It’s easy becoming downtrodden with all the news in the world. It’s understandable to become immobilized with fear. Fear of violence, fear of being detained in a foreign land, and all-around fear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time are all valid […]
Salvation Mountain is the entrance to the last free city in America, Slab City. And it’s epic. It’s colorful, fun, random, and religious. It’s everything I like to think of myself aside from the religious part. If Webster’s Dictionary were a picture book, Salvation Mountain […]
We’re like well-oiled machines. Once neglected, we’re rendered useless. We are reduced to rust, squeaking until someone mutters, “Better get some WD-40.” We need to feel wanted and useful. We need to feel like we have a purpose. Sometimes that purpose accommodates others and sometimes […]
When I learned that there was a lawless town in Southern California, inhabited by a diverse group of hippies, drug addicts, and other eccentric types, I naturally wanted to experience it firsthand. A little over three hours southeast of Los Angeles, Slab City, dubbed the […]
Their knowing looks caught my eye a couple of times as I consumed mediocre, overpriced seafood. I washed it down with agua con gas, which is what they call sparkling water in South America. Their faces spoke volumes of pity amidst the dim ambience and […]
“I feel like I have changed in the last week, like honest to goodness changed. I recognize that getting ill on my first solo trip of a lifetime was the Universe’s way of demonstrating to me what I’m capable of, my strength in so many […]
The fog seemed to grow denser the higher the bus climbed. I wondered if my flu-ridden body could wait it out for that iconic view of Machu Picchu bathed in sunlight. Upon arrival at the entrance, I realized that in all of the months of […]
I was given what I deemed the noisiest room in the entire hostel. I was only staying one night in Machu Picchu Pueblo but I was not well and rest was necessary. All I heard all night were children laughing, yelling, and playing some game […]
I’m heading to the windy city for Fourth of July weekend. John Mayer, whom I’ve always wanted to see live, is playing with the surviving members of The Grateful Dead at Wrigley Field on the first. I’ve also always wanted to visit Chicago, so instead […]
The beautiful home stretch of Lone Pine Canyon Road en route to the small, mountain town of Wrightwood, California was about where my Gipsy Kings Pandora radio discontinued service. There’s something magical in the loss of an Internet connection. There’s the possibility to connect with […]
