wanderful words

Lives Less Ordinary: The Fascinating People I Met While Traveling in Colombia

September 30, 2013 Colombia
Mad Ones

At the beginning of solo trip, you may feel like Dorothy arriving in Oz — you’re on your own and disoriented, but before long, you’re surrounded by an unlikely cast of characters who help you through your journey. Quite often, these people make the trip just as much as the destination itself. In Colombia, I […]

Continue reading →

Wanderful Words No. 30: Adventure as a Destiny

August 24, 2013 Colombia
Adventurer by Fate

“And how did you get around the country?” my coworker asks me after I’d filled him in on most of my basic Colombia trip details. “Entirely by bus,” I respond, waiting for him to grimace in response. He is a seasoned traveler who tends to seek out a more luxury travel experience. Although he hasn’t […]

Continue reading →

Wanderful Words No. 29: Sieze This Fleeting, Sparkling Moment

January 3, 2013 wanderful words
"We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand... and melting like a snowflake."

Today I went hiking in the Marin Headlands, less than 15 miles away from San Francisco. I drove across the Golden Gate, past the holiday crowds still gathering at the bridge lookout point, and into hills covered with coastal scrub that led to the ocean. When I reached the beach, there were just a few […]

Continue reading →

Wanderful Words No. 28: The Grandeur of Traveling Slowly

August 4, 2012 slow travel
DSCN4369

Nose pressed against the window, you watch the world go by. Maybe you’re in a train or a bus or a boat. On one side of you, you might have a seatmate who wedges a strange sack of goods where your leg room should be. Or a heavy sleeper whose wobbly head insists on using […]

Continue reading →

Wanderful Words No. 27: The Secret Destinations of a Trip to India

May 9, 2011 India

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber A four day wedding and a little journey across northern India, that’s all. That’s what I thought before I left. I knew challenges might accompany me on that journey, but those were largely my thoughts as I embarked on that trip. […]

Continue reading →

Wanderful Words No. 26: The India Experience

November 30, 2010 India

It’s been awhile since I last posted, but Girl, Unstoppable has not stopped. During my hiatus, I’ve been on the move in India, the ultimate in masochistic travel destinations. I still want to wrap up my reports on my Mexico trip, but being here has me so fully engulfed in the moment, it’s difficult to […]

Continue reading →

Wanderful Words No. 25: A Summation of Why I Love Mexico

October 11, 2010 Mexico

Something I enjoy about working in a highly untraditional high school is that the list of standard books that often left me bored and uninspired when I was in high school is nowhere in sight. Instead, books are carefully chosen to relate to class themes and hopefully, the students themselves. One of the books I’ve […]

Continue reading →

Wanderful Words No. 24: Traveling Slowly and Spontaneously

July 2, 2010 Mexico

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu I’ve seen this quote many times before, but thanks to this trip, I finally understand it. I left home slightly freaked out about  how most of my trip was unplanned, aside from a week and a half of it. […]

Continue reading →

← Previous Entries