“Get down.” Jon whispered, “Lower. Even lower.” I squatted in the dark, my hands planted in the dirt, bracing myself. ‘What would be the best pose to make to blend in with the jungle?’, I thought desperately. I could see the headlines now: Mainland Teacher Gets Caught in an Awkward Position, while Hiding in the Bushes of Puerto Rico. And […]
One night in Lebanon
“If he said he was Jesus, would you have believed him?” Jon’s father asked as he shook his head. We both paused and then I shrugged. “I mean I agree it wasn’t the smartest thing to do but… it did turn out pretty cool.” Only an hour earlier, we had left the hotel in the Lebanese countryside and drove down […]
Tom and Jerry
It is 4am. I know he’s already been awake for an hour now. Normally the dim light from our single lamp would peak around the edges of the curtain that covers the glass door to the bedroom. This morning however, everything is dark. I shift and roll over, trying to fall back asleep. Suddenly a small light flashes on in […]
Houdini
He was leaking guts from the first blow, a leg was missing and he was pinned down in the corner with nowhere to go. Jon took another swing and hit him good. But when he lifted the swiffer, the cockroach had vanished. Jon stood on one side of the microwave, I stood on the other, so one of us would […]
Chestnut Hunting
As I passed the tree I noticed for the first time the chestnuts that were scattered all around it. I hadn’t seen them the last three times I had walked this way this week but maybe I was bored enough today to finally detect them amongst all the fallen leaves. I bent down, picked one out of it’s open shell […]
Campsite Encounters
“Brutus!” But the dog was already out and running laps around us and Ruby as we walked down the steep hill.They sniffed each other and Brutus hopped back and forth, urging Ruby to play. Behind them, a scruffy man walked out from a tent. The entire hill was covered in campsites overlooking the Rocky Mountains. Although this particular tent and […]
Snorts and Squats
The bathroom was barely a bathroom. It had three walls and a toilet. But no toilet seat. No light. We were in the middle of the Andes Mountains and had spent the last eight hours hiking, the last two uphill. My legs could barely sustain my own weight. Which meant hovering over a seat less toilet was not an option. […]
Early Morning Run
“Flight 3048 this is your final boarding call.” The customs officer handed back my passport and then we ran. Jon tugged on the straps of his backpack and I did the same as they bounced behind us. The airport was empty thank god but that was mostly because the majority of the people within this massive structure were still located […]
Convenient Change
It was dusk on Lantau Island, our bellies were full of beer and the breeze off the sea made us feel so content. I had a handful of change bouncing around in my pocket that we needed to spend within the next few hours. We had put aside enough money to pay for the two bus rides back to the […]
Best Room in Town!
Best room in Belize for a reasonable price! At least that’s the impression I got from the reviews. When we walked in, the first thing I was confronted with was the bathroom. It was the size of a closet with no door except for an unusually thin shower curtain. Its lack of ceiling was convenient because it allowed the shower […]