Archive for the ‘Status Updates’ Category

April 2012 has been one of the most overwhelming, fulfilling, frustrating, inspiring, and confusing months I’ve experienced in a long time. I made the transition from the completion of an amazing experience in Sucre, Bolivia to a tropical adventure in Mexico to home with family and friends in Indiana and Upstate New York. April has been an internal battle of emotion and composure, as the closing of one chapter brings the excitement and uncertainty of the next. It’s the sadness that comes with saying goodbye and the anticipation of reuniting with loved ones back home. April messed with my mind, but it also gave me a lot of great memories. It’s kind of like the same thing that happened last April. April Recap: April started off with the BiblioWorks team and I running around like crazy to get things setup for the first ever book fair (Feria de la Lectura) …

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We’re officially 10 days away from the first ever book fair here in Sucre, Bolivia and the BiblioWorks squad has been running around like crazy to ensure the event’s success. La Feria de la Lectura (the literature fair) will be held on Saturday, April 14th in downtown Sucre right next to the central market in Plazuela San Francisco. At this point we have almost every major educational institution in town participating at the fair with educational games and information, as well as 11 sponsors, including Tigo (telecom), AeroSur (airline) and Coca-Cola (you know). Over the past 2 weeks (and continuing up until the day of) we’ve been covering the streets of Sucre with posters and flyers, and announcing the big event on all the major radio and TV stations. We’ve invited every school in the district and even provided their transportation funds. Like planning any major event, there will always …

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February found my suitcase stored in the closet and my feet securely rooted in Sucre. A figure known as Carnival cast its giant shadow over everything this month, resulting in little productivity here in Bolivia throughout February. I celebrated the festivities with local friends as we danced in the streets, drank leche de tigre (coconut, milk, Singani) and got soaked in a citywide water war. February 10th also marked my 28th birthday so that tacked on another 3-day bender which almost made the whole month a wash! By the end of the month, the carnival celebration subsided and everyone started getting back to work. I returned to Morado K’asa to help at the BiblioWorks Library a few days a week and back in Sucre, we negotiated with the city for the book fair location and with the local Rotary chapter about funding two new libraries. The inefficiency and bureaucracy involved with …

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After 3 months of traveling through Ecuador and Peru, I rushed through Lake Titicaca and La Paz to get settled here in Sucre, Bolivia. The last few months had been amazing, but I was tired of the hostel life and desperate to find my own place and get into some kind of routine. JANUARY RECAP After an amazing New Year’s Eve celebration in Cusco, I kicked-off 2012 by packing up and heading towards Bolivia on a night bus from Cusco to Puno, Peru. I arrived in Puno early the next morning where I spent the day exploring the floating islands of Uros on Lake Titicaca. That afternoon I jumped on another bus to the Bolivian border where things went a lot smoother than in Peru. I paid the $135 US Citizen entrance fee for a 90-day visa and that was it. Very uneventful, just the way I like my border …

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After 3 months of traveling through Ecuador and Peru, I’ve arrived in Sucre, Bolivia where I will begin my next townie mission. As I get settled here in Sucre, I finally have a chance to catch my breath and reflect on what the hell happened this year. 2011 served up an overdose of adventure, uncertainty and personal growth. It showed me what true love looks like and what heartbreak feels like. It tugged at my self-conscious and developed my self-awareness. I spent half the year traveling the States on a Great American Road Trip and the other half, traveling deeper in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. I’d say it was a pretty damn good year. Here’s a look back at the adventures of Tourist 2 Townie in 2012:  – ENERO – I witnessed the sun come up on twenty eleven from a random apartment in Bogota, Colombia and watched the sun …

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After a month in Ecuador, I was ready to take my relationship with South America to the next level and head south to Peru. Sunny beaches and Peruvian cuisine were what I desired most and I jumped into both with reckless abandonment. A wicked sunburn and traveler’s diarrhea were the inevitable conclusion. After moderating my sun and seafood intake, I was ready to travel deeper. Here’s a quick recap of T2T in November… NOVEMBER RECAP  I left Cuenca, Ecuador and headed south on a night bus through no-man’s land (aka the Peru-Ecuador border) via Tumbes, Peru*. Arrived in Mancora, Peru around 6am and setup shop at the kick-ass Kokopelli hostel. I spent 5 days at the beach in Mancora crushing ceviche and hanging with some interesting people. One of which was an ex-drug dealer from England who now travels around the world researching all-things marijuana while writing for a prevalent weed …

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October is the month that started it all the first time around and now, 2 years deeper, it’s the month that brought me back to South America for a brand new T2T mission. The first day of the month began with an incredible celebration at one of my best friend’s weddings in Upstate New York. The last day of the month ended with an incredible Norwegian, a rocking nightclub and lots of Zhumir (Cuenca’s liquor of choice). I loved my time back in the States this summer but I couldn’t be happier being back on the road and chasing my dreams. OCTOBER RECAP I landed in Quito, Ecuador on October 5th where I spent a week cruising around the beautiful historic old town and trying to avoid being mugged at night. (first impressions here) From Quito, I had the opportunity to visit South America’s largest Market in Otavalo and mountain …

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The Cab Driver I always ask the same thing whenever I’m in a new place. It’s an open-ended question that gives me a peak into the mindset of locals. I try to ask anyone and everyone I hold a conversation with from bartender to hostel manager. How is it to live here? The first people who usually get pelted with my curious interrogation are taxi drivers during my first few days in a new city. Cabbies are great because they usually have a wealth of information and will give you their honest opinion without hesitation. My strategy in Quito was no different. On a long ride to the bus terminal from my hostel I had the opportunity to chat up my animated driver about his life in Quito. His answers reflected my first impressions of the city. Ecuador as a whole doesn’t have the same economic problems as Argentina or …

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This past Saturday marked the 2 year anniversary of Tourist2Townie.com and my quest to travel deeper. On October 1st, 2009 I left everything comfortable in my life in search of something more. My dream was to become part of a foreign community, learn new skills, meet new people and experience new adventures. Now, as I sit here writing this on the eve of my next mission, I think about that dream and how much this experiment has developed. The memories I’ve accumulated over the past 2 years are what fuel me to move forward, do more and constantly improve. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. The video above is a quick summary of the first chapter of my Tourist 2 Townie Experience – work and travel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. See you in Ecuador on Wednesday.

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A few hours ago I booked a flight from Ft Lauderdale, Florida to Quito, Ecuador to depart on October 5th. Ecuador is where I’ll begin my next South American travel adventure. Ecuador isn’t where I’ll be staying the entire time. In an effort to continuously travel deeper and grow personally, the focus on this next mission will be a bit different than the previous two. Argentina was about finding substance, taking a leap and discovering work and travel in Buenos Aires. Colombia was about developing my Spanish, learning Salsa and constructing a life as a Digital Nomad in Medellin. On this next adventure, my goal is to concentrate on traveling Ecuador and interacting with the people of Bolivia via a selected volunteer program. There are a few microfinance programs in La Paz (capital of Bolivia) that I’d love to get involved with. A friend and fellow travel blogger, Jodi from …

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View The Great American Road* Trip – 2011 in a larger map The last few months have been chaotic and wonderful. In mid-April I returned to New York from Medellin for a best friend’s wedding. After the festivities I decided to stay in the States to explore my own backyard between work and more weddings. I had the opportunity to mooch-off catch up with old friends, meet new ones and experience a ton of places I’ve been dying to visit. Here’s how it all played out…   The Great American Road Trip by the Numbers: 2 Countries - 9 States - 12 Cities - 9 Airplanes - 1 Train - 3 Rental Cars - 2 Buses – 1 Kayak - 1 Segway - 1 Boat - 1 Zip-line - 1 Alpine Slide - 1 Alpine Coaster - 9 Mountain Bike Trails - 2 Mountain Bike Crashes. 6 Hotels - 2 Hostels - 5 Couches - 1 Conference - 1 Riot - 3 Weddings - 0 Dates - 7 Makeout Sessions …

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June Recap: I lost my Pacific Northwest virginity this month and now I feel like a real man. It was a major rite of passage that I’ve been nervous about for some time. I’ve penetrated Vancouver, Seattle and Portland I have more confidence than ever to experience new frontiers. I flew from Park City to Seattle, where I spent 3 days eating my way through the Pike Place Market and exploring the city on foot. Besides the amazing food and cool atmosphere, my greatest Seattle memory was crashing a 90s Hip-Hop Dance Birthday Party in Capital Hill on my last night in town. Side Note: Hotdogs with cream cheese are delicious. From Seattle, I took the Amtrak bus up to Vancouver with 2 of my favorite people in the world, Erin and Simon from neverendingvoyage.com. Once settled at the SameSun Hostel in Vancouver I embarked on a week-long travel blogger …

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