A demo for the travel program, "The Vagabond Diaries." |
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It starts out as a crazy dream. Leave everything behind and start over in a foreign place?
When travel writer Wendy Dale does exactly that, turning a far-fetched idea into a way-one plane ticket, she finds herself in a Third World country much stranger than she ever imagined. Llama meat is a dietary staple, coca leaves are chewed as often as Chiclets, and the task of hiring an electrician or maid — even a witch — means simply picking someone out from the lineup on the street corner. As Wendy struggles to adapt to the rhythms of her new life, she makes a host of embarrassing cultural gaffes, enough to discourage even the most experienced of world travelers. But Wendy is not your everyday adventurer. A respected Random House travel author, she is famous for finding humor even in the worst of situations. In Bolivia, she learns that ordering “a Coke to go” means getting a soft drink poured into a plastic bag. The task of furnishing her house entails a visit to a prison — inmates earn their keep by selling handmade tables, chairs, and barbecue grills to anyone in need of a home makeover. But there are deeper revelations as well. As Wendy attempts to make a life for herself in her adopted country, even simple challenges cause her to reflect, not only on Bolivian norms, but also on the home she left behind. Little by little, Wendy comes to terms with the fact that facing the unfamiliar may not be such a crazy idea after all. In the end, sometimes you have to give up everything you know in order to find yourself. There are moments when your life ceases consisting of a series of events and starts to become an adventure. |
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