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 Keep Reading…
don't do what derek did
Despite being an experienced long-term traveler and nomad with a decade already under my belt, I am still a bad traveler. And you can ensure smoother travels if you Don't Do What Derek Did. Originally knicknamed "Derek's Mishap Of The Day" on Twitter until I discovered that #DMOTD already stands for Dick Move Of The Day ????
Don't Do What Derek Did situations almost always documented on Twitter while they unfold in real life, so I highly recommend joining me there if you have Twitter. HIGHLY. I cannot emphasize this enough.
Remember when I...
Did the film in Indonesia? It happened because of my Twitter fans. Broke the news of the #NepalEarthquake in 2015? I was on Twitter when the shaking began and quickly tweeted about the earthquake a split-second before nearby cell towers collapsed. Went viral in Malaysia? All because of a pro-Malaysia anti-Trump tweet. Live broadcast our two-week race across India? Every exciting event was covered on Twitter and Periscope, Twitter's live video streaming platform Was arrested in Khajuraho? Twitter got me released the same day. Was arrested in Indonesia A Tweet-War resulted in me being locked up abroad for 16 days then deported. (Even my first week behind bars I kept tweeting!) Was robbed in Nepal and the thief hunt began? That was on Twitter too, albeit a few hours later because the bastard stole my phone.
All that and so much more. It's hard to describe just how many awkward situations I get myself into. Also a bit sad. But above all it is entertaining!
Trekking Annapurna Conservation Area Guide: What (Not) To Do
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 Keep Reading…
Derek Eats That! Cockroaches
“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? Keep Reading…
How Long-Term Travel Ruins Your Life
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 Keep Reading…
Travel Fucktastrophes: The Stories I’ve Never Told
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. Keep Reading…
Kathmandu Photos Minutes And Days After The Nepal Earthquake
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 Keep Reading…
Life In An Immigration Detention Center
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 Keep Reading…
Derek Eats That! Episode 01: Sup Torpedo (Bull Penis Soup)
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 Keep Reading…
Top Culinary Achievements Of 2014 + Photos & Videos
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 Keep Reading…
Derek Drives That! Strange Vehicles, Exotic Locations And Unparalleled Mischief
I love trying out new and strange forms of transportation while traveling but one thing is even more fun: actually driving them! From jeepneys in the Philippines to chicken buses in Guatemala and ojeks in Indonesia, there is no method of transportation I won’t try and no vehicle I cannot drive. And now I’m turning Keep Reading…