I’m tired of traveling. It seems no matter where I go, whatever the distance, it essentially takes a day of travel before beginning to settle into a new place. In SE Asia, travel days can be far from perfect. Instead of starting over
Author: Michael Green
Earthdrifter is a travel wellness blog that allows for the documentation of insights and ideas through the infinitely rich avenue of writing.
It was the first night in humongous Ho Chi Minh. I was adrift when it hit me: The phone’s battery is losing its juice really fast. It was almost 10 p.m. I was equipped with a fresh SIM card, but no battery juice
For better or worse, likely the latter, I’m addicted to coffee again. In Cambodia, I’ve been drinking precisely one smooth cup in a café every morning for the last two weeks. For many of us humans, caffeine is an elixir, while to some
I often get the question: How do you travel for so long between jobs? When I begin to answer, I realize it’s not so cut and dried. There are at least 10 ideas that want to jump out of my mouth simultaneously. So
I’ve done it in Arabic, Lao, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese. I gained language functionality in these foreign tongues with minimal, yet consistent, easy effort. Functional isn’t conversational. Functionality is using practical words for ordinary situations. Here we’re reminded to learn hello
Once in a while I get the question: What’s your favorite country? My answer has typically been:, the exact place I was in, or the last new country I had drifted to. Sheer newness elevates optimism. Fresh surroundings breed content and enhanced excitement.
While Vietnam’s coffee allure may have pushed me into consuming more caffeine than ever, it also nudged me to give it up, at least for the last 19 days. I have no immediate intention on stopping this cold-turkey endeavor. Still, the abstinance could
I awoke at 4:15 a.m. I don’t want to deal with electronics at that hour. It’s a deal I’ve made with myself. Although the habitual thought loomed, I observed it, and let it slip away. Psychological win! Mostly, the only thing mindful was
Wide sidewalks, yet long blocks, make Danang a pleasant alternative to Hanoi’s cluttered streets and practically endless buzzing traffic. Hanoi’s Old Quarter thrives in organized chaos while Danang seems to prosper without this potentially-perceived pandemonium. Danang has a wide, luxuriously-long, soft-sandy beach. It
Laos is a land to love. It’s an earth space that can have you feeling like you’ve stepped back in time, while simultaneously, the country is developing at a moderate pace. I don’t believe that Laos is well-known to most of the eight-billion-plus