Canada: I Enjoy Myself Without My Ears

Canada: I Enjoy Myself Without My Ears

I hate Klezmer music. The whiny shriek of the clarinet sounds like a castrato who woke up to find a tarantula staring at him. The tunes all sound like a newly bar-mitzvahed boy went crazy on Clarinet or Trumpet Hero. The roughness of the syllables coming from the singer’s mouth reminds me of what I … Continued

Where the World Meets

AMMAN. ALEXANDRIA. ATHENS. ANCHORAGE. I hate to fly. Take-offs are especially nerve racking for me. Yet, airports are my sweet spot. I drop my responsibilities, doubts and burdens at long-term parking, give a slight nod of acknowledgment to the sliding glass doors that part to welcome me, and breathe a contented sigh as I waltz … Continued

Russia: Home away from Home.

I am interested in this interaction between the place we are in and the development of our minds. The interplay of space and mind creates place when I think about my sense of place, it’s hard for me to pin it down. Let’s start with my hometown. I was born and raised in Agbor Delta … Continued

Finding Hope and Hospitality in the West Nile

 A Spiritual journey through West Nile, where hope and hospitality is in ready supply New to me is the picturesque St. Emmanuel’s Cathedral. The last time I was in Arua (Christmas holidays of 2000), grandpa had retired from active church ministry he served in the former sanctuary; a dilapidated temple reminiscent of the days of … Continued

Italy: Big Kid Fun

I hate cats. In fact, cats and I have a mutual hatred for each other that works out well. I pretend I don’t see cats, they pretend they don’t see me. In a twisted way, we’re sort of perfect for each other. But despite our differences, for some reason, when I went to Rome, Italy, … Continued

Nepal: The Big Jump

Fear is a powerful emotion. Though it comes in useful when making decisions such as whether or not to put your hand on a hot stove, pet the rabid dog or step into on-coming traffic, it can often be debilitating. Fear can prevent us from taking risks that could significantly benefit our lives or the … Continued

Travel is the Traveler

Travel is the Traveler  The guidebooks warn about this treacherous, hardscrabble path. “The travel-writing trail is long,” one says, solemnly. “It can be extremely demanding and daunting…lonely, exhausting, and depressing.” But here, I’m undaunted and uninhibited, quickened by a private fire, and the warnings only fan my ardor as I survey the vexing terrain. The … Continued

Cook Islands: Back to the Land

It’s 5 o’clock in the morning and I’m running through waist-high grass toward a pack of frenzied dogs. Their cacophonous barking drowns out the squeals of a wild pig, who’s preparing to pay a price for the crops he and his fellow swine have uprooted. Sweat drips from my hairline and red mud streaks my … Continued

Montana, America: Cowgirl Yoga

Yeehaw Namaste: Adventure and Peace in the American West The Last Best Place My first morning in Montana, I awoke to guttural, almost prehistoric, squawks outside my window. I bolted upright and slid my sleeping mask to my forehead. Our yoga teacher had closed our Vinyasa practice the night before with a warning: over-zealous songbirds … Continued

Nicobar and Andaman Islands: Ship, Sea and the Sun

Ship, Sea and the Sun: a wobble down the corridor It was the month of May, I still remember it as clear as the sea that I am glazing at right now; yes, I had been to this place before, the setting sun, the waves crashing on the moss covered rocks and the smell of … Continued

We Said Go Travel