Author Darlene Nastansky
Combining my love for the outdoors and medicine, I have practiced Orthopedics as a Physician Assistant for 11 years.
In 2009, I left to pursue my dream of travel and adventure.
I packed up everything and left for a 12 month jaunt around the world, with time to volunteer in third world medicine, publish articles, climb peaks and rent motor-scooters.
My experience continues to open more avenues, I find myself speaking at fundraisers, packing for a return voyage to Ethiopia for a specific medical cause, freelancing ....
The flood gates of my dreams have opened!
No one would have guessed 23 years ago, as a teen parent, I would have pulled myself from the throes of poverty into the dreams of a lifetime.
As a young girl nurtured beneath the Arizona sunshine, I found my way to the Northwest where climbing, mountain biking, back country skiing and trail running were never far away.
My newest quests include sultry twilight passages, unfamiliar utterances, chaos, foreign soils and trading medical knowledge with the third world.
Please feel free to contact me at info@elephantcloud.net
Heeding the advice of fellow travelers, we take a bus to the North of Zanzibar, seeking tranquil beaches and unrelenting sunshine. Kendwa Rocks becomes our new home. The ocean beautiful, covered in fine white sand, sea shades of light green to dark blues disappear behind the horizon. A boy standing in his dugout canoes drudges […]
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November 24th, 2009 by Darlene Nastansky · 1 Comment · Africa, Tanzania
The sun is directly overhead as we ferry along the equator from Dar El Salaam to Zanzibar. Ancient wooden dhous sail on our wake, reeling in full nets for the fish market. The slow ferry saves us money, so we climb aboard claiming two seats, in the shade no less, and wedge between local Tanzanians. […]
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November 12th, 2009 by Darlene Nastansky · 1 Comment · Africa, Tanzania
From Paris to Cairo to Dar El Salam, uncertainty ensued at every security check. We were the only passengers without visas or return tickets, and no one knew quite what to do with us. After our Cameroon Visa fiasco, my communication skills were reduced to pleading, begging and almost bribery, Jay’s composure held fest. Even […]
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November 7th, 2009 by Darlene Nastansky · 1 Comment · France, Morocco
Visa Requirements- a stamped letter of invitation, bank statements, WHO certified Yellow-Fever Vaccination, two page application form, 4 passport photos, plane tickets, crisp American bills minted after 2006, passports and patience, lots of patience. We were headed for Cameroon, the flavor of West Africa. The Cameroon Embassy in Morocco sits off to the right of […]
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October 24th, 2009 by Darlene Nastansky · 1 Comment · Africa, Morocco
Two months of jaunting through Morocco and we finally arrive at Bab Boujeloud, an ornate blue and green tiled gate marking the entrance of the Fes Medina. A labyrinth once feared by tourists as impossible to navigate alone, the city has installed colored arrows directing self-guided tours, and now the hassle from official and faux […]
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