In my 2019 travels (A Year of Travel FAQ) I learned a lot about logistics. How to pack a suitcase, navigate an airport, find the best flights, accommodations and tours. The best apps for communicating, translating, managing photos and finances. But those things are ephemeral, made redundant by new tools, new software, new regulations. A … Continue reading A Year of Travel: What I Learned about the World
A drink in my hand, I look out over the New York skyline from the One World Observatory, watching as the sun sets and the city lights start to shine. I've been in almost this same place before, on my first trip to New York in the late '80s. I don't remember what I was … Continue reading New York, New York! Then and Now
How many countries? Twelve: Israel, Jordan, Egypt, England, Germany, India, Japan, USA (5 separate entries, 26 states), Iceland, Finland, Russia, Peru. I'm not counting transit countries (Turkey, UAE) or Canada, although I did some traveling in my home country, too. Other Stats? 14,000 kilometres driven in my car, plus quite a few in tour buses … Continue reading A Year of Travel FAQ
But I'm not a tourist! I hear the chorus. I'm not getting into that debate. Some days, I'm a traveller, some days a tourist. It depends on the day, and the definition. The other day my kids and I hiked to the Green Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. Tough hike because of the … Continue reading Loving it to Death: the Tourist’s Dilemma
When I tried to find the positive in my husband's sudden departure, first on the list was,"I will never have to stay in a condo on a golf course again." Yet here I am. My first blog post was written a year ago in Hawaii, on a holiday where I was supposed to be with … Continue reading Condo on a Golf Course (Reprise)
I wake up and I don't know what to do. It's not just that I have a choice that is difficult, but I honestly, on my first day home, have no idea what I should do. I wander around the apartment and look at the boxes that need unpacking, the suitcase with laundry and papers … Continue reading Home— and It’s Complicated
I step. I breathe. I wonder again why I thought I could do this. I step. I breathe. The Inca Trail is a 4 day, 45 km, high-altitude hike in Peru that ends at Machu Picchu, a UNESCO world heritage site. Google South America and likely the first photo you see will be this iconic … Continue reading Doing it the Hard Way: Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail
Deep in the Amazonian rainforest, beside an ironwood tree, our guide tells us about his ayahuasca experience. In a dark hut with his shaman, after days of fasting, he took the sacred plant concoction. It felt like snakes were coming out of his mouth and nose, he said, as all the bad in his soul … Continue reading Letting Go, Part 2
I look at the Bundt pan in my hand. I look at the already full cupboards in the tiny apartment kitchen and know it has to go. But when I look at the pan I don't see bulky metal. I see my spectacular chocolate zucchini cake, the one with the lemon glaze. I hear the … Continue reading Letting go
I presented a possible plan for our stay in Denver, that we should stay at a hotel instead of with the new friends who had offered a room at their house. There was no reply. Nervous, I came up with another suggestion, for a different hotel in a different location. Still no reply from the … Continue reading Opening my Heart Again
Brave Travels 