The Monsoon Diaries: How to travel the world with no time or money -

Grenada Más

by Calvin Sun | November 4, 2025 | Grenada, October 2025: Pirates of the Caribbean's At World's End | 0 Comments

🇬🇩 190 down. 3 to go. After our 3 day stay in Dominica, we took a long hour-and-a-half drive back to the airport from our Portsmouth lodgings, stopping for a quick photo opportunity along the way. Dominica's airport is tiny. You...

Dominica-n’t Miss This

by Calvin Sun | November 1, 2025 | Dominica, October 2025: Pirates of the Caribbean's At World's End, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

From St. Vincent, we boarded InterCaribbean Airways JY 717 at 12:20pm. Their new airport, however, was built just 8 years ago and still has some operational quirks. The staff double-printed my first leg itinerary from St. Vincent to Barbados without including...

Dead Men Tell No Layovers: St. Vincent & The Grenadines in 12 Hours

by Calvin Sun | October 29, 2025 | Layovers, October 2025: Pirates of the Caribbean's At World's End, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 Comments

Fresh off a quick overnight in Grenada (courtesy of a free JetBlue voucher from last October's Welcome to Chinatown gala), we touched down at Maurice Bishop International Airport at 1:53pm. This marked the beginning of a 3-country Caribbean...

Getting Away With Robbinsville: The Akshardham Redemption

by Calvin Sun | October 6, 2025 | Camping, Layovers, New Jersey, October 2025: Camping in Robbinsville | 0 Comments

One of my more unique camping trips to have monsooned; this is what happens when you plan a camping trip months in advance just to visit a temple arguably worth seeing as a world-class destination. I was stuck at work all day Friday as Eddie took the initiative...

A Quick Halifax Check

by Calvin Sun | September 12, 2025 | Layovers, Lessons Learned, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Walking Tours | 0 Comments

After two days in Saint-Pierre (and a turbulent ferry ride to Miquelon and back), we boarded an hour-and-a-half direct Air Saint-Pierre 9am flight to Halifax, landing around 9:30am local time (Halifax runs an hour behind Saint-Pierre), Our onward...

Miquelon Impossible

by Calvin Sun | September 11, 2025 | Doctor in the House, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

Sometimes the most spontaneous detours leave the strongest impressions. That morning in Saint Pierre, we hadn't planned on leaving the island. But after completing two walking tours around St. Pierre and checking the ferry schedule, we realized we could still...

48 Hours in a Little Saint-Pierre-ce of France

by Calvin Sun | September 11, 2025 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

After three days soaking in St. John's charm, we dropped off our rental car at YYT Saint John's airport to catch the rare 5pm direct flight (PH1127) via Air Saint-Pierre to Saint-Pierre & Miquelon: one of the few weekly connections between Newfoundland and...

Don’t Be Dildo-Dallying

by Calvin Sun | September 9, 2025 | Canada, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

While based in St. John's, we took a spontaneous day trip by rental car to the now-famous town of Dildo. You'll know when you arrive; they're incredibly proud of their distinctive name. Though a vocal minority has repeatedly raised referendums to...

St. John’s: The Eastern Edge of Everything Everywhere All At Once

by Calvin Sun | September 9, 2025 | Canada, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

Months ago I decided to gift myself a week off after Labor Day...simply because I could. After a year as wild as this past one, I craved actual and intentional self-prioritization to restore some balance. Finding fares under $200, I booked a morning departure:...

Singapore Airlines Business Class FRA-JFK

by Calvin Sun | August 5, 2025 | Flying Fancy, Germany, Summer 2025: The Long Road to Berlin | 0 Comments

After a slow morning walk and talking about our villain (antihero?) origin stories in Berlin, I hugged Daniela and Gabe goodbye, hopped on the tram for a few stops, went underground for the metro, and made it back to the hostel in time for a 1:30pm check out. Nisha,...

OH! Before You Head To Lebanon…Read This:

by Calvin Sun | Jun 16, 2011 | Lebanon, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Travel Warnings

Guess what's been issued as I'm about to embark on my journey into Lebanon today:The Department of State continues to urge U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to current safety and security concerns. U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should...

Our Last Day In Istanbul

by Calvin Sun | Jun 16, 2011 | Fit for Foodies, Introspection, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Türkiye (Turkey), Walking Tours

We finish off Istanbul with a relaxing day of sightseeing. After beginning our day at the Turkish Baths with a thorough scrubdown and massage, we hopped on a metro: ...where we ended up near the Spice Market and the New Mosque. Right by the Galata...

Blessed Are My Eyes: Hagia Sophia

by Calvin Sun | Jun 16, 2011 | Let me tell you a Story..., Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, The Nightlife, Türkiye (Turkey), Walking Tours, What Dreams May Come

There are very few moments in life where you stop to think, and forget to start again... We knew we only had 2 days in Istanbul, so upon our 6am arrival into the Bus Terminal (from our 12 hour overnight bus from Cappadocia) we got a little antsy as they kept us...

No Green Ads Here.

by Calvin Sun | Jun 16, 2011 | Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Türkiye (Turkey)

That photo above gives you an idea of what pollution is like in Istanbul... I guess the newer sign is the one on the right, while the older sign is...the one on the left.

Reflections On Kappadoyka

by Stephanie Quan | Jun 15, 2011 | Introspection, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Türkiye (Turkey)

2 hours after my 13 hour flight from LA, I boarded a 12 hour overnight bus with Calvin to Cappadocia. It was like 11am pacific time when I got on the bus; I was well rested and wide awake. This was going to be a long ride for me. But much as I was dreading it, in the...

En Route To Istanbul

by Calvin Sun | Jun 14, 2011 | Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Türkiye (Turkey)

It's currently 3am in Turkey, and I'm sipping very very hot chai at a very very cold remote rest stop 3 hours outside of Istanbul. They made me pay to use their squat toilet. Oh squat toilets, how I missed you so. -- What we did a few hours before we...

Backpacker’s Guide To The Cafe

by Stephanie Quan | Jun 14, 2011 | Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Türkiye (Turkey)

While Calvin is going back to the hotel to grab our bags for the bus back to Istanbul, let me describe my surroundings. I'm typing this with a wireless connection in Panorama Cafe. There are clay pots which hang from the ceiling with backpacker's signatures. "Germany...

Cappadocia On The ATV

by Calvin Sun | Jun 14, 2011 | Fit for Foodies, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Türkiye (Turkey)

Just because the balloons got rained out doesn’t mean we can’t have another kind of adventure: We rented a couple of ATVs and took them out on the town, and caught some beautiful views: Sonya: “Maybe that’s why they call it love valley?” Oh Sonya, you’re...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »