The sky is still blue and the sun as dazzling as ever ... Whichever way the winds blow ... UPDATED: 04-28- 2020 Check this out if you're still traveling or hosting: https://www.couchsurfing.com/groups/everything-related-to-covid-19-or-corona-virus HOSTING from NOW onwards ... I am traveling around but ... can host if we're both at the same city. Check with me for updates and locations... ( for NOW, the Miami place is UNavailable till further notice ) UPDATED: 01-01- 2018 HOSTING from Jan 2018 onwards in THAILAND ... I got a place in there! Can host if I'm there when you're also there. Check with me to find out more... ( for NOW, the Miami place is UNavailable till further notice ) UPDATED: 07-07- 2017 Well I've finally completed the 10th year of my odyssey … 10 continuous years of NON-STOP travel. Never knew I would come this far!!! Whew ... And it all started so very far away and long ago, one summer day in 07-07-2007 ... At first glance, it appears to many I’m living "the life" - yes go wherever I fancy, stay for as long as I like, or simply leave with the next passing breeze ... but really, aside from the fun and adventure, there’s the constant search for a nice bed to lay down, living out of a suitcase, packing for all seasons, trying to make ends meet with often a meager allowance when better times came and went... ah but then the good times are well worth the efforts. There’s never a dull moment … not in my wildest imagination thought I would somehow sit next to a live tiger for a photo-shoot; or set foot on "James Bond Island" (Thailand); traipsing through the ruins of Ta Prohm (Angkor Wat) like a Tomb Raider;  or gazing across the river at the glimmering white marbled Taj Mahal. On top of that, went into the wilds of Alaska searching for Aurora Borealis, embarked on a walkabout across Kakadu (Australia). Even entered Sleeping Beauty's Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein). Then rode a camel caravan into the Sahara (Morocco) sands. Waded with the sharks (well at least the little baby Black Tips) along the shallow turquoise blue lagoons of French Polynesia. And before I knew it, I was climbing the white-washed hilly towns of Santorini (Greece); or sipping tea in Monet’s garden (Giverny, France); while contemplating about the millions of Monarch butterflies I would later encounter in their winter Mexican forest sanctuary. Then waking up to sounds of countless chattering macaws within the vast Amazon jungle. Ah, not to forget Machu Picchu when lightning striked just feet away! And before long, I was seeking Nessie at Loch Ness, Scotland; or gazing at the Jungfrau from a cozy cafe in the Swiss Alps. But whether chasing myriads of waterfalls in Plitvicka Jezera, Croatia, or rambling deep in the million year old jungles of Malaysia, or hiking the glaciers of the Canadian Rockies, you can say that ( I quote from "Bladerunner” ) - “I’ve seen things you people wouldn't believe ... but all those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain …” Unfortunately... unless you keep them "alive" - in your minds ... and forget me not. ... whichever way the wind blows ........ Till a voice, as bad as Conscience, rang interminable changes On one everlasting Whisper day and night repeated - so: "Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges - "Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!" ………. The Explorer, Rudyard Kipling UPDATED: July 2014 Now into my 8th year of continuous traveling, that included a few pet/house-sittings, and even some hosting (and rescuing) of fellow CSers/travelers along the way (not to leave out teaching & enriching many people with knowledge & cooking skills amongst many things), it still never ceases to amaze me how it all began long ago & so far away ... On 07-07-07 a crazy notion made me cast aside all familiar comforts and security of my cozy life to go on a "walkabout" just to figure out what this world and life is all about. I just didn't want to be stuck in a rut, like most of my friends, that I would loose sense of living and let life pass me by. I wanted to experience life to the far extent - to venture into the unknown - to boldly do few men dare to do ... And that's how it all began ... I have traveled and lived life 'par hasard' (by any means) - meaning I don't have a specific destination nor plan. Here, there, and a little bit of everywhere is all there is to my schedule - to travel leisurely to all the places I've always wanted to go but didn't have the time nor chance before. Then I would stay for as long as I like or simply leave with the next passing breeze ... On 08-08-08, after over a year of wandering, I've decided to keep up this insanity; perhaps somewhere along the way I'll find a place to call home and then some. On 09-09-09 I thought, everywhere seemed just as interesting as the previous, so why not explore another year and see how that goes ... That is if the wind is still blowing favorably ... Thus the insanity, I mean adventure, continues... On 10-10-10 I realized I was more or less on an adventurous streak, visiting monumental places of interest and quite liking it ... so the travel & saga continues. On 11-11-11 I thought since I've come so far, why not continue until 12-12-12? So far I've found & lost love along the way so perhaps I may find a place to call home too. Otherwise I'll run out of "same" numbered dates (13-13-13?)! Well 12-12-12 came and went but still no hint of where to settle ... I thought perhaps December 21st would put an end to it what with all those revelations, rumors and predictions as pertaining to the end of the Mayan calendar. Didn't happen. Neither a whimper nor a big bang... Oh well, guess I'm compelled to wander this earth a bit longer then ... perhaps to tell about my "gold" tale until that "*ancient mariner" spell is lifted? Besides Ulysses took ten years to reach home, so what's with a few more? Onwards with this **Odyssey? Here's to whichever way the wind blows ........ *The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge **Odyssey by Homer And heavens no, I'm not 88! (I won't want to travel by then) Figure people would put two & two together and know I'm such a kidder. Actually 88's a pair of lucky numbers (in Chinese that is). MORE? Well I was born in Asia. My parents were from Shanghai, China. Last place I lived in was California, before I decided to pack up everything and abandon the rest to go see the world. Then later on I stayed in Florida for a short while, and recently in Asia. Oh and I don't smoke nor do drugs and alcohol - got to stay alert & healthy for those insane trips you know. "Where have I traveled since I started July 2007?" people ask. Well starting from San Francisco, I went on to ... CANADA (Jul 2007): Vancouver, Victoria BC, Lake Louise, Banff AB, Montreal QC, Halifax, Charlottetown, Cavendish, USA (Aug 07): Cape Cod MA, Hartford CN, New York NY, EUROPE (Sep-Oct 07): Budapest, Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, USA (Nov 07 - Jan 2008): San Francisco, Las Vegas, Santa Cruz, Honolulu, FRENCH POLYNESIA (Feb 08): Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora, Maupiti, Tikihau, Rangiroa, HAWAII (Mar 08): Oahu, AUSTRALIA (Mar-Apr 08): Sydney, Brisbane, Kuranda, Cairns, HAWAII (Apr-May 08): Maui, JAPAN (May-Jul 08): Tokyo, Kawaguchiko, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Amanohasida, Himeji, Nara, Kamakura, Yokohama, Nikko, USA (Jul 08): San Francisco CA, Salt Lake City UT, ALASKA (Aug-Sep 08): Fairbanks, Anchorage, Girdwood, Sitka, Ketchikan, CANADA (Sep 08): Prince Rupert BC, USA (Sep-Dec 08): Seattle, San Francisco CA, Miami Beach, Gainesville, St.Augustine, Key West, The Everglades FL, THE VIRGIN ISLANDS (Jan 2009): Tortola, Virgin Gorda, St. Thomas, ARGENTINA (Feb 09): Buenos Aires, Tigre, URUGUAY (Feb 09): Colonia, BRAZIL (Mar 09): Rio de Janeiro, COSTA RICA (Mar-Apr 09): San Jose, Tortuguero, Monte Verde, Santa Elena, Manuel Antonio, USA (May-Aug 09): Miami FL, Atlanta GA, Charleston SC, Charlotte NC, Richmond VA, Washington DC, New York NY, Boston MA, Portland ME, Conway NH, Burlington VT, CANADA (Aug-Sep 09): Quebec City QC, Toronto ON, Niagara Falls ON, Calgary AB, Drumheller AB, Banff AB, Emerald Lake AB, Lake Louise AB, Waterton AB, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, USA (Oct 09 - Apr 2010): Bellingham, Seattle, Bainbridge Island WA, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Cambria, San Simeon, Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Santa Cruz, Capitola, San Francisco, Muir Woods, Bolinas, Yosemite CA, AUSTRALIA (Apr-Jul 10): Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Lorne, Geelong, Adelaide, Perth. MALAYSIA (Jul 10): Kuala Lumpur, SINGAPORE (Jul 10): Singapore, THAILAND (Jul 10): Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, CAMBODIA (Jul 10): Siem Reap, THAILAND (Aug 10): Phuket, Phang Nga, Bangkok, CHINA (Aug 10): HongKong, Macau, TAIWAN (Aug-Sep 10): Taipei, Hualien, INDIA (Sep 10): Delhi, Agra, Udapur, GERMANY (Sep-Oct 10): Berlin, Munich, AUSTRIA (Nov 10): Salzburg, Mondsee, Königssee, GERMANY (Nov 10): Fussen, Rothenburg, Munich, ITALY (Nov 10): Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome, Padova, Verona, Venice, GREECE (Dec 10): Patras, Athens, Fira, Oia, ENGLAND (Dec 10): London, CAMBODIA (Jan 2011): Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, THAILAND (Feb 11): Bangkok, Koh Tao, Koh Nang Yuan, LAOS (Feb 11): Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, THAILAND (Feb 11): Bangkok, Pattaya, SINGAPORE (Mar 11): Singapore, THAILAND (Mar 11): Pattaya, Bangkok, USA (Apr-Jul 11): San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento CA, Flagstaff AZ, Albuquerque, Santa Fe NM, Seattle WA, CANADA (Jul-Sep 11): Edmonton, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff AB, Vancouver, Victoria BC, USA (Sep 11): Port Angeles, La Push, Forks, Neah Bay WA, CANADA (Sep-Oct 11): Victoria, Esquimalt, Vancouver BC, USA (Nov-Dec 11): Miami FL, SPAIN (Jan-Feb 2012): Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, LaLinea, Tarifa, GIBRALTAR (Feb 12): Gibraltar, MOROCCO (Feb-Mar 12): Tangier, Marrakesh, Agadir, Ouarzazate, Merzouga, Essaouira, SPAIN (Mar 12): LaLinea,Ronda, Sevilla, Carmona, Cordoba, FRANCE (Mar-May 12): Montpellier, Sete, Le Grande-Motte, Maguelone, Aigues-Mortes, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Avignon, Arles, Annecy, Rumilly, Chartres, Jouy, Maintenon, Soindres, Mantes La Jolie, La Roche Guyon, Mantes La Ville, Auvers Sur Oise, Giverny, Vernon, Paris, Avranches, Mont St. Michel, Cherbourg, Vauville, Dielette, Carteret, Bricquebec, Auderville, Barfleur, IRELAND (May 12): Tramore, Cork, Killarney, Blarney, Cobh, Kinsale, Galway, Moher, Doolin, Kylemore, Dublin, Kilkenny, UAE (Jun 12): Dubai, THAILAND (Jun 12): Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, CAMBODIA (Jul 12): Poipet, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, THAILAND (Aug 12): Pattaya, Bangkok, JAPAN (Aug-Sep 12): Osaka, Miyajimaguchi, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Ohara, Arashimaya, Uji, Osaka, KOREA (Sep-Oct 12): Seoul, Suwon, JeonJu, Daegu, Gyeongju, Busan, Seoul, JAPAN (Oct-Nov 12): Tokyo, Hakone, Yokohama, PHILIPPINES (Nov 12): Manila, Angeles, Tagbilaran (Bohol), NEW ZEALAND (Nov 12 - Feb 2013): Auckland, Waiheke, Paihia, Whitianga, Hamilton, Tongariro, Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Punakaiki, Queenstown, Franz Josef, Te Anau, Invercargill, Dunedin, Oamaru, Christchurch, Tekapo, AUSTRALIA (Feb-Mar 13): Brisbane, Darwin, THAILAND (Mar-May 13): Bangkok, Pattaya, Pak Chong, Khong Kaen, Udon Thani, CAMBODIA (Apr 13): Siem Reap, AUSTRALIA (May 13): Perth,Fremantle, Wellard, SINGAPORE (Jun 13 - Jul 13): Singapore, THAILAND (Jun-Jul 13): Bangkok, Surat Thani & vicinity, MALAYSIA (Jul 13): Georgetown, CameronHighlands, Ipoh, KualaLumpur, SINGAPORE (Aug 13): Singapore, MALAYSIA (Sep 13): Johor Bahru, Mersing, Tioman Island, Melaka, KualaLumpur, INDONESIA (Sep-Oct 13): Bali, Gili, MALAYSIA (Oct 13): KualaLumpur, Taman Negara, Johor Bahru, SINGAPORE (Oct 13): Singapore, CHINA (Nov 13): HongKong, USA (Dec 13): San Francisco Bay Area, MEXICO (Jan-Feb 2014): Mexico City, Cancun, PuertoMorales, PlayaDelCarmen, Tulum, Chichenitza, PERU (Feb-Mar 14): Lima, Cusco, MachuPicchu , Manu, ECUADOR (Mar 14): Quito, Banos, COLOMBIA (Mar-Apr 14): Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, SantaMarta, Tayrona, Minca, Bogota, USA (May 14): San Francisco, UK Scotland (May 14): Edinburgh, Inverness, St.Andrews, Oban, Iona, UK England (Jun 14): Keswick, Grasmere, Ambleside, Hawkshead, Dungeon Ghyll (Lansdale), WIndermere-Bowness, Penrith, York, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Pickering, Hutton-le-Hole, Oxford, Bibury, Bath, Castle Combe, Dover, NETHERLANDS (Jun-July 14): Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Kinderdijk, Delft, GERMANY (July 14): Cologne, Koblenz, Cochem, Bacharach, Mainz, SWITZERLAND (July 14): Bern, Murren, Gimmelwald, Interlaken, AUSTRIA (July 14): Innsbruck, Vienna, HUNGARY (Aug 14): Budapest, CROATIA (Aug 14): Zagreb, Plitvicka Jezera, POLAND (Sep 14): Krakow, Warsaw, LITHUANIA (Sep 14): Vilnius, LATVIA (Sep 14): Riga, Majori, ESTONIA (Sep 14): Tallinn, FINLAND (Sep 14): Helsinki, HUNGARY (Sep 14): Budapest, THAILAND (Sep-Oct 14): Bangkok, CAMBODIA (Oct-Nov 14): Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, THAILAND (Nov-Dec 14): Bangkok and vicinity, MALAYSIA (Dec 14): Georgetown, MALAYSIA (Jan-Mar 2015): Langkawi Is, Georgetown, KualaLumpur, Melaka, etc SINGAPORE (Mar 2015): Singapore, THAILAND (Apr-May 15): Bangkok and vicinity, Ayuthaya, MALAYSIA (May-Jun 15): Georgetown, THAILAND (Jul-Aug 15): HuaHin, Bangkok and vicinity, HuaHin, MALAYSIA (Aug 15): Georgetown, THAILAND (Sep 15): HuaHin, MALAYSIA (Oct 15): Georgetown, KualaLumpur, SINGAPORE (Oct 15): Singapore, CAMBODIA (Oct-Dec 15): Phnom Penh, Kep, Kampot, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, MALAYSIA (Dec 15): KualaLumpur, Georgetown, MALAYSIA ( Jan 2016): Georgetown, KualaLumpur, PHILIPPINES (Jan-Feb 16): Cebu, Davao, CHINA (Feb-Mar 16): Hong Kong, USA (Mar 16): San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, CANADA (Mar-May 16) Vancouver, Victoria, Lake Louise, Banff, Kelowna, Vancouver, USA (Jun 16): Honolulu, JAPAN (Jun 16): Tokyo, Kawaguchiko, Takayama, Kanazawa, Tokyo , PHILIPPINES (July 16) CHINA (Aug 16): Hong Kong MALAYSIA ( Sep-Oct 16) THAILAND (Nov 16) MALAYSIA ( Dec 16 - Jan 2017) THAILAND (Feb-Apr 17) PHILIPPINES (May 17) CHINA (Jun-July 17): Hong Kong currently and still going ... as the lone rider slowly fades into the sunset, thus concluding the 10 years odyssey ... where will he go next - why, only the winds would know ... whichever way the wind blows ........ Also view ALL my pictures posted at the links below: (currently updating - check back later …) PHILOSOPHY To live life with finesse & elegance and not get stuck in a rut ... and to boldly go where no man dare go - that is to abandon the security of a home, job, and familiar surroundings just to wander off and chance the unknown - all for the sake of adventure (or insanity) ...