I tightened the laces on my hiking boots, picked up my flashlight, and fell into last place in the line of people heading into the darkness of the Amazon Trail. A stray hair tickled the back of my neck. I nervously brushed it away. What was I thinking? The Amazon rainforest, as beautiful as it […]
Forty-seven, 48, 49, 50. I stopped counting and climbing. I looked up, shielding my eyes from the glare of the sun as I tried to get my breathing under control. The act of catching my breath at nearly 14,000 feet made me acutely aware of how oxygen-rich the air is at sea level where I […]
Travel, especially to an underdeveloped country, can be an eye-opener. Traveling to Peru taught Diane Valenti gratitude. My guide, Marco, showed up promptly at 8 a.m. His clothes pressed to perfection, face scrubbed, and shoes shined. I could still see the comb marks in his damp hair. I, on the other hand, was a rumpled, […]