I was sitting on a chicken bus this afternoon and had one of those moments where things just sort of clicked. One of the reasons that I travel, and let me assure you it’s certainly not so that I can ride chicken buses, but rather for the faces of the locals surrounding me. The bumps …
A fantasy series that I read and loved use a phrase that drove the heroine throughout the novels: all knowledge is worth having. The idea resonated deeply since closely echoes my own approach to life. I love to learn. Learning was a driving force for taking my round the world trip, and I love sharing …
I won’t say that it’s the most asked question I get when I’m on the road, but it certainly ranks right up there in the top ten, perhaps after the standard “where are you from?” and “how long are you traveling for?” People want to know why I’m vegetarian. And not just why, but also …
Semana Santa is among the best times to travel Guatemala, and many Catholic countries for that matter (Latin America’s celebrations stem from traditional processions in Spain). Just as Buddhism, Hinduism, and other religions have colorful celebrations of devotion, sacrifice, and religious fervor (just look to the Holi Festival of Colors in India if in doubt), …
Deep into night on the Wednesday before Easter a few new friends and I were wandering the streets at the late hour of two o’clock in the morning in a search for water (you can’t drink tap water in Guatemala). Let’s not get into precisely why we were searching for water at that hour, but …
The buzz throughout the city is infectious on the Wednesday before Easter. Although Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations don’t “officially” kick off until the morning of Holy Thursday, the colorfully picturesque town of Antigua, Guatemala has been milking this holiday for the past two weeks—I’ve seen countless early Semana Santa processions and mini-carpets as offerings. …
Travel pushes your boundaries and encourages you to live at the edges of what you find comfortable. So often in life we live with the safety of routine. But when traveling, I have tried new foods that I had never dream of sampling, tackled adventures that intimidated me, and jumped off a rope swing, come …
Ok Central America, you win. I lay prostrate at your feet and am willing to surrender to your charm, your eccentricities, and even the downright annoyingly ridiculous phrase mas o menos which, in translation means “more or less,” but in Mexico (and Cuba) actually means “I-can-tell-you-whatever-I-want-even-if-I-know-I’m-wrong-as-long-as-I-slap-on-a-mas-o-menos. I fought Central America for the longest time…and that’s …