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  • Making money living the life of your dreams

    Making money living the life of your dreams

    It’s not often I get schooled on how to live the life of your dreams, but it happened this past Monday. Joan and I went on a kayaking trip we found offered as an AirBnB experience. As a tour guide, I am often skeptical about paying someone else to lead me on an adventure. The…

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  • Top 3 things I don’t like about Oaxaca Mexico

    Top 3 things I don’t like about Oaxaca Mexico

    I’m willing to bet that if you are surprised by that title, you’ve either never been to Oaxaca or have not been to other places I would consider “authentic” Mexico. Oaxaca lacks the vitality of other Mexican cities, is isolated in southern Mexico, and doesn’t offer a cuisine that can’t be found in other parts…

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  • Vietnamese Ear Cleaning

    Vietnamese Ear Cleaning

    Last year my good friend Dave told me about an unusual experience he had after getting a haircut in Vietnam. The barber asked him if he wanted something additional done. Though he didn’t know what the barber had offered, Dave is always game for cultural experiences, so he said yes. “Next thing you know”, he…

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  • Cuba up close

    Cuba up close

    Visiting Cuba is like going on a date with someone you met online. You’re enchanted by pictures of an attractive 20 year old, but when you arrive, they turn out to be 90. I’d never had an interest in visiting a place that people had described as impoverished, lacking in phone service and most of…

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  • Getting taken for a ride in Bangkok

    Getting taken for a ride in Bangkok

    One of the things SE Asia is known for is its low crime rate. I hear from many solo women travelers that this is one of their top reasons for traveling here. Joan and I are amazed to see people walk away from their laptops while they use the restroom or leave their keys in…

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  • A Haunted statue park near Bangkok

    A Haunted statue park near Bangkok

    I found myself in Thailand. I don’t mean that spiritually. I mean I found a guy who leads Meetup groups on unusual adventures around Bangkok similar to the unique tours I lead around Portland. This week Joan and I joined him and a small group of people to visit a haunted statue garden, a floating…

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