Last updated Mar 3, 2019 | First published on Nov 16, 2018 | Philippines, Travel Stories
You learn a lot of useful things while traveling, particularly in a place such as Siquijor Island in the Philippines. For instance, I didn’t know that a manananaggal is a hideous, blood-sucking witch capable of detaching her upper torso and sprouting wings to...
Last updated Nov 13, 2018 | First published on Mar 8, 2015 | Travel Stories
Drastic times require drastic measures. With the fate of my trip to Thailand in just a few days resting on some bureaucrat’s desk, I decided to take matters into my own hands — where they belong. I made an appointment for 8 a.m., hired a sleek Nissan, and...
Last updated Nov 15, 2018 | First published on Jul 26, 2010 | Borneo, Brunei
Click. I didn’t think anything of the harmless photograph taken of the busy street corner. A green sign with Arabic beneath advertised “Jalan Sultan” — the street name. Behind the sign was a Dairy Queen — the first and only one that I...
Last updated Oct 31, 2018 | First published on Jul 18, 2010 | Borneo
Vagabonding is less about the clicking pictures of landmarks and more about the little adventures. Sometimes those little adventures fall into your lap when you least expect them — or want them — and sometimes you have to go looking for them. It’s a...
Last updated Mar 3, 2019 | First published on May 30, 2009 | Indonesia (Not Bali)
Another wisp of gagging, poisonous sulfuric gas hit me in the face and made me shut my eyes. Once again, I was slipping and sliding on loose volcanic rocks — yellowish rocks that you can crumble in your hands. The insecure footing makes it tough to stand up, let...
