The train to Zagreb took about three hours. Arrived at around 7:00 p.m. and we were going to catch an overnight train to Split but didn't know if the hostel could accommodate us so early in the morning so we decided to stay a night in Zagreb. Found a cheap, brand new hostel right near the bus and train stations. Met a girl from Canada in our room, Crystal, and the three of us hit a local square that was crowded in anticipation of a soccer game. Sampled Croatian b...

Took a two-hour train to Trieste, Italy (a city I would have liked to explore further) and then caught a three-hour bus to Ljubljana. It was raining when we arrived but luckily we were able to contact the hostel owner who picked us up so as to avoid the three-mile walk. Nice place except the mattresses had springs poking through which made sleeping a bit tough. Walked to a local market and bought some frozen vegetarian lasagna dinners that were pretty bad and wen...

Met Lizzy in Rome on May 22. The timing was great as our flights arrived only four hours apart. It was so good to see her. Checked into our beautiful hostel near (but not too near) Termini Station. It was five flights up in the ancient, pint-sized, rickety, elevator or the "dreaded stairs" (which we ended up taking frequently due to elevator problems). The floors were marble and the shutters opened over a beautiful garden. Our roommate was a sweet Italian woman w...

Took a 1.20 hour flight from Bangkok to Yangon. Met three people from my plane going to the same hotel, so the four of us checked in and went out to a late dinner. Afterwards we walked around a bit. It was more than a little creepy in the darkness and I certainly wasn't used to the level of poverty I was seeing. We passed a cat playing with a bat and squatters bathing near fires lit in trash cans in an abandoned building. This place was going to be much different...

Took a 10-seat shuttle bus for the 12-hour journey from Penang to Phuket. Plenty of leg room for my delicate knee. The border crossing was fast and easy. One gets the impression that the Thai's don't care much about what you bring in. The only immediate difference in scenery was that the homes weren't as elaborate as Malaysian homes. The Thai's tend to go for wood homes of earthy colors such as brown, tan, blue, and green. Malaysian homes are mostly yellow, or...