The cottage stood on a small hill next to a sandy path that led down to the sea. Low bushes met the sand and ran in a line between the shore and the start of scrubby inland grasses, and although they created a natural wall directly in front of the cottage, I could hear the waves all night long.
Honduras The sun is brilliant rising, warm oranges reaching from behind the mountains, touching the leaves on the trees and slowly making its way across the road. The pale shapes of the morning take form and become the highway, and I am no longer a shadowy thought but real, and present, and riding again, illuminated […]
On the Road from La Ceiba to Tegucigalpa, Honduras // 10 AMThe rain that had filled the potholes on the red dirt road had gone, leaving only empty spaces. My motorcycle bumped up and down as I leaned right and then left, slowing down then speeding up, navigating the twisting road that followed the river […]
Rio Dulce I rode across the bridge into El Salvador, and when the bridge ended there was an empty bit of road with buildings to the left down a hill, a little stand to my right, military men milling and people milling around. There were no clear signs that I could see, and I sat […]
On the Road, Campeche, Mexico Rocketing down the highway, drops of rain nipped at the tops of my legs. I leaned forward into the wind, as if propelling the motorcycle forward through force of will. The road wound through hills in front of me, enormous dark storm clouds gathering behind. I had been outrunning the […]
Every adventure traveler has their own red-point for cleanliness— as a conversation starter, I like to ask this of fellow backpackers. Last week a guy in Ecuador told me his is taking a shower every day, he doesn’t care where he’s staying or if his clothes are clean, but he needs to bathe at the end […]
Cape Town 2012 There’s a certain spot in Cape Town where the road suddenly dips and there she is— the Mother City spread like a carpet to the sea, Table Mountain looming in darkness and the city aglitter. In October 2012, I crested that hill for the first time, windows down and the summer breeze […]
One of the biggest challenges on any trip when there’s equipment involved is “how do I get it there?” Exactly one year ago, before starting my cycling trip across Europe, I was asking myself the same question. I assumed at first I would just ship my bike from the US to Portugal, pick it up […]
In a small clearing, a group of us sat around a table laden with traditional Georgian dishes, everyone talking loudly. Strings of lights in the surrounding trees illuminated our small group, and our host brought dish after dish to the table from the kitchen. We were at a supra, a traditional Georgian feast in the […]
