Reunion in Ensenada
(Originally posted December 2017) Three years ago we formed our little friends’ circle, Mandy, Ale, Vicki and I. Our friendship grew over evenings of laughter and tears, trips to Chapala and the beach, and several bottles of wine. At the time I was new in Guadalajara, but I knew I found a family away from…
Safari in Tanzania
July 2017 After the intense experience of climbing Kilimanjaro, I relaxed the next week on a safari camping experience. Some of the same hikers continued on this leg of the trip, along with new arrivals. Leaving Arusha, we visited three protected areas while on the five day safari. We started at the Lake Manyara National…
Climbing Kilimanjaro
Tanzania, July 2017 June 29th After months of training and two long flights, I arrived in Moshi, Tanzania. Feeling jet lagged but excited to start the new adventure, I went down to the hotel breakfast. One or two at a time, our group accumulated and started to get to know each other over several cups…
Travels through Cuba
(Originally posted June 2017) Arriving in La Habana Cuba is a complex place. Three years ago I visited Cuba for ten days with an educators delegation with Witness for Peace. This time, I spent two weeks traveling around with friends and a backpack, with fewer government restrictions and more choice in our itinerary and explorations.…
Up and Coming Tecomán?
(Originally posted February 2017) The long weekend is a must for getting out of the busy city: dust, traffic, construction and general responsibilities in exchange for relaxing, reading and the sea breeze. In lieu of the typical beaches of Vallarta or Sayulita, we went to Tecomán, Colima. Our options were limited, probably due to the…
Thailand
(Originally posted October 2016) Day 26 – Mekong River, Laos to Chiang Khong, Thailand We awoke to the sounds of our group talking and packing up, even though we were in different buildings. By 5:00am with headlamps on, we were returning down to the sandy shore to another day on the long boat. Even…
Laos
(Originally posted October 2016) Day 20 – Hanoi, Vietnam to Vientiane, Laos After the late night, I slept until 9:00 before wandering down for the last of the hotel breakfast. We did some last minute shopping around Hanoi at the Dong Xuan market. We packed the last few Vietnamese souvenirs into our rucksacks and…
Vietnam
Day 8 – Sihanoukville, Cambodia to Can Tho, Vietnam Early morning wake up to load the bus and drive towards the Vietnam border. This border crossing was much calmer. Our arrival possibly tripled the number of people in the vicinity, a few long haul truckers and immigration authorities from each side. Leaving Cambodia, Joey…
Thailand into Cambodia
(Originally posted October 2016) Day 0 – Chicago, United States to Bangkok, Thailand My lovely folks dropped me off at the O’Hare airport. Ironically the departing gate next to mine was destined for Guadalajara. The first flight from Chicago to Shanghai was the longest leg, fourteen hours. I felt a little restless but enjoyed…
Closing Out the School Year
(Originally posted June 2016) What an interesting ride this school year has been! This week, I complete my first year of teaching at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara. Yes, I survived all the changes from my previous post and I’ll be returning for another year in August. At ASFG, the fourth grade…