Signal Festival in Prague for the night to watch pretty lights dance on things. To watch the city come alive and to be challenged in my perspective of the familiar and mundane. The first installation was spellbinding--a psychedelic projection of evil, ambition, and sanctified being against the facade of a church, a perfect church. All of … Continue reading Signal Light Festival in Prague
The City of Lights by Bike
If you go to Paris, go by bike. The overwhelming mystique of the mostly flat city (with more than 260 bike paths and an excellent bike share program) will unfold before you in a more manageable way. If you're on a budget, as I was, there is no better way to save money while experiencing the Parisian culture and … Continue reading The City of Lights by Bike
Feeling Like Family in Montpellier
There is nothing that compares to the quality of life in the French countryside. My seven days here passed easily. Too quickly. I got lucky, was invited to spend a week with wonderful people and squawking chickens, among vineyards and olive trees, into a home of full bellies and fuller hearts. I slipped into a pattern of living only … Continue reading Feeling Like Family in Montpellier
To See the Sea: The Joys of Marseille
Marseille is a place of magnetism, made for salty skin and picnics. But I don't know it yet. I'm on a train from Paris to Marseille and I know nothing of the city that awaits me, or the people I will meet. I am drawn here and I don't know why. I know only of my intuition, … Continue reading To See the Sea: The Joys of Marseille
One Day in Paris
One day in Paris, I decided to go for a walk. It was my second day in Paris, but my first one doesn't count, as the jet lag had me asleep in the top bunk of my hostel until 11pm, when I woke up confused and disheveled. I hadn't slept in 60 hours, a product of … Continue reading One Day in Paris
Awakening
Around the same time last year, I set out for this journey and stepped foot on my first international plane, expecting the best. After four months of being back in the U.S., only now do I feel like my Thai adventure is behind me. For a while, being home felt like I was waking up … Continue reading Awakening
Cambodia Revisited: The Horror and the Glory
I went back to Cambodia to feel the sadness of its people. I left with different eyes. The first time I visited for beauty and merriment and celebration. I returned with an education of Cambodian history, a new appreciation for Angkor Wat, a taste of the rawness of poverty, and conflicted emotions about the role … Continue reading Cambodia Revisited: The Horror and the Glory
Monkey Antics and Bat Evacuations
En route to Cambodia, we made a pit stop in Lop Buri so Ryan could come face-to-face with the primates he's learned about in books and I could satiate my desire to explore this place more intimately. After a day of monkey stalking, we returned to our rental motorbike to find that four of the … Continue reading Monkey Antics and Bat Evacuations
Sao Te Ching
“Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.” ― Tao Te Ching One of the most rewarding experiences I've … Continue reading Sao Te Ching
The Thai New Year and Mountain Adventures
We spent the last half of April in and around Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city located in the northern part of the country. Our first three days were pure chaos due to the fact that the entire nation was waging a water war against us. A formidable battalion comprised of tourists, expats, and locals … Continue reading The Thai New Year and Mountain Adventures
Joc Cousteau 