Tag Archives for " surf-destinations "

SE Asia is a Playground for Outdoor Sports

surfing-mentawais-bank-vaults

[Photo Credit: Wet Frames Photography]

Pack your gear duffels and get to SE Asia.

Most people have heard about good surf in Indonesia or epic rock climbing in S. Thailand. But until you’ve been it’s hard to imagine the extent of the options, the incredibly low cost of living and traveling in the region, and the top-tier quality available for each sport.

I just completed 9 months traipsing around SE Asia, and I was initially stunned to find out how easy it is to set up a base of operations with a small amount of gear and tour the entire region.

You can fly just about anywhere for less than $200 (even booked 24h in advance), and virtually every sport is on tap: surfing, rock climbing, scuba diving, mountaineering, kiteboarding, sailing. The list goes on.

It’s an outdoor-sport junkie’s paradise. Below is a regional overview.

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The Less Romantic Side of Geo-Arbitrage

Or how working in paradise can really suck.

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[The porch out front in Bingin, Bali. As if I’m actually going to get any work done here…]

I was in the deepest of sleeps. My dream put me somewhere in the mountains, walking down into a beautiful valley with the wind lightly rustling my hair. The rustling got a little stronger until–wait a minute…

I opened my eyes in time to see a giant rat sprint to the edge of the bed and then leap off into space like a possessed flying squirrel.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Everyone within 50km must have heard as I bolted out of bed and ran around the compound screaming bloody murder. When my roommate figured out what happened he nearly choked to death from his own laughter.

This is about when the glamour of my lifestyle really started to fade.Continue reading >>