Permaculture, Conspiracy and Dog Politics in Rural Bolivia
We expected our time in Bolivia to be a cultural experience. But we didn’t expect to be immersed in dog society — or an emerging brand of green conservatism.
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My Altitude Experience at the Border of Bolivia
Oliver, our nine-year-old boy, recounts in his own words his difficult experience with altitude sickness while crossing into Bolivia.
Sickness and Unpreparedness Upend Plans at Bolivian Border
A child battles altitude sickness as we arrive at the Argentine-Bolivian border bridge without a visa. This is a story about the lowest point of our gap year.
Visiting the Octo-Man in Argentina’s Gaucho-land
We make a late-night grub run to a 200-year-old historic establishment.
How We Nearly Failed to Extend Our Tourist Visa in Brazil
This is a story about how a simple bureaucratic formality can snowball into a saga of false steps, bad options, and some high stakes cajoling.
An Adventure in the River
Oliver recounts an adventure packed hike up a river that almost ends in disaster. This is a story told from an eight-year-old point of view.
Learning How to Manage Life in Rural Brazil
With months to go in our first “gap year” country, Brazil, we must learn afresh how to be competent adults. It has not always been a smooth process.
Perils of the “Perfect” Itinerary: 3 Flights and a Train
A stressful four-leg journey —including planes and trains, amidst a smoking volcano and an airline strike — teaches me lessons about booking better itineraries.
No More Train Tickets: Winging it to Western China
A honeymoon getaway turns into a saga when train tickets to Guilin are sold out. We buy bus tickets from a shady vendor. It turns out to be quite the ride.
When You’re the First Tourist in a Remote Chinese Village
An excursion off the beaten path lands us in a village with no tourist services where we find a local family to stay with. Will tourism change the village?