Uncategorized

Turns out this typhoon is a bigger deal than I realized. Our group had to cancel our overnight boat trip at Ha Long Bay, and also a paddle in on the Red River. We spent Monday wading through a 400 year old temple in Ninh Binh. The deluge added to the moody jungle ambience of…

I am traveling with a group that is aptly named Intrepid. My first official tour is with a small group of 9 mostly Australian travelers. Lots of free time built into our itinerary made this company sound like a good alternative to a solo voyage. I’m still getting a bit of flack from friends and…

What is it about getting on a plane alone and going 14 time zones away that takes my breath away? Maybe this is what it feels like to go bungee jumping, I wouldn’t know—but this is how I get my fix. All the dreary “I suffer, therefore I am” feelings of earlier this summer vanish…

In Spanish the way to say “what do you like to do?” literally translates as “to what do you dedicate yourself?” I’m thinking about that in a deeper sense, as though I were floating above church rafters in some liminal state, eavesdropping on my own eulogy. What would people say about me? That I wore…

I decided to take a quick trip to Arizona to check on my desert sanctuary. It remains a magical place for me, even in the infernal heat which reached 114F one afternoon this week. The best time to take a walk is around 6:00 AM, before the sun realizes you’re out. I hope to catch…

I’m feeling guilty for abandoning my responsibilities as a blogger. Partly that’s been because I’ve been busy with things that don’t seem blog worthy, or too personal even for me to disclose in so public a forum. Mostly I’ve been enjoying showing my friends and family the wonders of the Sonoran desert and feeling grateful…

At the risk of sounding pedantic, I feel like I am staring at the proverbial elephant in the room and choosing to step around it. I’m not quite sure how to deal with this elephant, but there it is, taking up an entire room in my psyche. I’m talking about the evil that’s taking over…

The past few weeks have been a combination of summer camp for older people (pool time at the recreation center, Italian classes, riding my electric bike through the neighborhood, desert walks) and health hassles and doctor’s appointments. I’m not letting it stop me. Savanna and friends from the north have been swarming down here—everyone eager…

The volunteering has slacked off due to the administration’s inhumane border policy. Casa Alitas is closed and even bus loads of migrants arriving from the US to Nogales, Mexico are slowing down. A group named Salvavision was having volunteers hand out hats and gloves, backpacks and snacks in Nogales at the repatriation center but the…

That was certainly the case for me last week. But though I’m back on track now, some might wonder where I’m headed. I’ve been standing in defiance of our new administration and continuing to volunteer at Casa Alitas (welcome center and clinic for asylum seekers) and Humane Borders (which provides water stations in the desert).…