Cartagena Street Vendor
After walking all around the old city for a few hours, I stopped for some grilled chorizo that this guy was cooking up. Colombia is a good place for street food: lots of fresh fruits like
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The Wheels on the Colombian bus go…
By Stephen Bugno I’m going to dedicate this post solely to Colombian bus rides, focusing on one ride in particular. How does an 80 km (50 mile), 4-hour bus ride turn into a 10-hour trip?
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Photo from the Road: Medellin Knife Drop
One weapon less is many more lives. One technique Medellin, Colombia has implemented to improve safety was by installing this large bin to get knives off the street. To prevent the urge to pull your
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Fernando Botero Sculptures in Medellin
After Pablo Escobar, Medellin, Colombia’s most famous son is Fernando Botero. He is perhaps South America’s most beloved artist. You might recognize his art as those characterized by the use of distorted proportions, or more
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Arrival in Colombia, First Stop Medellin
By Stephen Bugno I have come to Colombia for two reasons. Noel, a good friend of mine lives in Medellin and after lingering for almost a year here, was encouraging me to visit before he
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Yes, Mother, I’m Going to Colombia
By Stephen Bugno Colombia is in the news again as The Expeditioner has out. And for good reasons, the Financial Times and the New York Times are talking about tourism in Santa Marta. This country
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Misconceptions about Mexico City
By Stephen Bugno Over-crowded, polluted, dangerous. These were some of the misconceptions I had about Mexico City. Strolling the quiet, tree-lined neighborhoods of Coyoacon, the one-time neighborhood of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Leon Trotsky,
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Photo from the Road: Correo Central, Mexico City
I was so impressed by the architecture and interior design of Mexico City’s most elegant buildings: the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Torre Latinoamericana, Museo Nacional de Arte. One of my favorites was this: the interior
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I went to Mexico City to See an Ice Axe
By Stephen Bugno Well, not exactly. But the house of Trotsky has definitely been a highlight. You can’t actually see the ice axe that was used to assassinate him, but if you’re into a moderate
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Coming into Mexico City
Walking off the plane I meet Gonzalo. He has black hair slicked to the side, is dressed stylish and caries a guitar. He asks me if this is the correct line for buying bus
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Across the Rio Grande to Chihuahua
By Stephen Bugno Because of the situation in Juarez, I thought it would be a better idea to cross the border at one of the smallest and quietest border crossings into one of the safest
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Chihuahua Museo Quinta Gameros
Successful mine owner Dom Manuel Gameros built this gorgeous mansion in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1910 as a replica of a posh Parisian home. It was a belle epoque showcase and an ostentatious display of
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Contemplating Juarez
By Stephen Bugno “It used to be a great place to party. Everybody would go over there from El Paso. Now El Paso is where everybody comes to party.” I’m hanging out for the afternoon
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Camping in Death Valley in the Summer
Remember that Time We Camped in Death Valley in the Middle of Summer I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to visit Death Valley in the middle of the
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Loathing Las Vegas
By Stephen Bugno 1:43 am. St. George, Utah. At Denny’s refueling. The only place in town that’s open. Two cups of coffee down. Two hours to Vegas to go. We’re getting wired for the
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Across Slickrock and through Narrow Canyons
By Stephen Bugno We camped the night before on BLM land up on the Devil’s Backbone Road, the original road from Boulder to Escalante, close to the last place in the continental US to be
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The Best National Park You’ve Never Heard of
The Best National Park You’ve Never Heard of Leaving Winter Park on our way south we would cross the Continental Divide three times before day’s end. A few miles before Vail we exit I-70
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Photo from the Road: Monticello Tractor Pull
We had just visited Canyonlands National Park Needles District after camping the night before at the base of the Abajo Mountains in Manti-La Sal National Forest above Monticello, UT when we were driving back through
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Climbing Torreys Peak via Kelso Ridge
By Stephen Bugno Out of breath, hysterical, physically exhausted and shaking from extended adrenaline and fear, I round up the final scramble to the summit of Torreys Peak. There are a few people already there.
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Boulder, CO: City of Beer
By Stephen Bugno After a big final night out in Boulder, we rolled out of town in the am twenty miles south to Golden where we picked up the keys to the condominium in Winter
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Kansas, I think I love you
The first thing you notice are the distances. The long and straight roads. The cresting bluffs that afford huge views while driving the length of the state. The endless fields of corn, wheat, and
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By Interstate to Denver
By Stephen Bugno Part one of this road trip is getting myself to Denver in time for my brother’s wedding. I regret having to take the interstate, but due to a lack of time, I
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Cities
I’m back on the train, but my mind is not completely there. I’ve been sick, over-conversed, without sleep, under-worked, and walked all over the ancient city situated on trading routes even more
Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg
By Stephen Bugno Last Sunday I caught the Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. While the photos themselves are not necessarily extraordinary as the
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