Feb 25, 2013 Posted by AJ

Mahout training in northern Thailand

January 7. Day 23. I woke up early and wandered my way to the travel agency where Eddy was scheduled to pick me up. After doing a lot of research, I found vast differences between the elephant camps that were available near Chiang Mai. Eddy Elephant Chiang Mai repeatedly showed up high on the customer review ratings and more importantly, they treat their elephants with love, respect, and don’t abuse... read more

Jan 24, 2013 Posted by AJ

Bangkok. Where not wearing underwear can land you in jail.

January 1. Day 17. 2013!! Happy New Year everyone! First things first. I may or may not have worn underwear (a gentleman never tells) while in Thailand, but I certainly didn’t do any jail time. Now onto my adventures in Bangkok… After the fireworks ended (amazing by the way – Railay Beach knows how to throw a New Year’s Eve Party for sure!), I stretched out my bamboo mat and slept... read more

Jan 22, 2013 Posted by AJ

Yoga, Meditation, and Monkey Thievery

December 28. Day 13. Party day. As in THE Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Beach. However, after several nights of partying – especially my encounter with Thai Methamphetamines – I decided it was time to pull chocks and head to another place. I had spent 4 days on Koh Phangan and felt I had explored all I could. Full Moon Party? Nah – not my thing. Onward.     I headed to the Thong... read more

Jan 11, 2013 Posted by AJ

Thai Methamphetamines and Hot Pan BBQ

December 21. Day 6. I wandered around town most of the afternoon checking out the temples and as the sun began to set, decided to duck into a little chill bar just inside the eastern wall for a bite to eat. Here I had some wonderful pad thai, a tiger beer (or two?), and met Bradley and Damien from Cape Town South Africa. Damien was DJ-ing and had some great trance chill songs spinning. He also played... read more

Jan 3, 2013 Posted by AJ

Spending time in Chiang Mai

December 19. Day 4. I arrived in Chiang Mai early in the morning (the train was late – as I’ve come to learn most train arrivals are in Thailand) and decided to wave off the barrage of taxis and tuk-tuks that bombard tourists with offers to take them places. In reality, they see us tourists as easy targets… and for good reason. More on this later. I learned very quickly that the best way... read more

Dec 27, 2012 Posted by AJ

The start of my adventure

December 16. Day 1. The flight from Cincinnati to Chicago went off without a hitch. My layover in Chicago was ~3.5 hours so I had plenty of time to get a bite to eat, stretch my legs, wander a bit, go through customs, and settle in for my longest flight ever. The flight from Chicago to Amman was MURDER. (15 hours) 4 movies. Lots of talking with my new friend Abdullah who is a college freshman in FL at FIT... read more

Nov 12, 2012 Posted by AJ

Travel the world

The most IRRESPONSIBLE (and best) thing I’ve ever done… Share this:DiggPrintShare on Tumblr Pin... read more

Nov 6, 2012 Posted by AJ

My visit to Gloucester Massachusetts

If you’ve seen the movie “The Perfect Storm” (or one of the other many movies filmed here), then you’ve seen Gloucester, Massachusetts. Everything you see around the bay and harbors is postcard-worthy and the people are warm and friendly. It’s only a ~45 min drive from Boston so it provides a perfect afternoon adventure. I got up here early in the morning so I could take my... read more

Nov 2, 2012 Posted by AJ

My adventures in Boston

As an aircraft mechanic, travel is always a possibility, but not always an option. Most days (99% of the time) I spend my time driving to the same hangar at the same airport doing the same inspections over and over again on the same airplanes (notice the potential for monotony?). An opportunity was mentioned a couple weeks ago to spend some time in Boston setting up a new base to make sure a new series of... read more