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  • Living Free and Getting Paid

      I’d planned to spend the summer in Seattle at the same place I did last year. It was a cozy studio directly across the street from Pike’s market. In just two minutes, I could be shopping at my favorite fruit and vegetable stand or picking up my mail at Wanderers’ mail service. Bus and…

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  • Bag with kitchen supplies

    My Portable Kitchen for Cooking while on the Road

    Because I spend months at a time on the road, food expenses are bound to be a major part of my budget. Not only does dining out add up economically, it adds to the waist line as I tend to eat more when I go to a restaurant than I would if I was at…

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  • Narrow mountain road

    Renting a car in Mexico

    I’ve always thought one of the best ways to avoid trouble in Mexico is to not drive there. This is solely based on the many horror stories I’ve heard of this country, like being stopped by bandidos on the highway or being pulled over by police to pay a bribe. Whether or not these stories…

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  • Main square with fountain and mountains in the background at Mineral del Chico

    Mexican Hill Towns

    Most people know Mexico for its beaches, like Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, but separating those two beaches is the Sierra Madre mountain range with its spine running through the center of Mexico. Not only do these mountain towns provide a way to escape the heat and humidity of Mexico’s beaches, they’re filled with culture and…

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  • I thought I’d learned how to get peanut butter through TSA in my carry-on

    The excitement I feel when I pack my bag is like that of a sled dog when it’s being attached to the sleigh harness. It doesn’t matter how much I enjoy where I am, nothing can compare to the excitement of where I will be next. Perhaps it’s why I rarely experience sadness; as long…

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  • View from the window at Casa Spratling to the Santa Prisca church

    Tales Of Taxco

    Everyone loves to see films that are shot on location in their hometown, and I’ve had the fortune to live in towns that are desirable film locations: Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. As a result, I’ve had my share of star sightings and the opportunity to mentally correct many inconsistencies, like corners that are…

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  • What’s up dumbass?

    One of the things I love to learn in a foreign language are colloquialisms, because it makes you sound more like a native speaker. When I worked at the hostel in Puerto Vallarta, the staff constantly used the expression “Que onda guey?” when greeting each other. I never asked what it meant. I just assumed…

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  • Use your words…to stay safe

    Last summer a friend accused me of being manipulative after watching my exchange with someone. I replied that we all learn how to behave in order to get what we want. I was recently listening to a Ted talk that said “Everyone is ready to give you something in exchange for something they’re hungry for”…

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  • Traversing Tepoztlan

    My mistake was in assuming that the women who informed me about the loop hike had actually just done it. You see, they’d passed me only twenty minutes earlier while I was enjoying a tamale from atop a rock above a dry creek bed. I met them on their return at an intersection which, on…

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