Louisville skyline - Fall 2009

Backpacker’s Guide to Louisville

Louisville is a city that isn’t trying to be anything but itself, and that’s why you should visit. More than just the home of the Kentucky Derby, visitors can take steamboat trips on the Ohio River, delve into the history of Thomas Edison (who lived there for two years), dine at some local staples or […]

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Spanish Language Hacking – Recap

The last 30 days I attempted to speak only in Spanish. I failed after five days, but I still had a long conversation in Spanish with someone each day. I’m nowhere close to being fluent, but I still made a lot of progress from being only able to say “¡Hola!” “¡Adios!” and “Sí” three months […]

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Street art is common to find in Zone 1 of Guatemala City.

Why You Need to Man Up and Visit Guatemala City

The traveling community doesn’t have a great opinion of Guatemala City. In fact, I hear the main reason not to go visit the city is because it’s “dangerous.” While I recognize that there are problems, I think they’re greatly exaggerated. I’ve had some of the most fun in Guatemala here in the capital. Imagine the […]

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Central Park - Guatemala City

Spanish Language Hacking V – Guatemala City

There are only two days left of my experiment where I speak only in Spanish. It’s been easier to communicate in the language in Guatemala City. Few tourists come here, and while a few locals speak English, there aren’t many. That’s made it fun to go out here at night and practice conversations beyond the […]

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Spanish Language Hacking IV – Monterrico

For eight days, I hung out on the beach at Monterrico, Guatemala. Aside from the mosquitoes, my time was extremely pleasant. I swam in the ocean every day, played volleyball and frisbee, or hung out at the hostel and practiced ping-pong and darts. However, I am finding that because I’m staying in touristy places like […]

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