Category Archives: Travel Stories

Back in 2019 I sailed all over South America working as a cruise ship musician – visiting major cities and remote ports along the way. I enjoyed multiple days each in places like Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Ushuaia – however we only had a single day to explore Brazil’s magnificent Rio De Janeiro. It wasContinue reading “Return to Rio de Janeiro (favela edition)”

With the spontaneous decision to skip my $50 Ryanair flight out of Morocco I was no longer tethered to a schedule. Part of me was content with what I’d experienced here, while another part felt like I was still half-way through a marathon. The social aspect of this trip had turned out to be quiteContinue reading “19 Nights in Morocco – IV: Essaouira & the Agadir Coast”

Throughout the first half of my time in Morocco I was constantly warned about the heat in Marrakech. It’s the kind of heat that has you asking if you should catch the next flight out of Africa. Generally I had avoided Morocco’s heat by staying within the Medinas, as these narrow streets create natural shadeContinue reading “19 Nights in Morocco – III. Marrakech & The Sahara Tour”

My first night in a Moroccan Medina had been filled with sounds – loud voices in the streets, a call to prayer or two, dogs barking, possibly a rooster … Meanwhile Dhruva, the Texan backpacker I met the previous night, had snored up a storm bigger than his state’s recent hit from Hurricane Beryl. AndContinue reading “19 Nights in Morocco – II. Chefchaouen & Fes”

Morocco was the most memorably spontaneous trip I’ve taken to date. Originally I planned to spend this July visiting the hiking capital of Peru – a small city called Huaraz. I’d gone shopping for proper hiking boots to use for a series of challenging multi-day group treks through the Andes. And I figured that whileContinue reading “19 Nights in Morocco – I. Málaga, Gibraltar, and Tangier”

It’s the start of the summer travel season here in North America — people are again flocking to Europe in record numbers, and it would seem everyone knows someone heading to Japan. As for myself, this week I jetted off on standby between opposite coasts — first to California to audition for the San FranciscoContinue reading “One Week, Two Coasts: San Francisco & Brooklyn”

When I was a teenager in the late 00’s the Emo aesthetic was all the rage. I didn’t listen to the music, or directly associate with the culture – but I was still influenced, embodying “the look” with darkly dyed & straightened hair. Fast forward all the way to the fall of 2023, and IContinue reading “Spring 2024 U.S. Tour – Emo Orchestra with Escape the Fate”

Nicaragua was my final Central American country to visit, and it honestly felt pretty anticlimactic (though it yielded some wonderful photo opportunities). Having visited five Central American countries in just the last four months I suppose I’d developed a fatigue, brought on by all the repetitive sights and activities. This said, if I had toContinue reading “Twelve Nights in Nicaragua”

Antigua was the one stop in my 25-day Guatemala itinerary that I visited twice for a total of six nights. It was my gateway to the country coming from El Salvador, and then I returned following visits to Xela and Lake Atitlan. Some travelers find Antigua to be too touristy, but I found it toContinue reading “Guatemala III. Antigua & The Fuego Volcano Hike”

In my mid 20’s I spent copious amounts of time daydreaming of travel. As a graduate music student in Miami I traveled when I could, but I wondered how I could do more following graduation. To a surprising extent it was the pandemic that allowed me to really get out there. Covid left the musicContinue reading “Guatemala II. New Years in Lake Atitlan”