u/wintrwandrr

So today I took a village bus from Grecia to San Pedro de Poas. What a hilly curvy route. Poas is smaller and sleepier than Grecia; with the municipal markets closed today, both towns were more tranquil than usual.

After waiting out an early rainstorm and eating some savory baked items for lunch, I set out walking down Route 107 on a whim, not knowing what to expect. Lo and behold, 1.5 km farther is a nice new bridge over the Río Poas with high blue railings. Hearing a loud roar, I look through the railing beams into a ravine of incredible depth into which a stream of floodwater is plunging. Nearby is a cafe with a pleasant back patio and a trail which leads to the (very dangerous) brink of the cataract. Lo and behold, there are two waterfalls crashing into the same pool!

Thick tropical rainforest and rising mist above the gorge made the landscape feel magical under leaden skies. I explored along an abandoned aqueduct which paralleled a river through a jungly ravine. An armadillo nosed about unaware of my presence. The slope down to the rushing river was eroded enough that I did not feel safe continuing along the disused passageway; rain makes the mud underfoot very slippery. After some more hiking through the coffee fields enjoying varied green vistas, it was time to head back. Good timing; the sun was already setting at 5:15 pm, shining forth golden from a gap in the clouds, and the last bus of the day arrived shortly afterwards for the trip back to Grecia.

Total cost of the daytrip: ¢1100 for bus fare, ¢1300 for decadently rich bakery items and ¢1500 for a delicious batida fresa con leche (strawberry milkshake) at the cafe. That's about $8.50 USD. Yes, you can experience a taste of the spectacular in Costa Rica without breaking the bank.

In my trip planning post, many people were puzzled why I would split two nights in Louisiana between Lake Charles and New Orleans. Doing so not only breaks up the long ride from Houston into two easy travel days, but also allows me to see two different sides of Louisiana: the crowds of a world-famous tourist downtown as well as the live oak-shaded streets of this sleepy city full of friendly faces, with the bonus of a breezy lakefront sunset silhouetting the I-10 bridge.

At $110 expended, Lake Charles wasn't a particularly cheap visit, but I'm still glad I stopped by.

Just before returning from an eight month stint of overseas travel last July, I got some bad news from my longtime seasonal employer: the job and on-site apartment in the Colorado Rockies which I had returned to for seven consecutive years had been given to somebody else.

This rejection hit me hard, but I decided to make the best of it and embrace my newfound liberation, hefting my bags and stepping out of LAX arrivals in the wee hours of the morning. Four miles' walk to the beach; from the Ballona Creek outlet I caught a terrific California sunrise before trudging six more miles on up the coast to my hostel in Santa Monica. The next day, it was time to leave California behind and embark on a train journey to the beautiful dry landscapes of southern Colorado. Sleeping outdoors on soft grassy meadows in such a healthful environment was invigorating, as was exploring the cute little mountain towns accessible by the state-run Bustang Outrider service. A motel or hostel stay every couple days provided some indoor comfort while keeping daily spending in check. Safeway supermarkets in the town centers provided nutritious sustenance to fill my pack. The desire to cover country and see new scenery kept me moving on (more or less) a daily basis.

• La Junta
• Walsenburg
• La Veta
• Trinidad
• Pueblo
• Salida
• Gunnison
• Crested Butte
• Gunnison
• Alamosa
• Crestone
• Moffat
• Cañon City
• La Junta

A cursory inquiry of job opportunities revealed no availabilities in my field of experience in any of these towns. Ready to see more of America, I decided to cut my Colorado journey short - leaving all of the north, southwest and I-70 corridor unexplored - and continue east to Topeka on the Southwest Chief.

This barebones American travel life had its challenges: fierce summer sun, occasional downpours, mosquitoes, lack of camping gear, lack of public drinking water access. But it was both affordable and deeply fulfilling to experience my country as a vagabond. In the first three weeks I spent just over $1000 to visit sixteen different cities in three states, covering 2500 miles in the process. Of that, $460 went toward lodging, $300 toward food, and $190 toward transport. (It's worth noting that a flash flood delay of 16 hours resulted in a full refund of the $108 Amtrak ticket to Colorado.)

After visits to Topeka, Oklahoma City, and Dallas - Topeka having the prettiest greenery and OKC being the liveliest and friendliest of the three - I'm taking a break at my brother's house in east Texas for a week. But the trip is far from over; there is so much more of America to see.

You hear a lot about how the USA is tough to travel without a car. But I was pretty happy with the availability of low-cost, low-hassle bus and train tickets for each leg of this upcoming trip, as well as the availability of affordable lodging options near each public transport station. All lodging and transport cost me $600. There are two stops in Louisiana and one stop in every other state along the route.

Only in Greenville, SC will I be staying next to the interstate six miles from downtown, but there is still city bus service running until 10 PM for trips to town. Unlike Greyhound, Amtrak has a station in downtown Greenville, but that stretch of the Crescent route runs overnight, making it not ideal for a stopover in Georgia or South Carolina. Greyhound offers less comfort, but more schedule flexibility.

This is in my fourth floor hotel room in Trat. 680 baht per night posted room rate. The ceiling crack looks like earthquake damage. The load-bearing bolts are very wobbly. Don't be caught sitting underneath such a unit when the next quake strikes.

I've been hanging around green rainy Trat for a while now. It's quite a bit cheaper than the other eastern shore provinces. The people are the most welcoming I've encountered anywhere in the country. (Sa Kaeo previously had my vote as the friendliest Thai province I've been to, followed by Surat Thani and Uttaradit. But now Trat tops the list.)

Weekly expenses started off at 7800 baht or $240 USD for visits to the affluent Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong provinces. A two-night visit to Koh Samet is included in that figure. That comes out to 3800 weekly for lodging and 3100 for food.

By contrast, in Chanthaburi and Trat, I am spending 5500-6500 baht per week. 2500 for lodging and 2300 for food.

700 km of travel has cost 980 baht, with 11 separate destinations in five provinces visited.

Admittedly, roach/ant issues, limited room furnishings and cheap mattresses are the norm at the 300-400 baht per night price range. 550-650 gets you a much better room, but many mid-range properties charge 650+ even during low season and refuse to offer a discount. (The intermediate range of 400-500, which used to be my sweet spot for Thai travel, hasn't been available for some reason.)

During the day it is closed. But around 9 pm, the doors open, the overhead twinkle lights are turned on, and a sextet of scantily clad ladies - no pun intended - sit around the outside tables chatting with each other or looking at their phones. No music, no solicitations. They glance up but don't say anything when I walk by. So I'm left wondering, is this a bonafide whorehouse? If so, it's the first time in all my Thailand travels that I've seen such an establishment.

Why not ask the women myself, you wonder? Okay, how would that work. "Ahem, excuse me ladies. Are you a buncha whores?"

I didn't say anything, and he got off before I did.

Spotted crossing the road at the resort here in Soi Dao, Chanthaburi. It was at least 6" long and showed no signs of aggression on being approached with a camera.

June abounds with fruits here. Santol or cotton fruit is similar to mangosteen in its internal construction, yet very different in flavor and texture.

Khao Phra Baht makes a perfect stop for a train traveler looking to visit the coastal village of Bang Phra and also enjoy the trails on Khao Chalak hill, which is inhabited by numerous packs of pariah dogs. Interestingly, the wild dogs on the hillside minded their own business; it's the property dogs down along the highway and residential streets which rushed out barking and growling, but stopped when neighbors shouted at them in Thai.

I recommend a stay in Porestva Hotel (rooms starting at 590 baht). You can arrive early and relax in their lovely garden before checking in and then making the climb. Their cafe had a Lophophora collection growing in the windowsill. These take years to reach this meaningful size, and in all that time not a single customer has disturbed them.

You can climb both the paved path and steep, eroded dirt trails to get to the summit of Khao Chalak, which is roughly 300 meters in elevation. At the summit viewpoint, you can only look in a single direction, toward Siracha. No other viewpoints are available due to the priority status of the area for forest preservation. The paved trail is very busy with local fitness enthusiasts; take the trail to get into the woods.

The weather couldn't be better for outdoors activities most of the day, with high temps barely reaching 32 C. Beware of the afternoon sea storms that come in on that lovely sea breeze. This storm I glimpsed out at sea from the summit (third pic) swept in fast, with the sky darkening over 50% over 15 minutes before the cool storm wind began blowing. Then another 10 minutes later, it began to rain. The first round of rain was moderate for 20 minutes, enough time to drink a beer. Then it paused for 10 minutes. When the sky turned almost black and the rain began falling again, the best restaurant is always the closest one to you.

Next stay is near the tongue-twisting Yanasangwararam railway station; in fact, mid-way between the station and the beach. You can walk along the placid coastline to Ban Amphoe village at low tide, or else take the big highway, which has plenty of room for pedestrians to safely walk alongside it. Here a room starts at 600 baht.

Food options are limited in both of these rural areas, but you won't go hungry if you have money to spend. 500 baht per day per person is barely enough to sample the cuisine on offer. If you're a big American eater who doesn't want to say "no" to anything that looks tasty regardless of price, you can easily average 1000 baht per day per person on food in the upmarket eateries of Chonburi province.

USA passport here. Having booked my flights 38 days apart back in April, before the new visa rules were announced, it was a matter of anxiety for me. Immigration asked me how long I will be staying. I told her 38 days and she gave me 60. Perfect!

Four weeks to get from Mahendranagar to Kathmandu sounds like a leisurely journey. Why not travel through the hilly regions, I thought? There are highways, it can't be that difficult. But once you see Nepal's terrain in person, you'll realize just what a challenge you have ahead of you. Even an 50 km journey turns into an all-day affair which leaves you with enough time for an hour's strolling around after dinner - only to wake up the next morning and repeat the ordeal of finding a transport vehicle, waiting for it to fill up to the max, then cramming yourself inside on an interminable journey full of rough roads, phone calls, deliveries, pickups, arguments, social calls and tea breaks.

Yesterday I arrived in Jumla, Karnali after eight grueling back-to-back days of travel that covered barely a third of my overall planned route across the country. Google says 44 hours for a private vehicle, but when you are riding public transport, it's more like 100 hours of travel. That's nearly four hours a day of cramming yourself into a Mahindra or minibus, every single day, for the entirety of the trip. Not counting the 2-3 hours you spend waiting for the vehicle to leave. This kind of travel is enduring rather than enjoying!

Nepal is an extremely hospitable country for foreign visitors, with plenty of natural beauty and cultural experiences to offer. Heavy traffic, industry, rampant development and the rest of prosperity's plagues have yet to reach these traditional hilly regions. But don't bite off more of Nepal than you can chew, or you will spend your trip frazzled and wearily indifferent to everything besides a good night's rest.

If you're here for 30 days, pick one region of the country to explore, and leave the rest for next time. You will be able to wander around at leisure, take daytrips to interesting nature spots, make local friends, figure out where the good food is served, take some pretty pictures and otherwise enjoy life on Nepal time.

Rustic, sleepy, and completely devoid of marketing hype...but also affordable and hospitable in the stoic manner of the high mountain dwellers. A pleasant hotel room costs only 500 rupees here. The local restaurants have no signage or menus, but they serve great-tasting food to whoever stops by. Thru traffic is extremely light, and business is slow in this economically marginalized place. Nonetheless, numerous businesses are open, because any money is better than none at all.

Madkote is the most restful place I've stayed at in five plus months of traveling India.

Baijnath, not Bairnath.

It's tranquil and uncrowded here. Lovely cool weather as well. There is some regret in passing over the headwater villages with their world-famous snowy vistas. Yamonutri, Gangotri, Kedernath, Badrinath, Wan. But the thousands of tourists already crowding into those well-traveled valleys are too much to handle. And the ones off the beaten path require hiring a private driver, which varies from ₹20-40 per km of travel. Collective transport is limited in the Himalayas, especially when compared to a state like Maharashtra where I took dozens of daytrips to rural mountain villages on ST buses. Up here, only one public bus a day serves many routes.