| Who We Are |
| Who We Are |
Amanda Bejarano - Ligato
Crossing borders has been a way
of life for Amanda for many years.
She grew up in Tijuana, in Baja
California Norte, Mexico and
braved the largest international
border crossing in the world,
Tijuana - San Diego, to attend
private grade school and high
school. After graduation she
insisted on moving to New York to
become a hippie, but her family
convinced her to attend university
first. Sometimes waiting as long
as two hours in the border line
she held down two jobs and
earned her bachelors and
masters degrees in Public
Administration from San Diego
State University. She possesses
dual Mexican and US citizenship.
While Spanish is her first
language she never seems to
stop chattering away in English.
of life for Amanda for many years.
She grew up in Tijuana, in Baja
California Norte, Mexico and
braved the largest international
border crossing in the world,
Tijuana - San Diego, to attend
private grade school and high
school. After graduation she
insisted on moving to New York to
become a hippie, but her family
convinced her to attend university
first. Sometimes waiting as long
as two hours in the border line
she held down two jobs and
earned her bachelors and
masters degrees in Public
Administration from San Diego
State University. She possesses
dual Mexican and US citizenship.
While Spanish is her first
language she never seems to
stop chattering away in English.
Richard Ligato
Rich lived the first 22 years of
his life as an east-coast city
dweller. After graduating from
Temple University he drove
across the country, stopping for
a rest in mild mannered San
Diego On a lark he found a job
with the City of Coronado, a
small island community just
across the bay from downtown
San Diego, bought and lived on
an old wooden "Dutch Shoe"
sailboat in Glorietta Bay. He
became friends with a group of
rugged individuals and old salty
live-aboards, and learned from
their simple, honest ways.
his life as an east-coast city
dweller. After graduating from
Temple University he drove
across the country, stopping for
a rest in mild mannered San
Diego On a lark he found a job
with the City of Coronado, a
small island community just
across the bay from downtown
San Diego, bought and lived on
an old wooden "Dutch Shoe"
sailboat in Glorietta Bay. He
became friends with a group of
rugged individuals and old salty
live-aboards, and learned from
their simple, honest ways.
| Rich and Amanda met while working for the City of Coronado and decided to marry almost two years later. Their wedding had a unique combination of Mexican culture and the laid back San Diego attitude with a dash of live-aboard boaters thrown in for fun. The newlyweds promptly tendered their resignations, caught a one-way flight to London and spent their first 13 months of marriage putting around Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Somehow they managed to keep from driving each other crazy and discovered that they were meant to travel together. In preparation for a different life they worked hard and lived simply for almost six years. Rich worked as the Office Manager for the San Diego KOA campground and Amanda was V.P. of Human Resources for the University and State Employees Credit Union. In September 2000 they quit their jobs, packed up their belongings and set out for a three year journey through Latin America and Africa in their 1978 Volkswagen Campervan. After returning home they wrote a book about that journey, Wide-Eyed Wanderers and spent a fun-filled ten months traveling the U.S. on an extended speaking tour. Now they have set out once again. This time on bicycles through Asia. |
