The Bernard Brothers

After Darren and I met up with our brother Ryan, we had a quick overview with our guides at Kayak Adventures Worldwide in Seward, a solid dinner, and then an early wake up to meet our boat into the fjords. We had chosen to head all the way out to the Northwestern Fjord; it is an hour longer ride but has substantially fewer visitors (we only saw one other group of kayakers during the four day trip) and excellent wild life viewing. Along the three-hour trip we had amazing views of sea lions, sea otters, humpbacks (which we saw in abundance every day we were out there) and tons of other wild life. The two highlights on the way out were the pod of orcas we were able to follow for a while and hear via ... read more

After a year of working and applying to med schools I was able to get back on the international trail again for a trip to Brazil. However, this was not just another backpacking adventure; my close friend TJ was getting married to his Brazilian fiancé (Bella) in his new home of Rio de Janerio. As expected, it was an epic adventure. We made our way to the requisite sights (and more so once my parents arrived part way into my trip), but we placed this at a lower priority. Enjoying the company of those in Brazil we just met, or we don’t get to see often, was of the utmost priority. We also made the most of having access to Brazilian culture from a local family’s point of view, which proved to be more fantastic than ... read more

Between my post-bac program and returning to Madison to work at Epic while I apply to medical schools, I decided to take a quick trip to Colombia with my friends Ben (who I traveled with in India and Africa) and Max. I wanted to see what the country I've heard so much about had to offer and I have to say, it lived up to all the hype. Thinking of the violence of the 80s and 90s, many Americans still hold the perception that it is a dangerous country... However, most of the cartel violence has since moved to Mexico and most Colombians, knowing their country's reputation, are fantastically welcoming. Offering mountains, rolling hills, colonial cities, and Caribbean beaches, as well as ridiculously cheap flights from the U.S., I can't imagine the tourist industry blowing up ... read more

We woke up ready to leave the island and make our way into Mexico. I immediately noticed my carry on bag was not by the head of my bed, where I had left it the night before. As it contains my passport, wallet, camera, etc., I became nervous immediately. Scouring the room I found it by the door and thought it was odd it should have moved places while I slept. That’s when TJ noticed his carry on had moved during the night to a spot near the door as well. Of course, inspecting the contents immediately we noticed our cash was gone. Luckily none of the credit/debit cards or passports were missing. However, both of our cameras had been stolen (as well as all the pictures which were on them, hence no pictures on these ... read more

Taking a break from the rigors of Organic Chem and the balmy, slightly sub-tropical, breezes of December in Chicago, I decided to check out some of Central America this winter break; that is before meeting up with my family in Cancun for the traditional Bernard Christmas of lights on a palm tree and chips and salsa happy hour feasts. Leaving on the 2:00 a.m. red eye I had no other option but to head to a holiday/post finals party before hand because half in the bag and late is the only way to go through security. I plowed my way onto the plane, flopped onto my seat and was out cold before take off. Switching planes in Guatemala City I was shuffled from my gate to the next and was off the ground in less than ... read more