Browsing CategoryCulture

Dear T&T: What happened to you?

So, generally this blog is about my love affair with travel and the lighter, more beautiful aspects of the pasttime I hold so dear to my heart. But I cannot always live in a rose-colored travel world. Sometimes, the love wanes (only briefly) and the issues that affect the world and travel come to light. I suppose it is relevant to discuss the complete picture of a true love affair anyway, because the love wouldn’t be real without a little heartache. Except this is a big heartache. The source of my woes is my own sweet Trinidad & Tobago. After 11 people were…

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Trinidad Carnival will change your life

Okay, please bear with me as I dust the cobwebs off of my poor deserted blog, and try to re-hone my neglected writing skills. Ahem– Have you ever had so much fun that you kind of didn’t want to tell anyone about it? Like the fun should just be your little secret? Almost as if the words of your merriment left your mouth, the sanctity of the fun-ness might very well leave with them? It’s kind of like buried treasure. There are no exciting maps and treasure hunts for non-buried treasure, then it’s just regular treasure, accessible to everyone and thus…

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Road trip: For the love of music

She just wanted to hear the music. Dressed in a cap and sweats with a rag over her shoulder, the littlest old lady surfaced from the ‘Employees Only’ section somewhere at the back of the room. She appeared to have just finished, or been in the process of cleaning something. She strolled quietly over to the piano on the stage and took a seat. We had stumbled upon the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park by chance as we left the French Market and the intense mugginess of the day. The place was completely void of visitors but filled with…

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8 things to love about Toronto

< From the Exhibit "Late News" by Dan Perjovschi at the R.O.M. Toronto, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… 1. Cultural Diversity.Toronto has it all. You can “travel” across continents without ever leaving the city! There are so many areas and neighborhoods where you can find people, culture, and delicious food from all over the world. There is something for everyone here. This portion of Dan Perjovschi‘s “Late News” Exhibit captures it best; there are so many elements that make up greater Toronto, and to me, that’s the beauty of the city. Plus, I really love to eat.…

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Muddling through Marrakech

Oh, Morocco. Your first trip, first hours, first minutes there can be packed with all sorts of adventure. Check out my first published article “Muddling Through Marrakech” over at Travelmag. Travelmag has a wealth of exciting travel stories from real, independent travelers with great experiences to share. From the magazine’s editor, “Travelmag correspondents travel well beyond the guidebook routes, illuminating little-known corners of the globe and, occasionally, revealing a bit about themselves as well.” This travel writing thing isn’t impossible, you just have to start somewhere.

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Maple syrup and hockey, eh?

I never thought Canada was my type. Or at least I didn’t think we would hit it off like we did. I mean, I always figured it would be nice, but nice in that kind of ‘we could be friends way,’ not the ‘I want to spend every waking moment in your presence kind.’ It is a love affair, my relationship with travel–some countries will set my pulse racing with excitement, while others draw lukewarm feelings, no butterflies in my stomach. But you can never really know a place until you visit it, go out at least once. That seemingly…

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Tranquility at San Cristóbal

So I’m supposed to be doing this travel writing thing; supposed to be documenting the things I see in the places I go. But I can’t stalk out a story. I can’t just show up at a historical site, or restaurant, or cultural location, and start to write. The story finds me. It manifests itself anywhere, at any time, and demands to be written. So when I found myself at Castillo de San Cristóbal, one of the forts of San Juan, and a truly recognizable symbol of Puerto Rico, I figured I should probably write something about it.  I stood there,…

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Las Vegas: An escape from life as you know it

Vegas. In a word: Craziness! Extended backyard visit #2 (I am really working on this backyard adventure thing)…road trip to Las Vegas! Aah, Vegas. One of those places that fills the heart with excitement at the sound of the name. Well, either excitement, or worry…depending on what kind of mischief your personal Vegas excursions might entail, but for me, excitement. A brief glimpse into the life of a Vegas adventure: Decide to go on Thursday. Go to work (or don’t…if you’re me) Friday–leave work early (or take your time, paint your nails, take a nap, watch a movie) pack, and…

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Take the donkey

You know when something seems like a great idea and then by the time you realize it really isn’t, you are in way too deep to do anything about it?  Yes, well in this particular case it was kind of a near-death experience… It all began one misty day at Laguna Quilotoa, Ecuador. This was the most incredible volcanic crater lake (okay, the only one) I have ever seen.  “Want to climb down the mountain to get a better look?”  “Of course!”  So, on we went, traversing the slightly trodden and very uneven terrain, sliding and almost falling when there was…

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