Central & South America
Ask Fidel
by Mandy Huggins
In the midday heat, we slow down alongside a rugged cowboy with a handsome moustache. His dusty felt hat is tipped low, and he sits astride a dappled mare, leading a long-legged gelding… Read more >>
Roof Dog and the Tree Rooster
by Robin Noelle
It took two solid weeks of knocking on doors and confusing people with my butchered Spanish before I found a suitable rental. My new place was palatial compared to the last hovel I had rented… Read more >>
Walking with El Señor
by Melani Nagao
For two hours, I had been sitting on the hard edge of the uneven curb, wedged between two squirming toddlers and a plump grandmother. Knees behind me jabbed my shoulders and banged my head… Read more >>
Lost in the Jungle
by Kristin Wegner
It was the fourth day of our trip and we were hopelessly lost in the jungle of Tayrona National Park, Colombia. “I just don’t get how this happened,” Ben said, hovering on the boulder while lowering my backpack to me. I grimaced as I caught the straps, carefully maintaining my balance… Read more >>
An American-style Thanksgiving in Paraguay
by Joanna Johnson Madden
I’ve heard of people who, if presented with an option, would choose to receive their meals in pill form. For them, food represents nutrition and nothing more. I do not understand these people… Read more >>
To the Ends of the Earth
by Karen Snyder
“Patagonia? Like the outerwear company?”
Such was my first response to Vic’s proposal to tour Argentina by car. Never a dull moment, that’s for sure. My second response was, “How soon can we leave?” Read more >>
Broken Glass and Futbol
by Diane Gantenhammer
As our red and white bus bumped and clattered over the rough dirt track, I couldn’t help feeling like an unwanted intruder in the vast silence of this top-of-the-world plateau. The altiplano: a stretching sea of purple-green lichen and mustard-grey moss… Read more >>
Us Vs. the Volcanoby Catherine Ryan Howard
I’m not cut out to be a backpacker. Backpacking, if you’re not familiar, is a form of traveling popular with twenty-somethings looking to see some of the world, broaden their horizons and have regrettable sex with strangers… Read more >>
Worlds Apart: Chavin, Peruby Jules Atkins
As our red and white bus bumped and clattered over the rough dirt track, I couldn’t help feeling like an unwanted intruder in the vast silence of this top-of-the-world plateau. The altiplano: a stretching sea of purple-green lichen and mustard-grey moss… Read more >>
Cleansing for the Soul in El Salvadorby Mari Suyama
Navigating the uneven streets of Salvador da Bahia under the fierce sun sends visitors into a daze of exhaustion and overworked senses. In the wild maze of narrow avenues and street vendors, every turn of a corner reveals a well crafted display of drumming, dance, cuisine or folk art… Read more >>
Amazonasby Lara Flynn
“We’re lost,” the old German confirmed simply and mopped the perspiration from his brow, his face etched deeply with concern. “My son knows a little Spanish, and he understands some Portuguese. He says we’re off course and the sun is fading.”… Read more >>
The Onion Truckby Janie Starr
The dented dusty Blue Bird bus stood waiting by the side of the road, like a promise. With some degree of trepidation, we decided to jump aboard and venture into Guatemala… Read more >>
Never Judge a Man by His Shoesby Becky Cardwell
I call him the shoeless Mexican. Clearly that is not his real name. I don’t know his name, or anything else about him for that matter… Read more >>
Hola Comida!by Cassie Silva
Little Jesus tugs at my hand, gesturing for me to follow him into the shed. I look at the boy curiously and allow myself to be dragged along. At the door to the backyard shed, a mangy dog tied to a stake in the ground leaps to his feet, barking at us furiously from the end of his frayed rope… Read more >>
Sea-turtle Spotting in Surinameby Corina Milic
She looms close, lit by the moon. Her head reminds me of an old woman’s wrinkled face wrapped in a shawl. She’s one meter long, weighs about 150 kilograms and is moving fast… Read more >>
Cuban Encountersby Annika Hipple
“Which hotel are you staying at?” The immigration official at Havana’s José Martí International Airport puts down my passport and peers at me through the glass of his booth. “I’m not staying at a hotel,” I answer unsuspectingly. “I’m staying with a friend.”… Read more >>
Coffee and Cakeby Lisa McCallum
The hulking green army truck pulls up in front of the café like an angry elephant-belching and crushing and stomping. I’m humiliated when people on this main street in Antigua turn to stare-like, “Who’s going to ride in that thing?”… Read more >>
Locals, Llamas and Lots of Laughsby Kate Reid
I arrived in Peru, an 18 year old, mobile phone clutched in hand, designer jeans donned and expectations high. The ancient land of the Incas was to be my home for 6 months, the children of the Urubamba region my project… Read more >>
On Guard Against Giardiaby Kelly Westhoff
Standing in line, Michelle and I prayed we’d chosen a good pharmacy. The white tiled floors had been freshly mopped, customers were being helped at each service window, and most importantly, every employee sat behind a computer. It was the computers that had drawn us in, made us choose this pharmacy over others we’d passed… Read more >>
What We Leave Behindby Kelly Westhoff
The man walking towards me looked familiar. No, wait. It wasn’t his face. It was his shirt that looked familiar. It was black with white letters that read: Dunn Bros. Coffee, Minneapolis-St. Paul… Read more >>
Meeting Mama – A Homestay with the Amantani on Lake Titicacaby Cassie Silva
“Welcome to Amantani Island. One of these women standing before you will be your new Mama for the rest of your stay here,” our local guide Roger yells above the whistling warm wind of the approaching thunderstorm… Read more >>
When All You Have is Your Bodyby Julie Schweitert Collazo
I am hurtling down Avenida Reforma, one of Mexico City’s main arteries, in one of the ubiquitous green and white Volkswagen taxis that everyone-tourists and locals alike-waits for. I favor nostalgia and its slight discomforts over the newer red and white Nissan Sentra taxis, which have no personality as far as I’m concerned… Read more >>
Don’t Let Your Generosity Kill Youby Betty Ann Boeving
I was once on-duty in Peru as a freelance tour manager. I had exchanged my high heels for knee-high irrigation boots that I sported while I gingerly walked on extremely muddy trails deep in the Amazon rainforest… Read more >>
