geotraveler's blog

Port of Call: Riga

geotraveler — Sun, 4 May 2008 17:56:57 -0500

I recognized those haircuts. I’d seen them in 1987. Complete with tapered stonewashed jeans tucked into high top sneakers, teenagers and young adults filled all decks. This was, I presumed, going to be their booze cruise. The next demographic up were middle-aged men with forlorn looks dragging...

Welcoming spring

geotraveler — Thu, 1 May 2008 16:38:56 -0500

Happened to be in Stockholm on April 30th when all of Sweden celebrates Valborg - the arrival of spring. Not one to revel in festivities with historically pagan undertones, I ventured out into Skansen with an open mind to check it out. Pouring rain did nothing to dampen the sheer determination of...

Tracing Gaudí around Barcelona

geotraveler — Thu, 1 May 2008 06:53:02 -0500

Latest article for GoNOMAD
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Tracing Gaudí around Barcelona

"My client is in no hurry."…Antonio Gaudi

Roia’s face said it all before hanging up. A weak “I’m sorry” escaped him. “They can’t find it”. I nodded...

Home away from home

geotraveler — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:52:40 -0500

I recognized those patches of greens in every shade as we approached. I’d flown this route for six years before succumbing to my yearning for an urban jungle. The rental car was picked up in 15 minutes after landing and grabbing checked luggage en route. Construction at every turn served as...

Going under the red pen

geotraveler — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:46:15 -0500

Posting an article online may net you a few comments both gratifying and questioning. Posting your writing assignment online with critiques of your style can be quite daunting. Even the most experienced writers seethe uncomfortably when getting objective critiques.

As part of travel writer Angela...

140 countries and counting...

geotraveler — Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:57:32 -0500

Wish I knew what that felt like. From Burkina Faso to Albania to Malta, you can live vicariously through Dave & Mary Rich's travels around the world.

Adventure comes to town

geotraveler — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:49:35 -0500

“Check you out! All decked out in your camelbak and buff!”

A chuckle and slight headshake told her she hadn’t given me the benefit of doubt.

Earlier that day, I’d briskly trekked 6 miles just to go deposit a check in an effort to build stamina. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I trekked...

Falling in love again

geotraveler — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:36:38 -0500

Slipping into spanking new hiking boots and strapping on the camelbak, for a split second, you’d think I was a bonafide outdoor rat. This was my first hike in a long, long time. A simple 5-miler along the banks of the Potomac which led to Great Falls, I was giddy as a school kid....

Gearing up for the trail

geotraveler — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:24:17 -0500

“I told you Dominica is beautiful”, Sherry tells me of her native land. “Very mountainous”. We were playing with Google Earth after feasting on massive salads. We were tilting hilly terrains, rotating the horizon, laughing when someone zoomed in too fast or couldn’t control the mouse...

Surviving the triangle

geotraveler — Wed, 5 Mar 2008 08:53:03 -0600

My heart skipped a beat the minute we hit the mildest of turbulences. Senses seem intensified when one travels to mystical Bermuda. Emerging from the clouds, we were overwhelmed by shades of turquoise and bright pastels as we approached the runway. Upon deplaning, a hospitality band playing local folk...

What National Geographic taught me

geotraveler — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:02:42 -0600

On a nippy Sunday morning, we rushed downtown to M street, following the line of Saabs, Jeeps, VW beetles, and the occasional BMW in our little '99 Dodge Neon. We were thirty minutes early yet a couple minutes late judging by the enthusiastic crowd that had filled the registration hall. We were...

Beautiful Hubcaps

geotraveler — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:45:10 -0600

"The hubcaps are just to beautify the tires...like your beautiful face!"

We stared each other down in silence for a few seconds. My patience had evaporated at this point. After paying $800 to fix a car that was barely worth $2000, I was left gawking at the same hubcap-less burnt tire. I began to...

To book or not to book?

geotraveler — Wed, 6 Feb 2008 20:51:41 -0600

Finally booking flights to Bermuda, I went to bed at 3 am last night. Like a woman possessed, I'd obsessed over this decision for the last few days; rationalizing it and trying to convince myself it was essential to my wellbeing.

A sort of quick belated Valentine’s celebration jaunt, I explain...

Low Sodium Experiment

geotraveler — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:11:58 -0600

For years I watched curiously as flight attendants carried trays of mysterious food to a few special passengers sprinkled all over the cabin. I'd crane to sneak a peek.

Did they get an extra leafy twig in their salad?

Did they get the same 2-bite square block of generic wobbly dessert?

I...

Ode to Okadas

geotraveler — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:23:51 -0600

Recently reading OurManInShanghai's great blog post called "Two wheels of glory and a brain bucket!" brought back memories of growing up in Nigeria with motorcycle taxis which we call "Okadas".

I remember writing a small ode (in jest of course!) back in 2006 to motorcycle taxis (honestly!) and...

Transmitting randomly from Stockholm

geotraveler — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:58:18 -0600

It was 41˚F today in Stockholm; 20 degrees warmer than in Washington DC where I call home.

For split seconds, I forget where I am.

Besides a weekend trip to Luleå in Norrbotten way up north where the temperature lived up to its bone-chilling reputation, snow barely made an appearance here. Like lovers...

Dispatch: Racing on Thin Ice

geotraveler — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:41:25 -0600

Just experienced ice racing for the first time and boy, was it something!

Arctic Travel: Racing on Thin Ice

The sound of tiny spikes on wheels crunching through snow was the only sound we heard for miles. The dark umber landscape was caked in fresh, knee deep snow. An obvious glutton for frigid temperatures,...

Spicing it up in Stockholm

geotraveler — Wed, 9 Jan 2008 11:37:34 -0600

Chilli. Red. White. Black. Cayenne. Paprika. Bell. Habanero.

You get the drift. These are the condiments I grew up on: sprinkling pepper on everything from eggs to beans just for the heck of it.

The last week has been a culinary meltdown of sorts. Cool cucumbers on every sandwich. Lox in...

2008 Already?

geotraveler — Wed, 2 Jan 2008 11:41:53 -0600

Here in Stockholm, it was already dark by 3:30pm. Sure, this is normal winter for Northerners. I have to get used to it. Somewhere over the Atlantic enroute to Schiphol, the flight attendant came on the speaker. "Happy New Year!. Now we celebrate with champagne!" in a heavy Dutch...

The ocean rows us away...

geotraveler — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:39:27 -0600

Currently listening to tunes as I pack for my month long trip to Scandinavia, and stumbled onto a track by one of my favorite new bands, The Bravery.....

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Flashback to 2005, I remember listening to their opening Depeche-Mode style intro to the black and white...

The Last Iceberg - Camille Seaman's Photography

geotraveler — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:07:05 -0600

I just stumbled across Camille's stunning and eerie Arctic Photography through adventurer, Ben Saunders' website.

The sheer scale of the icebergs is impressive!

Check both their sites out.

Dispatch: Ice Hotel

geotraveler — Thu, 6 Dec 2007 16:58:32 -0600

Currently dispatching for Vagabondish.

Check out Dispatch #2: Way Past the Arctic Circle: A Journey to Sweden's Original Ice Hotel to get a sense of what a visit to an ice hotel entails...

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Trafficking Innocence

geotraveler — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 03:07:07 -0600

I choked on my chicken curry when she told me she
was 12.

She looked 6.

Unlike the US where nowadays, your average 12 year old looks
more like she’s 16, the reverse was the norm in Cambodia. Yet these girls had
been forced to grow up so quickly and experience things children aren’t
supposed to....

Staring death with a smirk

geotraveler — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:39:06 -0600

How would you stare death in the face?

With a look of confusion?

A look of sheer terror?

Pure denial?

Desperation?

Anxiety?

Gathering my thoughts

geotraveler — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:08:16 -0600

I have seen how low man can go but also how high he can rise back up

Just returned from Cambodia where I was fortunate to get behind the scenes of sex trafficking as a photojournalist. Visited a couple shelters which houses rescued victims, had a few discussions with local NGOs and a private...

Krang Yaw

geotraveler — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:38:49 -0600

A sharp right hand turn off the paved main road, and we find ourselves trudging through muddy, unpaved back roads dozens of miles towards Krang Yaw. Bustling city activity and buildings are quickly replaced with seas of lush green rice fields. Worn out street bicycles replace motorbikes. We crane every...

Baltimore for Boys

geotraveler — Sat, 3 Nov 2007 09:24:05 -0500

I knew gawking at exotic fish at the world-famous National Aquarium wasn’t going to cut it. Neither was window shopping at the Galleria. It so happened that the boyfriend and best boy-friend were both in town, and I had to show them around one of my favorite cities in the world.

Life in Lagos

geotraveler — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:16:32 -0500

Just posted a photo essay called "Life in Lagos" for the Common Language Project.

Check it out for a glimpse into life in this populous African city, which is considered the "New York" of Nigeria

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Now boarding Zones 1 thru 4....

geotraveler — Thu, 4 Oct 2007 05:44:54 -0500

I heard that line six (6) times in 8 days... Was a little confused when American boarded by "groups".

Dodging through packed terminals. Punching in frequent flier numbers from heart. Unpacking and repacking the laptop under 3 seconds. Straining like a madwoman looking for an electrical...

Painting Navua

geotraveler — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:11:33 -0500

Totally stoked. Just published my first printed magazine article under the "Travel" section for Ariztos Magazine (An African Entertainment Magazine) - http://www.ariztos.com/magazine

Posting the travel story as a blog

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Painting Navua by Lola...