Dal bhat power 24 hour

It is time to say goodbye to Nepal, after a wonderful month of constantly being out of breath, sweating, and leg pain.

Return to Kathmandu

After my last post, I hung out with some Israelis in my hostel in Kathmandu whom…

Lord of the views: the fellowship of the van

Hello from New Zealand! Instead of saying “cool” or “ok,” everyone here says sweet as. Sweet as what? Even my SIM card’s iPhone app has “sweet as” buttons instead of “ok” buttons.

Lord of the views: the two hikers

Welcome back to the adventures of Sam, Jelle, and our campervan, Paula! Last time, our heroes arrived in Franz Josef Glacier to commune with the Franz Josef Glacier. That’s right, the town and the glacier share a name. With nary a freedom camping spot in sight, we…

Need mo’ momos

I don’t think it’s controversial to say that the capital of every Southeast Asian country is a hot, dusty, crowded mess. Bangkok, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Kathmandu, to name a few…I haven’t even been to Delhi yet but I’ve already heard the horror stories. That said, only a few days in, and…

American ellipsis

Shappy fans,

I’ve had a bit of a health scare the past two weeks that landed me back in the States, but am happy to report I’m now cleared to get back on the road!

I don’t talk about this a lot, but here goes. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune…

Lord of the views: return(ing) of the van

The fellowship of the van has reached Auckland, and that’s a wrap for New Zealand! Jelle and I just treated our campervan, Paula, to a spa day — vacuum, carwash, maintenance check — and said our goodbyes at her depot outside the airport.

Lord of the views: an unexpected detour

Last time, our heroes had just arrived back in Te Anau, a small city outside Milford Sound, lounging around after two incredible days of fjords, glowworms, and sandfly massacres. It was mid-morning, and we just wanted to relax. Little did I did know the…

Tuk-tuk sir?

After another whirlwind return to the US of A, I am back halfway across the world in Sri Lanka! This country, located just off the southeastern tip of India, is referred to as the “jewel of the Indian Ocean” with good reason. It really has it all — beautiful beaches, verdant highlands, and incredible…

Just more pictures of sunsets: Gili Air, Lombok, and Kuta^2

Hello shappy fans, thanks for tuning in to another edition of the blog. This dispatch comes to you from the lobby of my hostel, Nature Lodge Sepilok in Malaysian Borneo— it’s evening here and we’re in the middle of a good old…

Borneo boy: jungles and cities

Last episode I left you an exhausted conqueror of foreign vistas, lying in bed at Jungle Jack’s in Kinabalu National Park; now we need to get me to Sepilok a few hours away.