Ancient cremation rituals on the Ganges, psychedelic lassis, and a city older than legend... The first impression Varanasi lent was of a deteriorated third-world city: crumbling houses and highway, ubiquitous litter, and gridlock due to cows blocking traffic. As…
How Stoicism Can Help Millennials: The English word “stoical” does a severe injustice to the rich tradition of Stoicism, a philosophical school founded by Zeno of Citium circa 320 B.C.E. and which flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. Many…
On the sixth day aboard an Amazonian cargo ship, I spied the faint outline of São Gabriel da Cachoeira from the aft deck. Located deep in the Upper Amazon, São Gabriel held the title of “Most Indigenous City in…
“The dream of the 90s is alive in Portland.” -The theme song from Portlandia The spiritual homeland of horn-rimmed hipsters, food trucks, and craft beer; the city where the young move to retire: Portland is one hell of an…
Washington State and Seattle: Growing up in Virginia and New England, I was always fascinated with the green, wet, northwest corner of the U.S., the farthest away I could travel domestically (barring, of course, Alaska and Hawaii). Beyond the fame…
Boasting world-class beer, legalized cannabis, and the heart and soul of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado is one hell of a state... An Armchair Historian on the Centennial State: Like most of the West, the territory that would become Colorado was…
The Ashram Deep in the Heart of Texas: As a gorgeous winter afternoon unfurled, I savored the last cup of coffee I would have for a while. In an hour, I would commence the long drive from Houston to…
Traveling through the Amazon without papers; Wild nights in a jungle metropolis; Piranha fish-mongers... Manaus – Gateway to the Green Inferno: With its chaotic and Wild West spirit, I had grown to love Manaus, the city where I had been…
Amazonian shamans; one week on a boat; and the village at the end of the World... Up the Solimões: After several hazy weeks in the sultry Amazonian metropolis of Manaus, yet another tropical night found me enjoying beer, cigarettes, and…
June 1, 2019 A few things I learned from some of the world's most isolated people... In the glaring blast of the equatorial sun, I waited outside an obscure outpost of the Brazilian Bureau of Indian Affairs for my name…
Eons old Highlander cultures; and meeting my 'blot' brother... With just a backpack on my shoulders and my first year of teaching in the rearview, I waited at the airport gate. I did not have an itinerary for the weeks…
