Nora Dunn's blog

There's a Redback in my Kitchen

Nora Dunn — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:08:19 -0500

Australians and arachnophobes alike will know what I’m talking about here.

Despite learning the hard way the punch a centipede bite can pack, seeing snakes slither in Springbrook, and discovering the

What is Paradise if You Can't Share It?

Nora Dunn — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:19:08 -0500

This post is for anybody who travels a lot, lives abroad, or has moved away from somebody they care about.

I could talk until I’m blue in the face about how unbelievably beautiful the place where I currently live is. But if nobody sees it, or sees us flourishing in it, is it really paradise?...

On The Rescue: Koalas Up Trees

Nora Dunn — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:33:30 -0500

At 5:30pm, Georgie (the young and beautiful owner of Kingbilli) knocks on our door.

“Any chance you guys would like to help me wrestle a koala out of a tree in Alex?” No sooner than the words are out of her mouth are our dinner plans put on hold, our shoes are on, and we are piling eagerly...

Cooking in Thai Paradise

Nora Dunn — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:41:33 -0500

We sit in the stifling heat, beating off the flies and bees. Cicadas and crickets chirp in the hills all around, and a chorus of laughing children drifts up to us from the valley below. Fields of rice and citrus form the vast expanse in front of us, and the occasional Thai farmer in broad straw...

Thai Hospitality: A Fine Specimen

Nora Dunn — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:58:48 -0500

Until recently, travelers from all over have hailed Thailand as one of the friendliest places in the world. However I have received increasing reports that Thailand’s tourism industry is eating away at the friendly nature of the people and the land. And our first few days in Thailand (sadly in Bangkok)...

Traveling the World: One Hospital at a Time

Nora Dunn — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:24:44 -0500

A conversation we had in Canada before we started traveling:

Kelly: I wonder what crazy tropical diseases we will get while we're traveling.
Nora:You're joking right?
Kelly:No really. It could be fun.

This conversation was entirely in jest. But apparently somebody with a lot of universal power and...

This is Real Travel: Traveling in Thailand, and Making a Difference in Burma

Nora Dunn — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:46:09 -0500

We are two Canadians - Nora Dunn & Kelly Bedford - who were vacationing through northern Thailand when we learned of the tragic Cyclone Nargis sweeping through Burma. In fact, the storm narrowly missed us. We are safe and sound, but less than 500kms away from us, there are thousands...

Goodbye Hawaii

Nora Dunn — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:26:43 -0500

Every trip has its trials. Every adventure its ups and downs. Every crisis an advantage, and every blessing a price.

Here in Hawaii, we've learned just that.

Popai

On the other side of this island, we arrived in Hawaii and found ourselves in a rainforest and...

Conquering Fears: The Swim

Nora Dunn — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:57:06 -0500

This was first published at http://freedom30.blogspot.com

Although I have a history of competitive skydiving, motorcycle racing, worldwide bungee jumping, mountaineering, caving, and multi-pitch rock climbing, I am not without my fears. And as with most fears, they are irrational.

One such fear...

The Journey Through Life's Changes

Nora Dunn — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:54:42 -0500

Part of the fun of living at a hostel is in meeting all sorts of people with a variety of backgrounds and stories to tell. And it’s amazing to learn of their personal journeys. We as travelers are not as alone as we may believe at times.

-names have been changed to protect identities-

How Spam Conquered Hawaii, and How I Conquered Spam

Nora Dunn — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:04:14 -0600

What do you see when you think of Hawaiian food? If you're like me, you conjure up images of fresh fruits (bananas and pineapples being the most prolific in the image, but generally anything that will fit on top of the Tropicana lady's head will do), seafood (Hawaii is, after all, in the middle of...

An Introduction to Spearfishing....and Neurological Disease

Nora Dunn — Fri, 8 Feb 2008 14:08:43 -0600

First, it was traveling across the island with a crippling migraine. Then, it was a black eye gracefully received while boogie boarding. Now, toxic poisoning with neurological and gastronomic effects. Excellent.

First, let me tell you about a new sport Kelly (my boyfriend)...

Sleeping Around Hawaii

Nora Dunn — Sun, 3 Feb 2008 15:49:23 -0600

In the spirit of adventure and frugality (seeing that my oh-so-lucrative writing career doesn't exactly pave the way to the Hilton just yet - well maybe it does, as you'll learn later), we decided that it might be kicky to sleep in the car every other night for our recent trip around the Big Island...

Travelling or Writing? Which is it Already?

Nora Dunn — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 01:37:31 -0600

So here I sit. I have been on the road living with no fixed address for over a year now. My style of travel is to make it a lifestyle as opposed to a vacation or series of vacations. I also call myself a "Professional Hobo" or just plain "Retired", depending on who I am talking to.
But of course, I am...