About Adventures of a GoodMan
My name is Greg Goodman, and this is the magazine of my life.
. . . .Through it, I invite you to join me on a virtual photographic trip around the world, complimented by stories and multimedia from the road.
Think of the site as my answer to the age-old question: I traveled; now what?
Avoiding Taxi Scams and Roaming the Streets of Ho Chi Min
Our bus arrived in Ho Chi Min (formerly Saigon) in the middle of a monsoon and quickly got into a cab to take us to our hotel. After a few blocks, we noticed that the meter was already very high. We told him to stop and asked what was going …
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The Dark Side of the Full Moon
While the sunrise every morning was absolutely beautiful, the scene in front of it was not. As soon as it got light enough to see without a flashlight the locals came out in packs to scavenge. Lots of partiers had passed out on the beach and if anything had fallen …
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Hello Pretty Lady…Boy. Are Those Your Flip Flops?
Thailand is filled with lady boys: men who either dress like women or who are in some stage of actually becoming a woman through surgery. Most times they are easy to pick out of a crowd, though some have had so much work done or had such a feminine physique …
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What Country Are You From…Here's Your Price
As I mentioned earlier, one of our biggest frustrations in Bali was trying to get a fair price. A typical negotiation would usually go something like: Us: Hi, we are interested in a room, meal, item in your store, etc. How much? Them: What is your country? Us: USA Them: …
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No Public Transportation For You. Next!
“Can you help me? I seem to have gotten lost in southwest Thailand and am trying to find my way back onto the backpacking trail.” These are the types of thoughts that Carrie and I have had lately after our visit to the Andaman coast. It started in Krabi, where …
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Couchsurfing, Timeshares and a Night Out in Phuket
Carrie and I hate the tourist scene. Plain and simple. So, upon arriving in Patong, the tourist mecca of Phuket, we quickly logged onto Couchsurfing to find a local to give us the real scoop on the town, the party scene and the best boat tours. After exchanging a few …
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White Skin? Then You Pay the Foreigner Price
Our book warned us but nothing could have prepared us for the great disparity between the local price and the foreigner price. Carrie and I have traveled a lot in this world and have become used to, if not accepting, of attempts to rip us off. Sure, they are frustrating …
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The Hornets are Buzzing at Sigiriya
Sigiriya became the final stop on our Ancient Cities tour after we visited the front gate on our first day and were told we could only climb halfway up due to a hornet infestation atop the fortress. It seemed that some school kids threw rocks at their nests 10 days …
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Beating the Rickshaw Commission Hotel Scam in Puna
For the final bit of fun after our 31 hour train journey, Carrie and I found ourselves with the unenviable task of finding cheap lodging near the world famous (who knew!) OSHO Meditation Resort in Puna during a festival. The first few guesthouses we saw were too expensive and we …
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Nanda: A Phony Baloney Guru
We originally chose to stay Puna both to break up a long journey and to take a tour of the OSHO Meditation resort. OSHO attracts a mix of those seeking answers, hippies and curious travelers, so at least the area that we fought so hard to stay in was filled …
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Sexy Architecture and a Possible Scam at Khajuraho
“A place that few tourists go” are words that we LOVE to hear about our next destination. So, after the madness of Agra and Varanasi, we were thrilled to arrive at Khajuraho with our new friends, Dave and Jonathon, from the taxi ride. We originally planned to be in and …
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