Ever-deeper levels of remoteness: Sangkhlaburi
DAY 11 – Any journey includes an element of "remoteness" – and the further you go, the more remote and more rewarding places like Sangkhlaburi, Thailand become. [keep reading]
Cheapo shopping in Thong Pha Phum
DAY 8 – How I made some smart purchases and one terrible purchase in small-town Thailand. Sometimes you get what you pay for as a budget traveler. [keep reading]
The Death Railway to Thong Pha Phum
DAY 7 – The local names that you come across while traveling the globe are often one of the most interesting parts of a particular journey. [keep reading]
Exploring Kanchanaburi’s messy international ties
DAY 6 – Kanchanaburi, Thailand is where tourists go to see the Bridge On the River Kwai, but there are other things to see in this haunted yet cheerful town. [keep reading]
First days are so exciting: Bangkok again
DAY 1 – The first day of a new trip is always dizzyingly exciting. At least it should be. On Day 1 in Bangkok I was ecstatic to be back in Thailand and on the road. [keep reading]
Avenue of the Dead and calves’ brain tacos: Mexico City
DAY 13 – How does a diabetic calculate insulin for calves' brain tacos? What about blood sugar after walking down the Avenue of the Dead? Mexico City has it all. [keep reading]
Why you oughta visit Guanajuato, Mexico
DAY 10 – How I handled diabetes in the hilly UNESCO town of Guanajuato, Mexico, and why you should drop everything and go there now! [keep reading]
Valenciana: close to home but a world away
DAY 3 – Valenciana, Mexico was not on the itinerary, but ending up in surprising places is one of the very best aspects of free, open traveling. [keep reading]
How to waste money before the trip even starts
How I spent $400 extra dollars on a trip completely unnecessarily. I hope you have never wasted this much travel money before a trip even started. [keep reading]
Three days in Beijing without sightseeing
DAY 87 – How is it possible to spend three days in Beijing and see NO tourist sites? It's easy when you learn you have to make sudden plans to get out of China. [keep reading]
Sand dunes and street food in distant Dunhuang
DAY 79 – How to visit the Gobi Desert for free and keep insulin cool while you're climbing among the huge dunes. This is Dunhuang, a distant but remarkable place. [keep reading]
Through the desert to Dunhuang with special permission
DAY 75 – With an Aliens' Travel Permit we took a bus through high desert from Golmud to Dunhuang, China, a trip that featured camels, snow, and (eventually) peeing. [keep reading]
Golmud, dusty crossroads on the edge of nothing
DAY 74 – We spent a few days in Golmud, a town in the middle of the Tibetan Plateau where we secured permission to continue through the rugged desert. How fun! [keep reading]
Xining, the high and dry fulcrum of central China
DAY 72 – Xining is an ancient crossroads on the Silk Road in central China, a high, arid city that acts as a gateway to the rowdy west: it readjusts your focus. [keep reading]
I left my jaw in Chongqing’s hotpot
DAY 68 – Chongqing, a humongous urban area in central China, gave us the opportunity to rest up after the Yangtze River cruise. And, we ate food spicy enough to sear holes in the Earth's crust. [keep reading]
Three nights on the smoggy, majestic Yangtze River
DAY 64 – How we became the only English-speaking non-Chinese tourists on a three-day cruise up the famed Yangtze, which is as beautiful as its reputation. [keep reading]