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Journal

Long-form travel stories — the kind that take their time, because the best trips do too.

Field notes

This is where I slow down. The guides on Shared Latitude tell you where to go and what to order; the journal is the longer story around those places — the field notes, the wrong turns, and the conversations that never quite fit into a listing.

I write these entries by hand, usually weeks after the fact, once a place has settled into something I can actually describe. No itineraries, no rankings — just what it felt like to be there, with Lia, paying close attention.

Ueno and Ameyoko: The Neighborhood That Taught Me Tokyo Isn't Just Polite

japan ·

Ueno and Ameyoko: The Neighborhood That Taught Me Tokyo Isn't Just Polite

Two Ginza Line stops from Asakusa, Ueno gave us a black-market fish alley, an Evangelion pachinko parlor, a torii squeezed between office towers, and a table full of strangers who were friends by the second round.

Why Senso-ji Still Matters (Even Packed Like This)

japan ·

Why Senso-ji Still Matters (Even Packed Like This)

Tokyo's oldest temple pulls thirty million visitors a year. I went in expecting the crowds to flatten it into a photo backdrop and came out having watched two strangers pray like nobody was there to see it, and a WWII memorial nobody else stopped for.

Nara's Deer Won't Perform for Your Instagram

japan ·

Nara's Deer Won't Perform for Your Instagram

The sika deer of Nara Park bow for crackers, sure — but they'll also bite, charge, and steal from your bag. A few hours in Japan's first capital taught me the difference between the woodland fairy tale and the actual, wary transaction happening under it.

Nine Things We Got Wrong on Our First Trip to Japan

japan ·

Nine Things We Got Wrong on Our First Trip to Japan

Twenty days, four cities, and a running list of the mistakes I would undo — from underestimating Osaka to booking too tightly to misunderstanding how much the hour of day matters.

Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka — How Many Days Each Actually Needs

japan ·

Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka — How Many Days Each Actually Needs

We spent twenty days splitting Japan between three cities and got the balance slightly wrong. Here is how I would divide the time now, and why the usual advice under-serves Osaka.

The Rockies Rearranged Me — Banff, Jasper, and the Colour That Should Not Exist

canada ·

The Rockies Rearranged Me — Banff, Jasper, and the Colour That Should Not Exist

The Canadian Rockies deliver a landscape so dramatic it feels like a rendering error. Here's what happens when a Frenchman raised on the Alps meets mountains that refuse to be modest.

The Nile Valley — Where History Becomes Physical

egypt ·

The Nile Valley — Where History Becomes Physical

From the Pyramids to Abu Simbel, Egypt's monuments are not relics of the past — they are arguments about permanence that the present has not yet won.

The Scale of Australia — A Country That Takes Weeks to Comprehend

australia ·

The Scale of Australia — A Country That Takes Weeks to Comprehend

From Sydney's harbour to Uluru's silence, Australia is not one destination but a continent of contradictions that demands you slow down and drive.

Palawan — The Last Frontier, Before It Isn't

philippines ·

Palawan — The Last Frontier, Before It Isn't

Limestone lagoons, underground rivers, and the Filipino warmth that turns a beautiful trip into an unforgettable one.

The Bosphorus — Where Two Continents Share a Cup of Tea

turkey ·

The Bosphorus — Where Two Continents Share a Cup of Tea

Istanbul's famous strait is not just a waterway between Europe and Asia — it is the city's bloodstream, its daily meditation, and the best argument I know for the ferry as a form of philosophy.

The Hands That Pick It — A Week in Colombia's Coffee Country

colombia ·

The Hands That Pick It — A Week in Colombia's Coffee Country

In the green highlands of the Eje Cafetero, I learned that the distance between a coffee plant and a cup is measured not in miles but in patience, knowledge, and the calloused hands of people who have done this for generations.

Buenos Aires After Midnight — Tango, Steak, and the City That Never Sleeps

argentina ·

Buenos Aires After Midnight — Tango, Steak, and the City That Never Sleeps

Argentina's capital runs on a clock that starts at 10pm. Here's what happens when you stop fighting the rhythm and let it carry you.

Bahia's Coconut Coast — Where Brazil Tastes Like Itself

brazil ·

Bahia's Coconut Coast — Where Brazil Tastes Like Itself

Salvador, dendê oil, Candomblé drums, and a coastline that moves at a pace the rest of the world has forgotten.

Petra by Night — When the Candles Replace the Sun

jordan ·

Petra by Night — When the Candles Replace the Sun

Walking through the Siq in darkness, arriving at the Treasury lit by fifteen hundred candles, and understanding why some places demand to be seen twice.

Lost in the Medina — Morocco's Labyrinth of Senses

morocco ·

Lost in the Medina — Morocco's Labyrinth of Senses

Marrakech, Fes, and the art of navigating cities designed a thousand years ago for people who were not in a hurry.

The Rum Trail — Martinique's Liquid Gold

martinique ·

The Rum Trail — Martinique's Liquid Gold

AOC rhum agricole, volcanic distilleries, and the Caribbean island where drinking is an education.

AlUla — The Ancient Valley That Rewrote My Map

saudi-arabia ·

AlUla — The Ancient Valley That Rewrote My Map

Nabataean tombs, desert inscriptions, and the particular silence of a place that has been waiting seven thousand years for the world to notice.

Cape Town to Kruger — South Africa's Impossible Diversity

south-africa ·

Cape Town to Kruger — South Africa's Impossible Diversity

One country, a dozen ecosystems, and the feeling that you've crossed a continent without leaving its borders.

Into the Cloud — Monteverde and the Forest That Breathes

costa-rica ·

Into the Cloud — Monteverde and the Forest That Breathes

Walking through Costa Rica's cloud forest felt less like hiking and more like entering a living cathedral where the walls were made of moss, the ceiling was made of mist, and every surface was alive.

Dubai's Two Cities — The Creek, the Desert, and the Space Between

uae ·

Dubai's Two Cities — The Creek, the Desert, and the Space Between

Behind the glass towers and artificial islands, Dubai keeps an older city alive. You just have to know where the abra drops you off.

Oaxaca — The Mezcal Trail and Everything Around It

mexico ·

Oaxaca — The Mezcal Trail and Everything Around It

Oaxaca is having a moment, and for once, the hype is deserved. Here's how to do it without the influencer crowds.

The Serengeti at Dawn — Where the Planet Remembers It Is Wild

tanzania ·

The Serengeti at Dawn — Where the Planet Remembers It Is Wild

A million wildebeest, a pride of lions, and the humbling realization that you are a guest in something older than your species.

Cusco at 3,400 Metres — Learning to Breathe in the Navel of the World

peru ·

Cusco at 3,400 Metres — Learning to Breathe in the Navel of the World

Altitude sickness, Inca stonework, San Pedro Market at dawn, and the slow revelation that Cusco is not a gateway to Machu Picchu but a destination that demands surrender.

Havana After Dark — Music, Rum, and the Malecon at Midnight

cuba ·

Havana After Dark — Music, Rum, and the Malecon at Midnight

The Havana that comes alive when the sun drops — from the Fabrica de Arte to a rumba circle in Centro Habana, one night that rewired my understanding of nightlife.

Indonesia Beyond Bali — Temples, Dragons, and the Edge of the Map

indonesia ·

Indonesia Beyond Bali — Temples, Dragons, and the Edge of the Map

From Borobudur's sunrise to Komodo's pink beaches — three weeks across an archipelago that defies every expectation.

The Samana Peninsula — Whales, Waterfalls, and the End of the Road

dominican-republic ·

The Samana Peninsula — Whales, Waterfalls, and the End of the Road

On the Dominican Republic's wild northeast coast, where humpback whales fill the bay, jungle trails lead to hidden falls, and a fishing village at the end of the road feels like the Caribbean before anyone discovered it.

20 Days in Japan With the Person I Love — Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka

japan ·

20 Days in Japan With the Person I Love — Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka

The full story of our September 2025 trip: eight days in Tokyo, a night under Mt. Fuji, five days in Kyoto's temples, and six nights eating our way through Osaka.

Seoul After Dark — Five Nights in a City That Never Stops Eating

south-korea ·

Seoul After Dark — Five Nights in a City That Never Stops Eating

The neon alleys of Jongno, the barbecue smoke of Mapo-gu, the late-night markets and the soju-fuelled conversations that turned a megacity into something personal.

Five Days Eating Through Singapore's Hawker Centres

singapore ·

Five Days Eating Through Singapore's Hawker Centres

The full story of our October 2025 trip: a hawker centre for every meal, a neighbourhood for every walk, and the best three-dollar plate of my life.

Red Rock Vertigo — Two Weeks Through the American Southwest

united-states ·

Red Rock Vertigo — Two Weeks Through the American Southwest

A Frenchman drives 3,000 miles through Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, confronting desert silence, geological time, and the peculiar freedom of the American highway.

Lake Atitlán — A Week Among the Volcanoes and Villages

guatemala ·

Lake Atitlán — A Week Among the Volcanoes and Villages

Guatemala's sacred lake, its Maya shoreline villages, and why the best things in Central America cannot be rushed.

Penang — A Week of Eating Without Walls

malaysia ·

Penang — A Week of Eating Without Walls

George Town's hawker culture is one of the great culinary ecosystems on earth. Here's what happened when we gave it five days and an empty stomach.

The Alentejo Coast — Portugal's Last Quiet Secret

portugal ·

The Alentejo Coast — Portugal's Last Quiet Secret

Forget the Algarve. The Alentejo coast is where Portugal still feels like Portugal — wild, slow, and genuinely empty.

The Temples of Chiang Mai — Where Gold Meets Silence

thailand ·

The Temples of Chiang Mai — Where Gold Meets Silence

Inside the old town moat, over three hundred temples stand in various states of gold and ruin, and each one holds a different quality of quiet that the modern world has mostly forgotten.

Hanoi on a Plastic Stool — A Street Food Education

vietnam ·

Hanoi on a Plastic Stool — A Street Food Education

Five days of eating at pavement level in Vietnam's capital, where every bowl of pho is a thesis on patience and every bun cha stall is a classroom without walls.

The Corn Islands — Nicaragua's Caribbean Secret

nicaragua ·

The Corn Islands — Nicaragua's Caribbean Secret

Forget the Pacific coast. Off Nicaragua's Caribbean shore, two tiny islands offer the Caribbean as it was thirty years ago.

The Train Through Tea Country — Six Hours That Rearrange Your Priorities

sri-lanka ·

The Train Through Tea Country — Six Hours That Rearrange Your Priorities

A blue train, open doors, emerald hillsides, and the slow realization that the journey is the destination Sri Lanka was built around.

The Big Island — Fire, Snow, and the Edge of America

hawaii ·

The Big Island — Fire, Snow, and the Edge of America

Active lava, snow-capped summits, black sand beaches, and a Hawaiian culture that is deeper than any resort will show you.

Angkor at Dawn — The Temples That Rewired My Sense of Time

cambodia ·

Angkor at Dawn — The Temples That Rewired My Sense of Time

Three days inside the world's largest religious complex, where stone faces smile across eight centuries and the jungle reclaims what empires built to last forever.

Barcelona After Dark — The City That Never Calls Last Orders

spain ·

Barcelona After Dark — The City That Never Calls Last Orders

From vermouth bars in Poble-sec to the Gothic Quarter at 3am, Barcelona reveals its deepest self when the sun goes down and the noise comes up.

The Colours of Rajasthan — A Desert That Refuses to Be Dull

india ·

The Colours of Rajasthan — A Desert That Refuses to Be Dull

From the pink walls of Jaipur to the blue houses of Jodhpur to the golden fort of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan is a state that has turned colour into a philosophy.

The Wild Atlantic Way — Where Ireland Meets the End of the World

ireland ·

The Wild Atlantic Way — Where Ireland Meets the End of the World

Driving the western edge of Ireland from Cork to Connemara, chasing light, music, and conversations that lasted longer than the weather.

Walking the Wild Wall -- Jinshanling to Simatai

china ·

Walking the Wild Wall -- Jinshanling to Simatai

The Great Wall most people never see: crumbling watchtowers, empty ridgelines, and five hours of walking through two thousand years of human stubbornness.

Berlin's Walls — The Ones That Fell and the Ones That Remain

germany ·

Berlin's Walls — The Ones That Fell and the Ones That Remain

Berlin does not hide its scars. It paints them, preserves them, and turns them into the most honest art gallery in Europe.

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