It’s 6:30 pm and as I am under house arrest in sketch-city, enduring 95 degree weather and 80% humidity, I sit and write in an attempt to drown out the short lived pleasures of a woman echoing across the adjacent rooftop which is right outside my window. Sigh. I look forward to moving along through Central America rather quickly. Well, if three days on a bus is quickly, then my statement holds water. Can you believe I’m feeling concerned about not having enough time? It’s ridiculous, I know. The 6 weeks in Guatemala, afforded me the opportunity to understand much of [View Full Entry]

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The Rio Dulce is a river/boat harbor that flows to the Caribbean Sea on the N.E. side of Guatemala. I found this groovy little place to stay with Alex and Jamie my travel companions who live in Chicago. I met Alex in Antigua the first week I was there. Later I see him and Jamie 300 miles from there on this remote beach and it turns out we are staying in the same hotel. We hang out a few days together and move up to The Rio Dulce together. Believe it or not, that evening after we arrive in Rio Dulce, [View Full Entry]

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I keep reminding myself the wizened Rumi with each abrasive rub. It’s 95 degrees and humid, grossly humid. Sweat is constantly running on my skin. A/C only lessens the pain, I have yet to be somewhere indoors that was truly cool. Honduras is NOT my favorite place. I’ve been in the two major cities, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, not on some beach or island…. The typical tourist destinations were just too time consuming and costly to get to, so I followed the path of least resistance, on the map and by way of public transportation. I suppose it’s possible that [View Full Entry]

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Hola from Guatemala, where “one way” street signs are simply a nod toward social cohesion! And apparently, it is unlawful to bring arms, guns, weapons into banks here…which is rather odd. I know this because many of the banks have signs clearly posted on the doors at the entrance. There is so much to catch up on! I arrived today in the small town of Coban, where tourists are far and few between. This makes me something of an attraction as I walk around and I’m not exactly comfortable with it. I am still loving traveling and still thinking more about [View Full Entry]

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"Is there anything as horrible as starting on a trip? Once you're off, that's all right, but the last moments are earthquake and convulsion, and the feeling that you are a snail being pulled off your rock." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh Leaving NYC was a veritable soup of emotions for me. Many airplanes will take off and land before I forget the untimely opening of the floodgates I privately wiped away in the backseat of a taxicab. It was a sweltering hot afternoon, my last day in Brooklyn after I had turned in my keys to the landlord and made one [View Full Entry]

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It sucks feeling different from ‘everyone else’ in New York. Even though I’ve finally accepted this desire to go travel and volunteer, I feel a little freakish compared to most people I know here. There is not much I can do about it except go chase this siren and see what’s there. Some days, I wish I had 5 ounces of the enzyme responsible for the singularity of focus to forge a career on a linear trajectory AND enjoy that process the way my peers do. People here are so clear about what they want from this city in that way. [View Full Entry]

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Interrupting this travel journal with a small commercial about Travis's graduation...It was so great to see him cross that stage with the biggest smile on his face. I remember graduating and how awesome it felt, so I think I shared in some of that joy he was experiencing. Austin is right behind him, hopefully graduating next June. There are many moments when the light has faded and the sounds from the city outside are quieted, I find myself wanting to suggest a direction or course of action. But the truth is, until they ask me, I think it will fall on [View Full Entry]

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I have been on a ten day farewell tour through Sacramento, Santa Cruz and San Francisco. It was great to feel all the love again and know that I have so much support back 'home'. The notion of 'home' is so fluid at this point. My mom lives in Fullerton and I lived there in that house for 4-5 years during high school, but that isn't my home. I lived in Sacramento for 20 years and have many lovely friends there, but I don't know if that is my home either. My kids GPS is still temporary, so I cannot consider [View Full Entry]

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Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. -- Ambrose Redmoon. Briefly, I want to revisit my last post. The fear will never go away and I have to make peace with that. Years ago I bought this self-help book by Susan Jeffers called,” Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway". I honestly don't think that I even read the book, but some how the title was enough to work it's way from the shelf into my psyche after several years. At some point I just got it-I cannot wait [View Full Entry]

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It's 4:30 in the morning, I should be sleeping but apparently my brain has something else planned....I'm riding a wave of fear, well, maybe riding a set of waves. What the hell am I doing? It's the wet season in Central America(CA), roads will be washed out, disease carrying mosquitoes having sex orgies, mold & mildew in hostels and all bedding/linens will be flourishing; and I'm sensitive to smells! I'm giving up my tempurpedic mattress and down feather pillows for lumps, sags and springs in my back. Plus I'm from California where we have earthquakes but we don't have hurricanes. Let [View Full Entry]

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