Actual Places Then vs. Escadaria Selaron Now When the tiles of Rio de Janeiro‘s most beautiful staircase are as enchanting as the destinations themselves. Spain, 2004 Italy, 2008 Belgium, 2010 Florida, Forever Some Relevant Fun Facts Antoni Gaudí- this modernist architect hated sharp edges and corners. The Bridge of Sighs- this iconic landmark was named… Read More
Workaway: My Two Weeks Living With A Spiritual Community Yoga classes, my own room in a house shared with seven other volunteers from around the world, plus bread made from scratch still warm from the oven for breakfast? Yes please! In a village so remote that Brazilians themselves haven’t even heard of, I was introduced to meditation, awareness, and an alternate way of living.… Read More
Salta: Assorted Delights In Cafayate Cafayate offers a lovely variety of activities for travelers, but what drew me the most was biking a challenging, yet scenic route with a friend. Even though I skipped the waterfall hike everyone was raving about, I felt I experienced an incredible amount in just two days. Two days of bliss. Getting There Busses… Read More
The Colors of Jujuy Jujuy quenched my rainbow mountain cravings. Backpackers told me of hypnotizing hills and tucked-away villages, trekking opportunities and Northern Argentine cuisine and culture. A province mostly visited via tour bookings and rental cars based in Salta, I preferred to save money and appreciate these treasures on my own time. Getting There & Around From Salta, busses… Read More
Day Trip: Sandboarding The Dunes Of Concón For backpackers, a desert means sandboarding, and sandboarding means obnoxious tour companies that try to turn it into a party with tank tops and pop music. Las Dunas de Concón is a precious exception nobody knows about. Loved it. It’s cheap, the slopes are on the beach, and it’s cheap. Getting There From… Read More
Easter Island: Dum Dum Give Me Gum Gum The entire plane was buzzing with curiosity as we landed, craning our necks to look out the windows. Every morning I woke to one screaming rooster, followed by all the other roosters across the island. The only reasonably priced food was bananas. My departing flight was full of friends I’d made. I’ve had… Read More
Cotahuasi: The Deepest Canyon In The World Over twice as deep as our Grand Canyon, this was a treasure. In between peculiar rock formations, bull fights, cacti forests, thermal baths, and deadly waterfalls with unrestricted access and layers of rainbows, I was able to see much deeper into the Peruvian culture through the countless heartfelt interactions with the villagers of Cotahuasi Canyon.… Read More
TBT: Glimpse Of The Swiss Alps Excerpt taken from 2 East + 2 West, 2011. 6.2.11 Thursday I woke, super excited to see the crisp clear mountain faces. I jumped out of bed, threw open the curtains and… got blinded by white nothingness. Loads of fog. After that let down, the first thing I had to do was finish my… Read More
Panama Transportation Tips Long Distance Collectivos, or shuttles, and overnight charter busses (that use way too much AC) connect the capital with the rest of the country, and prices are quite expensive compared to the rest of Latin America. Sometimes the same trip was double the cost of what the 2013 Lonely Planet reports. A major transfer… Read More
Short Stories From My Favorite Simple Man With A Man Bun The Ultimate Culture Slap Marcos started in Mexico eight months ago with shit for Spanish. His only encounters with people of the Caribbean all took place in Spain. The guys were thugs, the girls were prostitutes or purposely flirting with you while a group of guys hid, waiting to beat you. His words, not mine. Here he… Read More