Polaroid of the Week: A Broken Ankle in Peru After Conquering Machu Picchu

When I arrived in New York last week, locals joked that I had brought summer with me. The spring had been unusually cold and rainy until my weekend arrival—a reassurance for skipping most of May in the city for four weeks in Austin (yes, my FOMO is real, and that decision wasnt easy!). I even considered extending my Austin stay—I loved it that much—but unforeseen circumstances shifted my plans (details soon). With just eight days in my adopted home, I maximized every moment: savoring a classic N

This week, we grabbed a large bottle of water and two mountain bikes for an unforgettable adventure to caves and waterfalls near Nong Khiew, a picturesque town spanning the Nam Ou River in northern Laos. The cave was a short mile from town, reached via a bamboo footbridge over a stream and a steep three-story ladder carved into the mountainside. Pressing on, the rugged mountain trails challenged us with grueling inclines that demanded every ounce of strength to navigate each turn. The effort pa

We had just arrived in Guatemala and spent a couple of days in Flores, a picturesque island town on Lake Petén Itzá. One sunny afternoon, lounging on the dock, a friendly Guatemalan anciano (elderly gentleman) approached to chat. He introduced himself as Miguel de San Miguel from the village of San Miguel across the lake. At 85 years old, Miguel had lived his entire life by the lake, dedicating most of it to extracting chicle from sapodilla trees in the nearby jungles. His warmth captivated us,