The Monsoon Diaries

A story that started in 2010, with a bet, has become a journey that manifested into The Monsoon Diaries. This video was created to capture the essence of what it is like to monsoon. Monsooning is the concept of traveling ethically and sustainably, with limited time and money, to take advantage of what the world has to offer. This video follows 20 monsooners traveling through Egypt on the 10 year anniversary trip; going back to where the adventure began. Come virtually explo...re with us through this video and consider joining, in person, for your next trip! More about the Egypt trip: https://monsoondiaries.com//the-return-to-cairo-10-years-/ Explore with us!: https://monsoondiaries.com/ Monsoon Diaries Back Story: https://www.crushingthemyth.com//following-your-dreams-is- https://monsoondiaries.com//forming-a-monsoon-alone-in-ca/ Videography & Editing: Raubern Totanes Please subscribe to him: https://www.youtube.com/rauburnin https://www.instagram.com/rauburnin/ Travel Ethicist: Diana Klatt https://klattalyst.com/ https://www.instagram.com/klattalyst/ https://twitter.com/dianaklatt OG Monsooner: Calvin D. Sun, MD https://www.instagram.com/monsoondiaries/ https://www.facebook.com/monsoondiaries/ -------------- Trip Itinerary Designed & Led by Calvin D. Sun, MD Creative Director - Diana Klatt Video Directed & Edited by Raubern Totanes All video content is personally owned. Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: Ooyy - Siren Screen Ooyy - Sober Language

Cautious hope. Our first official international monsoon since Feb 2020 is planned to commence in 2 weeks, where I’ve screened 12 fully vaccinated and trustworthy folks most of whom have traveled with me before and I can trust to behave responsibly during a pandemic will endeavor on a pilot road trip (much like our successful road trip across USA last August) across Cyprus . Essentially it will be exactly like our road trip last August but this time also being fully vacc...inated on an island with a far lower infection rate than had been suffering from last year. All 12 monsooners will submit proof of full vaccinations to Cyprus’ official government travel portal (info in the gallery, swipe past the gratuitousness ) prior to clearance to enter the island nation, after which we’ll self-drive our own private vehicles and conduct all activities outdoors: beaches, ancient ruins, and dining al fresco (as we have always been doing in the since the pandemic began to wane). Our lodgings will be private apartments only with good air flow from open balconies and with nobody having stayed for at least a few days prior to arrival. Even when fully vaccinated, we will also all ensure negative test results prior to boarding our flights and minimize our stopovers prior to and after the trip. Therefore beginning TOMORROW and in anticipation of this upcoming monsoon, we will recap the day to day live vlog (composed by @noeleentong) on our IGTV of our previous official monsoon a private road trip across America last August from NYC to Seattle over 10 days in an RV before finally premiering the epic 26-minute aftermovie of our trip directed, edited, and composed by the masterful @rauburnin on June 6, 2021. Beginning tomorrow and in celebration of a hope of what’s to come, learn from and be inspired by the 14 monsooners who traveled safely from coast to coast twice-over so we could recharge and recuperate properly after 5 months of burnout on the frontlines of the epicenter. Beginning tomorrow, we look back to look forward in rebuilding towards a more ethical and sustainable way of travel. @ United States of America

Although the past year has now left me (grand)fatherless on this physical plane, it also has evoked the strength of my mothers; they are still here, they are still with me, and they shall continue to live on to be even stronger than ever before. And also cherishing those without mothers, mothers who have suffered the loss of a child/pregnancy, those who desire to be mothers, those who struggle in their relationships with their mothers (as I have, especially after losing my f...ather), or those who never knew their mothers. This day is for you too. #mothersday #raisedbywomen #fullyvaccinated #gratitude . . . #fuckcovid19 @ New York, New York

It’s ok to pause at times. But then it’s back to work. #balanced Full blogpost on my visit to Saint John’s before returning home https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/05/04/saint-john . .... . . #usvi #usvirginislands #landscapephotography #beautifuldestinations #pandemictravel #covidtravel #caribbeanlife #caribbean #travelingram #monsoondiaries #doyoutravel #bbctravel #guardiantravelsnaps #natgeo #natgeotravelpic #lonelyplanet #livetravelchannel #theglobewanderer #snorkeling #nature #wonderful_places #trip #travelawesome #wanderfolk #places_wow #passionpassport #travelblogger #travelphotography #travelstory @ Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands

This nevertheless struggle After the past 14 months of however much daily info & updates we’ve disseminated, colleagues domestic and abroad we’ve warned, my posts written about exasperation, or feeling inconsequential, rage, and living the Cassandra Complex, none of it was enough to prevent the same horror from happening elsewhere. Whenever we learn about the chaos occurring in another part of the world hospitals out of oxygen, scam treatments, family members br...ought in alive one minute and found dead the next we feel as if we’re reliving a broken record of our own experiences of yesteryear. But even when we had been far less prepared with no proven treatments or vaccines, we still hoped people would finally listen and the chaos would end by summer. Some of us still hold onto that hope. Taking a step back this past week to write and recharge on this research monsoon, I’ve gathered that perhaps the obvious secret is to understand that none of us will ever truly be invulnerable from plague whether it’s a literal or the figurative fallibility of human nature amidst the chaos of the universe: To believe one will be immune to anything is a dance with the absurd. Instead I’m redirecting greater meaning to what we can effect now within our immediate abilities when facing the task at hand. Even the smallest efforts to alleviate suffering whether assisting from abroad, fighting fires directing, or simply minimizing harm to others can make the biggest difference. Even if we were to accept how we all are imperfect, one step away from becoming monsters now or again, or always doomed to an inevitable, the redemption lies in the nevertheless struggle for a better future amidst the bedlam. And with this monsoon already becoming a memory, I look forward returning home recharged and back into embracing our chaos. : @tanukimi.s of @facesofcoronavirus

While difficult to appreciate these days, that light at and view from the top might just be closer than you think. We’re getting there soon, and we’re going to go far, together. Saint Croix to Saint Thomas live blogpost up: https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/05/02/st-thomas/ This is exactly what I needed: starting off my research monsoon with zero crowds, zero public indoor spaces, zero drama, and 3 secluded and uncrowded islands encouraging the outdoors for all activities. This... on top of its mandatory screening procedures for all arrivals, strict enforcement of face coverings, and low to zero COVID-19 rates for at least the incubation period of the past 2-3 weeks. And for being our first travel serendipity post-COVID thank you for following my live IG stories updates like a hawk @nowmrsgreenidge, immediately reaching out and running into me after I arrived at your home of Saint Croix! And also your son @dylanog2215 for the dolphin poop mints I owe you your first time experiencing snow whenever you want to visit the mainland Haven’t recharged by travel for so long because of the pandemic; glad to hit the ground running already with these travel synchronicities that I’ve missed so much before the pandemic. Looking forward to plenty more. Cyprus in June is the goal IF encouraging trends keep up; and if you’re interested in joining, let me know. @ US Virgin Islands

This gallery and my new blogpost (https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/05/01/st-croix) features my entire thought process + planning yesterday on what went into my first research monsoon after being fully vaccinated 4 months ago. Ideally: 1) Get vaccinated and wait at least 2-3 weeks for the antibodies to fully kick in, because people keep forgetting that.... 2) Don’t wait too long to live before you burn out. There’s a balance to everything, especially with extremes. I don’t want to burn out; we all need one another for the rebuild. 3) Redeem your miles / free tickets, especially if they have expiration dates and if you haven’t used them all year (remember miles DO NOT accrue interest and only get devalued over time the longer you wait) 4) Depart from a safe place with low rates that you’ve lived in for at least 2-3 weeks (and never developed symptoms) 5) Test negative for your own mental well-being, for others, and to clear any entry requirements for the destination. 6) Choose an equally safe destination with equally or lower rates of infection/hospitalizations/deaths to create a bubble and where most activities are outdoors, and it’s easy to stay outdoors (USVI is a great example) 7) Choose flights where you know the airports and even the flight itself will be as empty as possible (eg. early morning departures) 8) Have multiple forms of face coverings ready to use in case things go south; be adaptable to all situations because that’s travel. You might luck out (or plan well enough ‘cuz luck is really preparation + opportunity) and hit all 8, but even if you don’t, the goal is to minimize any unnecessary risk, maximize your chances of preventing exposure, and remember is not what you do but how you do it. Good luck and recharge however you can responsibly!