05 Jul

Stories that Stuck: Iceland, Part 1

“Stories that Stuck” is a series of posts devoted to recounting moments from past adventures that have stood the test of time – contrasting with my normal habit of posting about…
25 Jun

Radio Silence

Seven months ago, I wrote a blog post “Why I’m Leaving“, explaining why I was going to quit my cushy job to do….. ……well, I didn’t actually know what. But…
28 Mar

Iceland: A Drone Diary

Things I learned in Iceland: Damn it, it’s beautiful there. Damn it, it’s expensive there. Each hot spring has its own charm. If a road says “closed”, it’s absolutely, positively impassable.…
13 Mar

Where The Cold Wind Blows: A Story About (mostly) Ireland

Either I had incited the wrath of the mighty Arctic Wind Gods this trip……. or Ireland is just like this in March. I kid you not: 80% of my journey to Ireland was…
10 Feb

The Story of YOLO: Going to Italy, ending up in Monaco

This is a story about not following directions. A story about how I planned a road trip around northern Italy, but ended up in the tiny country of Monaco. This is the story…
26 Jan

FAQ: What did you do in Antarctica (Part 2 of 2)

  Part 1:  https://mendiventures.com/2017/01/24/faq-what-did-you-do-in-antarctica-part-1-of-2/ Countdown Complete: Touchdown in Antarctica, baby. Locations: Orne Harbor, Antarctic Peninsula; Cuverville Island, Errera Channel Today was the day. “Good morning, good morning, my dear passengers…”…
24 Jan

FAQ: What did you do in Antarctica? (Part 1 of 2)

Arriving home in San Francisco just yesterday, I’ve gotten this question from many people. After all, it is a great question. And while I’d love to flip through each of the…
22 Jan

Ineffable (Antarctica 2017)

I first learned the word “ineffable” my junior year of high school. I still remember vividly: We were reading The Great Gatsby in class, and this word was used in the following passage to describe Jay…
02 Jan

China: The good, the bad, and the ugly

I can’t say I’ve always been proud to be Chinese. Sure, I didn’t mind the positive Asian stereotypes (like being bundled with the “model minority”), and hell, I might’ve even…
15 Dec

Symbolism at the End of the Earth

I took off my sandals and stepped one foot onto the cool, damp sand. Looking towards the ocean, I couldn’t make out waves, but they were there. I could hear them.…