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China
A Dream Deferred: The End of Backpackology?
When I finally penned my response to Men’s Journal (at three in the morning) (over one week late), I was sitting amongst cockroaches on my hotel room floor, stripped down to my underwear, high as a rocket ship on mysterious Chi... -
Adventures in Backpackistan!
The Long Road To Nowhere: A Hitchhiker’s Tale from Outer Mongolia
On the third day, I made a sea-change decision: I thought, if I ever get out of this miserable desert, I’m going to write my first postcard ever. “Sunny Greetings from the Gobi!” it will say, happily scrawled over a stark, grey... -
Adventure
GoatBall Superstar, Afghan Hero
The afternoon sun slanted across the District Chief of Police’s office as he sat glowering at me in his oversized armchair, gnashing his teeth like some rabid, Pashtun muppet. Sitting in his line of fire, I smiled at nothing in... -
Adventure
Walnuts & Machine Guns: A Taliban Tale
A man with a machine gun has been following me for the last five days. His name is Zia, and he is very, very shy, especially for a man with a machine gun. He first started shadowing me in the town of Chitral, near the end of my... -
Adventures in Backpackistan!
The Wrong Pancake
For this week, I intended on writing a story about terrifying street-food in Rangoon… but then I arrived in the mountain village of Kalaw, and suffered an incident so absurd that I couldn’t resist sharing my tale immediately. T...
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China
A Dream Deferred: The End of Backpackology?
When I finally penned my response to Men’s Journal (at three in the morning) (over one week late), I was sitting amongst cockroaches on my hotel room floor, stripped down to my underwear, high as a rocket ship on mysterious Chi... -
Adventures in Backpackistan!
The Long Road To Nowhere: A Hitchhiker’s Tale from Outer Mongolia
On the third day, I made a sea-change decision: I thought, if I ever get out of this miserable desert, I’m going to write my first postcard ever. “Sunny Greetings from the Gobi!” it will say, happily scrawled over a stark, grey... -
Adventure
GoatBall Superstar, Afghan Hero
The afternoon sun slanted across the District Chief of Police’s office as he sat glowering at me in his oversized armchair, gnashing his teeth like some rabid, Pashtun muppet. Sitting in his line of fire, I smiled at nothing in... -
Adventure
Walnuts & Machine Guns: A Taliban Tale
A man with a machine gun has been following me for the last five days. His name is Zia, and he is very, very shy, especially for a man with a machine gun. He first started shadowing me in the town of Chitral, near the end of my... -
Adventures in Backpackistan!
The Wrong Pancake
For this week, I intended on writing a story about terrifying street-food in Rangoon… but then I arrived in the mountain village of Kalaw, and suffered an incident so absurd that I couldn’t resist sharing my tale immediately. T...
Latest Posts
Adventure
The Mystery of the Immaculate Herpes
It was a miracle—a horrible miracle—that turned my pleasant morning tinkle into a heart pounding free-fall into nightmareland. HERPES!!! I diagnosed (even though I’d never actually seen herpes before). For several minutes I sto...
China
Chinglish 101: Five Secrets to Understanding Demon Bird Moth-Balls
If Americans love one thing more than looking at silly things on the Internet, it’s getting really, super offended at silly things on the Internet. So before I start this week’s Photo Travelogue, I’d like to preface by saying t...
Backpackology 101
Travel Tip #3: Saving Money on Food Costs & The Tupperware Gamble
OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: This week I’m going to bestow you with a controversial travel tip that will allow you to eat better while spending less, however it might also potentially kill you, maybe sort of a little. Why would I enc...
China
Sichuan Lava Cuisine & The Top 4 Most Common Myths About Spicy Food
The purpose of my self-destructive side trip to Chongqing was to eat at 夜富火锅, home of the spiciest hotpot on the planet (chunks of meat doused in a scalding broth of Sichuan chili and flower peppers, so spicy it’ll have y...
Bizarre
Going South on China: A Panda Hunt
Before I try to rationalize for you my ill-conceived quest into the bamboo forests of Sichuan, I’d like to clarify that I harbor no secret vendetta against the Giant Panda. I just simply couldn’t understand why the world fetish...
Backpackology 101
Guest Blogger Emily Chappell: Woman On The Road
Today I’m going to introduce you to one of the most fearless adventurers I have ever met, but first I need to give you an exciting post-Kickstarter update! NOW THAT I’VE TAKEN EVERYONE’S MONEY, I HAVE FLOWN HOME TO AMERIC...
Adventure
THE JJIMJILBANG DIARIES (Parts 1 &2): Six Days Naked in a Hot Tub Full of Old, Dirty Korean Men FOR SURVIVAL
Illustrations by, Jacquie Spadano and Ross Doran. ************************ I had not seen sunlight in over four days, but I knew it was nighttime. I could tell because the Koreans were singing again; their harrowing karaoke tr...
Postcard
Weekly Postcard: Sichuan, China
GoPro: check. New camera: check. Laptop: check. New content: currently in the making. Thanks again to everyone who donated!! New stories coming next Tuesday, March 19. To hold you over in the meantime, here’s a delicious ...
Backpackology 101
Club Rat: A Penny-Pincher’s Deplorable Guide to Partying Big While Spending Little
I once read in the book of life that if you sleuce enough alcohol at a problem, it will go away. I’ve recently tested this theory with trials because I am a strong advocate of the scientific method, and also an alcoholic. By mi...
China
A Dream Deferred: The End of Backpackology?
When I finally penned my response to Men’s Journal (at three in the morning) (over one week late), I was sitting amongst cockroaches on my hotel room floor, stripped down to my underwear, high as a rocket ship on mysterious Chi...
Bizarre
A Steppe Too Far?: Eagle Hunters, Cultural Darwinism, and Getting Banned in Kazakhstan
At 4:27PM, on the afternoon of October 29th, I received an e-mail from an acquaintance in Almaty, informing me that Backpackology has been banned in Kazakhstan. When my initial laughter subsided, my amusement faded into confusi...
Adventures in Backpackistan!
Off the Eaten Path: A Culinary Tour of Korea (Part One)
At first, I thought it was dead. At least in most corners of the globe, this is what you assume when something is placed before you on a platter and you are handed metal chopsticks. But this was not ‘most corners of the globe;’...
Adventure
Steve McDonald’s Guide to Getting in Cars with Strangers (Vol. 1)
Here at Backpackology, it is my responsibility to promote a travel style that encourages suicidal recklessness. It is my duty to glorify irresponsibility and actively promote self-endangerment. This is my contribution to the gr...
Adventures in Backpackistan!
The Long Road To Nowhere: A Hitchhiker’s Tale from Outer Mongolia
On the third day, I made a sea-change decision: I thought, if I ever get out of this miserable desert, I’m going to write my first postcard ever. “Sunny Greetings from the Gobi!” it will say, happily scrawled over a stark, grey...
China
Silk Road Ramblings: Lost Empires, Gobi Fugitives, and The Secret Meth Habit of Marco Polo
I have conquered the Silk Road. I’ve hid from Chinese guards in the starlit dunes of the Gobi. I’ve visited mud-thatched villages and seen old Uighur men as hairy as camels shriek in wonder and delight as they passed around a p...
Backpackology 101
Travel Tip #2: Thomas Cooke is a Big, Sneaky Liarpants (The Truth About Package Tours)
Hey you! Yeah, you! Sign up now for our unbeatably cheap ‘China: The Budget Experience’ Bus Tour!’ No need to worry about over-spending or dealing with scary city maps and phrasebooks—our all-inclusive package includes a friend...
Inspiration
Guest Blogger Viktor Wallström: Flipside Pilgrimage
This guest post is special because, generally speaking, I’m quite apathetic towards inspirational YouTube videos. I’m always the one sitting there, watching my friends going misty eyed over a particular clip, asking myself, “Wh...
Backpackology 101
Travel Tip #1: Culture Shock, Travel Challenges, and the Order of Countries
Backpackology is a bit of a misnomer—it implies that there is something scientific, perhaps educational; that there’s something to learn. While this was my original intent, I instead mostly just talk about my bowel movements, ...
China
Wednesday Wanderings: Uighur Food of the Kashgar Night Market
If you’ve never woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of your own screams after suffering traumatic, reoccurring dreams the revolve around mutton fat, then you haven’t spent too much time in the Xinjiang province of ...
Culture
The Karakoram Highway
When I tell people that my favorite country thus far has been Pakistan, I often receive horrified stares, as if I’ve just admitted that I enjoy licking squirrels or pooping in jam jars. But what people don’t realize is that Pa...
