by Calvin Sun | Jan 1, 2013 | Community Service, Fit for Foodies, January 2012: La Hispanola, Serendipitous!, Travel Warnings, Walking Tours, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Here I am! And on your Independence Day (it’s January 1st) too! Outside the airport We’re currently staying at the Trinity Lodge in Delmas, a quieter suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. I...
by Calvin Sun | Dec 29, 2012 | Crisis, December 2012: Eastern Europe, Fail, Public Transportation, Serendipitous!, Ukraine
So in pulling an all nighter after last night’s festivities, I made a major mistake of letting everyone sleep a little more. Instead of giving them about an hour before having to leave the hostel, I decided to wake everyone up about 20-30min before. What ended...
by Calvin Sun | Dec 26, 2012 | December 2012: Eastern Europe, How Did You Do That?, Serendipitous!, Ukraine
Panorama of Potemkin Steps (click to enlarge) The Potemkin Steps just got served. And then there were 5… …reunited with 10 more at none other than the famous Potemkin Steps. At a first impression, Odessa combines a snapshot of former Soviet...
by Calvin Sun | Dec 17, 2012 | Hawaii, Serendipitous!
17 months ago I attended a wedding in Srinagar, India hosted by the Dar family. And 17 hours ago I attended another wedding in Honolulu, Hawaii hosted by another Dar family. Both unforgettable days. The view from my balcony "They’re not jokes. They’re...
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 | Apr 19, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Blitzkrieg!!!, How Did You Do That?, How's the weather?, Public Transportation, Serendipitous!, Switzerland, The Nightlife, Walking Tours, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
One of the last moments of the trip After 5 hours in Frankfurt, we landed in Geneva, Switzerland where we had a whopping 20 hours to kill. Our options were: Stay in Geneva, meet a friend, and rest up before heading back home Head to Berne, meet a friend, and...
by Calvin Sun | Apr 14, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, How Did You Do That?, Iran, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
As Americans, you’re not allowed to wander around Iran alone. You’re supposed to be guarded by an MFA-approved tour agency at all times following a strict itinerary. But that was not the case today. In true Monsooning fashion, we decided to skirt...
by Calvin Sun | Jan 4, 2012 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Fail, Morocco, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
They say that 1st time is happenstance, 2nd time is coincidence… Let it be known that after our first run-in — and now definitely after this second coincidental run-in, Gerard Butler now reads this blog, and I quote from June (left in...
by Calvin Sun | Jan 2, 2012 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Fit for Foodies, Morocco, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
Usually I would resort to these titles to grab your attention, but if you look at the picture above, you’ll see it’s more than a gimmick. It’s for real: 5 minutes ago we ran into Gerard Butler in the maze of souks within the Marrakech medina. Being...
by Calvin Sun | Nov 29, 2011 | Belize, November 2011: Guatemala & Belize, Post-travel Reflections, Serendipitous!
No other country has left such a positive impression on our departure than Belize. I woke up this morning realizing for the very first time in my life, I could possibly miss a flight. Let me break down the math for you: It was about 7:45am and our flight...
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