Shooting Free Throws From the Rooftops in Da Nang, Vietnam
Da Nang, Vietnam: July 5 – August 5, 2018 Sitting on a deck chair staring out over my apartment’s rooftop pool towards the vast and beautiful Vietnam Sea, I began to shoot free throws without a basketball or a hoop. The action is not literal, for if it was I’d probably cause significant damage to those on the ground. It’s figurative, fundamental, and it becomes a practice that only develops after a series of introspective, late night discussions, and mid-afternoons spent in a fog even on the clearest of days. Living this nomadic travel adventure creates constant change and each […]
Without the Eyes of Expectation – Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei, Taiwan: June 28 – July 5, 2018 We weren’t supposed to be here. Well, at least not yet. We were supposed to be lying in our beds in our downtown Vancouver apartment, resting, after an exhausting 31 days spent hopping around two continents. We were supposed to be waking up the next morning ready to explore one of our favorite cities during its best season. Yet, we only stayed on the ground long enough to scarf down a Wendy’s hamburger and fries at the airport before boarding a flight in the dead of night. It’s been night all day. […]
Sometimes Home Becomes Wherever You Are – Europe & the USA
Europe: May 26 – June 8, 2018 | USA: June 8 – June 26, 2018 (including trips to Bologna, Munich, Berlin, Lisbon, Chicago, and California) It’s a little after 7:15 PM on Saturday, May 26. I’m trying to catch clear images of the green, yet cloudy countryside just outside Milan that is a constant blur before my eyes. I just departed Malpensa International Airport and I’m making my hectic way towards Milan’s Stazione Centrale. Sitting aboard the Malpensa Express Train, I’m a little anxious. Everything on this day has to go right for me to make it to my final […]
Taming the Voice of Should in Valencia
Valencia, Spain: April 11 – May 26, 2018 (including trips to Sevilla, Requena, Chulilla, Xàtiva, and Sagunto) The voice of should is a powerful one. It enters our conscious at a very young age and guides us throughout our various stages of life. When we’re children that voice is the internal voice of our parents and elders, who mold us into understanding what is (hopefully) right and wrong at given times. As we become adolescents, other voices are added to our internal operating system, such as those of peers and admirers. Slowly, we begin to shift our behavior to fit […]
Facing the Friction of 5 Weeks in Vietnam
Vietnam: March 1 – April 10, 2018 (including trips to Kuala Lumpur, Hoi An, and Zurich) Seemingly one of the oddities in life is how much we dislike friction and oppose resistance. As natural as these tendencies are, they are actually a central aspect of progress and evolution. It is true that one of the basic premises in nature is to proceed along the path of least resistance. Yet, those less resistant paths aren’t carved without friction. Like sandpaper against wood, it is friction that eventually smooths the way and it is because of friction that we achieve progress – social, […]
Australia – The Return of Serve: Deuce
Australia: Melbourne & Sydney – January 17-24, 2018 Just like a pebble thrown into lake, the ripple of a simple action can create the start of something larger than itself. On October 16, 2017, I received a “what’s up!” text message from my friend, David. We were exchanging messages about results in recent professional tennis matches. He was also checking in to see how I was doing after finally reaching our fall/winter home in Chiang Mai after several months of traveling around Europe, the US, and South America. At the end of his message, he said, “planning my [Asian pacific] […]
Thailand – 5 Months of Self-Discovery & Serendipitous Adventures
Chiang Mai: Sept 26, 2017 – March 1, 2018 Including trips to Chiang Dao, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Chiang Rai A place once unfamiliar was now home. We arrived in Chiang Mai 12 months earlier, wide-eyed and unsure. We returned a year later – excited, relaxed, and eager. Excited to see old friends, visit our favorite cafes and restaurants, and eager to relax after spending the last 7 months in 11 different countries on 3 other continents. One year earlier, we spent our first 30 minutes passing through a city we’d never seen in a country we had never visited. […]
USA – The Intermission: Divided We Stand, Yet We Shall Not Fall
Chicago: July 5-10, 2017 California: July 10-21, 2017 | Sept 17-24, 2017 Since we began our nomadic travel adventures, our annual trips home have become like an intermission – a pause in our new life abroad, a reflection on our past life, and a look ahead to future possibilities. It’s much like a washer to a bolt. It fastens our experiences together and tightens (or sometimes loosens) the bonds we’ve left behind at home. Our initial return in July 2017 was also our first time back on American soil in the New America. The America that fell into the hands […]
Medellín – Our Summertime Oasis in the Valley of Eternal Spring
Medellín, Colombia: July 22 – Sept 16, 2017 The power of possibilities can sometimes be a debilitating force. In life we often feel limited in our possibilities. Part of our challenge is to push beyond our physical and social limits to discover new things about ourselves and the world. As location independent travelers, we have the freedom to travel to almost anywhere on the globe and still maintain income and quality of life. Yet to be comfortable, we create limits to our travels. Traveling lightly (with just a backpack and carry-on) requires us to seek out places in warm climates. […]
Portugal – A Place of Possibilities and Promise
Portugal – Porto & Lisbon: June 24 – July 5, 2017 It’s just past 4pm on Saturday, June 24 and I look down about 3,000 feet towards the city of Porto, Portugal. It’s my 10th country in 5 months and the last country we will visit during our 3-month stay in Europe in Spring 2017. The sky is clear and bright, and the city looks picturesque, like out of a movie. Descending towards the airport from the south, we seemingly navigate along the Duoro River. It’s a river famous for its economic importance in this historic wine region. This bird’s […]
