A Death Hike Through China’s Five Terrace Mountain Mount Wutai of the northern Shanxi province makes for good trekking in the warm months, but somehow my friends felt the need to go in the middle of winter. For three days we stomped on icy trails in below freezing temperatures and took refuge at night in Buddhist monasteries. The six of us emerged with sore bodies and wind… Read More
Why Workaway Has A Permanent Role In My Life Story Workaway is an organization allowing travelers to choose from 26,000 active work exchanges from more than 155 countries around the world. This is the perfect tool for volunteers to find hosts who need help, and vice versa. It is standard for students to pay companies to work and volunteer abroad as a safe way to experience a new cultures.… Read More
The Crusty Backpacker’s Total Body Workout Worried about sprouting a muffin top from all the street food and cheap beer? Lost without the comfort of being able to catch a sick pump at the gym? Heartbroken that you have to break up with your gains?! Fear no more! Follow this foolproof regime to stay fit and stay homeless 😉 Quads & Glutes… Read More
In Conclusion My Summer Taught Me How To Do Life Better Becoming a better person. Connecting the pieces of my past. Mindfulness. You and I both knew prolonged periods of indulging in wanderlust and fending for oneself is enough to instill these cliché transformations upon anyone, but this is my written version. And just wait, because this was only four months. 6. I am better at recognizing differences in… Read More
Ending At The Beach: Máncora And Around Why would I wrap a long trip anywhere other than the beach? Practicing wave-catching and the warmth of restorative napping were interrupted with green juices, omelettes, hash browns, seafood. I knew I would miss the low prices of dining out so I let the gringo in me indulge. I tried to get in the ocean twice a day and… Read More
Laguna 69 And Santa Cruz In Four Days: A DIY 2-In-1 Trekking Combo The mountains were calling again. After my last salteñas in Bolivia, I took bus after bus until I reached the glacial lakes and shaggy peaks of Huascarán National Park in northern Peru. I guess I’m pretty decent at showing up to hostel breakfast and meeting boys with a sweet plan that I can hop on. This… Read More
Las Pampas: Edge Of The Bolivian Amazon My wish was simple. I wanted to swim with pink dolphins. Searching for anacondas and fishing for piranhas sounds great too, but dolphins. DIY Booking A Tour and Transportation The best advice I can give is to organize everything by yourself in La Paz, before going to Rurrenabaque. As counterintuitive as that sounds, all… Read More
Floating Islands And Sinking Spirits At The Peruvian Border Marcela was hugging and dancing with the indigenous ladies in their stockings and thick dresses the moment we crossed into Peru. Our last destination was the Floating Reed Islands of the Uros tribe in Puno, at the other end of Lake Titicaca. She had decided she would stay on this side and head to Cusco. My… Read More
Hungry Pigeons Showcasing Seven European Cities The second most important aspect of my childhood travels (after ice cream) was feeding pigeons. Some called them flying rats, my sister and I saw them as our friends. Perhaps the following montage can begin to convey the loaves of bread that were sacrificed in the name of this hobby. 1. Madrid, Spain 2.… Read More
Tranquilo In Titicaca: Isla Del Sol Pigs feeding along the beach. It was crazy wrapping my head around this concept, one of many casual occurrences on Isla del Sol. The uninterrupted blues of the sky and water competed with each other for attention. Choosing to disconnect from reality and stay multiple days on this speck of soil amidst the world’s highest navigable body… Read More