Category Archives: Uncategorized
- January 29, 2012
- Touring D.C.– also posted in D.C., Washington
Kayaking is a great way to see the monuments from the water. This does restrict some of the monuments that you can see, for example you cannot see the white house from the Potomac, but you will get a nice view of the Lincoln memorial, the cherry blossom trees
- January 8, 2012
- Managing the D.C. Metro– also posted in D.C.
First, the D.C. metro was built between 1969 and 1976. It has had some upgrades since- many of them track maintenance. The metro consists of 5 interconnecting lines. These include the red, blue, yellow, green and orange.
- April 16, 2010
- Machu Picchu on Your Own– also posted in How to, Machu Picchu, Peru, Travel Guide
Machu Picchu is on many people’s list of places to go while in South America-and it should be. It’s an absolutely stunning site with an immense amount of ancient history. Doing Machu Picchu on your own adds autonomy and excitement to your trip without relying on a tour or guide that may be incompetent.
- February 8, 2010
- University of San Francisco, Quito– also posted in Ecuador
Sometimes it’s easy to forget while studying abroad that I am also here to go to school. Although I like to think of Quito as a vacation, I am also getting some college credit out of being here, so I would like to spend some time discussing the University of San Francisco in Quito.
- February 2, 2010
- Ciudad Vieja de Quito– also posted in Ecuador
Some highlights of Colonial Quito including El Palacio, El Catedral Metropolitana de Quito, La Compania de Jesus and various museums.
- February 4, 2009
- The Beaches of Punta del Diablo
The beaches surrounding Punta del Diablo are some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. You can find private patches of sand dotted between rocks. Or bask in the sun amongst the throngs of people on Playa de Pescadores (Fisherman’s Beach).
- January 25, 2009
- Culture of the U.S.
One evening while philosophizing over beer I was informed by a few “Irish lads” that every American they meet claims Irish heritage. To be fair there is probably more Irish people outside of Ireland than in, but it got me to thinking. Why is it that American’s are so quick to identify with their ancestral [...]
- October 21, 2008
- Siesta and the Pace of Life
When I first arrived in Argentina, some younger students asked me if we have siesta in the U.S. When I said no, I could see pity on their faces, and they asked “Why not?” The answer I usually give is that it’s just not part of our “American lifestyle.” I suppose the reason is partly [...]
- September 24, 2008
- Q&A with Spanish expat living in the U.S.
The following commentary is pieced together from a summary and notes taken during a Q&A session with a Spanish expat living in the US as a university language professor. The last class was a good opportunity to ask questions about life in Spain and the transition to American life. This winter I may be flying [...]
- September 15, 2008
- How Exotic!!
Coming from a University where study abroad is a common thread between students, it’s not uncommon to hear students ask each other “Where do you plan on studying abroad?” Actually, since joining a sorority on campus I have been taught to ask this when evaluating a potential new member. But what strikes me most about [...]
- September 12, 2008
- Esteros del Iberá, Argentina– also posted in Travel Guide
The Esteros del Iberá are a seemingly endless expanse of marshes, lagoons, floating islands, lush vegetation, and diverse wildlife, comprising roughly 14% of Corrientes province. The appeal of this gorgeous nature reserve largely comes from being unspoiled by rampant tourism. If you’ve ever envisioned rowing your own canoe into a lagoon teeming with hungry caimans, [...]
- August 25, 2008
- A weekend in Asheville
If I appeared to drop off the map for the last few days, that is because I did. I was in Asheville, North Carolina at the Southern Energy & Environment Expo. The company I work for; TS Designs, had a booth at the show. I guess we have gone to the show since it started. [...]
- August 13, 2008
- Frequent Flier Mile Management
I have never personally used a frequent flier mile program. I use an REI rewards card, but if you may be interested in points.com. It is a service that allows you to buy, sell, exchange, and redeem frequent flyer miles. With ticket prices increasing and many airlines charging fees for miles you may be interested [...]
- August 9, 2008
- I guess it really is a small world.
One evening or early morning in Punta del Diablo I was waiting to pick up a guest from a bus coming in at 3:00 am. After waiting ’till 3:30 I decided to drive out to the entrada to see if the bus had dropped her off at the highway. On the way out to the [...]
- August 5, 2008
- Climbing Back onto the Face of the Earth– also posted in Uruguay
“Oh, really? Well, I would love to see those pictures sometime.” After that statement, I knew that the mention of my travels in Uruguay was categorized and then dismissed in yet another friend’s brain. While traveling in Uruguay, Sand and I loved to sit and talk with other travelers. We were given tons of advice, [...]
- July 25, 2008
- Why bother making English the National Language of the US?
Recently there has been a lot of press and criticism of Barack Obama for stating that he thinks children in public schools should all learn Spanish. In response, the United States Senate passed a bill on May 18th to make English the official National Language. What really struck me about this seemingly pointless outrage was [...]
- July 24, 2008
- Artisan Scene: Montevideo, Uruguay– also posted in Uruguay
One of the most telling ways to determine the level of severity that any government rules with is to take a look at the Artisan scene. If it’s impossible to find, then obviously the local government does not want it to be found and probably governs fairly strictly. Conversely, if it seems that there are [...]
- July 23, 2008
- So What do I Need for Some Delicious Yerba Maté?– also posted in Food, Gear
Yerba maté is probably the most common food item that anyone will see in Uruguay. It seems that all Uruguayans walk around with either their maté in one hand and termo under the other arm or their matera, a normally leather bag that holds the termo, maté and yerba. Because maté is the national beverage [...]
- July 16, 2008
- Tengo todo el tiempo del mundo
One of the most astonishing differences between America and Uruguay is how people view and experience time. In the US, time is money. It seems that everyone is always rushing around and trying to multi-task and get as much done as possible in the shortest amount of time. Pretty much everyone is doing way more [...]
- July 13, 2008
- 5 Tips for a Woman Traveler
There are tons of tips for travelers out there, and especially so for women travelers. Travelers are told to keep a money belt and to not drink the water and try to speak to locals, but these are somewhat obvious tips. I have outlined a few tips that really helped me while traveling, even if they [...]
