Western Australia constantly blew me away. I was in awe all the damn time. Everywhere I went felt like nowhere I’d ever been. I was astounded by the colors, by the bold reds and the unexpectedly lush greens. Everywhere, the oldness of the earth…
Penang may be a tropical island, but it’s not exactly a beachy paradise. Instead, tourism here revolves around Georgetown. The capital is designated a UNESCO World Heritage City, a former stronghold of the colonial spice trade where history and diverse cultural influences meld today…
Road tripping the Gibb River Road, I found the Australia I’d always imagined — and a side of the Outback I never knew existed. This blog has seen no end to the love I developed for Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region while living at…
Australia Destinations Western Australia
Ten Reasons the Kimberley’s Gibb River Road Should Be Your Next Australian Road Trip
Backpacking suggests a certain kind of independence, a lifestyle that’s all one-way tickets and wide-open spaces and solitary ephiphanies in paradisal places. Sometimes, backpacking lives up to exactly that kind of life-changing ideal — but just as often, like any other mode of travel,…
Of all the popular destinations on the various backpacking routes that loop through Southeast Asia, Penang retains a distinctive vibe. Unlike its neighboring islands, Penang isn’t known for paradisal beaches and spectacular landscapes. Its main appeal lies instead in the singular atmosphere of Georgetown,…
Destinations Western Australia
Paradise in Cape Leveque and Middle Lagoon: The Gibb River Road-Kimberley Adventure, Part V
This is the fifth and final entry detailing my ten-day outback adventure around Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region. Catch up with the beginning of our trip off-roading the iconic Gibb River Road here, here and here, and check out our detour to the otherworldly,…
After nearly a month in Georgetown, I’m down to my last afternoon here in Penang. I’m writing this from the hostel’s front patio, where I’ve spent countless hours both working and hanging out with fellow travelers. Over the past few weeks, I’ve crossed paths…
I’ve been in Penang for three weeks now. Most of the people I meet passing through the hostel think that I’m crazy. “A few weeks?!” they repeat after me, incredulous. “What could you possibly do here for that long?!” For me, it’s gone quickly.…
“I feel just like I’m in China.” It’s a sentiment I’ve heard often since I arrived in Penang a couple of weeks ago, both from travelers like me who’ve only dreamt of going and from students who’ve studied in China for years. One of…
Australia Destinations Western Australia
The Bungle Bungles: The Gibb River Road-Kimberley Adventure, Part IV
This is the fourth entry covering my ten-day outback adventure around Western Australia’s Gibb River Road and the remote Kimberley region. Catch up with the first three installments of the greatest road trip you’ve never heard of here, here and here! DAYS 7 &…