As I imagine may be true of most people who spontaneously decide to pick up their lives and relocate to another continent, this isn’t my first travel rodeo (if this were actually a rodeo, it would, in fact, be my first, as I had the mis/fortune to be born in a place where we value baseball over horses. But that’s a different issue entirely). I take every opportunity I find to climb on a plane to a new place in order to embarrass myself by getting constantly lost and offend locals by mangling their lovely language — and, I hope, have a few adventures along the way.
So I present to your inquiring minds the current list of places my impulsive feet have taken me – updated in realtime as necessary — with a few choice photos for your education and viewing pleasure:
ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires / Mar del Plata / Bariloche / Mendoza / Ushuaia / Iguazú
BELGIUM: Bruges / Brussels
CANADA: Niagara Falls / Montreal / Stratford
COSTA RICA: San José / Guanacaste / Monteverde / Arenal / Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Santo Domingo
ECUADOR: Quito / Otavalo / Mindo / Cotopaxi
FRANCE: Paris
ISRAEL: Your typical, cliché Birthright trip: Haifa / Jerusalem / Dead Sea / Masada / Tel Aviv/Jaffa
THE NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam / Antwerp
NEW ZEALAND: Auckland / Waitomo / Queenstown / Glenorchy / Kinloch / Te Anau/Fiordland National Park / Wanaka
NICARAGUA: Granada / Lago Nicaragua
PERÚ: Cuzco / Machu Picchu / Lima
URUGUAY: Colonia
And now, COLOMBIA!: Bogotá / Cota / Guatavita / Tabio / Flandes / Cartagena / Santa Marta / Cali / Buga / Ráquira / Chiquinquirá / Villa de Leyva / Medellín / Guatapé / Manizales / San Gil / Barichara / Salento / Barranquilla …. and more to come!
In case you’re a visual learner, here’s a highly abridged travel photo gallery:
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- The stunning Baha’i gardens — even nicer than the temple near Chicago! Haifa, Israel
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- Sunset through a fence in northern Israel.
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- A bright sky over Mt. Masada — the reward for waking up at horrible o’clock in the morning to start hiking. Masada, Israel
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- I think there’s a roughly 1:1 ratio of people to towers throughout Tel Aviv/Jaffa. Luckily, they’re all pretty (the towers, I mean. Although, actually…). Jaffa, Israel
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- Paris isn’t actually di-chromatic. It just looks (and feels) that way sometimes. Paris, France
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- This moment could not be more French if it tried. Paris, France
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- Architecture! Paris, France
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- Obliga-tour-y photo (sorry, everyone!). Paris, France
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- Ghosts in the clouds. Revolutionary ghosts, perhaps? Paris, France
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- Sacre Coeur, where I learned that the French LOVE their vowels. Paris, France
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- Also, their buildings are pretty cute. Paris, France
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- mirror, mirror… Buenos Aires, Argentina
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- I guess colonial-style architecture is most appropriate at the entrance to a place full of dead people. Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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- Everything in Argentina is actually designed to incorporate only right angles. Mar del Plata, Argentina
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- The mountains are here somewhere! You just have to look really hard for them. Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina
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- Or squint intently at the horizon. Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina
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- Or just wait for the sunset to make everything look perfect. Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina
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- And there was (almost) not a cloud in the sky! Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina
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- The worthwhile view from atop what must be the dustiest mountain in South America. Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina
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- A glimpse of life in the cemetery. Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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- Thermal springs in wine country. Mendoza, Argentina
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- An exercise in contrasts. Colonia, Uruguay
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- Bringing the sailors home? Colonia, Uruguay
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- This really wouldn’t be a bad place to come home to. Colonia, Uruguay
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- Sunrise at the end of the world. I swear this isn’t Photoshopped. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
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- This isn’t, either. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
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- The southernmost lighthouse in South America. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
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- I didn’t know they had rainbows this close to Antarctica. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
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- SNUGGLING SEA LIONS!! Awww…. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
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- On the Chilean border. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
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- Waterfalls, waterfalls, as far as the eye can see! Iguazú, Argentina
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- Brazilian or Argentine water? You decide! Iguazú, Argentina
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- Why not throw in a rainbow or two for good measure? Iguazú, Argentina
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- Niagara Falls always just makes me think of the Three Stooges. If you have to ask, go YouTube it right now. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
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- Montreal in summer might be the best place on earth to see my favorite band. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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- So far, everything seems to be peaceful. And colorful. Devenport, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand
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- Even the sailing is prettier here. Auckland, North Islands, New Zealand
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- I mean, seriously. This shouldn’t even be real. Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand
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- Honestly, that probably just IS Rohan over there. We never went to that town, so I have no reason to believe it isn’t. Queenstown, North Island, New Zealand
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- This sure looks like a great place to swim, doesn’t it? Too bad the water feels like it’s about two degrees north of freezing. Lake Wakatipu, South Island, New Zealand
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- I knew I’d be mad that I forgot to pack my kayak in my suitcase. Lake Wakatipu, South Island, New Zealand
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- Yeah, that’s fine, the place I live looks just like someone painted it, too. Near Glenorchy, South Island, New Zealand
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- It wouldn’t be a trip to New Zealand without at least one photo of its national product. Near Glenorchy, South Island, New Zealand.
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- Looking at this, I begin to understand why people back in the day had the desire to plants flags on everything to claim it. I would totally claim this place if I could. Te Anau, South Island, New Zealand
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- If we did slip, at least we’d land in water. That seems safe. Te Anau, South Island, New Zealand
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- Clearly, we’ve discovered the ultimate location for skipping rocks. Te Anau, South Island, New Zealand
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- THIS IS TOTALLY THAT PLACE WITH THE GIANT STATUES (okay, actually it was Milford Sound, but close enough, right?). Lake Manapouri, Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand
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- Natural color palettes are definitely the best kind. Lake Manapouri, Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand
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- I don’t know if I’ve ever been anywhere so big, and so quiet, as Doubtful Sound. You can actually hear the dolphins breathing. Doubtful Sound, Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand
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- Rosebushes and withered grapevines offer a fantastic opportunity to play with the zoom on one’s camera. Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand
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- View from atop Mt. Iron, after about an hour of hiking. Some crazy people run this path, but I find that tends to hinder photography. Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand
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- Out of all the amazing, beautiful places I saw in NZ, I think Wanaka was my favorite. Not hard to see why. Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand
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- I still can’t believe that some people get to wake up and see the sky like this on a fairly regular basis. Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand
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- I would like to purchase all of my ice cream in this manner from now on, please. Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
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- The undoubtedly safe zipline leading onwards through the cloud forest. Monteverde, Costa Rica
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- As if I wasn’t already upset enough about having to leave Costa Rica… Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
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- This guy is going to run away with my granola bar in about five minutes. Sneaky little dude! Lago Cocibolca, Nicaragua
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- Spanish architecture and volcanoes: always a winning combination! Granada, Nicaragua
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- Back in the day, the American soldier that briefly declared himself president of Nicaragua tried to set this church on fire (this really happened. Look it up). Granada, Nicaragua
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- Looking out from the belltower over the rooftops of Granada. Granada, Nicaragua
