Mother Nature’s Mad

Mother Nature’s Mad

The buzz about the world for some years now is that Mother Nature’s mad. The question being posed is: Are we just being super-sensitive to her moods or have we gotten up her skirt and enraged her with our careless disregard for her home? Whatever the answer, wild weather is afoot. It seems recent years have seen a normally hyped-up media legitimately using phrases like ‘worst...

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Let There Be Sight!

Let There Be Sight!

I can see again!! Last week, I picked up my new glasses and a whole new world opened up for me. No, truly. It was like I had arrived on a new planet. Sure, I expected to be able to see better, farther, but I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of colour, for the brightness of my surroundings, for the details of things that suddenly flooded my vision. I’ve since spoken with friends about my...

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The Lessons of Golf in the Game of Life

The Lessons of Golf in the Game of Life

I play a game of golf once a year. I’m not bad for only playing once a year, but let’s be honest I’m not great either. I once took a golfing lesson from an Australian golf-pro in Vietnam so I know the basics of how to stand, swing, and stay focussed on the ball despite the distraction of the swing and the overriding desire to see where the ball went. Sounds easy right, but it’s actually...

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Man’s Continued Evolution

Man’s Continued Evolution

“Is selective ignorance the next step in man’s evolution?” asks guest writer Darren J. Roberts. It’s funny, evolution, I mean, it’s not like we know as we sit around Googling things which of our current skills and attributes are going to advance the species.  Sure, we can identify what might get someone ahead in business or at school, but when you talk about the evolution of...

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Toilet Talk

Toilet Talk

Why talking about your bowel movements is common conversation on the road – and how I narrowly missed falling into the toilet! Fingers crossed, but I think I may have just bested my second stomach bug here in Guatemala. Round Two: Winner MSW. My first, when I was here in early December, gave me a beating I will long remember. It was a knockout; one that had me glued to my ringside seat day...

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A Thought Provoking Question

A Thought Provoking Question

Which is better: To be a boat adrift with no form of locomotion (paddles/ motor/ sails) or to be able to move but have no known port or destination? What’s your...

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Generational Differences

Generational Differences

What’s that do-hickey called? You know, the thing that they used to put in the centre of the records (45s to be exact) to allow you to place them on your record player. I saw one on a radio station advertisement recently and immediately thought “How clever?!” I didn’t have to think twice about the music the station played; that ‘do-hickey’ immediately conveyed a time and place in the...

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Saying Goodbye (vs See You Later)

Saying Goodbye (vs See You Later)

Knowing when to say ‘See you later’ can ease the pain of saying ‘Goodbye’ Two newly-minted friends left town today. And I’m a little lonelier as a result of their departure. In fact it is an unfamiliar feeling for me. Not the loneliness, unfortunately that’s one I’m all too familiar with as a lifelong vagabond bouncing from place to place. But usually I’m the one saying goodbye...

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Waiting for the Repair Man

Waiting for the Repair Man

It’s not so much the waiting as the total disregard for my time that has me ranting against those that are chronically late. Why should Guatemala be any different when it comes to waiting on a repairman? Foolish of me to think that it would be. Antigua, where I am presently living, is not a big town. With a downtown area of roughly 8 square blocks you wouldn’t think the demands on the...

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Gallivanting Friends (that can’t be pinned down)

Gallivanting Friends (that can’t be pinned down)

Friends made while travelling can be some of the best you’ll make, just don’t expect them to be home when you knock on their door. The flip-side of having a host of travelling friends is that catching them at home is harder than you might think. In fact I’d likely have more luck bumping into them on the road then pinning them down at home. I’m a lucky man in the sense that I have...

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Belgium: Full of Experience Junkies

Belgium: Full of Experience Junkies

Yes, I’m watching you. Well, kinda. Through the power of Google Analytics I’m paying attention to what you’re reading on this website and from where you’re visiting from. Since The Experience Junkie launched in late June I’ve had visits from over 78 different countries around the world – roughly the same amount I’ve visited. While some of those are supportive friends (thank...

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Fun with Airport Codes

Fun with Airport Codes

(A silly little article with no offence intended to any of the destinations involved.) So! I’ve decided that I need to fly into Massawa, Eritrea, Africa because its three lettered IATA airport code (MSW) matches my initials and I want the personalised luggage tags as the ultimate travel accessory that would accompany any flight there. This got me thinking of alternative airport codes that...

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