Cast of Characters

You will see names dropped throughout the blog posts, gallery and in photo captions. I will take some time to describe the cast of characters now so that you will feel in the know as you navigate the site. You’re one of us now.

Michelle – ah, Michelle. She has also been called Bernie and I’m sure a long list of other names. She’s a woman on the go always jetting off to some enticing isle or twisting a friend’s arm to get them to travel to some far flung destination with her. I have known her for some while now. Some while being 18 years. We have enough secrets on each other to remain friends regardless of what transpires. Michelle = friend. Countries visited with Michelle – US (we met originally in Seattle), Germany (where we worked together), Spain (where we frolicked in the sun), South Africa (where we wrote our names in the sand), Namibia (where we chased watering holes), Zimbabwe (where we enjoyed high tea), Botswana (where we climbed aboard a safari), Brazil (where we sunned our buns on the Copa), London (where she visited me while I lived there), France (for the Nice Carnival), Monte Carlo (for the gambling). I feel like I am missing countries. There must be more.

Vicky – A woman of standards. Yes, Vicky has standards so I’m afraid we haven’t traveled as often together. Oh that isn’t true, we traveled together as often as we could. We did Rio, Mallorca, Salzburg, Germany (where we worked), London (when she lived there) and the US.

Kristofer – A man of mystery. I met him in Madagascar and never figured him out. He’s a traveler who pretends on occasion to be civilized. He would much rather be out and about than home with friends enjoying regular life. I always thought it was strange how he would travel alone around the world taking photos of families, children, festivals and so on, but never staying in one place long enough to have for himself what fascinated him so much abroad. We traveled together on and off in Madagascar, Mongolia and a couple other countries.

Al, Mimi, Nadira, Kylie, Niklas and probably a few more – I originally met these people while studying in Lund, Sweden. Turns out both Mimi and I were shipped out on the UCLA study abroad program but it took a place as small as Lund for us to actually meet. We’ve bumped into each other around the world somewhat randomly – Prague, London, Paris, Varanasi. You never know where we’ll meet next. Kylie and Niklas are in Melbourne with their beautiful family. A family so beautiful I don’t know for sure if they ever really noticed I stayed in their back wing for nearly 3 weeks.

Sharon and Phil were so nice to meet me in Brisbane. Sharon and I originally met randomly in a bar in London (where no surprise Mimi also was!). Of course we were fast friends surviving the beat of the English street.

Houman – oh sweet, wonderful Houman. Gentle creature who makes me look entirely unworldly in comparison with him. He has traveled all around the world many, many times. He weekends in Rio, flies with the Dalai Lama and does many other amazing things. We’re both from LA, met in Sweden, and keep meeting up in different cities. We even spent time together in Bangkok during a coup.

Steve – Even family shall be named. Steve and I met in Bangkok for the coup while he was scandalously traveling in Asia. Lucky he even made it to Bangkok.

There are others escaping me at the moment. But this is what the world is entirely about – PEOPLE. The friends I have and the people I met along the way. It’s people that enrich the experience and make it memorable.