PuraVida profile picture

PuraVida

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken!

About Me


Update (as of June 3rd): I’ve been in Africa since January starting with Egypt and then worked my way through Ethiopia, Rwanda, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and now in Zambia. I was able to see the mountain gorillas up close in Rwanda, do some serious rafting in Uganda, surrounded by lions in Kenya, and hit the beaches of Zanzibar. Hopefully I can post some pics soon. Internet has been much harder than I thought it would be and VERY slow! I’m about to get on an overland truck through Botswana, Namibia and should be in South Africa by the end of June. Should be good times but I’m looking forward to finally going home in July!
Recent pics from Ethiopia in March:


Recent pics from Egypt in February:


Highlights from the last two years:



In September of 2004 I decided to sell everything I own and travel the world starting with Central and South America ( See Blog ) until April of 2006 when I broke my collar bone in Argentina. After a brief recovery at home I went to Europe for World Cup and to run with the bulls in Spain ( See Blog ). After that I flew to Singapore and traveled through SE Asia and then up through China and into Tibet, Nepal and India. I’m currently in Eastern Europe and not sure whether to stay here for a bit or go to Africa for 2008.
Get Skype and call me for free.
Travel Blogs:
Jordan - (January - 08)
Lebanon - (December - 07)
Syria - (December - 07)
Turkey - (November - 07)
Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, & Bulgaria - (October - 07)
Bosnia - (October - 07)
India - (September - 07)
-Tibet - (July - 07)
Cambodia - (June - 07)
Laos - (May - 07)
Myanmar (Bagan, Mandalay, & Yangon) - (May - 07)
-Myanmar (Inle Lake Trek) - (May - 07)
Malaysia (Other) - (April - 07)
Malaysia (Borneo Island) - (April - 07)
Indonesia (Bali) - (March - 07)
Indonesia (Java Island) - (March - 07)
Singapore - (March - 07)
Turkey - (August - 06)
Greece - (August - 06)
Italy (Rome) - (August - 06)
Monaco/French Riviera - (July - 06)
Spain (Barcelona) - (July - 06)
-Spain (Running with the Bulls – Pamplona) - (July - 06)
Germany, Prague, and Amsterdam - (June - 06)
-South America Journey - (November – 05 through May - 06)
Argentina (El Calafate) - (April - 06)
Chile (Torres del Paine) - (April - 06)
Argentina (Ushuaia) - (March - 06)
Brazil (Iguazu Falls) - (March - 06)
Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) - (February - 06)
-Bolivia - (February - 06)
Peru (Machu Picchu & Choquequirao) - (January - 06)
Colombia (Cartagena) - (December - 05)
Venezuela (Angel Falls Trek) - (November - 05)
Colombia (Lost City Trek) - (November - 05)
Colombia - (November - 05)
Panama - (October - 05)
Costa Rica - (August - 05)
Personal Blogs:
My visit to Center for Children’s Happiness (June – 07)
List of Bad Travel Experiences (Updated March – 07)
-Regret - Integrity - Forgiveness
-Quest for Happiness I
Learning Without Borders
Frequently Asked Questions
My Groups:
What Can I Do?
TravelBuds
My Travel Links: Click Here
Here is a link to access my music. I share it with my cousin Dominic so if there’s any bad music it’s his: Click Here
It may seem like I have a lot of ‘friends’ on MySpace but I try to keep up with everyone on a personal basis or at least through blogs. If you want automatic updates ( Click Here ).
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
- T. S. Eliot -
For questions about how I afford to travel or other general questions ( FAQ Blog ).

My Interests


Here are some of my favorites:

Jordan – (January – 08) ~
( Click Here for Blog )




Turkey – (November – 07) ~
( Click Here for Blog )




India – (September – 07) ~
( Click Here for Blog )




Tibet – (July – 07) ~
( Click Here for Blog )




Myanmar – Bagan/Mandaly/Yangon (May – 07) ~
( Click Here for Blog )




Myanmar – Inle Lake Trek (May – 07) ~
( Click Here for Blog )




Indonesia – Java Island (March – 07) ~
( Click Here for Blog )

..

Mt. Hood, Oregon (February – 07) ~

Spain/French Riviera (July – 06) ~
( Click Here for Blog )

..

Argentina (March – 06) ~
( Click Here for Blog )

..

Bolivia (February – 06) ~
( Click Here for Blog )

..

I'd like to meet:

People I can learn from (everyone).

Music:

Here is a link to access my music. I share it with my cousin Dominic so if there’s any bad music it’s his ( Click Here )

Movies:

Sure

Television:

Better things 2 do

My Blog

Jordan (January  08)

After Lebanon (see Blog) and Syria (see Blog) I traveled through Jordan where it was winter and snowed a few times in Amman and Petra.  I was overwhelmed by people saying 'Welcome to Jordan' and ...
Posted by PuraVida on Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:08:00 PST

Lebanon (December  07)

After my visit to Syria (see Blog) I made my way through the north end of Lebanon and down to Beirut.  It didn't take long to figure out that everyone here seemed to be a bit nervous and the secu...
Posted by PuraVida on Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:06:00 PST

Syria (December  07)

Syria was a bit hard to get into as an American but well worth it. My first point of entry was from the Turkish border (see Turkey Blog) where I spent many hours waiting for approval from Damascus. ...
Posted by PuraVida on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 03:46:00 PST

Turkey (November  07)

This was my second time in Turkey (see first Blog) and this time I came from Bulgaria (see Blog) in the north. I spent six weeks and was only able to see the West and Central parts. Turkey is the 37...
Posted by PuraVida on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:28:00 PST

Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, & Bulgaria

After Bosnia (see Blog) I spent the month of October traveling through Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria.  It was starting to get cold as fall set in and the autumn colors rem...
Posted by PuraVida on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 04:25:00 PST

Bosnia (October - 07)

For such a small country Bosnia has affected world politics for decades including the event that triggered World War I, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.  The 1984 Winter...
Posted by PuraVida on Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:45:00 PST

India (September - 07)

Once I left Tibet (see blog) I spent a few weeks in Nepal and then headed straight to India. My goal was to hit a beach and take some time to relax before deciding where in the world to go next. My ...
Posted by PuraVida on Sun, 11 Nov 2007 03:37:00 PST

Tibet (July - 07)

After traveling through SE Asia I flew from Hanoi, Vietnam into Kunming, China to get the necessary paperwork and government approvals to fly into Lhasa, Tibet. The Chinese government has been tightl...
Posted by PuraVida on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:29:00 PST

Cambodia (June - 07)

After Laos (see blog) we crossed by land into Cambodia. Cambodia has recently had a turbulent history including Operation Menu (see Wikipedia article) where in 1969 the US secretly bombed parts of th...
Posted by PuraVida on Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:06:00 PST

Center for Childrens Happiness (June 4, 2007)

While I was in Cambodia I had the chance to visit the Center for Children's Happiness (CCH) outside of Phnom Penh.  This was an amazing experience that I will never forget.  It started with ...
Posted by PuraVida on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 04:49:00 PST