I taught my son how to bushwhack at a rest stop while driving along the east coast of the South Island towards Kaikoura. It was bittersweet to leave the charming little town of Nelson, but we were motivated to get to Kaikoura, New Zealand’s hamlet for whales, dolphins and heaps Read more…
Chase and I had a first in our lives the night we arrived in Wellington: we shared a chicken kebab wrap at a local Turkish eatery in downtown Wellington for dinner this evening. My Dad would have loved this place, it had the look and feel of a family-owned, multi-generational Read more…
I never knew red pepper would cost me so much money until I came to New Zealand. I fancied myself a global citizen with a knack for efficiency, creative ideas and forward thinking in my travels. I was 45 years old with 43 countries visited under my belt, many months Read more…
A chilled acai bowl on a Tuesday morning after a yoga class has become a ritual. An act of self care. A proud claim on the freelancing lifestyle that describes my last eight months. Besides mid-morning yoga classes, I take my time in the grocery store during business hours when Read more…
It was fitting to wind up my Patagonia adventure spending the longest day of the year — the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere — with what felt like the longest hike of my life. Twenty kilometers, four of them gaining elevation and one of them spent almost directly uphill Read more…
My first impression of Calafate was its resemblance to South Lake Tahoe. Picture neon signs, lots of retail stores, signage in Spanish and English. No casinos that I could find (and I wasn’t looking), but you get the idea. However, Calafate has a more subtle charm that takes time to Read more…
I made sure to look for the towers of Torres del Paine on our way out of Puerto Natales by bus en route to El Calafate. Having been on this same road less than 24 hours prior heading out of the park for showers, pizza and beer with the crew, Read more…
Winter camping conditions make me melt. Especially if I am underprepared with too few warm and dry, synthetic clothes. Withdrawal, some tears, some sarcasm — all of these and more can surface with winter camping conditions and me. I always bounce back but I travel down a long, dark internal Read more…
Our first night was the capstone to a wet, windy inaugural hiking day in Torres del Paine. I could tell I would be hiking in my rain jacket for the next few days and my hat would probably never leave my head until I was back in Puerto Natales. I Read more…
There’s a reason why I aim to run early, in life and in travel. The innkeeper of Tren Del Sur in Puerto Montt insisted an hour’s arrival pre-flight was enough time despite my request for an earlier cab for the “just in case” factor. Just in case there is traffic, Read more…