My sister had been working with a charity organization in Moscow, Russia for several years. Throughout that time we had been corresponding with her by mail and were fascinated with her tales and interesting stories and experiences in Moscow! It was at that time, to our surprise, she sent a message to my mother inviting us to come and help with some of the projects she was working on. After several months of preparation we were off to embark on … [Read more...]
Market – La Paz (Bolivia)
"Son para dinero y trabajo," the plump little witch raises the talismans to eye level. "Con estos tu tendras buena suerte." Magic talismans for money and jobs? Do they work? Of course not, but I need all the luck I can get, so I purchase the talismans for five Bolivianos. Darn cheap if they'll do as claimed. Depositing the new toys in my leather shoulder bag I continue down the street, with my wife teasing me to the tune of "Raiders of the … [Read more...]
A Hiking Guide to Easter Island, Chile
Ask me which Pacific island has the most to offer hikers and I'll probably answer Easter Island. Here on an island 11 km wide and 23 km long you'll find nearly a thousand ancient Polynesian statues strewn along a powerfully beautiful coastline or littering the slopes of an extinct volcano. The legends of Easter Island have been recounted many times. What's less known is that the island's assorted wonders are easily accessible on foot from the … [Read more...]
Devils Do Good
This story takes place in Cuzco, Peru where the author attended a shamanic ceremony that involved taking San Pedro, a cactus used in certain Peruvian religious rituals and known for its ability to open areasof the mind that are normally unreachable. The article describes the author's hallucinogenic experiences during his initiation, and shares the mystical philosophies of the shaman and medicine women who introduced him to San Pedro. They … [Read more...]
Young Female, Traveling Alone
Embarking on a Holy Adventure I had a strong grip on the seat in front of mine. I could have felt my stomach shrinking in fear and moving upward, toward my chest. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing some turbulence. Please keep your seat belts fastened until the seatbelt sign is off," announced the pilot. I looked around. I was the only female in the vicinity. The Indian men kept staring at me. They had been looking since I got … [Read more...]
Great Wall and Great Zoo
The frigid bite in the September morning air in Beijing, China made me glad I had brought along a jacket. With the help of the hotel clerk who had acted as my interpreter, I had hired a taxi to drive me to The Great Wall. I thought that my request was simple enough to avoid any confusion with the taxi driver, but I thought wrong. Because of the demands of the 50th Anniversary celebration under the communist rule that Beijing was carrying … [Read more...]
Kodaikanal Vacation, India
Hai! My name is Vijay and I live in Chennai. Chennai, though a very pleasant city in many other ways, gets intolerably hot in summer. This year, Chennai recorded the second highest temperature in two years! We were melting in our clothes. This is why, we shouted with joy when my father told us he was taking to Kodaikanal (a hill station) for a leisurely summer vacation. Our father booked the tickets through the Internet, for our railway … [Read more...]
No Time for Love, Dr. Jones
The following morning I awoke early and knew from experience that the boys would sleep for several more hours. I usually enjoyed this time by myself reading or wandering around, maybe getting breakfast. But I felt an odd surge of energy and curiosity and took flight into the jungle to find me a cave. I got my hands on a poor hand drawn map and bought a bottle of water on the way out of town. According to the map I would come to a bridge on the … [Read more...]
On the Prowl
I walked through the narrow streets of people and cars, brick and concrete. I shuffled between bicycles and taxis, steered clear of oncoming hawkers and dodged madmen on motorcycles. I peered upward at all the buildings and all the signs on all the buildings and felt dizzy, drunk on the moment. My nose absorbed every odor, strange spices, exhaust fumes, the smell of rain. My ears rang with sounds of bells and horns, of foreign chatter and … [Read more...]
My Foreign Language
The preparation for the trip back to Vietnam was almost as unsettling as the trip itself. Mom didn't want me to go because she was afraid something might happen to me. I had planned to go with several other people, including a Vietnamese guy who goes by his Catholic name of 'Matthew,' and I had assured mom that Matthew would look after me since he had gone back several times already. Father had demanded that I not go because he didn't want me … [Read more...]
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