Good Idea: Free wi-fi on trains
The commuter transit system that serves Boston has free wi-fi on their trains. I tried the system out when I got the train from Boston to Providence (RI). The signal dropped out a few times along the way, but I was able to load up enough pages to read for the duration of the trip.
Segway tour of Newport
The historic old quarter of Newport, Rhode Island, is fairly compact and easy to walk around. If you want to see the famous mansions of Bellevue Avenue or the scenic Ocean Drive then you will need to: – Have your own vehicle/bike – Go on a tour – Accommodate half a day for walking. Or, [...]
Notes on Fort Lauderdale: beaches and canals
Fort Lauderdale is one of those places that turned out better than I thought it would be. The beaches are better than Miami (softer sand) and the mansions and super yachts along the waterways are truly grand. Fort Lauderdale Beach. Fort Lauderdale is sometimes called the Venice of America. I wince whenever I hear the [...]
Coffee of the day: South Beach, Miami – USA
As much as I love coffee my system can’t handle the bucket sized brewed coffee that is served in the USA. So I was happy to discover that there is this Cuban coffee drinking culture in Miami, where quality over quantity reigns. All over Miami you can find Cuban run places that serve espresso and [...]
CouchSurfing Review
While planning my trip to the United States I discovered that hostels aren’t available in every big city, so finding budget accommodation was proving to be difficult. I had previously signed up to CouchSurfing.org but I had not used it, so it seemed like a perfect time to try it out. Finding A Couch To [...]
Notes on Miami: The Capital of the Americas
Going To Miami It wasn’t my original plan to visit Miami on this trip to the USA. I was planning to road trip from Chicago back to Newport, RI, where I have based myself. It turns out that there is hardly a hostel between Chicago and Newport, so my accommodation budget was facing a blowout [...]
Coffee of the day: Gili Meno – Indonesia
Kopi Lombok on Gili Meno, Indonesia. The Gili Islands are off the coast of Lombok island so they serve Lombok coffee. The coffee is unfiltered so you get some grinds clinging to the side, but most of it settles and it is a good brew. I like the coffee naming system in Indonesia. So far [...]
The Bangkok 9 Wats in One Day Challenge
Bangkok’s reputation as a traffic clogged megalopolis overshadows the fact that Bangkok has more temples than any capital in Southeast Asia. Bangkok is the seat of Thai Buddhism, and the grandest wats in Thailand are in the capital. A popular way to visit the wats is to visit 9 temples in one day. In Thai [...]
Maeklong Market Railway, Thailand – The Train That Goes Through a Market
One of the more interesting train journeys I’ve had is riding through the Maeklong market railway in Thailand. Even if you’ve never heard of the town, you’ve probably seen a youtube video of a train going through a tightly packed market, where market stalls are set up on the rails. The train barely fits through [...]
Coffee of the day: Pakse – Laos
Sometimes a combination of events will come together to make a really good coffee even better. This was the case in Pakse, Laos. I had spent 6 hours on a local chicken bus from Vientiane, which was filled to standing room and baking hot. By the time I got to Pakse I was dreaming of [...]















4 Comments