by Jan Ferrer | Dec 13, 2012 | Epiphanies on the Road, Pre-travel Preparations, Serendipitous!
I am fully preparing to jump into a monsoon in two weeks’ time. That is to say that I will be traveling with sixteen fellow backpackers and one Calvin Sun, whose rousing story and headstrong travel philosophy – “monsooning” – were recently featured in USA...
by Calvin Sun | Oct 4, 2012 | December 2012: Eastern Europe, Introspection, Our Next Adventure, Pre-travel Preparations
“We cannot bear to regard ourselves simply as playthings of blind chance, we cannot admit to feeling ourselves abandoned.” - Ugo Betti. History comes alive this winter. How many of us dare to consider ourselves as part of some greater context, placing our...
by Calvin Sun | Apr 25, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Fit for Foodies, Iran, You're Going to Miss It...
Go Yang has inspired a trend I wish I was talented enough to emulate. But then again, I figure imitation is the best form of flattery. So you’re going to crave…Iran. Let the drooling begin. You’ll crave the hard to pronounce, harder to prepare...
by Calvin Sun | Apr 23, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Iran, Mythbusters, Post-travel Reflections, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
I had said in a previous entry how “normal” everything seemed when I was in Iran last week, but about a week since I’ve returned I’ve noted some exceptions. Of course, some of these are via word of mouth through our interpreter, but this...
by Calvin Sun | Apr 12, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Epiphanies on the Road, Iran, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
He was a youth in 1979, toppling the statue of Reza Khan in defiance of the Shah. And as one of the many emerging activists of 1979 , he supported the historic regime change that led to the era of Ayatollah Khomeini. But before he was to bear witness to the...
by Calvin Sun | Apr 9, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Epiphanies on the Road, Iran, What Dreams May Come
The view outside Necropolis The ruins of Persepolis It may have been a chapter you learned in your 8th grade history class, or an afterthought from a Sunday afternoon episode on the History Channel. It may have been the name of your local Persian...
by Calvin Sun | Apr 6, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Epiphanies on the Road, Iran, Mythbusters
Press play. And then start reading. Hello from an American blogging from Tehran, Iran. Let it be known that at least the IKA Airport in Tehran has free wireless. There are a few moments in life where I try to imagine in dreams, realizing they might come...
by Calvin Sun | Apr 3, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Introspection, Post-travel Reflections, Pre-travel Preparations
A dozen outstretched hands descend upon me. I scan the faces of the rickshaw-wallahs and I ask for the lowest price in their native language. A thousand teeth grin at my brazenness and the game begins. We knock down local currency to exaggerated sighs and...
by Go Yang Park | Jan 20, 2012 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Fit for Foodies, Morocco, Post-travel Reflections, Spain, You're Going to Miss It...
You’re going to crave slow roasted chicken, beef, or lamb tajines on the rooftops overlooking Morocco, the fresh and perfectly seasoned roasted vegetables, and the happiness of knowing that while Calvin is blogging, he’s not eating, so there’s...
by Calvin Sun | Jan 17, 2012 | Our Next Adventure, Post-travel Reflections, Pre-travel Preparations
Taken by Mahdi Kalhor – ‘Kalut’ in Lut Desert We at The Monsoon Diaries have traveled to over 30 countries in the last 18 months, all while spending very little and keeping fulltime jobs, remaining as fulltime students, or both. We’ve...
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