Travel days are exhausting, and can at times, be painfully miserable and long. This goes without saying for a backpacker with a do-it-yourself type of mentally. I desire the freedom and options to choose where I go and what I do. But sometimes opting to do things myself, rather than through a tour or group, can lead to heavy punishment in the end.
Our Random Night in Kuala Lumpur
The day before our long, random night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we attended a couch surfing meetup. I am unsure if we were interested in learning more about couchsurfing in general at that time or curious to meet the active couchsurfing individuals themselves.
Caucasian Tan
We attended our first couch surfing meetup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since we have never attended this type of gathering before, we did not know what to expect.
Jump Shot Indonesia
We took this jump shot while visiting the Borobudur temple complex in Central Java, Indonesia.
Click here for our other jump shots.

This is Crap
“Building your character” was my parents catch-all phrase for everything. Growing up, I hated practicing the piano, sharing a room, fixing fence, and picking ditches at our farm. This list could go on and on (I know, my life was so hard).
Travel Luster Dimmed
WARNING: This article makes no attempt to leave out graphic details. It is not for the faint of heart.
I do not think it fair to write only about the amazing experiences and fun times. As much as it pains me to do this, I must even the scale and tell my sad, sorry tale of my experience with montezuma’s revenge, the traveler’s trot, the Toltec two-step, Delhi belly, the runs, traveler’s tummy or the commonly accepted TD (for traveler’s diarrhea), while recovering helplessly and pathetically.
Hostel Fail in Singapore
Upon arrival in Singapore via a somewhat uncomfortable overnight train, we had no plans, destinations, or accommodations lined up. This is a somewhat typical scenario, but usually we know a bit more than we did this time.