Labuan Bajo, The Port Town with Cool Boats!

Every post doesn’t have to be so serious (cue Joker voice), and that is something that I have a hard time understanding. I want every post to be accurate, informational, fulfilling, and maybe even obsessionally so. What can I say, that’s just me. What does that leave out though? You guessed it, heart!

This is my attempt to loosen up and just write! I don’t know if you noticed, but I don’t do that very often. Most of my posts are logical, methodical, and maybe even a little robotic. Looking at my girlfriend Sidney’s style of writing made me realize that I need a little heart in what I say. I know, I know, it is going to read like an awkward middle schooler trying to talk to a girl just two days after he realized he even liked girls (I’ve been reading “The Wimpy Kid” a little too much it seems)… but I have to start somewhere.

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Komodo National Park

Dragon - Komodo National ParkLocation: (near) Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Visited: July 30-Aug 1, 2013

Site Type: Natural Site

Special Notes:  To properly evaluate this site, I have decided to judge it based on its beauty on the land, in the sea, and through the air. I saw it by land by visiting both Rinca and Komodo Islands on a 2 day 1 night live-aboard boat. The water portion consisted of four snorkeling sites along the way, and a separate scuba diving tour. Finally, the air evaluation is based on the amazing views on our fly over into and exiting Labuan Bajo airport.

Background and Opinion:

Wow…. period. Read more

Indonesia Itinerary: Visiting Komodo Dragons

“The island of Komodo in Indonesia. Remote and Barren. Few people live here. It is ruled by a giant reptile. It looks like a survivor from the age of the dinosaurs. The Komodo dragon. Nine feet long. A top predator. Only one thing can challenge a dragon’s dominance. Another dragon.” -David Attenborough

He smells something.

Some people remember the lines of their favorite movie. Others memorize the touching lyrics of a song that speaks to their heart. I recall these words, the introduction to a place that has fascinated me for the last couple of years. After first learning about Komodo Island from BBC’s Life series on the animal kingdom, I was hooked, intrigued, maybe even a little obsessed. Read more

10 Questions You Never had about Machu Picchu

During my visit to Machu Picchu, I loaded up with a bunch of useless facts, anecdotes, and quirky information. I actually also got some important questions answered, too. Some of these are things I actually wondered, while other information has no other place to find shelter than in this blog. I’ll try to mix the serious and the goofy ones, but am not making any promises!

1) Are there llamas in Machu Picchu? Read more

Wayna Picchu Exploration: A Complete Guide

Sooo… What is Wayna Picchu?

If you look at the official Peruvian site to buy tickets to Machu Picchu, it might get a little confusing as to what exactly is Wayna Picchu and why it’s in a different category than “montaña,” which means ‘mountain’ in Spanish. While I did go over the differences in my post on ‘How to get to Machu Picchu,’ let me re-iterate that it is a mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu. There are two mountains, ‘Machu Picchu Mountain’ and ‘Wayna Picchu Mountain,’ both of which require additional tickets to enter (besides the basic Machu Picchu ticket). It should also be noted that you are not allowed to enter both mountains on the same day. If you want to visit both, you should buy tickets on separate days and they ONLY come as a bundle ticket with the basic Machu Picchu entrance.

That is Wayna Picchu in the back.
That is Wayna Picchu in the back and on the right.

Should I Visit Wayna Picchu?

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