January, 2016 - ​As I began writing this journal entry discussing last January 's goings on, I could hear waves breaking continuously against the desert sands of Sinai’s shore in Egypt. The grainy, windswept flats of the beach upon which I sat quickly gave way to starkly pointed, rocky peaks of the mountains behind me, creating a stripe of pale sand between the sapphire sea and the rust-colored range. ​It was here that I called a hut my home for several days before moving north to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and its famed “rose-stone city,” Petra.

The wind was forever blowing from the Red Sea in Egypt, forced and funneled between the V-shaped mountain ranges formed by the Arabian Peninsula on the other side of the sea and Sinai Peninsula where I resided. The gusts perpetually churn the deep-blue surf where beneath the surface densely inhabited, vibrantly varied reefs team with life not twenty feet from my palm leaf-walled hut’s threshold.

A large debt of gratitude is owed to the creators of the camp where I stayed. Nestled in Egypt’s Bedouin country, “Dayra Camp” functions as an eco-minded haven from the chaos of the world. Life is simple there, and the people are open, warm, caring, and less prone to become lost in the minutia of modernity. I felt so privileged to be there, and I wanted to make sure they were recognized for their generosity before I continued on to the main subject of this entry.

​It was long before Sinai and Petra (almost one year before, to be specific) that I was on the other side of the world, swapping both hemispheres from northeast to southwest. Rather than a desert in the Middle East, my time was spent in the mega-cities of South America. Last I wrote for the blog I detailed my time in Uruguay’s Montevideo before eventually crossing the dividing Rio de la Plata into Argentina’s capital: Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires is a city with so much to offer, and my shutter button wound up getting its fair share of use. The city has spawned from so many different districts, neighborhoods, and city-sectors and it was a photographic challenge to know when enough was enough. That said, I worked hard to represent the various faces of the city and hopefully didn't overdo it.

Our time in Buenos Aires began with Daniel’s reintroduction to his dear friend Pablo, who lives in a lovely, smaller city south of Buenos Aires called La Plata.

La Plata (translates to "Silver" from Spanish) is a Free Mason-designed, geometrically perfect pueblo (see the aerial view above) with one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. Giant, regal columns soar high and line the shining, polished floors crowned with masterful stained-glass windows and painstakingly carved wooden framework. It was amazing and majestic, almost a storybook kind of epic.

Pablo (accompanied by his delightful lady Miranda) guided us around the mathematically meticulous streets that concentrically center around the church in regular right-angled roadways, giving us the opportunity to see the pieces of the pueblo that make it home for so many people. Zoos, parks, outdoor stone amphitheaters, market streets, cafes, and a seemingly endless grid of one-way streets speckled with respectably artistic spray paint works in pleasant contrast to the city layouts intended grandeur. It all added color to La Plata’s character. ​

Professionally, both work as doctors. In the USA, I am accustomed to doctors generally making big money and having a certain social celebrity-ship built into their career. But things work quite differently in Argentina.

Due to higher taxes (starting around 30%, I believe), healthcare is made almost entirely available to the public for nominal on-the-spot payments that are shockingly affordable. There are a few private practices here and there, but they are expensive and surprisingly quite limited in their skill sets, often recommending their patients go elsewhere to seek the higher quality care at public centers instead. This system also means that in surrounding countries people who suffer from ailments and cannot afford service in their local nations will flock to Argentina just to receive medical attention on a budget. Because of this, there is very little glory in doctoring, which itself is all but exchanged for a substantially heavy workload attached to long, arduous doctor’s days. Queues are endless and the pay is not glamorous. Fortunately, Pablo and Miranda are not only commendably skilled at their jobs, but they also love what they do with a healthy passion. They both specialize in pediatrics, but to make ends meet they work at three different hospitals each, and sleep less than anyone I have ever met. I really admire them for that.

When he wasn’t saving children’s lives, Pablo would graciously and thoroughly make our visit so worthwhile. After seeing La Plata, he took us for a turn around the fabulous Palermo neighborhood near downtown Buenos Aires, featuring grand parks and splendid gardens near a fair share of world-class museums. However, my favorite fixture was the result of an old, strikingly gorgeous and elegantly draped classical theater-turned-bookstore: El Ateneo.

The word "Ateneo" refers to an ancient temple of Athena, a building sacred to the goddess of reason, intelligence, literature, and the arts. It serves as a gathering place for the learned and the learning.

​The entire abandoned theater was opened in 1919, and was converted in to a multi-level, lavishly indulgent bookstore after the new millennium, where private booths serve as quiet reading areas and the dark-stained wooden stage hosts a classy café.

Fresco-adorned and decadently decorated, this splendid structure only further inflamed my passion for bookstores and libraries as some of my most preferred public places. Phenomenal plaster-work on the walls and heavenly, Italianesque murals on the ceiling of El Ateneo add to a softly lit ambiance as theater bulb lights line the white balconies and the polished stage. And above, an honest-to-goodness, plushly perfect red velvet curtain is eternally poised open for the show to go on.

 Back on the streets of Palermo, truly humongous boulevards mix with colonial, contemporary, and European-inspired facades of Avenida 9 de Julio, San Martin, de Mayo, San Telmo, the waterfront, and the rest of El Centro, all of which became more and more familiar to me the more I saw. 

Our time in the South American super-city was further enhanced when we met up with another friend of Daniel’s, the adventurous and upbeat Jorge (and at the time a recently new father! Felicidades, Jorge!).

Working as a tour guide throughout South America has granted Jorge a great deal of knowledge and trivia which all lends meaning to a great stretch of streets and skyscrapers. ​

El Centro was vivified with a better historical context through Jorge's stories, citing the processions and protests that took place, the political moves that played out, the recent revolution in Plaza de Mayo (Plaza of May) in front of the Presidential Office of the Casa Rosada (the Pink House), and the response of the people all the way back before the glamorous and polarizing Evita. ​

Blockades and police fences still encircle the squares, reminding everyone that there is still a used for them.

He also introduced us to some of the oldest buildings in the city, describing the Buenos Aires of old and how it came the city we know today. ​

We briefly attended a summer-long community beach party in a manufactured multiplex for local people to sit beside the river and sun on imported sand, engage in group dances, and feel on vacation in their own neighborhood. 

Lastly, but unforgettably, he took me to the colorful and legendary La Boca, named "The Mouth" for its position at the entrance to the Rio de la Plata. With its chromatically crazy constructs and tango-inlaid backstory by the docks, it holds within its alleyways and back lanes the legends of great poets, dancers, and other artists who helped shape Argentina's culture, as well as the world's.

While we were initially trying to find Jorge before our first rendezvous, we jettisoned ourselves to the nautically-minded El Tigre (meaning, "The Tiger"), a vaguely Venetianesque part of outlying Buenos Aires with canals criss-crossing the community, where boats take the place of cars, and a fairy-tale, castle-like gallery is perched on the canal's shore, complete with outdoor chandeliers, columned walkways, and graceful arches under vaulted walkways. And, more than once, we ate the terribly delicious and tantalizingly soft medialunas, sweetly coated crescent rolls, a specialty and a highly desirable treat. 

My last days were spent preparing for and later processing the interview we shared with a family in the suburbs just across the way from the city boundary of Buenos Aires.

Agustina and Francesca (at 11 and 8 years old) were two effervescently adorable darlings who were willing to have us crash their summer splash party in their built-in, backyard pool. They and their parents graciously invited us to join them for a day of watery fun and a traditional, Argentine parrilla. 

Now, previously when I imagined the famous Argentine grill-out, I pictured thick, juicy, steaks sizzling on a backyard barbecue. Many know that the country is renowned for their superior beef products, and I naturally assumed that they would most highly prize the same cuts that I had in the US. 

Not so, I’m afraid… Paired with a green salad and expertly roasted potatoes, the chef (customarily the man of the house) was laid out a very different feast for us to enjoy. 

Young Agustina told me how, in years past, the steaks and rib-eyes that I was accustomed to consuming in the USA were sold for profit, and the remaining innards and leftovers were all that could be spared and what would be cooked and eaten by local families. Now, the fist-sized cow kidneys, small and large intestines, and other bits are the most expensive to buy in Argentina. Meaning it was a generous honor to be invited and to partake of their meal.

I had never tried most of what was there, and while some was more odd than enjoyable, I was surprised how much I indulged in some of the fattier pieces! Some slices, in all good humor, I might not sample again...

As we ate our hearts out (and the cow's) in the custom-built, outdoor grill house, I continued to ask the girls questions about what comprises their lives and what holds meaning for them. It’s almost always enlivening to hear the world’s youth talk about their passions and dreams, as we frequently do for the non-profit we support (click here for more information).

Fran is keen to roller skate on the street. She is starting to learn tricks, and to do some dancing, and has been skating for two years.  Agustina has taken to gymnastics, since she was five years old, specifically the balancing beam. She was very excited (as was I!) about the Olympics coming the following summer. She competes, and even won a second place position. They seem rather accomplished in their academic studies, and it looks like college waits for them in their future (something quite lofty and rare in must of Latin America). Huge pushes have been made in the past (as far back as the mid 1800’s) to make both a more impressive and mandatory the education system in Argentina, which is structured after European and US American school systems. There are state colleges that are entirely paid for by the government, but citizens pay a hefty tax (compared to the US, but really rather slight, in respect to some European countries) to see it happen. The education at these public universities was described to me as "not the best, but they do well enough." Private colleges are still paid predominantly by student tuition.  But the accessibility to higher education without a restrictive price tag left me remembering the enormous financial weight my US college education carried. 

As I continue to learn about other cultures and what they offer or lack, I see so much opportunity for everyone in every part of the world. In each country I visit, without exception I see places where we as a society excels, and other places where we could do better. It’s my hope that we can learn from and about each other, share, and exchange of ourselves to enable others to lift themselves up through collaboration and constructive friction. Especially now.

So many nations are in a rough patch, including my own. It just seems obvious to me that working towards compromise and cooperation is the way to go. Yes, you and I will have to give something up to gain something else. But that’s now society works. It’s called “working together” because it takes WORK. It can and likely will be difficult, dreary, draining, and even destructive, but the rewards can be rich, and none of us can do what we need to as humans on our own. We need each other. I think it might be better if we strive harder to remember that.

It was at this junction in our journey that Daniel and I had run into a few opportunities where we could learn more about cooperation and working together. For various reasons, I wanted to take the wilder road down south through the rugged Patagonian regions of southern Chile and Argentina. To partake of the culture there, I felt, would enrich my own experience as a traveling photographer as well as grant me a greater understanding of the country's character for the non-profit. Daniel, on the other hand, had his own reasons to stay in Buenos Aires until we would rejoin in further down the road.

I invested a great deal of energy in planning my routes, ever-limited finances, and activities and was finally confident with my agenda. When the time came to part ways, however, we had a very emotional time saying goodbye. I think we both were able to see things a little clearer, because of the challenges that led us to part ways.

Daniel proposed and I agreed that we shorten our separation. The month-long solo journey would be more than halved, and he would instead meet me halfway through Patagonia. Relief and anticipation replaced the sense of sadness and longing.

I boarded the bus alone with tears wetting my cheeks and turned south, looking ahead to the iconic wilderness and the adventures that awaited me in the naturalistic wonderland of Patagonia.

The ever-changing balance of these specific factors are what appeals to, attracts, satisfies, or enthuses me as I make my way around the planet. Examples might be the inspiringly serene majesty of a virgin mountain slope, or the unexpected hilarity of a right mess made while two people communicate without a common language. It might be the ridiculously delicious experience of trying ricotta and pancetta tortelloni drizzled in panna and sweet balsamic, or the awe of finally learning exactly how unrealistically blue the ocean is in the middle of a transatlantic sail. It might be meeting someone for the first time and feeling like you’ve simply re-discovered a pre-existing friendship rather than created a new one, or savoring the decadence and delight of fresh, smooth, honest-to-goodness Italian gelato with my love on a Roman road at dusk, the pavement alight in amber-colored street lamps magic magic happen in the setting sun. It’s almost always one or more of this Trinity of Travel that makes the trip for me. 

When I arrived in and navigated my way through Uruguay, I came to find that, for me, this country, although possessing beauty, is a place where the friendships and the food would be my most valuable personal take-aways. For that reason, my camera stayed away, with few exceptions. I had a little photoshoot with a baby, and then a cat, followed by a love affair for Chevito, but beyond that I was less a photographer than usual, and you’ll see a couple of Daniel’s shots supplemented to fill in some graphic blanks.

 Before we talk folks and foodstuffs, I’ll first describe how my entry to Uruguay included one of the most unpleasant border crossings to date. By no fault of the Brazilians or Uruguayans, mind you, but more due to my own reliably stubborn stinginess. Allow me (about ten minutes) to explain…

​Let the record first show that a monetary splurge could have booked me a streamlined transit experience, complete with fully-administered immigrations, likely a meal, and no necessary transfers. Let the record also show that when “Tommy Tightwad” enters the picture (as Daniel has referred to me), things usually get more difficult before they get more expensive.

The cheapest route I managed to map from Point A (Sao Paulo) to Point B (Montevideo) was via a semi-scattered network of independent bus lines dotted between the two cities. As with any cross-country commute in Brazil, the collection of bus rides was a marathon of stops and lasted for most of the day. Fortunately, it is a gorgeous and captivating country in which to be trapped in a travel vessel. Unfortunately, this route I planned landed me in the border town of Santana do Livramento at a very inconvenient 1AM, where the immigration office ten blocks away would not open for another seven hours.

My frugal planning methods would have me spending yet another night in a starkly lit, outdoor bus stop on a hard bench in the middle of an unfamiliar town.

Note: While it may pleasantly tickle my financial funny bone, this is NOT one of my favorite things in life.

Boredom aside, an unstable, filthy man talking and stalking the station in the middle of the night did little to relax me. The man would trudge about and incessantly murmur to himself, at times his volume lifting to a hair-raising level as he would nearly shout at no one or thing that I could perceive.

In an effort to feel safe, I fed and befriended a nearby stray dog, hoping I might gain loyalty and thereby protection, in the event the lone man somehow determined me to be worthy of his unwanted attention…

​At one point, the man (who’s mind, I decided, appeared quite indisputably unsettled and irrational) then mumbled and grumbled and waddled his way over to me, forgoing many meters of free space to the left and right of my spot on the wooden bench, plopping himself directly next to me. My canine bodyguard lost her sense of fealty and left, leaving me feeling quite a bit less protected. I tensed, the undesirable, eerie new intimacy with the man’s angry-sounding tirade continuing, me on the edge of my seat and nerves, not looking directly at but still focusing whatever cognizance I could spare on the frightening individual now sitting immediately beside me in the dark, abandoned bus station.

​Without warning, he suddenly released an shrill shriek, screeching an unintelligible cry that caused me to startle, jump, and maybe even stopped my heart for a moment. I can neither confirm nor deny whether I may or may not have peed just a little…

After his shout ended, he stood and walked away, leaving me shaken, fresh sweat stinging as it sprout from my skin, and still on my guard while he re-positioned himself on a nearby curb. He didn’t completely wander off for another two or three hours, most of which I spent earning cramps and bum sores while holding obsessively still on the stiff bench, backpacks clenched tight in a white-knuckle grip.

Needless to say, there was no rest that night.

By the time 6 o’clock rolled around, Daniel grew restless, and he sauntered off across town to the immigration office, leading him through no few number of strange, dodgy alleys. When he finally returned a while later, he reported that the immigration office was still closed, but the police station across the street (stashed inside an unassuming, house-like office acting in lieu of) had never closed. We had waited all night when we could have made a move right off the bus. Dangit.

After earning our respective exit stamps from Brazil’s officers on duty, we learned that Uruguay’s immigration office was another hike away on the other side of the border. 

These towns of Santana do Livramento in Brazil and Rivera in Uruguay share an unmonitored boundary. Sure, I could have waltzed across, spared myself the sleepless night with Mr. Maniac, and no one would have stopped me. But I am not only a stinge, but also a sometimes stickler. 

So we walked. It was about a mile or two, with a 35lb bag and probably some convenience store provisions in a limp, plastic sack to keep bellies appeased until the next real meal (which can often be quite infrequent). 

Entry stamp into Uruguay was eventually granted, and upon my request we were pointed in the direction of the next bus stop that would take us to the capital, Montevideo. Surprise! It was back the OTHER way towards Brazil. 

I feel like my calves and quads should be monstrously huge by now. Alas, all the walking and burden bearing has done little for my leg’s thickness (and NOTHING for my glutes…. Grrrr…).

Once we arrived in Montevideo, we had officially completely our longest intercity commute to date: From Point A to Point B in 42 hours. It was high time to put our bags down and drop.

I am so blessed, so often, by Daniel and his marvelous ability to meet new friends and nurture their relationship. He is so considerate, very charming, and so noticeably low-maintenance that he sometimes has buddies positively begging to have him visit. 

One such amiga is Julieta. His introduction to this lovely lady is still one of his favorite stories of the wonderful hospitality and warm openness attributed to South American cultures (and Couchsurfers in general). 

In 2011, when Daniel was first Couchsurfing through Montevideo, he was staying with Nati (whom I would also see while in the city). Nati was accustomed to Couchsurfing, but her at-the-time roommate, Julieta, did not have the same familiarity with inviting in and sharing your home with true strangers. Nonetheless, Daniel was sleeping on their couch when Julieta arrived home from work around 3AM. Although they had not met, Julieta took Daniel’s presence in stride, strolling up to him and initiating the standard two-cheeks kiss that you come to expect south of the American equator. She gave him her name, and her his. And that was that. 

This time around, Julieta once again demonstrated the kind of high-caliber generosity that is the stuff of stories. Her home she shares now with the sweet-natured, loving Osvaldo together with their exceptionally adorable 10-month-old daughter, Paula.

I also learned that Uruguayans are stereotypically extremely laid back. Granted, my time was short and not quite everyone fit the bill, but I found that to be majorly accurate. When problems and emergencies arise, the tensions that would normally arise in other places just never developed here. They are quite unfazed by the stressors what would light a fire under more anger-prone peoples. On one hand, it made for an almost languid atmosphere as I walked the city. On the other, there were times I would have preferred a bit more urgency (in restaurants or service counters). Nonetheless, everything carries on there in their form and function. Who am I to suggest change in a culture that isn’t my own?

While the tranquil town folk went about their not-so-busy business, I was able to see a little of what makes Montevideo the place it is. Being on the coast, there are shipyard-themed communities (with restaurants and cafes hidden inside gigantic, converted boats, featuring the famous Uruguayan grilled meats stacked on simmering, sizzling forge-like ovens), and walks up and down the concrete jetty lined with local fisherman with their lines bobbing in the water with a casually blaze demeanor not unlike their owners. All in all, the citizens were more memorable than the city, which is only a tribute to the powerfully pleasant people who live there.

My FAVORITE moment while exploring, and the reason Food is one of the strongest segments of the Trinity of Travel here, is the Uruguay national dish, chevito. Oh. My. Goodness… How did I go so long before combining the supremely savory and terribly tasty powers of French fries, bacon, steak, fried egg, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and cheese? Oh, chevito, where have you been and why have you left me again?????? It so, SO STUPID GOOD. 

I have toyed with the idea that, after returning to the states and recombobulating with everyday life, I might start a food blog where I cook my way through all the countries I have visited. I think it’s safe to say that chevito might need to be made and re-made a few times over before I’m through with it.

Before leaving Julieta’s homey house, Daniel met again with his previous hostess and friend, Nati. This spontaneous, fun-loving world-wanderer was an energetic bundle with whom it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon. We explored museums, galleries, zen gardens, made special pizza and juice, chit-chatted with her roommates Bassett hound pup (and played with a neighbor’s wee puppy (complete with a satin bow tied around her chubby, little neck)), and also orchestrated a video job interview for her.

All this took place within a neighborhood in which I don’t know if I could ever live, for reasons that you might or might not agree.

​I first took notice about twenty minutes before arriving at Nati’s house outside of downtown. A smell in the air. While it is common to repeatedly catch a whiff of sewage or a blast of exhaust while in a city, it is rather more rare to sniff something savory or sweet for such extended periods of time. The aroma that dominated this part of town was the deliciously mouth-watering scent of fresh-baked goods. Bread, doughnuts, cakes, rolls… Block after block, the smell permeated mercilessly, teasing my tummy with is phantasmal presence. It just wouldn’t go away!!! I was suddenly and continually hungry, even though in reality I didn’t need to eat. That essence of bakery kept my stomach growling. 

Nati explained there is a large bread factory a few miles away whose chimneys almost endlessly pump the ovens’ aromatic contents into the air, bathing the surrounding area with its scrumptious scent. It was awful, in the most pleasantly torturous way, until I again escaped back to Julieta’s cozy, comfy abode.

In their company, we walked the waterfront and sipped mate by the beach, watching the volleyballers throw themselves about while the local kids frolicked in the surf and sand. Ice cream is advertised EVERYWHERE, and we treated ourselves to a local delicacy of alfajores stuffed with the stuff. We meandered the parks and critiqued the public photo exhibitions. Dario and Mati knew some of the best locations for community and street art, including a contemporary gallery with international futuristic works all residing within what was once a prison. Government landmarks weren’t left out, as we passed by the spacious buildings that housed those who run the country. One night, we even chased a local drumming dance party/parade that takes place periodically where the young folk go to cut loose and get a little crazy, then headed back home to watch a few SNL reruns from the US elections before they got so insane. 

To top it all off, the boys guided us to a popular square downtown that we had passed numerous times of the course of several days. On Saturday nights, however, the courtyard is converted into an outdoor, ballroom-under-the-stars where you can publicly tango into the evening. The dancers are mostly elderly men and woman who have probably been coming to the same square for decades. As the tango music plays on through the streets, an intricate and ingrained system of courtesy and courtship carries on between dancers. Rules and guidelines about when to dance with your main partner and when to switch seem to come as basically to the seniors as the obviously intuitive movement of their feet and they cross legs and dip and turn. It was like something out of a movie.

Saying goodbye is always undesirable, but unavoidable. As I bid adios and headed towards Buenos Aires, we traveled to the small village of Colonia, where a ferry would deliver us to Argentina. The town is a well-preserved community of old-style buildings and winding lanes, really quite European-like. Cobblestoned and quaint, where the ocean glitters at the end of the tiny streets and adorable cafes are sprinkled here and there as you take in the setting sun and beauty amidst blooming vines and flowering trees. Rusted automobiles from the twenties and thirties still sit abandoned adjacent to ruined buildings smothered in green ivy whose invasive limbs reach into the vacant, broken windows. It was an enchanting place. 

Sadly, I was in a foul mood as I walked around. I cannot even recall what it was about, but I remember feeling emotionally injured, distant, uninspired, and a little vengeful. I couldn’t tell you why. It’s quite lamentable, looking back. Colonia was a gorgeous and idyllic place. I lament not having appreciated it better. But Daniel, unfailingly loyal as usual, tolerated my silent tantrum until I thawed out as we boarded the ferry, took to the sea, put “Evita” on the laptop for cultural preparation, and watched the sparkly skyline of Buenos Aires rise out of the late night horizon.

Daniel mentioned that the end of this entry concludes with sentiments containing an unapprovable degree of darkness (both emotionally and meteorologically) and asked me to instead end things on a more cheerful note, and so I will honor his optimistic request with one word, which carries within it all the happiness I need to make my day: Chevito.

What's that, Pepo? Oh, yes, of course. Kittens, too.

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December, 2015 - Brazil is big. Like, HUGE… And I don’t just mean geographically. I spent more than a solid 24-hours on a bus to cross a mere segment of a portion of a piece of the bottom section of this massive nation. But, as mentioned before, it’s not just distance that measures "grande." Big personalities, gigantic parties, epic landscapes, deliciously rich eats, an enormous array of diverse wildlife, vibrant history, and buzzing cities simply steeping in colorful culture within some of the world’s largest urban metropolis: this is Brazil.

​I was curious to see how Brazil would differ from its South American neighbors. Being the only province in the Western hemisphere that claims Portuguese ancestry (where the rest of Central and South America is majorly Spanish-based), and taking up nearly half the continent’s land mass, Brazil became a bit of an intrigue for me. It turns out, the intrigue was well deserved.

I wound up spending more than a month in this awesome place, but the expansive scale and cornucopia of culture than composes this country can keep you busy for years on end. I feel so grateful for the parts that I have seen, but admittedly still feel rather thirsty for more (and I intend to quench that thirst in the eventual future!).

My last post contains anecdotes about my experiences in epic Iguazu, so we can pick up where I left off there…

The bus from the Argentine/Paraguayan/Brazilian border to Rio was a loooooooong 28 hours. The road felt ever-reaching, and my mood was emotionally dark, but thankfully my iPod musically generous.

Daniel and I had recently had disagreements about priorities for upcoming travel, and our conversations (in addition to my over-sensitivity and easily-threatened insecurities) left me in a long-term gloom that would last until our eventual, temporary parting-of-the-ways in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the meantime, the shuffling songs on my headphones and verdant, openly-laid Brazilian hillscape (ripe with fruitful farms and seemingly never-ending rolling, green mounds slashed with well-kept, black roadways curving like smooth molasses dripped from a slowly swinging spoon) would occupy my mind when I was able to distract it from my mental burdens.  

It was a sometimes effective distraction, as I have always, for as long as I can remember, loved watching the world fly past me while I travel… The rapid, colorful flashes from nearby trees, signposts, fences, and livestock that move so fast they blur and smear across my vision creates a juxtaposition against the languid, slow motion of distant fields, mountains, and the clouds above them. It can mesmerize me almost unceasingly.

I love seeing the land slowly morph, starting with small changes here then there that all eventually adding up to a new place as the intervening distances are crossed. For this reason, I really don’t mind a marathon bus trip. I have my music, some snacks, and a gorgeous world to capture my attention. It’s usually easy for me to enjoy. Night buses, however, are another story… 

​It was in Brazil, I believe, that I lost my liking for night buses. Where I used to sleep rather readily and only wake for short moments, I now began to fight for every minute of rest, only to quickly lose it again and fail to regain it. With nothing to see in the sunless situation and nothing to do, the excruciating hours drag me onwards and I can become rather disgruntled and peevish. With my mood already as dark as the night, the tedium of being contained in an enclosed space did nothing to improve my state. Thankfully, every bus trip has its end, and I found myself arriving and disembarking on the coastal, cosmopolitan culture storm of Rio de Janeiro. 

We pulled in late late late. FAR later than a foreigner would want to be seen mingling around a bus station with a bad standing. Rio’s reputation for danger is NOT understated. It has been earned repeatedly and ruthlessly. For such a fascinating, beautiful place, it’s important to not become too lost in the paradisiacal moments and forget your wits, especially in dodgier neighborhoods, like, say, the bus terminal next to the old ship yards, for example.

Fortunately, Daniel’s friend (soft-spoken and remarkable kind and quiet Alessandro) was looking forward to our visit, but the commute from the not-so-central station to his apartment in the Tijuca barrio was no small distance across this sprawling mega-city (where districts are not divided by only boulevards and blocks, but mountains, jungles, waterways, lagoons, national parks, and the giant bay of Rio itself).

​Alessandro was adamant that we take a taxi (but only from a specific company at a specific location, to avoid being ferried under false pretenses and find ourselves robbed or worse). Being the stinge that I am, miserly as almost always, I emphasized to Daniel that there was strength in numbers (even though 2 is an awfully small number) and insisted that we could make our way on foot to metro station and pay the lessor fare for a subway ticket. 

I am both miserly and foolish, it would seem. 

We were lucky.

​I employed the tricks my father used to mention that can help to sidestep a mugging (avoid being ostentatious or boisterous, walk fast, keep away from alley entranceways and doorways, stick to well-lit streets, clench fists and jaw (makes you look tougher and less approachable), don’t make eye contact, and, if possible, use only well-populated paths (with women and children, if you can)). Turns out, it worked! (Thanks, Dad!!) A slightly scary and surely sketchy hour walk away from the docks and into the city found us buying our metro stubs and taking the subway (a FABULOUSLY air-conditioned train to beat the humid, midsummer heat) and setting out into Tijunca to meet Alessandro. 

He was shocked that we braved the perilous journey sans taxi, and probably decided that we could no longer be trusted to keep ourselves out of harm’s way. 

We fed our growling stomachs with traditional (and sensational) savory food stuffs paired with a variety of chilly, fruity suco smoothie goodness, a trademark of Rio’s beachside cuisine. We talked as we dined, and I quickly learned that not only is Alessandro a good person, he is a unique one. It sometimes felt like he generates an atmosphere of calm of quiet around him. The way his face moves when he smiles as you thank him, and the “Oh, it was nothing” attitude he had towards his own admirable generosity was something that I do not think I will forget. I was immediately grateful to him, just for him being who he is.

Continually and reliably throughout our two weeks with him, he was kind, polite, funny, curious, calming, patient, and generous with his schedule and his knowledge. Our shared adventures included an exploration of the Tijuca tropical forest in the center of the city, regular visits to the fabulous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, trying tasty treats (“air cookies” on the Pacific sands with refreshing local liquids poured from hawker-toted steel barrels), farofa served with EVERYTHING, bathing in stream-fed waterfalls in the Rio jungles surrounding the city, looking upon from afar and learning the history of the hill-hugging, fascinating favelas, talking about Lapa history and walking the winding, lopsided lanes of the terrace-leveled town of Santa Teresa, spotting stellar street art that was slathered on almost every surface, fact gathering with the bright and beautiful Roberta (and meeting her adorable, bear-sized puppy!), family visitations outside the city in the industrial Volta Redonda (along with lessons on it’s interesting past with the US), museum hopping and in the remarkable and gorgeously worn historic district complete with flea markets stands, colonial architecture tucked right next to modern business towers, broad boulevards intersecting classic alleyways, a monastery-turned-private school overlooking the bay crowned with the brand-new and terribly popular winged Museum of Tomorrow. 

The most memorable moments, however, were shared during the traditional holidays, most notably a family Christmas in Volta Redonda and the downtown mega-party of New Year’s night at Rio’s Reveillon: The biggest New Year’s Eve bash in the world (Google it…).

New Year’s in Rio is unlike anywhere else in the world. On some occasions, Copacabana beach is flocked with over four million enthusiasts, many dressed in white to represent the peace they hope to bring in with New Year’s (and some with colored accents which represent their resolutions (red for love/passion, yellow for gold/money, etc). Enormous, sand-strewn dance parties, circles of friends swapping stories and laughs, families finishing dinner, and full-scale concerts pack the beach while a seemingly endless lines of marchers pour from the downtown streets and continue to fill the few empty spaces while still more follow after, somehow finding room where there seemed to be none. Sailboats, yachts, cruise ships, barges, and other boats are visible on the black ocean only by their glittering lights that shimmer and sparkle off the inky water’s surface.

At midnight, the handful of barges that float amongst the water vessels unleash their inferno, blasting a world-class barrage of fireworks into the sky that rivals any performance on earth. The gigantic fire blossoms boom and illuminate and bedazzle the sky, making flashes that for a split second reveal the armada of boats and the infinite throng of faces all turned towards the fiery heavens. For up to 20 minutes the spectacle continues, until the ceremony finds closure with a human flood racing into the sea, each person leaping over seven individual waves to seal their fortunes as they enter into the New Year. Champagne flows and music pounds on into the night. The entire affair can cost the city almost $7 million. 

A week before the fireworks, however, I was blessed with the chance to share another holiday, but this one was more private and simply familial. 

There is a town not far from Rio, an industrial community centered around a steel factory that was built by the USA in repayment for Brazil’s support during the war. Alessandro’s parents live here, and his siblings and their respective broods had a planned Christmas party to which I was fortunate to be invited. 

They are openly kind and good-natured people. It is warmingly evident where Alessandro inherited his generosity. His father is softly smiling and reliably quiet, but quite proud to show off his collection of butterflies pinned to display board (but he lets their beauty speak for itself). Alessandro’s mother, on the other hand, is a woman who cooks industriously, chats along while she does, and will repeatedly and gently check in on her guests with sincere care in spite of language barriers or age gaps. Both parents dutifully perform their functions as grandparents with heartfelt dedication. They dote on and lovingly embrace their children’s children all for the joy of seeing those little ones smile. 

​A gift exchange ensues with well-practiced precision, beginning with the first participant standing up in front of the rest and holding their well-wrapped package to give away. Before handing off, however, the gift-giver starts to describe the personality and character of the recipient, dropping hints and clues while a spectating audience of family member attempt to guess the identity of the soon-to-be revealed new owner of materialized Christmas cheer. One by one, aunts and mothers and brothers and nephews and grandparents and children ceremoniously pass on their gifts to the appropriate recipients. 

At one point, while witnessing the tender and jovial exchange, the entire affair unearthed feelings of my own past family gatherings that I fondly recall. I remembered the sense of inclusion, significance, and comfort in my yesteryears where special occasions calls back family members from afar and brought them home again, if only for a day or two. At this stage in life, I never, ever feel unwelcome obligation to be with my family. It is a pleasure, indeed, a privilege and a delight, to have even brief moments with them. My parents and my siblings truly can be considered my favorite bunch in the entire, wide world. My cousins and aunts and uncles and nana all give me so much reason to be happy, when I have the opportunity to be among them for holidays or even casual occasions.

I reminisced on my relatives in a bittersweet stupor as the family in front of me carried on their traditional give-away, wondering while I watched what feelings might come as someone lists your apparent virtues and composes extemporaneous accolades to your character prior to offering a material manifestation of their appreciate and affection in the form of a carefully wrapped package containing a thoughtful gift.

When it seemed to me they were concluding the event, gentle Alessandro stood up one more time and began to speak with two bundles in his hands, and began to describe someone to whom he would give them. He spoke in Portuguese, of course, but even without recognizing the exact words I could discern for whom these final presents were destined. I felt hot, prickly tears sting my eyes and my throat tighten and clog as the tender emotions suddenly seized me. I fought to compose myself as his siblings, in-laws, niece, and nephew called Daniel and I out and I received the gift. I was nearly overwhelmed, and in my happy haze did not even care what might be within. 

From what I could see, in the end, everyone enjoyed, each person prospered, and as goodbyes were offered and accepted and cheeks kissed it was clear to me that all the efforts (the cooking, planning, shopping, financial expense, time off work, and the cleaning-up afterwards) were happily executed and richly rewarded. I feel so lucky to have been a beneficiary of their kindness. They were as gracious in our parting as they were when I arrived. These people are genuinely amazing.

Following our stay in Rio, we traveled south to Brazil’s biggest megalopolis: São Paulo.

​Daniel’s actor and playwright friend, Roberto, guided us through the enormous maze of skyscrapers and towering buildings, navigating us to museums and historic landmarks, all the while endowing us with snippets of trivia and personal anecdotes gathered from a life lived amongst the gigantic city sprawl. 

With Roberto by our side, we walked the wide avenue of iconic Paulista, and visited the public gardens and free-entry exhibits (while keeping a lookout for cheap ice cream to cool off on in the hot sun (even found a deal for $.12 cones while in downtown! (yes, I had four))). 

We gave a try to traditional rodizio (where a single entry fee earns you a buffet and stop-and-go light system for summoning seared meats on sabers to your table until you literally cannot eat anymore). He took us to his local Jewish community club, complete with athletic gyms, day programs, playgrounds, cafes, theaters, art schools, and even a pond with decorative box turtles tumbling about and sun basking, their permanently grinning faces only adding to the sun-shiny, carefree attitude about the place.

​I had my own opportunity to bask a little afterwards, being invited to leave behind the concrete jungle of São Paulo and journeying to the fabulously idyllic, palmed and perfect paradise island jungle of the aptly named Ilhabela (translated to “beautiful island”) off the appropriately famous Brazilian coast. 

A long-time haven for Brazilians hoping to escape the more complicated life on shore, Ilhabela holds true to a simpler way of life. Tiny shops, cozy cafes, and local businesses only briefly line the single main street around the islet, where smaller lanes vein off towards the island’s center before trickling on and giving way to the lush forests that cover the land. After the main road leaves behind the quaint town square, it quickly converts to an ambling dirt road. It weaves its way adjacent to the water, and frequently spouts thin offshoots to the sea that function as narrow walkways over mossy, exposed boulders and cold, mountain streams for pedestrians to find their way through the jungle to the ocean’s waves that crash frothily against soft, sandy stretches amongst the craggy rock bays. 

But as with most paradises, the dreamy scene, while picturesque, has a mar on its apparent perfection (although nothing that spoils its awesome beauty). 

Almost invisible due to their minuscule size, biting flies plague the beach. Their stinging nips are painful straightaway, but it’s the tiny, itching welt you gain afterwards that is the real curse. These sores last for WEEKS, pocking your exposed skin with red, scabby circles that have a most unfortunate stamina. And every single time you scratch, you release more of their toxin into your body and only increase the burning itch. It is AWFUL.

But braving the biters was well worth it. Our fabulous hosts (who I quickly decided I wanted for lifelong friends) were reason enough to endure untold swarms of flies. 

Daniel met Gusti and Rafael through his photography, and after a time writing back and forth met the two of them when they were passing through the Seattle area. I sadly missed that delight, and I wasn’t sure what to expect of them, now that I, too, would have the chance to know them for myself.

I can claim with confidence that I have never met anyone else who travels more than Daniel and I, but these guys travel incessantly and gracefully, and have for years on end. More importantly than that, they are vivacious, funny, smart, talented, handsome, inspiring, warm, and good humored. Seriously, they are the total package, and enough to make any sane person at least a little envious of their combined combo of character traits. Beyond that, they are native Brazilian to boot (which just make then awesome and attractive to an unfair degree).

Their hosting was made possible through Gusti’s gorgeous and generous aunt, who’s powerful and touching life story made her presence in Ilhabela even more admirable. Her beautiful home, only a hundred meters from the beach, and a quick walk into the main town’s square, features family photos and meaningful mementos spread amongst a homey beach décor rich with blues, greens, and earthy off-whites. Rain, shine, or storm, the living room’s French doors to the outside were always widely welcoming to the open-sky courtyard that housed an external dining area and kitchen, where Rafael would expertly craft his culinary masterpieces (including my favorite of his creations: pasta with fresh squid in cream sauce). Their preciously adorable pups (a rascally retriever and a sweet’n’somber long-haired Dachshund) would lounge on the rugs and couches until dinner, when they were surround the table outside along with the humble hostess and her happy tenants. 

This pair of pleasant Brazilian boys and their family really made this place for me. Yes, the beaches are gorgeous, the atmosphere wholesome, the community safe, and the forested mountain staggeringly beautiful, but nothing was more welcoming or warming that their friendship. Both individually and together, Rafael and Gusti are keepers for sure, and I am thrilled to say that the future would favor me lavishly with their companionship on numerous occasions to come. 

Leaving the island was a time of both gratitude and sadness. I fell in love with Rafael for his easy smile, his boyish attitude, and his restaurant-quality cooking skills, and I fell in love with Gusti for his selfless giving, his insightful mind, and his wholesome character. It wasn’t easy to watch them disappear in the car’s rearview window, but the thought of seeing them again encouraged and comforted me, and I looked forward to that future more than I longed for the past. ​

We hitched a ride with Gusti’s loveable relative, the sweet and simple Guillerme, who lives in São Paolo and works in a hospital there. His child-like personality and ever-positive spirit were easy to respect and appreciate, and he proceeded to give us even more reason to love Brazil as we commuted back to town and had a merry little sleep over before finding our bus to Uruguay early the next morning, which would begin our longest continuous commute to date: a 46 hour journey by bus and foot across southern Brazil to Montevideo.

December, 2015 ​- ​Goodness, gracious, what a long time it has been!!! And here I assumed when we reached Europe back in March we would have more Wifi access than we could shake a cyber stick at.

Turns out, I never managed a chance to find out! Our Schengen visa was so disallowing of extra time that we raced through at a pace that granted almost no free time to work (and left my parents uncontacted for FAR longer than is appropriate). So I fell (even more) behind on the photoblog.

​Oh, well… Better late than ne-… Anyway, let’s talk about Argentina!

It’s safe to say (and I’m guessing also presumed) that we would come to certain places that were simply “–er” (bigger, broader, tastier, nicer, cheaper, beautiful-er) and that when we arrived we would rightly find just cause to invest more time in the area. As an example, Mexico quickly granted us sufficient incentive to stay. Due to its richness of culture, diversity of ecology, and the strength of the US dollar that permitted gut-busting amounts of deliciously dirt-cheap grub, we broke our country-a-week rule and remained there for nearly a month without regret and without satiating our hunger for more…

​More tacos, that is.

Upon leaving Bolivia, we once more we found ourselves compelled to make more room on our calendar, but this time for the self-proclaimed "Europe of South America," the land of tango and beef: Argentina. Yes, the southern giant of South America caught our attention, and it’s still one of the only countries we have traveled to twice since leaving the U.S. last year. The first entry led our expedition across the Bolivian border and through the deserts of Northeast Argentina.

Before I left Bolivia, I was honestly expecting a much more drastic change from one country to the next. It had been described to me by one source that such a notable and blatant contrast was awaiting me. Interestingly enough, however, I found that with the exception of Buenos Aires and some parts of the Central and Southern East, Argentina shared much more with the rest of South America than I had been led to believe, and some care to admit.

Our first stop on Argentine soil (after a seven-hour, on foot border crossing, where we spent the night on a dividing bridge and STILL somehow found ourselves in the wrong line for immigration) was the small, soon to be up-and-coming yet still authentically quaint-and-charming desert town of Humahuaca, placed amongst the roots of the Hornocal mountain range.

Sometimes, it felt like magical things would (and did) happen there. Like a butterfly spawning that ended the species' twenty-year incubation period, sending clouds made of millions of small, flapping bodies bouncing through the mountain air like infant angels still discovering their pale wings.

​Sometimes it just felt like a town untouched, on the precipice of discovery from an unholy outside world. I’m grateful that I was able to see it prior to a more expansive exposure that feels quite inevitable. 

Difficult goodbyes ensued when we made leave, but our promises to see each other again buffered the bitterness.

Keeping with the Northern parts, we rode East towards Brasil. The landscape evolved from barren, dusty oranges and sandy yellows to the verdant greens of thick leafery and the terra cotta red of fine-ground earth as we entered the jungles who create the intersection between Argentina, Brasil, and Paraguay. 

*Side note: It was here that I had my first taste of Argentine steak... Maybe I'm not a connoisseur, but I liked my mother's better (thanks, Mom!). That said, my post on Buenos Aires will shed more light on the real​ story of Argentine beef that I learned during our interview.

 These thick, tropical woodlands ring the awesome display of Iguazu, one of the greatest wonders of the world. A stellar series of thundering falls surging over wildly wooded cliffs.

As a matter of additional (albeit unrequested insight) let it be known that I am actively working on and making progress in the area of avoiding disappointments created by unfounded expectations.

I don't mean to do it, truly. Yet when something is presented to me (even just the idea of something, like a trip, a meal, a person, a place, a film, etc) I start to think about it in my future. What could it be like? What might it be like? Then, without warning or realization, these thoughts transform into daydreams, which in turn morph into fantasies, where they eventually mature into those most unwelcome expectations that sneak up on me.

I will continue to pursue liberty from this repetitious process, but until then, Iguazu's off color felt like a let down.

I was disappointed. I admit it. And rather than attempt to appreciate the rarity of the occasion (floods like this hadn't happened in recent memory, according to locals, making it a markedly rare event), I told myself I could fix it in Photoshop later. As you can see, I did not. Yet it was nothing a little black and white rendering couldn’t mask, and I must say I did take a liking to the dramatic results of the monochromatic final products. 

​And even if I didn't, it was a blessing just to be there and see it, no matter the color scheme.

Those who have also trekked here can attest that as one travels from ledge to ledge of the enormous jungle, striving to find a better, wetter outlook, it’s quickly apparent that the trees are already occupied. ​

Plush-crested jays and long-schnozed coatis (a kind of cute lovechild from a monkey-anteater-raccoon romance) inhabit the branches and boughs, entirely unafraid of the two-legged travelers who walk the paths through their forest.

​Clearly, however, there have been…. altercations, in the past. Signs are commonly seen dissuading humans from feeding these pointy-toothed, sharp-clawed cuties (some postings even feature a grotesque photograph of a coati bite in the torn remains of soft, pink man-flesh… Ew).

Butterflies flit about everywhere, also undeterred by the invading, camera-wielding crowds.

Some silly people run away from them (afraid of what? I haven’t the faintest idea…) while others aggressively try to catch them (some wings, sadly, did not survive the clumsy, crushing grips of less-than-careful children and insensitive adults) and others still take the peaceful road, permitting the graceful bug-birds a chance to flutter about and land where they will, frequently on a head or hand where they would probe pollen-less skin before deciding there was no nectar to be found and fly on.

While on the subject of fauna, I also decided to toss into this post a mogwai-looking marmoset I found closer to Rio de Janeiro (see more in my post to follow this one!) just because they are so darned precious!

Those little devils really seemed to me like a pretty solid closer for this post... A wittle, bitty, ultra-cute incentive for YOU to get out there and make your own difference!

Although we did not manage to find a family to interview until Buenos Aires, we still have people to thank!

​First among them is our host and dear friend Paulita. A gem and a human inspiration, this angel spoke softly and powerfully, and I could feel changes happening within me in response.

Muchisimas gracias, amiga querida. Please, por favor, come to see us when we return home! I truly want to pay your kindness in due time.

Also, to Daniel’s friend and anonymous donor, you merit ENORMOUS gratitude and true blessings. We could not (seriously, could NOT) finish this without you. 

​I also want to thank my family. Yes, I have in the past, and I will again. Each of them deserve it. Daniel for his patience, Brandon for his example, Laura for her light, Briana for her strength, Sal for his passion, Gavin for his spirit, Tyner for her resilience, Madeline for her soul, Lily for her grace, Nana for her legacy, Nancy for her loyalty, Keith for his courage, Vicki for her joy, Juli for her acceptance, and especially my parents for their applaudable support and generosity (they never did ask that I reimburse my childhood debt accrued since birth), my papa for his well-earned wisdom, his misfiring charm, and his remarkable progress as a human being, and to my dearly beloved mother, for her virtuous choices, her humbling sacrifices, and her undying and life-changing love. There is more, there always will be, but this is for now, not forever.

As mentioned, we did eventually meet a family to interview for Argentina, although it wound up waiting until Buenos Aires!

​This current section of Argentina served more as a glimpse into the dusty, delicate rural life that still lives in the Northwestern corner of the country, and the fertile, forested majesty of natural wonders that fills the North East. Even still, that was only a fraction of the country. We still had to see the capital, and the wild Patagonian frontier. But first, we took a trip through South America’s Portuguese-speaking big-boy, host of the 2016 World Olympics, and the sole subject of my next post: Brasil. 

December, 2015 ​- A combination of ecological brilliance and faulty computer software compels me to dedicate an additional post to Bolivia's remarkably stellar and truly unique landscape. Photographic splendor was simply plethoric, and I really don't mind paying additional homage to the otherworldly backdrop, specifically the Southwestern corner of Bolivia's wilderness: The Uyuni Salt Flats.

Explorations such as this, through Uyuni (and Machu Picchu, and Torres del Paine, and Iguaçu, and Teotihuacán, and Caye Caulker, and, and, and...) might seem like a departure from the family culture and child-life that creates the center of our project. But part of our project's objective is to find the pieces that make up a place and to learn about them. So that's what we did.

And so, if I may - filled with moonscapes, tar pits, grey waters, blue skies, white sands, flocks of flamingos and deserts that would make Salvador Dalí's mustache twitch - I'd like to publish my 50 Favorite Photographs from the Flats.

As always we offer our thanks to those helping us to realize our journey. Discretion is a frequent request from those who lend us a hand, and so we publicly (but without names) thank all donors, family interviewers, hosts, friends, relatives, and fellows from the road and back at home who give us the means to continue. Thank you!

For information that could help on our way, see our How to Help page for more!