A Man, A Plan, A Canal – Panama

If you're a word nerd like me, my palindromic title will be familiar to you. The man referred to is Teddy Roosevelt, who said in a 1911 speech at UC Berkeley: The Panama Canal I naturally take special interest in because I started it. ... But the Panama Canal would not have been started if … Continue reading A Man, A Plan, A Canal – Panama →

On the Panamanian Roads Again

After my Bocas trip, I had two more weekends to get out and enjoy the jungle. As I mentioned before, I highly recommend renting a car since there is a lot you can do from Panama City, but not a lot of tourist infrastructure for doing it. A few things to keep in mind if … Continue reading On the Panamanian Roads Again →

Beyond Bocas

On the Panama expat forums I belong to, people lament that visitors don't realize there's more to Panama than the canal and the Bocas del Toro islands in the Caribbean in the far west of the country. Sure, some people stick around Panama City long enough to fly to San Blas islands or to go … Continue reading Beyond Bocas →

I Got New Wheels!

Okay, no, not really. I'm still seven weeks away from needing to buy a car to replace my beloved Nitro, which I sold last November after 11 years together. What I have done is rented a car for the entirety of my stay in Panama City. Expensive? Yes. But so are tours in Panama. This … Continue reading I Got New Wheels! →

Why I Really Went to Argentina

Now that I'm in my 40s, paying for bougie vacations is apparently a thing I do. Now that I pay for bougie vacations, I realize that they are totally worth the money. The two months that I spent in Buenos Aires were all a precursor to a running vacation across Patagonia that I booked a … Continue reading Why I Really Went to Argentina →

Un Poquito de Todo (Argentina)

The Totally Random Let's kick off this post with random observations I've had while in Argentina. People here love to clap. Put a few Argentinians together in a group and they will find something to applaud.I appreciate being somewhere air conditioning is used to a normal level and not to turn indoors into winter. I'm … Continue reading Un Poquito de Todo (Argentina) →

Oh the Places You Can Go!

Argentina is enormous and has many different climates and landscapes and geographical features. You need at least a month to see it all, which is, of course, not feasible for most people. I've been based in Buenos Aires and have had a few three-day weekends off work that I took full advantage of to hop … Continue reading Oh the Places You Can Go! →

No, Seriously. ¿Cómo Se Dice…?

I knew Argentinian Spanish was going to be different and when my driver picked me up at the airport and one of the first things I heard him say was "ay-zhair" instead of "a-yer" for "yesterday", I knew it had begun. Since then, sometimes "a-yer" is ay-shair. The "Y" changes, the "LL" changes, and the … Continue reading No, Seriously. ¿Cómo Se Dice…? →

In the City of Good Airs

During North American winter, Buenos Aires is two hours ahead of New York time. (It's only one hour ahead the rest of the year because Argentina doesn't observe daylight savings) Except for this eight-week blip, I'm living in New York time from the end of September '21-mid-June '22, so I decided to work 10:30am - … Continue reading In the City of Good Airs →

Obligatory COVID (and General Safety) Post

You can't really travel at the moment without talking about COVID. I know people who still won't travel, partly out of fear of getting COVID itself but largely out of the fear of COVID disruptions. That is, having to change flights and hotels if they get sick, losing money on reservations, needing to be hospitalized … Continue reading Obligatory COVID (and General Safety) Post →