Ramblin' Randy - Official Travel Blog of The Sultan of Slowjamastan

March 24, 2018March 25, 2018 By Ramblin' Randy

BEST ICED TEA (BOTTLED)

I was not expecting this. It was a 100+ degree day in Jakarta, Indonesia, and I was on the verge of heat stroke. I gave a street vendor my money and reached into her ice box and pulled out an iced-tea. I needed liquid. Little did I know, this was no normal iced tea. I…

March 10, 2018May 6, 2020 By Ramblin' Randy

Fiji

Non-stop to Fiji Fiji was part of a three-nation, Thanksgiving vacation for me, and was the flight hub for me to see both Tonga and Tuvalu as well: a total of three new countries and I was so ready to clock-in on island time as 2017 wrapped up. I knew I was going to enjoy the…

February 28, 2018June 3, 2018 By Ramblin' Randy

Best Pizza

“Randy, are you puttin’ me on??? You’re telling me that the world’s best pizza is in Arizona???” Why, yes. Yes I am. I’ve eaten pizza in Chicago, New York, even Italy…and yes–for my tastebuds–the best pizza lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Pizza opinions are certainly subjective, but what I love the best about Spinato’s pie, is…

February 25, 2018June 10, 2024 By Ramblin' Randy

Travelers’ Century Club List

Here is the Travelers’ Century Club’s list of countries, which included many more than the standard UN 193. The territories in BOLD are the ones I have visited. I am a member of the TCC. Membership is limited to those travelers who have visited one hundred or more territories of the world. It was first…

January 6, 2018June 2, 2018 By Ramblin' Randy

Tonga

I remember, as a seven-year-old boy, being thoroughly disappointed visiting my first “island.” Not that my loving parents didn’t have the best of intentions—but as a child, when you’re told you’re going to an “island,” you envision the actual “island” geography and landscape you’ve seen growing up: those crazy-desolate tropical and tiny islands from shows…

December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 By Ramblin' Randy

#Epic48Hours

Imagine being a winner in a contest where the rules were: 1) You’d have to be willing to go anywhere, 2) Do anything, 3) And be ready to leave at a moment’s notice…as in bags packed and you’re out in 60 seconds after a radio station host knocks on your door. That’s exactly how the rules are…

December 10, 2017December 10, 2017 By Ramblin' Randy

Tuvalu Social Club: The Runway at Funafuti International Airport

Perhaps what I will remember Tuvalu most for is the special meeting place that the country has designated for their nightly get-togethers. Every day, about two hours before sunset, hundreds of Tuvaluans, young and old, meet on the runway. Yes, the runway…at the airport. The international airport. Try and wrap your head around that…

December 3, 2017December 31, 2020 By Ramblin' Randy

Tuvalu

Funafuti, We Have a Problem Just as the pilot of the Fiji Link AR-72 was about to touch down, the engines roared and the nose pitched up. It was a missed approach. As we circled back around the island for landing attempt number two, the flight attendant informed us that the go-around was due to…