Fortuna favet fortibus. It’s Latin for fortune favors the bold / the brave. The Latin words grace my ancestral coat of arms. A variation on the Latin lists it as Fortunaa juvat audaces.

I like to think that it helps guide me when decisions are tough. I would like to think of myself as bold and brave, embracing the things that terrify me the most in life, challenging them head on.

I rode my bike to work today. This is no amazing feat by any stretch of the imagination. Thousands of people just like me do this every day, this simple exercise. And yet it requires a response on my part, because for me, it is out of the ordinary. Continue reading →

WordPress featured my post on Scuba Diving in the Galapagos on their landing page, Freshly Pressed today. I wasn’t expecting that, and I certainly wasn’t expecting the overwhelming response.

Thank you to all the new subscribers, and thanks to everyone for their comments! I am really flattered.

Did you know that the total number of hits to this blog grew by half today alone? I cannot even wrap my head around those figures.

Inspired by all the new readers who paid me a visit, I updated my woefully out of date About page.

Hi new readers! I hope that you stick around!

~hoboshutterbug

Please visit http://hoboshutterbug.com from now on. I’ve made it to the 21st century of blogging.

I will write a long post when I get home and I have more reliable internet access. I didn’t bring my laptop with me to Ecuador, and right now I’m shellshocked to be off the ship and back on land after eight days on board the Galaven II.

But your parents were right. Pack sunscreen. Pack a lot of freaking sunscreen.

The secrets to my happiness when I am abroad are actually quite simple. Continue reading →

I walked up the hill after some seafood fried rice, and the world started spinning in front of me.

The high altitude is playing tricks with my head, but it´s lovely to have a chance to clear my thoughts.

I´m in Quito and life couldn´t be finer.

I’m obsessed with this house around the block. I wasn’t even aware of this obsession, until my other half pointed it out one day. Continue reading →