Two days ago we headed out with 17 amazing students on a journey that really started in January. A journey that we have been preparing for over 6 months. A journey that has included leadership skills, fundraising and swamp walks. A journey that has culminated into the Amazon rainforest. Let me introduce you to our …
Flying 25 hours and halfway around the world is never easy but always worth it. We stopped in Dubai and I expected an airport that was really special but was a little disappointed. The airport wasn’t much but the shops were full of stuff for the ultra-rich, an IPhone 6 with a black gold case …
Sometimes I sit back in awe, the people, the landscape, the smells, the tastes, the unexpected, the paradoxical. It never ends. In America we have our nice little lives with our perfect kids, where a tough day is getting to work by 9am, dropping the kids by soccer practice after school and getting home with …
It started out as a normal day, Camila and Nitsy stopped by and said they found a family that I may want to sponsor so Brad and I jumped in a motorcar and followed them to a small neighborhood down a dirt street in town. We stepped into a room with a dirt floor and …
Last night Brad and I stopped in a local restaurant that I have eaten in many times before. Ordered a burger and had what we thought was a nice meal, until about 1am. That was when the burger started talking back to me. Obviously some bad meat as I sat hugging the porcelain throne the …
It’s been a year since I have been to my home away from home but I am back in Iquitos. The trip here is always tough because you get into Lima at 11am and the first plane for Iquitos leaves at 6am. By the time you clear customs and get your bags it doesn’t make …
The crowd rolled slowly, the nervous laughter was apparent on all of our Globetrotters faces. I think it hit home when they started seeing the posters around town advertising their performance at CMDA (Casterbridge Music Development Academy). CMDA is an old barn that has been turned into a cute theater that holds a couple of …
Angels Hope is a small orphanage run by Mary and her husband Presto who use their retirement funds to provide for a group of orphans, 4-16 years of age. The funding had been provided to build a new wing but it was not painted and there was a plot of land behind the house that …
After spending five days twining with nature it was time for our Globetrotters to meet the people of South Africa. Our first day started by going to a special care school in Masoyi. When we arrived the kids were scattered around the floor have heartedly working on simple puzzles, it was an emotional scene as …
The next morning we headed for Kruger, a seven hour drive from Joburg, on the way we stopped to take in the beautiful vista from the Blyde River Canyon. It was like an artist had come through and painted the walls of the canyon, which is exactly what happened, the artist was the Master of …
Our flight touched back down in Johannesburg, as we headed for our next location, Lebo Backpackers Lodge, a quaint little lodge positioned in the largest township in Africa, Sweto. The township has come a long way since the early days of riots and clashes with the police that left many dead. In 19xx a demonstration …
You could cut the fear and apprehension with a knife as we loaded up to do something few people in this world would or could do, shark cage diving. The jokes and nervous laughter prevailed until it was time to slip on a wet suit and jump in a cage submerged in 50 degree water. …
We learned some Afrikaan today, ”buy a donkey” which means thank you very much. I’m sure I’m butchering the spelling but it is an easy and a comical way to communicate with the locals, as you tell them to buy a donkey after they provide a service. Last night we took the kids to a …
Our first morning started o ut a little rough, it was pouring down rain and Table Mountain was closed, our first stop of the trip. A quick adjustment and we headed to Boulder Beach to check out the penguins. The penguins were wondering what the crazy Americans were doing standing out in the cold rain but …
After 36 hours of travel, DC, Dakar, Joburg and finally Cape Town we have arrived. The morning started early, 3am to make a 6am flight. It is the first time I have ever been on a Globetrotter trip where all the kids beat us to the airport. We arrived and everyone was busy checking bags …
We walked down the little walkway towards the ferry that was going to take us across Lake Manapouri so we could catch a bus that would take us along a dirt road through the Wilmont Pass, only traveled by other people who were about to experience what was in store for our little group, Lou, …
Every good novel has a plot line, something happens (Lou and Martin land in New Zealand), the characters commit to a goal (we head out on our NZ adventure), rising action (Russell, Rotorua, The Squeeze, White Island, Tongariro Crossing, Kapiti Island, Wellington) and a climax. The climax is the point where the characters reach the …
I rushed into the empty room disappointed and frustrated when I heard a voice behind me, “Can I help you?” I spun around and saw a man walking my way, “Probably not, I think we missed the ferry.” Lou and I had done so good making everything on time and even though we had started …
Napier is one of New Zealand’s wine regions, on the east coast and considered the art deco capital, a sleepy little coastal town with the surf washing up on beautiful clean beaches. We loved our little apartment/room overlooking the ocean, both luxurious and nice people. We immediately felt at home. We both agreed as we …
Gentle Annie has all the right curves in all the right places, hot, beautiful and blond. She was a blast. Annie is something everyone who visits New Zealand should enjoy, a 90 mile track between Taihape and Hastings, one of the coolest roads you will ever drive. Lou and I happened upon it as we …