Travel on ngmarley.com

Saigon vs Chiang Mai (winner: CNX)

Sun, 01 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Chiang Mai, Thailand is one of my favourite places in the world. After arriving yesterday from Saigon, I immediately noticed the stark constast between the two places. Saigon is loud, crazy, bustling, dangerous, a concrete jungle. And hot. Really freaking hot.

Chiang Mai is less of all of that, in every category. It’s not too loud, a little less busy, not very dangerous, and instead of concrete jungle, it kinda feels like the city was built in an actual jungle. There’s trees, greenery, plenty of wats (Buddhist temples) just about everywhere you look. It does gets hot here, and it feels a bit more humid, but it’s worth the tradeoff, in my opinion.

Least-Expensive Fruit Stands in Taipei

Sat, 05 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A Fruit Stand in the area of Dalongdong Temple, Taipei City

Being vegan who likes to eat raw whenever possible, I eat a lot of fruit.

Of course, Taipei doesn’t have too many raw food cafes (any?), but it does have a lot of fruit to offer. tropical fruits and the same “regular” fruits that we get at home (my favorite is dragonfruit — 火龍果).

Taipei - initial experiences

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Wow, just wow. Where to start?

Taipei is a bit like I expected for an Asian city. Small shops everywhere, no obvious zoning considerations at all, general Asia street smell…

I found a nice tea house in the Yongkang street area (Da’an district) while I was walking around and — wait for it — waiting for another tea house to open. Guess the early bird gets the worm? Finding True Heart teahouse was a breath of fresh air.

Refresh Yourself in the Airport

Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

When traveling long-distance flights with multiple connections, I always feel 100% better after refreshing myself, changing my socks and shirt.

I’ve found that it’s generally easier if I can locate the family restroom, then refresh in there. I’ll wash my feet, dry them with my Packtowl, then put on a fresh pair of socks. I also will wash/rinse my armpits and apply fresh deodorant, and change my shirt. The aforementioned Packtowl is wonderful when traveling.

In transit to Taiwan

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The last 2 weeks of life have been a complete blur. I’ve been running around like crazy trying to get loose ends tied up in Arkansas, get assets moved around and re-allocated, and sell my big stuff (e.g. car) that I won’t need abroad.

Right now I’m in the Narita airport in Japan, about 80 or so km east of Tokyo.

And unlike my last short visit to Japan, this trip’s layover is only about 3 hours, so there’s really no time to get out and see any of Japan. So I’m staying in the international terminal, getting some food in my stomach and waiting for my evening flight to Taipei.

How to Get Your Passport (for US citizens)

Wed, 26 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

US Passport

Note: I wrote this back in 2010. I think the fees might have increased, and I’m not sure if the links are all working now. Get the book, not the card. The card is useless. Oh yeah, now you have the option to get the 26-page or the 52-page version. I don’t think there’s a price difference, so just get the 52-page version. Trust me on this one.

Finally, some solid goals.

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Sunset on a Highway in Alabama

Feel like I’ve had a breakthrough tonight. Maybe it’s a combination of being alone for a few hours (INTJ - I charge up on being alone), or maybe it’s the slight lift that I got from the cup o’ tea that I had a little bit ago, but it’s starting to click.

For years, I’ve wanted to “travel the world” and be mobile, yet make an income at the same time. But it was so hard to envision without getting a time-consuming and draining customer support job.

Almost Christmas!

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Update: After 3 months, I have finally received my refund from JetStar. I still can’t recommend that anyone ever give them any of his/her hard-earned money, though. #worstcompanyever

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here.

Our last post left off with us in Chiang Mai, Thailand, about to complete our one-month stay in our apartment. Since then, Brittany and went all the way through Malaysia to Singapore via train from Chiang Mai. It was a long, multi-stop journey. We first went from CM to Bangkok, which took about a day (24 hours. We took a sleeper). Trains in Thailand aren’t that great, and stop a lot. For apparently no reason. For hours at a time. After a night’s rest in Bangkok, we took another train to Penang, Malaysia, also on a sleeper.

Thailand - September 2012

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

My wife and I have been in Thailand for over a month now. We will be in our apartment until around October 9th.

Thailand is a beautiful country in SE Asia. The Thai culture is predominantly Buddhist and very conservative. The landscape is beautiful and the people always have a smile. But Thailand is not what it used to be. It’s not as inexpensive as in the past. Tourists are everywhere. This country loves tourism (but not necessarily tourists — just their money). Although Thailand is the “land of smiles”, I get the feeling that a lot of the Thai smiles given to the farang are not genuine. I’ve seen Thais turn from really “helpful” to quite nasty when they realize they won’t be getting any of your money.

Japan – initial experiences

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I am in transit from London to Auckland, with an 8-hour layover in Tokyo, so I thought that I might as well explore the city a bit. (As of the last 10 years or so, as US citizens we no longer need a special visa to enter Japan.)

Japan is unlike any of my recent (within the last 5 - 6 years) travel experiences. For one, I cannot speak or read even a little of the language. This has led to some unexpected things. For one, I withdrew about 10 times what I wanted from the ATM (about $600 instead of $60). No worries, I can change it back at the end of the day.

Language Skills

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Chicks dig dudes with mad skills

Chicks dig dudes with mad skills. Today I’ll cover one of the most important types of skills to have this day & age: language skills. Language skills are some of the most valuable skills in existence, and their value ranks just a little bit below ninja skills and right around technical skills.

The ability to speak another language or several is one of the most beneficial and rewarding talents available to us today. Especially today, in this increasingly connected world. It’s much easier to travel than ever before, and also much easier to learn a new language. Of course, the best way to learn a new language is to travel to a place which speaks that language, hands down. If someone really wants to learn a language, I believe he/she can do so, and learn that language fluently, in a matter of months. Not years, months.

Arrival at Quebec City

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Le Château Frontenac

Quebec City (known locally as just Québec) greeted me with 20MPH+ winds whipping freezing rain into my face as I trundled out the door of the bus station, laden with only my (quite full) backpack. It was so freakin cold. And wet. But I still had to go about 15 minutes walk before arriving at my hostel. Fifteen minutes in freezing wet rain and wind that kept whipping across every exposed part of my body. But I endured. And I’m glad I did, because if I didn’t, then I would have died I guess, and that would suck. Anyway…

How to Find Cheap Airline Tickets

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

I hear a lot of people complaining about high ticket prices these days, especially with regard to international flights. Cheap airfare isn’t as hard to find as many think it is, if you know where to look. I can usually find a price lower than most people find by following some basic guidelines.

Basic Stuff

Go to Mobissimo.com & enter your departure/destination airports (or city/country). This site is my 1st stop when checking ticket prices and I haven’t been able to find less expensive tickets anywhere else.

Things every internet café should do to improve service

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Internet and Tacos

This was originally posted on my old blog, ngmarleyDOTnet, on Jul 21, 2009 @ 17:28 CDT. That blog is now defunct and the content is slowly being absorbed into this one. This is one of a few posts I wrote when traveling Latin America during the summer of 2k9. I distinctly remember writing this one in an internet café in Buenos Aires.

(hint for proprietors: Better service means more customers. Which means more cash flow. For you.)

Como me le va?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Medellin Taxi

This was originally posted on my old blog, ngmarleyDOTnet, on Jul 12, 2009 @ 15:00 CST. That blog is now defunct and the content is slowly being absorbed into this one. This is one of a few posts I wrote when traveling Latin America during the summer of 2k9.

As I entered a taxi a couple of days ago, the driver said to me “¿Cómo me le va?”, which I took to mean “Como le va?” (how are you), but he added an extra “me” in there, which perplexed me. In all my time studying/speaking Spanish, I’ve never heard it worded this way before (with the extra 1st person personal pronoun thrown in). I asked the taxista to repeat the question, and he clarified for me with a slowly-spoken “¿Cómo estás?”.

Medellin, Colombia

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

A Typical Paisa

This was originally posted on my old blog, ngmarleyDOTnet, on Jul 10, 2009 @ 21:48 CST. That blog is now defunct and the content is slowly being absorbed into this one. This is one of a few posts I wrote when traveling Latin America during the summer of 2k9.

I’ve been in Colombia for a week now. I was in Cartagena for 4 days, and I’ve been in Medellín for 3. Cartagena is nice to visit, but has too much of a tourist vibe for me. But Medellín… this has got to be one of the greatest cities to which I’ve ever been in my entire life. For one thing, there aren’t many foreigners here because this isn’t a touristy place. Also, compared to all the other cities I’ve been in Latin America, it seems a lot more tranquil and safe. And it’s surrounded my mountains on every side. But the biggest reason is… the women. They are all gorgeous here. Derek’s post on Colombian women sums it up perfectly. This is one of the few cities in which I would consider spending the rest of my life. Maybe. I would at least consider finding my wife here.

Panama

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Stilt House in Bocas del Toro, Isla Colon, Panama

This was originally posted on my old blog, ngmarleyDOTnet, on Jun 30, 2009 @ 09:45 CST. That blog is now defunct and the content is slowly being absorbed into this one. This is one of a few posts I wrote when traveling Latin America during the summer of 2k9.

Rudi Gunn: What’s a Panama? Al Giordino: It’s a Navy thing. Rudi Gunn: I didn’t know you were in Panama. Al Giordino: We weren’t in Panama, we were in Nicaragua. Rudi Gunn: So why do you call it a Panama? Al Giordino: Because we thought we were in Panama!

Costa Rica

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Sunset in Guanacaste

This was originally posted on my old blog, ngmarleyDOTnet, on Jun 22, 2009 @ 09:37 CST. That blog is now defunct and the content is slowly being absorbed into this one. This is one of a few posts I wrote when traveling Latin America during the summer of 2k9.

So, I’ve been in Costa Rica for almost a month now and not posted anything here yet. I hope to break that trend soon.

Traveling vs. Living

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Hobbiton

I got back from a trip to south Texas at 4:20 am this morning. A trip in which I realized that I really don’t like traveling – at least not the “traveling” part. It was a lot of driving, and a lot of my car falling apart {it now has 227,000 miles on it and makes some awful scraping noises}.

I love seeing new cultures & spending time getting to know an area, a culture and a people, but hate the actual transport part of it. I arrive to my destination tired and dirty. I don’t like being tired. Or dirty. I also usually arrive hungry, which I also don’t like being.