Edinburgh is a city that treats the visitor right. It’s beauty and enchantment is readily apparent; its monuments and palaces drift among the clouds, and they could easily lead you on a gorgeous quest around the city.
Yes, good times in Edinburgh are not buried (though there is a lot to see underground). But the Scots hate waste of all kinds and so do I. Why have a 90% awesome trip when you can max it out? I’ve learned some hard lessons on my trips to Edinburgh, and they’ve crystallized over this most recent three-week jaunt.
Scrawl these lessons on a sheet of paper and stuff it in your back pocket. Just don’t forget! Read more...
The sad truth is that I’d probably spend most of my time in pubs if it wasn’t such an obvious badge of creepiness. But unlike dirty Dick in the corner (there’s actually a pub in Edinburgh by the name of Dirty Dick’s…) furtively peering over his pint, I’m more likely to be sitting at the bar chatting with whoever’s next to me while I coax a buzz to life. It pains me to have to fabricate a reason to spend the daylight hours in dark pubs, or to reassure myself that it’s okay to have a pint because it’s now the PM half of the day, but it’s pain willingly taken.
Call it masochism. Call it a flimsy excuse to have a drink whenever it feels right (read: most of the time). Call it alcoholism. Actually, don’t call it that… Read more...
Argentina is not out to get you.
Sure, it’s possible to freeze to death on a glaciated ice plain in Tierra del Fuego or die of thirst wandering the blistering Puna highlands. Of course there’s the chance you’ll startle a napping Yarará pit viper or catch a pouncing Puma to the side of the face near Iguazú Falls. As a whole, though, Argentina’s a pretty hospitable place for people. There are plentiful farmlands filled with walking barbeques (i.e., cattle), gorgeous mountain communities, and pleasant coastline.
Lest you think the forest animals serenade you awake each morning, however, you should know there are some very real dangers to the visitor. After spending a month in the streets of Buenos Aires and Salta, I’ve faced each several deadly challenges on numerous occasions and lived to share my survival secrets. Don’t place yourself in unnecessary peril – read on! Read more...
…as much as Zorba would have you believe that words are wind, that books are worthless and wasteful pursuits, Zorba the Greek, the book by Nikos Kazantzakis, is a gleaming, brimming example of words as life-altering wisdom… Read more...
The travel-blogging chain letter aimed at exposing travelers’ three best kept travel secrets has landed in my lap, thanks to the inimitable Suzy Guese. The idea was kicked off by Tripbase and has spread through the travel blogging community like the bird flu. Thankfully, I’m not getting sick; instead, I just need to step into Read more...
A hunter, oft-stubbled and bleary-eyed, driven by an insatiable hunger for exploration and experience - and perhaps a chance to thin the herd of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. From the highlands and islands to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Borders, I explore Scotland with a pen in hand and a fire in the belly (which could be partly from the whisky). 
