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
September 5th, 2009 by Darlene Nastansky · 2 Comments · Africa, Morocco
Azemmour, a sleepy coastal town north of Al Jadida, known for elaborate paintings within the medina walls, inhabited by residents, a few artists and per a torn out page of The Lonely Planet, The House of Powder (Dar el Baroud)- remnants of a Portuguese military establishment. Our search for Dar el Baroud began while most […]
[Read more →]
Imagine a month long fast celebrating the Koran as it was revealed to Muhammed, similar to Christian Lent, followers adhere to strict Islamic law- Forbidden are the right to drink, eat, smoke or participate in sexual activities from sunrise to sunset, thus paying homage to the poor and homeless. 4am the Muezzin incants from his […]
[Read more →]
August 29th, 2009 by Darlene Nastansky · 2 Comments · Europe, Spain
Our last night in the city, Tess and I wondered the rowdy crowds.. whistles, bellows, yum-yum cat calls followed every step- Sangria, aceitunas verdes, pimientos de atun, calamares, mejillones, una mas cerveza… Elbowed between strangers, swimming in the raucous energy, I’m crazy for madrid. Past midnight, I sang above the crowd in Spanish what I […]
[Read more →]
Three days from Portland to Tucson through the red hills of Utah. Fossils, slot canyons, Mormons, Jay’s SLR and polygamy beer. We left behind everything, either sold or stashed, save the grey truck, exploding with bikes and climbing gear, which we laid to rest in the hands of Kamillia. So began our wanderlust.
[Read more →]
I drafted a letter to my employer, requesting a leave of absence, a leave to explore the world for one year. No guarantees, no promise of a job upon my return, nothing. But then again, Portland may not be my residence of return. Emotions lofting in the air- an ocean breeze for a one-way ticket […]
[Read more →]
