Lugu Lake is a location I had never heard of and probably never would have seen if not for Ya Ting, my travel partner in Yunnan province. It spans the border of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, giving the perfect entryway to a province I hadn’t even intended to visit, but have been loving exploring ever since. We found ourselves at the gates of the lake after a very successful day of hitchhiking , then hopped into a 50 RMB minibus going for the lake. The driver was from the minority village group that lives surrounding Lake Lugu. He promised to

Think of the most tranquil place you’ve ever visited. What do you remember? I love the places that make me feel relaxed and happy, whether it’s because of the laid-back atmosphere, the genuine peace, or the wonderful people around me (or all of the above). They give me goosebumps and make me want to stay forever. These are the places that I cherish the most. They are usually small communities that care deeply about preserving and enjoying nature, and the overall mood is serene. Here are some of the best ones I’ve discovered so far: Ella, Sri Lanka Ella is

Sand. Sweat. Sun. A cooling wind follows, to jump out of an aircraft. I was standing near the edge of the dune in Swakopmund, Namibia. That seemed terribly steep and I thought about my shoulder surgery. It’s been years, yet it lingers in my memory anytime I gaze at the edge of anything I’m about to slide or leap at full speed. “I’m not going to believe this coming from someone wearing a skydiving outfit,” quipped Chris, the instructor, when I admitted I felt a bit frightened standing on the dune face. The sand wasn’t like cold snow in the

The sky changed from absolute dark to royal blue, speckled with a milky way of stars spanning from corner to corner in an arc. The sun was rising quicker than my feet could take me, and I was concerned that the peak might become inaccessible in time. I couldn’t stop since there was a continual stream of people behind me. It was too tight for anyone to pass through, and we were on the sand. Despite the fact that I was taking one step back for every two strides forward, an inner voice pushed me to persevere, just as it

“When you leave Africa, as the jet starts off, you have the sensation that in addition to leaving a continent, you are abandoning a state of mind. What awaits you at the other end of your voyage will be of another order of reality.” — Francesca Marciano, “Rules of Nature” East Africa was a different ball game than Southern Africa. The relative abundance of comforts like Wi-Fi, hot water and ATMs that really functioned in South Africa, Namibia and Zambia gave way to dirt huts and brown water when it was functioning, that is. Something else also changed. Copper-colored Namibia,

About a year ago, I posted an essay explaining how I can afford to travel. This was after I had finished my first year of continuous solo travel, and I have since done another ten months. I still receive a lot of letters wondering how I finance this, which made me realize that I wasn’t being explicit enough – even to myself – previously. There were many aspects I hadn’t considered, most notably how my attitude to spending is fundamentally different today than it was previously. I also haven’t completely detailed how I generate money from my blog, so I’ll

My Culinary Quest in Italy I had one goal in mind when I boarded the plane to Bologna after a year of longing: to eat as much, as varied, and as local as I could in a week. Italy has many other attractions, of course: magnificent churches and monuments, breathtaking landscapes and beaches, and friendly people who I’m lucky to call friends. But none of that could compare to my passion for Italian food. Especially the food of Emilia-Romagna, my favorite region to feast on. The name alone makes my mouth water. Most of my Italian friends agree that this