For those of you who’ve followed this adventure for a while understand that everything I do has a purpose. The “missions” I set out on are organized to learn about specific aspects of a country and it’s culture. Tourist 2 Townie began in Argentina with learning Spanish and finding a local job and then moved … Continued
**Watch in HD** On day 1 of volunteering at Paseo Los Monos Monkey Rescue Center in Puyo, Ecuador my camera was confiscated by Sambo, the alpha woolly monkey. He told me I could have it back at the end of the week, but not before he put together this short video explaining his life at … Continued
As the 5th largest city in South America you’d think Lima would get a little more respect. Before arriving in Peru’s capital, all I heard was that Lima is a boring pass-through metropolis that you could experience in 4 days on your way to Machu Picchu. Not one to listen to other’s travel reviews, I … Continued
The trip to Paseos Los Monos almost never happened. I was enjoying my time in Baños and questioned if the hour bus trip to Puyo for a typical, over-staged monkey photo was worth it. I was also a bit hesitant to see how tourists and staff interacted with the monkeys, seeing too much poor treatment … Continued
This past Saturday marked the 2 year anniversary of Tourist2Townie.com and my quest to travel deeper. On October 1st, 2009 I left everything comfortable in my life in search of something more. My dream was to become part of a foreign community, learn new skills, meet new people and experience new adventures. Now, as I … Continued
When Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to go uncover the new world, I can only imagine the thoughts that ran through the two explorers minds… Were they sad about leaving home, excited about the new adventure, nervous, anxious, overwhelmed? I wonder, out of all the emotion and anticipation, what did they tell their friends and … Continued
While I’m happy to be home visiting friends and family for a few months, putting together this little piece really made me miss life back in Medellin. The music, food, language, culture and women… I fell in love with Colombia in the 5 short months of living in Medellin and I can’t wait to get … Continued
View The Great American Road* Trip – 2011 in a larger map The last few months have been chaotic and wonderful. In mid-April I returned to New York from Medellin for a best friend’s wedding. After the festivities I decided to stay in the States to explore my own backyard between work and more weddings. … Continued
This photo is from the terrace of my new apartment in Envigado. Who said you can’t build an empire with a view? Check out more photos of Medellin, Colombia GarethMy name is Gareth Leonard, a Marketing Director turned World Traveler with a passion for slow, meaningful travel. I have been traveling the world full-time for … Continued
The streets of Bogota are lined with these walking telephone booths called “Minutos”. It’s a simple operation consisting of a resourceful entrepreneur connected to a plethora of basic cellular phones via chains or rope. People just walk up, grab a phone and have a chat. Once the call is finished the operator reels the phone … Continued