Trans-SiBEARDian “One today is worth two tomorrows.” –old Buddhist saying It has been a lonnnnnngggg time since I have updated this blog, and for that I apologize, but on the bright side I have been working on a professional blog for which I may soon be making an income (WOHOO!). So, from now on to check in on my adventures please go to my new site here: shamelesstraveler.com It’s going to be a little different than what I post here, there will be more travel tips, ideas about places I’ve been, and things that I think are cool that I have learned about while traveling, so a pretty mixed bag. I believe the last time I updated this blog I was in Macau for Christmas, which is a little pathetic on my behalf, but since then I have returned to Korea and taught some more, went from there to Vietnam where I rode motorcycles all over the south of the country and ate a spitting cobra and drank it’s blood, then I headed to Thailand where I spent a month building my new website with a programmer and exploring Bangkok and Chiang Mai, I made a visa run to Cambodia and then returned to Thailand and trained in a Muay Thai kickboxing camp for two weeks which was intense and lots o fun. From Thailand I headed to Beijing, where I met up with my Irish friend Johnny and my Canadian friend Ian and we are beginning a Trans-Siberian Railway adventure. I spent my days there running around for a few days, missed a political Coup on Tiananmen Square with tanks and the whole sha-bang by about a day, haha pretty crazy. The sight seeing was pretty fun and I made time to eat some Peking Duck, but nothing could curve my excitement to get on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. And after riding across Mongolia and into Russia I hit up Kazakhstan and am now in amazing Moscow. It’s getting colder and I’m enjoying layering up for Siberia and seeing snow and frozen lakes. Additionally, I haven’t trimmed my beard in 3 months to prepare for Siberia so I look like a mixture between Hank Williams Jr. and sasquatch right now. I’m spending all my train time on writing articles and continuing building my new website shamelesstraveler.com.

The railroad tracks ahead hold more, St. Petersburg,Russia then the grand finale in Finland to check out the Northern Lights. The adventure has just begun and I look forward to posting many more posts to make up for my sloppy consistency on posting articles. I miss everyone like crazy, happy birthday to my Mom and Dad and like 2/3 of my nieces and nephews this month, and I’ll see everybody in Cincinnati this December for Christmas. From now on please check up on me at my new blog the Shameless Travler. LOVE- Stephen

Back in Korea!

Hey everybody,
I’m back in South Korea in Jochiwon teaching the Korean youth of tomorrow once again. It is cold here, like really cold here right now. It’s 33 degrees today, a bit warmer, and there is snow on the ground. South Korea is actually the same latitude as Ohio, so the weather is pretty much the same.
In my class this time I have 6-8 year olds and I have the lowest level English speakers, so there is a lot more energy being expunged on my behalf this go around. The kids are ridiculously cute kids at least, my student Stella is the most adorable. She basically doesn’t understand most things I say, she simply smiles with her big chubby cheeks and nods. I could probably tell her she was on fire and this would be her exact response. It is fun to be back in Korea, I did miss it a little and I missed the food. No live octopus yet though, saving that one for a rainy day here.
I had my first Christmas away from home in Macua, a small republic of China much like Hong Kong and very near it to. Though it is considered China they have their own system of government, their own currency, and even have Portuguese as their second language which is pretty interesting. I met up with two of my friends from Cincinnati here that live and work in Macua. Macau is the Las Vegas of Asia, almost exactly, big casinos, all the lights, the whole works. My friend Shannon is the head of the hair, wig, and make up department for Cirque De Soleil and my other friend Veronica is an executive chef for the Hard Rock in the one casino. So I ate well and hung out with circus people for most of my stay, pretty fun Christmas. I spent New Years with a fairly new group of people/teachers, with the exception of my counterpart Steve, in Daejeon, South Korea. We had a good time to say the least and now I have officially begun my 2012 in Asia.
2012 is looking good, I have many friends coming to visit and many journeys that lay ahead. February is looking like Vietnam, March looks like Russia, May-June is looking like Southeast Asia, and that is just the first part. I’m getting excited for one of my best buds Mark meeting next month and one of my other best friends Dave meeting me in May. You can’t ask for better traveling compadres than these guys. I hope everyone is having a great new year and is staying warm. Until the next time…

Long Overdue Pics of Epic Nepal

Monkey Temple

Kathmandu

Trekking the Langtang trail through the Himalayas

Getting higher and higher up..

My first glacier!

Safari time. Rhino prints, Tiger prints