tales of wander
cultural observations
Driven to distraction…
November 25, 2022 5am. We awake for the morning plant medicine, which will continue to be ajo sacha for the next few days. I stumble to the maloca in the pre-dawn light, go up to the altar, and gulp down my glass of garlic juice. The first drink is the most concentrated, then water is … Continue reading
Of cleanses, ceremonies, and icaros…
November 23, 2002 After a night of deep slumber, I awake around 5am to the sound of buzzing, as though someone turned on an electric appliance. It was incredibly annoying and I thought: “who would use a gardening tool at this hour?” However, after some time it became clear that the buzzing was coming from … Continue reading
It’s all about the little things…
As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve had a rough start to this trip, health-wise. However, things are starting to look up: my cold is finally gone (Longest. Cold. EVER.) and now all that remains is a raging case of allergies, courtesy of all the springtime pollinators—such as the Platano tree, which is busy … Continue reading
On the economy and the fine art of waiting in line…
I didn’t do my normal amount of research before this trip. Caught up with life and the lure of summer activities, I didn’t read up on my typical pre-travel array of currency, local hotspots, or even a language refresher. Sure, the August crash of the Argentine peso was international news, but it didn’t occur to … Continue reading
Bienvenido a Buenos Aires…
Let’s see, where should I begin? I suppose I could do my normal “hello from so-and-so” entry, full of details about this trip, but maybe I will do something different this time. This time, I think I’ll start from the very beginning. This trip began like many others: with a Lyft ride to the airport. … Continue reading
A harsh re-entry…
After the trek, I spent my last days in Chile in a recuperative mode, resting my feet and knees, catching up on naps, and aside from work, lazily doing nothing much at all. I met with Fernanda for one last time so we could say our goodbyes. As I grow older, I find it’s harder … Continue reading
The life of a digital nomad…
My overwhelming desire to wander the globe often gives people the wrong impression of me, making me appear more free spirited than I actually am. I suppose I’m a free spirit in many respects, but in others I’m every bit the homebody who loves routine and goes to bed by 9 pm. (Yes, you read … Continue reading
Hasta luego Bolivia…
After the trek, I took a few days in La Paz to relax, decompress, and to warm my cold bones. Then, it was time to return home. A few posts ago, I noted the cacophony of being in La Paz, which is something I tried to get away from as much as possible. Upon re-entering … Continue reading
A fond adios to Colombia…
After our adventurous trek to the Lost City, we focused purely on resting our sore muscles, tending to bug bites, cleaning ourselves and our clothes (I chucked the awful “trail” shoes that were making my hiking life so miserable), and just drying out. For the first time in days, I took a good look at … Continue reading
Thinking of Nepal
I am usually a day or two behind my blog posts for obvious reasons (things have to happen first, then I need to write up the post), so my last post of any trip occurs when I return. Yesterday, after 26 hours of travel, David and I finally got home. As I walked through my … Continue reading
tales of wander 