The past few days have been a blur of beauty, incredible meals, unforgettable architecture, and time to share with my sisters and mom. I think I will look back on these last few weeks fondly for a long time in the future; so much has happened in such a short time. Two days ago, we … Read more
I feel like I’ve visited heaven. Millions of waterfalls, lakes everywhere, water so clear you could drink it, fish the size of your leg and so many trees, bushes so thick that you can barely see the water flowing down and out of them, and a wooden stair path floating above it all like you … Read more
Budapest is one of my new favorite cities! It’s rare to see a historic city with lots of modern touches and a culture that is very friendly and accommodating to match. Hungary has seen a lot of tragedy and the memorials there were fantastic; there is an obvious Jewish heritage and luckily I was able … Read more
There is a certain point where I realized that there was nothing I could do to save anyone. There’s no saving. There’s always suffering. And thinking otherwise is simply idealizing and overgeneralizing. Suffering is an unavoidable aspect of this world. You are not a victim, but instead an inhabitant; viewing suffering as against you or … Read more
The past few days have been a difficult adjustment period. The accumulation of stress over the past few months was nothing short of monumental and I needed time to allow everything to process. Budget traveling in Asia was fun, rewarding, and a life-changing experience. I would do it again, but I would have planned things … Read more
This story is part of a series, this is the twenty-second part. You can read the first story here: The Wanderer, Part 1 and the most recent story here: The Wanderer, Part 21 Tas woke up with a jolt. Chills coursed through his body; the alpine air was fresh and crisp and their fire had died down to embers. … Read more
!["Rough diamond" by Unknown USGS employee - Original source: USGS "Minerals in Your World" website. Direct image link: [1]. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rough_diamond.jpg#/media/File:Rough_diamond.jpg](https://elliottelford.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Rough_diamond.jpg)
“A diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material; it can be contaminated by very few types of impurities. Most natural diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure. A material with superlative physical qualities, most of it original from the strong bonds between its atoms.” -Wikipedia Sometimes, people rise above … Read more
At this point, I am ready to leave Asia. This journey has been a long one; its been almost four months since I left sunny California to head to India. India was rough; I got food poisoning 3 times, the third time for an entire week before I was able to get my hands on … Read more
This story is part of a series, this is the twenty-first part. You can read the first story here: The Wanderer, Part 1 and the most recent story here: The Wanderer, Part 20 Tas woke with a shake, not sure where he was. He panicked immediately, remember the night before. He twisted to his left and hit his … Read more