About Me (Barbara Weibel)

Barbara Weibel After years of working 70 hours a week at jobs I detested, I felt like the proverbial "hole in the donut" - solid on the outside, but empty on the inside. Searching for meaning in my life, I abandoned my successful but unsatisfying career and set out on a six-month solo backpacking trip around the world to pursue my true passions of travel, writing, and photography. My blog features stories about the destinations I visit, people I meet, the crazy things...Read more here....


Can’t view the above YouTube video of the activities and entertainment at Iberostar Resorts on Mexico’s Riviera Maya? Click here.

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Can’t see the above YouTube video of the drunken bash that ends the Semana Santa celebrations in the Copper Canyon, Mexico village of Guapalayna? Click here.

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Can’t see the above YouTube video of Plazuela Machado in Mazatlan, Mexico? Click here.

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I didn’t know what to expect at the Veggie Fest 2009. Advertised as “Good Food, Healthy Living,” the fourth annual Chicagoland event was sponsored by Science of Spirituality, a non-profit organization located in Naperville, Illinois whose members are deeply committed to a spiritual way of life based on meditation, service to others, and personal transformation.

Veggie_Fest1

2009 Veggie Fest, sponsored by Science of Spirituality Mission in Naperville, Illinois

With temperatures in the low 90′s and humidity hovering near 100%, it was not an auspicious beginning.  In the sweltering heat I wandered through rows of booths, sampling eco-friedly products and picking up literature from massage therapists and other alternative health practitioners. Within minutes I was hot, damp, and uncomfortable. Then I spotted the meditation tent. The man at the door smiled and invited me in, adding, “Surprise! It’s air conditioned.” Beautiful, blissful air conditioning. Continue reading

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I’ve always wanted to go to Greece but my budget doesn’t allow any more travel at the moment, so I did the next best thing; I went to the Greek Glendi Festival being held right here in Sarasota. For 24 years, St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church has held this event to celebrate the Greek culture, traditions, and Orthodox faith. This year’s theme focused on the Greek Islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas and it was vastly different from the fairs and festivals that are held every other weekend in downtown Sarasota. From the tongue-twisting names of the Hellenic Folk Dancers to the aisles of mouth-watering food and pastry, this festival was spectacularly Greek.

My friend, Joan, and I began with a tour of the church, the interior of which was decorated with intricate mosaics, iconography, and a ceiling mural depicting golden-haloed saints. Continue reading

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I LOVE to travel. I can only stay put for a few months before I get the urge to head out for another one of the distant, exotic places that I haven’t yet checked off my list. Unfortunately, I can’t travel all the time. Once in a while I have to stick around and make some money to pay for all this travel about which I am so passionate. When I find myself grounded for a while – like now – I have to find a way to scratch that travel itch or I go crazy. That’s when I start looking around in my own back yard.

I am ashamed to admit that, despite the fact that I was born and raised in Chicago, I never visited Lincoln Park Zoo, attended a concert at the downtown band shell, went to the top of the Sears Tower, toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s home, visited the Old Water Tower, or watched the futures trading at the Chicago Board of Trade. It’s a mistake I don’t intend to repeat, now that I’ve relocated to Sarasota. Continue reading

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