So many great things in this L’Odyssee de Cartier video: sparkly panther, Russia, gold-loving dragon, peacocks, elephant, Paris.
Don’t leave the house without:
- Water
- Food
- Insulation
- Reading material
I might be high maintenance, but I am prepared.
Why I would’ve liked to have gone climbing in Ecuador:
Quito
Mountain aminals
Seeing the volcanic cone of Cotopaxi from the summit.
Why I didn’t go climbing in Ecuador:
Climbing up this
And making it back down.
(Photos via Jeff - major kudos for being able to photograph under duress!)
I can’t even put my own crampons on. That’s why I leave climbs like this to my Dad & Jeff who’ve just returned from climbing the Cayambe & Cotopaxi volcanoes in Ecuador.
Source: girlwiththerandomlife
Goal for 2012 that can mean more than just epic adventures. Go to a new restaurant or venue, go to a new part of town, drive through a small town that you’ve never explored on the way to somewhere else, go to a deeper place mentally, physically, spiritually. Near or far, there are always things to discover.
(via traveltheworldandwrite)
Source: stevithornberry
On a balcony
I have this idea of where I want to be.
It’s on a balcony.
I. Overlooking a European city. Or an ancient beach town. I am wearing something silky. And we are sharing breakfast: croissants, cafe au lait, fresh pressed orange juice.
II. In an extravagant chalet. Surrounded by mountains and snow. Drinking cappuccinos & eating granola with Greek yogurt. Luxely dressed in knits & fur.
Either way, it’s romantic and peaceful and somewhere not here.
Travel Snacks: How To
Call me paranoid, but I always travel with a solid stock of snacks.
Travel can throw one’s eating schedule off: Meager breakfasts, late lunches, missed dinners, etc.
I suggest steady snacking to keep the blood sugars in check and to help avoid any lack-of-food meltdowns when on vacay.
But who wants to eat the same energy bars one eats all the time at home, especially when one of the most fun things about traveling is sampling the local cuisine? I like to have my stash as a back-up-only system.
Since I have a penchant for baked goods, I like to buy a couple of cookies, brownies, a cupcake or another sweet from a local bakery (or since no one does baked items like America, packaged digestives in several varieties from a grocery store when abroad) and carry them with me throughout the day as snacks.
They might not be nutritionally balanced, but it’s a convenient way to try new things, stay satisfied and even save calories, because I’m snacking on the stuff I really care about between meals. And there’s always my stowaway almonds in case I get in protein deficit.
Beautiful mild days always evoke the feeling of being on the streets in a foreign city enjoying the day and the moment.
The newest Anthropologie catalog describes Cartagena, Colombia, as “Crumbling and majestic. Vulnerable and walled.”
I want to go back to South America, backpacking through Cartagena, Caracas, Quito, Rio, Buenos Aires, Patagonia. Ian would come and we’d spend a month traveling the continent.
I am dreaming. But maybe someday.
See also The Amazon.
I like train travel, so I’m all for Kansas developing more passenger rail options.
Photo: In Paris, bound for Nice, on a 2005 backpacking-though-Europe trip, with a box of Parisian macaroon train snacks a la Harry Potter.
