Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

For those of you who’ve followed this adventure for a while understand that everything I do has a purpose. The “missions” I set out on are organized to learn about specific aspects of a country and it’s culture. Tourist 2 Townie began in Argentina with learning Spanish and finding a local job and then moved to Colombia to trade my gringo shuffle in for some smooth salsa moves. From there I scratched the surface on cooking like a Peruvian chef and now I’m focused on Bolivia and my most ambitious adventure yet. When I decided to take on my latest T2T mission, volunteer in Bolivia, I wanted to get involved with an organization that was truly instrumental within the community and be a part of something that I could have a lasting impact with… Enter BiblioWorks! My Passion for Literacy From water to rainforests, there are a million and one …

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When Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to go uncover the new world, I can only imagine the thoughts that ran through the two explorers minds… Were they sad about leaving home, excited about the new adventure, nervous, anxious, overwhelmed? I wonder, out of all the emotion and anticipation, what did they tell their friends and family? Did their families understand? Did their wives stick around? What happened when they returned 2 years later? As I prepare for my 3rd departure from home to South America, I find myself thinking a lot about relationships and how the dynamics change when I leave (and return). This is a topic very familiar to fellow travelers, expats and maybe even those famous adventurers, Lewis and Clark. I think about friends and the family. I think about what home is and what sacrifices are. I think about opportunities, selfishness and glory. I think about a …

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“Okay that was fun… now what are you really going to do?” Since I’ve been home that’s the question I’m constantly faced with. Maybe not in those exact words but if you cut out the fat, that’s pretty much it. My friends and family definitely support what I’m doing, they get it to some extent,, but I’m from a small town where this just isn’t the norm. In Upstate New York you graduate from college, find a job, find a wife, buy a house, start having kids, get a promotion, have more kids. In that order and without deviating to much from the mean. Don’t get me wrong, this is how we were brought up, this isn’t a bad thing, in fact I think it’s great, too great maybe. In the last 3 weeks I’ve attended 2 amazing weddings that made me question everything. I ramble…this looks pretty awesome, they …

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Waiting for my connecting flight at the airport in Santiago, Chile, this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down alone and reflect on this amazing adventure. I think about how hard the last few weeks have been. I think about the life-long relationships I’ve made and the memories that I’ll take with me forever. I think about the sleepless last few nights and the surreal cab ride to the airport. Although it was painful, the goodbye came with a great feeling of accomplishment. I think If saying goodbye was easy it meant nobody truly cared. Maybe that’s the advantage of backpacking. You can travel to a lot of places in a short period of time and never get too close for it to really hurt when you leave. For me however, this trip was more about just seeing monuments, taking pictures and trying the food. “The Tourist 2 …

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I know TLC told us that we shouldn’t go chasing waterfalls, but I bet you anything Chilli, Left Eye and T-Boz have never seen the Iguazu Falls in Argentina. If so, they would never “stick to the rivers and the lakes that they were used to”. Instead they would be taking speed boats under massive water avalanches, zip-cording through the jungle and repelling blindly off giant cliffs. These waterfalls are ridiculous. There is no doubt why they’re considered one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Seeing the incredible magnitude of these bad boys almost makes me feel sorry for Niagara. Don’t get me wrong, I love Niagara Falls, I grew up with them virtually in my backyard. They have been a great excuse to cross into Canada between ages 19 and 21 and they’ve provided a wonderful canvas for my father to entertain when he’d come visit. Both are great …

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I’m sitting here writing this from the most beautiful hostel I’ve ever stayed in. I’m in Tilcara, Argentina (North of Salta) and staying at the Malka Hostel. The hostel sits on the edge of a hill overlooking the quiet traditional village that is Tilcara. The Malka Hostel is designed like a Spanish summer camp with cabins setup on different levels across the property with stone and log walkways to connect them. Each cabin comes complete with handcrafted ceramic and wood furniture and is decorated with art from local indigenous people. To top it all off I’m traveling with a beautiful Porteña who is smart, organized and down for whatever. Most people would be at complete peace in this setting. However, my moments of peace are constantly interrupted with thoughts of this blog, my consulting projects and other revenue streams. I haven’t wrote anything in a week and it is driving me …

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***UNCENSORED*** Sunday was a great day. I learned that tofu is still disgusting and mirrors on ceilings are amazing. I met a lady friend over in Barrio Chino for some delightful asian cuisine and followed it up with a little afternoon delight in a Belgrano telo. I know what you’re thinking… is he really going to talk about his ventures in BA’s Chinatown!?? No, I wouldn’t think of it, that’s a personal matter, but I will tell you about my sunday afternoon in a shady pay-by-the-hour hotel room. First, let me explain what a telo is. Remember me talking about the passion of the Argentine people? Well that passion is everywhere. In the streets, parks and in restaurant you see lovers young and old throwing wind to public courtesy for some good ‘ol tonsil hockey action. Well where do you go when you want to take that heavy petting to the …

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Gareth Leonard & Tourist2townie.com on BBC Blogworld – Thursday, 11 March 2010 A few weeks ago I was contacted by Paul Coletti of the BBC who explained they had a new feature at BBC called BBC Blogworld Superpower. Blogworld features different blogs and travel blogs from around the world. He asked If I would be interested in shooting a quick video explaining myself and the T2t site. I sent in a quick video from my Mac webcam and 2 weeks later I received an email saying that my video was up and my blog was being featured! Sweet! Full Article Here: Travel Blogs x 2: Anil Purohit and Gareth Leonard Shout out to Anil Purohit and his blog Windy Skies. He has an great blog about India and it’s great to be mentioned with him. SIDE NOTE: Interesting choice of pictures in the video, huh?

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I’m sure many of you have already seen this but it’s so amazing to me that I had to put it up. This show has nothing to do with Buenos Aires or Argentina but at the same time has everything to do with traveling deeper, living your dreams, work and travel, and the Tourist2Townie.com project. A few weeks ago some friends back home sent me the link to this new show on MTV called The Buried Life. It’s an amazing idea and great adventure of 4 friends set out to accomplish everything they want to do before they die. Along the way for everything they check off their list they help someone else accomplish his or her dreams as well. These guys are the type of people who inspire me to continue living life everyday to the fullest and try to help others wherever and whenever possible. At the same time, like …

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  Anthony Bourdain en Argentina from Mauro Duarte on Vimeo. The last few days I’ve been searching around the internet for the full episode of the Travel Channel show No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain visits Argentina. I’m a big fan of the show and I wanted to see where I stacked up against Anthony Bourdain after being in Buenos Aires for almost 2 months. I figure if he’s going to hand over the show to me some day I should try to experience some of the same stuff. I’ve eatin Choripan in the same place as Bourdain near Puerto Madero and I’ve had my own music experiences. However, I still need to get to Mendoza and Patagonia to paraglide and see the glacier. In due time. Although, there is one thing I got Anthony Bourdain on. While Bourdain is doing everything in Argentina with a translator, I don’t have that same luxury. …

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Oh yeah that’s right, Latin American Idol! My friends Marcela and Tato work in production for the show so last night they took me to a taping that will air tonight. If you have a satellite that picks up channel 9 in Buenos Aires you can tune in and see me in the second row behind the judges going crazy with the rest of the kids who ditched school. Despite the screaming teens, I had an awesome time. I had the chance to individually meet all the judges (John Secada, Oscar Mediavilla and Mimi) and all the 8 final participants. Two of the girls participating even sang a song for me in their dressing room… very impressive! I couldn’t take a lot of pictures or any video because of the show regulations but I was able to get a few shots after the show in the judges chairs and even one picture with John Secada himself… …

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Friends and family will come together regardless of what they’re doing. But, I was wondering this morning after a great evening with perfect strangers. What else brings people together? How can complete strangers bond, even beyond the barriers of language, ethinicity, or nationality. This is what I came up with so far… Drinking: Be it alcoholic, coffee or in Argentina, Mate… drinking seems like it is a good excuse for people to sit down at a table with a perfect stranger and talk. Food – Anyone can respect a good meal and food definitely brings people together. I learned this one from Anthony Bourdain. Games: Board games, cards and dice are international. Winning and loosing is known everywhere even if the rules aren’t. Video Games: Last night I got to talking about Wii, Xbox and Playstation with someone who didn’t speak much english but still loved blowing things up on ‘Resident …

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