GONZO the Winnebago Travato
Buy the ticket, take the ride…
This is my primary vehicle, “GONZO” a 2018 Winnebago Travato! More specific, a Ram ProMaster 3500 High Roof Extended Cargo Van, 280-hp, 3.6L V6 gas engine, 6-speed automatic 62TE transmission converted by Winnebago to be a CONDO ON WHEELS! I never thought I would own an RV but after a lot of research and a visit to an RV show I decided to get one. It's the only big purchase I have ever made where it feels like life gets better the longer I own it... NO REGRETS! The freedom to pack up the van and take off anywhere has been very rewarding. GONZO is fun to drive, not HUGE like a Class A or Class C motor-home, so it can park in most parking spaces. GONZO is pretty quick for its size, awesome open layout and design, great for traveling and working remote. Not for everyone, but definitely works for me.
If you are thinking of purchasing or have questions about a Travato check out the Facebook Group, Travato Owners and Wannabees which is a great resource with happy Travato owners sharing experiences and advice from everything like buying, maintaining, and upgrading a Travato.
My World Book
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine
My World Book feels like it is getting filled with pages. Camping in Canada and USA's National Parks like Banff, Jasper, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Zion. Also, State and Regional Parks throughout California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Each park with it's own unique qualities mixed with wildlife, oceans, lakes, streams, waterfalls, trails, beautiful plants and animals living in harmony. Cruising along both Pacific (State Route 1 / SR 1) and Atlantic coasts watching sunrises in the East and sunsets in the West. Driving white-knuckled and my heart racing on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado, a vehicle "roller coaster" in Big Sur between Carmel & San Simeon, and driving on/below miles of water along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel in Virginia. Visiting awesome places like Montreal, Toronto, Virginia Beach, Charleston, Savannah, Miami, Florida Keys, Las Vegas, Dallas, Phoenix, San Diego. Dodging Deer and Elk crossing the roads in Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming all along the Rocky Mountains. Living the #VANLIFE whether a Walmart, Love's, or Pilot Flying J parking lot. Overnight at a rest stop, beside a lake or beach, RV Campground, Forest Service land, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas, WMA's (Wildlife Management Areas) and county or city parks, wherever.
Check out my social media for photos, videos, and updates of where I go next.
2018 Travato 59K Brochure
I test drove a minivan (not enough room), thought about a travel trailer (connecting/disconnecting and all that, nope) or buying and converting a Promaster Van on my own (hmmm?) After research, I decided to go with the Travato. Winnebago has been in the RV Industry since 1958 and I don't really have the time and/or patience to sit and fabricate and learn by trial and error how to drill holes into sheet metal of a brand new Promaster chassis, or making some uneven bed with two-by-fours and plywood. Competitor models were either priced lower (Hymer) with crappy build quality, or built with the same features and priced way too high (Airstream). There are custom solutions out there as well, that will build out your Van how you like, but I was not going to sit on a waiting list for 6 months to a year or more. I had the itch to get traveling immediately!
The Travato is "ready to go" with kitchenette, bathroom, a decent entertainment system, nice use of interior space, plenty of storage. It comes with a warranty so things like my broken awning, leaky toilet, and bubbled up grill were covered and replaced, and besides those items, GONZO has been great! I have the "K" version of the Travato, open layout, with twin beds on each side. Check out the brochure for more details.
GONZO Gallery
Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona
I ❤ SE Asia
Go with all your heart
“As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks—on your body or on your heart—are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.” - Anthony Bourdain
I miss Anthony Bourdain, it’s hard to watch his show anymore knowing how his life ended. But whenever I see a rerun of his show Parts Unknown, Season 8 - Episode 1 in Hanoi, Vietnam I can relate to his experiences there, well... besides when he met President Obama in Hanoi. Bourdain notes that Vietnam is a place that "grabs you and doesn’t let you go." Which is exactly how I feel about all of Southeast Asia. Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan all awesome countries that I have been lucky enough to visit, but my favorite is Thailand! ฉันรักประเทศไทย! (I love Thailand!) Tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of Buddha. In fact, 95% of the population are Buddhists who most speak in cat-like tonal language with beautifully tanned skin and almond shaped eyes, whizzing around on motorbikes on the left side of the road. I usually travel there during the "High Season" between November through February. Thailand is the ultimate place to go for a single adult who does not want to participate in the sitting around for hours doing nothing, gain 15+ pounds, TURKEY DAY or the pagan religion, sun worshiping, buy more things people do not need, XMAS holidays out West. I would rather celebrate Loi Krathong and launch a khom loi (sky lantern) or sail a floating krathong than sip some Thai Whiskey and call it good. Even though Thais follow the Buddhist calendar and celebrate Songkran, Thai New Year (April 13th) you still can't beat New Years (January 1st) in Thailand either!
In Southeast Asia, I love interacting with the people and just doing simple things like cruising around on motorbikes and getting lost (on purpose). Finding new places to grab some delicious food, preferably fresh caught seafood from the Gulf of Thailand or Andaman Sea. Mmmm, like grilled squid dunked in sweet chili sauce, or mixed in a hot and spicy curry. Oh, and mango sticky rice for dessert! Staying out all night partying, watching Muay Thai boxing, clubbing, dancing, and people watching. Or on the flip side, waking up early and catching the Buddhist praying to Buddha shrines and Spirit Houses, lighting incense and giving offerings to the Monks on their morning almsround (or pindacara). Chilling out at a beach or hotel pool soaking in that Tropical Zone sunshine. Each time I visit Southeast Asia I try to visit an Elephant sanctuary, watch Monkeys in the wild, and try to take care of some stray dogs and cats. I even took in a stranded puppy one night and gave it a bath and had it sleep in my room, HA! I would love to retire somewhere in Southeast Asia, live full-time in a small village close to a beach or countryside enjoying the simple life. Who knows? Maybe someday...
"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucius
Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines
Hanoi, Vietnam Motorbike Adventure Tour
This is a GoPro Video of a Motorbike Tour I took in Hanoi, Vietnam. Book a tour with Minh at Freebird Adventures and as Minh says, "Keep Going, Never Give Up!"
Riding ATVs in Siem Reap , Cambodia
I had a great time on a Quad Adventure Tour in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I booked a full day tour, it was a pretty long day, but well worth it! I road through many villages, temples, patty fields, countrysides, and trails. The tour was on December 10th, which Cambodia celebrates, "International Human Rights' Day", so many kids were home from school and I went through 10 bags of candy handing out to those cute smiling faces.
Late Nights and Cockfights (Sabong) in Angeles City, Philippines
Sir, Yes Sir! Spending the holidays in Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines for Christmas 2012. My brother Dustin and me stayed at Field Plaza Suites for a few days before going to Thailand. It was a fun trip and Dust's first time overseas so it was interesting seeing the experience through his eyes.
I had the opportunity to watch a LEGAL cockfight which is towards the end of this video. The roosters are beautiful looking birds and from talking to the owners they are fed well, trained daily, given much attention and care through their lives. If your not OK with cockfighting, don't watch, and Go Vegan because animal cruelty is way worse for the mass produced animal dairy and meat most "Western" people eat then the 20-30 roosters fighting. If you are that opposed to this sport, there are bigger animal cruelty problems in this world! Watch this video, Best Speech You Will Ever Hear - Gary Yourofsky
Thailand - ประเทศไทย
Motorbike Ride and Snorkeling at Paradise Beach, Phuket, Thailand
Perfect little beach to visit on a motorbike ride from Patong, and decent for snorkeling too. I found Paradise Beach by riding along coastline until there was no more road, and I have been back many times. Also, good Thai Seafood, snorkel gear, and towel rentals at reasonable prices. I fell asleep on a beach chair, dreaming of living on Paradise Beach full-time, in a bamboo hut, with my Thai wives and pet monkeys, fishing for my food and drinking fresh coconuts everyday! WHY DID I WAKE UP?
Late Night Muay Thai Boxing มวยไทย
Late Night Muay Thai at "Thailand Superfight Thepprasit Pattaya" on Soi 2. The French guy in the first fight, and end of the video must of thought he was Georges St-Pierre in a UFC title fight. He beat the heck out of the poor Thai who probably was thinking this was going to be a mellow little Muay Thai exhibition. I wish I had better video of the Thai kids fighting, they were awesome, very disciplined, respectful and tough.
A Few Minutes with a Caged Dusky Leaf Monkey in Phuket, Thailand
The Dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus), which is also known as the spectacled langur monkey and spectacled leaf monkey, is a very interesting looking creature. Large white circles ring each eye giving these adorable little primates the appearance of sporting eyeglasses, while a thatch of light fur also crowns its head.
In addition to the white circles around each eye, the dusky leaf monkey also has white skin surrounding its mouth region and creamy white coloring on its stomach region. Most of the rest of this monkey's fur is a dark gray, although some subspecies have brownish fur.
Beautiful Day Walking Pattaya Beach Thailand
Pattaya, Thai pronunciation: [pʰát.tʰā.jāː]) is a city in Thailand, a beach resort popular with tourists and expatriates. It is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung (Banglamung) in the province of Chonburi.
Pattaya remained a small fishing village until the 1960s. Then American servicemen during the Vietnam War began arriving in Pattaya for rest and relaxation. Pattaya developed into a popular beach resort; now greatly expanded, it attracts over 4 million visitors a year. Fishermen's huts along the beach were replaced by resort hotels and retail stores, including Asia's largest beachfront shopping mall the CentralFestival Pattaya Beach Mall and hotel (Hilton) situated on Beach Rd in central Pattaya.
When in Pattaya, visit Koh Larn Island - Когда в Паттайе, посетите остров Ко Лан
This video was taken right after the ferry boat dropped us off on Koh Larn Island and we grabbed motorbikes for the day (300 Baht) right at the pier at Koh Larn and we headed for Naul Beach. As you can tell by the amount of times I mentioned the word "Monkey" that I have a thing for spending time with our close relatives, especially when they are outside of cages and just hanging around in a natural habitat by a beach. The ferries leave Pattaya daily, every hour or so a ferry launches at the end of the pier below the huge "PATTAYA-city" sign. Go to the pier and hop a ferry for 30 Baht (USA $1 Dollar) and you are in Koh Larn in 20-30 minutes, you pay as you get on the ferry, no advanced purchase needed.
More info from www.KohLarn.com
Nong Nooch Garden Elephant Show in Pattaya Thailand
Actually a few shows in this video, Pattaya Dolphin World & Resort, Nong Nooch Garden's Thai Culture Show and The Amazing Elephant Show.
Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is a 500-acre (2.0 km2) botanical garden and tourist attraction at kilometer 163 on Sukhumvit Road in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Its also a major scientific center dedicated to cycads, with its own Cycad Gene Bank.
Since its debut as a tourist attraction, fascinating Thai Culture and traditional dances are presented daily in the theater within the garden compound. Along with the traditional shows, visitors will have an opportunity to see other performances such as religious ceremonies, martial arts and The Amazing Elephant Show -- one of the most popular attractions.
I ❤ SE Asia Photos
Andrews Brothers riding a Thai Elephant in Phuket, Thailand
