It’s been nearly three years since I left the United States to travel South America.
The entire experience has changed me at the core…
I call it my new life.
It was December 31st, 2009, New Years eve, when I boarded the plane from Phoenix to Buenos Aires.
I imagined myself dancing tango and sipping espresso in the streets of a world I could only imagine.
It was towards the end of the Bush presidency (remember when the world was ending?) And I was fed up with the American dream.
My dream was always to travel the world, and so I decided it was time to step up and take it.
I got rid of everything I owned and/or drained me. My car, my furniture, my girlfriend… everything… [Keep Reading!->…]
Happy New Year my friends…
This is a year of change, I hope you feel it, and I hope you embrace it!
I personally have a lot of big plans.
I am a DOG in every sense of the word.
I have resisted relationships with some pretty amazing women over the past 3 years, choosing to stay un-catchable, often juggling several at a time. My life has been like a dream to most men I know, but to be honest I’ve probably lost more than I’ve gained.
This year I am making drastic changes in 3 specific areas, and I would like to share them with you… [Keep Reading!->…]
“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” Henry David Thoreau
As I woke up this morning in my motel room in Bellingham Washington, I heard the rumble of traffic outside the window. The machine was awake. I looked at the clock, it was 7:11 am.
It’s been over two years before I gave up everything and left the United States. My business, my car, my house on the lake, a draining relationship, all the things which seemed to define me, I either sold or got rid of and were no longer a part of my life. I was down to a small suitcase of clothes and a few books. It was the start of what I called “my new life.” [Keep Reading!->…]
The warm air blew across my skin as I prepared my dive tank in the small boat, a few hundred yards off the Colombian coast.
“Listo Nathaniel? A middle aged colombian woman said with a beaming smile. One of those smiles where the persons face crinkles into a thousand lines formed over years of the same expression. In this case, an expression of pure joy. [Keep Reading!->…]
This was one of coolest experiences I have ever had.
As part of the advanced scuba program with PADI, a person is required to do a night dive.
I have to say, leading up the night dive I was a little apprehensive. Thoughts of deadly fish that only come out at night, getting lost, or worse, running out of air in the pitch black, 20 meters under the water were haunting me.
As we boarded the boat I was joined by two guys from Denmark, who were also training for their advanced dive certificate.
As we began the journey to our dive location, occasional comments between us broke the silence, most along the lines of, “what the hell are we doing?” and “tell me again why we are diving at night?”
The tension peaked as we arrived and the boat engine turned off. [Keep Reading!->…]
Nate Bunger In Peru
As the plane landed in Lima Peru, I felt butterflies in my stomach.
The moment I’d been dreaming of had just arrived.
The dream wasn’t about Peru persay, but more about the fact that I was now embarking on an around the world trip that just happened to be starting here…
It was starting here because I decided to get off the plane here instead of catching my connecting flight to Buenos Aires Argentina.
I wanted spontaneity and this decision ensured I would get it.
That was a year ago as of this writing. And after a whirlwind trip around South America, full of experiences and adventures that I’m unable to explain without sounding like a lier, [Keep Reading!->…]
Om Necklace Nate Bunger
“Just as that thought was going through my mind, I felt a hand grab the back of my neck. Not a good feeling on a dark street alone.”
As I walked out of my hostel and onto one of the worst streets in Panama City, the smell of piss and feces wafted in the humid air.
Men wearing clothes too dirty to see their original color, half naked indigenous kids and tired looking women, half of them prostitutes, scattered the streets. A common scene in this part of the world, but one I have become quite accustomed to.
One street can be lined with BMW’s and chic restaurants and the next can look like a scene out of “City of God”.
It was nighttime and I’ve been down this street many times before. In all of my travels, I can honestly say that I have never felt in danger.
But this time immediately something felt different. And I always knew it would happen this way.
As as I entered this particular part of the street, thoughts of getting robbed started going through my mind.
I was carrying a small backpack that contained pretty much my entire life. My laptop, passport and wallet not to mention my Ipod and Kindle book reader. Pretty much everything that, if lost, would cause my entire life to be in a serious state of recovery. [Keep Reading!->…]
