After surviving a night of food poisoning in Bangkok, a day of Spa horror that left me Ronald McD, it was high time to kick things in gear and get ready for a visit from my special man friend. Boys, you might not know the lengths we go through to get things in line for…
Waking up sore, parched, and with the funkiest flavor in my mouth from the food poisoning that wrung me out the night before – I blinked a few times, and saw my dorm mate, Anna was already back from her morning errands. What time is it? Where am I? Am I delirious? As my special…
It’s not always easy to travel – not even for “pros”. There are some days / cities / countries that are simply hard – and that’s okay! To make you feel a bit better about any mishaps you have had on the road, I’d like to take a moment to humiliate myself for your amusement….
It’s not often I resort to tears while traveling, but last year in Thailand was an exception. I’d just arrived to the island of Koh Samui and was dying to break into the newest Haruki Murakami book, 1Q84. However, when I opened the cover of my Kindle – I received a terrible surprise. My screen…
The term “Bucket List” never appealed to me. Instead of planning out a lot of things I’d like to do before I kick it – I’d rather live every day like it’s the one and only. Some of this stuff is downright crazy, but you only live once (maybe? not gonna pretend I have that…
[box] “Learn to value yourself, which means: to fight for your happiness” – Ayn Rand [/box] Imagine. You’ve hugged mom goodbye, gave her all the emergency contact information, and triple checked your backpack for every possible thing you could need. You walk through the sliding doors into the airport and see your flight on the…
It’s no secret that I am what you might lovingly call “off-her-rocker”. The kind of girl who lusts after adventures that will land me with Somali pirates on a hijacked yacht*, or hitch hiking after dark without my pepper spray. But, it appears I am also capable of rational thought and human emotions, including-…
My first few days in Siem Reap,Cambodia knocked me off kilter. Poverty is in your face: children are at your feet, men without limbs are dragging themselves along the street, women are begging you to purchase their wares so they can feed their family, and babies are crying. The clothes are dirty, the words are…
Sitting in a small Siem Reap cafe, I overheard a conversation about a place called HAVEN. It sounded outstanding: a restaurant that trains local young adults and then places them in jobs where they can use their skills to create a life for themselves. Ideal. Braving the fear of rejection, I wrote to the owners…
Nothing can explain the way I feel when I see the golden sun sweep over the heavy grape vines of October in California’s central coast. There aren’t words poetic enough to explain the tranquil beauty of the gorgeous Pacific waves crashing on our shores. No foreign place will ever make my heart sing the way…