Last updated Jul 1, 2023 | First published on Mar 19, 2021 | Travel Stories
The first of the sharks appeared around 9 a.m. Or perhaps they had been there all along, circling in the cloudy water around us. Who knows. The safety of the beach, the only dry, horizontal surface for a long distance in any direction, suddenly seemed that much...
Last updated Aug 16, 2022 | First published on May 4, 2017 | Sumatra
Charcoal clouds swirled across an onyx moonscape of mud atop Gunung Marapi in West Sumatra. Hanging around didn’t seem like a good idea. Very few things get me going at 04:30. Sunrises definitely aren’t one of them. I made that mistake once in Maui. Flip-flopped and...
Last updated Jun 29, 2022 | First published on May 21, 2016 | Nepal
I just finished 19 days of solo trekking in Nepal (Everest National Park). This turned out to be my biggest adventure ever as I wandered solo, self-guided, through the valleys, summits, and glaciers of the Himalayas with a pack on my back. The finest mountain scenery...
Last updated Jun 30, 2022 | First published on Jul 13, 2015 | Spain
Part 1: If you haven’t read it, here’s what happens when getting ready to run with the bulls in Pamplona. It was a relief when the police finally released us from the miserable holding pen. As I walked around Dead Man’s Corner to choose my starting place...
Last updated Apr 14, 2022 | First published on Jul 11, 2015 | Spain
Whoever said that bulls “enter a ring” had never been inside a ring with a bull. Bulls don’t enter, they explode into the ring in a cloud of thunder, violence, and anger. My clammy hands fumbled my camera at the bullfight with my local friend, Ted, as I silently made...
