This summer I decided to take a trip to Mexico with some friends. It was not your average MX trip either! We were going for the Gueleguetza festival in Oaxaca. This is the interior of the country and contains a rich culture. I had always known Oaxaca for the many agave that grow in the region, and being a center for Mezcal production. However after some initial research, I found the area to be very physically active and even boasts some of the top performing athletes including trail running.

Arrival in CDMX My first day in CDMX was with our group and we planned a breakfast and a time to explore a mercado called Mercado de Artisinal. We were staying in the Condesa area near Chapultepec, which seems to be more of a classy part of the city but it is divided by large boulevards with nice trees and paths. My friends and I were headed towards El Centro, where the Artisinal market was.

This summer has not been your average one. With a quarantine upon us, and a friend from Europe who planned a short visit turning into an entire summer stay! Anyhow, we were chatting and thought a camping trip would be a lot of fun and a great way to spend some time outside. With the summer months ahead, we prepared for the planned two-week trip of primitive camping across the US states of Colorado and Utah.

This is a continuation of the Taiwan bicycling trip. It commences as a direct flight from Taipei to Osaka. The trip was designated an exploratory adventure in Japan, and it was convenient because the flight connection allowed this leg of the journey to take place. I likely would have not included Japan in the itinerary but because I had been given a great deal with ANA Airlines, this was made possible.

This is a Giant Cycling Adventures trip that was inspired from my first trip to Taiwan and biking the countryside. This trip is a formal tour that circles the entire island! Day 1 - Starting in Florida My trip began as a business trip in Tampa. I woke up around 4AM and caught a taxi to the airport to get on a flight Houston. The trip connected in Houston and then to Japan via ANA Airlines.

A weekend trip to Canada! This adventure was another cycling-inspired trip that had me visiting the beautiful Canadian province of Nova Scotia. After hearing about the terrific cycling infrastructure in the Halifax area, I decided it was well worth a trip up for a long weekend. At the time I was traveling for business to the Washington D.C. area, and I was already booking travel every weekend. This was a great opportunity, because I was already on the east coast, so Halifax was not to difficult to get to.

My trip to Germany was inspired from a 3 year study of German in school. I had decided to take a holiday in the early part of 2019 because I had holidays to use up of else they would be taken away! Because of this, I decided to book a trip to someplace in Europe. Because I also have a friend that lives in Germany, I decided it would be nice to visit her too.

Planning & Prep After taking a trip to Iceland with my brother and friend, we began looking at the next adventure. This time, we decided to keep it inside of the country. We also kept the trip duration to a 4 days over a long weekend. The plan was to visit the Pacific coast and concentrate around Portland Oregon. Since we had already gone through the experience of booking an inter nation trip, this turn would be much easier.

Closing Remarks & Wrap-up I spent some of that flight writing up this blog post, listening to music, and sleeping. It has been a fulfilling but tiring two weeks. I need some time to process everything. As I write this memoir of such a life-changing trip, I cannot but stop and think about what a blessing this opportunity was. The ability to visit such a different place. The process of trusting despite the unknown.

Day 7 Taiwan The last day in Vietnam. I awoke early at Giang’s, ate some chè for breakfast, and left 6AM via grab to Sân Bay Nội Bài. I arrived at the airport, and found the ticket check-in. I thought I was going to be late since I had to check my box of goodies I acquired in Vietnam. I spoke to a lady while I was in line and she directed me to the front so I can check in.