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,...

10,000 Leagues Up In The Air

by Calvin Sun | Dec 25, 2010 | Mexico

Thanks to Google Chrome, we have wireless on this flight. Just wanted to test this out and say hello from 10,000 ft up in the air!

Hello From JFK!

by Calvin Sun | Dec 25, 2010 | Pre-travel Preparations

Hello from JFK Airport! Jasmine, Cula, Nilam, and myself are chilling in the Delta SkyLounge waiting for our flight in 45 minutes. They made me carry all their stuff:

It’s About To Begin, Again.

by Calvin Sun | Dec 24, 2010 | December 2010: A Clinic in Mexico, Epiphanies on the Road, Mexico, One Small House, Pre-travel Preparations, What to Pack

No rest for the weary. Not even 3 days after unpacking from Hong Kong, I'm already repacking for 5 days in Mexico: 2 short-sleeved shirts 2 long-sleeved shirts 2 pairs of pants 4 pairs of underwear 4 pairs of socks 1 fleece 1 sweatshirt 1 krama 1 pair of...

How It Feels To Be Home

by Calvin Sun | Dec 20, 2010 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Hong Kong, Post-travel Reflections

So I'm back home and the above photo describes exactly how I feel.

Heading Home

by Calvin Sun | Dec 19, 2010 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Fit for Foodies, Hong Kong

How can a trip be complete without something getting served? Thanks to Vicky for coming out to see me a day after getting her wisdom teeth pulled! We haven't seen each other for at least 6 years (since we were seniors in high school), and it was...

Hong Kong By Night

by Calvin Sun | Dec 18, 2010 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Fit for Foodies, Hong Kong, The Nightlife

I think my trip in Hong Kong has been defined by limitless amounts of good food. Like being in NYC Chinatown but much much better. After what seemed like a 15 course dinner, I wandered about a few hotels along the river: And then my brother Linus...

Dim Sum For The Soul (And The World’s Longest Escalator System)

by Calvin Sun | Dec 18, 2010 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Fit for Foodies, Hong Kong, How's the weather?

UPDATE: I added some videos of the drive in and through Hong Kong - Out of the Airport and into the Maw I have to say, the 60ºF weather here is a welcome respite from the biting 20ºF I experienced right before leaving NYC. It's funny to see so many people here walking...

Finally Out Of The Airport And Into The Maw

by Calvin Sun | Dec 17, 2010 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Hong Kong

I realized that Hong Kong is the city I've been to the most without actually being in it. I passed through Hong Kong's HKG Airport to get into Manila, Surabaya, Taipei, and scores of other destinations in Asia throughout my life but never once have I stepped...

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