A million to one odds. So many great stories start that way. One great Seinfeld episode even ends that way. It’s funny how a few seemingly innocuous, unrelated events all culminate it one pinnacle moment of either great success or shameful failure. In this particular instance it was the former not the latter when the … Read More
Located in the middle of nowhere in Madhya Pradesh, the 1,000 year old Khajuraho temples are one of the most amazing — and overlooked — destinations in India. I spent a week here producing a film on the annual Khajuraho Dance Festival but since that was a nighttime event, I used the daytime to capture … Read More
My first experience in Nepal was filled with earthquakes and relief work, so it was not until my third trip to Nepal that I finally got a chance to go trekking Annapurna Conservation Area, something most people do their first trip. Was great to cross another thing off my travel bucket list (because we all … Read More
“Don’t be afraid of what I eat — be afraid of what I won’t eat.” Of course eating cockroaches is not quite as delicious as you might think. (And this is coming from someone who has eaten bull penis, raw cobra hearts and goat brain, among other things.) Why did you eat cockroach? Why not? … Read More
Pssst! Hey! Yes, you. Come closer. I have a secret to share with you. Something that everyone should be aware of. TRAVEL RUINS YOUR LIFE. It’s more addictive than heroin and there is no rehabilitation, no cure. Much like herpes, you are stuck with it for life. The best prescription you can hope for is … Read More
When traveling, there are those stories that are never told. No, not the ones about what happened in Bangkok or Berlin or Las Vegas — those always get told, often with “my friend” or “this guy I know” substituted in place of the slightly more embarrassing “me” 😉 I’m talking about those crazy embarrassing stories. … Read More
Last week after successfully completing the Rickshaw Run with all my limbs intact, I decided to head up to Nepal for some peace and quiet. My plan was to grab a motorcycle and find a simple little cabin in the mountains that I could post up for a few weeks and begin sorting and editing … Read More
Recently I happened to find myself locked up abroad in Indonesia for 16 days all because of a tweet. (Yes, a tweet…a deleted one at that!) Now let me show you around my cell at the immigration detention center, my new (and hopefully temporary) home. This post was written while I was locked up … Read More
For the first episode of Derek Eats That! it seemed only fitting to start with the big one: bull penis. Or as it is known locally in Malaysia, “sup torpedo” (torpedo soup — can you guess why it’s named that?) I had long since heard of people eating animal penis, as it’s common practice in … Read More
2014 has been a fun-filled and food-filled year but not one without it’s share of trials and tribulations (case in point getting locked up abroad for 16 days and eventually deported because of a tweet). But through it all I’ve kept on the hunt for more tasty foods to try, whether strange or taboo or … Read More
