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

All Aboard the Santa Claus Express!

by Calvin Sun | February 10, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, Fit for Foodies, Flying Fancy, Lapland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

I woke up to an Arctic sunrise again, this time to send Mel off on her early flight back at 7:30am; she had to return a day before the rest of us. After she left in an Uber to the airport, I cooked the last of what was left in the fridge at the Airbnb and saw...

For Richer, For Polar

by Calvin Sun | February 9, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, Fit for Foodies, How's the weather?, Lapland, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

I just woke up to this Arctic sunrise before everyone else in the Airbnb. I took the time to make some scrambled eggs for breakfast, brewed the coffee, and leisurely sat down to write this blog post as I waited for the rest of the group to come to life. What a...

The Coolest Hotel in Lapland (Literally)

by Calvin Sun | February 7, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, How's the weather?, Lapland, What Dreams May Come | 0 Comments

After sneaking in some sugar donuts just in time before Kahvila Lohihovi Oy closed at 5pm, we continued our 2 hour drive south from Ylläs to the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos, about 30 minutes north of Rovaniemi on the shores of Lake Lehtojärvi....

Ylläs Hear Me Out

by Calvin Sun | February 6, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, How's the weather?, Lapland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

How This Trip Happened On September 30, 2025, a monsooner named Yuhan — who's been on many trips with me — randomly invited me to watch her favorite anime that had a surprise 2-week return to theaters: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, originally released in 2006. I...

Sundance’s Last Dance: Park City, UT

by Calvin Sun | January 27, 2026 | How's the weather?, United States, Utah | 0 Comments

Once again we're gathering friends across time zones and milestones; some have flown in from Philly, others from NYC, one flying over from Dallas just for the weekend to make new friends, all converging together this week on a mountain town for a week of...

Meet the Lappi Wedding Party!

by Calvin Sun | January 26, 2026 | Introductions | 0 Comments

Meet the Sundancers!

by Calvin Sun | January 2, 2026 | Introductions | 0 Comments

From a trip planned over a year ago after a bunch of friends joined me in Killington 2024, we are flying out to Park City, UT for our first time at the Sundance Film Festival for their final time in Park City, UT! Welcome back those returning with me for their...

Niger At Last: A Second Chance

by Calvin Sun | December 10, 2025 | Border Crossing, December 2025 Annex: Niger, Fail, Flying Fancy, Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Layovers, Niger, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come | 1 Comment

11 months ago, I sat on the tarmac in Niger's International Airport at Niamey, watching my trip evaporate due to visa complications. The Niger Embassy in Washington D.C. had stopped issuing visas to Americans entirely. But I don't give up. In late...

Yemen Day 4: Mukalla Drive

by Calvin Sun | December 5, 2025 | December 2025: Yemen - Hadhramaut Valley, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, Yemen | 0 Comments

Al-Mukalla Pulling ourselves away from a desert mirage paradise at Haid Al-Jazil, we swapped our armed guard at another checkpoint during the 2 hour drive to Mukalla. You point that thing away from me! After a long wait at one of the...

Yemen Day 3: Where Reality Surpasses Dreams at Haid al-Jazil-lion Miles Away From Reality

by Calvin Sun | December 4, 2025 | December 2025: Yemen - Hadhramaut Valley, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come, Yemen | 0 Comments

Haid Al-Jazil As the afternoon began to wane, we continued onto our accommodation for the night at the Haid Al-Jazil Resort Hotel, named after what it overlooks and its location perching dramatically on a cliff overlooking the Wadi Do'an. You'll find remarkably...

You’re Going to Miss…“The Fairest Island Human Eyes Have Yet Beheld.” (Part I)

by Calvin Sun | Apr 26, 2014 | Cuba, Spring 2014: Pirates of the Caribbean, What Dreams May Come

Here we go. If it's not already playing, press play. And then start reading. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark Havana You're going to miss the first thought of...

A Moment Of Pause In Cancun

by Calvin Sun | Apr 24, 2014 | Mexico, Spring 2014: Pirates of the Caribbean

I never seen water as blue as Cancun's. Hanging out at Oasis Sens, and just relaxing before I begin another adventure tomorrow. Here goes nothing.Internet is reported to be unreliable where I'm going, so this might be the last update in awhile.

Pickpocketed In Quito

by Calvin Sun | Apr 23, 2014 | April 2014: South America, Crisis, Ecuador, Epiphanies on the Road, Fail, Introspection, Peru, Serendipitous!

After visiting the Middle of the World in the morning, I set off to Quito's New Town to meet Annie Huang, a friend of a friend studying abroad in Quito who had been introduced to me over Facebook last night. ...

Zero, Zero: Mitad

by Calvin Sun | Apr 22, 2014 | April 2014: South America, Ecuador, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

0,0 ...are the coordinates of a town 30-40 minutes north of Quito, called "La Mitad del Mundo" or "The Middle of the World" where the coordinates are essentially 0 degrees South x 0 degrees West: the exact calculated point (i.e. the...

Alone In Quito

by Calvin Sun | Apr 21, 2014 | April 2014: South America, California, Ecuador, Walking Tours

After yesterday's goodbyes, I'm alone for the first time and probably for the last time on this trip. I reflected upon the merits of traveling alone in detail a few months ago, also in South America, in The Case for Traveling Solo: It’s just...

Paz Out, La Paz

by Calvin Sun | Apr 21, 2014 | April 2014: South America, Bolivia, Walking Tours

From Uyuni via Todo Turismo, our group arrived at 7:30am into La Paz the next morning, underslept and cranky from the worst overnight bus ride of our journey: We did a 10 minute hike to Wild Rover's Hostel and freshened up for about a few...

Salar De Uyuni

by Calvin Sun | Apr 20, 2014 | April 2014: South America, Bolivia, Fail, Public Transportation, What Dreams May Come

A dream come true: Salar de Uyuni just got served on Jun's palm Salar de Uyuni just got served I’ve been planning to come to Salar de Uyuni for a few years now, as it’s been on possibly every single “Top # Places That You Wouldn’t...

Leaving For La Paz

by Calvin Sun | Apr 18, 2014 | April 2014: South America, Bolivia, Crisis, Doctor in the House, Fail, Lessons Learned, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Serendipitous!, Travel Warnings

Feeling a little dizzy from the altitude sickness that everyone experiences in La Paz, so I'll make this entry as straightforward as possible... The 11 of us woke up at 5:30am this morning in Valparaiso and pre-booked 3 cabs to pick us up from the hostel for the...

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