Confession #1... When they invented luggage with wheels, my heart almost stopped. Just the thought of going someplace far away and exotic sets my mind in a spin. It is a great big, beautiful world and I want to see it, every last inch.  I like to think of travel as candy… for my senses and I absolutely adore anything remotely having to do with it: packing, reading globetrotting guides, foreign money, capsule wardrobes…

Even though things are beginning to bloom and brave green stems are poking their way up through the dirt, it's a chilly day here in NYC and I have serious wanderlust. Truth be told, Ari and I just got back from our Amazon adventure about 3 weeks ago, but as soon as I am in an airport heading home, I usually start thinking, "Where to next?"

Sometimes it's a location that inspires me or a festival I want to check out. Could be a restaurant or a show, or a great hamam. I am a sucker for beautiful handmade things and have scoured markets on 5 continents looking for exceptional 'stuff'. I also love to plan, something about checklists and maps fires up my nerd brain and if there is a reason for me to buy a new pair of shoes, HOT DAMN - heaven!  

When you travel, you get the opportunity to learn so much about yourself, so much about other cultures, so much about the people you are on the road with. Ari is an excellent travel companion. His low-key South American 'no se que' demeanor is a perfect match for my always in overdrive, fast talking, fast moving New York moxy. We make a good pair. He is an excellent photographer and his openness behind the lens is only matched by big, engaging smile - he has people at, "Hola!".  I am now (slightly) more reserved when we travel as (occasionally) navigating some parts of the world as a loud mouth female has proved interesting - more on this in future posts... lucky for me I am also good at talking my way out of a jam.

We will be back on the road soon. I just booked us flights to Guatemala. One of the largest handcraft markets in Central America is located in Chichicastenago, about 2.5 hours north of Antigua. The explosion of color alone is enough to hop on a flight. Between that and checking out Antigua, a fabulous UNESCO town riddled with Baroque architecture, I'm already planning on buying an extra bag to fly home with...

Guatemala's largest export is coffee and it is the birthplace of chocolate. It seems that the Mayans worshipped the cacao tree and used this "food of the Gods" and cocoa beans as money. They (and the Aztecs) paid for food, taxes, and clothes with cocoa beans! I love chocolate and good coffee, so does Ari, and the more research I do, the more I think we will need a very large extra bag...