When my brother Tyler told me about his trip to Machu Picchu with his girlfriend Jolene last year, my mind wondered Matchoo what? Where? Peru(!) Who goes to Peru? Almost one year later, we went to Peru, hitting Cuzco and the capital Lima, with the four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in between. Machu Picchu is probably the most recognizable symbol of the once mighty Inca Empire, which, for all its glory, was only on top for about 100 years. Though not the biggest, baddest or most significant Inca ruins, they’re the most heavily marketed, attracting throngs of tourists to Peru every year. Constructed around 1462, Machu Picchu is believed to have been the home of the ninth and most powerful Inca ruler, Pachacutec (“He who Remakes the World”), aptly named because he was responsible for ... read more

At first, crossing from Argentina into the dusty Bolivian border town of Villazon was largely uneventful. There were the usual line crashers and moments of confusion when we can’t read the signs. There was a bit of a stir among the tourist contingent when news spread that Americans, and only Americans, were being charged $135 to enter Bolivia while the rest of the world had free admittance. And as we marched uphill toward the bus station, my breath was shortening and my head began throbbing just slightly from the alititude (3400m). I took in my new surroundings and considered what a difference a border makes. Women dressed in the ubiquitous layered dresses and bowler hats were perched behind mounding piles of ¨stuff¨ for sale. In the spirit of Carnival, young boys and girls in alpaca toques ... read more

Sometimes, a lack of planning lands us in a money pit of a situation (like arriving at Koh Samui with no hotel reservation). Other times, planning too far ahead is the most expensive mistake (like purchasing Baz Bus tickets in South Africa). We've suffered the consequences of both, and striking that delicate balance between them is really starting to become an art. Our trip to South Africa was by far the least researched leg of our travels. We didn't have a Lonely Planet (gasp) or any other kind of guidebook. We had a budget, a set timeline and a solemn oath not to leave the country without going on a safari. So under the advise of our hostel manager on our first day in Joburg, we booked the Kruger tour and purchased Baz Bus tickets to ... read more

“I’m from the United States,” said the Black youth, surveying our reactions. I flinch at this introduction, considering our surroundings. I’m standing in Kliptown, a shantytown of sorts - a miniscule corner of Soweto just outside Johannesburg. I’m confused as to how an American teenager of any creed or culture could end up as one of the four million people living here. “I’m from the United States of Africa,” he clarifies, and I smile at his clever turn of phrase. “South Africa is all of Africa - every country, every person, we all live in South Africa.” This is it. This is the moment when I know I have fully arrived in a new country. This is South Africa. From Johanesburg to Cape Town by bus, we have an entire country to discover in the next ... read more

“Turtle tattoo on right foot” is now something to add to the list of Marc’s distinguishable features. If our raving review of Chiang Mai didn’t sell you on our love of Thailand, the fact that we permanently branded ourselves with bamboo tattoos should thoroughly convince. While the decision was largely spontaneous, I admit we have talked about getting these very tattoos for several years. When we stumbled into a small bamboo tattoo shop run by a peculiar and memorable man named Charlie it just seemed like the right place and the right time. We wanted to commemorate not just Thailand, but our entire adventure away from home, which we talked about doing for about as long as the tattoos. We got inked on the last night of a week-long stay on the tiny, picturesque island of ... read more