Children, some cute as a button and others subtly menacing, come running as your vehicle approaches the leather band strung across the desert road. Tires on either side mean circumvention is impossible. Adults, parents or other family members, sometimes wait in the distance…just in case. Just in case you don’t have cookies. Cookie Tollbooths That’s right. These…
I’d chatted with the neighborhood kids several times during my recent stay in Billy’s Bay, Jamaica–a village with a population of about 150–and there were plenty of smiles and laughs each time. Connecting with them was one of those simple pleasures that make travel so special. One day, another kid, who looked as sweet as…
Indonesian children are wonderful to hang out with. They’re generally well-behaved and best of all, they’re fun. They seem to live in the moment…naturally. And most like to play games. But not the kind you might think. Certain kids, neighbors I met while staying/volunteering in a village (Tiakar Guguak, Payakumbuh) in West Sumatra for a…
One minute, I’m walking down the street. The next, I’m marching…with Balinese kids I don’t know. An hour later, I’m in their classroom—teaching them. How the heck did that happen? Read on and discover how Random Travel Moment #7 landed me in a classroom! Where: Amed, Bali I’d been staying in an area known as…
This photo is of Indonesian students’ images reflected on a whiteboard at a school in Sumatra. Tricky right? Well, someone came very close to guessing it. How? By following these steps. 1. Look at the Photo/Study the Details 2. Guess what/where! What is it? Where was I traveling when I saw it? And if you…
I came across this photo a few days ago and was transported back in time to Aleppo, Syria, in 2010–when I had the opportunity to travel there. Before the war. When life was peaceful. These boys and the looks on their faces caught my eye, leading me to share the photo. When/Where I Met the…
Today’s photo, shot on an iPhone, is of a lovely child—I Gede Dillon—whom I met here in Amed, Bali (Indonesia) several days ago. He’s 6 months old…and half Balinese, half British and 100% adorable! I’ve had so much fun getting to know him and photographing him that I just had to share one of his…
It’s not every day that I attend a kindergarten party/celebration–especially in a village in Sumatra! So I shot many photos (and some video), which I’m sharing so that you can get a sense of what it was like to be there…
On my recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I visited the Haitian border and its market, Mercado Fronterizo, in a town called Perdernales. While there, I saw people crossing the border and selling a variety of items, from food to toys and even old shoes. The UN also passed through at one point. The Haitian…
