Jason's Trip Around the World

My Favorite Photos from the Trip

2006-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

(Click on the photos to enlarge them)

Crazy bug in the Monteverde Cloud Forrest - Costa Rica

The Sand Church near Skagen, Denmark

Bled, Slovenia

Budapest, Hungary

Sunset over Lisbon, Portugal

Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark

"The Green Square" where the Northern Ireland fans prepared
for their match against Denmark

Trip Statistics

2006-12-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hostels: 55

Planes: 27

Trains: 15

Busses: 31

Taxis: 56

Currencies Used: 19

Snickers eaten: way too many to count

Back in the US of A

2006-12-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

After a relatively long and uneventful flight over the Pacific and across the date-line, I found myself feeling like a zombie as I collected my bags and cleared customs before meeting my Dad at the San Francisco airport. Still can't believe the trip is over. It's strange because nothing, and I mean NOTHING has changed at home and it feels strangely as if I never left. I haven't done too much in the past day and a half, so I'm anticipating a pontential reverse culture shock will set in later, or perhaps because I was constantly jumping into and out of different cultures I am no longer shocked by dramatic changes. Who knows?

And now, after months of observations, I am now ready to unveil some of my favorites from around the globe. And the winners are:

Best Food:

Thailand (anyone who has been following my blog could have probably guessed this one)
Bulgaria
Costa Rica (such amazing exotic fruits)

Most Beautiful Women:

Sao Paula, Brazil (I couldn't have escaped all the beauties if I'd tried - of course why would I hide?)
Romania
Australia

Most Beautiful City:

Rio de Janeiro (breathtaking)
Dubrovnik
tie Venice and Amsterdam

Best Beaches:

Montezuma, Costa Rica
Natal, Brazil
Dubrovnik, Croatia

Best Hiking:

The Andes in Peru
Transylvania in Romania
Lublijana, Slovenia

Most Expensive:

Denmark
Amsterdam
Venice

Least Expensive:

Thailand
Peru
Bolivia

Coolest looking Currency:

Qatar
Romania
Australia

Most Pollution:

Peru
Thailand
Malaysia

Friendliest People:

Brazil
Thailand
Holland

Best Drink:

Caiparinha (Brazil)
Thai Iced Tea (Thailand)
Fruit smoothies (Costa Rica)

Best Football (soccer) Match:

Denmark v. Northern Ireland
FC Porto v. some other Portuguese team
Copenhagen v. Bronby (the game where my buddy Henrik broke his nose)

Best Airport:

Copenhagen
Athens
Sydney

Favorite Country:

Portugal
Peru
tie Romania & Slovenia

Favorite City:

Copenhagen, Denmark
Lisbon, Portugal
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

Place most likely to return to:

Tasmania
Transylvania
Portugal

Place least likely to return to:

Salvador, Brazil
Bangkok, Thailand
Singapore

Best book I read:

Honeymoon with my Brother (can't remember the author right now)
State of Fear by Michael Chriton
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connolly

Most Memorable Moments (here are just a couple in no particular order):

Hiking to Macchu Picchu with my Dad
Hang-gliding over Rio de Janeiro
Halloween in Transylvania
Soccer match between Denmark and Northern Ireland
Knights Templar fortress in Portugal
Surfing lesson in Costa Rica
Riots in Budapest
30 minute foot massage in Thailand for less than $2
Port wine tasting in Porto, Portugal
Zip-line through the cloud forest in Costa Rica

Best Picture I took:

I will post these in the next couple days after I've had a chance to review them all

The final day

2006-12-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

It feels strange to write this but today is my final full day in my pursuit to circle the globe. I remember thinking that my travels would go on forever at the beginning of the trip as I held a thick stack of airline tickets in my hand and was looking at months of unplanned activity. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. I am actually very much looking forward to my return home. I don't know if it's just because I've gotten burnt out or if it's because Australia is so similar to the US. Australia is great, but lacks the exotic challenge that most other stops on the trip required.

I saw a play called "Babes in the Wood" at the Sydney Opera House a few nights ago. It was a fun show (nothing too special) but the facility was impressive all lit-up at night. Even though the structure is more than 30 years old, it has a timeless charm about it that will most likely prevent it from ever looking dated.

Two days ago, I reunited with an Aussie I had traveled with in Bosnia and then again in Romania. Didn't do anything in particular but walked all over the city and ate more Thai. Yesterday I took a train 2 hours inland to the Blue Mountains to go hiking. My plans of hiking their "Grand Canyon" were foiled by a series ofrecent brush fires that have left most of the park closed off topublic access. I could have taken a cab to a different trail butthought that would be more effort than necessary especiallyconsidering I would somehow have to get one on the way back too. Instead, I had a relaxing day in the mountains reading my book.

Now I am off to the beach to enjoy the sun before returning to winter in the northern hemisphere tomorrow.

Next posting will be a wrap up where I will pick the "best ofs." Please post a comment with any categories you would like me to rank i.e. best food, most attractive women etc...

I'm all ears

2006-12-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've all been worried about me. I went to see a doctor yesterday and discovered that I have an ear infection in both ears. That was a relief because I was starting to worry that I may have done serious damage while scuba diving. The doc gave me some meds and I should be back to normal within a week. Until then I will continue to have a few balance issues. It's strange because when walking, sitting, standing I have the same feeling as though I've had a few drinks. It's not bad once you get accustomed to it.

Yesterday, a Japanese friend who I met in Tasmania showed me around the city. We bought tickets to see a play at the Sydney Opera House tonight. Not really sure what I will do until the show, but will probably resort to the usual - walking around until I stumble upon new neighborhoods and then maybe grab a coffee and read my book. Right now I am feeling the effects of 4 months on the road and have begun "cool down" mode. I figure that I eased into the trip while in Costa Rica (my first stop) and now it's time to gradually ease out of it.

Survived the sharks

2006-12-06T03:18:00.000-08:00

Arrived back in Cairns yesterday after three amazing days out on the reef discovering a sub-marine world that is truly spectacular! In total I had 5 dives. 4 training dives that required 10 minutes of practicing skills and then an underwater tour admiring the scenery until we hit the critical oxygen level and needed to begin our ascent and return to the boat. My final dive was my first as a certified diver and my diving partner and I had to navigate and take care of ourselves.

It is impossible to describe with words everything that I witnessed, but some highlights included a couple reef sharks, a 6-foot wide turtle, 4-foot oysters, rays, baracudas, nemo fish, every type of coral under the sun and too many fish to every name!

My ears weren't great but cooperated enough to let me get 5 dives in. On the 6th, which was a nightdive with flashlights in hand and glow-sticks on our tanks, I wasn't able to get my ears equalized past 4 meters and had to surface. Ears felt funny all night and the next morning so I decided to sit out a few dives yesterday morning because I was worried about flying today. Ears are still feeling a little plugged up but the flight wasn't painful at all.

I'm still having trouble getting used to being on land. Whenever I get up from a chair I waiver a bit as my legs are used to compensating for the ocean's rocking. This evening I called a Polish freind I met in Tasmania and we had dinner together and she gave me some recommendations for things to do and see here in Sydney. Six more days here and then it's a lovely 13 hour direct flight back home! Where have the past few months gone?

Tasmania Wrap Up

2006-11-30T00:56:00.000-08:00

Okay first let me say that my plan to spend the night in the Sydney airport was thwarted when a worker informed me that they were locking up the terminal at 11 and it would not be open again until 4 the next morning. I had to collect my things and get up from my comfy chair and move to a metal bench outside the baggage claim area. There was no point in paying full price for 5 hours in a hotel so I just put on a couple extra layers (remember it's summer here) and read my book. The night passed rather quickly and uneventfully and I have spent today screwing around and resting up for SCUBA lessons starting tomorrow.

As I mentioned in the last post, Tasmania was wonderful! Here is a brief day by day of what I was up to:

Day 1: The highlight was climbing Cradle Mountain. Didn't quite make it to the summit because we started later in the day, but the views were stunning with blue lakes, glacial-cut valleys and patches of rainforest mixed in. An added bonus was all of the wombats and wallabies I saw at dusk. Went on a Tasmanian devil search late at night with a flashlight but was unsuccessful.

Day 2: Hiked three hours into Montezuma falls through dense rainforest along the west coast of the island. Went to a beach later in the day and I just couldn't resisit the temptation to go for a quick swim in the Southern Ocean. I mut admit that prior to that swim I was unaware of there being a Southern Ocean, but regardless, I have another ocean crossed off my list.

Day 3: There was a fair bit of driving this day with several short hikes to break up the trip. Walking through a park with eucalyptus (spelling?) trees that were 100 meters high was impressive. Rumor has it that they might overtake the California redwood as the tallest trees on the planet. Stayed in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania which seemed like a quaint city with a cool wharf area. For those of you who didn't know, the Danish prince met his wife at a bar in Sydney a few years ago and she was originally from Tasmania. The royal couple just so happened to be vacationing in Tasmania during my visit but I did not run into them. Shucks.

Day 4: We moved on to the east coast and hiked into Wine Glass Bay which a travel magazine has ranked as one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. Once again I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go swimming so I ventured into the water for a few minutes while everyone else in the group laughed. Tasmania is relatively close to Antarctica so as one might expect, the water is chilly.

Day 5: The last day, I hiked to several waterfalls and the highlight was visiting the Bay of Fires which was about as picturesque as the Wine Glass Bay.

I have been fighting off the beginning stages of what feels like a sinus infection and I am happy to report that the symptoms seem to be retreating. Anyone who has ever tried swimming laps with a sinus infection would know that SCUBA diving would be pretty much impossible. I am off now to get my medical clearance and all systems should be good to go!

Quick post from Tassie

2006-11-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

It's the last day of my trek in Tasmania and it has been absolutely fabulous! Definitely one of my very favorite stops on the trip. I only have a minute but thought I would write something. I will be flying to Sydney tonight, spending the night in the airport (this should be the last time I do that) and then catch the morning flight up north to Cairns. On Friday I will start my SCUBA course!

I will write more tomorrow about Tasmania... there were no Danish Princess Mary sitings however I do have another 10 hours to find her.

Thanksgiving dinner for one

2006-11-24T01:25:00.000-08:00

Last night was a ton of fun but the 2 hours of sleep I got between returning to my hostel and then waking up to make my morning flight has left me a bit fuzzy-headed all day. I am in Launceston, Tasmania and tomorrow morning will be picked up by my trekking group.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I enjoyed Thai food by myself and thought about everyone back at home. I'm looking forward to being back soon! Laundry tonight in preparation for the trek and then I predict the next 16 action-packed days will fly by!

Old friends in Melbourne

2006-11-22T21:45:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been wonderful as I have been escorted all around Melbourne by both new and old friends from Melbourne. I feel as though I have covered the city rather extensively at this point seeing each end of the bay and everything inbetween. Stuck my feet in the ocean only to discover that the water is colder than the northern California coast. I suppose being so close to Antarctica has something to do with water's chilly temp.

On Tuesday I met up with Henry, one of the three Australians I befriend in Prague, and we went out for lunch and walked all over the city near downtown and the riverside taking in sites and eventually met up with Cat, the second of my friends from Prague, and had dinner at a few of their friends' house. Afterwards we went out for desert and drinks.

Yesterday, I met up with them again and they took me all around to a few sites including a mansion, winerery, fish and chips (an Australian favorite) and lots of other fun neighborhoods of the city. They also insisted that I try the pride of Australia: Vegemite. Can't say I'm too fond of it. Forunately, I heard that it is banned in the US so I have an excuse not to take my tube home with me....shucks.

Tonight I am meeting up with Henry and Cat plus friends to join them in celebrating their graduation from university. Should be a fun night and then tomorrow morning I have an early flight to Tasmania. Will relax the rest of the day and then early Saturday morning my action-packed 5 day trek kicks off!

Down Under

2006-11-20T03:03:00.000-08:00

It is hard for me to fathom that I am now in the last stop of my colossal trip! I had an enjoyable past few days in Singapore mostly relaxing and avoiding the intense heat and humidity. I took full advantage of my hostel's free gym access and worked out for a few hours each day. It felt great to use muscles that have been hibernating in recent months. My plan was to be exhausted for the latest long travel day (24 hours) but unfortunately my body was extremely sore! No worries though. Nothing a little pampering on Thai Airways couldn't fix. I actually managed to sleep for about 5 hours of the 9 hour flight from Bangkok to Melbourne.

A few final thoughts on Singapore. It was an incredibly clean and efficient city and had more shopping malls per capita than any other city/country/island in the world (I did not read this fact anywhere but am coming to an educated guess based on the mind-blowing number of malls). There was literally a mall at every intersection. It all added up to make the city feel a bit sterile. Without Thanksgiving as an invisible damn holding back the flood water that is Christmas commercialism, Singapore was filled with lights, trees, santas and Christmas music. It just didn't seem right in mid-November.

I just got ahold of two of my Australian friends living in Melbourne. I met them two summers ago in Prague when I was randomly assigned to their hostel room. I am meeting up with them tomorrow to see some of the city. Tonight or tomorrow my mission is to lock down my Tasmania and SCUBA plans for Australia. Once that is done, all I'll have to do is sit back and enjoy myself! I have become so accustomed to only dedicating half of myself to the place I am in while the other half is subconsciously beginning to formulate a plan for the next stop. It will be nice to dive into Australia 100%!

Singapore - another country under my belt

2006-11-17T01:22:00.000-08:00

So my stay in Malaysia came to an end last night as I took the night train to Singapore. I have always enjoyed watching the scenery go by on daytime bus and train rides but have to admit that the time goes by much faster when you can lay down on a bed and sleep through most of the journey.

Yesterday in Kuala Lumpur was relatively uneventful as I relaxed in cafes, walked around the city admiring the architecture and then saw the premiere of the new James Bond film at the IMAX theater. One thing that struck me about the city is its impressive time and financial commitment put towards developing a network of trains, busses, subways and monrails.

So far my initial impressions of Singapore are how clean and orderly the city is. I discovered that I illegally smuggled in a pack of chewing gum. Suppodedly chewing gum is illegal and will earn you a fine if caught in the act of spitting it out by the police. Overall, it has been ineresting to witness a few of the "emerging Asian markets" that I always read about in the paper or on CNN.com. Truth be told, they aren't all that different from US or Europeana financial hubs.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2006-11-14T21:59:00.000-08:00

For some reason only the title of my last two postings showed up without any of the actual content I wrote. Hopefully this problem has been solved. They weren't incredibly interesting blog entries so no one missed out.

Basically, with my mom's help, I was able to play with my remaining plane tickets to adjust my Thailand and Australia flights a bit. That left me with a few extra days to play with in SE Asia. I found an inexpensive flight down to Malaysia. I had another long day of transit, killing time at the airport in Bangkok waiting for my flight. It is a strange feeling to be completely relaxed and care-free at the airport. While everyone else is hustling to get their bags or meet up with family members, I leisurly stroll through the airport unconcerned, and in a strange way almost hoping for a delay. A slight delay means less time I have to spend sitting on uncomfortable airport chairs.

Arrived late last night in Kuala Lumpur and am now stranded indoors because of a thunderstorm. I was hoping to explore some of the hill regions just north of Malaysia's capital but it seems i have chosen the wrong time of year. I will check out the city this evening and tomorrow before taking the night train to Singapore. Two days in Singapore and then fly back to Bangkok to catch my 9 hour flight to Melbourne.

Everyone should try out the recipe that my Aunt Kristin was kind enough to post under comments on the last blog entry. If you are feeling lazy, go to a Thai restaurant and order a Thai Iced Tea... you won't be dissapointed!

Malaysia it is!

2006-11-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Australia or Malaysia???

2006-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Thai Iced Tea

2006-11-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

I am writing from the lovely city of Chiang Mai. I believe it is the second largest city after Bangkok but it has a much calmer vibe...granted this could just be on Sundays. Went to Sukhathai yesterday and visited more old ruins, Buddha statues and temples. That made it three consecutive days of site-seeing and that is for a guy who prides himself on doing minimal touristy site-seeing. I think I have felt compelled to check out the sites because everything is so new and different from North/South America and Europe. I think I have had my fill for a few days at least.

Actually, I am starting to feel as though I've had my fill of Thailand. After re-reading my last couple posts it seems as though I am making this country out to be a horrible place which couldn't be further from the truth. The people are all extremely friendly and smile more than anyone I've ever seen. The food is splendid, and the sites beautifully well preserved and laid out. I feel as though I have seen enough to be content on this trip. The transportation situation leaves something to be desired in terms of reaching some of the smaller more remote locations. If I were traveling with someone else I would be more inclined to venture out to these places, but I would be foolish to ignore my past experiments in Brazil when trying to get off the beaten path.

Right now I am looking into moving up my flight to Australia by a couple weeks and spending the extra time trekking in Tasmania. I'm having a difficult time changing the tickets because I have to coordinate with the agent in San Francisco who helped me line the trip up. Next time, I will arrange all my own flights independently because this has proven to be a royal pain the arse.

While I wait for all this to get sorted out, I am indulging in the fine cuisine that this country has to offer. Tonight it was a struggle to spend a dollar at the outdoor stands. The food is so tasty and so incredibly cheap! I have also treated myself to 3 thai iced teas tonight so far! I plan on googling the recipe so I can make them back in the US!

North of Bangkok

2006-11-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

After a day and a half in Bangkok, I started noticing many of the negative things that friends had warned me about. The car exhaust thickened, the crowds of pushy people started to get on my nerves a bit, and I grew weary from so many approaching me soliciting a sex show, wooden frog instrument, fake designer jeans etc. I spent 2 hours searching through Bangkok's China Town for the perfect buttons to complete my jacket. Wound up empty-handed but I am confident that with my Mom's help I will be able to find what I'm looking for back in the Bay Area. China Town was interesting. So many shops, carts, stands and people crammed into narrow alleyways. For some reason, a few Thai guys felt it was an iddeal place to ride their motorcycles. This only caused everyone to squueze together even tighter (keep in mind the temp has been near 100 with high humidity) and I could hear a few isolated squeals of the owners of crushed toes that didn't get move out of the bike's path. I don't want to paint Bangkok to be a horrible place but I am saying that its novelty wore off rather quickly. The food was still awesome and visited a few temples that were unlike anything I had seen before. I'm experiencing quite the culture shock coming from Europe but am beginning to settle in and just go with the flow. Everything is very chaotic and there doesn't seem to be any effort or emphasis put toward obtaining any. Furthermore, it's annoying that prices are so negotiable. Even at a restaurant they are willing to make "special price for you" even before I inquire. Don't get me wrong, I love a "special price" just as much as the next guy but can't help but feel like I am still getting ripped off. It's impossible to get any sense of what the actua value of anything is.

I took a train up north 2 hours but only covered about 100 km. I am giving my travel plans for the rest of the country a second glance with an eye towards the ease and speed of transport because less time in slow, bumpy, sweaty vehicles would be most iddeal. Rented a bike and rode around the ancient capital city of Thailand which has an impressive collection of ruins. Riding a bike around town was a chalenge and probably not one I will take again until I am further in the countryside. Trying to dodge cars, motor bikes, busses and stray dogs is not so fun, especialy while fighting to stay on the left side of the road (yes they drive on the left).

Something else to note. I don't think I wrote about this when it happened, but in Portugal there was a little incident with a small dog trying to attack me that has left me with a small phobia of dogs. I'm sure I will be able to overcome it once I return to the US, but right now it is a hinderance due to the large number of stray dogs roaming the Thai streets. I try to ignore them and continue walking at the same pace, but each time I can fee might heart start to race and my limbs stiffen. If anyone has any quick fixes for a problem of this nature please send them my way!

In Thailand at last!

2006-11-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

I last wrote from the relatively clean and peaceful airport in Athens. From there, my next 24 hours were a blur. I was feeling anxious about being so unprepared for Thailand, and had carefully scanned both bookstores in the Athens airport and while their selection was impressive, Thailand was nowhere to be found (however, the inventory manager is predicting a large influx of Greek tourists traveling to Finland based on the number of guidebooks in stock). After passport control and security, I was about to board the plane as I walked past a stand selling newspapers and magazines. On the side of a magazine stack were two random books. One just so happened to be a guide to Bangkok. I took it as an omen and quickly bought it.

Flight to Qatar was uneventful. Arrived around 10pm and my flight to Bangkok was scheduled for 8am. This is where the fun began. The airport in Doha, was large and new, but there were far too many people hanging around to feel real comfortable. Many people were passed out on the floor of the three mosques in the departures hall of the airport, but I chose the "Quiet Lounge" that had 14 lounge chairs spread out in a dimly lit room. If I could snag a few hours of sleep, the next day would be much easier. However, not one, not two, but three, yes THREE consecutive people who sat in the chair next to me were violently loud snorers. Right when I was on the verge of passing out, I would find a new culprit beside me. Finally, after the last snorer had left, a possessed or more likely heavily drugged gypsy girl began sauntering silently around the room. Her eyes were glazed over and she just circulated the room until everyone else was awake and clutching their bags. It only took about 15 minutes before the entire lounge was empty. I then found myself a row of seats in the waiting area. I am certain they designed these seats to be unsleepable, but luckily I managed to curl around the armrests in such a way that I was in a state somewhat resembling comfortable. Got my two hours of sleep in that position. The final flight was fine. My window seat in the exit row treated me nicely. I think I will start arriving an extra hour early for all future flights if it will gurantee me a window exit row seat. I mean it's like getting the benefits of economy/business class without the extra fee!

Got some delicious pad thai noodles from a street vendor last night for less than 50 cents. Today I walked around the main tourist area where I was blown away by how much cheap crap everyone is trying to sell. I thought Peru's collection of junk was impressive but Bangkok blows Peru out of the water. Things are so cheap that I feel half-way tempted to purchase them even though I have no need for them. I did splurge today and got fitted for a custom tailored sports jacket. Black with a faint pinstripe, silver silk interior lining, double vents, and some dark metallic buttons that I need to hunt down in China Town tomorrow for them to complete the coat. I could go with the standard buttons, but if I am going to the trouble to get a custom made jacket I should get it exactly how I desire. Plus, I won't run the risk of encountering someone with the identical coat...how embarassing that would be.

Dinner tonight was a delicious pumpkin curry with chicken over rice. Phenomenal. I've also been indulging in several Thai iced teas. The only catch is that the ice cubes are not good to drink. Hence, I find myself gulping down the tea as quickly as possible in order to limit the amount of ice melt I consume.

I will spend one more day in Bangkok and then plan on heading north. Earlier, I found a Thailand guidebook and fipped through it to help get a general plan for seeing Thailand. I will go north, and then probably the northeast. If I have time and feel like it, I may crossover in Laos for a few days. If anyone has any suggestions on places to visit in the north or northeast sections of Thailand please post a comment or shoot me an e-mail.

Made it to Athens

2006-11-06T05:25:00.000-08:00

One flight down, two more to go. I am taking advantage of the free internet access points in the Athens airport (I wish every airport had this). I am feeling pretty good about life right now because I secured window seats in the exit rows for 10 hours worth of flying time! This is a pointless post but I am killing time. Sorry for wasting your time.

Tripod photos

2006-11-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

The tripod in action. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Last few days in Europe...

2006-11-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

As usual, it has been a busy past couple days. On second thought, maybe it has not been so busy but Danny and I have been moving at a slightly slower pace due to the crazy Halloween and the dropping temperature. In Veliko Turnovo, we explored the fortress and most of the old town before ducking into a cafe to escape the cold. When a light drizzle started, we went to the movies for warmth and entertainment. Afterwards, we ate dinner and proceded to execute a bar hopping route that we had mapped out earlier in the day. Nothing too crazy was going on in town so we cut the pub crawl short and hit the hay as snow flakes began to fall.

The next morning we woke up early and took the bus to Plovdiv. It had been highly recommended by other travelers at our hostel but proved not to be all that interesting. In all fairness, it was probably a great city but the low temperature and strong wind kept us on the lookout for cafes that we could slip into to defrost our extremities.

This morning we took the train to Sofia. The city has a bustling center, but once again (sorry to sound like a broken record) it was just too cold to enjoy much. We hit a movie theater again. Danny just left on the overnight train back to Bucharest and from there he will be flying back to finish up the semester in Copenhagen. Tomorrow I may take a day trip out to the famous monestary in Rila and I also need to do laundry, and rest up for a hellacious 24 hours of travel starting Monday morning. I fly from Sofia to Athens, hang out at the airport for about 6 hours, then 6 hour flight to Qatar, 8 hours in the airport, then another 8 hour flight to Bangkok.

Halloween in Transylvania

2006-11-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

The last few days in Transylvania have been incredible! The train ride from Cluj-Napoca was through beautiful autumn scenery with brightly colored leaves, pumpkin patches and scarecrows! I met up with Danny in Sighisora (pronounced She-gah-shwor-ah) to find a crescent moon sliding in and out of thin whimsical clouds. Perched atop the hill, we found the "old town" where we sauntered through the cobblestone streets enjoying the spooky atmosphere. Plenty of black cats, stray dogs and even spider webs. At the stroke of midnight on Halloween Eve, we were next to the clocktower and next to the house where Dracula was born!

On Monday we went to Brasov which is a larger city in Transylvania and a place we figured might have more options for Halloween celebrations. Some guidebooks have dubbed in "the next Prague" which is a bit of a stretch, but the city had great charm and gothic architecture (I actually would take Brasov over Prague any day). Our favorite characteristic of Brasov is the "BRASOV" sign that sits atop the city similar to Hollywood in LA. It is so unexpected here, and well-lit at night. We couldn't resist the temptation to take several pictures of it. We met a bunch of students from Poland at our hostel and ended up going out to a chill lounge bar with three guys, one of which looked identical to Philip Seymour Hoffman. An hour or two ealier, Danny and I had decided on an unconventional costume for Halloween: a tripod. Seeing how there was only us two, we needed to recruit a third leg and Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose name got shorted to PSH, was our choice. He appeared excited when we extended a formal invitation to be a member of the tripod costume.

In the morning, Danny and I went to the Romanian equivalent of Home Depot and purchased all the material for our costumes. I promise to post pictures of our final costume on here tomorrow. Once the costume had been crossed off our to-do list, we decided to try to visit the Bran Castle (yes this is Dracula's castle). We followed our hostel's directions and got on the right bus and then off at the last bus stop of the route, but were surprised to find ourselves in the woods. As it turns out we caught the right bus in the wrong direction. Our options were to wait 30 minutes for the next bus or take a hike. We elected for the latter option. It was gorgious in the woods. We could not have asked for better Halloween weather as it was sunny with a real crisp chill in the air. We were hoping to locate the BRASOV sign on our hike, but had to turn back before finding it, in order to avoid losing all sunlight. If there is one place you don't want to be lost, it's Transylvania woods on Halloween. Back at the hostel we found PSH and assembled our costume. Once everything was set, we went into town where an Irish Pub was having a large Halloween party. Everyone gave curious looks when we were walking around as individual legs, but then laughed and cheered when we all united on stage as a fully-functioning tripod. At one point we all got on stage while the Romanian news filmed us singing Yellow Submarine. We were confused as to why they had us singing but just went along with it. We later found out that they thought we were three submarines with our tripod legs looking like telescopes. As things were winding down at the Irish Pub, we left and were looking for the next stop of the night. In the street we met these Romanians who thought our tripod was hillarious. They invited us to come with them in taxis to a club. They took us to this crazy club with all Romanians (I am almost certain that we were the only 3 foreigners there). Danny took off his tripod leg while using the bathroom and when he turned around someone had stolen it. As a result, PSH and I decided to ditch our costumes as well. I belive our costume was too progressive for the Romanians and that we may have been drawing unwanted attention. The Romanians were super friendly and bought us lots of drinks and introduced us to their friends. Like all of Eastern Europe, the women are mega-attractive.

We got back to the hostel around 6 in the morning and had 3 hours sleep before getting a train to Bucharest in route to Bulgaria. In Bucharest we had to switch trains and paid a little extra to have a sleeper. Worked out perfectly because we were able to catch up on sleep. Arrived in Veliko Turnovo this evening just in time to watch a "light and sound show" in the old fortress from the balcony of our hostel.

Tripod pictures coming soon...

A wild ride to Cluj-Napoca

2006-10-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

I followed through with my trip to the bath house in Budapest. I suppose I really had no expectations but was awe-struck by how many only people were there. Also, I felt ill-prepared because I forgot to bring flip flops and shampoo with me. The baths were pleasant, and fun - at least the one that's jets sent me cruising around a circular pool. It was a little overwhelming because of the numerous pools and saunas. Instructions or better signage would have been a godsend. Speaking of godsend, I had my first massage. It was only 15 minutes but it did wonders for my back that has grown tired of lugging around a heavy pack.

A day after the riots, everything seemed relatively peaceful, and the city did an amazing job cleaning and hiding any evidence of what had occured the day before. I have found that like clockwork, after about 2 weeks of travel, my body hits a wall. I hit that wall in Budapest, or maybe the bath/massage made me too relaxed. Either way, I needed a few days to relax. I spent the next two days in Buda overlooking Pest, and hanging out with folks from the hostel.

For some reason it totally slipped my mind to buy a ticket from Budapest to Transylvania the day before and I only rolled up to the station 30 minutes before my train was scheduled to leave. The international ticket window was a zoo and it was clear I was not going to be able to buy a ticket in time. The next train was 2 hours later. It turned out the girl in front of me was Romanian and needed to
catch the same train. She said she would take her chances on the train with the conductors... I didn't feel like hanging out at the stations and decided to stick with her.

She had to work real hard to negotiate and pay off three different conductors along the journey and was even nice enough to front the cash for me because I had planned on charging my train ticket and did not have much leftover Hungarian money. When we converted how much I owed her in Romanian money it turned out that we got from Budapest to Transylvania for about half the price of buying a regular ticket would
have been. Next time, I will certainly buy ahead of time because there is no way I could have done that without her doing all the talking for me!

Today was a gorgeous day in Transylvania. The Gothic architecture is neat, but unfortunately the treks that the hostel organizes are not running this month... bummer because there is not a ton to do in the city. I went to the graveyard right around sunset today which was awesome! The atmosphere was exactly what a cemetery in Transylvania should feel like. I think I will find a good cafe and read my book
tomorrow and explore a few new corners of the city that I didn't make it to today, and then leave early Sunday morning for the city a few hours south where I will be meeting up with Danny at the hostel later that evening.

Riots in Budapest

2006-10-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

So I last left you as I was about to embark on a night out on the town in Belgrade. I met up with Danica, my Serbian friend, and a few of her classmates and went to some fun pubs. Serbians really love their house/techno music because it was blaring through the speakers anywhere we went. We were ready for some dancing so we crossed town to a disco and were waiting in line when suddenly 5 guys came out of nowhere and wanted to fight Danica's boyfriend. I turned my head away for only a moment, and when I turned back I saw these guys chasing my friend down the street and shoving him down. Of course the girls and I got out of line to check on him while avoiding the thugs who looked as though they wanted to fight more. The strange thing is that one of the thugs was the main security guy from the disco. What started off as a great night turned sour as no one was in the mood to party any more. I think Danica was embarassed that something like this had happened in front of me and everyone was extremely upset that the police had done nothing. Actually, the police did make an appearance. While we were in a nearby park regrouping and making sure everyone was alright, two armed police officers came over and demanded to see everyone's identification. I was worried because they did not seem to like my California drivers license and I had left my passport at the hostel. After calling into the authorities, they returned my ID and moved on. Danica later explained that the disco owner had paid the cops to ignore the fight earlier, and then find us in order to write down our addresses so we would be worried of retaliating. Crazy night. Danica took me site-seeing the next day and we ate the most delicious Serbian pizza with salad on top.

I am seriously starting to wonder if violence in following me because yesterday I spent eight hours on the train from Belgrade to Budapest and upon my arrival learned that the city transport was shut down due to demonstrations. I hiked 30 minutes from the train station to my hostel and saw lots of protesters and police. Check out the link below for exactly what happened:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/world/europe/24hungary.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

After dropping off my things, a few people from the hostel wanted to grab a bite to eat and see what was happening outside. We were just walking to a street filled with restaurants and turned a corner when all of a sudden we heard explosions and noticed our eyes were collectively starting to water. It was surreal because prior to turning that corner everything was silent which is why we thought we were in a safe part of town. We stumbled upon the front line where the police were using tear gas, guns (with rubber bullets) and a massive water cannon/tank. A tear gas canister was launched and rolled right up within a meter of our feet. With teary eyes, it took a second to register what it was, and then animal instinct, adrenaline and the whole lot took over and we ran to get the hell out of there. Ended up back at the hostel and watched the proceeding riots on the television. I'm curious to walk around the city today and see how much things are damaged.

After a couple action-packed days, I think it is appropriate to go lounch in a Hungarian bath for a few hours. I might even treat myself to a massage.

From Bosnia to Serbia

2006-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up early and caught a ride to the bus station. It just so happened that two Aussie sisters who were staying at the same hostel as me were taking the bus to Sarajevo also. It was great having them to chat with during the longer than expected ride through Bosnia. At times the scenery from the bus was gorgious as the roads curved through dramatic gorges and grassy hillsides, but also humbling as I saw buildings with bullet holes and hotels that had been struck by missles during the most recent war. The Aussies had made reservations at a hotel in Sarajevo so I decided to follow them and see if there was also room for me. For some reason their reservation was lost and the majority of other hotels were booked. Ended up at a hotel which cost 50 euro/night. Wasn't pleased withe price but felt relieved to have a place to stay. Went out for dinner but then found a few hostels in town that were only 20 euro/night. Went back to the hotel and did my best to convincingly (I don't have a good poker face) tell the man working in the lobby that I had miraculously met a friend at dinner living in Sarajevo who invited me to stay at his place. The hotel worker was somewhat sympathetic and let me leave after paying him 10 euro. All in all not a bad deal.

The next day I saw the city with the Aussies. Sarajevo was particularly interesting because it was the first country I have been in with a significant Muslim population (about 50%). It was a little startling at first to hear the prayers over the mosques' loudspeakers but I got used to it.

This morning I woke up at 4am to shower, pack and then catch the bus to Belgrade. Arrived in Belgrade this afternoon and met up with a couple Serbians who I met through the couchsurfing website. They were incredibly nice and showed me around the city and then actually brought me back to to their apartment where one girl's mother cooked us a typical Serbian meal which was followed by Turkish coffee. Later I am meeting up with them and their friends for a night out on the town...apparently Belgrade is known for its nightlife. I'll let you know how it goes. Cheers!

The Adriatic Sea

2006-10-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

My connection from train to night bus all went quite smoothly and the nice owner of the guesthouse in Dubrovnik was waiting for me at the bus station when I arrived. I spent the day walking through the old town admiring the well preserved buildings and admiring how well the city had managed to repair itself since the most recent bombings. Around sunset, I had a fantastic view of the Adriatic sea and the old town from the top of the cities walls. The walls took me more than hour to complete as I stopped to take lots of photos and met a fun Australian couple.

Today I took 15 minute ferry ride to a nearby island and found the perfect spot along the stone beach, to read and write between quick dips into the sea which felt colder than I expected it to. Still way warmer than the California coast but I fear my time swimming in the warm Brazillian waters may have turned me soft.

I have spending a lot of time trying to figure out the best route to head back north through Croatia. Due to the country's geography, it's not quick and easy to get anywhere. This plus the fact that so many places are starting to close or reduce hours for the winter led to a slight change of plans for the next few days. Tomorrow I will catch a bus to Sarajevo, Bosnia and then after that, move on to Belgrade, Serbia on the way to my eventual destination: Budapest, Hungary. I am excited to visit new places rather than be frustrated by a Croatia that is winding down most operations until next May. I will certainly be back in Croatia but it is now time move on elsewhere.

Onward to Croatia

2006-10-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

I gotta jet but wanted to update this quickly. It has been a wonderful couple days in the Slovenian Alps. Weather has been spectacular, as have the sites, hiking trails and scenery. The one downer was the elderly man snoring in my hostel room. I have heard plenty of people snore, but this guy was the worst! My alarm was set for 7 this morning and magically the man stopped snoring at 6:30. Anyways, I am running on short rest and have decided to catch the train to Zagreb Croatia this evening and then save time/money by taking the night bus to Dubrovnik for a few days.

Strength and honor.

Venice to Ljubljana

2006-10-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

First off I have to admit that I feel like much more of a hardcore traveler having spent a night in the Stansted Airport along with a thousand other travelers. It was impressive to witness the regulars who showed up with sleeping mat, bag and pillows stake out the best spots where floor sweepers and airport workers would be least likely to disturb them.

I am proud of myself for resisting the urge to nap after arriving at my hostel in Venice. Instead, I spent the better part of the day hopping on and off water busses, walking down narrow alleys and avoiding pigeon poop bombs. The city is spectacular - just like in all of the movies! After seeing several cities that have canals (Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Ljublijana etc...) it was neat to see how Venice gets the most utility out of theirs. I elected to leave Venice after only one day because I could sense a rush of tourists who would be settling in for the weekend, and their were just too many couples! Seriously, the feeling a single traveler gets in Venice is comparable to the feeling of sitting on the couch during Valentines Day with a tub of Ben and Jerry's and watching re-runs of Seinfeld.

I have been in the capital city of Slovenia for the past two days. I have spent the better part of that time walking around the city and lounging in this great park that turns into a series of hiking trails. Autumn in in the air and I love it! Tomorrow I am going to a place called Bled which is in the Slovenian Alps for a few days of hiking and fresh air. Later.

New Photographs posted

2006-10-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

I just sent out an e-mail with a link to my latest photographs. If you are not on my list but would like to be, just let me know. Enjoy!

Where the sea meets the sea

2006-10-10T03:31:00.000-07:00

The soccer game was peaceful compared to last weeks game. Everyone walked away unscathed, although the Danish fans were not nearly as excited about a 0-0 draw as the Northern Ireland fans were. We went to the city hall or "green" square 4 hours before the game where all the N. Irish fans were decked out in green. All the Irish fans were super friendly and quite festive with their drinks and constant sining. My personal favorite song went a little something like this: "We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland...." We actually ended up walking to the stadium with the Irish fans because they all marched as a group through the city. My friend Henrik said that they were the best opposing crowd that had ever traveled to Copenhagen for a national match. After the game, every pub in the city was filled with drunk N. Irish fans doing hillarious things that most of them probably didn't remember the next morning.

Sunday I took the train with my friend Tina to a city in northern Jutland called Fredrikshavn. Her parents were kind enough to let us borrow the car yesterday and she drove me to the very northern tip of Denmark called Skagen. We walked out along the beach to the exact point where the Baltic and North seas meet. It was impressive to see the waves from each sea come crashing into the waves from the other. Swimming is forbidden in this area, but one can imagine the strength of the competing tides. Last night, Tina's family invited me to have dinner at their house.

Today I am exploring the university town of Aalborg and will later take the train further south to Arhus where I am meeting up with another friend. Tomorrow night I will be leaving Denmark. I fly to Venie via London and then plan to move on to eastern Europe through Slovenia.

Denmark v Northern Ireland

2006-10-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

There is not a ton to report on the past few days. I have been perfectly content to check in on a few of my favorite places be it bars, shops, bakeries etc... For anyone reading from the Øresunds crew, Jacob's bakery is still serving up the delicious goodies, Mexi Bar still mixes a darn good margarita, and Heidi's still has its cheap ice-cold jaegger.

When I was studying here, the cost of the program included a metro/bus pass so I didn't get the opportunity to fully experience Danish culture by bike. This week I borrowed Henrik's bike for an excursion once, and yesterday I comendeared a city bike for the day. It's slightly intimidating to be biking in an urban environment with so many other cars, pedestrians and fellow bikers, but the city is well equipped with special bike lanes and bike traffic signals.

Via a special program on Henrik's computer, I was able to watch the first two games A's playoff games live on ESPN. I am thrilled to hear about their success in game 3 as well, and am looking forward to following them as they play the Tigers or Yankees in the next round.

I digress... last night a bunch of went out to celebrate Monica's 24th birthday. Monica studied at the UO last fall along with Henrik and two other Danes. It was excellent to have a little Eugene reunion in Copenhagen.

Now it is time to dress in red and white in preparation for another (hopefully more peaceful) soccer match between Denmark and Northern Ireland. They match is a qualifier for the 2008 Euro Cup.

Pictures from an embedded reporter

2006-10-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

Danny, me and Henrik at the game:

Henrik the hero:

A little trip to the Danish ER

2006-10-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

So my last post mentioned that we were going to attempt to score some tickets to the big soccer game. We showed up at my school and I quickly located my former Danish teacher and she gave us two extra tickets that two students had forgotten to pick up. We were expecting to have to pay the 200 kroner face value but she insisted that they were a gift from the students who decided not to attend. Excellent! The game ended up a 1-0 victory for Copenhagen and we met up with a few of Henrik's friends for a celebrity beer afterwards amid a ton of fighting fans. A few hours later, after all the opposing fans had left, we decided to head home. It began pouring down rain so we huddled underneith the roof awaiting the storm to pass when a new fight broke out right in front of us. A guy was on the ground being kicked by three other guys who showed no sign of quitting. Henrik went over to pursuade the guys to stop, and surprisingly the guys doing the kicking seemed to agree and started to back off. Then out of nowhere, someone came behind and clocked Henrik in the face. Henrik's nose transformed into a red waterfall of blood. Meanwhile, my friend Danny was approached by someone speaking Danish. He shrugged and said he didn't speak Danish as the guy pulled him forward and head-butted him (just like Zidane did in the World Cup). We got ice and napkins for Henirk and went to the ER where we waited for a few hours (some things are the same as in the US). Intially his nose looked crooked but I think he must have reset it because by the time we got to the hospital it was straight except for a little swelling. His nose is going to be alright but he has developed a handsome black eye over the past 48 hours.

I have been relaxing and meeting up with friends over the past two days. Dropped my passport off at the US embassy to get some more pages inserted and then attended a Danish class with my old prof. It was great fun, as what I have retained from a full semester of Danish is right about the same level as the current students who have been studying for a month. Had coffee with my prof afterwards. Tonight Michelle and I may try to find a bar that is showing the Oakland A's first playoff game against Minnesota. Go A's!!!!

2006-10-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

Feels great to be back! The flight was rather uneventful but upon landing in Copenhagen and walking to the baggage claim, something didn't seem quite right. There were literally thousands of people in the baggage area. It was a Friday evening and Copenhagen is an attractive place to visit but I had never seen the baggage claim even 1/4 as full during all of my past comings and goings via the airport here. As it turned out, the airports entire conveyer belt system had broken down that afternoon and there were people who had been waiting 4+ hours for their bags. I sat next to a fun young Dutch couple on the flight so we thought about trying to get a few beers while we waited but were extremely disappointed to discover that the duty free shop's supply of alcohol had already been picked over by the other passengers. Seeing how it was a Friday night, I decided not to risk wasting the entire night in the airport, and just caught the bus back to my old kollegium where my Danish friends still live. Met up with Henrik and as promised, he had some cold Carlsbergs waiting for me in the fridge. We hung out and chatted for a bit before going out to meet up with other people. Went to a few bars where I saw my friends Michelle, Danny, Jordan and Alana all from the Oregon. It was comforting to see so many familiar faces! Went to a few bars and then it was back to the kollegium to get some rest. Of course I couldn't resist buying a hotdog from one of the stands set up around town.

The next day we slept in, and then I went to get a transportation to use during the next week before collecting my bag at the airport. Went grocery shopping with Henrik and then some friends came over to watch a soccer game. After the game, more people came over and we had a pretty descent party going. Michelle knew one of the big soccer stars from the game, so he got us all on the "VIP" list at a club in town. Nothing quite compares to the thrill of getting to cut a big line!

Being back in Copenhagen has been a delight. I had such an incredible time studying here, and so many fond memories that I was slightly worried this place had only existed in a dream. It was relief to discover that everything is still here more or less the same as I left it. Now it is off to my old school to see if we can snag some extra tickets to this evenings soccer game between the cross-town rivals!

I Amsterdam.

2006-09-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

Okay so it has been a few days since the last update. Spent my last day in Portugal visiting Braga which is about one hour's drive north of Porto. I had woke up at 5 that morning to catch the bus back from Braganca so I wasn't feeling particularly energetic when I got to Braga. There is a massive church called the Bom Jesus up on the hillside that is a popular destination for pilmgrages. There were far more stairs than I was interested in climbing so I opted for the 1 euro trolly up to the top and then hiked back down.

The next day was spent in transport to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is great. I haven't really gone to any museums or exhibits etc... due to hectic schedule but I have enjoyed exploring the city on foot. I actually had a few blisters last night from all the walking. The curved streets and canals can be a bit confusing but fortunately the city center is all relatively compact. I have had a series of informational interviews with a few advertising agencies here in Amsterdam so I have had to fit in meals, and site-seeing around those meetings. Unfortunately my Danish mobile phone hasn't been working, which means I have had to keep checking my e-mail as meeting times and places have changed. One more meeting in 45 minutes from now and then I have a few more hours in the city before I collect my things and take off for Copenhagen!

Hitch-hiking in Braganca

2006-09-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in Porto, the clouds opened up and dumped layers and layers of water all over the city (including the porch at my hostel where I had my clothes drying). Oh well, I learned that damp clothing certainly weighs more than dry. I interpreted the rain as a sign that it was time to escape from Porto. I had two cities I wanted to visit but opted for the one that was a longer bus ride figuring that maybe the extra 2 hours would allow the storm to pass. My plan worked perfectly.

I arrived in Braganca yesterday and relaxed with some Chinese food and a movie. This morning I woke up early and explored the old city center including the most picturesque castle tower ever created - it looks straight out of the movies. In the afternoon I wanted to hike in the National Park that runs a few kilometers north right up to the Spanish border. The only problem was that public trasnsportation is minimal in this region of the country. I ended up having to take a taxi into the center of the park and hiked from there. After a few hours I was back where I had started and expected to take a taxi back into town but there were none to be found. Most of the hike had been up hill so my legs weren't too interested in walking an extra 15 km so I resorted to hitch-hiking. A guy who was driving grains into Spain drove me a few kilometers and then a middle school Geography teacher took me the rest of the way.

Tomorrow I will take the morning bus back to Porto, drop my things off at the hostel, and then catch a train for a day trip to the city of Braga for the day. Then back to Porto to sleep and pack and in the morning it is off to Amsterdam for a few.

Port wine and football in Porto

2006-09-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been excellent! I left the Knights Templar behind in Tomar and spent Thursday in the univerity town of Coimbra. The university is the third oldest in Europe and was situated atop a hill with great views of the surrounding valley. At night I met up with a few students and they showed me some of the popular student bars.

Yesterday I continued my journey north to Porto by train. It was my first train of the trip so far, and I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to witness the scenery drift by. When I found my hostel, two Australians were about to go across the river to do some port wine tasting. I dropped off my bags and joined them as we walked up and down narrow streets and pretended to look interested as we awaited the samples at the end. After wine tasting we squeezed onto a crowded metro train and went to a soccer match. FC Porto won 3-0 against another Portuguese team in what was an exciting game. Our seats were only 14 rows back from the field behind the goal where all the scores happened.

Today has been relaxing. Slept in past 8 for the first time in over a month, did laundry and then followed the river to where it meets the Atlantic and walked north along the ocean as the wind churned up a continuous batch of waves that pounded the shoreline.

Tomorrow I will take the train further north to the city of Braga that my guidebook describes as "the Rome of Portugal." On Monday I would like to go by bus to the northeast corner of Portugal and hike in the national park before returning to Porto to catch my flight on Wednesday morning.

The Knights Templar

2006-09-21T03:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, I have continued my journey through Portugal. I spent two days in the town of Tomar which is located about 2 hours northeast of Lisbon and was the headquarters of the Knights Templar. Yesterday, I woke up early and hiked of to the Templar's castle before all of the tour busses arrived. Spent the better part of 2 hours walking along the walls admiring the view of the valley below and imagining past battles and pondering world-changing commands that had originated from the castle and Covenant of the Christ I was walking through. It wasn't quite as breathtaking as Macchu Picchu, but the Knights Templar fortress was still extremely impressive. I will post pictures of the place soon (again I was busy playing with the self-timer on my camera in order to get some photos that are not just pretty scenery).

There wasn't much going on in Tomar on a Wednesday night so I went to the cinema and watched the Lake House - it was the only film showing. Anyone who has seen it - could you please explain how the 2 year gap between their lives suddenly dissapears at the end of the film?

Thanks Lauren and Dad for posting your trips around the world. I am still curious where other people would go. Here is what my next trip around the world will look like (tentatively scheduled to start in May 2007):

1) Japan
2) Cambodia
3) India
4) Madagascar
5) Egypt
6) South Africa
7) Morocco
8) Scotland
9) Iceland
10) Chile

What about yours?

Oh how I love Portugal

2006-09-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

It didn't look likely when I arrived at the airport in Salvador, but things worked out and I was able to fly to Portugal a few days early! Even though the airlines had said there were "plenty" of open seats when I spoke with them the night before, I was discouraged to hear that those seats had been sold and that I would have to put my name on the standby list. If, big if, there was an opening I would need to pay 100 euros. So I chilled at the airport for a couple hours and then hovered around the check-in counter for a while as lots of stragglers showed up late to check-in. I was just about to figure out what the heck plan B was when they called my name (it was about 15 minutes before the plane was scheduled to take-off). I gave them my bags and then sprinted through the airport security, passport control and plopped down in my seat as the plane lifted from the ground. Well, it wasn't quite taking off yet, but everything did happen fast enough that the airlines forgot to charge me the 100 euros!

When touching ground in Lisbon, I wandered around the city for about 2 hours trying to find a hostel. I hadn't made any arrangements ahead of time for fear I wouldn't be on the flight. After 2 hours I was sweaty, exhausted (hadn't slept on the overnight flight) and decided to leave town. I took a bus to a town due west from Lisbon called Evora. It is a large town surrounded by walls, and filled with a maze of clean, narrow alleyways, a half-dozen churches, a Moorish temple and Roman ruins. I walked up hill into town from the bus station and was informed that I had arrived just in time for the festival. That was fine and dandy but it presented a problem because I went to at least 5 hostel/hotels and no vacancy. About ready to find a park bench to sleep on, I entered into a 4-star hotel and inquired about availability. They only had single rooms that came at a hefty price but I was desperate. Let's just put it this way - I can only hope that the hotel room I stay in for my honeymoon is as nice as this one! I felt obligated to take full advantage of it so I took a bath, christened the baday, etc...

I wandered through the streets taking in all the beautiful sites before a dinner and then passing out for the night (unfortunately I missed the festival). The next day, I went to another town in the countryside, this one called Elvas. It too is encompassed by a star shaped wall left over from the days when it was home to an Arabian castle. I don't know if it was because it is no longer high tourist season, or beaus it was a Sunday, but the city seemed deserted. I took advantage of it and explored the castle and numerous courtyards before buying a few Carlsbergs and watching the sunset from on top of the castle's walls. Relaxed back at my room and watched a soccer match... the Portuguese play an entertaining brand of soccer! I will try to see a match in Porto.

I returned to Lisbon this morning by bus and enjoyed the beautiful countryside with cork trees scattered throughout - many of them stripped of the cork while a new layer grows back. Today I meandered through parts of Lisbon I'd never visited before for a few hours (got lost in the process) and will probably do the same tomorrow before moving north.

I have no idea who is still reading my blog these days but I figure if you've read this far, then you are one of my loyal followers. I thought I would try to make this more interactive. If you were going to take a trip around the world, where would you go? You can go in any direction (east or west) and let's say you can have up to 10 stops. Post your trip plan in the comments section and compare your trip to others'!

Goodbye South America, Hello Europe

2006-09-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

In an hour I will be leaving the hostel for the airport in Salvador to try to move my ticket up for this evening's flight to Lisbon, Portugal (one of my very favorite places). Brazil has been an excellent experience but I am done with Salvador. If I had to do it over again, I would travel Brazil for the same total ammount of tme but reallocate the days a bit with more time in Rio and Sao Paulo.

Salvador seems like a beautiful city and I'm sure it is great fun during Carnaval, but I haven't felt particularly safe straying far from my hostel and the touristy center of the town. Even within the center, I'm only half-assured of my safety because of the armed officers on every corner... comparable to the security presence in Moscow. The city is not diverse like most of the other cities in Brazil, so anyone with white skin sticks out as a gringo with a large sign on his back that reads "ask me for money." It's hard to enjoy what would probably be an awesome city with the constant attention from beggers.

I can't let the past couple days taint what has been a spectacular 3 weeks in a wonderful country. Overall, the people have been welcoming, the cuisine delicious and the beaches beautiful. Rio de Janeiro is stunning, Sao Paulo is a HUGE city with everything you could want available at your fingertips at any hour of the day, and the Northeast countless beaches that are more picturesqe than the ones on the default Microsoft screensavers!

Hopefully all goes well at the airport and the fee to change my ticket isn't too painful. If things go as planned, my next entry will be from Europe!

The wheels on the bus...

2006-09-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

Okay so after spending 4 days relaxing in Recife while being spoiled by my friend Will and his wonderful mother, I was ready to get back to life on the road and was feeling quite ambitious. So ambitious in fact that I ignored all the warning signs and decided to forge onward to the point that I almost got in over my head.

Here was the situation:
-7 days remaining in Brazil
-Currently in Recife
-Must be in Salvador by the end of the week
-13 hours by bus from Recife to Salvador
-I thought I would break up the bus ride by spending some time in a city or two in between the two cities
-My guidebook has very little information or mention of anything between Recife and Salvador
-I have been repeatedly warned to be cautious as Brazil can be a dangerous country

So what do I do? I took a bus 4 hours south to a city called Maceio and from there thought it would be fun to spend time in a colonial town rather than in one of the large cities along the beach that are starting to seem interchangable in my mind. My book said Penedo was only 160 km south of Maceio so I figured it would be neat to see and also help me continue making progress towards Salvador. Somehow this 160 km trip took 6 hours!!! I expected to arrive with the afternoon to explore but instead arrived after dark as all the stores were closing up! I went to a couple hostels and although they were cheap, I didn't feel like I would survive till morning. There were lots of creepy people hanging out on the streets and I just wanted a place to sleep where me and my belongings would be safe. I ended up at a hotel for $30/night.

This morning I awoke at 5am and caught the bus to Salvador which was supposed to ONLY be 8 hours. Somehow that turned into a 10 hour trip! My butt has officially molded into the shape of a bus seat. I am relieved to finally be in Salvador and need a few bus-less days before I even consider venturing out of the city for a day trip.

Moral of the story: don't get too cute. If you're traveling alone in a "dangerous" country where you don't speak the language - stick to the main routes even if an alternative one sounds interesting.

Buggies, babes, beach and bumpin' beats

2006-09-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wow... last night feels like a blur. Where to begin? We left Recife around 5 yesterday evening and drove to Porta Galhinas where the concert was being held. Traffic leading up to the beachside venue was horrific so we ended up parking the car and then hiring a dune buggy to take us the remaining 8 kilometers. When we arrived, the main singer had just begun to perform and there were thousands of Brazilians crowding the stage to get a better glimpse of the beautiful singer. Along with presenting a ticket, admittance was only permitted if you were wearing a yellow tanktop that was distributed with the tickets to celebrate the first concert of the summer! So picture thousands of people in banana yellow tanktops vigorously shaking their rears to a type of music called AXE (pronounced "ahjay"). It sounds a bit like a combination of Shakira and Ricky Martin's older stuff.

It was complete madness as people were shaking, spilling their drinks, tripping over empty beer cans and cocktail cups on the ground and trying to weave their way closer to the stage without losing track of their friends. Provided my non-existent cell phone, minimal Portuguese vocabulary, and everyone wearing identical shirts, I was determined not to get separated from Will and his friends as a reunion would have been next to impossible!

Today I am back in Recife taking it easy at Will's apartment. He and his mother have been extremely gracious hosts and have made me feel welcome. His mother has spoiled me and I think she is on a mission to fatten me up as she is constantly offering me cake and other goodies.

I have one more week left in Brazil. Over the next week I will work my way down the coast and end up in Salvador where I have a flight next Monday to Portugal! Brazil has been amazing thus far but I find myself really looking forward to a return to Europe. I have a feeling it is a combination of the language barrier, and not so many other travelers at my hostels, but Brazil would be more fun to explore with someone. Because Brazil is such a large country, like in the USA, a lot of tourism is Brazilians traveling around so English is not as necessary for people compared to Europe where there are so many smaller countries with different languages that English is used as the default. I'm not complaining, but at times it would be nice to have a partner in attempting to decipher Portuguese.

Brazil's 4th of July

2006-09-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately no dolphins to report from the beach I found yesterday. It was a one hour trek just to access it and I had the added obstacle of battling the rising tide but the reward was worth the effort. I found myself on a 1 mile stretch of untouched beach with not even so much as a human's footprints. I didn't get to stay there as long as I would have liked due to the threat of being trapped by the tides but the water was a majestic blue color and the perfect temperature for swimming.

I spent the majority of yesterday swinging in the hammock outside my hotel room reading a great book: State of Fear by Michael Crichton. It's a novel that incorporates some interesting perspectives on the theory of global warming and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a steadfast believer in global warming as it will surely make you question what's reported in the media. I've been reading more lately because a) it's relaxing and enjoyable but b) it also means less weight in my backpack! I find myself racing through books for the sake of my back!

As for the title of this entry, yesterday was Brazil's Independence Day. Nothing too crazy happened other than loads of people came to Pipa and the beach. I was expecting a crazy party in the streets and fireworks but nothing. Oh well.

Today I am going further south to Recife where I will meet a guy named Will who is friends with Paula. He has planned for us to attend a concert on the beach in Porto de Galinhas. I have no idea who we will be seeing but am excited to be along for the ride!

Recharging the battery

2006-09-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

Since arriving in Natal, life has slowed down a few notches (and I love it!). The crazy weekend in Sao Paulo in addition to the sum of the past month's exploring had left me dragging a bit and in need of some serious R&R. Fortunately, Natal and the northeast of Brazil is quite possibly the best place in the world to recharge for the next 3.5 months of life on the road. Yesterday I woke up early to go running on the beach at sunrise but didn't set my alarm early enough. I woke up at 5 and realized the sun was already up so then decided another few hours of sleep was the best thing to do. Got down to the beach a few hours later and brought water, cookies and a book and stayed there all day. I rented an umbrella and chair for a few dollars to help escape the wrath of the equator's mid-day sun. The beach and water were beautiful with the exception of being pestered by people selling everything ranging from coconuts to bookends to model ships. I was also surprised when a young boy plopped down on the sand next to me and started asking for money. I indicated that I had nothing on me, and he proceded to pull out a sharp nail from underneith his towel. The child was probably no older than 5 years old and I jumped from my chair more out of surprise than actual fright. I guess I made a scene because a bunch of Brazilian merchents nearby came over and told the kid to scram. I didn't see him again until I had packed up my things and was walking back to my hostel. He was throwing rocks in my general direction.

I don't know if it was the kid, my hostel along a noisy road or all the beach merchents, but I felt inclined to hop on a bus today and try my luck further south. I am now in Pipa which is about 1.5 hours by car from Natal. Pipa is a much smaller beach town and the beaches require a descent hike which the vendors seem to avoid. I'm staying in a nice room with a big bed and my own hammock! I didn't feel like sharing a large dorm room with other hostel-ers for the next few nights while I catch up on my book and rest.

Lately I've discovered a dining option that is helping me save some money on food expenditures. There are several buffets in each city that allow you to choose your food and then they weigh your plate before eating. This way a few strategic choices such as taking lots of lettuce or bread will fill you up without adding kilograms to the scale!

Tomorrow I am going to explore a beach that apparently is frequented by dolphins each morning. Off to read and then bed.

Map of Brazil

2006-09-06T03:49:00.000-07:00

Here´s a map of Brazil for those who are curious where exactly I´ve been going.

Also, I sent out an email with a link to my photos. If you´re not on my list and would like to be please send me your e-mail address. Thanks!

Weekend in Sao Paulo

2006-09-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

After leaving Rio, I took the bus 6 hours to Sao Paulo. I wasn´t terribly excited for the 6 hour bus ride but the bus turned out to be the equivalent of somewhere between business and first class on a plane! It made for quite a comfortable trip. Met up with my friend Paula at a McDonalds (our meeting point)and then went back to her university and hung out with her friends while she finished up class. I completely forgot how tall she is! She is at least 6 foot 4 and maybe even a bit taller. Went to the grocery store and she had me pick out all different foods I´d never tasted before and then we went back to her apartment to cook.

Saturday, we were joined by her brother and went to Sao Paulo´s Central Park (called something else). It was great to see EVERYONE outside riding bikes, playing soccer, walking, talking and enjoying life. That night, Paula´s university had a "white party." No it wasn´t a racist party. Instead, everyone wears white, and the venue has a ton of black lights to illuminate all the white clothing. There were 2 DJs, a band and an open bar included in the cost of admission. Plus there were over 5000 people there! It was truly a site to behold with so many folks all clad in white (the site would bring tears to Kuchulus´eyes). And the Brazilian girls.... don´t even get me started. Absolutely gorgious!

I wasn´t in bed until 7am Sunday morning so we really didn´t get the day started until about 3. Paula and her friend took me to a "young" neighborhood of Sao Paulo where people congregate every Sunday evening for drinks, food, to watch soccer, and most importantly, to discuss the previous night's happenings. Afterwards, we went out and had the best Japanese food I´ve ever tasted!

Now I´m in Natal in the northeastern region of Brazil (practically on the equator). I´ll post some pictures and a map in a bit but now it´s time for some breakfast and then the beach!

Flying over Rio

2006-09-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

So first off, I have to admit that my impressions of Rio have turned a complete 180 since my last entry. I was a bit tired, had just been ripped off, it was raining and the beaches were empty. That night the rain subsided a bit and I decided to walk along the beach from Ipanema to Copacabana to get fresh air and stretch the legs. The beaches had flood lights shining down on them and I could see soccer goals set up for the usual night games though I´m guessing the sand was too wet to play on that night. The setting here in absolutely spectacular! Rio is situated in what is the most pysically stunning environment of any city I´ve ever been. The islands, dramatic peaks, dense, dark green vegetation, beaches and lakes make for a very special city!

Following a good night´s sleep I was elated to see the sun had returned, and began exploring the city with two Swiss girls from my hostel. We road a couple public busses around the city and it turned out to be the most economical and thorough way of sampling the city. Went down to the beach for a bit where winter winds were churning out huge wave after wave (comparable to a stormy day at Corolla Light for all you Breauxs who remember). At night I went out with 4 British guys whom I shared the room with and we saw this great cover band perform until into the wee hours.

The next day I sorted out my transportation legistics and then went swimming at the beach. The current was incredibly strong and it was impossible to relax without being pulled down the beach away from my belongings. In the afternoon I did what is quite possibly the single coolest thing I´ve ever experience. I hang-glided over Rio de Janeiro! I was strapped to a professional but the sensation of the whole thing was fantastic. Under normal conditions, you slowly descend towards the landing area on the beach after running off about half way up a steep mountain, but the windy conditions made it so that we practically shot upward after leaving the launch area. We flew along a steep cliff face where we could catch the sharp updraft and in several minututes´ time we were high above the mountain peak and everything else in Rio. I´ve been skydiving before but hang-gliding beats that experience by a longshot! The sensation is that of flying like a bird!

This afternoon it´s off to Sao Paulo to meet up with my friend. I want to say hi to everyone out in Colorado for Kristin and Aaron´s wedding. I truly wish I could be there but please know that I´m thinking of everyone there!

Ripped off in rainy Rio

2006-08-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

It´s been a long past 24 hours. Flying from Puno to Lima to Buenas Aires to Rio de Janiero. Needless to say, by the time I had collected by luggage in Brazil I was slightly delerious. An official cab driver approached me and asked if I needed a ride, I said yes, showed him the address and asked how much it would cost. He said 7, and I thought that sounded low so I repeated 7 several times and he nodded. When we arrived at my hostel, I grabbed my bags and gave him a 10 and he errupted with anger. He then pulled out a pen and wrote 72 on his hand. I handed him all the cash I had (a combination of US dollars and Brazillian money) and he was gone. I later found out that a cab from the airport should cost only 20-30 reals.

Oh well. I had been ripped off earlier in the day at the airport in Lima because the flight attendent checking me in forced me to go to the airport nurse and get another yellow fever vaccination even though I had already received one a few months ago. As it ended up I just had to pay them $30 and they wrote a note pretending they had given me the shot. Definitely starting to get annnoyed and tired of how everyone in South America tries to nickel and dime you.

It´s windy, cloudy and raining right now in Rio although the forecast looks good for the next few days. I will probably take it easy tonight and rest up so I can see/do as much as possible in the next 3 days.

Adios Peru

2006-08-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Dad and I woke up yesterday in Copacabana fully expecting to encounter our Peruvian friend who'd chased us into Bolivia. Lucky for us, he was nowhere to be seen and most likely drove himself back to Peru so he could work at the hostel the next morning. I wrote a nasty e-mail to the hostel threatening to leave horrible ratings and I received a near immediate response with them apologizing and praying I didn't follow through with the negative feedback. We walked around Copacabana for a bit and were in awe of the gridlock of cars around the central square all decorated with confetti and paint. Even stranger was the site of all the Bolivians standing in front of their vehicles cracking open a beer at 9am. Did this happen every Sunday? It would be fair to say that we were more than a bit confused. Later we found out it was a fishermen's holiday.

Dad and I are both pretty exhausted so we relaxed last night and will probably do the same today = might slip out to a neighboring town to visit the Incas' temple of fertility before hitting the airport. Dad is flying back home and I am flying into Rio!!! I will spend a couple days there and am then meeting a Brazillian friend in Sao Paulo who will show me around for a couple days. My friend, Paula, and I met one afternoon at a hostel in Stockholm, Sweden last summer. I e-mailed her about 2 months ago and since then she's been helping me plan my time in Brazil and hooking me up with friends to stay with up and down the coast!

Must go now. Next posting will be from Rio!

Hola from Bolivia!

2006-08-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

After a morning of relaxation and recovery from the strenuous trek, Dad and I flew from Cusco to Lake Titicaca. We were not too impressed with Puno (the largest city along the lake). The lake was not very scenic around Puno and the main attractions are several ïslands (some floating) where native Peruvians sing, dance and basically do anything possible to get money from you. As fun as the floating islands would have been, we elected to buy bus tickets to Bolivia...Copacabana to be exact!

It was about a 3.5 hour bus ride and things at the border went relatively smoothly as well. Upon arrival, we hopped onto quite possibly the slowest floating vessel still in use and visited the Isle del sol (island of the sun) where the Incas had built small structures and ultimately named the lake. Sorry for not having more specific information but the island was lacking signs, brochures, maps etc... So basically we were flying blind trying to figure out what we were looking at.

Things got interesting once we returned to Cocacabana. It all started yesterday when we used a taxi that our hostel booked to go the 45 minutes into Puno. We paid the taxi driver and thought everything was settled. This morning, we checked out of the hostel no problem and caught our bus to Bolivia. When we returned from Isle del sol, we were surprised to find the hostel owner from Puno in front of our new hostel with photocopies of our passports saying he forgot to charge us for the taxi. We calmly explained that we´d paid the driver. When he continued to hastle us I was sneaky and managed to get the passport copies and receipts away from him and told him to go settle things with his taxi driver. My Dad and I pretty much are wanted men. A guy from Peru has chased us into Bolivia. We thought we were done with this guy but after eating dinner, we returned to our hostel only to find out that the guy working there had been approached on five different occasions by this crazy guy from Peru and wanted to get the extra copy of our room key. Fortunately the hostel worker said no way and the guy left. Needless to say, my Dad and I are expecting to run into this guy tomorrow either at our hostel or on the bus. I´ll be sure to keep you all posted. Please don´t worry as we don´t feel like we´re in any danger but are just shocked that this guy has driven over 3 hours into a neighboring country to collect $30 he thinks we owe him. I´ll keep everyone posted!

Back from the land of the Incas

2006-08-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

Dad and I just returned to Cusco after 5 days of hiking in the Andes although it feels as if we've been gone much much longer! It appeared there would only be one other person joining us in our hiking group, but at the last minute a British guy and 2 Spaniards joined the team. It ended up being a unique blend of accents, cultures, eating habbits etc... It was great because we all got to know each other quite well after spending the better part of 5 full days on the trails, during meals and in camp.

There are way too many stories to give an in-depth depiction of the whole trip but I'll try to sum things up whiling hitting the highlights.

Day 1: We were picked up early and driven to the trailhead. From there our gear was loaded onto mules and we started hiking with our daypacks. The first day was probably the most challenging mostly due to the high elevation we were dealing with. I suppose the combination of snow, hail and rain didn't help either. Within the first few hours of hiking I had serious doubts about the trek due to being cold and acquiring a pounding headache from the altitude. Popped a few advil before bed and woke up feeling like a new man.

Day 2: Set out early and hiked for about 5 hours. The hike was difficult because we were hiking downhill along muddy paths littered with slippery stones. Needless to say, by the end of the hike my legs (especially ankles, knees and shins) were screaming for relief! Relief came in the form of a natural hot spring located near the camp site. It felt marvelous to clean off and treat the sore muscles. We all stayed up late enjoying the local beer and playing cards until late into the night (disturbing a group of French hikers camping in a nearby field).

Day 3: The third day involved a rolling trail that paralleled a river surrounded by dense jungle on both sides. It was really interesting to pass through small indiginous communtities that consisted of little more than a few small huts made of sticks and straw. Bathed in the cold river before taking a power nap and relaxing with the crew.

Day 4: We woke up early to climb 2000 feet in 2 hours before the sun could punish us! It turned out to be foggy on the trails but the humidity prevented anyone from sweating through their clothes. Once at the top, the fog started to lift and we got a distant preview of Machu Picchu from across the valley. The mountains surrounding Machu Picchu are unlike anything I've seen before. The sharp angles, steep faces and kelly green color are unique to this section of the Andes where the tectonic plates have crumbled the earth's crust into these breath-taking mountains. After lunch it was a 2+ hour hike along the train tracks to the village below Machu Picchu.

Day 5: We woke up at 3:30 this morning to pack, eat and get to Maccu Picchu before the place got packed to the gills with tourists. We were planning to hike up to the top but morning rain showers forced us to take the bus. We entered the park at 6 to the site of faint stone structures slightly obscured by the mystical fluffy fog that danced across the mountain tops. Nestled beneith peaks that were stunning in and of themselves, the ancient Inca community looked surreal. I could only imagine the thrill of being one of the first explorers to stumble upon this hidden city. The craftmanship, engineering and volume of labor needed to construct Maccu Picchu were and are difficult to wrap my mind around. After a guided tour, Dad and I spent about an hour wandering though the maze-like hallways, staircases and rooms where there were fewer tourists.

In total, we hiked over 70 kilometers and reached an elevation as high as 15,000 feet! Obviously the climax was today's visit to Maccu Picchu. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight and then laundry in the morning before we fly down to see Lake Titicaca for 3 days. Maccu Picchu will be a tough act to follow but I'm confident we'll have fun and see some more great stuff!

On a side note, please excuse any errors in my blog. The computers I've been using only have a Spanish spell-checker which is exposing my Achilles heal.

Off to Machu Piccu

2006-08-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

Gotta jet off to bed but wanted to write and say that my Dad and I will be off to hike the Inca trail (4am tomorrow morning) and will ultimately reach Machu Piccu. It´s a 5 day, 4 night trek so I will have lots of stories and pictures to post in a few days!

From colones to soles

2006-08-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a long day of travel that started with 4 hours on the bus, followed by 4 hours hanging out at the airport, a 4 hour flight, and then 4 more hours at the airport in Peru awaiting by Dad's arrival. It wasn't so bad though. I read 400 pages of my book, helped a Peruvian airport worker with his English homework, and practiced my Spanish. Got a few hours sleep in Lima last night before returning to the airport to fly to Cusco.

Cusco is a great city nesteled into what the Inca's called the "Sacred Valley." The Andes make for a perfect backdrop to the citie's countless church spires, courtyards, plazas and psychotic taxi drivers. Walking anywhere involves putting your life on the line as these small taxi cars come flying around blind corners and coast through stop signals. The elevation is near 10,000 feet so my Dad and I each felt the altitude almost immediately after deboarding. Our hotel gave us cocoa tea to help with acclimization, and as far as we can tell it seems to have worked.

The currency here is the Peruvian sole which I'm having a little trouble adjusting to after getting comfortable with the Costa Rican colones (pronounced like cojones). Things are certainly cheaper than in Costa Rica and my Dad and I treated ourselves to a delicious $30 dinner that would have easily cost over $100 anywhere back at home.

Tomorrow, my Dad and I will continue to explore the city and possibly take a small hike to prepare for the 20+ mile trek we have in the coming days. If no one joins the group last minute, my Dad and I will be hiking the Inca trail with only a Canadian in addition to a guide, porter, and cook. This is considered the peak season for hiking the trail and normally the groups have at least 16 people. Another thing on the to-do list is find some sweet Alpaca hats. Based on a brief preliminary sampling, the Alpaca hats come in a plethora of styles, colors, threadcount etc... so let me know if anyone would like me to pick you up one!

Pictures

2006-08-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

I know only 3 picures is pathetic. I need to find a more streamlined way of uploading and sharing my photos. I'll be working on it. Please send any suggestions my way. Thanks!

Last few days in Costa Rica

2006-08-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

This morning's zip-line tour through the rain forest was an excellent conclusion to the first chapter of my trip. It was refreshing to get a new perspective of the terrain, this time from the vantage point of where monkeys and birds normally sit perched high above the forest floor. My tour included 11 different ziplines, the highest of which was at an elevation of more than 1,500 meters and the longest individual cable was more than 700 meters! Some of the cables went through a natural tunnel created by vines, branches and large leaves. I can only compare the thrill to that felt when skydiving. Right now, a couple hours removed from the excitement, I'm feeling exhausted from the morning's adrenaline rush.

In further news, I'm washing my clothes for the first time in 10 days and might even take a nap. Still debating whether or not to take a "twi-light frog walk." I've met some fun girls from Hamburg, Germany and we're planning on cooking a big dinner at the hostel tonight. Tomorrow I have a 5-hour bus ride to the airport in San Jose.

As promised before, here are some pictures in chronological order during my stay in Costa Rica:

The beaches of Puerto Viejo:

Blue morphos butterfly:

Playa Grande where I learned to surf:

Cloud forest

2006-08-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Finally! After 8 days of intense humidity and puddles of sweat on every bus ride, I am in the cloud forest region where the weather is comparable to the Oakland Hills. Of course the wildlife and vegetation is slightly different here, but the fog, cool, moist air and slight breeze feel like a godsend.

Yesterday involved three different busses and more rough roads that left my rear screaming for a lazyboy recliner. Met some cool girls from Washington, a French Canadian, an Aussie and a Kiwi in my hostel room (only cost $4/night!) and hung out with them for a bit.

This morning I went to the Monteverdi Cloud Forest Reserve and hiked through knotted vines, hanging mosses, floating butterflies and darting hummingbirds. Two hummingbirds appeared to be paying little attention to where they were going and flew directly into my chest - I'm not sure who was more startled! Tomorrow I have signed up to do a "canopy" tour through the cloud forests. From what I've heard, this tour has more than 3 km of cable and one zip-line (the longest in South America) travels across a canyon spanning over 700 meters!

Thanks to all of you who have been sending e-mails and leaving comments! I really enjoying hearing from you all! I promise pictures are coming soon (probably tomorrow)...

Jurassic Park : Revisited

2006-08-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

There was a storm last night in Montezuma that was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was at an Italian restaurant eating dinner with a Swiss surfer I had met when it started and shortly there after the entire town of Montezuma's electricity had gone out. My place was only a few minutes walk up the hill but there was a river running through the street as buckets of water came crashing down. I was stranded at the restaurant for 2 hours before stealing a candle and sprinting to my room. It doesn't matter how advanced Dolby or THX get their surround sound technology because they will never be able to replicate the power and electricity coming from this storm.

Fortunately the storm passed before morning and my water taxi to Jaco didn't have to cancel on me. In Jaco it was supposed to be an easy connection by bus to Manual Antonio but the bus was nowhere to be found. I resorted to an expensive taxi ride because it was essential I arrive and get to enjoy the park today because it is closed on Mondays. I arrived at the park in the afternoon (in order to avoid the mid-day sun on my sore back) and meandered through dense vegetation and dramatic beaches packed with hermit crabs, lizards and what else?...more monkeys. Steven Spielberg and Co. used Manual Antonio to film Jurassic Park so it was neat to recognize some of the scenery from the film.

Things are pretty quiet on this Sunday night so I will probably focus on getting a good night's rest. Tomorrow will be a travel day north up the coast to Santa Elena where some of the cloud forests are.

Surfs up

2006-08-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

After a large tropical storm and some flash floods along the local rivers, I woke up around 8 and walked to the village in search of a surf instructor. An hour later I was walking to Playa Grande with Manual. Manual drew a surf board in the sand and showed me the propper position for paddeling and for jumping up to catch a wave. We were in the water for about 2 hours, and by the end I was able to stay standing up on about 3 out of 4 waves. Please keep in mind these waves were all of 2 feet high (I only like the big ones). I thoroughly enjoyed myself and definitely plan on renting a board in Brazil to practice my skills.

On a side note, the wind and storms from the previous night caused larger waves than normal. As a result, I endured several wipe-outs. Despite lathering up in 45 spf sunblock I found my shoulders and back absolutely toasted by the end of the lesson. My theory is that all the sand churned up by the waves came and slowly scrubbed away my sunscreen. I rarely burn so I'm not terribly red, but let's just say I'm not looking forward to wearing a backpack tomorrow.

I am taking a water taxi to Jaco tomorrow morning and from there I will take a bus to Manual Antonio to visit the wildlife reserve.

I changed the settings for this blog so now you all should be able to leave a comment without having to sign up for a blog account.

If you're curious

2006-08-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't have a map of Costa Rica in front of you:

Coast to coast

2006-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

After a fun night of sipping box wine while sitting on the beach with some buddies from the hostel, I woke up early to pack my things and catch a bus. I hadn't really decided where to go to next, but was leaning toward Monteverdi. As it turned out, there was a bus strike in San Jose so my plans were no longer feasible. As I was deboarding the bus, I saw two Americans talking about going west via taxi. I chimed in that I'd be interested in splitting the cost with them. A 2 hour taxi ride, 1 hour ferry ride and 2 hour (to only cover 40 km) later I found myself on the Pacific Coast (Montezuma). I'm staying in a sweet jungle bungalow about a 5 minute walk from the beach. When I was reading on the patio this afternoon I saw at least 5 monkeys jumping amongst the trees. One was trying to rip a fruit off a tree while two others shared a banana..... It was even better than watching the Discovery Channel!

Today has been pretty close to perfection. After a good night's sleep I walked down from Montezuma to Playa Grande. On the way I saw at least 6 different types of lizards (including a massive iguana), hundreds of orange/red crabs dancing across the sand and a few tree frogs! When I finally reached Playa Grande I was the only person on the entire 3 km beach, and was alone aside from a wild horse on the far end of the beach. Swam in the ocean a bit before chilling in Montezuma sipping on a smoothie. The smoothies in Costa Rica are unreal. When you order one it seems as if the cook goes back to pick the fruit fresh from the tree! After the snack, I hiked along a river to a waterfall and swimming hole. The waterfall was probably 70 feet high. There was a small shelf between the rock and where the water came crashing down which made a spectacular seat.

Montezuma has the feel of a small laid back surf village. I'm planning on staying tonight and then taking a short bus ride over to Mal Pais to take a surfing lesson. Next week I'll head inland to the could forests before meeting up with my Dad in Peru.

On a side note, despite the 100% Deet I've been using, I have bites everywhere! My right shoulder alone had 40 bites last I counted! Time for another smoothie while watching the sunset.

"pura vida!"

2006-08-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I have gone over the past 3 days I have heard countless Ticos use the phrase, "pura vida!" After doing a little research (thank you google), I learned that while "pura vida" litteraly translates to mean "pure life" (I knew that before the research), the phrase means something along the lines of "cool" and is widely used to express positiveness. That's my history for the day.

Last night I discovered that hammocks are not all that comfortable to sleep in. While I enjoyed the novelty of it, I struggled through most of the evening to find a sleeping position conducive to reaching REM. The sun is also throwing off my sleeping patterns a bit. The sun rises at 6 am and sets at 6 pm - by 8pm I feel like it's time to turn in for the night.

Today it was nice to not be in transit anywhere. I met two girls at my hostel and we rented bikes for the day. We rode about 17 km south from Puerto Viejo to where the beaches are nicer. Enjoyed swimming in the water and relaxing underneith large coconut trees. Planning on relaxing tonight and taking a bus back to San Jose tomorrow morning. Not sure where the next stop will be. Speaking of which, I must go examine a few bus schedules. Adios.

Pirates of the Caribbean

2006-08-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Last night, I enjoyed a feast and a couple beers in San Jose for a whopping total of....... $3! Went out with a Canadian and two Argentines who gave me the inside scoop on several suggestions of what to see in Costa Rica.

Today I write from a lovely internet cafe in Puerto Viejo. A bumpy 4.5 hour bus ride dropped me off in this rasta beach town along the Caribbean. I'm staying at this crazy hostel that consists of a variety of tents, tree houses and hammocks! I elected for the hammock. Spent the afternoon walking along a beautiful deserted beach sandwiched between large waves and a thick jungle. Puerto Viejo has a lot of character and I enjoy the reggea resonating from every restaurant and store front.

And so it begins...

2006-08-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

I find myself in San Jose, Costa Rica contributing the first "real" entry to my blog. It's been a long past 36 hours or so as my flight departed San Francisco at 1:30 am. Got an hour or two sleep on the plane and took a power nap (you'd be proud Anthony) once I got to my hostel. I'm staying in San Pedro which is where the nation's main university is. Wandered through campus a bit and was impressed when I stumbled upon a wildlife preserve directly next to the student union. The rest of San Jose isn't too impressive. Lots of pedestrians, crazy drivers, and massive craters in the roads/sidewalks.

Tomorrow I will be off to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coastline. I'm hoping to go snorkeling, take a surfing lesson and explore some wilderness.

For those of you who were asking, here's the cliff's notes version of my trip:

August 7-18 Costa Rica
August 18-28 Peru (with my Dad)
August 29-September 19 Brazil
September 20 - November 6 Europe (flying into Portugal, and out of Greece)
November 7-17 Thailand
November 17-27 Vietnam
November 28 - December 18 Australia

This could be interesting

2006-08-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Alright. 5 days before my departure. I've got the red-eye flight leaving Monday morning at 1:15 so I've got a few days left to round up the last of my travel gear and tie up any loose ends here at home. I'm feeling fairly relaxed, as calm and collected as anyone can prior to living out of a backpack for five months.

I was feeling quite overwhelmed a couple weeks ago as my brain was overheating from the abundance of travel guidebooks I had been browsing. I have a fairly good idea of what I will be doing in South America over the next month and a half. As for Europe I will just wing-it. As for the rest of the trip, I will see far too many things and meet far too many people between now and November to even think about what to do in Southeast Asia and Australia.

I didn't really have anything to "blog" about but wanted to test this out. More to come soon!