On a scorching November afternoon, a couple of my Tofo friends and I stepped into the back of a flatbed truck bound for Vilanculos, Mozambique, barely 200 kilometers up the coast from Tofo. In Mozambique, hitchhiking is known as taking a bolivia. The flatbed truck could only transport us so far, so we boarded a chapa – a local bus/van with bald tires and way too many people on board – to the next town. From there, I raised my hand and we had another journey in the back of a van, the warm African sun shining down on us

I asked in my first reader poll what, if anything, you would alter about the site. I begged for honesty, promising that I would take it, and one response, in particular, stood out to me: “Okay”, you inquired. When you state in part 4 of “So you want to be a travel blogger” [that you suggest guest blogging yet don’t allow people to post on your blog], I find it a bit disingenuous. Guest blogging aided you early in your career, yet you refuse to assist other bloggers… I don’t believe that decent guest blogs would detract from your tale.

“Both girls grew up by the ocean and knew it was paradise, and better than Eden, which was just a garden” – Ève Babitz California is a dream destination that you should seize with all your might, embrace it, and savor every moment. You will be blown away by the wonders that await you at every corner. It is a place of myths and fantasies that live up to their reputation – and yet a mystery that never reveals itself fully. Just when you think you have figured her out, you will find out that she has more surprises in

This post was brought to you by Alana Morgan, a Seattle native residing in Chiang Mai who likes off-the-beaten-path treasures as much as the rest of us! As part of our endeavor to make BMTM an even greater resource in Southeast Asia, Alana is here to offer her in-depth expertise of this beautiful northern Thai city. Chiang Mai has several temples. Hundreds in fact. I can understand why people visiting Thailand could be seduced. It’s like seeing churches in Italy — they’re amazing, gorgeous, and, well, they all start to look the same after a time. Yet while Buddhist temples

I was there at Emei Shan (Mount Emei), yet another sacred spot, after Yubeng and Lugu Hu (Lugu Lake), two outwardly contrasting locales that had a comparable significance as a sacred place for Buddhism in southern China. China. Emei Shan is one of the four holy Buddhist mountains situated in China. Situated a few hours by bus from the huge city of Chengdu, it is a little city of tremendous significance for individuals of the Buddhist faith, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For me, there was another mountain to overcome. Owing of its prominence and popularity, the

One of the things that had me most excited about my journey to Thailand was the potential of engaging with the elephants. I wanted to get up and go closer to these lovely regal beasts. I wanted to witness them going through the bush and blowing water from their trunks like in NatGeo videos and documentaries. What I didn’t understand was that like any wildlife tourism, you have to be extremely careful to do it responsibly. Pink photographs are still being pushed around by tourism promotions of travelers having fun with animals, but it’s also our obligation to make sure