The Adventure Dudes

27/05/2024

In Zanzibar, modesty is the cultural norm and the expectation. HOWEVER.

Apologies to Zanzibar, but we have a brand to maintain. 😎

Love y’all.

26/05/2024

Zanzibar, we've got some feelings... 🤔👇🏻

Stone Town is great. Vibrant and wildly different. An experience I'm glad I had.

The rest of the island? Honestly........ I'm not sure it's worth the trouble if you're not coming during peak tourism season. The good is nothing you can't get in dozens of different locales, and is pretty heavily outweighed by the less than stellar. (Constant hassles with police, many closed establishments, the ones open undergoing maintenance, hotels with reduced amenities, etc).

This stands in stark contrast to mainland Tanzania, where the late spring shoulder season seems to us like the absolute best time to visit. So if you take that advice, just be prepared for what the east coast of Zanzibar does and doesn't offer this time of year.

A large part of our issues stemmed from our decision to self drive, of course. A taxi from Stone Town to the coast is about $50 USD, so in just two trips, you're hitting what we paid for 4 days with our own vehicle. Renting gave us flexibility and the ability to escape the confines of our hotel, but came at the aforementioned cost of constant police stops asking for bribes to "solve our problem" of needing to drive to Stone Town to pay a fine for a mysterious law that we've unknowingly broken.

If we'd taken taxis, paid more, and had less ability to move from place to place, we'd have been fine, I guess? But that would also have been restrictive and frustrating - especially since the food at our accommodation was ridiculously priced. Lose lose, Zanzibar.

At the end of the day, if you're looking for an island getaway, there are better and cheaper options all across the globe that come with fewer challenges and complications. And if you're doing Tanzania in the shoulder season, which we DEFINITELY recommend, you can skip the Zanzibar add-on, unless, again you're ready for what you're getting into. Probably better to just take a jaunt down to the coastal capital of Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam, if you're looking for a post-safari vibe shift.

Love y'all

22/05/2024

The Serengeti really rolled out the red carpet for our departure this morning. So much to share!

When you put good out, you get good back. That's , y'all!

20/05/2024

IT'S SERENGETI DAY, YALL!

Spoiler: it's as insane as you've imagined.

18/05/2024

When should you visit Tanzania? Tap the photo to find out. But here's a hint: Probably not when everybody else does... 🕵️

29/09/2023

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to eat anywhere Anthony Bourdain did on his shows: No Reservations or Parts Unknown.

Bourdain called the Sarawak Laksa here the "Breakfast of the Gods", and damn was he right. The broth they make is just out of this world good on a rainy Borneo morning - my last before heading back to Kuala Lumpur and then home.

What a way to close it out.

27/09/2023

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow! What a ride!'" - Hunter S Thompson

Gonna revive the blog for this one. But for now, I need to eat and I need to sleep. Borneo, I just have no words.

22/03/2022

Seems men really haven't changed a whole lot over the past 1,200 years.

21/03/2022

The most exciting thing about travel?

No matter how many places you've been, there's always somewhere new to explore.

20/03/2022

Note to self: don't build your temples out of sandstone when they're located in a wet, hot, Cambodian jungle. 🌴

12/03/2022

Mmmmmhmmmm

10/03/2022

You may think you've had good crab before. You've never had crab like THIS.

09/03/2022

Our brother Artha is a photographer, tour operator, artist, and all around amazing human who we met in Uganda in 2018. Recently, he was the victim of a robbery, and he had all of his camera equipment stolen. He needs our help to get his livelihood back.

Please consider sending him something. It'd mean a lot to us! He still has quite a ways to go to make up for the loss.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-artha-regain-his-livelihood

Not long ago, Artha - a very close friend of mine - was robbed of his livelihood. Artha … Max Bilbow needs your support for Help Artha Recover his Livelihood

07/03/2022

Angkor Wat has been on the bucket list for a long, long time.

On Saturday, we finally got allllll up in it. With temps nearing 100°, sweat double-soaking our shirts, and just a TINY fraction of the typical crowds, Angkor Wat delivered the Cambodia we'd been looking for.

Finally, y'all. Finally. 🇰🇭

02/03/2022

💦

02/03/2022

Looking out over Phnom Penh at 6:45am, coffee in hand. Still desperately tired, but I'm pretty sure this is a perfect moment.

01/03/2022

MY HOTEL IN PHNOM PENH WAS CLOSED AND FOR RENT WHEN I GOT THERE BUT 50% OF THE DUDES ARE NOW IN CAMBODIA!!!!

What a fitting end to this travel experience.

See ya tomorrow, Bullard. I'm in the Aquarius Hotel. Meet me here instead. 🤣🤦🏻‍♂️