– TRAVEL DIARY

Hector (Spain) @ Barcelona, Spain, October 28, 2018

Hector is one of my friends living in Barcelona, but he’s the only one who’s born and raised there – a native Catalan! When we met the last time in Washington D.C., I was the resident and he was the visitor, and this time it was the other way around. Recently I had been educating …

Three colors of Tenerife @ Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, October 23, 2018

Playa de Torviscas, South Tenerife   Teide National Park, Central Tenerife San Cristobal de La Laguna, North Tenerife   Three colors of Tenerife Canary islands is a Spanish archipelago, which is actually closer to West Sahara than continental Spain. Among other things, my general fondness for warm islands and the low-fare airline ticket helped me make …

@ Lyon, France, October 16, 2018

Arrived in Lyon, France. I drove for 5 hours today from Luxembourg. Because Europe is densely populated with countries, I usually don’t need to drive as much as 5 hours a day, but I’m speeding up to catch a flight in Spain. I had a hostel reservation as a backup, but this street parking spot, …

the car came back @zaanse schans, the Netherlands, October 2, 2018

After 42 days, the car came back to me. It traveled in a container from Montevideo, Uruguay to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The shipping process in Montevideo was almost hassle-free, but in the Netherlands, there were unexpected complications, time and money-wise. International container shipping procedures are complex and full of unfamiliar vocabulary, and in the end, …

Hiking to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), Norway

Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock in English, is one of the most popular Fjords hike destinations in Norway. I had the pleasure of experiencing it, and the hiking to the rock was highly enjoyable on its own, with unusual landscapes and flora. @Preikestolen, Norway, September 12, 2018

Valeria, Olga (Belarus) @Copenhagen, Denmark, September 16, 2018

I’ve met many travelers while staying at hostels but it has not been the case every single time. Often times, I don’t get to meet a single person in one of the busiest hostels. I assume many factors are involved: my mood at the time, other people’s moods, the dynamic of the room, and the …

Nat (USA) Amsterdam, the Netherlands, September 25, 2018

The first time I met Nat was in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was three years ago and I was a vacation tourist then. Nat says I asked him for directions but I actually do not remember. There was a street parade going on on the avenue so we watched it together for about 10 …

Gadissa (Ethiopia) @Delft, Netherlands, September 22, 2018

At first, I was not excited about having to move from Rotterdam to Delft. Not only did I find the city charming, I just got used the surroundings there. But I realized that all the hostels had been booked for the weekend – I was slow. Still, I wanted to stay close to Rotterdam, because …