"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.
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 [...]
There are often times when travelling when I've sat back and thought deeply about life... in fact, travelling is the time when this happens the most for me. Anthony had only been in Colombia two days before he was forced to ask himself a serious life question. "Given no other options, does a real man surf with a pink board named Betty?" As per the tattooed guy hiring out the board, the answer was a resounding "yes". After 1 day of catching up in Santa [...]
Dear Anthony and Bryce, It's 5:32am in Canada… I can barely convey how tired I am. Thankfully, I’m being fed coffee. I have 4 flights over the next 24 hours… and many hours in airports.I feel rubbish, but through my hazy eyes I can tell you that I have never been so excited about my travel companions. See u in Colombia, Sis xo The three of us were coming from three different directions to meet up in Santa Marta on the north coast of Colombia. I [...]
Crazy? Yes Alternative options? No. I was at the End of the World after all... Ushuaia Argentina, Distance to here... Any sane person would take a flight. I'd take a flight, if there were any... but there was a two week wait. Booking a flight ahead of time would have required planning, and in Patagonia we were already planning 2 weeks in advance, which was quite enough for this trip heavily based around Freedom. We asked the receptionist at our hostel where we [...]
