It all started with a trip to see a shaman. It's not your typical Thursday-night outing, by any means. But given that I'm in Quito, and he was in town giving a presentation on his community and the uses of the hallucinogenic herbal drink ayahuasca, it seemed like a natural place to end up.

It...

As my little departamento quiteño does not contain a washing machine, I am left with two options: handwashing in the sink, or taking my clothes into one of the tiny shops around the city that will do the job for me.

I bravely bought a bottle of handwashing detergent, repeating to myself that if...

I'm gazing out of a window at a sky which has no clouds but is still fuzzy and murky and grimy nonetheless, despite the sunlight burning through right up ahead. Welcome to Texas.

I'm drinking a 12oz iced mocha because I've never had one of those before. And let's face it: it's not going to happen again...