Tales From The Road

Houseboats of Amsterdam

2011-10-29T15:37:00.002-07:00

During our boat trip around the canals of Amsterdam I was struck by some of the houseboats. I took a few pictures while we were out. Here are some of the boats that caught my eye. In looking back at these photos I was apparently drawn by the blue green hues for some reason.

Textures of Amsterdam

2011-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a previous post about Amsterdam that the city is a collection of various brick, stone and block. I was rather fascinated by the melange of materials that composed the streets and sidewalks of the city. Perhaps I was more aware of the space beneath my feet because I was pushing a stroller around the town. In any event here are a few pictures of some of Amsterdam's walkways.

Brussels

2011-10-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Belgium is famous for chocolate and beer. I love both ofthese creations, so I was quite happy to spend the end of our Europe 2011adventure in Brussels. I only wish that I had more chocolate while we werethere. I love beer, but I have never been a fan of the Belgian yeast strains.They add too much floral and spice qualities to the beer for my personal taste.Needless to say I had more chocolate than beer..

We got a tip from a pleasant Belgian we chatted up overlunch who directed us to Pierre Marcolini for chocolate. Apparently this is thefinest in Belgian chocolate. We obviously deserve the finest, so away we wentin search of Marcolini. After handing over a small fortune we were in chocolateheaven. I won’t assert that this shop is indeed the best in Belgium, how couldI possibly? I will assure you that the treats were decadently delightful. Iwish I had pictures of all their delectable morsels, but they frowned onphotography.

In general I bet Brussels is a great place to live and work.The city was littered with little green spaces and parks filled with peopleenjoying their lunch break. We stumbled into a few really cool gardens withgreenery carefully crafted into geometric shapes and color carefullyincorporated into the setting. These little gardens were great. The largeswings in elevation also provided some great views of the city from thehilltops. There was clearly some careful thought put into the use of publicspace and a concerted effort to make the city livable and inviting.

We also had some of the best meals of the entire trip inBrussels. I had an amazing traditional Belgian rabbit dish. It was rabbit braisedin gueuze, which is a sweet/sour Lambic, or fruit beer. The deep sweet richnessof the reduction sauce complemented the rabbit leg beautify. Erin enjoyed asimilarly prepared braised beef dish, though not braised in gueuze. I expectedParis to deliver the best meal of the trip, but Brussels delivered. (Though tobe fair Brussels is basically half French influenced and half Dutch influencedso in a way I supposed it could be considered French cooking?)

All of this is nice and well, but from a tourist perspectiveI would not recommend it. If you want to go to Belgium for the chocolate, orbeer, Brussels isn’t a bad place to spend some time. Outside of that I don’tsee a huge reason to visit. To be fair we didn’t spend that much time in thecity. We only experienced a limited amount of Brussels. There may be some magic we missed, it’s just that I didn’tfeel excitement from a purely touristic perspective.Perhaps if I knew more of the history it would seem more magical? The GrandPlace, or Grand Square, was pretty amazing after all.

Amsterdam

2011-10-20T14:50:00.001-07:00

Amsterdam is wonderful. I can't believe our time here has gone by so quickly and that we already leave tomorrow. That is always a sign that you enjoyed a town.

Visually this town is stunning. Every building is different and has unique character, but they all fit into the same architectural style. It makes for an awesome and picturesque atmosphere that is so welcoming. I feel like I have been at grandma's house the whole time I have been here. The tall gingerbread buildings in all colors lining the canals filled with colorful boats is unlike any other place I have seen.

I strongly recommend Amsterdam for everyone. This town is great. It would also be a wonderful starter city for someone who wants to begin traveling internationally and has no experience abroad. I say this because the town is so unique and different it provides one with a great foreign experience, yet the travel is so easy and everyone speaks perfect English. It has been absolutely effortless to travel in this city.

We have taken in a fair amount while we were here and yet we also paced ourselves and have taken it easy. Our first day in Amsterdam we generally sat around the apartment relaxing after horrible sleep in Paris. Even Liam took the time to relax and enjoy the view.

The next day we hit the town walking all over, stopping off to play in Vondel Park with Liam. We then sauntered down to the Museum Plein for hot chocolate and lunch outside. After that we visited the original Heineken Brewery and the Albert Cuypmarkt.

Wednesday Erin and I got another late start and made up for it with relentless pavement pounding. Which, is a bit inaccurate because everything here is brick, or stone, or block of some sort. The textures of this city alone can be mesmerizing with bits of green moss growing between any and all cracks along the path.Before long we had inadvertently wandered into the Red Light District. Its funny coming from America I expected this area to be like Las Vegas on steroids. It is actually just as quaint and inviting as the rest of the town, which is how we ended up staring women-for-hire in the face without realizing where we were. And that more than anything really solidified in my mind how great Amsterdam really is. It has this taboo mysticism due to legalized marijuana and prostitution and yet that has so little to do with this town's character. Its a shame that is what it is most known for.

Today was a great day to be sure. We started off early with the Anne Frank house. It was actually larger than I expected, but obviously a very meager space for 8 people to share in relative silence and terror. To shake things off and lighten the day we hit the town for a boat tour along the canals. Andrew's neighbor lent us his boat for the day. We spent 3 hours out on the canals including a trip by the zoo where we could see giraffes. That was an awesome way to experience Amsterdam from an entirely new perspective. The fresh air blowing across the water, changing leaves and colorful boats brought everything into crisp fresh detail. We are so luck to have a friend in this town. We never would have experienced that otherwise. (Including hiding out under a bridge for 20 minutes waiting for the rain to pass.)

To end the day I enjoyed a Cuban cigar and some Scotch on the roof. Amsterdam has been great to us.

Pictures from Amsterdam

2011-10-19T02:58:00.001-07:00

Fun in Vondel Park

Happy hour along Keizergracht canal

We had beer delivered to Dr. Lemieux's

Some of the many ridiculous stairs to Dr. Lemieux's

The apartment

Nighttime view from the terrace

Paris Days 1 & 2

2011-10-18T03:37:00.002-07:00

Day one was really just the day we stepped off the plane. It was not really a full day by the time we checked in, showered, fully destroyed the hotel room and ran out for lunch. The weather here is perfect. In the sun it can be a bit warm and the shade can get a bit cool, yet overall it is perfect weather. (The train between Paris and Amsterdam where I am typing this is not perfect weather. It is hot and smells of stuffy sweat.) I was surprised the lush greenery of the country between the airport and Paris. Even in certain parts of Paris you find lovely gardens, parks and random bits of green. The architecture is quite nice as well. A bit more decorative and tasteful than what we experienced in Spain, but certainly not as charming as Florence. I will also say Paris does an amazing job with public trash cans. The stubby green posts with an open barrel and a bag hanging down like a basketball hoop are everywhere. We made great use of them on our meandering stroll about that first day. They are also a wonderful place to ditch a smelly diaper.

Dinner at Le Patio Proveçal

Basically all did day one was eat. We had lunch outside on the patio at a quaint bistro. The highlight was a Parisian salad topped with an inappropriate amount of of cheese and ham. Very tasty cheese. We then wandered around town until dinner. Dinner was not very good, but Liam happily ate a good portion of the nasty fish we ordered. That was the end of day one. And then Liam started what I will refer to as "Liam's Parisienne Nighttime Reign of Terror." I think it was a combination of jet lag, over tiredness, and his internal clock remaining on Arizona time. Whatever it was it wasn't good. This boy refused to sleep. So from 3:00-4:30am he and I wandered the streets. I am not sure it was safe and it was rather boring. Except at one point I got a lecture from an overly intoxicated woman in the street about being out that late with a baby. Oh and I almost stepped in a huge pile of puke. After what felt like eternity we returned to the room and he still refused to sleep. He didn't go down until 5ish.

Day two, as you can imagine, got off to a late start. We were sleeping hard at noon thirty when the maid knocked on the door. (Aside: French maids do wear sexy outfits.) I am glad she did or we would have slept our last day in Paris away. Once we finally got moving we must have hit a time vacuum because we crammed so much in. First stop was the Eiffel Tower. What an odd torrent of steel. There was something fun about it. We played in the park chasing Liam around in the shadow of the hulking metal mass. I must say I liked it. More so than I thought I would. As far as man-made oddity attractions go I rank it above the leaning tower of Pisa. The complex nature of steel curves and zig zagging intricate bits work to create a cerebral mellowness reminiscent of a lava lamp. We stayed and played in the grass for what felt like forever.

Next we moved down the river to Notre Dame. We attempted to stop by the Louvre and see the glass pyramid, but we couldn't seem to find it. I am not sure how we missed it, but we did. By chance we arrived at the church right on time for mass. Awesome mass, way better than anything you can find in Arizona. The acoustics were surreal. I took a short video I will try to post at some point. The video is terrible, but you get to hear some audio. I lit a prayer candle as I tend to do in foreign Catholic churches (St. Peter's in Rome and El Duomo in Florence) said my piece, dropped a 'peace be with you' and I was out. I would have stayed longer, but Erin had already taken a crying Liam outside. The church itself was not nearly as beautiful as some of the Italian churches. There were some beautiful adornments, but beige stone just can't compete with Italian marble. I looked about for Quasimodo. Alas, no hunchback.

If you ever go to Notre Dame I recommend dusk. That's when we arrived. It was wonderful to watch the fleeting sun wash across the church just as the lights kicked on. What a beautiful atmosphere to share with the family. Liam seemed to love it and even played with a little girl for some time. That was truly a memorable experience. We then tried to pack in Monmaret, but Liam crashed and we were running on fumes so we sauntered home. And by sauntered I mean took a few trains packed with stinky people. It was not fun.

Random note: Traveling by train through the French countryside is beautiful. I had no idea France had such wonderfully beautiful green countryside dotted with charming small towns along rolling hills and mature trees changing color with the approaching winter.

Getting Here

2011-10-18T03:11:00.001-07:00

It's always a long journey across the Atlantic. It's never an easy trip with the time change working against you. We did ourselves no favors by bringing a 14 month old baby. That's not to say that things didn't start well. On the first flight from Phoenix to Miami Liam was, in the words of a fellow passenger, "a prince." By chance one of the guys in front of us was from Argentina and the other Peru. The two guys didn't know each other and didn't even realize the other spoke Spanish until we all started chatting halfway through the flight. I took it as a good omen. I was wrong.

The second flight was brutal. To be completely objective about it Liam was not that bad. He just couldn't fall asleep. I think there was too much stimulation. Who knows? All I do know is Liam cried through most of the middle-second half of that flight. He didn't fall asleep until the last 2 hours. So we arrived in Paris at 9:30 am jet lagged and out of it. After getting through customs and sorting out our luggage it was roughly 10:00 and we were showing signs of wear. We then discovered it would take 5 trains and a bus ride to reach our hotel. (Grandparents don't read the next bits.) This is when I made a judgment call and threw the family in a taxi. By some luck Nadir, our shady yet charming taxi driver, pulled a booster seat out of nowhere and we were off. This was by no means a car seat. It was not safe. But, hell, just a generation before me kids stood on the front seat of a car. Given the full scope of our situation, the taxi was the best decision of the day. It still took us 45 minutes to get to our hotel, but we were in no shape to jockey 5 bags and a stroller across that many transfers.

As you can see in this picture we brought way too many bags and quickly overwhelmed our tiny hotel room in Paris.

Eiffel Tower

2011-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Europe 2011 Itnerary

2011-10-03T20:14:00.001-07:00

It's that time again. We are leaving for Europe, so I am dusting off the blog. We leave for Paris, France October 14, 2011. We will be there for 3 nights before heading on to Amsterdam, Netherlands for 4 nights. Finally, we move along to Brussels, Belgium for a night.

Paris 10/14-10/16
Amsterdam 10/17-10/20
Brussels 10/20-10/21

I will be posting from the road so check back soon. For now enjoy reading some of the posts from the past.

Barcelona Round Two and Pisa

2009-08-19T12:33:00.010-07:00

I have been a bit remiss in keeping pace with our travels so here goes. After Florence we returned to Barcelona for another couple of days. The highlights were Park Guell , Dali’s museum, Festival de Gracia and the beach. Certainly there are better beaches to spend time on than those in Barcelona. The water has a murky muddy disposition as though it has been all churned up. The temperature falls somewhere between the Sea of Cortez and southern California. But, it was so refreshing and lovely to swim in the Mediterranean. I body-surfed in the meek waves while Erin sipped on a massive beer in the shade of an umbrella on the deck of a restaurant above. Upon emerging I felt completely revitalized.

Now I must take pause here to fully elaborate on the scene. Certainly I was aware that there are nude beaches in Europe. What I was not aware of is that apparently every beach can be topless. Yep, bare breasted women in all their glory strolling, reading, relaxing and napping all over the place. Which certainly sounds exciting and completely erotic coming from America, I assure you that it didn’t provide much more than a cheap thrill. Well endowed busts seem to be one characteristic Spanish women were not granted. Sure I did some rubbernecking, but that drew to a close quickly as there are overweight men with better racks in the U.S. So I swam my heart out while Erin hooked down some lager.

This of course all took place after we went to Park Guell in the sweltering hellish heat of the Barcelona summer. What cruel irony that we hit Europe in the summer to escape the cauldron of hell that the Phoenix metro area becomes June – August and end up in a humid European sweat trap. You see this is much worse because despite being the “pinnacle” of the civilized world no-one over here seems to understand air conditioning. (Or a damned queue for that matter. I just want to hold a press conference to explain both to them.) So anyway we sauntered through Park Guell while simmering in the sun trying to enjoy the surrealistic gingerbread houses and mosaic work of Antoni Gaudi before succumbing to sheer exposure and heading for the beach.

The following day we hoped on a train to the town of Figueres to visit the Teatro-Museo Dali. Basically Salvador Dali created a freak show museum to house some of his lesser known art pieces. The entire scene lays the backdrop for his surrealistic art with wacked out décor and larger than life art works spotted throughout the museum. Erin really enjoyed it. I felt cheated as none of the pieces I really like were there, and I saw better examples of his work at the art exhibit in Japan.

That evening we returned home to shower and refresh before heading out into the barrio to enjoy Festival de Gracia. Only by sheer luck were we in Barcelona during this awesome community event. Basically streets in the Gracia neighborhood decorate their block for bragging rights. And everyone comes out to walk the streets which are adorned with various decorations. The best part of course is that vendors are peddling drinks and eats so I had sangria, beer, mojitos, and some cava (Spanish champagne.) The best part of the whole evening was at the end of the night when I only had €1.30 left in my pocket and a beer cost €2. So I haggled with this guy in drunken haggard Spanish and he sold me €1.30 of beer, seen below. That and I sauntered the streets while smoking a Cuban cigar.

After spending some time in both countries I feel confident in asserting that Italy makes for a much nicer vacation spot. In general the people in Spain can come off a bit unapproachable or less open. In Barcelona they are much better and more open than Madrid, but in all fairly stiff cats. This of course is all in general terms, speaking about the general feeling I got when going to the airport, or ordering a sandwich, or while at a bar etc. Because certainly we have met a few great people. The Italians by contrast are all too eager to help or say hello or accommodate you. The women in Italy are also more attractive. I was expecting to see a few knock outs, you know the whole Latin woman mystique and all. Really outside of a few good sets of legs and nice tans, not much that impressed me. The Italians are much sharper dressers and have nicer hair so…Either way Erin assures me that the men are much nicer looking than the ladies in either case.

While we are on the topic of men, all the guys fall into two camps. There is the casual dresser, almost Californian, and the other which essentially dresses like they are gay. Not the older gents they dress like you expect, but the younger crowd seems very metrosexual. Now in Barcelona this is more fact than appearance as it is a very open city. Actually it seemed like there was more to do if you were homosexual, and it seemed like a fair majority were clearly out and proud. So if you are homosexual and looking for a new place Barcelona is it. Also I would recommend Barcelona to the younger crowd or anyone who wants to party and dance at the club all night.

Tonight we are back in Madrid and heading out for a night of Flamenco. Then tomorrow we will tour the royal palace and do a bit of shopping before preparing to head home. And I am ready. I want nothing more than my bed, a great craft American brew, and English.

Oh I almost forgot...on our way out of Florence we had to catch a bus to the airport in Pisa so we thought what the hell and hired a cab to take us to the leaning tower.

5 Random Photos From The Trip

2009-08-17T05:34:00.008-07:00

Clowning down an escalator

This is the breakfast table in our B&B in Barcelona as seen through the reflection of the lamp over the table. Click here for a bigger picture...I am in there

Rocky mountain oysters anyone?

Erin in Bel Luna Jazz Club, Barcelona

Florence in a Nutshell

2009-08-15T16:16:00.006-07:00

Oh Florence you seductive beauty you! It has been eight years since the last time I treaded through your winding streets and you have only gotten more fantastic. Italy beats Spain. I said it. I plan on getting into a more involved comparison and detailed descriptions of both in a coming post but for now, on my last night in Florence, I just want to revel in the delightful time we have had here. Since so much has happened in the past few days I think approaching it in chunks will be the easiest way to get it all in.

FOOD
Dear Lord the food. I love Italian food. So far the highlights have been a caprese salad and a pesto with tomato fettuccine at Il Gatto & La Volpe. They also served us the finest Chianti I have ever consumed in my life for a jaw droopingly cheap 8 euro. It seriously drank like a $40-$50 bottle of wine.

The second night we dined at Trattoria Bordino and started off with the most completely fulfilling prosciutto. I think describing it as rich cheapens the true decadence of Italian prosciutto. This was followed by the single finest dish I have ever eaten in my life. I am going on record and saying the tagliatelle pasta in champagne cream sauce with truffles is my new favorite dish of all time. (It was so intensely delightful I got lightheaded and had to take a break.) So if I was on death row headed to the electric chair and they offered me up a last meal of my choosing, this is it folks. Forget the finest cut of meat on Earth, truffles will move a man.

Tonight we started off with a fabulous example of classic brucshetta at Trattoria Encoteca Baldovino. Those luscious tomatoes floating in the perfectly balanced garlic oil combination, perched on fresh bread ever so lightly toasted was a real treat. I pondered ordering a second serving. The other standout dish at this restaurant was the stewed rabbit. I will be unfortunately cliché here and say indeed it did taste remarkably like chicken. It was however somehow much deeper and more satiating.

All of the above of course were just the standout dishes because the gelato, waffles in chocolate, arugula salad, sole in champagne sauce, lasagna, fried potatoes, walnut and cheese atop mixed greens, gnocchi, and more gelato have all been really quite delicious as well.

SIGHTS
Other than the Uffizi we pretty much saw it all. Both Erin and my single favorite experience was standing at the top of the Duomo overlooking the city. The view of endless red roofs crawling up into the green hills jutting up around the city’s edge really make you appreciate being alive. The climb up 463 stairs was another story all together. I got rather claustrophobic just after midway when the seemingly endless spiral stair case started closing in on me and my heart was pounding and almost leaping out of my chest. This rapidly devolved into a mild anxiety attack complemented by full on irrational thoughts like, I am going to have a heart attack in this stairwell and there is no way they will be able to get to me. And just when I thought I was going melt down I reached the top. Ah relief…nope apparently I am pretty afraid of heights, because when you get to the top of these stairs you are forced to walk along the inside of the dome to another staircase, the point being to allow you to look up at the magnificent mural that adorns the top of the dome. And truly it is moving. However this threw me into a pretty nice little panic attack and I was too busy scurrying along the edge like a rat, quite literally clinging to the wall. Erin got a pretty good kick out of it. I was trying to make it to the other side before the magnetic force sucking me over the edge actually got strong enough to do so. Of course I tried to play it cool when I got across the other side and two college age American guys were snapping pictures like mad hanging over the edge. But, once we got outside on top of the dome it was totally worth it. That view was spectacular. I remember not thinking a great deal of the Boboli Gardens last time I was here. That was completely validated this time. The rest of the churches that litter the city are all also pretty remarkable in their own way as well.

BICYCLE WINE TOUR
Oh baby. This was the most fantastic way to spend a day. Keith, an Irish fellow, and two Scottish brothers, Andy and Ron, run Tuscany Bike Tours. They pick you up in downtown Florence and drive you 30 kilometers out into the country side, smack dab into the middle of Chianti Classico. This, obviously, is where Chianti comes from.

After touring the castle of a count and countess, who are currently vacationing at their Virgin Island home, we sampled some award winning olive oil and spicy Chianiti. Then we hit the road. I broke every single rule while on the tour, but I had a dammed good time. The rules were lame anyway: stay single file, stay on the right side of the road, no taking pictures from the bike and no weaving. My personal favorite was when I rode up next to Erin and took a picture from the left side of the road. Ron was not too pleased and then also asked me to stop riding with no hands. So I did…until he was out of sight. The views of wine country and olive orchards from a bike with a breeze blowing up at you while you sail down massive hills almost seemed like a religious experience.

Well there is more to say but, hey this is already long and I want to drink this bottle of wine and go to bed. More to come. And if you are ever in Florence take the damn bike tour. http://www.tuscany-biketours.com/

Florence: A Day In Pictures

2009-08-14T15:37:00.005-07:00

I will post a more robust critique of Florence soon. For now I can confidently say Florence makes for a much more enjoyable vacation that Spain. Granted we only traveled to Madrid and Barcelona, but Florence has such a nicer feel. Below is a link to a few pictures from our first full day in Florence. (We arrived at 10p.m.last night.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594095407050/show/with/3821043341/

[Update - The Flickr albums get updated so this no longer links to the original Florence pictures.]

Barcelona Day 2

2009-08-12T17:49:00.009-07:00

Well yet again there is so much to say and no possible way to cram an entire day's worth of experience into one blog post. That and I am incredibly tired because it is 3 am here, so I will be brief.

The day started with a trip to La Sagrada Familia. However, the wait to get inside and take a tour was over 2 hours so we decided to catch that on the way back. Below is a picture of me in front of the work in progress.

After we wandered a bit we headed back to our bed and breakfast for a nap and some relaxation. It seems we are both dealing with a bit of jet lag. So far it has been one day feeling horribly tired and the next fine. So by my math tomorrow should be a great day.

After our nap (and enjoying some wine in our room) we headed into the evening in search of paella. Erin read up on where to go so we could have certainty that we were eating the good stuff. After about an hour walk down La Rambla and past the docks we found Can Majo. Beside the constant smoking of other patrons the night was perfect. (I don't understand the fascination with cigarettes, but I assure you the smoke makes for a most vial assault on the non-smoker's senses.) We started the meal with a fabulous goat cheese over greens accompanied by candied walnuts and dressed with a raspberry reduction. The prawn, shrimp, scallop and mussels paella delighted our taste buds and we finished off with profiteroles in chocolate. I am not going to lie to you, the profiteroles were absoltuely decadant.

After diner we meandered back to a jazz club on La Rambla for some live music and libations. Finally I found a decent beer, Voll Damm, and enjoyed the set with a rich brew. Here is a link to a random bit of video from one of thier jams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQEVPQdvobQ

Tomorrow we are off to Florence for more delicacies and of course more walking.

Barcelona

2009-08-11T15:57:00.003-07:00

Well I am too tired to post a proper blog so here are some pictures from the first day in Barcelona. Be sure to click on them to get a description.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594066837962/

[Update - The Flickr albums get updated so this no longer links to the original Barcelona pictures.]

Madrid: Day Two

2009-08-10T15:42:00.004-07:00

Well I find myself, much like during my travels through South America, feeling like I have so much to say and really no way to capture it all in words. So I will do my best to condense a day’s worth of Madrid into a few paragraphs. Despite getting a late jump on the day we packed an incredible amount in. While I know it can’t possibly be true, I feel like we have a great jump on this City and have seen almost all of it. I attribute this to walking all day, crisscrossing the downtown area in a rambling amble. (Nope we didn’t end up on that tour bus after all.)

Since we awoke at noon the day began with lunch on the sidewalk under an umbrella. We both ordered a menu del dia. Woops I won’t do this again. It reminded both of us so much of South America it wasn’t even funny, right down to the funky french fries. Granted the food was slightly better but not by much. Actually both Erin and I have been overwhelmed by how much Madrid reminds us of Buenos Aires. In my assessment Madrid is an ever so marginally nicer Buenos Aires with more tourists and less friendly people. Being that Spain resides in Europe I expected it to be more first world. Numerous aspects of it are surprisingly 3rd world.

After lunch we made our way down to the beautiful park, Parque Del Retiro. The sheer size of the park inside this massive city impressed me, sort of like a Central Park in concept. The majority of the park hides under the canopy of mature trees of all variety and shape. Truly this park make a wonderful place to spend some time, with winding paths, row boats on the lake and small cafes serving cold beer. We indulged in a few cervecas before making our way to the Reina Sofia art museum.

What a wonderful museum, better than the Prado in virtually every way. (Unless you dig art from the Renaissance more than all else.) The modern architecture and thoughtful use of space offers one a superior opportunity to observe and experience the art. That and they had Dali who undoubtedly tops my list of great artists, and manages to find me during my international travels. I have now come across Dali in Italy 2001, Japan 2006 and now Spain in 2009. Below you can see me in front of Dali’s “Girl at the Window” and “The Invisible Man.”

I also managed to snap Erin in front of Picaso’s most astounding “Guernica” and incredibly famous “Woman in Blue.”

By the time we concluded the museum it was somehow 9.p.m. So we headed toward home in search of a bar recommended by the owner of our bed and breakfast. The name of the joint is Txakolina, which was packed to the gills, probably because the food was spectacularly awesome. The tapas were so tasty and diverse that I can safely say I am willing to eat them regularly. Tapas are basically like appetizers served on bread. Well enough for now. Tomorrow we head to Barcelona and I can’t wait to try the paella.

Madrid: Flight Over & First Day

2009-08-10T03:57:00.007-07:00

Well the first leg of our trip is over and I am sitting in our Bed and Breakfast in Madrid which is more like a hostel. It has already been an interesting journey and I can’t imagine what the rest of the trip has in store. For starters on the plane ride from Phoenix to Newark someone in our general vicinity had atrocious flatulence. They were certainly the discreet type so I couldn’t locate the source of the emissions, but they were pungent and had resounding stamina. Understandably I was grateful to exit the aircraft. And how did Newark greet me upon arrival? With some creep who couldn’t follow the unspoken rules and keep his eyes to himself while at the urinals. It was an interesting start to say the least.

During the layover Erin and I enjoyed some wine flights and some tasty greens at a pseudo posh airport eatery in the hopes of catching some z’s on the trip over the Atlantic. Unfortunately neither of us slept and we were in pretty rough shape when checked into our B&B in Madrid around noon. However, we were determined to push on so that we could get into a normal sleep cycle over here. In the end our first day was pretty ridiculous. We grabbed some lunch at a quaint bar and pushed on to the Prado art museum to digest some of the finest Spain has to offer. I will be honest between being zombie tired, it being a free day at the museum with throngs of people pushing through the gallery, and me somewhat of a philistine anyway it was hard to digest the works of Rembrandt, Goya, Bosch and Raphael.

We finished the day with two take out jamon sandwiches and two beers that we took back to our room. The jamon was tasty and salty between a light and crusty baguette that was delightful. We were so tired that we finished the sandwiches and only half of one beer before succumbing to sleep around 7:30. Of course I didn’t realize this until we woke up at noon today!

Now we are off to ride a tourist bus and see the sites and eagerly awaiting tapas tonight. In other news I am excited to say we managed to pack all our items in to one bag and two modest carry-ons. Thankfully my wife actually knows how to pack light!

Spain & Italy Itinerary

2009-08-06T21:15:00.003-07:00

Well it has been way too long since Erin and I fled the country so we decided our 5 year wedding anniversary was a great excuse to go abroad. We only have 12 magical days to spend in Europe. We are hitting up Madrid, Barcelona, and Florence in a yo-yo fashion. The itinerary is below:

Madrid August 9-11
Barcelona August 11-13
Florence August 13-16
Barcelona August 16-19
Madrid August 19-21

P.S. For those who have relentlessly inquired, there are no plans to enter into parenthood on this vacation.

Japan: A Random Look Back

2006-12-08T07:52:00.001-07:00

Traveling around Japan was a wonderful experience. I was lucky enough to hang with my brother for the most time since we both lived at home. Furthermore, I believe that because he lived there for 4 months prior to our arrival, Erin and I were exposed to a broader portrait of Japan than the average tourist. While he did recommend we visit the standard touristy locations like Kyoto he worked to submerge us in traditional Japanese cuisine such as ramen, shabu shabu, skeyaki, okinomiyaki, sushi, rice balls, and udon. All in all I feel that I saw Japan and left with few regrets. (The only place I wish we visited is Okinawa but, perhaps another time.) Anyway, I gave the basic rundown of places we went and things we did in previous posts but I didn't manage to cram in all the peripherals so I wanted to post an entry about some of the random things that struck me.

In American the "East" has been represented as an almost mythical place where highly spiritual people, steeped in traditional customs, enjoy a simple rewarding way of life very opposite the Western world. Maybe that was true a few hundred years ago but today Japan is one gigantic monument of capitalism all lit up in flashing lights. Tokyo actually puts Las Vegas to shame when it comes to the glitzy lights of the evening. While the winter sun vanished by 4:30, darkness never sets in. There are so many lights everywhere that it always seems like dawn. And, while I did see maybe 8 people total carrying on traditional Japanese dress the other 99.9% of the public has thrown away its cultural heritage and draped itself in the modern fashion of Western culture. I saw no less than 5 Louis Vitton stores in Tokyo alone and, always surrounded by Hermes, Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Cartier etc. These people love to shop. Actually I met a few Japanese people my age and inquired what they do for fun. The answer was always the same: shop.

Some of the traditions do linger on. All of the people are very respectful of others. When riding the trains at rush hour you are so tightly packed into the cars a sardine can looks roomy. But, even with all those people in one place you could hear a pin drop. They don't use their cell phones out of respect for others. Boy what a refreshing concept. And, I suppose the ancient eastern medicine has its followers as we did witness a man purchase blended up snake, apparently a Viagra alternative.

Another tradition, my favorite, still occurs quite frequently, the bow. This doesn't seem all that neat I know. But, when you mix it with another favorite Japanese past time, drinking, you get comedy. On Friday nights when we were heading out the businessmen were heading home. We would cross paths in the train stations and view groups of them super drunk bidding each other farewell. Something about 10 drunk Japanese men in suits with red faces all bowing and almost yelling thank you's and goodbyes endlessly cracked me up. It was like a domino effect. One would bow and then another one and then the first guy would then bow again to another person and so on. I sometimes expected to see them still bowing hours later when we returned to head home.

Something I noticed as common throughout the country was cleanliness. The sidewalks and streets are all very clean. Old ladies even came out regularly to sweep the sidewalks clean of the fallen leaves. I don't think I observed any litter, which is novel as it is extremely difficult to find a trash can anywhere. Also, most of the sidewalks and streets look brand new. Maybe they have to constantly replace them due to earthquake damage?

Everything is compact in Japan, the rooms, cars, chairs, people, and even heavy equipment. There was a construction site on the daily walk between the apartment and our train stop. The crane in use was about the size of a large SUV. The steamroller was the size of a small truck. It was so small I think it could have run me down and I could walk it off. My favorite space saver is the toilet and bidet in one. It looks like a normal toilet except for an attached controller with various buttons. Naturally I had to press them all. To my surprise a little bar extends from the back of the bowl and sprays your posterior with water. Depending on your button selection the water ranges from warm to cool, with one or multiple streams. It was ok except I had a difficult time figuring out how to shut it off, so my rear was pretty soaked.

Booze and cigarettes also caught my eye. They are everywhere. You can purchase both in vending machines, and vending machines are quite literally everywhere. Even in residential areas you will find one nestled into the tight gap between two homes. I guess it works because Japan is a cash based society. They just don't really use cards of any sort. People have tremendous amounts of Yen in there wallets. I guess they feel safe, as there isn't much crime. I once saw a man come restock an atm. He was alone, in regular street clothes, and unarmed. He opened up the machine took thousands and thousands of Yen out of a bag he was carrying and placed it in. Then he locked it up and casually walked away. I could have walked up grabbed a handful of cash and run off without problem. (Well other than the fact that I stick out like a sore thumb in Japan.) But, I digress. Beer is expensive and cigarettes are cheap. A pack of cigarettes runs about $2.50 American while a six-pack of beer will cost you $12. So if you enjoy smoking and not drinking I recommend you head to Japan.

Ok cars. Outside of Europe, Japan makes a great destination for a car enthusiast. There are a ton of sweet cars over there that we don't import. Toyota alone has a whole slew of models I have never seen or even heard of before. One such model is the Toyota Crown, which, comes in 3 styles. I like the Athlete version best as it has a sportier trim. Plus with 256 hp and rear wheel drive you know it has to be fun on the road. The car reminds me of a Lexus GS400. Actually there are many Toyotas in Japan that look like various versions of the Lexus series. I wish we could get these bad boys here but I bet the marketers want to keep a clear distinction between the lines in the states. The Toyota Alphard is another vehicle that has caught my eye, even though I would never buy it. This is basically like a sport car van. Everyone I have seen on the road has low profile ground effects and sports wheel packages. I even heard one that sounded like it had a turbo on it. It is funny to see young Japanese guys racing around the streets in a minivan. Furthermore Toyota definitely dominates the market in Japan. I saw very few Hondas on the street.

Well that covers most of the random things I noticed. I would just like to reiterate I was most impressed with the people. They are so polite, reserved, and helpful. Its pretty amazing that Erin lost her wallet with $70 dollars in cash and it was returned with everything intact. I think, as a collective Japanese are nicer than us Americans. Well, except for their judgment in age. Apparently they think Anglo people look very haggard and old. Maybe it is because Japanese people all look very young. People that looked about 18 years old to me turned out to be 25. This works reverse for us. Japanese people thought that Erin and I were 32! Plus you know people round down for politeness so that puts us around 35. Ouch, I guess I am in worse shape than I thought.

Well thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed my stories. I am off to get a botox shot in an attempt to regain my youth. Now for a shameless plug: I am officially looking for employment so if anyone out there has an opportunity for 'ol Shaun let me know.

Fish, Food, & Karaoke

2006-12-05T15:56:00.001-07:00

Friday morning we arose at the ungodly hour of 5:30 am to catch the action at the Tsukiji Fish Market. I can't belive we were allowed in this place. Absolutely in no way what so ever would an opperation like this be open to the public in the States. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Once you enter the area madness engulfs you. The market itself is hidden behind the normal looking streets of Tokyo but, once you find an entrance you see that behind the perimeter of store fronts lies a massive industrial looking area that must encompass a square mile. The layout looks like a parking lot with various long covered loading docks up front and a huge covered area in back. The place is like an angry ant colony. There are guys in huge rubber boots and bloody aprons riding by on bikes and others flying past on golf cart like vehicles. These carts have a flatbed in back and controls up front where the opperator stands to drive it. I thought one of us was getting run down for sure. We finally zigzagged our way through a myriad of chaos and entered the large building in the back. Everywhere action took place. Live fish fluttered in tanks, massive frozen tuna were cut to pices on large bandsaws, men cut huge fresh fish with knives the size of small swords, and we gawked.

Saturday Erin and I woke up slow after a nice evening on the town with Brian. We cleaned up and headed out to the Bunkamura Museum of Art to catch the M.C. Escher exhibition. I have nothing but admiration and respect for the genius that Escher produced. I have always enjoyed his classics like "Day and Night" and "Metamorphose" but, I didn't realize how he produced them. I always assumed he drew them. He carved it out of wood or made lithographs rolled them with ink and then put it on paper. Next time you look at one of his mind bending illusions like "Waterfall" imagine carving that bugger! I have really enjoyed catching art shows here in Tokyo and wish Phoenix had more to offer.

After the show we met up with Brian to head out for Shabu Shabu and Skeyaki. These are by far the best types of Japanese food we have had yet. They are both basically a fondue style of cooking using beef and pork. Shabu Shabu uses a lighter broth in which you put veggies and then cook your meat. When it is done you dip the meat in either a sesame seed sauce or a soy sauce based dip. Skeyaki, my favorite, used a soy based broth to cook the meat and veggies but, when it is cooked you dip it in raw scrambled egg. I know that this sounds very un-yummy or even unpleasant. The finished product produces the richest flavor attainable. I don't know exactly why it is so much better than the fondue joints in the states. I think the meats are much fresher and higher quality cuts. Also the sauces are so delicious that every bite comes out steeped in goodness.On our last night in Japan we went out for more karaoke. We all really enjoyed karaoke more than we thought possible. I think it is because you get a private room and only have to make a fool of yourself in front of loved ones. That and it is all you can drink so, you end up sounding better as the night goes on. We sang four hours that night. As you can imagine we sounded great by the time we were done.

Well we are back home now. We got in last night around 6. It was a about 22 hours of travel time door to door. I plan on writting another entry that sort of wraps up Japan and my take on it within the next couple days.

Picture Time!

2006-12-01T03:39:00.002-07:00

I put up a ton of new pictures from Japan on my flicker account. (Click the link below.)

Also, we are going out on the town for our last 3 nights here so I should have some good stories coming up. Plus I still have to write about things like getting meals and beers from vending machines.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594066837962/

[Update - The Flickr albums get updated so this no longer links to the original Japan pictures.]

Ueno Zoo & Kamakura

2006-11-30T04:18:00.001-07:00

So yesterday Erin and I made it to the Ueno Zoo. I could go on and on about the zoo, the layout, antics of various animals but lets face it, its a zoo. We did, however, managed to see the entire thing which, I feel is no small feat considering we got a bit of a late start to our day. We went with the excitement of and the determination to view the Pygmy hippopotamuses but, left with another highlight. The hippos actually ended up being a bit of a let down. They look basically like the regular hippos only slightly smaller. (They conveniently placed the regular sized hippos in the neighboring enclosure for comparison.) I guess I thought they were going to be the size of a dog or something small in which case they would be truly novel. What neither of us realized upon leaving for the zoo was that Ueno is home to the world's most famous giant panda. Yep, we saw Ling Ling. It was sort of like seeing a movie star in a bizarre way. The panda I have heard about on and off for basically the entirety of my conscious life was sitting right there in front of me. It was fun. Erin even snapped a stellar picture of me standing in front of what looks like Ling Ling charging me. I can't wait to print that one out.

After leaving the zoo we headed out to Asakusa with the main goal of acquiring some gifts and doo-dads. It turned out to be a bust. They really only sold cheap souvenir type junk for the tourists, which was predominately made in China. We called it quits on the main shopping drag and wandered further into Asakusa. It is a typical generic metropolitan area in Japan. Nothing really interesting about the place, at least in my experience. We did however, manage to stumble upon a rather quaint shop selling tea sets. Erin has been rather keen on getting a tea set ever since Victoria, Canada and loosely interested even preceding that. This place ran the gamet of tea goods. They sold cups ranging in price form 5 dollars to 300. Can you imagine spending 300 dollars on a tea cup and saucer. I tried and just couldn't figure it out. I even walked myself through an imaginary trial in which tea glasses were placed before me and I had to pick the most expensive one. My imaginary test results are in: you would be a damn fool to pay that much for a tea cup. And, we didn't, we settled on a subtle little set with one tea pot and two cups with enough elegance for company and simple enough for everyday use. I like it. Furthermore, I think it will make a very nice memento of our time here.

Today we headed to Kamakura for some more temple and shrine visiting. In the end I think we only visited temples, which are Buddhist. It turned out to be a nice little day. We casually strolled from one temple to another and ogled the various depictions of Buddha within each. My favorite was a temple with about 5 Buddhas named Jochi-Ji, founded in 1283. After gawking at the sights of 2 or 3 temples we headed down the Diabutsu hiking trail. I suppose as far as a hiking trail goes it is relatively tame. There are only 2 or so places in the trail that require any thinking beyond the ol' left right shuffle. The "hike" lasted about an hour, dropping us on the other side of town. The goal here was to end up at Diabutsu. What ever does that mean? A temple that houses a giant Buddha statue basically. I knew we were head for a 30 foot tall Buddha and so I wasn't expecting to undergo any shock or amazement at the grandeur of the thing. Well I did anyway. It really is very big and detailed. I enjoyed it immensely. The place offers an option to enter the massive statue for about twenty cents. We did. It was a mistake. I wish I had that twenty cents back, and that is saying something. As we wandered back to the train station we found a place selling blueberry soft serve ice cream. Now, it is winter here and decently cold but, I have developed something of a monster sweet tooth and I snapped that cone right up. It was absolutely fantastic. Most of the ice cream here is second rate at best but, this ice ream blew my socks off. Even Erin commented on the delicious nature of said dessert.

Another Long Entry About Japan

2006-11-28T03:23:00.001-07:00

Well I feel like there is so much about Japan that I haven't yet put into type. I want to discuss the cars, the technology, the transit system, the food, the booze, the women, the buildings, how it gets dark early, everything. But, first things first and while it is still clear in my mind, I should discuss the happenings and events of last night. We were supposed to arise at 9:00 am to the sound of Brian's river dance sounding alarm clock song on his cell phone. For whatever reason the thing didn't go off and we all kept right on sawing logs until sometime after 10. We were draggin, moving slow, and in no real rush what so ever. Mind you that our purpose for the day was to head into Ueno and visit the zoo with its main attraction, at least for our tastes, the pigmy hippopotamuses. At some time after 11 we finally disembarked on our journey. We stopped at Ron, a small restaurant, on the way to the Senzokuike train station.

Everything was finally moving along. A breakfast sort of lunch composed of fried noodles was resting satisfyingly in my tummy as we exited the Ueno train station 30 or so minutes later. To our utter shock and disapointment the zoo was closed. Apparently it is closed every Monday. I think the lot of us were pretty disheartened as, this was Brian's last day off while we are here more or less, and now we had no real plan of how to fully enjoy it. Things quickly looked up though as we were smack dab in the middle of museum mecca. There are more muesums in that area than anywhere else in Japan. By chance Salvador Dali's art was showing in one of the afore mentioned museums and we went in. I was super excited as he has a special place in my heart for his maniac art work composed while on speed binges. I found some new pieces to cherish and mourned the fact that some of my favorites were missing.After leaving the exhibit exhilarated and exhausted we went in search of lunch by wandering through the Ameya-yokocho Arcade. This place is much different than the typical neon light glitz and glam of urban Tokyo. Apprantley it is a prime example of how things were in Japan before the affluence of the bubble years of the 70's and 80's. Funky little stalls jammed together with salesmen pitching their wares line winding streets. After wandering past stalls hawking fresh sea food, leather boots, and knockoff designer clothing we stumbled upon a chicken shack. This place was run by the most pleasant Nigerian man who came to Japan 14 years earlier to study the language and ended up marrying a woman. Now he runs the "Chicken Man" shack of which he owns two. The place sold the most delicious rotissery chicken you have ever eaten. It was sort of wierd though as the stall beside it was selling crazy ancient medicine of which included dried snakes that were ground into a powder. It put off a bizzare smell and somewhat put me off my appetite. We discussed it with the chicken man. Apparently you take the powder every morning for "power." As the word "power" was uttered the chicken man would raise his arm and clench a fist. We all got the impresion this was ancient viagra.

After eating chicken and some further wandering the market place we decided to head to Ginza to see all of Japans' finest. Ginza is basically Tokyo's equivilant to New York's Park Ave or 5th Ave. I am not sure which. In any event it wasn't that spectacular. The streets were very clean and decorated in Christmas' lights but, that is about it. All the high end shopping stores were packed in, Gucci, Louis Vitton, Dior, Hermes, Cartier, and on and on. But, these stores are all littered throughout other parts of Tokyo and so it isn't all that unique. We did enter the Sony building which boasts 4 floors of showroom. It was fun to look at all the new HDTV's, cameras, notebook computers, and accesories. It is a techofiles playground. But, none of us had thousands to blow and Ginza got old so we blew to Shibuya where Brian knew of a sushi restaurant and a cheap bar.

The sushi place was absolutely awesome. The place was at the top of the 109 building, visibile in my evening picture of Shibuya. We sat right at the sushi bar and got to observe the magic happen. The chefs were top knotch, producing made to order dishes at breakneck speeds the whole time looking cooler than ice. It didn't even seem like these guys were working but, the sushi kept appearing. This place was fresh. They had 2 types of sushi. You could order "fresh" which meant the fish was deliverd without ever being frozen. Or, you could order "live." The live fish were on site in large aquariums. We of course had to experience the "live" option. We decided to go with something that we never had back in the states and settled on Japanese Sea Perch. After we ordered it a chef rang a bell and they all said something in Japanese. Then they caught the perch in a net, fileted it, and then delivered it to our plate. It was a very mild flavored fish but, the meat was hearty so I wouldn't order it again. The experience was sweet though. That fish went from alive to in my stomach in about 5 minutes. It doesn't get much fresher than that.
After filling up on raw fish it was time to go drown any possible bacteria in booze. We went to Tasuichi or, a bar of some such name. It was only 300 Yen for a draft beer and we got a nice cozy buzz in motion. Beer is a very interesting topic which deserves an entry for solo consideration but, I will now endevor to quickly explain it anyway. It is taxed quite heavily, 56% I am told. For a six pack of beer you pay at least 12 dollars. That is ridiculous. So for a bit less than 3 dollars a beer in a bar is a damn good deal. Furthermore, we were consuming dark beer which cost even more. I was excited to find such a place. We slurped them down while chit chatting it up. After a couple hours the bar got full and smokey and we were already nice and so it was time to go. It unfolded to be a great day and we still have the zoo to look forward too.

*Also I have some fun links below. One is a map website that lets you track the places you have been. You can see where I have gone (Thanks for the tip Seanzo.) The other 3 are more pictures I added to my flickr account.

Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3, Map

Traveling Japan

2006-11-25T21:33:00.001-07:00

This is the longest blog ever so be advised...(also I could only upload small pictures so please click on them to see them better.)

Erin, Brian, and I headed out for Hiroshima early on Sunday morning. To my delight we rode in a bullet train. No bones about it, bullet trains are very cool. I wish we had them back in the states. They are like planes on rails. Unfortunately we didn't get to ride the fastest one. On many of our rides we were hauling down the line in our cozy car, seats reclined, and without warning the "Nozomi" would fly by us and our whole train would shudder and sway as it passed. The expereince is sort of a startling one really but, I would always take solace in the quality of Japanse enginering and settle back in to my seat for some more of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road."

Hiroshima is an wonderful place bustling with activity. The city buildings are nothing more than your average business style square tower but, something special has blossomed here. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe, because I am an American I have a unique view on the city and have a special place for it in my heart. Maybe, because it is the first place in all of Earth's history to be the subject of a nuclear attack I give it a bit more credit. Or perhaps the mature green trees lining the river that disects town make a beautiful contrast to the bleak images of war in my mind. I was expecting to have some super dramatic and moving feelings arise during our time there and so I was prepared.

We started our sightseeing with a visit to what is now known as the A-bomb Dome. The destruction has been preserved for all to see, ponder, and remember. I took some time to comprehend its entrails spewn about where outer walls once stood upright. The twisted metal dome stands atop the carnage with a quasi proud air for its new found title as a UNESCO world heritage location. But, the surrounding canopy of trees and nearby memorial fountains make it a peacful place to remember and not the gut wrenching experience I was preparing for. I must say the Japanese have done it absolutely right and I wish we would do something as tasteful for the 9-11 memorial. We moved on to the eternal flame of peace. It wasn't super exciting in its composition. The flame is meant to be viewed through a free standing concrete arch 30 or so feet away. The symbolisim of this monument makes up for its somewhat lack luster design. The flame will burn until the last nuclear weapon on Earth has been destryoed. But, this too lacked the soul gripping punch I anticipated. Oh I forgot to mention that it was a dreadfully overcast day and it rained down out of the grayness constantly, so we hurried on. Just beyond the flame lies the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. This building resembles a capital letter "I" with the middle section elevated on stilts. You enter the building on the far side of the "I" and work your way across. The first half of the museum displays before and after pictures, videos, models, and facts. Actually the first half of the museum is predominately facts. Then the exhibits become more involved. They display charred clothing from school girls caught in the blast and random debris. Then everything cresendos with a right turn around a corner into a square room off the main hall. There are large black and white pictures of people who have undergone massive damage. I totally lost it. I found my poignant soul moving moment. I almost had to leave the museum. We were all pretty worn out after that experience and didn't do much that night.We awoke the following day to beautiful sunshine and warm weather, perfect for our day trip to Miyajima Island, and a welcomed contrast to the previous day's expeirence. This island is absolutely awesome. It is my favorite place in Japan. As you approach by ferry ride you see the floating torii gate in the bay calling you to the Itsukushima Shrine.(pictured above) As we exited the ferry terminal the small tame deer of Miyajima were there to greet us with thier greedy little appetites. Brian immediatley proceeded to purchase "deer food" from a nearby vendor. He no more than offered one piece to a deer, and he was swarmed. I have some video of it but, unfortunatley you can only here me laughing. Brian is shouting at the deer "Get off my pants." They were nipping at him in attempts to poach his food.

After a good laugh we made it to the massive orange shrine. Really you can't throw a stone without hitting a temple or shrine on Miyajima. After we meandered a bit we headed up to the top of the island via gondola. There are monkeys at the top from time to time but we had no such luck. I really wanted to see them and enjoy their antics. Atop the views span out into the ocean until the horizon bends and sky blurs with sea. There are temples and shrines here as well. One houses an eternal flame started by a monk hundreds of years ago when he went to meditate for peace. I liked this eternal flame more as it resides in an ornate shrine and burns massive logs for fuel. We chose to hike down versus a return trip in the lift. The hike was splendorous beauty. Full blown fall, changing maple leaves, the full gamet of color spanning yellows and fire reds, carried our weary feet down the winding trail. We stopped at one point where a bench overlooked a slow moving river surrounded on all sides by the changing maples. I snapped a picture of Erin and Brian in the blaze of color.Our next stop was Fukuoka. The main point of the journey here was for sumo. We all really wanted to experience this Japanese art. Sumo amazed me. These guys are amazingly fast, agile, and brutal. We saw one wrestler knocked unconscious, one slapped in the throat numerous times, and many thrown completely off the 2 foot clay structure.
There wasn't much else going on in Fukuoka. Not many tourists make it there according to Brian's co-workers. It seemed like a mafia run town. There was just a gritty feel in the air. Perhaps it was the massive expanse of red light district. We had no problems however, and wandered the streets in evenings even spotting sumo wresters. This is where we decided to go out for karaoke. It is amazing fun it is here in Japan. We went to a chain establishment named "Big Echo" It isn't the "get drunk to muster enough courage so I can sing in front of a bar" type. You get a private room that they charge you for per person per hour. On the plus side you get unlimited drinks during your time. We enjoyed 3 hours of karaoke and beer which turned out to be 1 hour too much. I won't go into the details of who or how but, there were some casualties of karaoke in our party. While in Fukuoka we stayed in a ryokan, a Japanese inn, and got the full on oldschool Japanese experience. Our shoes were off at the front door, we shuffled around the creaky old wood halls in painfully small sandals, and took them off at our room door. Inside the room our floors were covered in tatami mats, and we slept on futons. I was suprised how comfortable these actually were. Every afternoon hot tea service was delivered to our door and our sheets were changed out. The shower room was a traditional public bath. there were 10 or so short showers and a large hot tub. You shower off while relaxing on a small seat and then move to the tub for a soak. After you make your peace with the possiblity of public nakedness the setup is very relaxing.

Brian had to split for work while Erin and I continued on to Kyoto. Kyoto was in peak season due to the ornate maples surrounding the various temples and so it was packed to the gills with Japanese tourists. It is a double edge sword expereincing a location in peak season. Sure it is amazingly awe inspiring but, simultaneously congested to a frustrating extent. For me there was something lost in experiencing a Buddhist temple with lines like Disneyland. I guess I expected to find a peaceful slice of nirvana in the Japanese hills. I wanted to walk the ground where monks had strolled and contemplate inner peace. I got a very different thing all together. People were scattered everywhere as if someone had spewed them from a pinata. Pictures were constantly snapped while crowds jockeyed for position amongst the sights. These temples are absolutely beautiful with their ornate structures and manicured gardens. They posess calm waters, mature trees, lovely boulders, manicured sands, sprawling mosses, and winding walking paths, but it seems that their souls have been sold to the capitalist dollar. As a result Erin and I only visited 5 and headed back to Tokyo early. It seemed like a nice enough place, we just didn't jive with Kyoto.

I feel as though I have so much more to capture in type but, this post has gone on long enough. I will try to get it all in soon...

Tokyo to Hiroshima

2006-11-20T06:35:00.002-07:00

Well we started off in Tokyo on Sunday with Erin losing her wallet. That episode ended up with me in a police station trying to explain that the wallet belonged to my wife. I am pretty sure that the cop behind the desk thought that I had abducted this poor white girl and was now trying to collect any an all evidence of her existence. But, I ran back to the apartment where Erin was feverishly tearing apart all 400 square feet of Brian`s place to collect her. We jogged back to the station and gathered up her wallet which was turned in with every single dollar. I have nothing but respect for the Japanese people. They are polite and honest.

Now we are in Hiroshima. Yesterday it was overcast and drizzly for the entire day. We visited the Peace Park, War Museum, A-Bomb dome, and the eternal flame. All in all the day was a perfect back drop for the depressing and powerful journey through the Museum.

Today we went to Miyajima Island. This place was an amazing glimpse of Japan a few hundred years ago. We approached by ferry and saw the floating torii standing proud in the bay. We journeyed through various shrines and temples until ultimately making it to the top of the island. There were even tame deer strolling about the entire island. My brother found it hilarious that they were like goats in that they would eat anything and took to feeding them paper.

The night ended with us enjoying the liberty of legally drinking in public. We strolled through the streets sipping Japanese beers reflecting on the beautiful maple leaves changing colors on Miyajima island.

Japan Pics & Movie

2006-11-17T06:33:00.001-07:00

I uploaded some pictures from all around and a video of the guys doing thier prayer over the shiny bundles. (Suicide Plane from WWII inside War Museum.)

For the rest of the pictures, click the link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594074944905/

Here is a video of the guys praying over the "prayer bundles" in Shinjuku.

Japan-arama

2006-11-16T09:07:00.002-07:00

We got in 2 days ago and so far Japan is awesome. I must say that I was quite nervous about traveling from the airport to the Meguro train station where we were to meet up with my brother Brian. I was preparing myself for the sensory overload of crowded spaces, the bombardment of neon lights and illuminated billboards after 17 hours of traveling. When we got off the plane and stepped into the airport I was shocked. There was no crowding. Everything was calm and neat. We had no trouble at all finding our train and easily navigated the trial of purchasing a ticket, making a transfer to another line, and exiting at the proper station. We then walked out of the train station and across the street to Brian's place of business. Every thing went like clockwork.

After about 45 minutes in Brian's place of employment we hit the streets of Tokyo in search of suitable cuisine. I don't know why we settled on a restaurant in the sea of quaint little shops that didn't have a picture menu. About half of these places had photos of neat little dishes next to undecipherable Japanese characters. I think Erin liked the place because of the pleasant looking old lady waiting on the other side of the restaurant door. I was too tired to even try to think about finding a different place so we went in. I am glad we did because we had a fun experience and a great meal. At the table next to us a group of 3 salary men sat enjoying a meal together. When it became quite obvious that we didn't speak Japanese and were having a rough time of it with the menu one of the men spoke up and offered some help. In the end we ordered a bit too much food, but not before going through nearly every choice on the menu. The cook would say something to the old lady who would talk to the table of men who in turn all spoke at once and, after a cacophony of noise simmered down, the guy that spoke English would say something like "try the chicken." Ultimately we had fried chicken, chicken salad, and shrimp tempura. The salad was my favorite. Well that and the ice cold Asahi draught.

Yesterday we went to Shibuya. I got my overwhelming experience. It was a full scale assault on all of my senses. Well maybe not taste. If you taste a city you have some problems on your hands for certain. The corner outside the train station was amazing. There are 3 or 4 giant tvs on the side of skyscrapers raining down ads and various clips of music. There are speakers hidden everywhere around the intersection and you can hear the happenings of each tv competing in the background amongst the traffic rushing by. I have never seen so many pedestrians in one place. The traffic signals cycle through all the various traffic directions and then eventually stop everything all together and a flood of people pour across the intersection in all directions. There are crosswalks that act as 'guides' but, movement occurs from every conceivable direction to another. I really enjoyed just sitting there and people watching. Erin and I shared a green tea in a second story Starbucks overlooking the madness and enjoyed commenting on the various attire of passers by.
(Shibuya at night, click to view better.)

Fashion seems to be a very interesting topic in Japan. Everyone places way too much emphasis on personal style. Layer upon layer of clothing is worn by both sexes. On the plus side the younger ladies all pretty much wear mini skirts and knee high boots, so it is easy to enjoy that. The young guys for the most part are fashion conscious but, there are those that take it to the extreme. These extremers seem to fall into two categories; 1 super metrosexual borderline effeminate ladyboys and, 2 bad rock and roll band punk rocker look. These guys are my favorite. They all have super teased and dyed hairdos with, jackets and chains and boots. The boots are hilarious. They are always super pointy and flashy. They are not your run of the mill cowboy boots. They look like Italian shoes met with arts and crafts hour at the retirement home for flamboyant fashion designers.

Today Erin and I ventured out to Shinjuku, which is another big bustling modern part of Tokyo like Shibuya. I think we both enjoyed Sinbuya a bit more but, Shinjuku had its own charms. The train station there is absolutely massive and chaotic. It is the biggest in Tokyo. Approximately two million people pass through the station everyday so, that sort of helps to give you an idea. it is like an underground city that spans blocks below the busting commercial district above. At some point in the day we wandered down a sidewalk lined with food vendors. Street food is always fun. You get to look at all the crazy and unusual dishes of the locality. We then strolled down a nice tree lined path that led to a shrine and outdoor market of food vendors and prayer bundles. I think they were prayer bundles. The bundles were composed of shiny and bright stuff on a stick arranged in a nice bouquet. When someone would purchase one a group of men in blue jackets and headbands would clap and chant over the bundle before handing it over to the new owner. I think it was a sort of prayer. In any event it was fun to watch. As dusk came on so did the lights. Shinjuku buildings transformed into a flashing, blinking, neon, sensory overload extravaganza. It is though every square inch of a building is trying to capture your attention. It becomes daunting to take it all in. I guess the locals are desensitized to it as they sail by without looking up. Meanwhile I am battling for my sanity.

Finally my absolute favorite thing so far, Vending machine restaurants. These places have pictures of the delicious dishes on the windows. When you walk in there are machines with the same pictures of dishes on each button. You put in your money and press what buttons you want and the machine spits out paper tickets. Then you sit down at a counter and hand your tickets to the ladies working the kitchen. Then in no time at all they hand you your food pipping hot. This is an amazing system to behold. There is no dealing with a checkout counter. No money in employee hands. No disputes. And, the best part, for us not speaking any Japanese it eliminates any awkward ordering. We just hit a button, hand over a ticket, and start scarfing. I want to bring this system home to the states.

Tokyo Accommodations: A Video Guide

2006-10-25T12:02:00.001-07:00

My bro sent me this video of his apartment in Japan in which he takes us on a self guided tour of his luxurious bachelor pad. MTV Cribs eat your heart out. It was wise of him to send this to us after we purchased our tickets to come out and see him, as we are staying with him. I have no idea where we are going to sleep.

*I have no idea what he is wearing?

Japan: The Plan

2006-10-20T17:40:00.001-07:00

We are headed to Japan! We decided that being in one place too long has dampened our spirits. Besides, being unemployed in America is not nearly as glamorous as being unemployed in another country. Actually when you are unemployed in another country you get to refer to yourself as a “world traveler.” So in an attempt to get our credibility back we have decided to cast off the shackles of unemployment and head to Japan in search of our next adventure.

While in Tokyo we will be staying at the lovely Château du Brian. Yes, my brother has generously offered to share his accommodations with us. We will enjoy the comforts of a 10 x 10 room with three people. His exact neighborhood is called Tokyo-to Ota-Ku but, quite literally that is all Japanese to me. I have no idea how we are going to find his place. I used google maps to look at it from the satellite. I think he lives somewhere around HERE.

As for the details we fly out at 6:15 am on November 13th but we won’t get into Tokyo until 3:45 pm on November 14th. I guess we lose a day due to the time zone changes. On the other hand this works in our favor for the return flight. We leave Tokyo at 5:10 pm on December 4th and get home the same day at 5:53 pm. I guess it will be the longest 43-minute flight of my life.

Our itinerary for now includes Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. I have learned that when you are traveling things tend to change so who knows where we will actually end up visiting. All I can say for sure is that I am super excited about running amok in Japan with my brother and wife. Being that my brother and I are both over 6’2” and Japanese people tend to grow a little less I plan on running around yelling I am Godzilla and making noises like my steps are shaking the Earth while I chase children.

Speaking of the Earth shaking my brother told me that he has experienced 4 earthquakes in the 3 months that he has been there. When he inquired if this was normal the locals assured him that it is not. They went on to inform him that Tokyo typically has a major earthquake every 80 years, and it has been over 90 since the last one. Hopefully nothing major will occur while we are over there! Everyone cross your fingers for us.

Tour de Fat and a Snake

2006-10-02T17:35:00.004-07:00

We are back from what became a whirlwind tour of Arizona. This adventure started just before 10 a.m. on Saturday when Erin, Josh, Vanessa, Sean, and myself piled in the midnight blue Impala and headed for Flagstaff.

Our first stop was “check in” at the lovely Hostel DuBeau, in the downtown distract of Flagstaff. This 50’s era former motel turned hostel became base camp for our weekend of debauchery. Being located only 3 blocks from Wheeler Park, where the Tour de Fat was taking place, eliminated any need for operating vehicles. This is a HUGE plus when everyone in your party is consuming copious amounts of America’s finest microbrew.

After a brief check-in at DuBeau, in which the man at the front desk mistook Sean and me for a gay couple, we were off to the Tour de Fat in pursuit of New Belgium Brewery’s delectable libations. All was great, our hostel was close, the weather was perfect, our group was upbeat, and then we turned the corner. The sleepy little beer festival held annually in Flagstaff had finally been found out. Our jubilation was confronted by the bleakness of the entry line snaking out the front gate, around the corner, and down the block to the next street light.

The festival was absolutely packed. But, once we entered the charm of a fresh beer shared with friends in the beautiful Northern Arizona weather rekindled our sprits. The atmosphere was absolutely tops. People in costumes were filtering through the crowd, radical bikes were everywhere, and live music showered the crowd. I even found a beer token on the ground so basically some stranger purchased me a drink. The only down side was that I didn’t win the raffle for a free bike.

After the Tour de Fat had drawn to a close we eventually made it out to dinner. The first three restaurants had hour plus wait times for a table so we kept wandering the streets of Flagstaff. We eventually meandered to a Mexican restaurant that offered us a table in 30 minutes and we took them up on the offer. I am sure that the establishment later regretted their kind proposal. I am further more positive that our server hated us. We were the epitome of the loud obnoxious table of inebriated hooligans carrying on. This reached a crescendo in the form of oyster shooters. Nothing says, “I am intoxicated and making spur of the moment decisions”, like ordering raw oysters floating in vodka from a Mexican restaurant in a state that has no ocean.

After dinner we wandered back to the hostel and shared a drink with some of the other guests. But, I ran out of steam pretty quickly and next thing I knew I was awake way too early in a hostel room that smelled terribly. We grabbed some breakfast at a mom and pop restaurant, piled into the Impala, and headed for home. Sean and Vanessa dropped Erin, Josh, and myself off at 1:45… And, that is when we decided that it would be a good idea to drive to Tucson for the last day of a reptile show ending at 4:00 so that Josh could purchase a snake. We all showered and piled into Josh’s car by 2:30. We made great time to Tucson and Josh had just enough time to purchase a ball python. Then we piled back into the car and headed for home, again. It was a pretty crazy weekend. Here are some more random pictures below for your enjoyment :) As always click on them to make them bigger.

The Lazy Lake Days Draw To An End

2006-08-30T11:39:00.001-07:00

I have finally gotten my fill of gliding across ridiculously pure water on a jet ski. The long sunny days on a lake accompanied with a steady gentle breeze has at last lost its appeal. The turquoise liquid captivated my being with its soothing tranquil qualities but, finally I have broken free from the spell of Torch Lake. The striking quality of dainty maple tree leaves beginning to change color ever so slightly sent me fleeing from the prospect of winter. I want to run home to the eternal summer of the Phoenix area. I miss the core warming heat of my beloved desert. Lucky for me this coincides with our departure date as we head home Friday.

I will however, miss these lazy days of gluttony lakeside. I have enjoyed myself to the fullest extent. The days begin around 10 when I finally decide to rise. Breakfast blends into lunch as I graze throughout the early afternoon. Evenings offer large dinners of culinary delights, always fresh and new. And, post supper we play cards into the beginning of the next day. Life has been good in the North.

We should arrive home the 4th. Anyone who would like to party and celebrate my triumphant return please contact me. Cheers!

A Post About This Trip

2006-08-24T11:45:00.002-07:00

So it has been dificult in getting blogger to work with me. I have encounterd some obstacles and frustrations over getting an enrty up. As a result I really don't know where to start so, I have posted some pictures. Click the link below to veiw them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594074944905/

[Update: This is no longer a link the the original pictures.]

Basically we had a long road trip from Seattle to the lake here in Michigan. 3 Days in a van with other people will make you a bit grumpy. It will also make your van smell a bit funny. The Montana country side was a disapointment for me. I expected it to be beautiful but, I found plian yellow hills void of life. Michigan's upper pininsula was a suprise treat. The hills we awash in green grasses and wild flowers engulfing delapidated barns.

After the drive I have been exploring the sin of sloth lake side. I think I almost have it down but, I compromise it with rides on the jet-ski. Reading and eatting are my main activites. I usually round out the day with some card games. In fact the 76 year old neighbor came over and gave my my first lesson in bridge today. I think by the time I am 76 I will have figured out how to play it.

well now that I seem to be albe to post I will get a few more up before I head home on the 1st.

Muchas Problemas

2006-08-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

I have had 4 failed attempts at posting so...If this posts sucessfuly I will have a new entry shortly. Thank you for your understanding.

Crud

2006-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well I just spent 30 minutes writing an entry and the computer froze and then lost it. So you will have to wait until I can get to the internet again.

Butchart Gardens

2006-08-05T19:05:00.001-07:00

The Gardens were awesome. If you are ever in or near Victoria, Canada go for a visit. These gardens are on par with the natural wonders I saw in South America. The fragrances wafting up from the seas of color were almost overwhelming at times. The horticultural combinations were dazzling. I could continue to ramble about them, but what more can I really say than this: They are beautiful. I figure that a picture is worth a thousand words so, I will let the pictures do the talking. Click the pictures to see them in better detail.

(The Sunken Gardens)

(The Italian Gardens)

(This Flower is as big as your head.)

Anacortes and Victoria

2006-08-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

I think today makes the 8th day of this trip. It makes me laugh that I don't even keep track of the days anymore. Since lacking employment for the last 6 or so months I seldom know what day I am experiencing. The rest of you poor working stiffs are well aware of today and its relative proximity to Friday, which has the ability to granting you the liberation of a weekend:)

I left off last in Portland so I think it makes a fitting place for a begining. On Monday morning we meet Chris and Erin at a restaurant named Paradox for breakfast. We originally met Chris and Erin in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We later met up with them in La Paz, Bolivia and Canoa, Ecuador. I really enjoy their company and it was fun to see them on this side of the equator. Their selection of restaurant was phenomonal. If you are ever in Portland and want some delicious breakfast head to Paradox.
(Us with Chris and Erin)

After leaving Portland we headed north for Anacortes, Washington to the home of Ken and Judy. Judy is my father-in-law, Greg's, step sister. (Say that 5 times fast.) Their home rests midway up a hill overlooking Pudget Sound. At least I think it is the Sound. There are such a vast number of lakes around every turn that I never know if I am looking at fresh water or the ocean. Ken and Judy are at the top of the class when it comes to being hosts. They are so accomodating and hospitable that I almost feel like they are doing too much. They showed us all over the island including landmark restaurants and breath taking lookouts.

One night Judy, who acts in local theater, took the family to her rehearsal of "Fiddler On The Roof." Lucky for me that Brian, thier son, was in town for the night and had plans to go to dinner with Ken. They graciously included me and I enjoyed dinner with my second cousin twice removed and my step in-law half uncle once removed. (I am terrible with geneology. Anyone out there that has a clue as to how I am related to Ken, Judy, and Brian please tell me.) I would like to thank Ken and Brian for that night. The rest of the family returned beaming and discussed the rehearsal for the next hour. Even that was enough to make me gag. I guess I am simply not a theater man. Thankfuly Erin has a good friend in Stephanie who takes care of attending the theater for me.

Currently we are in Victoria, Canada. I am truly amazed by this place. It seems that they must have had great city planning in its development. The sidewalks are wide and casual, lined with flower baskets hanging from every telephone pole. The foot traffic moseys across the red brick walkways lingering just long enough in the occasional window to keep the flow of people trickling along. Overall the greenery impresses me most. Large grass fields stretch out in front of various buildings, including the royal looking Empress Hotel. (Look that up on line.) Flower boxes perch comfortably in renovated window sills, warming the atmosphere. It is touristy but, it feels like a home away from home.
(Swan's Brew Pub where we at lunch. Notice all the flower boxes.)

Today we are going to the Butchart Gardens. From the looks of the pamphlet this will be more impressive than the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco. I am going to take some gardening tips. Maybe I will post some pictures of the gardens later.

On The Road Again

2006-07-30T18:08:00.001-07:00

Today is day 4 of our North American Adventure ’06. We started out Thursday at 7:30 a.m., an hour and a half behind schedule, and headed for Valley Springs, California. (Valley Springs is just southeast of Sacramento.) We stayed at the ranch of Marty and Sue, long time friends of my in-laws, for 3 nights. The rolling hills there, dotted with mature oak trees, made for a nice change of pace from the desert foliage of the Phoenix area.

Thus far we have logged approximately 27 hours of drive time covering just over 1,500 miles. We haven’t really lagged in any one place at all. On Friday morning we traveled to San Francisco for the day. San Francisco was lovely as always. The highlights were eating clam chowder in a bread bowl, enjoying a piping hot cup of green tea in the Japanese Tea Gardens, and the crazy cabbie that drove us there. Our cabbie was a middle aged Japanese man who spoke unintelligible English. He kept laughing loudly at his own jokes which included: he owned a marijuana plantation in Mendocino County, he had been in over 200 car accidents, and that if there is re-incarnation he will not look for his wife in the next life. While his jokes weren’t funny, the fact that he laughed like a mad hyena made us all laugh.

(In the Japanese Tea Gardens)

Saturday we went wine tasting in the Shenandoah Valley. Regardless of what my father-in-law says he got drunk. Having just undergone a major surgical procedure, I spit most of my wine out. (I know, what an unfortunate waste!) We visited 6 wineries, and must have sampled 50 glasses of wine. It was an enjoyable day, but would have been even sweeter if I was operating at 100%.

Currently we are in Portland for the night. We are staying with Midge, my Mother-in-law’s sister. My first impression of Oregon is green. I think this could be a nice place to settle down for a while. Also, Erin and I got in touch with some friends here in Portland that we met while traveling through South America. We are hoping to see them tonight or maybe tomorrow for lunch. I think it will be far out to see faces from our journeys.

Enjoy your life, I am out enjoying mine -Shaun

Wrap Up

2006-07-11T12:36:00.003-07:00

Well sorry for the delay in posting this wrap up entry. We have been busy since arriving back in the good ol’ USA. In fact we still have many people to see!

The breakdown:

We left February 8th, visited 6 countries: Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. We returned home some 138 days later on June 25th. I lost 20 pounds and pretty much looked like hell when arriving home. Erin stayed the exact same weight and looked great the whole time. Both of our bags ended up 10 pounds heavier than when we started. I tried to investigate the total number of miles we traveled over the course of our trip. I can’t give you an exact figure. There just isn’t a mapquest.com for South America. I can tell you it was a ton. We definitely traveled thousands of miles. I looked over our bank statements and did some figuring. Our South American Journey ’06 expenditure including everything: airline tickets, booze, bus tickets, park entrance fees, food, booze, hostels, booze…and so on ended up costing us $30.02 per person per day. I think that figure is pretty low. Add up your monthly spending and figure out what it is costing you per day just to carry on your current form of existence. I bet it will send you packing your bags!

We saw many wonders of nature, enjoyed a multitude of experiences and met some wonderful people. We even made some friends that I hope to remain in contact with. I will spare you the old clichés about how traveling helps you with life’s lessons, finding your purpose and all that crap. Basically, we cast off the chains of our society’s preferred guidelines: go to college, get a job, get a car, get married, buy a house, have tons of screaming children. Ok well I guess I followed that path up to 80% but the important part is we swerved off and had some damn good fun before the house and runny nosed children bit. Yeah there were some tough, gross, and exhausting components of our trip but it was AWESOME. Overall I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to travel in whatever direction your desire pulls you.

Ok I am off the soapbox now. If anyone out there does think they want to travel and has some questions please email me at sy_innovations@yahoo.co.uk. Or if you any questions about our experience, or recommendations or anything, feel free to email me as well.

It´s Official

2006-06-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

We will be back in the U.S. tonight! We will get into LAX at 11:45 p.m. All we have to do now is try and get Southwest to switch our flight. If all goes well we will be home Sunday.

Homeward Bound

2006-06-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yep we are coming home, although I can´t tell you when. We are now flying stand-by. Our airline doesn´t charge you to change the date of your flight but, our connecting flight from Quito, Ecuador to Coasta Rica is full. In fact all the flights are full until the date of our original ticket. It looks like we are in for another adventure at the airport. Erin and I have decided that we may try to grease some palms in an effort to ease our passage to the home land. Please wish us luck. If everything goes well we could be home Sunday!

I put in some pictures that I posted to flickr a long time ago put never linked to. Below Erin is looking at street art in Lima. The reed fishing boats are in Huanchaco, Peru.

Whales and a Booby

2006-06-22T08:40:00.001-07:00

Hola from Ecuador All. Sorry that it has been this long without a blog entry. I can’t say that I have been too busy to get to the internet. I can say that I have been too lazy. It is a 30 minute walk from our hotel, The Sundown Inn (http://www.ecuadorbeach.com/), into town. The other option is to wait for a bus, that really follows no set schedule on the side of the dangerous road. A person could wait a long time for such a bus…And, even when a person catches said bus, it is no picnic. These buses were no doubt discarded by the U.S. public school system 30 some years ago. These Ecuadorians are now ¨driving¨ the bits of discarded bus we left behind. My favorite aspect of these tetanus ridden jalopies: the seats. I am positive that they have re-bolted the seats closer together so they can jam more bodies into rickety death trap of rust.

This past weekend Erin and I took a trip to Puerto Lopez where we visited Isla de la Plata and went whale watching. I saw a booby. Yep. Well, actually I saw a few. Isla de la Plata is a bird sanctuary. We saw the Blue Footed Booby (below), Albatross, Frigate, and a bird with a name I couldn’t translate. The whales put on a bit less of a show than the birds unfortunately. We only saw 1 or 2 whales. (I think it could have been the same one?) We couldn’t get very close and the water visibility was crummy so our sightings left a bit for wanting. We considered going out again the next day but, decided against it after half the passengers on our boat ended up puking off the back. Limited whale sightings combined with a continuous stream of vomit can deter a person.

We haven’t really done much else in the past 2 weeks. We have 4 hours of Spanish classes each day. We are whipping through this language. We are already into our 4th type of verb conjugation. Did you know there are 4 different ways to conjugate a Spanish verb in the past tense? Erin is without a doubt the better student. Her vocabulary and comprehension are way above mine. But, we are both learning. I now command the language at a mentally handicapped 6 year old level. That is no exaggeration. I can really only talk about what I want, like, or need in the present or past tense at the slow and steady rate of a 3 toed sloth. And, I even stutter in Spanish, which I find bizarre because I don’t in English.

Ecuador and Such

2006-06-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

Well Eucuador is basically a broken down version of the States. They use our curency but, print their own coins, which are little more than carnival tokens. They have a cheap feel to them and make a hollow sound when dropped. We have sort of lost our advantage of exchange rate here in Ecuador. The products and services are cheaper than at home, of course, but not nearly as good a deal as the surrounding countries.

The culture here also seems little more than a watered down version of the U.S. The food dishes are fried, but lack flavor, the clothing Westernized, but dingy, and the attitude is less easy going than the neighboring countries. I am ranking Ecuador low in the standings of the countries we have visited. I guess whenever you rank things something ends up at the bottom of the list. It´s just a shame that it is the last place we are visiting. To be fair we haven´t done as much sightseeing here in Ecuador. Maybe after our whale watching expedition tomorrow I will sing a different tune.

It isn´t actually bad though. We are on the beach near the equator. The sun lasts and lasts. We get a nice breeze blowing off the water all day long. There is a refrigerador stocked with as much cold beer as you could possibly drink. And, most important of all we don´t have to go to work!

Mishaps of Shaun: A Guest Blog By Erin

2006-06-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

Somehow Shaun got it in his head I should do a guest blog (Thanks Steph!). While it seems like a good idea there is an enormous amount of pressure. First of all it is hard to follow in the footsteps of Shaun and second and most importantly, what do I write about??!! I figured I should write about things that Shaun never included in any of his blogs. Unfortunately for him these things turned out to include aspects of embarassment for dear old Shaun. But, it will give you an idea of what its been like travelling with him. So without further ado, “The Mishaps of Shaun.”

Many of the following unfortunate incidents may have to do with all the head trauma he has suffered in the past 4 months. Shaun is considered tall in the States. Imagine how tall he is in a country where the average man is 6-12 inches shorter than him. Basically, he bumps his head on everything. Every time we take a bus he is smacking his head on it. “Why doesn´t he learn to duck?” you might ask. All I can say is, I dont know. I have been asking him that same question for months. And, if it isn´t buses it´s doorframes, once even drawing blood. So maybe we can attribute some of his other follies to the fact he has probably incurred a decent amount of damage to that wonderful brain of his.

I guess we can´t totaly blame Shaun´s head injuries on him bumping his head on everything. There was the time in Bariloche, Argentina that I heard a crash come from the bathroom while Shaun was showering. I ran in to find him with a large welt on his face from the shower curtain rod. It apparently came crashing down on him during his unsuccessful attempt to right himself after a slip. Then there was the time in Huacachina, Peru when he fell down half a flight of stairs. I didn´t actually witness that one, just a shaken up Shaun afterwards. Oh, and then the mutiple shower electrocutions. In many South American countries the shower head is also the hot water heater. Yes, that´s right there is an electrical current running through the shower head. Ask Shaun, he knows all about it, he has electrocuted himself three times.

Although I am not sure any of this can account for his propensity at soiling his underwear. (This may be too much information so I will try and make it quick.) Poor Shaun has been afflicted with a few ailments of his digestive system since we have been down here. Who can blame him? South Americans are not known for their cleanliness. By the same token, who can blame him when he thinks (as our friend Richard in Uruguay would say) he is “passing wind from the anus” and then it ends up more of a solid than a gas. This has been Shaun´s experience not once, but twice.

While we are speaking of these bodily functions I should be fair and say usually Shaun makes it to the toilet. What I can´t say is that everything goes down on the first (or fifth) flush. This brings me to Iguaza Falls, Argentina when Shaun clogged the toilet in a community bathroom. Not knowing the word for plunger in Spanish, Shaun made a plunging movemnet as explanation to the man at the front desk. When the man asked, “what?” Shaun replied, “cagar grande” (literally translated- ¨to sh*t big¨). Needless to say after an amused smirk from the employee, Shaun got his plunger.

The most recent mishap occurred while we were trying to relax on the beach in Montañita, Ecuador. We were joined by two young boys and their two large German Shepards. One dog was especially energetic, thinking it was a good idea to jump up on us. Being my knight in shining armor (knowing I am scared of dogs) Shaun told me to walk ahead and he would try to get the dog away from us. I walked away and turned back in time to see the dog snap and then growl at Shaun. He then jumped up snapping towards Shaun neck. It was then that Shaun went into superhero mode, grabbing the dog (with his left hand I might add) by the neck, throwing him and then taking off running for the ocean. When I say running I mean Shaun might have been able to qualify for the Olympics he was running so fast. Unfortunately the dog may also have been a qualifier because he was at Shaun´s ankles the whole time. Happily when Shaun hit the water his swimming skills were far greater than the German Shepards and he was able to make his escape.

With that happy ending I conclude, “The Mishaps of Shaun”. I hope it gave everyone a little insight on the adventure of travelling with Shaun. Upon our return I will begin taking up a collection to outfit Shaun in full body armor for our next trip. Thanks for having me!

The Latest Tidbits

2006-06-06T15:43:00.001-07:00

There comes a point when saying ¨That is the worst bus ride yet¨ just doesn´t mean anything anymore. After parting ways with Yari in Huanchaco Erin and I have had a string of bad bus rides. I thought the 8 hour, over night, over sold, un-air conditioned bus ride from Huanchacho to Mancora was a major low point in our travels...and then we got on the next bus. Just to fill in the picture as to give you a more complete appreciation of our situation, let me digress for a moment.

We are nearing the end of our journey so we have collected some things. Apparently my vice boils down to an infatuation with textiles, most notably jackets. I left with 1 jacket. Including that, I am now traveling with 4. Erin found that handbags make a gretravelinging companion. She has 2 or 3 new ones floating around in her backpack. On top of those lovely collectables we are travelinging with gifts as well. We have a ceramic vase in a cumbersome box, a painting precariously placed in an envelope, and a gift for my brother-in-law, which I wish not to spoil, but is about 3 feet in length. We are carting around more crap than I used commas in that last run-on sentence.

So with that frame of reference, I thought the 8 hour overnight bus ride from Huanchaco to Mancora was awful. There was actually a lady sitting on my arm rest, and half on me, from the hours of 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. more or less. But, that ride was nothing compared to our trip from Montañita to Puerto Lopez. It was a 9 a.m. bus ride on a Sunday. I thought it was going to be an empty bus cruising lazily up the coast. Boy was I wrong. This bad boy was over sold and hot. There was standing room only by the time we boarded. Erin and I were clutching various boxes and gifts while trying to maintain balance in a sea of sweaty Ecuadorians. I guess even that really isn´t too terrible. I mean a crowded bus with some packages in your hands, big deal right? Well the bus driver seemed to think it was funny to try and make people fall down. He was constantly slamming on the brakes and swerving but, there was nothing in the road ahead of him. I mean I could see the damn road. And, even all of that wasn´t so bad. But, when the tiny, 50´s something, sun beaten prune of a lady sitting in the seat I was leaning on began to throw up in a towel...I almost lost it. The air was so hot that her stench vaporized into a sausagy odor you could taste. Ughh.

Other than that travelingvelling as a twosome has been a blast. It has been quite liberating. Desicions seem to come rapid fire now that we don´t have to reach a consensus with 2 other people. Plus, we aren´t sharing a room. It is pretty hard to pass up the savings of splitting a room with your friends when traveling on a tight backpacker budget. But, when that isn´t an option, and there is no guilt about paying for the private room, man it is sweet! All that said though, I am sure we will be ecstatic to see our freinds when they catch up to us in a few weeks.

That´s all for now. We are going to just hang out on the beach and learn Spanish in Canoa for the next month. But, stay tuned as Erin will be doing a ¨guest blog¨ here in the near future.

Huanchaco and Mancora

2006-05-29T16:50:00.002-07:00

Our time in Huanchaco with Yari was great. While the small beach town undoubtly has built itself upon tourism, it cast a spell of unadulturated relaxation on us. Huanchaco seems to lack the usual pitfalls of a tourist town. Unfortunately we spent suprisingly little time on the beach, due mainly to the frigid water temperature. We spent our time reading, chatting with fellow travelers, and even learned some new games. We were also lucky enough to stumble upon two very good restaurants. Repeated meals at those establishments finally helped ease some of my culinary cravings. We left Huanchaco the 28th for Mancora, while Yari returned to Lima.

Parting with Yari was such sweet sorrow... but now Erin and I are relishing in our time as a duo. After spending just short of 4 months on the road with friends, traveling as a married unit feels overwhelmingly refreshing. Erin and I have been jokingly refering to our time here in Mancora as our ¨Second Honeymoon.¨

While Mancora ocupies much much less real estate than Huanchaco it feels more alive. (That or maybe I just feel so invgorated traveling lighter.) We have spent the better part of everyday here on the beach. The water is suprisingly warmer than in Huanchaco, only 8 hours away.

Today we visited a hot spring / mud bath. We chartered a motorcylce taxi to drive us the 30 minutes out of town to the hotsprings. The slightly warmer than bathtub water comes up chest high. I was taken by suprised as I entered the hotspring and kept sinking. The locals then related that the mud was good for your skin so I thought ¨When in Rome.¨

Tomorrow we are leave Peru for Ecuador. We are headed to Montanita, another beach town. Actually we will pretty much be on the coast for the remainder of our trip .

Huacachina, Lima and Huanchaco

2006-05-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

Well it has been a long time since my last blog post. 12 days to be exact. I have been extremly lethargic since our hiking in Machu Picchu. Sorry for the laps in posting. I promise to post more frequently.

After Cusco we headed for Haucachina, which is a little tourist town just outside of Ica. A small cluster of hostels, hotels, and restaurants wrapped around a pond comprises the tourist trap. The town quite literaly is an oasis in the desert. Not much goes on in Huacachina other than swinging lazily in a hammock with a good book or sandboarding.

I don´t know if any of you have seen the 1970´s television show "Kung Fu" starring David Carradine but, the sand dunes of Huacachina reminded me of the begining of that program. The pond and subsequent buildings are in a valley surrounded by the sand dunes. Sand-mountains would be a better discription of the mammoth sand towers looming outside the oasis. Everyday at dusk we would ascend the hills for a spectacular sunset and a ride down.

On the second to last day we learned that you could get down the hill way faster by riding your sandboard like a sled instead of standard snowboard style. My friends Yari and Ryan, myself included, decided to try the sledding style down the steep face of a rather large sandhill just after sundown. While I had a fantastically enjoyable experience Yari broke a land speed record. I saw him pass me down the hill at an incredible rate of speed. The result was a crash landing into some shrubbery at the bottom of the hill and the wicked sand burn on his forearm you can view at left.

After a few days in Huacachina we ventured on to Lima, the capital of Peru. I think Lima is the most Westernized city we have visited in South America. The streets are laid out on a standard grid, the prices of everything are relatively expensive, and the freeways are congested. A shroud of morning fog and pollution lingers in the streets until afternoon. Highrise buildings dot the skyline comprised by a mix of hotels and corporate offices.

Lima also has a direct link to the good ol U.S.A., fast food. They have it all: Pizza Hut, KFC, Dominos, Burger King, and of course the biggest of them all McDonalds. Fast food down here plays by different rules than at home. Essentially you have to make a decent amount of money to eat there as the costs are at the American levels. This makes the menu more costly than surrounding Peruvian eateries. Secondly, and most importantly, they all deliver.

Movie houses and Casinos are also prevelant in Lima. We went to a matinee of The DaVinci Code, shown in English. (I read the book first and would recommend that if you have done the same, save your money.)

Casinos are a bit different here. First and most imporatntly they don´t offer free booze! What is that about? The casinos use Dollars instead of the Peruvian Soles, so we didn´t gain any advantage there. Finally, everyone acts very urbane and quite reserved. After visiting about 5 casinos Yari and I found a craps table in a lovely place on the water. We shot dice for 2 hours. We did not ascribe to the sophisticated reserved humdrum of the local gamblers. We were the only 2 people on the table and we lit the place up. We were shouting, Hi-fiveing, and generally carrying on. We attracted some attention, including a few spectators, but we couldn´t draw anyone to play with us.

Earlier on in that evening, while we still had yet to lose our money in the casino, we visited a Jazz club. The local band was energetic and enjoyable. There were even a few sit-ins on the drums and a girl did some impromptu scatting.

All in all Lima was a nice stay. We had a nice hostel with a plesant atmosphere. The street food was cheap and delicious. Their local grocery store had great produce and tons of free samples. (It was like an A.J.´s grocery store with free samples of Costco on the weekend.) The only drawback was the pollution and the annoying taxi cab drivers. Every cab on the street would honk at you to see if you wanted a lift. Considering that 2 out of 3 cars on the road were taxis it got annoying quickly.

Now we are hanging out in Haunchaco which is a smaller beach town outside of Trujillo. The ocean has some nice waves and you can rent a surfboard and wet suit for 10 bucks a day. Tomorrow we are doing some surfing. Today we are going to smoke Cuban cigars. Yep, Cuban stogies are prevelant in Peru. So this afternoon I will sit on the beach and smoke a nice Cuban while the sun sets over the water. I think I am in Paradise.

Cusco and Machu Picchu

2006-05-13T15:38:00.001-07:00

Well we have been in Peru for a bit now. We got in May 4th to be exact. So, I guess it is time to tell you about it. We came to Cusco from Copacabana by bus. We met our friend Yari here so, now our group totals 5. Cusco is a great city. It is in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges. There are plazas everywhere filled with fountains, benches, and flowers. I have really enjoyed staying here. We found an incredibly cheap hostel that has a wonderful view of the Plaza de Armas. You can see the plaza in the picture below in this night shot.

I don’t know why it has felt so relaxing to be here though. This is a party town. We are constantly bombarded by people handing out cards for free drinks at the local bars. Also drugs are amazingly prevalent. People are always asking us if we want marijuana or cocaine. But, once you learn to give a commanding ¨no¨ the people stop bothering you. The architecture here is also easy on the eyes, and makes for a pleasant atmosphere. The blend of old Inca stone work and modern construction make walking around Cusco a joy. We have planned to leave twice and keep putting it off. Well we did leave once when we went to Machu Picchu. That was an adventure.

For the Machu Picchu trip we took a bus to Santa Teresa spent the night and then walked to Aguas Calientes. We started out in the valley you see in the picture below on the left. Shortly there after, we crossed a raging river in a little basket on pulleys 2 people at a time. You can see it in the picture below on the right. (Click the picture to see it better.) The whole hike was through super tropical foliage. Banana trees, coffee plants, papaya trees, and other fun plants lined the first 2 hours of the path.

For the last 3 hours we walked along the functioning railroad tracks you see below. Two trains past us on our hike. Moseying along the tracks became hypnotic after a time. It was sort of a downer because you had to focus so hard on your footing that you didn’t get to enjoy the view.

But, all the beauty and fun we had on the hike was nothing compared to laying eyes on the city of Machu Picchu from the Mountain of the Moon. You can see it here for yourself. I took this picture on our way back down from the top of the mountain. It is one of those moments that will stick for the remainder of my time on Earth.

Well after Machu Picchu we took a ridiculously overpriced train back to Cusco. We have stayed here since. If you are ever headed to Peru go ahead and put Cusco on the itinerary. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Any Questions?

2006-05-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
I have heard that there are some readers of this blog I have never met. I hope you are enjoying the reading. I just want to extend an invitation for questions. If anyone out there has any questions regarding traveling, cost, my experience, or anything else, please feel free to email me. There is a link on the right of the page (sometimes it is way down on the right below the blog entries?) You can also just post your question as a comment to this post by clicking the comment link on the bottom right of this entry. I will do my best to respond to either quickly.
This is the view from the top of Machu Picchu. The mountians poking out of the clouds are across the river where the Temple of the Sun is located.

Bolivia: The Recap

2006-05-06T16:08:00.001-07:00

Bolivia is a spectacularly beautiful country, as you can well view above. Those are our smiling faces over Lake Titicaca, just before sunset in Copacabana. Why Bolivia has gotten such negative press in our media is beyond me. I always felt safe and comfortable during our time there. Police presence was strong, the people reserved, and the surroundings most memorable. I absolutely put Bolivia in the ¨recommended¨ column for places to visit in your lifetime. It may be a land locked country lacking the beautiful coastlines its neighboring countries boast, but it is glorious.

The people of Bolivia are much more reserved than the citizens in the previous countries we have visited. They are a very proud lot in sharp attire that typically keep to themselves. They are however, patient when approached, and allow you time to stumble through horribly enunciated Spanish.

The food in Bolivia was the best suprise of all. Everyone we have chatted with on the road in regards to Boliva usually said something about its overall beauty and terrible cuisine. We all were braced for the worst. Much to our delight we had fantastic meals all through our Bolivian trip. One of my favorite aspects to Bolivian dining were the set menus. A typical lunch includes a large bowl of soup with bread followed by a main dish. The main dishes varied daily but, typically is a piece of meat over rice and a vegetable medley. I was always full after one of those meals. And the best part: the price! It usually cost you $3.50 Bolivianos, which equates to less than 50 cents U.S.

But, the best of the best were the juice carts and the lovely ladies that ran them. In La Paz, the juice carts lined the road along Plaza San Francisco. The large red carts were stacked with fresh tropical fruit to the ceilings. Inside each one was a little Bolivian lady wearing a white outfit and a red apron. As you would walk by they would all wave and smile desperately courting you for a sale. We continued to use the same cart day after day. My favorite juice was mango, banana, alfafa, and milk. I guess to be fair they were more like smoothies. If you can belive it, for 1.50 Bolivianos I got a large beer stien full of fresh juice. That is about 15 U.S cents!

And of course the natural wonders of the Bolivian Southwest will remiain forever cemented in my memory. Just Google ¨Bolivia Salt Flat Tour¨and look at all the beauty we took in.

Bolivian Pictures

2006-05-05T15:28:00.002-07:00

New Pictures are up. Click the link below to view.

(Here you can see Lake Titicaca at sunset.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594066837962/

[Update: This no longer links to the original pictures.]

La Paz and Copacabana

2006-05-05T14:55:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since the last blog entry. Bolivian internet is tediously slow and in Copacabana where we spent the last 5 days or so, expensive.

La Paz, Bolivia is absolutely breath taking. I mean that both figuratively and literally. The altitude combined with hilly streets that put San Francisco to shame and lack of any sort of emission laws makes a stroll down the street a workout. That aside, the city is amazing. We arrived into La Paz just after sunrise. Our bus crested a hill and below unveiled the largest city I have ever laid eyes on. Red brick buildings seemingly crawled up the valley to near impossible heights. The only gaps in the mountainous cityscape was where a cliff face precluded construction.

(Shopping in La Paz)
(look at the mass of telephone wires on the right)

The city streets ascribe to no method. They wind through the valley the way a river would. Absolutely no space is wasted. Every block is ¨down town¨ with buildings 2 and 3 stories high. My favorite part of La Paz was the shopping. Not only did we buy tons of gifts there, we got a few nice deals for ourselves. I commissioned a handmade custom tailored jacket for the cool price of $19 U.S. dollars. Erin and I also purchased a beautiful 80 year old tapestry that comes from the northern region of Potosi, Bolivia. And, of course we got sweet alpaca goods at cut throat prices. What is an alpaca click here.

Copacabana is a very small town and maintains a laid back easy going atmosphere. We sat atop our balcony many an afternoon playing cards and looking out at the lake. It was the most relaxing time of our journey so far. While we were there some type of festival occurred. It lasted about 3 days. At anytime during the day a band would just start up and march through the streets. They were always preceded by women in glittery outfits dancing down the cobblestone streets.

(Lake Titicaca at sunset) (Copacabana and Lake Titicaca)

One afternoon we went in search of a band that we heard from our balcony. We found it in this house where a party was taking place. All the people were shouting for us to come in. Well like good tourist we obliged. The result was a gauntlet of shots before we could get into the party. By the time we got in my head was spinning. We were the only gringos there. Many people were eager to speak with us, while many just pointed and laughed. We had a great time.

Before going to Bolivia we were warned that getting sick was eminent. On our last day, just hours before our 12 hour bus ride to Cusco, Peru, their prediction came true. I popped. So when you are reading these tales and thinking that you wish you were here, just remember: I had to supress the trouble coming out both ends for the duration of a 12 hour bus ride. I guess every rose does have its thorns.

4x4 Bolivian Adventure

2006-04-29T19:10:00.001-07:00

Before I get my rosy colored glasses out and gush over the amazing natural wonders we experienced during our 4 day, 4x4 adventure through the Bolivian Southwest; let me balance the view. We spent 4 days in the back of a 1980´s something Land Cruiser with no air conditioning in the desert. And, when I say ¨we¨ I, mean 6 grown people. Round that out with no showers for the length of the trip, and a constant barage of dust, and you are there. Oh and I think I have sustained some permanent nerve damage in my rump. All that said it was pretty darn amazing.

Since we are traveling as a foursome there are only 2 characters you are not familiar with. Queue up Angela, the over wieght Canadian and Ryan, the carefree Aussie. These are the two we travelled with. I will just be brief in their sumation. Australia 1, Canada 0.

Our tour started in Tupiza and ended in Uyuni. It covered around 1,800 kilometers in all. We hit the road at 9 A.M. the first morning. That initial day was pretty bland, all driving. Day 2 we experienced the lovely warmth of the hot spring overlooking a turqouise lake. The horizon seemed to touch the sky a million miles away as I soaked my weary bones in the tranquil waters heated by volcanic activity below.

From there it was off to the geysers. These bad boys were a delight. Besidse the pungent smell of sulfurous gases spewing forth, this was all fun. I must say that I love South America when it comes to their stance on safety and preservation. There were no barricades or roped off areas here. If I wanted to I could have just dove head first into any one of the numerous mud bubbling geysers.

Day three was a real treat. Besides hiting 6 different lagoons of all sizes and colors, we ventured into a rock forrest. There were beautiful rock formations everywhere. Below is a picture of the ¨Arbol de Piedra,¨or Rock Tree. I guess you would call this the highlight of the rock forrest. Next to that you can see a pictue of one of the many lagoons with a snow capped mountian reflection.

Day 4 was the absolute tops for me. We awoke at 4 A.M. which, if you adjust for the time change is 1 A.M. back home. We eased our way on to the salt flats in the pitch black of night. If flying over 40 kilometers of water on top of 1 foot of dried salt wasn´t exhilarating enough, our driver did most of it without the headlights on. He later divulged that it was for navigation, but that didn´t make me feel any safer. We arived at the Isla de Pescado at 6 A.M. That gave us just enough time to make the hike up to the top of the island. From there we watched the sun rise above the mountain range in the distance. It was a 100% pure humbling moment. You can see the picture below. And, that is where I will leave it.

Sea Lion Video

2006-04-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

This video is from about 6 weeks ago during our day trip to Peninsula Valdes in Argentina. The video is small and hard to see but, the bizzare noises the sea lions make is the main focus here.

Please view at the link below:

http://www.seancornwall.com/shaun

Big thanks to Sean aka Big Daddy Guru for hosting.

*There are some more blogs coming in the near future featuring our 4 day 4x4 trip through Southwest Bolivia and the city of La Paz.

Beautiful Bolivia

2006-04-21T17:43:00.001-07:00

Bolivia isn’t one of those countries you point to on a map and say ¨I want to go there.¨ It isn’t Italy, Jamaica, or Australia. We didn’t even plan to come here in our original itinerary. But, we just heard too many glowing reviews from our fellow travelers along the way to pass up the opportunity. We have only been in Bolivia for 2 days but, so far I would tend to agree.

Arriving in Bolivia was like entering a new world, a dusty world. I have so much detail to capture that it would fill more pages than you would care to read about a third world country who has less than 5% of its roads paved. The women are by far the most interesting point of observation. They are walking balls of colorful fabric. The people are all of an indigenous heritage obviously not penetrated by the European genes so prevalent in the Argentina citizens. But, the women are rotund and strong as oxen, and have particularly captured my attention. They wear large skirts made of shinny, beautify colored fabrics that fall just below the knee in round folds that resemble the pattern of corrugated metal. They wear humble shoes over large socks, or hose, that disappear into the massive folds of fabric above. Their torsos brandish long sleeve shirts and are always wrapped in a shall or blanket. They all wear their hair in braids. These women must never cut their hair ever as their braids fall well down their back’s. Usually the rope thick braids are held together by woven in fabrics. Atop their heads are the funniest little hats. They remind me of the hat that the hamburger eating character in the Pope comic wears. These ladies couldn’t possibly be over 5 feet in height. I have actually almost stepped on a few because I didn’t see them.

My favorite thing about Bolivia is the exchange rate. I get just under 8 Bolivianos for 1 U.S. dollar. While that information alone holds little value I will give some perspective. For 6 Bolivianos I got a 4 course lunch. It started with a potato salad and bread, and then soup, followed by salad, rice, and steak, and bringing up the rear was jello. On another outing I got 2 bananas, 2 Indian fry breads, and 2 fresh papaya smoothies for about 85 cents. This place is crazy cheap. Spending money is almost hard.

Tonight we walked the streets of Tupiza at dusk. That is when this sleepy little town springs to life. Women huddle together behind their fry carts cooking up delicious grub. Their mobile kitchens line the streets filling the night air with temptation. As we navigated the extremely narrow sidewalks my eyes were constantly probing the scene, taking it all in. The sidewalks are filled with so many planters or telephone poles that my stride is always compromised. I strolled the night with the most awkward gait. The streets are no better. Cars are always flying by kicking up dust. It is pretty damn dangerous to walk in them. I have almost been clipped on a few occasions.

On this particular outing we also ventured through a market place. It was a maze of 12 x 12 cubes with rollup garage doors. Each cube was packed floor to ceiling with various merchandise. Of all the various ¨stores¨ my favorite was the spice shop. In what must be 80 pound bags that look like potato sacks, a most colorful circus unfolded. There were dozens of spices with deep rich colors. I could recognize a few but, the majority eluded my olfactory. I was resigned to simply enjoy this experience with my sense of sight. I am excitedly looking forward to what else Bolivia has to offer.

Argentina: The Recap

2006-04-18T12:15:00.001-07:00

Well today we are in Salta, Argentina and as tomorrow we will head to Bolivia I think it is a fitting time for some reflection.

Aside from our brief 6 day venture into Chile, we have been in Argentina since March 7th. Argentina is a huge country that requires even more time than we have to see it properly. We started in Buenos Aires and went north to Iguazu before venturing all the way south to Rio Gallegos. Overall the countryside is beautiful. It is a pretty remarkable country that posseses everything from mammoth glaciers and stunning mountain ranges to deafening waterfalls engulfed in rainforest. Argentina’s north even has desert like Arizona brandishing Saguaro cacti and all.

The people of Argentina change with the landscape. The most Westernized being the residents of Buenos Aires. As you travel to the South the people seem to be slower and more reserved. Here in the North the population is noticeably more indigenous in appearance. The people are overall extremely easy going and friendly. This only gets more pronounced as you get away from the large cities. I think I like the Northern culture the most. Perhaps, because it has a more indigenous feel and therefore, more interesting to me.

The fashion here is not all together foreign. There is little difference from the U.S. aside from the cut of the garment or combination in which the clothing is worn. The younger ladies (40 and down) wear very tight low cut pants. Usually this is a warranted move as many of the women have flat stomachs. The jean jacket is quite popular all over the country. Foot ware seems to depend on the age and status. The gauchos wear boots, the ladies and business types wear fancy leather, and the kids wear knock off Converse All-Stars. Here they are called John-Foos. They look similar to the old Chuck Taylor’s except they have a bulkier rubber rim spanning the length of the shoe.

My favorite city has been Bariloche. The landscape there is just too beautiful and the chocolate too tasty to take second place. Mendoza is a close second with it’s endless array of wineries to pursue. But, if you could only go to one place in Argentina, I suppose I would send you to Buenos Aires. You can get it all there. When compared to Uruguay, Argentina is the victor. Argentina is like Uruguay’s larger more developed brother. He is more refined with many facets to his personality. (If I can give a country human traits.) My favorite difference in Argentina: The Food! We have eaten an array of grub cooked by street vendor carts that couldn’t hope to pass a U.S. heath inspection even with the most generous of bribes. The food has been a fun journey all on its own. We have eaten empanadas whose personalities change with the region. We have enjoyed egg rolls, hot dogs, steak sandwiches, little crustless sandwiches, and choripan. Choripan is without a doubt the best vendor food you can get. (Thank you Mark for the tip!) A choripan is basically a fantastic sausage-like brat with the best spicing around. Then they put it on a roll and top it with an amazing spicy red sauce.

Well that is basically Argentina. Throw in incredibly long bus rides, gauchos, tangos, fantastic regional wines and beers, coca leaves, and beaming pride and you have Argentina. This country has gained a most warm spot in my heart and I would definitely consider coming back.

Norton And A Picture Chronology

2006-04-12T11:04:00.002-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Norton winery. This was a most fabulous experience. If by any luck you are ever in the Mendoza region of Argentina, do yourself a favor and go to the Norton vineyard. The vineyard is located in the famed region of Lujan de Cujo where the world’s finest Malbec is grown and produced.

Marta, the most gracious and accommodating owner of our current dwelling, called Norton to confirm that they accept walk-ins for tours. She related that all we had to do was show up and we were in. After an hour long bus adventure of weaving through traffic at ridiculous speeds, even for a well tuned sports car, we arrived at Norton. Once at the gates the guards refused our entry as we were not on the list. Apparently you do need a reservation. After 15 or so minutes of the sweetest rap I could lay on these fellas in broken Spanish, they turned us loose on the vineyard. The finalized deal stuck was our entry required the purchase of wine from the wine bar. I love Argentinean thinking. Wine purchase was top priority at the onset of this excursion.

After a 15 minute stroll through their vineyards taking pictures and sampling grapes we arrived at the grand entrance. We ascended the stairs and a most glorious tasting room unfolded before our eyes. Gustavo greeted us at the bar and began the story of the various lines of wine Norton produces. He then shared that the noon tour was about to wrap up and we were more than welcome to share in the tasting. Jackpot! This is the most important part of any tour anyway. There in the second story tasting room with floor to ceiling glass walls we sampled our wine, admiring the views of grape vines seemingly sprawling to the snow capped Andes. Man that was an almost magical moment. After the tour group fizzled we stuck around and chatted it up with Gustavo and felipe. felipe is an 18 year old local who is learning how to host the tours, and had arrived with the noon group. After some convincing from Ryan and a few phone calls they let us open up the wine we purchased. For the next hour and a half felipe gave us the finer points of the tour information we had missed. I dissolved into a heady bliss absorbing his information, the scenery, and of course the vino. In the end I think not going on the tour was a blessing. We enjoyed a 2 1/2 private tour including an intamate stroll through the vineyard.

For fun I included a chronological list of photos from our journey.

The Falls at Iguazu
The ruins of San Ignacio Mini

Funny Argentinian Money

The Monument of the Flag in Rosario

Wildlife on Valdes outside Puerto Madryn

The beautiful water of our Pucon fishing trip

Our stroll throug Norotn´s Vineyard

Winery Tour

2006-04-10T16:17:00.001-07:00

So today´s adventure was a tour of 2 wineries and 1 olive oil factory in Maipu. It was most fun and delightful. I would load pictures of the tour but, the computer is not connecting to my camera.

The first stop was a small winery named Baudron. Here we "tasted" Chardonay and Malbec. We didn´t spit anything out, rather chose to enjoy the entire glass. They purchase grapes and then produce the wine on location. The tour was fun and most informative. As you may or may not know the state of Mendoza is famous for its production of Malbec wine. Malbec has the ¨denomination of origin¨ here in Mendoza. (Anyway I think that is the expresion. Some of you wine-o-philes could correct me.) That means it shares the same distinction Champagne enjoys. Coming from the Champagne region of France, the sweet bubbly is called Champagne, everything else must be called sparkling wine etc. And so it is the same with the Malbecs produced here. The grapes in Argentina originated from Spain. They were originally brought over to produce wine used in religious ceremonies but, over time grew into a most profitable sorce of revenue. Today Mendoza produces 80% of the country´s wine and is the main source of Mendoza´s economy. Interestingly enough, Mendoza is a desert. Water is channeled in through an ancient irrigation system that brings water from the snow melt off. Water has an order of precedence that follows the revenue stream, first agricultural and second drinking. Sometimes there is not enough water to go around and the people will be forced to purchase bottled water in the stores!

The second winery, Cavas De Don Arturo, is an actual vineyard. They produce wine soley for exportation to the good ol USA. You can purchase this wine and you will literaly be sharing in our experience. I would reccomend something older than the 2004 Malbec though. This winery is located very close to the Rio Mendoza and uses the water from the river to keep the wine at the proper temperature during the processing. They use a cross current method that I find most ingenious. Here we tasted Malbec and Cabernet.

Finally we got a tour of an olive oil factory. This was tons of fun too. They showed us the presses and tanks. I will spare you the oil refinment details and just relate that you should shell out the cash for extra virgin or virgin olive oil. Everything else is junk. Also if you can get your hands on it purchase ¨mehcanical press¨over the more comon ¨continuous line¨variety. The mechanical press technique results in a more rich oil flavor. At the end of this tour we enjoyed some olives, sun dried tomatoes, raisins, and dried cherries. It was a superb snack to round out the day!

Out of Chile in Record Time!

2006-04-07T12:48:00.002-07:00

First I would like to thank all those that drop me an email. It has been a while since I have been home and contact from the motherland is nice. If I don´t reply don´t feel shorted. I am reading all of them and enjoy them, I just don´t always have time to get back to all of them.

And now....A little rant about our time in Chile.

We stayed in Chile one week, 7 days on the nose. Other than having a rather enjoyable dinner in a vegitarian restaruant that uses localy grown organic produce in Pucon, Chile was a bust. We have heard glorious accounts of Chile from other travelers but, unfortunatley did not get to experience that. In retrospect we have peiced together the root of our problem. We needed camping gear. All the beauty and breath taking experiences are in the Chilean country. Secondly, these places are in Patagonia. We didn´t do Patagonia in Chile we went north. The towns we visited were dirty and large. They lacked the overall charm and warmth that we had hoped for. Well, Pucon is exempt from this analysis. I rather enjoyed Pucon with the Volcano standing ever present at the city´s edge.

Our experience in Curico was much different than Pucon. The bus we took to the city literally dropped us off on the side of the freeway outside of town. The driver told us that they don´t actually go to town and that we would need to catch a city bus into town. Once we got that situation sorted out we did enjoy some fried vendor foods for dinner. But, Chile was very expensive and our atm cards were not working. We were being financed by Ryan and Emily. Thank God they were with us our who knows where we would be now. So with those two factors in mind and our money running out we decided to leave Chile. We had enough money between the four of us to buy tickets out of dodge and peice together an odd assortment of vendor foods and cheap grocery store items to create a make shift lunch dinner combo.

And, now we are in Argentina again ready to pursue some delicious vino at the various vineyards around town!

Chile

2006-04-03T13:27:00.001-07:00

We are now in the thin strip of a country they call Chile. We left Bariloche for the small town of Villarica. We left there today and are now in Pucon. This little mountain town rests at the base of an active volcano. So pray that it doesn´t get indigestion while we are here. Oddly enough we came here to ascend said volcano, or volcan as they refer to it, but as it is ridiculously expensive we are going fishing again instead. Tomorrow is Erin´s birthday so I am sure we will be celebrating. This also works as a reminder for you to send her a nice birthday email!

New Pictures

2006-03-31T17:44:00.001-07:00

So I posted some new pictures. Sorry there are only 4. But, shortly I hope to have some videos up so you can hear the sealions and a piece of ice breaking off the glacier. Check out the link below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594095407050/

[Update - The Flickr albums get updated so this no longer links to the original pictures.]

Just A Bit About Travlin'

2006-03-31T16:59:00.001-07:00

*Above is a picture of Bariloche

There are certain things about America that you don’t realize you enjoy until they are gone. For example maintianing the ability to flush toilet paper down the toilet. I guess a more appropriate name for toilet paper in South America would be “throw it in a basket by the toilet so it can stink up the entire bathroom paper.” That or “not even really one-ply, super exfoliant paper.” Either way I miss good old Charmin and wathcing it dissapear down that tidy little hole. I also miss our over indulgant use of condiments. They have condiments here but, it is like pulling teeth to get them in some reastaurnts. Even when you do get them they never taste as good, or are in very short supply. Everyone in the homeland please eat something that requires ketchup for me and use way way too much.

You also learn things. Sure you get life lessons and personal inner discoveries but, here I am talking about the random crap you never would have even thought of. Did you know that there is a entire world of vernacular pertaining to busses? When buying a ticket you can purchase a ride ranging from comun to cama suite. Comun is the absolute pits. This is like a city bus except you get to slightly recline and the seats themselves are most similar to those found in an extremly cheap 1980’s Asian import automobile. Cama suite reclines fully into a laying position. This is for the ten-thousand dollar millionaire. It is for the people who can’t afford a plane ticket but, refuse to sit in a semi-vertical position. Then you have cama and semi-cama. These two choices are basically identical. The only key difference is that the cama seats are slightly wider and you each get your own armrest instead of movie theater style. We tend to travel semi-cama. This is probably because it is the cheapest mode we can bear. Well that and, since I sit by Erin, I am not subjected to a 10 hour game of “elbow joust” with a complete stranger, trying to sort out who will be “Armrest Alpha-Male.”

The other fun little lessons you learn involve hygiene. I now know what it feels like to smell like a homeless person. Maybe not 100% homeless because I have yet to rummage through the garbage but, semi-cama homeless. (That was a play on words. If you missed it please see paragraph 2 and re-read.) Man your clothes get more wears than they should. Combine that with showering being an infrequent luxury and you can imagine how good a 10 hour bus ride smells.

The final thing I learned that I would like to share with you is other travelers. This is going to be a dicey little paragraph so let me just state a few thing before we get on. 1. I am not anti semetic. 2. Isreal is a country not a religion. Now that that is cleared up, we have met many other travelers out here. Some are from England, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Australia, and Holland but, a great majority are from Isreal. This has got to be the country with the most travelers in circulation. We have been on busses comprised of 90% Isreali passengers. I wonder how this is possible considering the entire country is around the size of Delaware. What I don’t understand is how Americans got stuck with the rap for being bad travelers. These cats are vastly superior in being ‘bad travelers’ They are super loud, and inconsiderate. Typically they act like high school students ripping down the adolecent highway, hormones at full bore. But, these are generalizations as we have met a couple travelers from Israel that have been quite enjoyable. One person from our stay in Puerto Madryn comes to mind. I never would have guessed that Israel would have the most tourists out and about. But, I say we take up a global petition to gracefully pass our torch as “the bad tourists” on.

Peninsula Valdes, Dogs, and Montezuma´s Revenge

2006-03-24T05:39:00.001-07:00

Today we are set to leave Puerto Madryn. Wednesday we made it out to Peninsula Valdes for a close encounter with wild life. We rented a car and drove ourselves out as it was much cheaper than doing a tour. The peninsula it self was pretty nice. They keep the park very pristine. We saw: ostriches or emus, I am not sure which, smaller version of alpacas, armadillos, penguins, elephant seals, and sea lions. Of the later, if all works out, my friend sean will be hosting a short viedo in which you can hear the most bizzare noises the sea lions make. The big let down was no sighting of an Orca.

Shifting gears a bit, the first time I saw a dog standing on a roof of a car here in Puerto Madryn I thought ¨That is a crazy pet owner¨ After seeing it on a seperate occasion performed by a different pair, I realized that in Puerto Madryn the perfered transportation for dogs is car surfing. You never know what you are going to see in South America.

And finally the part you have all been waiting for.....Well, you knew it was going to happen. If you didn´t think it was going to happen you either, didn´t think about it, or have been lying to yourself. Yesterday we decided to just have a rest day and relax as all the days on the go sort of take thier toll. Man am I glad we did. Just about 5 p.m. Montezuma´s revenge struck me down. I don´t need to go into too many sorted deatails here but, I will say that I am now traveling one pair of knickers lighter. We have been trying to narrow down the cause. It is either the 48 hour old unrefrigerated empanadas, or the bus food, or the fish. I am not sure which one but, that doesn´t really matter does it.....

New Itinerary Addition

2006-03-23T07:19:00.001-07:00

My brother landed a job in Japan! Big congratulations and kudos to Brian. I don´t have all the details as when we will be visiting him but, Japan is the newest addition to our travel plans.

Rosario

2006-03-19T20:35:00.001-07:00

Well after an 18 hour bus ride to Puerto Iguazu, and a 16 hour bus ride 2 days later from San Ignacio to Rosario, I can´t say that I am excited about the 24 hours of pending bus rides. Yep, tomorrow we are going to take a 4 hour bus from Rosario to Buenos Aires where we will take a 20 hour bus ride to Puerto Madryn. That doesn´t even account for the time we will have to wait in B.A. for our next bus. But, enough about the finer points of our transient lifestyle.

Rosario turned out to be tons of fun thanks to our most hospitable tour guide. Mark took us on a walking tour of the city that provided more depth than we could have ever hoped to enjoy on our own. The high point was dinner at a fabulous parilla, or steak house. Mark took us to dinner at an upscale parilla that we otherwise could not have possibly set foot in. One thing that I plan on bringing back to the states is a fried potato dish we had there. It is thinly sliced potatoes, deep fried and then coverd in a heavy cream. It may sound wierd but, it is so awesomely delicious it is worth the trip to Rosario alone. And, once you taste the meat and dessert well...

All our hats are off to Mark. Not only did he take us to the best dinner we have had yet and show us around the city he let us use his washing machine, he bought us lunches, coffee, and beer as well. So a giant thanks to Mark!

As I said up next is Puerto Madryn which starts our adventures in Pategonia. I don´t currently remember the names of all the cities we plan to hit but, our adventures should include penguins, sealions, and possible whales.
This is one of the views from our day at the falls in Puerto Iguazu.

Traveling Crazy

2006-03-17T08:19:00.001-07:00

We are now on the traveling war path. As of Monday we started an intense travel plan to see everything on our list in time to met our freind Yari in Lima on May 2nd. We have already been to Puerto Iguazu and visited the Igauzu falls. (Look those up on the internet. They are absolutely amazing.) I am writing this from San Ignacio where we visited the Jesuit ruins of San Ignacio Mini. Next we are headed for Rosario to check out Che´s house and hopefuly pick up our care packages. Then we work our way through Patagonia, during the begining of the rainy season :( , and wind up in the lake district of Chile. If everything goes according to plan the longest we will stay in anyone place without a busride is 2-3 days! Oh well we are going to see a ton and have a blast just in time to relax in Peru with our friend.

Lets play a game!

2006-03-11T16:30:00.001-07:00

Can you name these cuts of meat?

Please click on the comments link on the bottom right of this post and add your guesses....and be glad I didn't post the one that looked like a dog.

Buenos Aires: What's Transpired

2006-03-11T16:10:00.001-07:00

On our first day here in the city we ran into a Communist Rally taking place in the middle of a major intersection. There were officers of the law everywhere, orchestrated in to neat little rows, easily visible in their finest neon orange vests. This was a relatively intense introduction to Argentina, especially given that we awoke in Uruguay at 4 a.m. to catch the ferry over. All in all, the scenario was rather surreal.

We walk even more in this city than anywhere we have previously stayed. Everyday we lose some tread grinding our way through the myriad of towering buildings wearing nothing more than our finest flip-flops. I have often considered switching to my shoes. Given I have rolled my ankle on 2 occasions in the decayed part of the sidewalks, and the fact that there is no shortage of fecal debris, shoes seem the superior footwear. Somehow continually the sandals win out. We have all stepped in poo, every single one of us. But, the sidewalks themselves are rather nice. Though a bit small, they are typically made of nice stone, tiles, or fun concrete designs. The majority of the curbs also appear to be composed of pure granite. So fashion point Argentina!

The mass transit here is awesome. I love the subway system. The trains are cheap and easy to catch. The busses are like a rollercoaster ride. It is a great boost of adrenaline. And even walking proves an easy task, due to an abundance of maps providing smooth navigation.

Well I will write more later out of time…..

Argentina: Buenos Aires

2006-03-08T12:11:00.001-07:00

My first impression of Argentina is shazzam! Buenos Aires is awesome. This city is huge and bustling. The streets are gigantic, the people dressy flashy, the ladies are beautiful, and so far the food has been dramatically better than Uruguay. The people use some different words in passing that I need to catch up on. It seems that parting here ends with “hasta luego” vs. the “caio” in Uruguay. Other than that the people seem equally friendly. The city itself seems like NYC. There are towering buildings everywhere. Unfortunately though, the runoff from the ac window units showers down like rain on you.

Uruguay: The Recap

2006-03-08T07:34:00.001-07:00

So, here is my impression of Uruguay in hindsight. The people are overwhelming friendly. They maintain a laid back attitude that makes it easy for even the non Spanish speaker to feel right at home. Overall the cities and towns are what you would expect from a non world superpower; the sidewalks small, the exhaust fumes terrible, the roads beat up. And of course, the street dog population was in full force.

On the positive side the ocean was lovely. The water was warm and for the most part gentle. The beaches were pleasant and filled with families playing games. The helado (ice cream) was fantastic and cheap. The landscapes on bus rides were so green and tranquil that it was almost mesmerizing.

In conclusion, Uruguay will always remain in my mind the land of: Bland food and terrible haircuts. Pretty much every male sports the ever fashionable 1980’s “mullet.” The ladies thin their hair out and make it look wispy and balding. It is a place where import cars with zero demand find residence. Sort of like a misfit island for terrible reject imports. They drive Renaults, Fiats, and my favorite, Peugeots.

Of the places we visited, Colonia Del Sacramento was my favorite. The charm and ambiance of the city made for a peaceful romantic stay. The streets are cobblestone and lined with mature trees. You can walk anywhere in town. The history is ever present. If I was to make a trip back to Uruguay this would be a destination on my itinerary.

New Pictures Posted

2006-03-04T16:21:00.002-07:00

We saw this bike on the main drag here in Colonia.

I have uploaded more pictures to Flickr. Check em out at the below address:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594074944905/

[Update - The Flickr albums get updated so this no longer links to the original pictures.]

Colonia Del Sacramento

2006-03-04T16:01:00.002-07:00

Colonia is by far my favorite city in Uruguay to date. It has the most charm and is rich in history. We spent one whole day in museums. While most of them were not up to snuff as far as the title of museum would go, some of them were really neat. We saw dinosaur fossils, butterfly collections, old muskets, and beautiful wood work. The tile museum was totally bogus! A stupid museum dedicated to tile. What a joke!

The streets are cobble stoned here and have the same tree lined setup as Montevideo. The canopy overhead provides pleasant shade and a nice breeze comes in from off the water. http://www.guiacolonia.com.uy/casareal/mapacolonia.htm here is a map of Colonia. We are staying on Manuel Lobo (near the bottom of the map) between Lavalleja and Suarez. Today we went on a walk that spaned over 10 k and went blocks off the top of this map.

There is a nice feel in this place. The theme or motto here is Patrimonio Mundial, which means World Heritage. They are very proud of their history. This was originally a Portuguese port founded in 1680 as a means for illegally smuggling goods into Spanish controlled Buenos Aires. They fought over for the next 100 years. Spanish had control for a few years around 1777 until they had to give it back after a treaty. You can denote the Portuguese sections of town by the smaller houses with tile roofing and low doors and windows. Another clue are the streets which have drainage in the middle.

Well that is all for now it has been too long on the internet.

Punta Del Diablo

2006-03-04T15:44:00.001-07:00

The bus ride into Punta Del Diablo was amazingly beautiful. There were rolling green hills and vast open spaces framed by larger hills on the horizon. Rarely a fence or power line interrupted vast views of wildlife and nature.

Punta Del Diablo on the other hand was a bit different. This is quite literally a fishing village. It seems to swell with a bustling population around carnival and transform into quite the travel destination. Shacks line the beach and cluster together to make little neighbourhoods at the end of sand cul-de-sacs. Every house has a sing in the window displaying for rent. Somehow it was more expensive in this town than La Paloma. ( I think it may be carnival related) We were again meet with tranquil and easy going people that didn´t mind my total disregard for Spanish rules of grammar.

We mostly hung out on the beach with a funky little bar that played music. It was a pretty cool beach and reminded me of Rocky Point during Spring break. Not really as many people but, definitely a spot to be seen. The bar has a web site. http://www.bitacorabar.com/ I checked it out. It has some pictures and will overall give you a feel for Punta Del Diablo during Carnival.

We also found the ´torta frita´ in Diablo. This is by far and away my favourite food in Uruguay. It is like a cross between Indian fry bread and doughnuts. They only serve it on rainy or cold days though so you have to wait for it.

La Paloma: Wrap Up

2006-03-04T15:31:00.001-07:00

So here are the last bits about La Paloma. We never did get out and get mussels for dinner. The ocean current was just too strong. Instead, Richard bought tons of fish (the box of fish in the picture above) for just under $9 U.S. and smoked it for us. Richard was truly a super nice cat. Thing is….he smoked the fish for 3 hours in an old 1950´s refrigerator using pinecones and plywood for the fire. My God did that fish have the most peculiar taste. This whole process didn't even start quickly though. The previous 3 hours Ryan and Richard spent scaling and filleting all the fish. There were so many flies buzzing around by the time they were done that it sounded like bees had infested the neighborhood. But, at 1 a.m. we feasted to our hearts content on delicious hobo fish.

All in all La Paloma was a nice place to visit. It was super laid back and sported green lawns and thatched roofs. It is a nice place for a vacation but, I wouldn´t recommend travelling 28 hours just to see it.

A brief hola from Colonia

2006-02-28T16:22:00.001-07:00

My time is up for this current internet session. I promise there will be some anecdotes shortly. I hope to post more pictures soon but, it is most difficult to find a cyber with current edition of windows.

Here is a list of diseases I have come in contact with:

Positive contact with - Hepatitis (not the sexualy transmited one) and Tetnus

Relatively confident - Malaria (millions of misquito bites) and Hanta Virus which apparently the rats have here. And there was a rat in the roof of our Punta Del Diablo dwellings!

A quick update

2006-02-21T09:29:00.001-07:00

Richard
Originally uploaded by Traveling Man 06.

Ricardo has a hernia. This was not a case of the aforementioned Elephantitus. I hope he can get that fixed up.

In other news we have found out that Richard, our landlord, is of German descent. Apparently his grandpa came to Uruguay during WWII. Perhapse we have inded met a descendant of those Nazis that alegedly went to South America after the war?

Pictures

2006-02-19T09:49:00.003-07:00

I think I have this ironed out. Here are some pictures from Uruguay.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70415300@N00/sets/72057594066837962/
I hope that works!

[Update - The Flickr albums get updated so this no longer links to the original Uruguay pictures.]

Long Days in La Paloma

2006-02-19T09:35:00.001-07:00

So the sun sets here at about 9:30 which is crazy late. As a result everything is done later. Well that, and the fact that siesta is indeed real. Pretty much everything closes from 2-4. The restaurants are open until 2 am. We typically eat dinner sometime around 10 and 11 at night. This might seem nuts but, it works out for us. Home is 5 hours behind. So basically we just never changed our habits. There was virtually no jet lag or goof ball time switch that messed us up. By not changing our routine we are on Uruguay time. Go figure.

Lets move on to the smell of Uruguay. There is a definate smell in this contry. I guess I never really considered that there is a foudation odor that lingers behind the scenes of a location. This is probably because I am desenseitized to the smell of Arizona. Regardless, Uruguay has a distinct aroma that I have been working feverishly to nail down. The suttle nuances of this aromatic circus still enjoys freedom at the expense of my olefactory system. But, its time is running out. Here is what I have uncovered:

1) Old grease traps. This is not ordinary oil. They use funky corn oil mixed with something and it makes the grease traps smell very peculiar. This smell seems to come from everywhere
2) Bar soap. A most pungent aroma lingers from the quite unique odor of the bar soap. I have never smelled anything like it.
3) Plastic. Have you ever smelled the inside of a plastic bottle? That is deffinately part 3 of the Uruguay smell equation.

When you add this up you get the basis for the smell of Uruguay. If I uncover the missing peices I will update you all. I think it may be the smell of random and most foul street dogs.

While I am on the topic of K9s I would like to take pause and thank the pound. I would also like to thank the writers and enforcers of the leash laws in America. There are stray dogs everywhere. They are most brazen. I wouldn´t mind so much if we are talking weiner dogs. So far I have incountered some type of Mastiff, a rather large German Sheppard, and a St. Bernard.

In closing I would like to higlight Ricardo. Ricardo is Richard´s roomate – friend. I am about 90% sure Ricardo suffers from Elefantitus of the tesicles. It is either that or he is endowed with the likness of a stout horse.

Day 5 in Uruguay

2006-02-13T10:39:00.002-07:00

Hola everyone. I hope all is well at home. There is so much to say and yet I have no idea how to include it all. So much and nothing have both happened at the same time. It is weird. Let me start at the beginning. We arrived in Uruguay in Montevideo. We spent 2 days there and are now in La Paloma compliments of a 3 hour bus ride. Montevideo is pretty nice for a major city. It is however a major city none the less. La Paloma is much more my speed. It reminds me very much of my trips to Mexico. It is a sleepy little beach town. Many of the homes have thatched roofs. It is also a huge tourist destination. But, 90% of the tourists are from various other parts of Uruguay. The remaining 9.99% are from Argentina. We are the super small percentage from somewhere else. I am quite confident we are the only Americans here. I could stay in La Paloma for a long time. The landscape is like Flagstaff and Southern California slammed together. There are crazy forests everywhere right next to huge hibiscus plants and beach.

The food in Uruguay is absolutely terrible. Whoever wrote in the guide books that food here is good was drastically wrong. I ate a chivito which is apparently a national Uruguay dish. It is a steak sandwich with ham, a fried egg, cheese, lettuce tomato, and mayo. This sandwich sounds like it may be good. Let me assure you it is awful. It makes me miss the truck stop food from the Jake Break at Swift. The slice of ham was more like undercooked bacon. Every meal I have eaten here somehow tastes the same. How is that possible? Every thing here tastes like nothing. This is the blandest food I have ever eaten. Everything taste like old cooking oil.

Moving along to a high note, a liter of beer here cost about $1.20. That equates to just less than 3 12oz beers. I am very happy about this. I have had at least one litter a day since we have been here. It is super refreshing because it is cold.

We are now staying in a “hotel” that is actually nothing more than glorified camping. We are in an A frame shack behind the main house that the owner lives in. The room fits 4 small foam pads on pallets. My neck is so messed up. All my bones hurt. We are all sleeping in the same room head to head 3 feet from each other. It is hilarious. Other than the sleeping accommodations the place is awesome. Richard is the owner and Ricardo his friend slash tenant are both muy simpatico. (that means nice) Richard is a bee keeper and gave us a jar of honey and some honey comb. He also gave us 2 bikes to use which we ride to the market. There is also a ping pong table which we have capitalized on. We are a 10 minute walk to the beach.

Well I have to go my time is up. I will try to cram more in the next post in a few days.

First Day in Uruguay

2006-02-09T15:24:00.001-07:00

So we made it and things are funny. It is the little things that make a foreign country funny. First of all, the keyboard is way different. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to get the "@" symbol so I could sign into my email. Also, I signed into my blog site and everything is in Spanish, so posting pictures may not be that easy.

We had dinner at a funny little place. We each had a giant beer and an entre. I think it cost me $5 dollars. I had no idea what I was ordering and ended up with something that resembled chicken fried steak. However, it was much worse than regular chicken fried steak.

Well, we are all here safe and sound. I am looking forward to a entire night of sleep. I added it up and I figure I slept about 6 hours out of the last 30. Sorry if this post has numerous grammatical errors or illogical sentances. I am zombie man.

Packing Test Run

2006-01-30T09:56:00.001-07:00

Today was our “dress rehearsal.” We packed up our bags with what we think we are taking on the trip. There are still a few minor items we need to pick up, but this was a great representation of what we will have on the road. Erin’s full pack weighed in at 27.5 lbs and I came in at 30. That comes out to 57.5 cumulative pounds of gear for our estimated six-month journey. It was a bizarre feeling seeing our packs stuffed to the gills with gear, knowing that those few possessions will represent our home on the road.

The Game Plan

2006-01-21T10:56:00.002-07:00

I am frequently asked where I am going, for how long, and with whom.

The short answer: South America for some where in the ball park of 6-9 months with my wife and another married couple that are some of my best friends.

The long answer: We leave for Uruguay Feb 8th from Phoenix. We fly to D.C., for reasons outside my comprehension, and 5 hours later catch a connecting flight to Montevideo, Uruguay. We don’t really have a set itinerary after that. We plan to visit Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador. The only definite article on any sort of time table is Peru. We plan on arriving in Peru in April to meet our dear friend Yari. By my math this means we will wrap up Ecuador some time in May. Yes that is only 4 months. This is where it gets fuzzy. We are going to play it by ear and decide what to do from there. Currently we are thinking of either continuing on into Central America or catching a flight to Europe. Apparently flights to Europe are very cheap from South America.

The other alternative involves us throwing in the towel and coming home early with a respectable ‘nest egg’. I am, however, hoping to extend this journey until our resources have been thoroughly exhausted and we coast home on fumes!