Mobile phones

When I returned home from my travels, the last thing I felt comfortable with was spending money on “stuff.” After 9 months of traveling carrying only the items in a big backpack I got accustomed to living very simply.
I had set up with the intention of using technology less = no cell phone- [...]

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hmmm

“It’s easier for a Coca Cola bottle to travel the world than a human being.”
–Musician playing at Stern grove concert series in San Francisco, July 19, 2009.
How true this is. No passports needed. Skin color, culture, sex, religion and so on doesn’t matter.

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Where does the travel bug come from?

Lately, the travel bug has been making me itch. Itching for a place to venture off to. NOW.
Time is not on my side, at least right now. I work work work, 6 days a week. Finding more than a day off in my schedule seems a distant dream. I’d be content with 2 days away. [...]

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Travel bug is biting

A year has passed. Somehow.
My transition period was challenging yet while I was in the dark forest I couldn’t see my way out until one day, there was light. Every day Africa flashes through my mind. A song, a comment, a photo, a film, a book or a butterfly can trigger emotions, thoughts and [...]

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Surprise in the mail

A few days ago 2 packages arrived unexpectedly in the mail. Same day but at different times. The first package was from Avalon Publishing with a Rick Steve’s Best of Europe 2009 guidebook and journal. No note inside. I realized I had won a contest I had entered a week before. Interesting thing was, the [...]

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Home for a year!

A year ago, today, I boarded a South African airways flight from Joburg (as the locals say) , South Africa to New York. I remember the day as if it were yesterday. Vividly.
It was a beautiful sunny day and I was filled with mixed emotions. I was ready to come home- to see my family, [...]

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An orange for the day

While enjoying the sunshine talking with friends in a quaint neighborhood in Oakland, a woman approached us and asked, “Can you help me get some hot food?” I replied, “I can give you an orange.” Assuming if she’s really hungry, almost any food would suffice. Instead, she retorted, “Is it hot?” I’m sure my mouth [...]

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Living simply yet occasionally wanting something new

A benefit of being on the road for a long time is living simply with minimal items, including clothing. Yet after such a long wearing the same few items with a few variations, I was excited to return to a dresser and closet filled with clothing.  There was no need to buy clothing because I [...]

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One step at a time

I’m surprised when I think about how I was traveling in Cape town, South Africa a year ago. Reaching Cape town in May 2008 represented the finish line of my dream-  traveling local transport from East Africa to the bottom of South Africa- one end of the continent!   Yet, March- May I contemplated endlessly over [...]

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Appreciating daily interactions

When people hear I traveled for 9 months, naturally, many our intrigued. Then, they typically ask, “What did you do? What were you doing”
They wonder, “Were you volunteering, working or interning?
“No, I was traveling,” I respond.
Curiosity beckons and they inquire, “How did you fill your time?”
I’m always slightly thrown off as memories flood in of [...]

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