Update on What’s Been Going On October 2012 – Asia -> North America -> Europe -> Asia
Autumn is upon us, well for some at least. Me, not so much. It's the tail end of the monsoon in Thailand and I'm holed away in my makeshift office watching it pour down from behind a desk overlooking the Democracy Monument in Bangkok.
I'm Heading Back to Burma
My first trip to Burma / Myanmar earlier this year has left a lasting impression on me, and I'm already heading back. In fact, it was just yesterday that I picked up my fresh new visa from the embassy here in Bangkok, so I'm flying in next week.
This month long trip in is to finish a photography project I started during my first big trip there in March / April 2012. This is why I've been a little light on the Burma / Myanmar posts here on Skinny Backpacker, as I've been trying to mark out how this project will finish. You can read my series of "Technology in Burma / Myanmar" posts I have written for Too Many Adapters in the meantime, or check out my images from "A Day in Dala"
New Website
Well it took awhile, but it's finally here. Large, widescreen images that look brilliant on big monitors, as well as iPads and smartphones. I'm also happy to say that most of my old posts have been updated with high-resolution images as well. I also geo-tagged all of my posts so you can see where in the world I shot them. I'll be working on making it easier to find these older posts and images that you may have missed the first time around.
Hostelbookers Travel Blog Award Nominee 2012
Just found out yesterday that I've been nominated for the Best Photography Travel Blog again this year (an award I won in 2011). I'm fortunate to be among another phenomenal group of photographers this year. If you have a moment, and enjoy my work, you can vote before Oct 31st.
The Past Few Months
After Burma / Myanmar, and another stint in Chiang Mai in May, I headed to Colorado for the TBEX travel blogging conference in Keystone, CO. After doing a bit of hiking & zip-lining in the area, I was off on the "#DustinandDaveDoAmerica" road trip with my Too Many Adapters partner Dave from What's Dave Doing. We hit three beautiful National Parks (Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier) on our way from Denver to Seattle.
I spent a week in Portland for the incredible World Domination Summit, a visit to Mt St Helens (plan to climb it in 2013), and hiking on the coast with a friend from my Tanzania trip in 2008.
After returning to Canada on top of the world, I convinced my father, Dale, and my brother Jeff to "Do It in a Dress." And by do it in a dress, I mean trekking for 5 days and 70km around the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies wearing a schoolgirls dress. We did it in support of an organization called One Girl, and you can read more about it here, or on my Media page. We are already planning for next year after blowing away our goals for the project this year. You can donate here or join our team of "Hikers Without Pants."
Spain had never really popped across my radar until seeing a video from Costa Brava at TBEX in Keystone this past June. After seeing the rugged cliffs, mountains, and heard about the ample hiking trails, I decided I had to see it for myself.
I flew to the Catalonia region in northern Spain to Girona for the TBEX Europe conference in mid September, after which the Costa Brava Tourism Board graciously invited me along to tour the region. The natural parks and Pyrenees mountains were beautiful, and as it turns out, the region known for surrealist Salvador Dali was right up my alley. Needless to say, I'm planning a return trip already.
The folks at Argus Car Hire provided a car for me to drive through the mountains and I took it through the Pyrenees to the tiny, landlocked country of Andorra with fellow blogger Dima, before spending another week driving through Catalonia.
THE Next FEW MONTHS
I am off to Burma / Myanmar in just a few days for 4 weeks, before heading to Chiang Mai, Thailand for my two favorite Thai festivals; Loy Krathong and Yi Peng in mid-November.
In January, I'll be embarking on yet another big project with two other blogger pals (Lauren and Dave) tentatively called "Travel With a Local" which will take me on a two-month road trip through New Zealand (one of my favorite countries in the world). Later trips will be across Canada, and across the UK, each time with the local among us leading the way.
Then back to Europe for mid March? Walk the El Camino de Santiago? Live in Girona or Berlin? See the Northern Lights from Norway?
I'm not even sure there is time to breath in my itinerary, but I'll do my best.
In the meantime, let me know what you think of the new site design. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and now Instagram.