"How could you be so complacent as to arrive with no money??? You've travelled the world... for years.... How could you possibly have let this happen???" That was all I could hear from the voice inside my head as I stood at the baggage carousel...
I love travelling by night bus in South America. There's a sentence you won't hear often. But I do, I LOVE IT. Most people will give an array of horrid cramped experiences. And they're telling you the truth, it's a tough experience. But a wonderful one. Why do I love night bus travel in South America?
My younger brother was determined to live his life to the fullest to his very last breath. Among many amazing things, Bryce was also a traveller. When life threw him a massive curve ball he strapped on his backpack and off he went. Intent on Living.
I firmly believe that if you have your freedom, and you are lucky enough to have love, then happiness is yours. When I think about my travels over the past 7 years it all comes down to two things… my freedom and my passion. For me, To travel is to breathe. I strap on my backpack and my feet take me off into the world. I do it on the cheap, I travel for months and months on end. I see new cultures, I learn [...]
My backpack is important to me. As a perpetual nomad my backpack is my home, my friend, my one true constant from one adventure to the next. But most importantly... it's where I keep my stuff. My backpack has been through some tough shit... literally, shit. I imagine more chicken shit than any other form, considering the amount of times it's ridden beside or under chickens, but really it could be any type of shit. Then there's 'the moist' which can be felt over the [...]
I have two major loves in my life (of the non-human variety). Travel and writing. Passionate, sing from the hills, chest pounding type love. The good stuff. That’s me and travel. We’ve had a thing going for over seven years now. Out of the many many countries spanning the various continents, independent travel in Latin America is my favourite. It’s 'my thing’. I’m good at it… awesome at it in fact (yes, note blowing of own horn). If its Latin it’s got my heart, and [...]
Border Crossings…. The intrigue, The mystery…. the unknown… Oh how I love border crossing days. Bryce, crossing borders You never really know how your day is going to pan out and how long it will take to get from A to B… or if you’ll even be allowed into B at all. You're entirely at the mercy of the border guards and what law they'd like to enforce on that particular day. These can vary from official to ... a random array of [...]
The Bocas Effect: “A Sudden feeling of euphoria secondary to the independent removal of societies noose by an individual. Symptoms include: relaxation, laughter, smiling… at everyone, fun, befriending of random strangers, deep breathing, potential for superhuman powers, the absence of time, the absence of any feelings of guilt, a general disregard for authority that is not in line with common sense followed by the making of ones own rules." -Kimberley Casey, 2012 Most commonly known to occur on the islands of Bocas del Toro, Panama (although recent sightings [...]
It's midnight, we finally release our collective grip on the surfboard cover and stumble out of the taxi. We could be described as 'wind swept' at best. The hostel receptionist at Mamallenas in Boquete looks out the window and laughs at us. I don’t blame him, we are quite the spectacle, arriving in a sleepy little town in the highlands of panama at midnight half hanging out of a taxi and holding a surfboard onto the roof. I'm exhausted, it's been a long journey... Journey [...]
I had almost forgotten about Latin American buses and their love for all things air conditioning... Or more likely I'd put it out of my mind secondary to previous trauma. But now here I find myself, sitting in sub zero temperatures aboard a large moving vehicle with just a sheet of glass separating me from warmth... Humid sticky warmth, oh how I miss you already. My intuition must have been working overtime when I last packed my bag, as I have jeans, a long sleeve [...]
