I forced the cab driver to stop on the side of Sheikh Zayed highway and strained my neck to a 90 degree angle with my back. I had just landed in Dubai and I was trying to fathom the earth’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa Dubai. The immensity of cranes dominating the skyline looked like flamingos on Lake Nakuru in Kenya.

With the barest essential of all plans, I jetted to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to take a one month Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) course with TEFL International Buenos Aires.  Apparently, TESOL and TEFL are practically the same thing.
Still dazzled and overwhelmed with kilos of beef due to my recent landing in Argentina, the course started off on schedule.  The course was held in the ritzy district of Recoleta in a beautiful historical mansion known as the Recoleta Institute.   The prestigious and very European area of Buenos Aires is home to  numerous fancy restaurants, …

After hearing about boating the Mekong River, there was absolutely no way I could leave the country of Laos without embarking on the water journey.  I happen to be getting a Thai visa in Vientiane and had some spare time to explore the country a little further North.  After a number of ultra lazy days in the charming town of Luang Prabang and setting up the transportation logistics, I boarded a slow boat en route to the Thai border.
For 250,000 Kip (equal to about $30) we would receive 3 days …

Other than people running to Vientiane to make a Thailand visa run there are also numerous valuable things to do in the capital of Laos including lessons on relaxationism.
Vientiane has to be one of the most relaxing capital cities in the world.  It seems that no one is in a hurry and barely anyone has a schedule set in concrete.  Everyone floats by, calmly laughing, slowly relaxing, and passionately enjoying life.  Obviously men carry on sporting the natural shirt vent super casually.  Vientiane can be a welcome relief as no …

It somehow seems hard to find concrete information on the web regarding how to make a Thailand visa run to Vientiane, Laos.  I have been on two visa runs to Vientiane recently and have taken notes to show the costs and how it really is not a very difficult process.  The first time I went, I obtained a 2 month tourist visa.  The second time I got a job teaching English in Bangkok and went to Vientiane to apply for a non-immigrant B visa so that my job could then apply for …

1. Chili Peppers…Please!
I grew up eating food with spice and sometimes with chili.  Throughout SE Asia however, I have nurtured my ever craving lust for the succulent seeded heat of chili peppers.  I simply can’t taste food unless there is an abundance of hot chilies involved in the meal.  In my month in Indonesia, I was able to come up with 9 mandatory foods to eat in Indonesia and every single dish would not be the same without a massive dollop of sambal chili sauce.
2. No Toilet Paper …

As I exit my van back to Bangkok, I get out to urinate and see a pick up truck with something massive in the back.  After nearly choking in my awe, the vehicle begins to maneuver its way out of the parking lot.  It is literally a small Nissan Frontier with an 18 wheeler truck load in the bed.
We don’t really know, this guy could have figured out how to drive a car in Indonesia, maybe he loves to booty shake in Bangkok, or eat durian buffets; but there is …

This is Part 1, check out Voluntouring in Bicol, Philippines: Part 2
Recently a super typhoon has battered part of the Philippines including the region of Bicol.  Many people have gathered together to make efforts at helping others through the devastating destruction.  GK is making efforts for relief, clean up, and rehabilitation.
In July 2009, I ventured to the Bicol Region in the Philippines to check out some Gawad Kalinga villages (if you don’t know what GK is check out Building Houses with Hope), do some touristy things, eat some chili peppers …

The People’s Democratic Republic of Laos had already impressed me.  The sense of community, the warmness of the people, and the loyalty.  I could observe friends and family members alike helping each other out, caring for each other,  and socializing everywhere.  It seemed to me that the people of Laos really took time to enjoy small and simple things in life like relaxing under a crimson sunset, or watching the consistent calm flow of the Mekong River go by.
I arrived in Luang Prabang early one morning to a magnificent sunrise …

I had been eying, smelling, hearing, and came close to touching, but still had not officially tasted the famous Dampa seafood extravaganza in Manila, the Philippines.  Dave Damron from Life Excursion (check out his site) donated a small monetary fund which translated directly into getting dirty in some Dampa, also known as engorgement.

Dampa is a wet market full of all living and dead great tasting things from the sea.  Stalls at the market are piled high with an abundance of ultra fresh, squirming goodness.  I went to the Macapagal Blvd. …