Travel and culture
As an Australian with ancestors in the Netherlands and British Isles, my family, my friends and I are firmly rooted in a cultural entity commonly known as “the west.” This definition generally refers to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and countries in western Europe. While not all my friends and family are entirely… Continue reading The United States Is Not A Western Country. Here’s Why.
As I ambled out the front gate of Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport and picked out the cab driver with the nicest looking face it suddenly struck me that I was, after all, in Peru. End of semester parties, endless goodbyes to fellow exchange students on their way back to Europe or Mexico and a… Continue reading The Dol Siblings go to Peru
"Camila! Quinten! What are you drinking?" asks Señor Salazar. "Something with rum?" I reply, and before his daughter can order he's off the beach, over the road and into the resort he and his wife have been terrorising for a couple of days now. Having an absolute ball, it seems. At the slightly quieter posada… Continue reading Not Exploring San Andres
Since air travel has become a thing, travellers can find all kinds of weird and wonderful ways to culture shock themselves. A flight between the Middle Eastern hubs of Istanbul and Tel Aviv once took me via the icy Latvian capital of Riga. A few hours on a plane can take you someplace where things… Continue reading On Leaving
Originally published in The City Paper Bogota on June 18, 2013 as "Tequendama: Forgotten Falls". Find the original story here. The trip to Tequendama Falls does not smell nice. You’ll start on the Transmilenio, which houses a diverse mix of body odour and strong perfume at the best of times, and riding down the G… Continue reading The Worst Smelling Waterfall in the World
Originally published in the May 2013 edition of the Bogota City Paper. It took me a moment to realise I was being mugged. He was friendly at first and I didn’t notice when the tone changed and the knife appeared at my throat. I handed over my cash and he seemed pleased: “This is a… Continue reading “Take Your Parents Where?”
First published in The Skinny magazine's April 2013 edition. To see the original piece click here. “It’s all lies, whatever it is your media tells you about him. Sure, Venezuela has some issues. The biggest one is security. But he’s done great things for the country, he helps the poor, and that’s why the Americans… Continue reading Buena Suerte, Venezuela
It should be noted that Colombia isn't exactly the easiest country to travel. It's not the hardest, but that conveniently timed bus still means ten hours of twisting and rolling around in your seat as the bus driver throws himself down and back up Colombia's three ranges of Andes. If you're lucky, you'll get vallenato… Continue reading Pitstops
This article and photos was first published in the December 2012 issue of Phoebella Magazine as 'Life as an Exchange Student". We’ve just noticed them building Colombia’s biggest Christmas tree in Plaza Simon Bolivar when my housemate grabs my shoulder – “Firewood!” We’re walking home through the obnoxious, polluted rush that is central Bogota in the… Continue reading ‘Studying’ in Bogota
The exchange departments of both the Queensland University of Technology and Universidad del Rosario would probably like me to write that the last couple of weeks of my first semester on exchange were full of bitter-sweet goodbyes, the receiving of good grades and pensive reflection. There was definitely a few goodbyes to fellow exchange students… Continue reading No Coffee in the Coffee Region