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,...

As if I Didn’t Have Enough Coincidences In My Life…

by Calvin Sun | Aug 11, 2010 | China, Lessons Learned, Serendipitous!, Uncategorized Stories, United States

As if I didn't have enough coincidences and run-ins already from my travels in India and Singapore, I asked myself while getting on the plane to NYC: "wouldn't it be funny if I also run into someone I know on this flight?" ...and there you have it, the moment I...

Afterplay.

by Calvin Sun | Aug 11, 2010 | Post-travel Reflections, Serendipitous!, Uncategorized Stories

As my flight is currently making its way from Shanghai to New York City, I want to dedicate the Monsoon Diaries' first ever trip to the following people, because frankly, you were pretty much everything what this trip was about:

So…This Is It.

by Calvin Sun | Aug 10, 2010 | Epiphanies on the Road, Singapore, Summer 2010: Southeast Asia & India

Is it normal to have thoughts of walking away from the boarding gate? It happened in Singapore Changi Airport a few hours ago, and now it's happening again in Shanhai Pudong International. My flight home is departing at this very moment. Is this...

The Last Bits Of My Journey

by Calvin Sun | Aug 10, 2010 | China, How's the weather?, India, Public Transportation, Singapore, Summer 2010: Southeast Asia & India

Layover in Shanghai before returning home. Looking back I realize... And all good things shall come to an end... I party it up with some classy ladies in Singapore on National Day: I return the favor by having their apartment served:...

Homeward Bound

by Calvin Sun | Aug 10, 2010 | Epiphanies on the Road, Lessons Learned, Singapore, Summer 2010: Southeast Asia & India, Uncategorized Stories, What Dreams May Come

What if life turned out the way it does in the movies? Sometimes they can: And I'm staring at a plane that will take me away from this place. Press play. And then start reading. This is our last goodbye I hate to feel the love...

Singin’ In Singapore!

by Calvin Sun | Aug 9, 2010 | Singapore, Summer 2010: Southeast Asia & India

These are my last 2 days of my adventure, and I'm back in Singapore. It's only fitting I sandwich India with this lovely city/state/country. It's only fitting that I end my trip by running into Nikita back from Hyderabad. We left off at "That was...

India In A Nutshell

by Calvin Sun | Aug 8, 2010 | China, Doctor in the House, Fit for Foodies, India, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Summer 2010: Southeast Asia & India

Nothing I can write about my last country on this journey will do this subcontinent any justice. This isn't a place to visit or fetishize; it's a place that just is, and demands for you to just be. FOOD Home cooking - everywhere You...

INJURY!!! I Cry: Mahaballapuram

by Calvin Sun | Aug 8, 2010 | Doctor in the House, India, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Public Transportation, Serendipitous!, Summer 2010: Southeast Asia & India

AHHHHH!!!!!!! And what kind of idiot falls into a well? Ok, let's set up the story.It was another crazy WTF coincidential reunion: While at the Chennai bus terminal yesterday, I was trying to seek out other foreigners to check if I was waiting at the...

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