I wasn’t a very big fan of New Zealand as my last couple posts probably made clear. Sure, it is a beautiful place but the ridiculous cost and distance make make it very hard to justify a visit when you can get the same beauty for so much less effort and cost elsewhere in the …
Author Archives: Jason
Roadtrip Around Southern New Zealand
New Zealand is a beautiful place to visit, though it is essentially Montana with beaches. Considering the ridiculous prices for everything, I really can’t say it’s worth visiting. If you have been to the Pacific Northwest or Montana, then nothing in New Zealand will be much different except all of that natural beauty is crammed …
New Zealand: Welcome to 1990!
New Zealand is a beautiful country with super nice people. I can easily say that, though to be completely honest I am having trouble finding anything really unique to say about it. While New Zealand is beautiful, it is not the most beautiful place I have visited. The people are super nice, though not the …
Cha Cha Cha Yen
Perhaps the most well known drink in Thailand is cha yen. Literally this means “tea cold” or iced tea. Cha yen is often referred to as “Thai tea” by foreigners. Whatever you call it, cha yen is absolutely delicious. Cha yen is traditionally made from strongly brewed Ceylon tea and may include orange blossom water, …
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew, Phetchabun
On the way back to Bangkok from Songkran in Chiang Mai we decided to take a little detour to Phetchabun and see Wat Pha Sorn Kaew. Phetchabun is not visited very often by foreigners since it is off the normal tourist trail. Phetchabun is in the “mountains” of Thailand, so it is relatively cool and …
Happy Songkran!
Songkran, the Thai water festival, just finished. Two years ago I celebrated Songkran in Bangkok where they celebrate for three days. This year I celebrated Songkran in Chiang Mai, where the festival is celebrated with exceptional zeal. The festival starts early and ends late—five days of throwing water! Songkran is not specifically a Thai festival, …
Security & Limitations While Traveling
One of the most inconvenient and least helpful things about traveling is the “security” and regional issues you encounter. Credit cards block you from using your card (even if you warned them up front), accounts are blocks because of “suspicious activity,” and a host of other annoyances. Want to watch Netflix or listen to Songza? …
Galle Fort & Unawatuna Beach
I wrapped up my trip to Sri Lanka with a visit to Galle, pronounced “gawl” in English. I chose to stay in Galle Fort, which in retrospect was a mistake. I am sure I would have enjoyed staying at nearby Unawatuna much more, despite it being overrun by tourists. I hadn’t even planned on visiting …
Yala National Park [Photo Gallery]
Yala National Park is the most famous national park in Sri Lanka. Located in the Southeast corner, it isn’t necessarily the easiest to get to, but the wildlife is worth the effor. I saw pretty much everything you could see with the one major exception of leopards. Yala is sort of famous for leopards, however …
How Ceylon Tea is Made
I had never been to a tea plantation before or visited a tea factory. Tea is everywhere in Sri Lanka because, well, they are super famous for it. Ever since the British colonized Sri Lanka and re-named it Ceylon for who-knows-why, they have been growing tea. Coffee might have been the main product if it …