I find it hard to describe the way my memories often work—I remember experiences as if a single Polaroid photo was taken of each event. Sometimes, mini vignettes play out and conversations echo around the central snapshot memory; rarely the whole event, instead brief and often times quite inconsequential moments. My earliest childhood memories standout in …
As a vegetarian traveling to a new country, I face a few extra challenges and considerations. While I wouldn’t out-right skip a destination because of food, the pecking order does change if I know I can eat well once I’m there. So when I had the chance to visit Jordan, my initial thoughts circled like …
The gentle vibrations from my iPhone slowly cut the last thin thread of dreams separating me from consciousness as I pulled myself awake. Looking at the gaps in my tent wall showed just the faintest tint of color lightening the morning sky. The dead silence surrounding me at the desert camp in Wadi Rum, Jordan …
Last month’s Chinese New Year celebrations embraced Chiang Mai’s small Chinatown section with wholehearted enthusiasm. The signature red Chinese lanterns adorned every doorway in this lovely city in Northern Thailand. Every shop entrance strung crimson bulbs from end to end. And the effect, as evening settled over Little China, was faintly magical. The tinted light …
Happy Holidays! In honor of the joy and happiness suffusing the holiday season I invite you to join me on a photo stroll through the markets and streets of Ubud, where the whole city smiled at me during the time I lived in Bali. From the cheeky grin of mischievous children to an open, toothy smile from market …
The grandmother figure at my guesthouse in Ubud didn’t speak a lick of English, but her friendly smile—coupled with a gentle beckoning of the hand—was the only invitation I needed to sheepishly shuffle over to the assembly line of family members weaving and plaiting palm leaves into tiny three-inch by three-inch containers. The little pallets …
Happy Fourth of July from the Washington Monument in DC! An old friend of mine from middle school lives in DC while she undergoes training with the government, so I made a pitstop into the city to see her after staying in New York for a week. Being my first Fourth in the city, she …
After a week of uncommon hospitality given to me in Scotland, I surly owe a debt of kindness to other travelers—one to be repaid at some point in the future. On an icy-cold evening in Northern India, I met two sisters, fellow backpackers, who were nestled into a tiny restaurant in McLeod Ganj. We shared …