tales of wander
travel mishaps
Uruguay and the trouble with Chile…
Though I like Buenos Aires a great deal as a digital nomad destination, a city of three million people begins to wear on a person after a fashion—particularly someone like me, who loves a certain amount of urban life, but who needs the great outdoors and easy access to peace, quiet, and nature. I prefer … Continue reading
The downside of Airbnbs…
I love renting places when I travel. I rented my first apartment when I was in Greece years before Airbnb was a “thing” and fell in love with how different it feels from being in a hotel. While hotels are inherently sterile and practically reek of “temporariness,” renting gives you access to real places in … Continue reading
Of hiccups and new routines…
As I’ve often said, travel—with all of its new discoveries and exciting adventures—is also a challenge. While we were in Valparaiso about to go on a day trip to explore Casablanca Valley wines, I discovered that I left my ATM card in San Esteban at the last ATM we used. I was distracted while using … Continue reading
An ill-fated flight(s) to La Paz
A few days ago, a colleague asked if I was nervous about my upcoming trip—the trip that I am on this very moment. Normally, I brush off these questions (What, me? Nervous?), but this time I took a moment to check in with myself and realized that I felt remarkably…unremarkable. Many years ago, when … Continue reading
Lessons learned in the flood…
I think I mentioned in passing that while we were in Cartagena with Jill and Don, we were caught in a torrential downpour. Allow me to elaborate on that rain by relaying our experience in Santa Marta, which is where we are this morning to embark upon our trek to the Lost City. I will … Continue reading
Pokhara and bandhs…
After leaving the monastery, I had a long, bumpy ride back to Kathmandu and then flew to Pokhara in an impossibly small plane that was just as bumpy as the car. I originally planned to stay in Pokhara for only three days and then return to Kathmandu, but then I discovered that the Unified Maoist … Continue reading
On human rights and missing flights
After my first attempt at surfing and a fun day of paddle boarding, the last day of our trip arrived. That evening, I had the pleasure of meeting an old friend of David’s who used to live in the U.S., but now makes Israel his home. This friend is a peace activist and the founder … Continue reading
Beware practicers of English
After spending the morning in Old Delhi checking out an old 17th century Muslim mosque (Jami Masjid) and a Sikh temple, I spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around central Delhi and discovering anew one of the hazards of a female traveling alone. It is bad enough to be pestered by street touts and … Continue reading
When food poisoning isn’t merely food poisoning
Sometimes food poisoning isn´t merely food poisoning when it´s…well, you´ll see. After three days of illness, Ginny (our volunteer coordinator) took me and two other sick volunteers to see a doctor in Cuzco—someone the organization trusts and works with regularly. Dr. Victor works in a tiny, single-room, glass-fronted office between a hair salon and an … Continue reading
Nothing but coffee and the clothes on my back
I believe that my first entry in this summer’s journal said something to the effect of ‘travel is not for everyone.’ Funny how that is how my journal began—and now that I am preparing to end my journey, that is also how it will end. When I arrived in Madrid after 12 long hours of … Continue reading
tales of wander 