The Romans referred to Sagres, Portugal as the Promontorium Sacrum, the end of the world. Sagres upholds that world’s end attitude as you stand on the cliffs of Cabo de Sao Vicente in Portugal’s Algarve region, the most southwesterly point in Europe. With connections to Portugal’s rich nautical past, this section of Portugal lends the closest form to understanding travel and home in one for me. Prince Henry the Navigator supposedly built a fortified town here along with a school of navigation. He was also thought to have a home here and to have died in Sagres in 1460. Whether it is fact Continue Reading
Leon, Nicaragua Wishes You Were Here
This week's Wish You Were Here post comes from The Globetrottergirls. The Globetrottergirls are German-American couple Dani and Jessica who balance a digital nomad lifestyle of full-time work and travel. In April 2010 the girls traded their London apartment to travel the world indefinitely and work from a hammock as often as possible. Be sure to check out The Globetrottergirls and follow their travels on Twitter @travelworklive. Often overlooked by tourists who prefer Nicaragua’s most visited city, the well-preserved colonial gem of Granada, the northern city of Leon, the country’s second Continue Reading
Zihuatanejo, Mexico Wishes You Were Here
After a time, you forget little details about a place, just as after a time, you forget what transpired in the 6th grade. Heading to Zihuatanejo, I had no memory of the town, no idea I had heard of it somewhere before setting foot on its sands in January. A fishing port for centuries, the town of Zihuatanejo, “Zihua” to locals, hugs Zihuatanejo Bay. In the northwestern region of the State of Guerrero, sheltered by the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains, Zihuatanejo proudly boasts of being “the land of women”. The name Zihuatanejo stems from the Náhuatl word, Zihuatlan, meaning “land of women”. Continue Reading
Antigua, Guatemala Wishes You Were Here
This week’s “Wish You Were Here” post comes from Kim of To Uncertainty and Beyond. Kim and Clark from To Uncertainty and Beyond quit their jobs last year to travel the world. They visited 24 counties in about seven months. Their blog is all about how to plan and execute a successful RTW trip. They love photography, food, and beer. Kim is now studying Spanish in Xela, Guatemala while Clark shivers back home in Chicago. Be sure to check out To Uncertainty and Beyond and follow the traveling duo on Twitter @2UNB. After leaving the noise, pollution, and chaos of Guatemala City, Antigua is a Continue Reading
A Traveler’s Colored Coconut Process
On the side of a nothing road, something unnaturally bright catches my eye. These roads are often viewed from the train, bus or car window. It appears like a nothing town, but maybe it’s not. I start to see vendors set up amidst shacks for homes, selling neon colored substances. So bright, these little balls and squares of candy I presume would make any rainbow blush. On the Pacific Coast of Mexico, in between the Sierra Madres in the state of Guerrero, the sweetest town in the area rests, easy to recognize for the smells seeping out of those shacks. Juluchuca is known for its production Continue Reading
Barra de Potosí, Mexico Wishes You Were Here
Off in the distance, it appears men are walking on water. A biblical scene formulates right before my eyes in Barra de Potosí, a small beach town just a 30 minute drive from Zihuatanejo, Mexico. My guide Francisco is quick to quiet my miraculous vision, telling me the water can’t reach the surface at that particular point. He doesn’t always pick up on my sarcasm. What Francisco can’t explain, nor can I, is the feeling of the heavenly in this beach side village at the southern end of Playa Larga beach. There are those scenes of Mexican beach towns in movies I often wonder where they can be Continue Reading
Ljubljana, Slovenia Wishes You Were Here
This week’s Wish You Were Here post comes from Carla of The Globetrotting Texan. With a motto, “Because the world is bigger than Texas", Carla has explored a number of places including the little country of Slovenia. She is an expat, traveler, writer and translator. Be sure to check out The Globetrotting Texan and follow her tweets at @caveniakoency. Ljubljana (pronounced Lee-uh-blee-ah-na), the capital of Slovenia, hides beauty and charm behind its funny name, meaning “loved one” in Slovenian. I have to be honest: when I was told that I was going to study abroad in Slovenia, I was sure Continue Reading