Words by Matt Dursum Sure, I’ve squatted in a chicken coop, taken a bite out of a living and squirming fish, and greeted a group of men holding machetes with a nervous smile. But why did I feel the most out of place in Oklahoma? Culture shock is a common feeling when we travel, and sometimes we even experience it at home. But what is it and why can it be so unbearable? We can…
Words by Matt Dursum Photography by Yaron Ptashnik Music goes hand in hand with many life events: romantic courtships, solitary moments, and, of course, adventurous road trips through exciting new landscapes. Music is the catalyst for memories. At least it is for me. I lived in Japan from 2009 to 2013. Not big-city Hello Kitty, sprawling neon signs Japan, no. I was in the boonies. In the small and charming coastal community known as Minami…
What could be better than an open road journey at the bottom of South America? In March 2022, we loaded up a car and headed out on an adventure from Santiago to Patagonia to discover the continent’s untouched Pacific wilderness and the beauty within it. Santiago is a big city. Traffic moves noisily and neurotically. Exit ramps miraculously appear out of thin air and everyone is in a hurry. Just before noon on a scorching…
All Photos by Samantha Demangate Pungent layers of mesquite smoke lingering in the crisp morning air greeted us as we sleepily stepped outside with our hot coffees. It was dawn in the high desert and the sunrise was breathtakingly colorful. We sipped our coffee and inhaled the aromatic air before packing up and departing from our lovely converted airstream AirBnB. After hitting the road we pulled into a small restaurant to grab breakfast, and in…
All Photos by Samantha Demangate Isolating in the rural desert for a pair of ocean-loving Californians proved to be an exciting, yet challenging experience. For my girlfriend, it was a chance to safely see the United States and to help me move to Michigan. For me, it was a mission to return home, to care for an elderly relative, and an opportunity to discover small town America. During the pandemic this remained difficult, yet with…