Author Archives: Jean Nguyen

Crater Lake

Unlike South America there doesn’t seem to be too many lake-filled calderas in the United States.  Although we hiked along Ecuador’s Quilotoa and Laguna Cuicocha in Otavalo not too long ago, our breaths were still taken away by the majestic beauty of … Continue reading

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Mount Shasta

Having been born and raised in California, I still can’t believe that I waited until I was 30 to visit the quaint, little town and peak of Mount Shasta.  The beauty of the serene woods, tranquil lakes, abundance of outdoor … Continue reading

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How To Make Long-Term Travel Possible

I don’t mind when people curiously ask me, “So what did you have to do in order to live this lifestyle?” I do however mind when people make the ignorant claim, “You’re so lucky you get to travel.” I’ve been … Continue reading

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Budgeting 5 Months in Latin America

Although the cost of living and traveling in Latin America is far cheaper than the cost of living in San Francisco, I knew that the total cost of 5+ months in Latin America would be exponentially higher than my total cost for 5 … Continue reading

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Leaving Cuba and No Fucks Given

Logistics in Cuba always deserve its own story, and so our adventure of simply traveling from Santiago to Havana and departing Cuba gets its own post. Having already dealt with the nightmarish scenario of purchasing domestic plane tickets from Santiago de … Continue reading

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Baracoa

On the far west end of Cuba lies the countryside of Viñales, and on the far east end of Cuba lies the small city and countryside of Baracoa. The history of Cuba’s oldest city is fascinating; the slave rebellion of … Continue reading

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Santiago de Cuba

It really wasn’t until Santiago de Cuba when we finally got a feel for the real Cuba. Not because the city seems to see fewer tourists than Havana, or because its cultural influences come from primarily Jamaica, Haiti, and Africa, or … Continue reading

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Trinidad

Even with the busloads of tourists and hustlers, I was able to sample the time-warp of Trinidad merely by strolling through the quaint cobblestone historic center and biking gently through the hot and dusty narrow streets. The well-preserved colonial architecture … Continue reading

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Bay of Pigs (Playa Giron)

Yes, it was quite the fiasco back in 1961 when the Kennedy administration attempted and failed to overthrow Cuba and Fidel.  Now to our amusement the former Bay of Pigs battle site is home to Cuba’s most accessible dive sites. … Continue reading

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Viñales

In the far west of Cuba in the Pinar del Rio province lie the 11km x 5km limestone karst mountains of Valle de Viñales similar to those of Vietnam and Laos.  Apparently this is the best place in the world … Continue reading

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