Making the decision to be happy

Deciding to be happy, pursuing my passions, and volunteering my way toward a better world

Now

Happiness Plunge Twitter Happiness Plunge Facebook Happiness Plunge Youtube Channel

An Indian Wedding – Need I Say More?

Celebrating Diwali In India With Food, Fireworks, And Family

A Day With My Hero – Mahatma Gandhi

My 500th Post On My 500th Day As A Happy & Homeless Nomad

Hey Mom, Surprise, I’m Home For Christmas!

Buddha’s Beautiful Birthplace

Visiting Kids With Cancer In The Hospital

Meditating With Pythons – This Time I Was Scared!

An Amazing Week At A Rural Thai Buddhist Temple

A Magical Week In The Laotian Countryside – Ending With A Village Ceremony And Tears

Are Cambodians The Happiest People On Earth?

30 Things I’ve Learned About Life As I Turn 30

The Best Of Latin America – Best Photographs

A Weekend With The Tsachilas – Indigenous, Spiritual, And Fellow Nomads

An amazing weekend with the Tsachila indigenous people of Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Together, Let’s Help Kids With Cancer!

Help me raise money for kids with cancer while I grow out a future wig to help a child with cancer live a more normal life.

Celebrating The New Year In Venezuela – Impromptu Trip To The Most Beautiful Beach I’ve Ever Seen

The pictures speak for themselves, and yet could never really show how beautiful this place was!

Building A Website & Installing A Solar Panel System – An Awesome Volunteering Experience In Honduras!

One of the best and most rewarding volunteering experiences yet!

Machu Pichu

June 25, 2012

Some things don’t require narration. Below is my encounter with Machu Pichu. Arrival By Train First Glimpse When I got there in the morning, it was foggy and cloudy. Below are the pictures. Inca Bridge A small bridge from the Incan times used by the Incan army to protect Machu Pichu. Beautiful views and vegetation [...]

Read the full story →

Ollantaytambo – An Emperor’s Home And The Last Stop Before Machu Pichu

June 23, 2012

Ollantaytambo was built for an Incan emperor. What remains is an impressive site with the emperor’s face indelibly watching the city. Face Carving For me, the most impressive thing about Ollantaytambo is the carving of the Inca Emperor’s face into the mountain. The length of the face is about 30ft/10m. It’s a wonder how the [...]

Read the full story →

Photo Friday – Happiness According To McDonalds – Singapore

June 22, 2012

Read the full story →

Que Caro Es Ser Pobre – Public Spending

June 21, 2012

When I was volunteering at Maya Pedal in Guatemala there was a sign on the wall that said “Que Caro Es Ser Pobre”. It means “How expensive it is to be poor.” As I travel through many of the world’s “poor” countries, I am writing a series of articles about how expensive it is to be poor. [...]

Read the full story →

Pisaq – Fortress, Cemetery, Terraced Agriculture, And A Partridge In A Pear Tree

June 20, 2012

The architectural ruins at Pisaq, the entrance to the Sacred Valley, show the Inca’s ingenuity and gives insight into how they lived. Even from afar, this site is impressive as you can see below. Terraced Agriculture Upon entering the site, the most immediately obvious thing you notice is the agricultural steps. These terraces, made by [...]

Read the full story →

A Walk Through The Pisaq Market

June 19, 2012

The town of Pisaq is at the entrance to the Valle Sagrado/Sacred Valley of the Incas. It was the bread basket of the Incan Empire, with food production generously supported by the sacred Urubamba River. Pisaq market is a market set up in the narrow, winding streets of Pisaq. The sights, sounds, smells, colors, and [...]

Read the full story →

Puka Pukara – Cusco’s Beautiful Red Fortress At Twilight

June 18, 2012

Puka Pukara, or red fort in Quechua, gets its name from the red tint the rocks reflect at twilight. The site was a military fortress designed to protect the city of Cusco and served as a settlement. Scholars believe it was an Incan administrative center of sorts. There are aqueducts, plazas, baths, fountains, and other [...]

Read the full story →

Qenko And Tambomachay – Incan Maze and Incan Spa

June 16, 2012

Qenko and Tambomachay are two interesting sites in Cusco that I went to. I combined them for this article because neither place has much meat to its story. Tambomachay Tambomachay, which means resting place in Quechua, stands 3765m/12,350ft above sea level just outside of Cusco. Scholars think the Incas constructed the site to worship water [...]

Read the full story →