Ottsworld

The Plan

I’m on the move again. After one year of staying in one country and one city (yet many different apartments!); I’ve got itchy travel feet again. I’ve packed up my meager possessions in two suitcases, gave back my motorbike key, said my goodbyes, bought a one way ticket, and the wheels left the ground last [...]

Coming Full Circle

I spent the weekend going back to square one; back to where I started my life in Ho Chi Minh City. Let me back up a bit; I’ve been living out in a ‘suburb’ district for the last 6 months. Even though I have to come into the ‘city center’ (District 1) a few days [...]

Motorbike Diaries - Vol. 17

Rush Hour

Resistance is Futile - Assimilation
I’m not sure how it happened, but I’ve become one of them. I wear a jacket (which I’m boiling in), a mask, a poncho, ….I’m a Vietnamese motorbike driver. I’ve become used to being squeezed into small places and driving through them. I can drive really slow and coast while [...]

Taipei Food Tour

View my Taipei photography
View Taipei snapshots
This was my first trip to Taiwan – country number 32. Was I going to see China or was I going to see Hong Kong - I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the tiny island pummeled recently by typhoons. However, I had researched enough to know that at the [...]

Motorbike Diaries - Vol. 16

You won’t believe your eyes this week!  I’ve collected some of my recent motorbike photography that will amaze and baffle you.  After living here for a year, I’m still absolutely dumbfounded and tickled by what I see the Vietnamese strap to their motorbikes.  The motorbike culture here is the most unique in the world!  If [...]

Naadam - Mongolian Manly Sports

View Naadam Photography
Snapshots of the Naadam Festival
I woke up to hear our jeep ignition turn on and leave the guesthouse. I laid in my sleeping bag disturbed; wondering why Shat sped off at 6AM without saying goodbye. I felt a bit jolted as we had spent 3 days with him bonding in the jeep, [...]

The Motorbike Diaries - Vol. 15

What’s in a Name?
I’m going to state the obvious – I’m a girl. What I mean by that is I can exhibit typical girl traits at times; especially when it comes to my knowledge of cars. As long as I can remember, I’ve never really been interested in cars (I mean really, aren’t shoes more [...]

Q&A - Blogging and Cooking School

Real questions from you…the lovely people who actually read this blog (thank you, thank you!!) These people contacted me through email and I’ve received permission to reprint their questions and my answers on my site so that everyone can benefit (even you shy people that are too scared to comment or send me an email!) [...]

Photo(s) of the Week - Sep. 19, 2009

I took thousands of photos while in Mongolia. I have chosen a few to highlight for the Photo(s) of the week. These are my some of my favorite people that I captured. To see all of my photography from Mongolia – visit my Travel Photography website!

Mongolian Food - Got Milk?

I walked into the ger making sure to duck my head for the low door frame and went around the ger clockwise as I was taught in my cultural training . I took a seat where the family pointed – at the 10 o’clock position; the esteemed position for visitors. They quickly poured a bowl of [...]