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

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 | 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, 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,...

When You’ve Never Been to Berlin

by Calvin Sun | August 4, 2025 | Let me tell you a Story..., Serendipitous!, Summer 2025: The Long Road to Berlin, The Nightlife, Walking Tours | 0 Comments

If it's not already playing, press play. And then start reading. After 3 days in Amsterdam, Nisha, Sujay, Priscilla, Kenny, and myself boarded a 2pm direct train bound for Berlin. It was a 7.5-hour journey that gave us just enough time to reflect...

Avenue of the Gods, Avenue of the Baobabs

by Calvin Sun | Aug 27, 2019 | Madagascar, Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

After a morning hiking 4 hours around Tsingy de Behamara, we flew back on our private charter flight to Morondava at 2:30pm to catch a walk along Baobab Avenue at sunset. We were over the avenue at about 40 minutes into the flight. ...

Feeling A Little Tsingy de Bemaraha — The Limestone Forest Cathedral

by Calvin Sun | Aug 26, 2019 | Fail, Flying Fancy, How Did You Do That?, Madagascar, Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, What Dreams May Come

MADAGASCAR! We're here! The original plan was to arrive to Madagascar directly from Mayotte via a 4:40pm Ewa Air flight ZD 210. That would've been a personal accomplishment as about a few months ago I was struggling to book these flights online on Ewa...

O Mayotte! (Comoros -> Mayotte -> Madagascar)

by Calvin Sun | Aug 25, 2019 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Fail, Getting that VISA, Layovers, Mayotte, Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, Walking Tours, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

After our day in Comoros -- the #10-#12 least visited country in the world (depending who you ask) -- let's get even more off the beaten track: Mayotte, a French island in the Indian Ocean off East Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique that ceded to...

Don’t Be a Moron-i, Comoros and Have a Good Time!

by Calvin Sun | Aug 24, 2019 | Comoros, Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

After our last night with Ravi, Bryan, and Brandon in Dar es Salaam, the 7 of us remaining now we go from most traveled to one of the 10 least traveled: Comoros. Having endured 20 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in...

Truth or Dar es Salaam?

by Calvin Sun | Aug 24, 2019 | Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, Tanzania, Walking Tours

Let's face it, Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, is often a necessary stop on the way to or from Zanzibar, a safari in the north (which we're coming back from) or home. So don't set your expectations anywhere to the level that you would for Zanzibar or the...

The Tanzanian Safar(i) So Good Epic: The Ngorongoro Crater

by Calvin Sun | Aug 22, 2019 | Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, Tanzania, What Dreams May Come

Live fast, die young Bad girls do it well Live fast, die young Bad girls do it well My chain hits my chest When I'm bangin' on the dashboard My chain hits my chest When I'm bangin' on the radio Get back, get down Pull me closer if you think you can hang Hands up,...

The Tanzanian “Safar(i) So Good” Epic: The Serengeti Serenade

by Calvin Sun | Aug 21, 2019 | Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, Tanzania, What Dreams May Come

After an 8am breakfast this morning, we headed out at 9am for the famed Serengeti National Park for another game drive. While waiting for our papers to clear at the entrance to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area entrance, a weird human attacked...

The Tanzanian Safari Epic: Lake Manyara National Park

by Calvin Sun | Aug 20, 2019 | Flying Fancy, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Summer 2019: Off The Eastern Coast Of Africa, Tanzania

For our 3rd day in Zanzibar, we took it easy and spent it on massages, lounging at the Park Hyatt, shopping, and essentially making the long wait before heading over for our 8:40pm Air Tanzania flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). There we...

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