Yarns
Where Air is Water
I wish I had taken ballet as a kid. The pirouettes I force myself into, avoiding seemingly inevitable collisions with scooters and cars, on roads that have no sidewalks to…
A Psychic Told Me Exactly How My Life Would Play Out, Starting With an Abortion
I run my fingers across the blue lettering that reads ‘Clear Blue Pregnancy Test’. It’s 8:53. I’ll have to wait another whole minute until the pregnancy test reveals the answer.…
Stamps With a Story
Tracing the intricate calligraphy, an old Japanese man smiles and looks over at his granddaughter. He downs the last of his long neck Asahi Super Dry and lets out a…
A Visit to Taipei’s Former Red Light District
“Congee? For your late-night bite? You serious?” said my partner, May. She’d just returned with a bag of barbecued squids from a few stalls away. I was still standing where…
A Christian Walks Into a Strip Club
Bare breasts are in my face, the stripper’s top hanging loosely from the bar stool next to me. I feel like I’ve descended into hell. The room is bathed in…
This Train is Bound for Tomorrow
On a late-night train, there was a girl. I faintly recall a scarf, round cheeks and bangs long enough that they caught on her eyelashes. Her hands fluttered to the…
Finding Love in Lisbon
Following a few blissful weeks of drinking more cheap spirit mixers than water and eating nothing but pastries from some of Europe’s finest bakeries and hostel breakfast tables, I’ve come…
The Fiestas of San Fermin
The Running of the Bulls is what put the sleepy Spanish town of Pamplona on the map, but this pub dare gone way too far is merely the pointy end…
How I Decided
It’s a Sunday afternoon. I’m home in Milan rolling in bed after my Saturday night shift. I receive a message: it’s my best friend Tommy, who lives in Australia. He’s…
A Gringo Goes to Salvador’s Carnival
When you hear ‘Ziriguidum‘, you’re required to put both hands on your knees and bend down like you’re addressing an imaginary, ground-borne squirrel. Once you’re in that position – knees bent…
A Lonely Planet Surprise in India
My stay in Rajasthan’s Royal City of Udaipur was intended to be a Lonely Planet special: accommodation, eating and sightseeing all planned out by an expert travel writer. But, as…
I Bought a $1500 Sailboat in Florida
It was a Friday afternoon in Florida; I had a couple of beers in me and a vague idea of a good deal and an adventure. “This is the kind…