2012
Southeast Asia in full — Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand — and settling into Ubud, the corner of Bali that would become a second home. Brandon also published “Why I Left the Mormon Church.”
Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si Temple
I was going to throw together a long video of everything we've done in the past few weeks, but I decided to split it into a few different posts so I can get them up a little faster and so I can share more pictures without boring you. :)
Dragon, Lion, and Indian Dances
While in Penang, Malaysia, we enjoyed a few cultural celebrations, including a New Year's Eve presentation in Georgetown featuring music, dance, and martial arts from the Malay, Chinese, and Indian populations living in Malaysia. We also went to the Lion & Dragon Dance Parade a few weeks earlier,…
Why I Left the Mormon Church
There have been some rumors floating around that we have left the Mormon church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Perhaps you've seen the pictures of Jen in sleeveless dresses, or you've noticed from my tweets the absence of any mention of church for almost a year, and you're…
42 Things I Did in 2011
Last year, I wrote a list of 77 Things I Did in 2010. Every time I read through it, I feel amazed at all we were able to accomplish in that short year. Compared to 2010, 2011 seems less exciting and even less productive, but it's been richer in other ways. For example, this has been a year full of…
Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, and Orang Utan Island
We recently left Penang, Malaysia for Kuala Lumpur -- about five hours away by car -- and we're loving it here! But on the way, we took a short trip to the Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, and also visited Orang Utan Island rehabilitation center to view some of our closer primate relatives.
Welcome to Kuala Lumpur
We've been in Kuala Lumpur for almost 3 weeks now and we love it! We never thought we'd say that about a big city because we don't like concrete jungles, smog, and places where people are too busy to talk to you. But we've also never been in a city like Kuala Lumpur, and it has some really great…
Reactions to Radical Decisions
Since I announced recently that I left the Mormon church, I've received hundreds of responses from people expressing their opinions, their love and support, and their own journeys with me. The post has been viewed over 2,500 times (most of that within the first 3 days), and there's a thread about…
The Batu Caves
There are a lot of tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur. So many that we haven't even tried to see them all. But we chose a few highlights to enjoy during our month here. One of these was the impressive Batu Caves.
KL Bird Park
Our time in Kuala Lumpur is coming to an end and we're heading out to Singapore in just a couple days. But I still have a lot of activities to blog about and pictures to highlight. One of these was the KL Bird Park, which boasts the largest free flight aviary in the world. From our time in Costa…
Petronas Towers and Petrosains
The most famous landmark in all of Malaysia is arguably the Petronas Towers, which was the tallest building in the world from 1998-2004 before being surpassed by the Taipei 101 skyscraper. It's still the tallest twin buildings in the world, though, and we went to see them several times while in…
Elephants at Kuala Gandah
About 90 minutes northeast from Kuala Lumpur lies the elephant sanctuary at Kuala Gandah. Many elephants have been forced from their homes due to destruction of their natural habitat for farming. Elephants become accustomed to using the same paths their whole lives, and farmers don't usually take…
First Few Days in Singapore
We've been in Singapore now for about a week and a half, and we really like this city. It's clean, probably due to the $1,000 fines for littering (about $800 USD). It's green, with tall trees lining almost every street, and beautifully landscaped greenery at every turn. It's one of the safest…
Gadgets for Geeks in a Traveling Family
I admit it. I'm a gadget geek. As much as I tout the fact that we travel with only carry-on luggage and that everything I personally own can fit in a small backpack, I'm a sucker for small, sleek, stylish, and efficient technology, electronic or not, and a good portion of what's in my backpack is…
More in Singapore
This post is going to be a summary of the rest of our time in Singapore. We spent 3 weeks here total, and kept ourselves quite busy, as you'll see. But we had a great time and experienced some fun and amazing things. Here are the highlights.
First impressions of Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Bali is amazing! In many respects, it has exceeded my expectations, while in others, I'm a bit disappointed. But despite its flaws, and even though we've only been here a week, and we've only partially explored one town, I think we've found where we want to settle for the next year or two. Ubud has…
Balinese Culture and Hinduism
Bali is an island full of culture, especially in Ubud where we're settling for at least the next year. Sometimes called "The land of a thousand temples," Bali literally has tens of thousands of temples and shrines on the island, and most families even have their own temple within their housing…
Small Town Osaka Japan
We waited until the last minute to book our hotel in Japan during the cherry blossom season, which isn't a good idea if you want to have your pick of hotels near the action. Fortunately, we didn't want to be in the city anyway. We wanted to see what living in the Japanese countryside was like. And…
A Short Visit to Kyoto
About an hour northeast of Osaka Japan lies Kyoto, a former capital of the country, and still a cultural treasure housing more temples, shrines, and gardens than any visitor could hope to see (almost 2,000 by some estimates). As we would only be there for two days (three nights) this trip, we…
Birthdays, Books, and Consulting
My birthday is coming up next week. I don't usually do much to celebrate. I try to see every day of my life as a celebration, and I already have everything I need. But this year, there is something exciting happening on May 8: Chris Guillebeau is launching his new book, "The $100 Startup: Reinvent…
Wrapping up Japan
We've thoroughly enjoyed our time in Japan. It's now Emily's favorite country. Jen wants to live here, at least during the warm months. And we all love the food, the nature, the feeling of safety, and the interesting cultural aspects that make Japan unique. Despite the high cost, it's pretty safe…
Settling Into Bali
We've spent the past few weeks getting settled into our home in Bali, where we'll be living for at least the next year or so. It's so nice to be back here in the town of Ubud with the terraced rice fields and tropical climate, the low cost of living, the diverse and delicious food, and the…
The Reality of Spirituality
The town of Ubud in Bali, Indonesia is a hub for yogis, spiritual healers, health conscious individuals, and followers of New Age philosophies. Everywhere you look are ads for meditation courses, yoga classes, or detox retreats. Out of curiosity, and for the chance to get out on my own for a while,…
Planning for the Moment
Do you ever find yourself stuck between the balance of enjoying whatever it is you're doing in the moment, and being lost in hopes or fears about the future? This game seems to play out constantly in my own mind. When I'm not enjoying the moment, the wonders of life tend to pass me by…
Sick in Kuching, Borneo Malaysia
We had already spent more than three months in peninsular Malaysia, but we'd heard that Malaysian Borneo was completely different. And in some ways, it was different, with the numerous indigenous cultures that are prevalent, and being closer to many national parks. However, on our 10 day visa run…
How Healthy Can You Eat?
Ever since we read the book In Defense of Food and watched the documentary Food, Inc. a couple years ago, our family has been trying to eat more healthy. As much as possible we avoided processed foods and began to give up our boxed breakfast cereals (most of the time), pre-packaged meals of all…
She Walks
The day has come. At 14 months old, our baby has learned to walk! She still prefers crawling most of the time, but is now able to stand and walk on her own two feet. Congratulations Aysia! This post will mostly consist of photos and videos of her.
Memorable Moments in Vietnam
Nineteen days, eight towns/locations, and numerous activities in Vietnam has given me much to write about. I have about 170 decent pictures, several minutes of video, and dozens of stories and memories. We heard that Vietnam was overwhelming and chaotic, and much of it was. But it was also unique,…
Living the Good Life
I love my life! It's a lifestyle I've created by choice and through persistent hard work, creativity, a bit of luck, and a lot of help from others. Not everyone would enjoy living like I do. Some people don't like to travel. Others prefer the comfort of a steady paycheck, or are satisfied enough…
Recent Activities in Bali
We first came to Bali over six months ago, and are now feeling quite settled, despite leaving every month or two to renew our visas. We've developed some routines, made some friends, and gotten a bit busy with life. And we absolutely love it here!
That Tingling Feeling
My body has never tingled so much since we moved to Bali! I'm not talking about my leg "falling asleep." These are very pleasant feelings, sometimes subtle and soft, and other times overwhelming, causing my whole body to feel like it's filled with lightning. Sometimes they're accompanied by strong…
From Entrepreneur to CEO
When I started my online business, I did everything myself. The planning, programming, graphics design, database management, server maintenance, marketing, customer support, billing, accounting, taxes -- everything! Most of it I learned as I went along. It was a lot of work and took every spare…
Highlights of Bangkok Thailand
We recently had a wonderful week in Bangkok, and kept busy with plenty of fun activities. Here are the highlights:
5 Life Lessons Learned From Traveling
No decision has had a greater impact on our lives than the decision to sell everything, leave home, and travel together as a family. We've never been happier, felt closer together, and enjoyed our experiences and relationships so thoroughly as we do right now. This month, as part of a group writing…
Exploring Chiang Mai
We had heard that Chiang Mai had a similar vibe to Ubud, and it some ways, we found that it does. We loved the food in Chiang Mai, and looked forward to every meal. There were several health-conscious restaurants in the Old Town within walking distance of our hotel. Great markets, musical and dance…
Festivals and Friends
I'm so glad we decided to extend our Thai visas and stick around for all the festivals at the end of November. Not only did we get to participate in some amazing events, we got to do it all with dear friends: two families we already knew, and several other traveling families who we met for the…