My blood begins to softly boil. My arms spark with exultant ignited energy. My imagination drifts to the peacefulness of the mountain ridges with evergreens on their shoulders. The earthy, yet ethereal space, where I will soon be able to take deep icy breaths with the sun warming my back, the crunch of snow beneath my feet and the feeling … Continue reading Steamboat, Colorado
No matter how fond you are of traveling, how "at home" you feel on a stinky bus with one backpack in between your feet and your other "big guy" backpack stored above you, how strange faces are your familiar, how easily you can sleep most anywhere in the world, how accustomed your belly becomes, you … Continue reading The Road Home
As a traveler, some days are so completely relaxed that wicked abberant ideas seep into your brain, similar to sipping a cold coke through a straw after a long bus ride over the hills of Rajasthan. It just goes in and down so smoothly, feeling so refreshing, that every bit of the idea, or the coke for that matter, … Continue reading METAMAN Triathlon in Bintan, Indonesia
As we always do, we began our adventure to the next country by first searching from the hostel in our current location for a place to crash after the long days. Of course, as travelers, we heard many times how expensive Singapore is and how a travelers' few spare dollars cruise a unequaled, rather short distance, in … Continue reading Singapore: a squeaky clean whirlwind
[JUST SO YOU KNOW, this is not a normal butterfly story. It is 7 am and I just feel like lazy writing. ] When I left Bangkok in 2012, I was not really ready to leave. I just loved living there so much. The simplicity of things, my yoga beginnings, Buddhism, the Thai culture, close friends, the food … Continue reading Same Thailand, new stops, beautiful friendships, and gratitude for it all
Like most capital cities of developing countries, Kathmandu is an incredibly interesting mess. A boggled and miscalculated Gordian knot, that offers the enchanted tourist both confusion and an uncommon opportunity to live weeks in a spiritual hazy dream. A city of interesting dichotomies, Kathmandu relishes between slow OMs and fast paced sellers, new Indie upscale restaurants versus Dal Baht street … Continue reading Keepings of Kathmandu
The day that we had been working towards had finally arrived. Excitement filled the air. A 7 am wake up call, a quick breakfast of oats and ...who the hell cares... "We are about to trek to our final UPWARD destination- Everest Base Camp! With a deep inhalation of brisk Himilayan air, we set foot … Continue reading Day 10: Soaring on life at Everest Base Camp
Out of all the tea houses we stayed in, I hate to say it, but I think the one in Lobuche was my least favorite. The set-up was just odd. There were about 8 or so rooms on one cement hall, interconnected by a cemented bathroom to another cement hall with its own 8 rooms. It … Continue reading Day 9: Lobuche to Gorak Shep
A rooster? All the way up here? Really? Those were my first thoughts in the morning after a too short of night's sleep in Tengbouche. Must have been the smell of paint that kept me awake. In any event, I rose out of bed with a smile; to the trail we go. But, first, breakfast. … Continue reading Day 6: Tengbouche to Periche
Perching at a height of 3,867 metres is the incredibly small villiage of Tengbouche (Thyangboche). Tengbouche holds great importance to trekkers, Buddhists and the people of the Himalayas, for it is not only a good place to rest your head, but also is the home to the largest gompa in the Khumbu region, the Tengbouche Monastery. … Continue reading Day 5: Namche to Tengbouche
The funny thing about traveling is, that sometimes, maybe most of the time, it ends up that the destination is not what you remember, but more of the journey getting there. In the case of the Taj Mahal, looking back, I rememeber the long train ride, the taxi, the man getting shaved on the side … Continue reading The Taj Mahal, Agra, India
The sheer size of the Adalaj Stepwell in Ahmedabad is insane. Built in 1499 A.D. by Queen Rudabai, the Vav (step well) is several stories in depth and was intricately carved to meet its importance. It is a stunning piece of artwork. Upon our arrival to the step, we were a bit taken aback, as … Continue reading Adalaj Stepwell, Ahmedabad, India
From Anuradhapura we traveled south to Habarana town (stayed 1 day) and then again south to Kandy. Along this trip, we saw the environment and scenery drift from small hills and jungle to mountainous terrain. Kandy, for us, was absolutely stunning. While in Kandy, we imagined that we would have the chance to do some … Continue reading Kandy, Sri Lanka
Without a minute to spare, we headed for Dubai from Sharjah Airport. Did you know that you can get gold bars out of an ATM in Dubai? How crazy is that. Of course, has we had the chance to spend more time there, the city probably would have found a way to keep me interested. … Continue reading Dubai for 12 hours
After a weekend in the desert of Morocco, a city trip sounded perfect. Noise, colors, smells- all of my senses aroused; and Fez did not disappoint. In the historic Souq of Fez, we saw for ourselves exactly what Old World Europe must have been like. Chickens being sold alive, weighed and then their heads chopped … Continue reading Fez, Morocco
Stillness, peacefullness, and nothingness; the expanse of the Sahara is mind blowing. Many times, winding down long Texas highways, with only the occasional tumbleweed, I have often thought, “Wow, there is nothing here. I hope my car doesn’t break down.” But, after seeing the Sahara, Texas seems like a fountain of water. I mean, atleast … Continue reading Erg Chebbi, Morocco
Paris. The city where time is boundless, unconstrained by the creations of humans outside of art, romance, wine, and splendor. On a night cruise on the Seine, the burning lights warmed with their vintage, capture moments never to be forgot. Being that it was my third time in Paris, I had imagined that the city … Continue reading Paris, France
Keukenhof does not really need my confabulation, and neither do the Dutch. All I would like to say here is that the Dutch practice their works in an unparallelled way; they do everything very meticulously and with such skill. The outcome of their works are never hampered by accidental mishaps, instead, if there is a … Continue reading Keukenhof, The Netherlands
I just had to try and make it stand up right, and considering my arms are weaklings, I went for using my legs.
I think for all of those who ever see Niagara Falls, one thing comes to mind: power. The force at which the Niagara River pumps water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is almost inconcievable. But, obviously, this is why it is a world wonder. It has the highest flow rate of all the waterfalls … Continue reading Niagara Falls, New York
Allison A Janssen 