wanderful words

Voyages of Rediscovery

California
Oaxaca, Mexico

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust – Over the summer, I did not travel — I returned. In June, I flew out of Hawaii and arrived in California, elated to catch up with family and friends I hadn’t seen in months, ready […]

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Eternal, Bittersweet Jet Lag of the Soul

general travel

It’s been two weeks since I returned to San Francisco after a taking trip to Ghana to celebrate family, the holidays, and life. Slowly, the physical jet lag has worn off. But I still feel like I’m suspended in the air, stuck between places. According to my passport, I’m home, and yet I feel that […]

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

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 […]

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Wanderful Words No. 30: Adventure as a Destiny

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 […]

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

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 […]

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Wanderful Words No. 28: The Grandeur of Traveling Slowly

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 […]

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

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. […]

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Wanderful Words No. 26: The India Experience

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 […]

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