Kuala Lumpur’s Not that Bad
By Stephen Bugno It’s not that great either. But the average traveler can find something interesting in KL to fill at least a couple days, even if it’s just relaxing in a nice hotel
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Destinations
Singapore’s Southern Ridges
My interest in bridges started in middle school when my older brother began winning a series of bridge building competitions. My dad bought him a big photo book of the world’s most interesting and important
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Jungle Trekking in Mulu National Park
By Stephen Bugno The highlight of many visitors trip to Borneo, and the reason for coming at all, is Gunung Mulu National Park. Mulu holds the largest cave chamber in the world, lush primary rainforest,
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Photo from the Road: Kota Kinabalu Night Market
If there were a capital city of Borneo, it’d be Kota Kinabalu. KK, as the city is known, is a great base for exploring Sabah, the northern of the two regions of Malaysian Borneo.
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Niah Caves National Park
By Stephen Bugno Niah Caves aren’t the biggest in Malaysia, but they may be the most interesting. Don’t get me wrong, the caves are enormous, likely the biggest you’ll ever walk into (unless you go
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Wildlife on the Kinabatangan River
By Stephen Bugno My first orangutan in the wild “You’re quite lucky,” our guide says from rear of the boat. “This is a good start.” It is a great start. Only five minutes into our
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A Day in Bangkok Time Lapse Video
I spent a few days in Bangkok with Juno from RunawayJuno.com and we put together this photo-motion video over the course of a whole day. This is the first time I put one of these
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Road trip to Brunei
Noel hesitantly agrees to take me to Brunei. He’s Malaysian and thinks it’s no more interesting than his own country, just more expensive. But he’s driving me the 160 km mostly to make me happy.
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Photo from the Road: Penang, Malaysia Walking Tour
I’m ashamed to admit that before a few weeks ago I didn’t even know Penang existed. After having visited for only one afternoon, I can say it’s one of my favorite places I’ve been to,
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Crossing into Malaysia
By Stephen Bugno This morning I walked into Malaysia. It is a welcome change from Thailand. I thought I loved Thai food, but whoa, Malaysia is a food-lovers paradise. After I few more weeks I’ll
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Getting Soaked at Songkran: the Thai New Year
By Stephen Bugno On the morning of the first day of Songkran I expected to be woken up by firecrackers. Supposedly it chases off the bad luck of the previous year. I was staying in
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My First Day in Bangkok (and where to get travel shots)
Saving money on travel shots I just spend the first morning in Bangkok getting my necessary travel immunizations. Getting these shots here in Bangkok was a strategic move to save money—something I wish I could
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What I packed: 3 Months in Southeast Asia
By Stephen Bugno Packing light is a refined art—I’ve been trying to perfect it for years. I’m almost there. The good news is the longer my trip , the less stuff I bring. On short
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Why I’m going to Borneo
By Stephen Bugno It was October 2005. I had arrived on foot in Leon, a city in northern Spain situated along the Camino de Santiago. One of the fellow Pilgrims who welcomed me that evening
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Portugal: Alentejo and Algarve Beach Towns
Not only is it a good value destination, but Portugal a rich history, good food, and some of the friendliest people I’ve met in Europe Despite the Algarve’s reputation as an over-developed vacation spot for
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It’s not about the free couch
If you’re a member of couchsurfing.org, you may already know how awesome it is. For those of you who are not, I just want to stress all the amazing experiences I have had because I’m
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Crazy about Kimchi
For the Love of Kimchi Sure the pay was decent, and the working conditions acceptable, but I have to admit, food was a major factor in my deciding to get take a short-term teaching contract
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Photo from the Road: Jeonju Architecture
Jeonju is a traditional city with a strong culture. It is also one of the best cities in South Korea to see preserved architecture in the form of historical monuments and houses. I took a
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The Independent Spirit of Gwangju
By Stephen Bugno Far outside the suburbs of Gwangju, in southwestern Korea, is the May 18th National Cemetery. Visiting is a moving experience—sad, beautiful, inspirational. In May of 1980 demonstrators of the democratic uprising were
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Photo from the Road: Jeju’s Lava Tubes
South Korea’s Jeju Island is known for having some of the best examples of lava tubes anywhere in the world. On nearly my last day in Jeju, after teaching English at a winter camp for
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The Hills of Jeju
By Stephen Bugno “Don’t worry about Halla-san.” Says Jonghyun, referring to the massive volcano that dominates the center of the Jeju Island off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula. “Instead focus on the 368
Climbing Halla-san
By Stephen Bugno As my South Korea Moon Handbook points out, Halla-San, or Halla Mountain, is the island of Jeju-do. It is South Korea’s highest peak and rises tall out of the center of the
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My Korean Lunar New Year
On the morning of the Korean Lunar New Year, Eun Taek picks me up in his white Hyundai SUV. His parents are sitting in the back seat and we are on the way to his
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No Beggars, No Thieves
By Stephen Bugno Korea’s Jeju Island is known for what it has and for what it lacks. It is called Samdado, meaning “Island of Three Abundances” due to its strong wind, sufficient supply of rocks,
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