Like could be said of many good romances, it all started with a Starbucks. Having arrived from my Fairbanks – Seattle – Los Angeles track in October 2017, I was tired and in need of refreshment when I spotted the shop in a corner of the Santiago, Chile, airport. On the one hand, I was a wee bit ashamed to be an American headed for Starbucks, but I was also…
Everyone has a story – – even this bag of Air Canada pretzels. With time being such a peculiar entity, somehow it’s been one month since I left Alaska. My flight path took me from Fairbanks to Seattle, and a few days later I flew from Seattle to Toronto before my long haul flight from Toronto to Santiago. When I fly, I usually hope to either have the seat next…
Week 1: M 2 Dec 2019, evening. Aboard the Laurence M. Gould near the Atlantic entrance to the Straits of Magellan The time was just before 01:00 when Laura informed me that I had 3 minutes before she wanted us to leave the hotel bar of the Cabo de Hornos and head to our new beds aboard the Laurence M. Gould. After a fantastic lamb dinner, we’d walked to Plaza…
The winter I lived in an oil camp in Northeast Alberta while working for Conservation Canines was a special one. Not only did I get to drive on ice roads and break trail through thigh deep snow for an adorable yellow lab named Waylon, but I got to be part of a crew that was as “Lord of the Rings” – loving as me. Although the food was delicious and…
Here I am at 00:09 on a night bus from Santiago to Castro, Chile, but instead of sleeping, I’m writing. Why? Because of politics. Terrible, eh? I was thinking of asking a friend his stance on a topic, which made my brain switch from being 2/3 asleep and on its way out to awake and composing a post. Knowing I’d never remember it for morning, here we go. My bus…
Either I’m more pretty than I realize, I look more helpless than I am, or people are just a lot kinder than the U.S. thinks. It was dark outside when my bus from Mendoza, Argentina, arrived at the Terminal Alameda in Santiago, Chile, on April 23, 2018. I’d just taken an all-day bus ride of stunning scenery and hairpin turns, and I needed to get myself to the hostel I…
Okay, this was just TOO GOOD to not record for posterity’s sake. I’m currently looking up all the flights for travel to and around Chile because everyone needs a hobby, right? Just kidding. The real reason is a happy surprise! While I was living in uncomfortable heat and humidity in Bolivia, I got a chilling email. As I checked email at the internet cafe in Guarayos on a half day…
Week 6. 20:24 on Tr 13 June 2019. Parque Ambue Ari, Beni province, Bolivia About 7 hours’ drive north from Santa Cruz de la Sierra and 4.5 hours’ drive east-southeast of Trinidad you’ll find a place referred to as “El Parque.” A number of signs along the road indicate “animales silvestres” in the area. If you were to ask locals what goes on there, you might be told that it’s…
Week 4. 19:50 on M 27 May 2019. Parque Ambue Ari, Beni province, Bolivia Attention: it’s something that a lot of people desire. Gaining attention is the motivating factor behind savvy to stupid decisions made by people everywhere. Yet despite the seeming importance of being in the spotlight, attention is something I’ve never wanted. Obviously I can’t speak for my entire childhood, but I honestly can’t think of big moments…
Week 2. 13:15 on Tr 16 May 2019. 10 km W of San Pablo, heading back to Parque Ambue Ari, Bolivia As we started pulling away from the dirt driveway where we’d stopped, I noticed a young girl in blue jean shorts and a red and white t-shirt running toward us from across the dusty grass yard. We slowed our roll, and then the driver hopped out to retrieve the…