Upon reflection 2021 was the best year of my life…so far That is a strange statement to make considering COVID claimed more lives in 2021 than in 2020, autocracy and totalitarianism increased in 2021, and the hopes of meaningful COP26 action were dashed. It was a year of 21 COVID tests (all negative, knock on […]
Greece
One of my main challenges in maintaining my blog is my inability to quickly reflect on what I have seen and experience. During my travels, I’m constantly listening, reading and digesting information while simultaneously analyzing and contextualizing it within my existing knowledge set. This helps me process and retain what I’m learning. Which is why […]
Egypt
We idolize and idealize people and places, and are frequently let down when in crashes reality. But there are those rare instances where reality exceeds our fantasies and expectations. Such was the case of Egypt. For as far back as I can remember I have wanted to go to Egypt. Walk in the footsteps of […]
Jordan
In March we celebrate women: Women’s History, International Women’s Day and for several countries Mother’s Day. With my “wintering in the Middle East” quickly nearing its closure, I’m reflecting on the inspiring women I have met. Below are two stories of women inspiring women from my adventures in Jordan. Traditional crafts lay the foundation for […]
Turkey
After Dubai, Istanbul felt like an old sweater with fraying cuffs and collar. It was comfortable. Even though I had never been there before, it was familiar in a way that many European cities are. There was a glorious hodgepodge of architecture ranges from the Hagia Irene, the first church built by Constantine I in […]
Turkey
Topkapi Palace was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans in the 15th and 16th century. It isn’t a single building, but a sprawling complex of different pavilions separated by three terraced garden courtyards all connected with marble pathways and has an amazing view of the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. The interior design […]
Turkey
Note: In January and February there was a COVID curfew for everyone: 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. daily. For residents and citizens there is also a 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday curfew, but not for tourists. Which means some sites are open with very little crowds on the weekends. The original Hagia Irene […]
United Arab Emirates
Beyond the extreme rich and poor dichotomy that pervades the UAE, there is another extreme dichotomy – the landscape. For miles upon miles you are surrounded by glass and steel canyons on the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, but if you exit the road and drive inland within 20 minutes you are surrounded by desert […]
United Arab Emirates
Sidewalks like a baby’s skin: clean and unmarked from the ravages of time and age. Buildings made of glass and steel rising from the literal sand. Scores of cranes dot the unimaginably long skyline. Ribbons of highway snaking through purpose-built under development mini-cities, that are the size of most cities’ “downtowns.” This is Dubai. Some […]
United Arab Emirates
2021 New Year’s Eve in Dubai: the glamour, the spectacle, the sheer ostentatiousness. That’s what I hoped for, and that was what was delivered, and then some. Welcoming 2021 in Dubai, has been the only part of the original “My Grand Adventure” plan that has not changed. After a year of significant uncertainty and calamity, […]
Mexico
When I originally sketched out My Grand Adventure, I had envisioned starting with a summer in Europe, before moving onto the Middle East, Africa, Asia and then travelling to Latin America in 2022. However, just like most of us COVID changed my 2020 plans. Instead, I started in the autumn with a relatively long sojourn […]
Mexico
(note: another really long post) After getting grounding on some basics, I felt I was ready to move beyond short, introductory spiritual sessions. I decided to do some immersive and intensive deep dives into spiritual consciousness. I honestly had no idea what I was in for. Mayan spiritual journey By now I was ready to […]
Mexico
(note: longer than normal post) Though I’m neither religious nor spiritual, I do take an interest in and appreciate different belief systems, as they have been the cornerstone of most civilizations. That being said, I surprised myself on the number and level of involvement in religious and/or spiritual activities in which I participated. To say […]
Mexico
As a life-long art history student (both formally and informally), I’ve spent many hours strolling through museums, studying museology, volunteering at museums and dreaming of working at a museum. In fact, my entire purpose of pursuing my MBA was to go into museum management. With COVID, one of my favorite travelling experiences – museum exploration […]
Mexico
Food is a culture’s greatest ambassador. The aromas quickly tap into your memory and flavors transport you back. Every travel experience I have there is a stamp in my gastronomical passport. Growing up in Southern California and Arizona, Mexican food was always the food my family would crave when we came home from traveling. After […]
Mexico
One of the major goals/milestones for My Grand Adventure was to explore Mayan ruins, and in the past three weeks, I’ve immersed myself in three different ruins sites – Coba, Chichen Itza and Tulum (Note: I’m hoping to explore Ek Balam, but Tropical Storm Gamma has damaged the access road and closed the site. Not […]
Mexico
When my waiter, Carlos, first asked if I wanted to go out on a three hour boat trip to fish and snorkel, my initial, mental reaction was “no.” Because who, when you are a female travelling alone, accepts a stranger’s offer to go out on a boat by yourself. Especially, if said female grew up […]
Mexico
A restive sojourn in the Yucatan jungle to reset, relax and re-establish healthy habits were my intentions for the next several weeks. Mother Nature had other intentions. The primary intention was to say “wake up lady, you aren’t in Chicago anymore,” and she more than delivered on that. Within 36 hours of my arrival, the […]