Without a clear intent or purpose, I found myself in Central America with a bag bursting with beautiful, intricate, bold jewelry I’d collected, this time around, from three countries. I loved speaking with the vendors, hearing their stories and watching the care they took in making their crafts. I was amazed at the art people … Continue reading The Evolution of Love. Spark. Fire.
The more I travel, the more I perceive the world as vast, complex, intriguing, yet somehow closely woven . Over the past 11 years- since I began traveling- I’ve been to 22 countries and easily more than 250 cities. Some of these places were memorable, some gave me horror stories to tell for a lifetime, and … Continue reading Five Places Where I’ve Left My Heart- and Must Return
Another year of my life has come and gone, filled with hopes, aspirations, daydreams, adventure, and a whole lot of hard work. It's hard to believe that I'm 33, when I still feel like I'm 27. Nonetheless, if years are representative of what one learns, explores, sees, and accomplishes, then bring them on. As long … Continue reading Birthday Wishes
The relationship between tattoos and travel has been on my mind for quite sometime. Do people tend to get body art while on vacation because they're actually embracing the moment, feel out of character and able to do anything they want, or because they've had a few too many margaritas? (Come on, I know a … Continue reading Tattoos and Travel
When I moved to Argentina, there was much I had to learn not only about the country and the Latin American region, but also myself. At the romantic, idealistic age of twenty-two, I bought my one-way ticket to Buenos Aires. I was prepared to volunteer teaching English, finish the novel I'd started the year before, become … Continue reading Buenos Aires: A Time of Struggle, Awakening, and Transformation
The first time I went to Ecuador, I was on a massive road trip across South America. At this point, my experience with horses had been limited to seeing ponies at fairs when I was a child, and a scary horse ride in Northern Argentina. However, when I was in Ecuador later on in the … Continue reading The Wild Horses of Cotopaxi
Today's Topic: Worst Experiences! 1) What do you hate the most about traveling? I hate repacking my backpack. The moment I get to a hostel (or any other kind of accommodation), things come flying out of my bag as I rush to see my surroundings. It's like this everyday. Things- clothes, toiletries, shoes, books, towels, etc.- almost never return … Continue reading Travel Talk Tuesdays 4/8: Worst Travel Experiences
Animal rights have always been very important to me. I support causes like PETA, WWF, The Jane Goodall Institute, and even "adopted" an orangutan for a couple of years via The Orangutan Foundation International. At the age of 11, I became a vegetarian, and a little over two months ago, a vegan. I know I … Continue reading Avoiding Wildlife Exploitation While Travelling
Colombia. Drugs. Violence. Guerrillas. Death. Corruption. There is a common misconception within the US- and other first world countries- that these words are synonymous. I decided to write my Master's thesis on La Violencia, or "The Violence", in Colombia to prove that this notion was terribly false. From 1948 to 1958, the country experienced a massive … Continue reading Streets and Scenes of Bogota
I arrived in Managua, Nicaragua on May 28th, 2007 at about 11 am or so. I stepped out of the airport and into the humid, enveloping heat. A feeling of reassurance and ease came over me like returning home after being away for years. I had never been to Central America before, but my surroundings— the … Continue reading Art in the City Dump- Volunteering in Managua, Nicaragua
Chronicles of a Travel Addict 