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Hello,
My apologies for not sending out a newsletter last week. It was the end of my 7 month stay in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and between packing up, saying my goodbyes and joining a ceremony in the jungle (see below), it was quite busy. Here's how that final week, and my arrival in the US, went down... Ayahuasca A week before leaving Mexico, I participated in an Ayahuasca ceremony with a few friends. If you're not familiar, in short, ayahuasca is a psychoactive drink used in ceremonies by indigenous peoples of South America as a traditional spiritual medicine. A strict diet leads up to the ceremony which is conducted by a shaman. The result of drinking the brew can include major realizations about oneself and the universe and deep life changes. And for me, it was a life-changing evening indeed, one that brought me real clarity about a couple of important issues in my life. The experience was beautiful, challenging, intense, light, magical and everything in between...with eye-opening visions, an all-encompassing connectedness, unexpected conversations, the discovery of unexpected answers...it left my head-spinning at times, I had moments of uncontrollable laughter, tears dripped out of my eyes one moment and I felt pure peacefulness the next. While I'm still processing much of what happened that night, I could not be happier about choosing to participate! Mexico to Texas Next up was leaving Mexico, which happened last Wednesday. The idea was to fly to Texas to bring my cat Matcha to her new home. After a flight to Dallas, 2 hours in line at the Hertz car rental location with no available cars despite having a reservation, calling my friend Ashlie to pick us up and lend us her car for the day (thank you again Ashlie!) and then sitting in crazy amounts of traffic, we arrived at the new home. But, in the end, I decided not to leave Matcha behind. So, I zipped up her carrier and back in the car we went. We then drove back to downtown Dallas, spent the night in a cool hotel room, had a much needed glass of wine, took an Uber to the airport the next morning and flew to Florida...with Matcha alongside and as confused as ever. Texas to Florida Now we're in Florida hanging out with my family as the search for the right home for Matcha continues! It's time to use your travel knowledge and research skills! Last week
The last photo I displayed was of one of my favorite 'parks' in the world. And many people seem to know this great place as well! While there were a lot of "I don't know" guesses, there were 8 correct guesses.
Congratulations to Andreea, Tristan, Mandy, Austin, Taylor, Francis and Robin, Eliza and Eliza (yes, two Elizas!) who all correctly guessed SALINA TURDA, ROMANIA! Salina Turda is a massive old salt mine turned into an underground attraction, located about 45 minutes south of the city of Cluj-Napoca. The 'park' is complete with a ferris wheel, lake where you can go boating, table tennis, bowling, an amphitheater for concerts and walking paths, all deep inside the mine. There's also a museum and a health spa. It's all super cool and well worth visiting! This week's photo The Rules
1. Try to figure out where the below photo was taken. 2. Reply to this email with your guess.
3. The more specific the guess, the better!
4. The location will be revealed in next week's newsletter.
So, here we go :) Where in the world is this? Travel-related (usually) tidbits that appeared in my inboxesCheap Flights to JapanA friend informed me that there are dirt-cheap roundtrip flights to Japan for as low as $304 USD between September 2021 and February 2022. That's from the US, but you can find these deals from almost anywhere. It's a bit of a gamble as Japan might not be open for tourism, but if it works out, that's quite a bargain. Creative Paper WorldSee the world a little differently through the eyes of the creative PaperBoyo.American AirlinesAfter flying American Airlines twice in the past week, I gladly filled in the customer survey they emailed me. My experience was not good. From a 1.5 hour wait on their chat app to add Matcha to my booking, not being able to pay for luggage in advance, having our seats given away on the plane, encountering unfriendly check-in staff and flight crew and discovering 'the world's largest airline' (which they repeat many times) can only afford to give us one tiny bottle of water... it was a solid reminder of why I avoid US-based airlines whenever possible. |
Above the Clouds
Photographer Roberto Bertero has taken many photos while above the clouds during his mountain expeditions. This is a collection of his most special photos and moments.
Pessimism in Finland
The town of Puolanka in central Finland just might be the most pessimistic place on Earth.
$10,000 Travel Job
Days Inn by Wyndham is looking for someone to travel around the US for 2 weeks, take photographs to be used on the hotel chain's website and be paid $10,000 for the work. You also get a $250 per day travel stipend and all of your accommodation is taken care of. Applications are accepted until June 1st!
Sufism in Pakistan
Aaron Huey is posting a photo series on Sufism based on his fascinating travels through Pakistan.
Incredible Street Food
Two of my favorite bloggers compiled a list of their 50 favorite street food dishes from around the world. Get ready to take a culinary tour like no other!
Get Paid to Work from Italy
First there were Italian villages offering homes for $1, now there are Italian villages offering to pay half your rent if you move there for awhile and work remotely. South Africa Ends Lion Captivity
In a big move, the South African government is taking steps to end the lion-breeding industry in the country. Permits that allow for the breeding, keeping, hunting or interacting with captive lions will no longer be issued and existing permits will be revoked. Facilities where tourists pay to pet lions or participate in trophy hunting will be closed as a result, in what is a major win by conservation and wildlife groups after a years long battle. Thanks for reading!
Regards,
Derek (my middle name is Earl) *If you received this email from someone else and want to sign up to A Life of Travel, simply click the button below: |
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