to ride every roller coaster. Continue reading “One Day in the Tivoli Gardens”
There’s something magical about going to sleep one night and waking up in a new city, eager and ready to explore. There’s something even more magical when it happens to be Norway and the Fjords. Continue reading “Fjording Around In Norway”
So for my last day in Iceland I thought it would be a great idea to drive North, as far I could, before I got tired and had to turn back. 14 hours later and I have one beautiful drive behind me.
I started with a 124km journey from Reykjavik to Hruanfossar. A very scenic route with the pay-off being a set of gorgeous baby waterfalls. From Hraunfossar I attempted to go to Hvammstangi. A simple 119km route that should have only taken an hour and forty minutes but instead took me nearly 3 hours because apparently Google Maps thought I had a rugged 4×4. I did not. Continue reading “Northward Ho!”
Only in Iceland does it feel normal to rent a car with a group of people you met a little over 24 hours before. Even more so when you plan a 14+ hour road trip to a downed plane, waterfalls, an island, and a thermal pool.
Continue reading “The Reykjavik Friendship Goes on the Road”
Another adventure is in the books.
I’ve been through 4 countries and had 3 reunions over the last 2 weeks. But now it’s time to go back to work and save up for the little jaunt down the line. A big thank you to everyone who has spent time with me over the last 2 weeks, whether it’s been in the pub or crashing on the couch, it was a nice change of pace from the day-to-day.
Now back to work tomorrow and saving for the next trip in October!
THE ODD ODYSSEY 
