After getting my wallet stolen in Kuala Lumpur, I was ready to get out of Malaysia. After realizing that I likely wouldn’t return before the end of the year, I began to get increasingly nostalgic about my time there. Before ever coming to Malaysia, people would tell me not to visit, saying it was a …
I had about a week to kill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to reset my Indonesian visa. I messaged my friend Kai to let her know that I would be coming to town and we made plans to meet up the next day to see the Barbie movie. After my lonely week in Nusa Lembongan, I …
My 3-day visa run from Indonesia was now turning into 3 weeks as I returned back to Kuala Lumpur to pick up my new passport. Unfortunately, the US Embassy only allows you to pick up your passport on Mondays or Wednesdays from 2-4 pm and I arrived back in the city on a Friday so …
With my passport renewal application safely submitted to the US Embassy in Malaysia, I could finally relax. The processing time was expected to be about 2 weeks and I had an apartment in Kuala Lumpur booked for the first few days. Luckily, I had some friends coming to town so the timing worked out well. …
After my 60 days of cruising on SV Kismet in Indonesia, I flew to Singapore for a 3-day visa run and to stock up on things to bring back for the boat. On the day of my return flight, I came back to the airport with my backpack and cardboard box of goods to check. …
After one week in the big city of Kuala Lumpur, Megan and I packed up our heavy bags and made our way to the bus station. After hearing me talk about the Path of Least Resistance trip and how much I loved Tioman Island, Megan agreed to join me for a week before we went …
After spending four weeks volunteering at the Tropical Research and Conservation Center (TRACC), Megan and I hopped on a flight to represent TRACC at the Malaysia International Dive Expo in Kuala Lumpur. It took a full day of traveling to the big city before we arrived at our hotel then woke up early again to …
When I wrote my initial manifestation list while I was looking for a volunteer opportunity, one of the components was an opportunity to better my underwater photography and videography skills and find a mentor in this area. So, when I found out about Megan (an underwater photographer) and TRACC, it felt truly kismet that everything …
After arriving in Borneo and learning about dynamite fishing and sea turtle nest poaching, I was inspired to begin my month of volunteering at the Tropical Research and Conservation Center. Our daily schedule Tuesday through Saturday would include a morning work dive, followed by lunch, then an afternoon work dive and data entry, then dinner …
After the eye-opening experience of arriving in Semporna, I arrived on Pom Pom Island with my new friend, Megan, and Robin, a director of the Tropical Research and Conservation Center (TRACC). We were briefly shown around the facilities which included a large, covered common area called Number 4 (I still don’t understand why) and a …
After saying goodbye to the crew of SV Millennium, I set off to my next adventure on the other side of Malaysia, in Borneo. I would be volunteering for the Tropical Research and Conservation Center (TRACC) with my new friend Megan whom I met through Instagram and a mutual connection. My flights took me from …
After two weeks on the Path of Least Resistance, I was on my way back to Langkawi with a new take on life and decided it was time to end my chapter on SV Millennium. It had already been almost three months since coming to Malaysia and knew that working in a shipyard felt like …
Candice and I found ourselves with just a few days left on Tioman Island before we were scheduled to be back on SV Millenium. Although one of our rules for the Path of Least Resistance was to not plan anything in advance and let the magic unfold, I booked a freediving course at the end …
After spending a week in Juara on Tioman Island, Candice and I canceled our plans to volunteer at the dive resort and decided to see another part of the island. Where would we go next? I was in awe at the rock spires we saw at the southern part of the island as we arrived …
After two days in Penang, my and Candice’s Path of Least Resistance trip was off to a great start. Our next destination would be Tioman Island where we would be volunteering at a dive resort for two weeks in exchange for free diving. To get there, we had to fly from Penang to Johor Baru …
After my first two months onboard SV Millennium, Nate gave us two weeks off but I had no idea where to go or what to do. Candice and I decided to travel together but planning anything so last minute and on a budget proved difficult and frustrating. Instead, we decided to do a little experiment …
Once I had found a new home for Milli, our boat kitty, I suddenly felt like I didn’t have much of a purpose for staying in the shipyard. My job onboard had somehow become the master organizer and I spent most of my days tidying up the mess that occurred daily because if people can’t …
Shortly after I arrived on SV Millennium, I discovered the boat had been adopted by a little stray kitten. We named the kitten Milli (short for Millennium) and she quickly made her way into all of our hearts. She was a mixture of black and orange with a knobby, cropped tail typical of inbred island …
With a complete crew of 10 people, we were determined to keep the ball rolling and get SV Millennium in the water. I had already been onboard for two weeks and knew that the estimated two weeks in the shipyard was a bit of a miscalculation. There was still plenty to do as we finished …
My first week aboard SV Millennium was spent constantly questioning my decision to come to Malaysia to work in a shipyard for 40 hours per week for free. Although I enjoyed meeting everyone onboard, it’s always a bit awkward being the last person to join. Nate was busy as the captain, Amy spent her days …
After arriving in Langkawi and getting settled into my new home on SV Millennium, the days began blending together as I fell into the daily routine. The mornings normally consisted of breakfast, coffee, and a workout or walk followed by a group meeting at 9:30 am. Nate would go over the schedule for the day …
After a relaxing three months at home to enjoy the holidays, friends, and family, I boarded my flight to Southeast Asia to join a new boat called SV Millennium with the crew of Expedition Drenched. Before arriving, Nate, the captain, shared with me a brief history of the project and boat. Expedition Drenched was started …
