“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” The first time that I heard Brad Pitt’s quote in the movie Fight Club, I didn’t really put any thought into it but for some reason, the passage stuck with me in my mind. I was hiking in Colombia when this quote randomly … Continued
As a kid, standing in the balcony watching the night sky, I always wondered if one fine day I could travel and reach the stars. The similar feeling encapsulate my heart when I saw the birds flying. The only thing I wish was to have wings so that I could fly to far off places. … Continued
‘If you had only one wish, what would it be?’ I’d wish the plane wouldn’t crash. Of course that is not my answer. Marc, the guy I met ten minutes ago, doesn’t need to know that I’m afraid of airplanes, and that I am having a panic attack as we speak. He needs to hear … Continued
My eyes flicked toward the trees as a blur of bright yellow flew past. That look away was enough for me to fishtail through the sandy road. I hopped off my bike to collect myself and to pull out my field guide. Not all birds are yellow, but that blur of yellow was not enough … Continued
After a three-hour boat ride from Belém, I arrived on the world’s largest freshwater island, Marajó. Roughly the size of Switzerland, it also boasts a seat directly on the equator and a city, Anajás, with the most cases of malaria in all of Brazil. I didn’t visit Anajás, but Soure, another of Marajo’s sparse towns. … Continued
Mind the Gap: The Transition to Independent Travel There is a restricting uneasiness with terra incognita that ails any traveler venturing abroad for the first time. I was no exception. Before boarding the plane to London, I had a plethora of wrong assumptions, stereotypes and nightmarish fears that plagued me during the turbulent plane ride. … Continued
I am an overly cautious person. I religiously wash my hands, never jaywalk, and always obey posted rules and regulations. That changed when I moved to Bulgaria; this is not a country for the cautious. I came here for the year as an English Teaching Assistant through the Fulbright program. Two weeks of orientation, which … Continued
Bill and I have been RVing in North America for a couple of years. We have the freedom to be who we want to be, where we want to be, and what we want to do. Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. In Chocolatetown, Hershey we became children all over again. In Pittsburgh we were charmed … Continued
The road wound for miles in front of us. I could see the shadow of the bike and its two riders stretching out on the road next to us. Something came into view ahead, at first just a blurry shape, slowly coming into solid form. A lonely cow ambled towards us, and we adeptly maneuvered … Continued
Surely there is nothing that can make a person feel more independent, more truly in charge of their own life, than the opportunity to drive around one of the most closed and unknown countries in the world. Separation from civilisation won’t always and doesn’t necessarily make a person feel free, but this is my story … Continued