What drives you to a far-flung land (or water)? A gripping tale delivered by a stranger you met ‘on the road’? A stunning snapshot that you can’t take out of your mind? A documentary that left you awe-inspired? A history or geography lesson that stuck with you? A cheeky souvenir from an old fling’s backpacking…
rtw
Photo Essay-ish: The Carnival That Cost Us An Arm And Leg… And Almost Our Marriage
A squabble escalated to a heated debate at a quaint guesthouse in Lima, Peru. “Hell no! Two-hundred-freakin’ dollars each?!”, hubby delivered in his usual monotone but he was obviously upset. “But we’re already on the same continent and we’ll be in Brazil during carnival season! It is no coincidence!”, I was on the brink of…
Tacking Point Lighthouse, Port Macquarie, Australia: Cutest Lighthouse We’ve Seen, Ever!
We helped ourselves to a light brekkie. Our tummies were still quite cramped with the previous night’s fantastic bolognese dinner that Chris, our Couchsurfing host, prepared for us. Though mildly handicapped with a leg cast (he and a fellow backpacker got thrown off a motorbike in Vietnam or Cambodia or somewhere), Chris worked swiftly in…
Nazca Lines, Peru (Or Those Lines That The Hubby Thought Were Crop Circles)
“But it’s the Nazca Lines! How come you don’t wanna see it?!”, I was a bit embarrassed, quickly wiping my tears with the back of my hand so no one could notice. I imagined myself being a mistreated protagonist in a Mexicanovela, sans the big hair and off-shoulder peasant girl blouse. It was a chilly…
Christ The Redeemer, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: Vistas To Die For
“Jeeezaz Chriiist!”, the hubby muttered. I couldn’t think of any thing more apt to say. It was day 242 of our round-the-world trip. We watched Jesus grew bigger and bigger as our bus hurtled its way to the tram station on Rua Cosme Velho. In the spirit of Brazil’s Carnival, a bunch of passengers aboard…
Paracas National Reserve, Peru: Images Of A Desolate Beauty
Just beautifully bleak. From where we were standing, the blanket of golden sands seemed endless. The balmy breeze that swept past every so often gave this tropical desert a less unforgiving aura. It was day 211 of our round-the-world trip, and we were on the second half of our Paracas tour. Earlier that day we…
2012 Year-Ender/World-Ender
Ahhh… 2012. You are an ebullient homage to wanderlust. Frankly, I am quite obsessed with your ruffled months. In fact it’s almost midnight and amid that end-of-the-world hullabaloo, here I am fondly sewing a patchwork of idyllic imagery to commemorate your flamboyance and purport. Now this may seem like a pathetic way of exiting the…
Teotihuacán, Mexico: Where Gods Were Born… And Where We Lost Our Pram
I shifted my gaze from one behemoth to the other. From the ground afar, the two colossal pyramids can be seen blending in the nearby mountain range. Humans ascending and descending them looked like ants crawling up and down an anthill, on a work shift in the colony. The peaks were certainly intimidating, nevertheless we…
Scenic World, Blue Mountains, Australia
Day 71 of our round-the-world trip. It was obviously a Thursday. The empty parking lot says so. We swiftly hopped out of our beat up, borrowed car and unbuckled the bub from the infant seat. Closing time was fast approaching. We spent too long at Three Sisters, but that’s because nearby Scenic World wasn’t part…
Round-The-World Salon Sessions
It certainly ain’t on a backpacker’s itinerary… But hey, if you’re on some long term trip, it’s one of those unplanned stuff you just gotta do. Like, dental visits (though this could actually be on the to-do list if such job is cheaper overseas than in one’s home country). Quite exciting, I must say. Could…