Mancora – Beautiful Beaches, Miserable People

I’ve been behind schedule with my blog posts lately, but I really wanted to get this Mancora one immediately done with and out of the way. Why? Because it was a segment of our trip that I would like to purge from my brain forever. I need some closure on that place so I…

Families and Kids Off the Beaten Path in Quito

As our name suggests, we are never very good at following itineraries – even our own! Originally we had intended to stay in Panama for a longer period of time and then visit Quito for a short while before setting off to other parts of Ecuador. However, this adventure is all about allowing life to…

Something in the Air

We awoke that Saturday morning with a collective feeling of “blah”. As a family, we are not generally inclined towards hypochondria, but the four of all either had a headache, stomach upset, or a strong case of the lazies. Two of us awoke before dawn with the anxiety that sleep cut too short brings. The…

Keeping the Kids Happy in Quito

I’m here to tell you – traveling with young children is not for the faint of heart. Exploring foreign lands can be stressful even without kids. You are faced with struggling to communicate for everyday necessities. You don’t know where the bathrooms are, or if there even are bathrooms. You’re not sure what to order…

New Friends, Diaper Rash, Lice, and an Early Departure

I am sitting on the big yellow school bus of my youth, now converted into a (still-uncomfortable) medium distance travel vessel mostly for grownups. My groggy two year old snuggles into the crook of my arm while the amiable man seated next to me chats about Noriega and the history of our military in Panama.…

To David and Back (or – Our Descent into Hell)

If you are thinking that our blog posts have been unnaturally upbeat and happy lately, allow me to change things up a little bit. We have been in town for two weeks. Two weeks is generally long enough to explore your space, meet some people, and get acclimated. Or time enough to get a little…

How to sell all of your stuff before moving (and why you should really consider doing it)

A friend of mine moved across the country a few years ago. At the time, her husband had accepted a job offer that required him to leave immediately. She was left on her own to deal with most of the packing and all of the moving. She had a large amount of household stuff –…

People like us?

I have introduced “us” as a young family with a very limited budget, but also the ability to travel and possibly live outside of the country – but that wasn’t always us. Not so many years ago, I would have described us as a very typical American, two income family with a mortgage, car payments,…