When planning our summer trip to Spain & Portugal, we considered spending a few days on the island of Madeira which has become popular retirement haven for Americans and Europeans alike.  The island boasts a terrific year-round climate with average night-time lows in the 50’s and daytime highs rarely above 80.  Madeira has extensive natural beauty and a supposedly “exceptional” quality of life being referred to as the land of eternal spring and the European equivalent of Hawaii with a cost of living much less than most of the US and mainland Europe.  In addition to being a popular and affordable travel and retirement destination, Madeira has become quite popular with adventure sports enthusiasts with its’ extensive network of Levada trails, great diving and wind surfing, paragliding, and some of the most epic mountain hiking trails in the world.  Enough said – we decided to carve out a 4 night-5 day visit to the island as part of our summer trip.

We flew from Lisbon arriving early on Tuesday August 13^th and were pleasantly surprised when our Airbnb host allowed us to check in shortly after 9am.  We had a wonderful studio apartment in the capital city of Funchal just a few blocks from the market, the beach, and the heart of the historic city.  We took a cable car ride up to a high point overlooking the city and walked around a bit getting the lay of the land, did the obligatory trip to the panaderia and the grocery store, and arranged a motorcycle rental so we could explore other parts of the island and get to the remote trails.  

On our second day we chose an urban trek in the morning and took a motorcycle ride to the village of Seixal on the opposite side of the island in the afternoon.  On the way to Seixal, we noticed a small fire burning in the center of the island just before we crested the summit and initially thought it was a controlled burn.  The road passed through a long tunnel and it was raining when we came out the other side – enough so that we turned back before reaching Seixal.  We passed back through the tunnel and came out on the dry and windy side with the fire still burning but it was being tended to and appeared under control.  We returned to Funchal and enjoyed a simple but exceptional dinner and drinks at a popular locals hangout called Lido’s Tavern and turned in early to prepare for our next day.  

On day 3, Brenda opted for a Levada Hike near Funchal while I set out early to catch the sunrise at the viewpoint from Pico do Ariero before starting a day long hike to the summit of Pico Ruivo – the highest peak on the island and all of Portugal at 6106’ above sea level.  The sunrise was spectacular but there must have been at least 500 people at the viewpoint to witness it.  Thankfully I had a motorcycle and was easily able to bypass the multitude of parked cars nearly blocking the narrow roadway extending at least a mile below the viewpoint.  After enjoying one of the most stunning sunrises I’ve ever seen, I set out on the trail from summit to summit thinking not many of the people at the view point would attempt the challenging hike but, apparently, I’d mistaken – I found myself among at least 200 people starting the hike – all at the same time!  The first couple miles were quite miserable.  Many of the people that started the hike found themselves in over their heads physically or mentally and I’m guessing at least half of them turned around within the first mile which made things even worse for those of us trying to proceed.  After a mile or two, the crowd finally dispersed a little but the trail remained quite crowded.  I had to wrestle with my expectations as I’ve become accustomed to more serene experiences with nature but, once I reset, I began to truly absorb and appreciate the experience.  The hike was physically challenging with its’ steep accents and descents.  It was also stimulating as the narrow path wound its way through a series of dark tunnels, along sheer cliffs, and up a series of suspended ladders referred to as the “stairway to heaven”.  The views of the peaks and valleys were stunning as was the occasional peak at the rugged coastline in the distance.  It took a bit over 3 hours to reach the summit but the experience was worth every step!  Although quite windy, chilly, and cloudy at the summit you could see the entire island and a near 360 degree view of the coastline.  There were actually 3 different viewpoints at the summit and I spent at least 20 minutes at each of them absorbing the paradise around me before starting my descent which consisted of at least 3 more ascents before returning to my motorbike!  At the end of the epic hike I treated myself to an ice cream and a beer at the trailhead before returning to our apartment in Funchal – a day and a hike that I’ll never forget!

The next morning, Brenda & I set out on another challenging hike overlooking the coastline at the easternmost part of the island with its own unique landscape.  There was much less vegetation so the trail was mostly rocky, the views were less obstructed, and the waves were more intense but, even on this more remote part of the island quite far from the heart of Funchal, there were several people on the trail and the car park was overflowing.  While we truly enjoyed the experience, we were surprised at the amount of people we were sharing it with.  

Back at Funchal on, what we thought, was our last morning, the sky was pretty smoky.  I went for a run along the coast and the air was unpleasant.  We had to check out of our Airbnb late morning so we opted to hang out near the beach for the afternoon before departing to the airport for our anticipated evening flight back to the mainland.  When we arrived at the airport, it was quite windy and we could see obvious smoke on the horizon.  We quicky learned that the fire we’d observed on our second day on the island was not a controlled burn but, instead, was a fire raging out of control in the central part of the island fueled by the same strong winds that cancelled our flight that evening!  

As seasoned travelers, we’ve become accustomed to flight delays and even an occasional cancelled flight but our return flight which was initially delayed until the next afternoon would ultimately turn into a week-long extended stay on a burning island!  

The high winds resulted in more than 50 flight cancellations at the small airport over a 4-5 day period leaving us among an estimated 7500 others stranded on the island!  More tragically, the high winds continued to spread the fire and prevented aerial fire fighting efforts.  Suddenly, we couldn’t help but recall the tragedy that struck Lahaina on the island of Maui just a year ago and wonder if the beautiful city of Funchal or other cities on the island would have the same fate.  Along with that was a bit of fear that we might end up being a part of that fate since there was absolutely no way to flee the island for at least a week!

After spending a night in our rental car, we were lucky enough to secure another Airbnb at the South end of the island where we were able to re-group and modify our trip plans for a departure a week later.  I guess if we were going to be “trapped” somewhere, Madeira wasn’t so bad but it was a bit tougher to enjoy with horrible air quality, layers of ash falling on us every day, and a constant uneasiness knowing that there would be absolutely nothing we could do if the winds carried the fire in our direction.  Needless to say, we followed the local news very closely that week.  Fortunately, the fire never did reach the populated coastline along any part of the island but, unfortunately, much of the central part of the island including the area where I’d enjoyed the epic hike just a week earlier was destroyed by the fire.  

The lush natural beauty of the dense forest is now gone.  A Unesco World Heritage site was consumed by the flames and access to many parts of the island is now limited due to unstable soils subject to mudslides.  Additionally, many of the trails in the central part of the island are now closed and will likely remain that way for several years which will end up making the few remaining coastal and levada trails even more crowded.  All in all, a truly tragic situation for the people of Madeira!!!

While Brenda & I were truly grateful to have experienced the slice of paradise that Madeira was (and still is), I’m doubtful that I’ll ever return.  Even before our flights were cancelled and we became aware of the tragedy of the fire, I was dismayed by the negative impact of tourism on the island.  While I love to travel and will continue to do so, I honestly can’t say that I’ve ever been to a place where I’ve felt like my small footprint was harmful but, sadly, as environmentally conscious and considerate as we are, I felt like we needed to leave Madeira and return the space to the locals who have lost their paradise to mass tourism.  

Farewell Madeira.  I hope that someday the island will regain the beauty that it once had before tourism and the massive wildfire of August 2024 destroyed it!

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the clear sunny skies, beautiful public parks, and my perception of presumed safety in and around Medellin. That post was written after my first week in the city. Unfortunately, after nearly 5 weeks in Medellin, my perception has changed.

On my first two visits to Colombia, I skipped the big city of Bogota (nearly 8 million people in a metro area of nearly 13 million people) and only spent a couple of days in Medellin (about 2.5 million people in a metro area of slightly over 4 million) as my interest in this beautiful country lies mostly in its amazing natural landscape and mountain sport activities. While this trip was planned to include more of the same, I had a few other goals for this trip including sharing the beauty of the country with my wife Brenda, learning a bit of Spanish, and actually seeing what it might be like to live somewhere in Colombia. With its proximity to the small pueblos and natural wonders of Antioquia paired with it’s central location with easy travel access to other parts of the country, excellent Spanish schools, and sizable expat community, we chose Medellin as our base for a 2 month visit.

My flight from Colorado landed in Bogota late on the evening of Friday February 9th so I decided to take one day to explore Bogota before heading to Medellin. I took a walking tour of the historic Candelaria District and made a strenuous climb to the Temple of Monserrate for a birds eye view of the city and countryside surrounding it but, quite honestly, that was more than enough of Bogota so I boarded a flight early on Sunday arriving in Medellin to begin the new adventure.

My first day in Medellin was mostly housekeeping activities. I checked into my Spanish school, acquired a Colombian SIM card, an access card for the metro transit system, and a cheap used bicycle to get around the barrio. I started Spanish classes on my second day which lasted three weeks until Brenda arrived. During that time, I attended school 4 hours each day, got familiar with the public transit system, spent nearly every afternoon enjoying a hike in one of the cities many beautiful public parks, learned a bit of Espanol, and enjoyed mostly clear sunny skies.

Unfortunately, much of that has changed. A day or two before Brenda arrived, the weather patterns changed and daily cloud cover above the city has trapped the pollution diminishing the air quality leaving a constant haze of smog much like Santiago, Chile. Additionally, we started venturing further abroad from barrio Laureles to explore other parts of the city via car and public transit and came face to face with the horrific traffic and the crowded metro system during rush hours. We took a couple of short trips to Valle de Corcora near Salento which was amazing but encountered some transportation challenges with overbooked busses, delayed flights, and bad taxi drivers on our way back. We also went to Guatape and a few other small towns in Antioquia but were very sad to see many sections of Lago Guatape nearly dried up from the drought that Colombia is currently experiencing. Additionally, we had to come back to the city a day earlier than planned because a host we had booked lodging with failed to honor our reservation.

We returned to our apartment in Medellin late on Friday evening, took Saturday to re-group and make plans for our final roadtrip to Jerico, Jardin, and Chinchina. Yesterday, we returned to the beautiful Parque Arvi on the outskirts of Medellin which we had visited a couple of times prior for a nice hike in the pine forests in higher altitudes with cooler temps. The Sunday morning drive to Arvi was actually pleasant with little traffic, beautiful scenery, and the energy of cyclists peddling to the top of the mountain. We arrived at the carpark and set off for a 6 mile loop hike. In the first 5 miles of our trek Brenda and I shared some great conversation, doted on a few dogs, and were enjoying sharing the park with other families, seniors, dogs, and even a scout troop but things suddenly changed.

In the matter of a split second, we were approached from behind by someone telling us to be calm and tranquil. At first we didn’t totally realize what was happening as we had just passed and were still within sight of a couple that we thought were just sitting enjoying the woods. Unfortunately, once I figured out what was happening, I made a poor judgment call trying to call for help and resist the robbery. What a mistake that turned out to be! Had we simply acquiesced, we would have simply turned over our phones and the small amount of cash we were carrying and would have probably walked away unscathed but, turns out that the other couple that we had just passed had also just been robbed and we were the second victims. My call for help and initial resistance angered the robber and he fired a shot that grazed my neck and beat my head with his pistol. Thank God he didn’t harm Brenda but he took everything that we had in our possession and I was a bloody mess!

I remained coherent and didn’t feel much pain but we were both really scared. As the robber ran away, the other couple who were victims to the crime provided some assistance to help stop my bleeding and helped Brenda & I back down the trail to the road where others had heard the gunshot and seemed to be ready to assist. I was coherent the entire way back to the road and in the back of the police truck that quickly carted Brenda and I to the closest ER in Guarne about 10km away. I had a head and neck wound that were bleeding profusely and, quite honestly, we were terrified as my entire body and the bed of the truck were drenched in pools of my blood. As terrified as we were, oddly, I remained calm and coherent for the entire ride and my admittance to the ER.

In Guarne, they gave me something that immediately slowed and eventually stopped the bleeding and I was surrounded by a team of 6 or more medics who were trying to clean me up while, at the same time, assessing my condition. All but one of them spoke only Spanish and the one English speaker was doing his best to let me know what was happening. I remained coherent and actually comprehended and communicated using some of my newly acquired language skills. After my initial triage, the ER doc proceeded to place 31 stitches in my head where I had been beaten with the pistol but did nothing to the wound on my neck other than clean and try to stop the bleeding. He told me that there was a possible fracture and possible damage to the blood vessels in my neck and arranged for an ambulance transfer to a hospital in Medellin that was better equipped to assess and deal with the neck wound.

As I was being transferred back to Medellin by Ambulance, the Colombia National Police assisted Brenda with a ride and access to our apartment as we thought the robber had taken our car and apartment keys and we needed our passports and a way to pay for my medical care. They also brought Brenda to the ER where I was at in Medellin.

I’m writing this post from a hospital bed in Medellin just 24 hours after the event occurred feeling a combination of anger, sadness, and gratitude all at the same time. I’m angry at myself for resisting the robber and making a bad situation worse. I’m angry at the robber! I’m sad that my wife had to endure the stress of the event and, at the same time grateful that the robber never tried to hurt her. I’m grateful for the help from the other couple who were also victims to this horrible crime for their efforts to lead Brenda and I to help. I’m grateful for the kindness and patience of the medical staff and the police officers who have assisted and, since I’m writing this, you can guess that I’m mostly grateful to be alive and relatively well in spite of all of this. Turns out that the gun the robber used had rubber bullets which penetrated my skin but did not cause any serious damage to my blood vessels – no vascular surgery required! Also turns out that there are no fractured bones and that the wounds to my head and neck are mostly superficial. I did lose a bunch of blood and am still experiencing a bit of dizziness when I stand up but it’s looking like I’ll be released this afternoon and able to proceed with whatever new plans we make.

Lastly, I’m sad that the natural beauty of Colombia and the kindness and friendliness of the many friends and acquaintances I’ve made here will likely forever be tainted by this traumatic event and it has certainly reinforced some of the reasons we prefer not to spend much time in or near big cities. Medellin is a vibrant city full of arts, architecture, culture, and beautiful parks and green spaces but, apparently an under current of violence from its past still exists.

Im sitting in a shady spot with nice cool breeze overlooking Medellin and something is strange . . . I’m in the epicenter of nearly 4 million people and it feels as though I have this whole place to myself!

As I read some of my past blog posts I came across “Above the Smog” which was written during my visit to Santiago but, unlike Santiago, Medellin has clear skies and fresh cool breezes. I’ve never liked big cities and often do my best to avoid them but Medellin seems different. Sure there are busy streets and crowds but, just a few blocks away, you can find peaceful quiet neighborhoods with lots of green space and easy access to large, beautiful, well-maintained parks but, surprisingly, hardly anyone is using them!

During my first week in Medellin, I walked or biked 2km from the place I’m staying in the heart of Laureles to the park entrance of Cerro El Volador three days straight and, all three days, it seemed as though I had the place to myself. The first day I biked to the park entrance and wasn’t conditioned for continuous ascent so I ditched the bike and walked to the top where I was rewarded with great exercise, peace, solitude, cool breezes, and an amazing views of the city. The second day I opted to walk from my place ascending a path directly from my barrio and the third day I opted to challenge myself by biking all the way to the top, descending into the San German barrio on the other side of the mountain for lunch, returning to the top of the hill, and enjoying the nice downhill bike back to my hostel. On my fourth day I wanted to explore some trails outside the city so I boarded the public transit system in my barrio for a 20 min ride to Envigado and took a 15min taxi to Parque el Salado where, again, I was surrounded by amazing natural beauty.

Today I chose to visit Cerro El Picacho located N/W of the city high above the Robledo barrio and, once again, I was a glutton for punishment (and reward) . . .

I left my hostel on bike for a 10km ride to the trailhead. Not even 4km into the ride, I faced hills too steep to peddle so I ditched the bike and walked the rest of the way. The walk itself was physically challenging as I ascended the steep streets through the Robledo, Picacho, and Picachito barrios. There is some talk about the barrios on the periphery of the city being a bit rough and dangerous and I’m guessing there may be a few, but that was not the case today. In these barrios I encountered friendly people, enjoyed watching children play, saw people working to maintain their cars and homes, and saw a few of them enjoying the public parks. By the time I reached the park entrance, I was exhausted from the climb but the park did not disappoint!

Bottom Line . . .

I’m a bit surprised to find myself enjoying being in the heart of a big city and even more surprised how few of the 4 million people surrounding me are outside enjoying the amazing natural beauty, peace, and solitude around them!

From about middle school on, I’ve had an interest in design and building and have spent most of my adult life working in construction. I’ve always found pleasure in creating something from nothing and have especially enjoyed designing and building homes. My career began shortly after my parents bought their first home in Ellicott, Colorado which had been vacant for a number of years and needed a bunch of work. Our budget was meager and my dad was never afraid to tackle any project so we did all of the necessary work ourselves. First order of business was to replace the well pump, re-plumb the house and rework the electrical service just to make the place habitable. We also did some painting and replaced a bunch of rotted wood but that was about all the initial budget would allow. A few years later, we were able to do more cosmetic and functional improvements by remodeling the kitchen and bathroom. I enjoyed working with my dad and learning from him and also enjoyed the opportunity to make the place nicer and dreamed of the opportunity to someday build my own home.

Continue reading Learning to Build Perfectly Imperfect →

While I truly enjoyed visiting Paris and the the Loire Valley of France, I’ve learned that living near mountains is extremely important to me.  Since we left our apartment in Tours, France, we’ve visited a bunch of cities and countries with incredible history, culture, and architecture but most were lacking elevation.

I was born in central Kansas but my family moved to Colorado Springs when I was just 4 years old so I was raised near the mountains.  Having crossed Kansas or Nebraska multiple times on trips to Iowa and Wisconsin to visit family, I learned to truly appreciate the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and always enjoyed going home.  As an adult, I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world but my favorite places to visit often resemble Colorado.  This trip is no exception.

Having started our travels in Ecuador and other countries in South America, there was no shortage of mountains and valleys and incredibly beautiful nature.  Although I’m not usually a fan of big cities, Rio de Janeiro remains one of my favorites because of the natural beauty of the mountains rising above the coastline.  After leaving Rio, we landed in the heart of French lowlands and something was missing – mountains!

After leaving the Loire Valley we headed South to the Provence Region of France amidst the foothills of the mighty Alps and my spirits started to rise.  After that, we visited the coast of Italy and the villages of Cinque Terre which was also a mountainous region and I was a happy guy.  Then “magic” happened!  We drove from Italy to a small village named “Frutigen” in the heart of the Swiss Alps just outside of Interlaken, Switzerland.  It was late and raining when we arrived but when I woke up the next morning, I looked outside and was, most definitely, in my happy place!  We spent two weeks hiking, biking, and soaking up the beauty of the Alps under the shadow of the majestic glacier capped peaks of Monch, Eiger, and Jungfrau – definitely my “Heaven on Earth”.

While I could have easily remained in Switzerland for evermore, sadly, we had plans for onward travel to other parts of Europe and the world.  Since leaving Switzerland about a month ago, we’ve visited Eastern & Western Germany, Belgium, Croatia, and the Netherlands – all places with interest and beauty but mostly lacking big mountains.  The coast of Croatia was pretty amazing and there was a coastal range of mountains but they lacked the grandeur and elevation that I’ve come to appreciate.

Yesterday, we travelled just 2 hours from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Kotor, Montenegro and I’m, once again, feeling at home.  The small town of Kotor (approx 15k residents) is on the coast of the Adriatic Sea and is flanked by mountains – all begging to be climbed!  Looking forward to spending the next 3 weeks appreciating my three favorite views:  coastline, mountains, and a sprinkling of city lights.  As great as Colorado is, there is definitely something to be said for sea views!

While we’re certainly enjoying the leisure and adventure of long-term travel, one of the reasons we’re here is to learn new things and gain an even greater appreciation for history, architecture, people, cultures, and life in general. We’ve enjoyed seeing numerous buildings dating back to the 11th century – some of which have been altered and maintained and are still in use today. Even in Tours, there’s a cathedral that’s more than a thousand years old and is still open for worship services!

< 1000+ year old cathedral still in use in Tours, France

Mont Saint Michel

Last week we took a side trip to Normandy where we visited Mont Saint Michele – a monastery on an island off the coast of Normandy that dates back to the 8th century. It’s current composition exemplifies the feudal society that constructed it: on top, God, the abbey and monastery; below, the great halls; then stores and housing; and at the bottom, outside the walls, houses for fishermen and farmers. This unique island commune sits about 600 meters off-shore and, until recently, could only be reached via the causeway at low tide which made it accessible for pilgrims visiting the abbey, but defensible as the incoming tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be assailants. While a monastery for a variety of different religions for the majority of its life, Mont Saint Michel functioned as a prison for a period of time. We enjoyed touring this beautiful historical place and witnessing the rise and recision of the tides that even filled the doorway to the village!

D-Day Beaches; World History re-learned

After visiting the monastery, we went to the town of Bayeux and the D-day beaches at Normandy – a truly somber experience. Before visiting Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, we toured the D-day Museum where we watched a film of the Allied Invasion from the horrific day on June 6th 1944. I recall learning about D-Day in a middle school world history class but, for some reason, the lesson became more real while visiting the site in person last week. After visiting the museum, we had dinner and went for a walk along Omaha Beach to observe the sunsetting around 10pm. While the sunset was among the most beautiful we’ve seen, it was a sad knowing how many people had sacrificed their lives in its shadow. The next morning we went further up the beach to a point below the cliffs where many US soldiers and much of the equipment had been offloaded from the naval ships descending on the coast of Normandy. Just above the beach, we came upon a bunker that the Nazi’s had built and used for defense during the invasion. I entered the bunker and became immediately pensive as I envisioned myself as either a member of the Nazi regime trying to fight for what I’d been brainwashed to believe in or as a US soldier trying to do what was right for humanity and the world – both sides fearing for their lives in the midst of brutal battle.

After a brief visit to the beach at high tide, we went to the American Cemetery just above Omaha Beach where 9387 American soldiers are buried who were killed during the war. While the Normandy invasion lasted until August, many lives were lost on the same day. It is estimated that 2499 Americans and 1914 British and Canadian soldiers were killed on D-Day. While touring the cemetery, there were countless crosses listing the names of sons, husbands, dads, and brothers from nearly every state of our country declaring June 6, 1944 as the day of death and, sadly, there were many markers stating “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.”

While traveling is awesome and it’s exciting to experience new things, not everything’s been fun and games. It’s been less than 6 months since we began our journey and we’ve already had a few mishaps. My paragliding accident happened only 3 weeks into the trip where I learned trust and patience in receiving major healthcare in a foreign country. The hospital had broken X-ray equipment, I waited 2 weeks for a surgery that would have likely been done instantly in the US, and language barriers made it difficult to understand the extent of my injuries and what was being done to fix them.

After nearly 3 months of recovery back in Colorado, Brenda & I went back on the road. We’re both pretty seasoned travelers, but I made a couple of rookie mistakes right off the bat. When we arrived in Lima, I used my debit card to acquire peso’s from an ATM and accidentally left my card in the machine. Big OOPS! That same night, in the process of notifying my bank about the lost card, I left my cell phone in the lobby of a hotel which was never to be found.

In the Amazon Jungle near Iquitos, Brenda & I were peed on by monkeys and many of the few clothing items we had were permanently stained from being laundered in brown water. In Puno, I got some sort of flu bug and spent a miserable night in a hostel with a high fever and chills – thankfully, a strong dose of antibiotics (acquired without a Dr. prescription) took care of it quickly. In Chile, we rented a car which was great outside of the city but, in Santiago, we spent more than 4 hours in heavy traffic one evening with added navigational challenges due to our dependency on technology which had lost it’s charge.

Speaking of technology, neither of us have roving phone service or wifi since we’re trying to travel frugally so we’re reliant on the free wifi connections from places we’re staying which have been slow and unreliable. With frugality in mind, we’ve stayed in hostels and shared bunk rooms with as many as 8 other people. I hate to admit it but, we’re a bit older than the average hostel patrons who seem to go out around 10 and return around 2 so we’ve had some restless nights and it’s also challenging to unpack and repack your stuff when the only horizontal surface available is the floor.

We’ve been “accosted” by taxi drivers and street peddlers trying to sell services and stupid touristy items at “gringo” prices.  We’ve walked a mile with heavy backpacks on to catch a bus that was only a couple blocks away because we followed signage and directions we’d received and turned right instead of left only to find out that the signage and directions were for a different bus terminal than the bus we’d reserved, and, while we’re both prudent and acutely aware of our surroundings, Brenda had a necklace stolen right off her neck by a hooligan punk passing on a bicycle!

Most recently, we both acquired a pesky case of ringworm and have no idea how we got it. While we were able to get medication to treat it at a pharmacy without a prescription, whatever the cause, it’s a pain in the ass and it’s difficult to treat without the ability to launder our bedding and clothing daily.

While I’m grateful to be on this adventure and am definitely not ready for it to end, I couldn’t continue posting only the fun things without sharing a few of the “not so great” things about long term travel. Traveling this way is a huge learning experience. We’re becoming more experienced in adapting to ever-changing conditions and environments. We’re increasing our ability to work together and increasing our communication skills. Most of all, we’re making new friends and appreciating this awesome experience called life!

On my first visit to Rio with my friend Ian in 2010, I saw the main attractions of Corcovado, Sugar Loaf, Copacabana, Impanema, the sunset from Arpoador, and the Sambadrome. It was also on that trip when I took my first hang glider flight with Konrad from Rio Hang Gliding http://www.riohanggliding.com which prompted me to take up paragliding! Rio is an incredibly beautiful city full of natural beauty and I was eager to explore it again with Brenda.

Of course we had to visit the main touristic things so, on our first day, we trekked up Corcovado to see the iconic statue of Christ the Reedemer. While most people opt for a bus or a train to the top, we prefer hiking so we took the steep jungle trail as a form of “naturopathic PT”.

Sadly, the sky was overcast so we weren’t able to see the awesome city view but the statue was impressive, nonetheless, and it was actually kind of cool being up in the clouds! On day two we took a walk around the lagoon where the Olympic rowing events will be held and visited the botanic gardens where we saw one of the most impressive cactus gardens we’ve ever seen and a tree with some highly-unusual roots. Later that evening, the skies cleared so we took the cablecar to the summit of Sugar Loaf and enjoyed a breathtaking view of the city and coastline before watching the sunset and, ultimately, enjoying the endless sea of city lights. At the summit we shared a Brazilian craft brew that bore the name of “Colorado” but, sadly, it didn’t quite meet up to Colorado brew standards!

The forecast was for rain towards the end of our week so we tried to complete all of our planned outdoor activities before the rain. On our third day, we hiked to the summit of Two Brothers – the steep peaks rising from the end of Impanema. The trail to the summit began from the top of the Vidigal Favela and climbed sharply to the summit offering some truly incredible views of the coastline and surrounding areas including a portion of the Tijuca National Forest, Pedra da Gávea, Pedra Bonita, and an overview of the Rocina Favela – one of Rio’s largest favelas adjacent to Leblon (one of South America’s wealthiest neighborhoods).

Nearly 11 million people live in favelas in Brazil and many of them are crime ridden and considered “inhabitable” by our standards without sanitation or electricity. The favelas are essentially shanty towns – each of which is “self-governed” by its residents. Some are run by drug lords and the police don’t even attempt to keep order as they fear for their own lives! Some of them, however, are considered safe and even a bit trendy like Santa Teresa and Vidigal. Both are considered “tourist-friendly” as they both have electricity and sanitation. Brenda and I entered the Vidigal favela on foot and took a collectivo to a point near the Two Brothers trailhead at the top. We found the residents to be friendly and helpful – one of which was a German guy who spoke English and helped us navigate our way through a maze to get to the trailhead. We were hoping to visit Santa Teresa as well but simply didn’t have time during this trip.

We spent a couple of days biking around Rio – one really nice day and another in pouring rain! On our last days in Rio, we took a Brazilian cooking class and visited the Museum of Tomorrows. Unlike most museums that display “artifacts”, this wasn’t really a museum at all – it was thought provoking and focused on ideas and concepts rather than objects. Much of the exhibition was digital and made us think about where we’ve come from and where we’re going from the origins of our planet to our probable future. One of my favorite exhibits was a maze of photos showing life around the world – customs, festivals, holiday celebrations, and, sadly, overconsumption and waste.

The heart of the museum and its message was a Stonehenge-like cluster of 10-meter high TV screens that displayed data and images about where we are now – a period of evolution referred to as “the Anthropocene” – an era where humankind has become a geological force. The screens displayed troubling images of burning forests, dense traffic, pollution, contamination, over-population, mass production, overconsumption, melting glaciers, and piles of rubbish including the horrible “great pacific garbage patch” in the Pacific Ocean which reminded me of a sad and very intense documentary called “Plastic Paradise”: http://plasticparadisemovie.com
Brenda and I watched it a couple years ago and have vowed to minimize or eliminate our use of plastic and reduce our material consumption. We still have a ways to go but we’re starting to embrace minimalism and we’re certainly glad to have downsized and minimized – not only for the reduced environmental impact which is great but also for the freedom that a minimalist lifestyle provides.  http://www.theminimalists.com.