Stories of Life in Faraway Places

Notes from the road—places traveled, stories gathered, and moments that linger long after the suitcase is unpacked.

  • All
  • Namibia
  • Turkey
  • Portugal

Sossusvlei, February 2025 — Return

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February 26, 2025 Shaun – an astronaut in the book, Orbital by Samantha Harvey, wonders why he is …Trying to live where he can never thrive? Trying to go where the universe doesn’t want him when there’s perfectly good earth just there that does. He’s never sure if his lust for space is curiosity or…

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Serra Cafema, February 2025 — Angels

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February 23, 2025 Joey died on Valentine’s Day. Anais is with her mother (Theresa) and his family today, in New York at the funeral. He is having an official NYC Police send-off. Joey is my former step son. I was married to his mother. I contacted Theresa for the first time in over thirty years…

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Serra Cafema, February 2025 — Surrender

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February 22, 2025 We are now at Serra Cafema, Namibia, on the banks of the Kunene River. It creates a border between our Wilderness camp and Angola. The Kunene flows brown and into the Atlantic – only 30 miles away, carrying the earth to the ocean below. While keeping an eye out for alligators, we…

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Sultanahmet, February 2025 — Work in Progress

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February 11, 2025 This is our hotel – a converted jail in Sultanahmet. Bill and I are back in Istanbul for a few days, preparing for our trip to Africa. Outside our hotel window we can see the 6th Century old Hagia Sophia being repaired and retrofitted. It was first a church, then a mosque,…

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Bodrum, February 2025 — Discovery

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February 11, 2025 Who knew? I hadn’t heard of Bodrum until thumbing through a hotel brochure a few months ago, and there it was. Bill had actually heard of it but knew very little. Ancient history, coastal town, Aegean Sea, out of the Schengen zone, a short 50 minute flight from Istanbul, diverse natural beauty.…

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Istanbul, February 2025 — Resilience & Restoration

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February 5, 2025 I had no idea that Istanbul was considered by many to be the hair transplant capital of the world. Over here, “Turkish Airlines” is also know as “Hairkish Airlines”. It’s disturbing to encounter men walking around with raw patches of scalp, post-surgery. Especially at the airport where you see them in large…

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Lisbon, February 2025 — Reality or Illusion

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February 1, 2025 I woke up this morning at 2:00am, overwhelmed by a delicious aroma of fresh croissants. The scent dissipated when I remembered I was in a 5th floor hotel room in Lisbon. Not a bakery in sight. Ever since the Convento dreamscape, I have struggled to keep track of events while attempting to…

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Convento São Paulo, January 2025 — Austerity & Silence

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January 30, 2025 He couldn’t stop singing about the day we had in Estramoz. He wanted to go back outside and revisit the places we had seen. But we explained that every day would be different. Every destination would offer its own lesson and unique charm. We had to move on. The narrow road to…

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Estremoz, January 2025 — Other Worlds

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January 26, 2025 We arrived in a sort of other world, just two hours out of the city. Pousadas are one of our favorite places to stay in Portugal. These repurposed castles, convents and monasteries offer travelers in Europe accommodations and experiences like no other. This one, in Estramoz, dates back to the 13th Century.…

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Lisbon, January 2025 — Moving Through

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January 24, 2025 Now that I’ve gotten in touch with my feelings about our new president, his unfolding policy actions and political appointees; it’s been strongly suggested that I try to move on, not internalize negative energy, and to do my best to enjoy our time abroad. Well, it’s going to be a process. But…

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