It's rare these days that Filip and I have two days off together. In fact, these two days in March may be the last ones I can remember. We decided to get away from Wellington and go exploring in our new car. We drove north, then east, and then south again to the southernmost tip … Continue reading Coastal Getaway: Cape Palliser Seal Colony and Lighthouse
How to spot a soul sister: You meet her on the back of a songthaew (a shared taxi converted from a pick-up truck) in Thailand and realize you’re both on your way to volunteer at the same hill tribe village in the mountains. You bond over a common desire to find meaning in the mundane, while … Continue reading Life is Fragile and the Land Restless: 24 Hours in Taupo
After a year apart, Maddy and I reunited in Poland. She was going to a philosophy conference in Warsaw. "Meet me there and you can come with me," she said, with her characteristic optimism. "But...I'm not a philosopher...are you sure they'd let me in?" I hesitated. "Of course!" The next week I was skipping to the train station … Continue reading The Philosophy of Warsaw
I think my word this year will be discipline. Yeah, that sounds good: discipline. I used to hate the word, thinking it implied a loss of freedom. Assuming, incorrectly, that it required rigidity and self-denial. But now I realize that it's so crucial to my personal growth - I can't let another year go by … Continue reading 2017: The Year of Discipline
They told us it would be windy. I expected that much. But I didn't expect to experience the same whirling gales that I'd felt in Florida, when the outer bands of a passing hurricane brushed up against the coast. And I didn't expect to experience them daily. But here we are three months later -- Wellington is still standing … Continue reading First Impressions of Wellington
After signing a lease and securing a flat in Wellington, we sat in the realty office chatting with our property managers before catching a bus to Hawke's Bay. "You must check out Napier if you are going to Hawke's Bay," says our property manager Keith with adamant enthusiasm. Another employee who was eavesdropping on our conversation peeks his … Continue reading The Art Deco Capital of the World
For our introduction to New Zealand, we didn't want to head straight to the cities, but instead wanted to check out life in the more rural regions first. We decided to volunteer on a small, family-owned vineyard in Hawke's Bay--New Zealand's second biggest wine region. We contacted the family online through Workaway and took a mutual … Continue reading Working at Akarangi: 5 Days on a Vineyard in New Zealand
It didn't seem possible that Telluride was a mere two-hour drive from Grand Junction. In this space of time, based on the dramatic changes of the landscape, we seemed to have entered another country entirely. We left the quintessential red and rugged American west for the quintessential charm of a quaint mountain town, tucked away in a canyon surrounded … Continue reading One Road In, One Road Out of Telluride
The four of us are crammed into Mel's CRV along with two tents, four sleeping bags, four sleeping mats, two coolers, two paper bags full of food and cooking utensils, three bags of various camping gear, pillows and blankets. There is just enough space for exactly everything we have, nothing more. All four windows are down. Arms are … Continue reading Waking Up Inside a Dream: Colorado National Monument
It’s ice cold outside in Ljubljana, but we’re among hundreds of people walking the streets. At the foothills of the snow-capped Alps in the middle of winter, you’d expect people to be huddled around fires in the warmth of their homes. But it’s exactly the opposite. Slovenian women pass by in thin cardigans, high heels … Continue reading Joining the Festivities in Ljubljana
Joc Cousteau 