I was preparing myself to be surprised by the food of Mexico. I had a feeling the Americanized– crunchy tacos with ground hamburger, shredded yellow cheese, iceburg lettuce, tomato, cheese sauce, sour cream, tortilla chips and jars of chunky red salsa, etc.–had little to do with the real food from a country with a cultural tradition hundreds of years rich. […]
I find myself, in Mexico City. Somehow, an entire year has passed and still I travel. I`m amazed and saddened by how quickly 12 months have passed by me. May 5, 2012, I eagerly woke at the crack of dawn so my parents could drop me at O`haire. A goodbye that was exciting and happy, though tearful. My layover flight, […]
At first glance mole has got to be one of the least asthetically appealing of Mexican foods. To an innocent bystander, Mole appears to be merely a chicken leg drowning in a pool of soupy brown liquid. However after that first bite, mole turns into something magical. And with each glorious bite thereafter it`s easy to see why Mexican abuelas […]
Though just an hour flight from Cancun, Havana could not be more different. Cancun with its long stretches of congested roads, plastered with billboards, lined with banks, restaurants, chintzy shops, tacky night clubs, and currency exchanges; high rise condos, apartment buildings and luxury hotels lining the horizon. An abundance of sex, booze and cement; a total lack of character. In […]
Overview- Approximate bus time– Roughly 135 hours spent riding buses, but this is the low end. Number of beds- This is tough, lets just say a lot–I averaged a new hostel every 2 to 3 nights. I was moving around a lot. On the long end, I stayed 2 weeks in Utila, and 2 weeks in Xela… Longest bus ride- Panama […]
Each passenger and item of luggage is carefully weighed before crossing security and entering the Costeno terminal, which is less an air terminal and more a dingy bus station. Myself and one of my three Norwegian travel companions have a beer and laugh at cheesy latin music videos before being prompted to board the 12-passenger plane, in true Latin style, […]
I’ve done a lot of living these last 6 months. Here are the details… The Highlights *Overcame my fear of cockroaches while in the Amazon. *Kayaked Las Isletas in Granada. *Explored the massive Mercado Municipal in Massaya. *Moonlight skinny-dipping in Ometepe. *Watched women weave tapestries in the Sacred valley. *Spent the day as a patient in a Colombian hospital. *Mountain […]
The Benefits of a Break … By the time I made it back to Wisconsin, my previous 48 hours looked like this: 16 hours on an overnight bus, followed by a night in San Jose, followed by 16 hours in airports and on planes, and finally a 2 hour car ride home. I went to sleep, finally back in my bed, and woke up to partake in a 3-day celebration in my hometown involving lots of friends, family, cheese and beer. By the time that was all over, I was exhausted and had no ambition to leave my house, let alone keep on travelling. Hence, I spent my remaining 3 week visit doing as little as possible–sleeping 10 hours a night, catching up on my favorite shows, watching movies, eating healthy, taking long leisurely walks and bumming with my family. I spent time with my adorable new niece. I went to the dentist. I got a check-up at my doctors office. I visited a friend who just moved out of state. I absorbed as much beautiful fall weather and colors as I possible could. My break seems to have worked: as I face the end of my 3 weeks, I am positively itching to get back on the road. I’m re-enthused, re-energized, re-packed, re-organized; healthy, excited and motivated. Just as I needed the road to remind me what I appreciate at home–I needed home to remind me of what I appreciated on […]
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