I’ll be back on Monday and would be delighted, in the meantime, if you would look through my previous posts. Perhaps you missed a few or will reread one with a new perspective.
Enjoy the days.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.
Downtown Medellin, Colombia is where you will find the Botero Plaza with those wonderful eponymous, enormous statues, a major tourist attraction during the day. But in the evening the streets return to the locals.
My hostel, however, was only two blocks away so I took this opportunity to walk around. I was the only foreigner in sight.
The atmosphere was lively. Just beyond the plaza there were street vendors hawking fruits, vegetables, clothing, toys, and household goods along a pedestrian mall with shops on each side. The residents were bargaining and strolling: families, couples, teens.
I was thirsty and bought a papaya drink. It was quite large, too large, and with the cup -half empty- I threw it in a trash can.
Within seconds, the drink was snatched up by a thin young man who clearly lived on the streets. The color of his clothing was indistinguishable from the color of his skin. Dirt was so deeply embedded into both.
He quickly took a sip from this cup -half full- said one word, “papaya”, gave me the biggest smile and, cup in hand, continued on his way.
Dear Reader,
It is hard to believe that a month has already passed since the inception of this blog.
Thank you for your readership, wonderful feedback and support!!
It has been a pleasure to share my thoughts and experiences with you and I hope you have found information and inspiration in the text and images.
Developing this blog has been an adventure in itself and quite a learning curve. As per your request, I finally found the way to enroll subscribers. I would be delighted if you would sign up.
There are other adjustments I look forward to making in the days ahead. Certain devices may not display the blog in the same way.
Perhaps you have not noticed tabs which offer some additional information:Why this blog?, Photographs, How I Began, etc.
There is a list of all the previous posts by title and date.
You can search certain posts by category: Practical Advice, Thoughts on Oneself, Snapshots, etc.
Days can be busy but please take a moment, when you can, to visit.
Here’s to new discoveries near and far.
I wonder about curiosity.
Is it something we are born with? Is it something we can acquire?
I have memories of being very young and going to the beach with my family. We lived walking distance to Coney Island in Brooklyn and went there often. We must have returned to roughly the same location because I recall seeing, each time, a white building further on down the beach. It piqued my curiosity. What was it like down there?
Years later, the building still stands. and I have walked down to it many times. It is a souvenir of a yearning, a curiosity, to know what lies beyond.
The unknown continues to entice me. And the unknown is everywhere.
Sometimes a moment lingers and the memory it produces is like a snapshot.
The B train runs from Brighton Beach to Bedford Park in the Bronx. An apt name for sure.
It is an afternoon of the holiday season and many families are en route to see the celebrated tree at Rockefeller Center. Two women, with six kids in tow, enter the subway car. The oldest is around seven years of age and all are rambunctious. Their exuberant screaming, shouting, laughing, and running about continues despite the mothers’ attempt to quiet them. It is a distracting, cacophonous yet amusing alternative to whac-a-mole.
A little distance away there is a well dressed older woman and her granddaughter of roughly seven too. They are engaged in quiet conversation and by the glances over and shakes of the head, it is clear that the grandmother is displeased with the decorum, or lack thereof, on display. She appears confident that her sentiments are shared by the young girl, who is sitting upright, speaking softly and in every way an emblem of pride for her grandmother. But by the look in the young girl’s eyes one only sees envy and awe at the boundless and unrestrained fun before her.
Getting away is not always possible. Even a few free hours each day might be more than you can manage.
There is still a way to turn the mundane into something interesting.
Imagine that you are a tourist in your own town. Try carrying around a camera and using it. Tourists see things; they are looking. They are finding unique angles, light, shadows, buildings, people. Nurture a critical eye and appreciate what is near to home. Experience familiar places in a fresh way.
Our environment offers us plenty to appreciate and it is always evolving.
Maybe you can find the time to shake it up too!
Try something different. Try something new.
These dancers from the West Indies Parade last weekend found the time to.
I’ll be back on Monday and would be delighted, in the meantime, if you would look through my previous posts. Perhaps you missed a few or will reread one with a new perspective.
Maybe you can find the time to shake it up!
Try something different. Try something new.
These dancers from the West Indies Parade last weekend found the time to.
I’ll be back on Monday and would be delighted, in the meantime, if you would look through my previous posts. Perhaps you missed a few or will reread one with a new perspective.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.
Enjoy the days.
A number of years ago, I read of an acclaimed restaurant located a couple of hours from where I was visiting. I saw it as an opportunity to eat some delicious food, discover the countryside of Portugal and go by rail, my favorite means of travel.
The passage was pleasant. I arrived and found the restaurant, meters from the train station, perched on a hill with a verdant valley below. It was the only place in “town” to eat. I could see a few homes a little ways off and not much else.
The staff was gracious and the view was splendid. I enjoyed my lunch, although I can not recall what it was. Afterwards I attempted a stroll, but the very steep terrain made it difficult to explore. After another hour of admiring the vista, I thought, “Ok, that was pleasant, time to head back.”
The schedule, something I had not bothered to look at beforehand, indicated that the return train would arrive in six hours!
Six more hours here?!
I noticed a small cafe on the other side of the tracks,but it was closed. The area was as quiet as one might suspect during siesta hours. Fortunately it had a few outdoor tables on a shaded terrace.
I always travel with at least two books; one to read and one to write in. I had brought both. I settled in for a long wait…. But was soon distracted. Birds alighted beside me on grapevines heavy with fruit. Butterflies were too shy to linger but entertained me with their erratic flight. The proprietário, after an hour or so, opened the doors exposing the intimate interior of the cafe. We exchanged greetings, I ordered a drink and fumbled with a mixture of romance languages to engage in some pleasantries. It was not long before he was chatting with the regulars. Most went directly inside to escape the sun.
I relaxed, reflected, observed, read, walked a distance beside the tracks then read, relaxed, reflected, observed. The terrace light evolved from an oppressive glare to a softer glow. One or two trains rumbled by. Time was passing much more quickly than I could have imagined. Subtle activities wove a unique fabric of interest as the day progressed.
This afternoon comes back to me often; a chance to appreciate time, travel anew.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.
Children are extraordinary. They can convert anything they have into a toy or game or use nothing at all to have fun.
In our travels we are bound to see different cultures and living conditions, perhaps interpreting them as deficient to our own. But before we start giving the children things to “enrich” their lives, it is probably best to think about the effects of such benevolent gestures.
My encounters with children have varied: I’ve kicked a ball around with a group of kids. I’ve attempted to speak a few words of their language while teaching them a few words of my own. I’ve watched them play. I have shared some of my food. I have seen their curiosity, their openness, their innocence.
I have also encountered children who tag along in pursuit of money or candy and nothing more. The only words they know and use beseech me to give. They have no interest in my culture, or me beyond what I possess. Their curiosity, their openness, their innocence has been replaced some time ago with the desire to acquire what they had not known they lacked.
I have encountered homeless children selling things out in the street or offering a service such as a shoeshine. What is best to do is not always obvious. I may buy something, discreetly, as to not encourage a drove of eager vendors or offer the children some food.
If we wish to give, then let us do so responsibly. Perhaps we can donate health or school supplies, assist with a lesson, offer a hand in someway, etc..
Let us try to know these people first. Let us try to have them know us. Perhaps it’s just an exchange of names, but we are now individuals with gifts of our own to share.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.