Where is Shammywu

Shutting her down

2009-10-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

It seems as though my travels are over for now folks. I'm stuck here for a little while until a new opportunity arises some place else. In the meantime, I'm moving forward with the home renovations and a lot is needed. The plan is not to make this place my dream home. Some basic repairs and renovations are needed in case I decide to sell in within the next couple years.

So I'm shutting down the travel blog. I'm glad I was able to document many of my trips since the journal was lost in New Zealand. Of all the placed I've been over the past 21 months, Patagonia was definitely my favorite. That trip was the turning point where I started thinking of the future instead on looking back into the past. I could go back to all the places I visited, but for some reason the pictures from Patagonia always grab my heart.

I was thinking about starting another blog with just some random subjects. Until then, I'm saying adios for now. I had loads of fun.....

The Poem

2009-09-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

I've included the poem than Mark read on the Salmon. The poet is Robert Service and he lived and worte in the Yukon in the early 1900s.

The Men That Don't Fit In

There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.

If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change,
and each fresh move Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day,
with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed;
he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone,
and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.

Cast and Blast

2009-09-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

We packed up the truck Thursday night and headed out towards Yellow Pine. This would be the start of a giant loop heading north towards the central part of the mountains then back down ending in the Owhyee for one last shot at those big browns. The first stop was a small pull off by Johnson creek. This was just a pit stop, but the area was quite nice. I couldn't sleep well due to the full moon which is kind of like sleeping under a spot light. The white noise of the creek rushing about 10 meters away from where I was sleeping also kept me awake.

The next morning was brisk compared to Boise. We had climbed a couple thousand feet and left the desert to enter the forrest. I passed the time a bit by fly fishing the stream, but the creek only held juvenile fish. Alex and I sped off to Yellow Pine for some breakie before heading to the secret lake where huge fish were rumored to lurk. The town on Yellow Pine has less than 100 people during the winter. the restaurant was just how you would imagine. Wood panelling everywhere with historic memorabilia of big salmon runs and pictures of trophy elk taken during the hunting season. No time for love Dr Jones! We need to find get to the lake while there is still daylight.

Now I have done quite a bit of backpacking over the past year, but I never thought I would be packing in so much gear. We decided to pack in the float tubes, find, and waders along with all of our camping gear which added at least 5-7 kilos. All in all, I estimate the pack weighed about 20 kilos. In addition to the extra weight, the lake was about 500-600 meters above the trail head which meant lots of climbing. Jeez! The climb and bushwhacking was worth the trouble. For the next 24 hours, I experienced some of the best trout fishing in my entire life. Not another soul other than my buddy Alex, and fish (big fish) rising to skim bugs off the surface of the water EVERYWHERE. I think we just happened upon a crazy hatch (meaning there was an unusual abundance of bugs). We kept one fish for tacos that night. Once again, I was cursed by the full moon. This time, I positioned myself behind a tree to shade me from the moon beam. The local squirrel was not pleased with my arrival and apparent resting place.

We moved on to meet Mark and camp on the edge of the middle fork of the Salmon river. The bratwurst was just the ticket to cap a day of fishing, BB gun shooting, beer drinking, and ranting about health care reform. After dinner, we were treated to a few poetry readings by Mark who wanted nearly every detail of my last 21 months of travel around the world. It was a nice relaxed evening and great to connect with a new friend who I met only twice before nearly four years ago.

We moved on to Mark and Ann's place near McCall. they had bought property (about 9 acres) in a subdivided ranch near Brundage Ski Resort. Mark and designed and built the place by hand and it was a good break from sleeping on a thermarest and down bag. Our activities involved more shooting and Mark's attempt at going off a ramp on his mountain bike (with a couple beers in him). He survived. Alex and I decided to make one more run into Oregon the next day. I had been skunked at the Owhyee last week, but now I had a good idea what flies to use. I would not go out empty handed.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip. It was good seeing my old friend after two and a half years. Although it wasn't the Tetons or Yellowstone, I was happy with my experience. We'll just save the trip for next time.

Trip Interrupted

2009-09-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm absolutely dumbfounded by how things have turned out. The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for me. Unfortunately, It looks as though I'll have to head back to Dallas after Labor Day. However, Alex and I are headed up north to McCall and Yellow Pine tomorrow while Suz and the other girls are on their way to Burning Man. I'm a bit dissapointed that the west coast road trip has been cut short. I would have liked to have been on the road for at least another month. Looks like I'll have to make the most out of the time remaining. The next few days are sure to be quite an adventure.

Finicky Fish

2009-08-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

After a few days of driving across the country, I finally landed in Boise. It was a long trip with great stretches of barren landscape between destinations. Wyoming looks a lot like southern Argentina with its dry grass and stubby bushes. Without a radio, I found myself singing out loud just to break up the monotony of the drive heading West on I80. I belted out old pixies, Weezer, and Red Hot Chili Peppers songs without fully knowing all the lyrics. It was enough to get me to Utah where the scenery quickly changed. I finally saw mountains and rolling farm land again. Friendly signs that I was close to civilization.

Alex and Suz had completed a remodel of their 1930's house and it looks phenomenal on the inside. It has all of the modern amenities (high end appliances) with the classic craftsman styling of that period. It has been a couple years since I've visited so it was all new to me. On the counter were fresh veggies from their garden which had done really well this year due to the composting and weather this summer. It reminded me of my weak and neglected garden in Dallas which yielded nothing but a few small watermelon. I was glad that this would be my home base for the next couple weeks.

Not wasting any time, Alex, Ian, and I met at the Owhyee river in Oregon that evening. The river is known for having some of the best trout fishing in the area. 20+ inch fish are common as long as you can get them to bite. Now I'm very experienced in catching 20+ inch browns in Arkansas, but out west it's a different story. Of the three anglers, only Alex was able to hook up once. It was a nice pumpkin of a fish coming in somewhere in the 22-24 inch range. Although the fishing was tough, the scenery and company more than made up for it. The plan while I'm here is to head north to Yellow Pine and fish some of the creeks. There is also some secret lake up there which is supposed to hold some huge rainbows. I can't wait to hook up with my first trout of the year.

Go West Young Man

2009-08-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Bags are packed and the car is loaded.

With most of my obligations complete in Dallas, I've decided to set my sights on the great western road trip through the United States. The thought of this trip has been brewing in my head for over a year. Every time I came back over seas, something whether it was timing or other obligations prevented me from embarking on this tour. Now I've seen many countries over the last two years, but there is something romantic about setting off on your own across the country not knowing where you are going to end up. As a precaution, I packed my new passport just in case I get close enough to reach Vancouver.

So the route. First draft... First stop will be Denver. I have many friends there who I haven't seen in years. It will also give me a good opportunity to warm up the legs since I've been sitting on the couch the entire time I've been back in Dallas. The fitness regiment is needed since I haven't carried a loaded back pack at altitude for 7 months. I'll work my way up to Boise to see Alex and the gang. Topping the list of activities is the backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons (or equivalent). From there, who knows. Just like the Salmon, I feel an instinctive draw towards my birthplace in the Pacific Northwest. However, California, especially San Francisco has a solid base of contacts. I'll play it be ear after Boise.

The anxiety still lingers although not as strong as the previous trips. Perhaps I not expecting as many surprises along the way this time.

America, Have You Seen It?

2009-08-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Although I have my new passport, I figure I'd cool it on the international travel for now. When this all started 20 months ago, I promised myself that I would take the great road trip out West. Well for now I had to settle for the great Midwest trip back to Indiana to see the family. It had been years since I returned to Elkhart. I don't hide that fact that I hate the town, for a number of reasons (none of which I'll get into). The purpose of this trip was to see family. None of my relatives have seen my nephew Teo, so this was an opportunity for everyone to see the kid for the first time.

Although the route was the same one I took back in December, the landscape looked far different. Summer has crested it's peak and the corn stood tall as if they were soldiers standing at attention in their rows waiting for the harvest in the fall. The acres of farmland look like a sea of gold tassels until you look at the correct angle revealing lines which seem to run in a perfectly straight line for what seems to be miles.

As you can guess, organizing a large multi-day gathering requires a lot of work. My brother, Jenn, and I were assigned the task of getting food from a local "gourmet" Italian deli. My mom seems to throw that term around liberally. Anything which isn't a chain and imports food is considered gourmet to her. Before picking up two giant tins of lasagna we sat down for lunch outside the deli. Jenn and Bill wanted to hear about my last trip to Spain and Italy, so we started to talk about travel and our experiences (Bill and Jenn had just returned from a film festival in Poland). Apparently, the old couple next to us was eavesdropping on our conversation. A few minutes later, the woman approached us and asked if we have seen America. At first, I wasn't sure how to take the question. Was she trying to make us feel guilty for not seeing ALL of the United States, before travelling abroad? I don't know. Now I feel that I have seen much of the US and definitely more than the average American. She then said that she felt no urge to travel abroad. I gave her my spiel about Americans who travel either for leisure or culture. If you travel for leisure, there really is no reason to leave the US. She sincerely accepted my answer which seemed to validate her reason for not travelling and my point for travelling abroad as the same time. This got me thinking about how middle class American perceives Europe and travelling abroad. I don't want this to get into a political rant, so I'll just leave it at this.

The median income in the US is 50K. Knowing what I do about the American way of life, there is no way average Americans can support a middle class lifestyle with this income. Forget about travelling abroad. For me, I'm going to take that road trip across the US. I do want to see more of America and the world , but not necessarily in that order.

Home Stretch

2009-07-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

The trip is turning out much differently that I had originally planned. That is what happens when you just go where you feel like it. Originally, I had planned to go back to Switzerland for some summer snowboarding. I had packed enough winter gear for a day or two in the mountains. Well, I never made it to Switzerland, but I do not regret it. As my friend Jon says, I go to Switzerland more often than Jon sees his parents in Wisconsin. It was nice to see a few new places which I would have skipped if traveling alone. The only down side, is that some place we wanted to go required advanced bookings. June and I were a bit cursed with the San Fermin festival in Pamplona (AKA running of the bulls).

It was not my intention to even go to northern Spain, so we didn't plan ahead initially. This became a bit of a problem since trains and accommodations were somewhat limited due to all of the people attending San Fermin. We arrived in San Sebastian and found that our accommodation for the pension was already filled. I didn't check for the confirmation of the reservation before arriving , so we ended up scrambling for a place to stay during the weekend. Lucky for us, we did find a place not too far out of town. San Sebastian is small so everything you need to see is within walking distance (for June and I, that meant beaches and tapas bars).

Now I know the beaches in Europe are a little different than those in the US, but I never thought I would see so many naked people in my life. Even though I expected this, it was still a shock. The most shocking thing I saw was this 50-60 year old lady who was so dark and wrinkled, she looked like a walking raisin. She was the most disgusting body on that beach that day. For the most part, the beaches were the best here. The sand was soft and clean, the temperature was mild, and the water was fantastic. Similarly to the trip in Thailand and Australia, I closed out my Europe trip relaxing on the beach. We had been bouncing around from town to town that it was just nice to spend a day relaxing in the sun. June and I would pack up and spend the last couple days in Madrid before heading back to the states.

Basque Country

2009-07-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well there are some events in my life I will never forget. The past year and a half has yielded a few major worldy milestones and events close to home. At the top of the list is seeing Obama giving his acceptance speech while I was downing a bowl of noodles in Hong Kong. Second on the list had got to be Michael Jackson's passing. We were just discussing the dates he was going to play in London with a guy in our hostel who had tickets. The next day, he was all over the news. Today, in Bilbao, June and I were treated to MJ songs in every bar and restaurant.

My experience with Spain had been great. In fact, I must say that I prefer Spain over Italy (more if this I will talk about later). The only thing I'm having to adjust to is the languages spoken in each corner of the country. Although my travel Spanish is decent, it is still tough to understand what people are saying in northern Spain. The Basque signs are also screwing me up too. It seems that none of the food terms are recognizable except for a few. Bilbao is a nice place so far. 9 o'clock is drinking time and everyone vacates the shopping squares for the bars. Rightly so, since there is still daylight at around 10 PM here. June and I are checking out the Guggenheim tomorrow, then off to San Sebastian.

Tapas with Picasso

2009-07-05T14:52:00.001-07:00

Spain! What a relief! June and I had a ton of delays trying to get to Barcelona from Milan. Once here, we had sort of a relaxed feeling. The city (or at least where we are staying) seems very lively. There is also the added sense of security which comes with speaking the language. Our first dabble with the language came at the tapas place recommended in the guide book near our hostel. The food which is so different than what we had in Italy seemed just as good if not better.

Barcelona itself has such a lively feel. I already prefer the mix in architecture and art compared to Italy. Spain has a better mix of old and more contemporary art compared to what I saw in Italy. June is doing a little bit more shopping than me on this trip. I think she is picking up a new pair of shoes in each town we visit. I may pick up a few things in Madrid before going home.

June has found a few special freebies for museum entries, so we are saving a few bucks here and there. It is also nice that she has had a lot of knowledge about aart history, so she can enlighten me about specific styles for each artist we see. For example, everyone is familiar with Picasso's cubist style, but remember that he was a classicaly trained artists, so his earlier works include standard portraits and and landscapes. Some of his sketches were a bit out there and sexually charged, but all in all you see the progression until the work he is best known for today.

Zig Zagging

2009-07-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

Man! we are really flying through Italy. The last two stops in our journey have been the best so far. We arrived in Lake Como a few days ago and was able to spen some time away from the crowds of Florence and Venice. I dragged June up a hike with a 759 m ascent. The broken toe slowed me down, so it helped keep me in check. The views from the top of the hike were just as pretty as those from my previous hikes in Patagonia and New Zealand. The hostel in Menagio was a great place to meet fellow travellers. I met a couple folk from Chicago, one of whom teaches school across from my old house in Willmette. Crazy!

Yesterday we zipped down to Cinque Terre for a day of sun and surf. It was June's first dip in the Med since her arrival. The beaches are all pebbles and somewhat tough on our office cured feet. However, the water was a blue as it could be and refreshing. I will definitely return since I feel that our time there was cut short. Overall, we havce seen a ton of Italy during this trip. Spain should be a bit slower and more relaxed. I'm looking forward to some good tapas and wines next week.

Moving North

2009-06-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

Today, June and I are moving northward to Venice. This was not originally an intended stop, but June convinced me to go. So far the trip is going well although the spending is a bit out of control. I feel as though we have been seeing all of the highlights from each town we visit. If I was to return for a shorter trip, I would likely rent a car to see more of the country side. Travelling by train is okay for the time being.

After a couple days in Florence, it is clear that this is high season. Lines are fairly long for the museums. There are so many tourist groups wandering the streets and so many American kids on summer break. June and I quite enjoy meeting the young folks and chatting over the free sangria the hostel provides. One drawback is that I'm having a bit of an issue finding cheap accommodations in the heavy tourist destinations. This should add some excitement to our journey this week.

We have done so much walking and waiting in lines that we are getting funny tan lines on our feet from the sandals and shoes. Finding a beach to even out those lines will be a high priority once we reach the Mediterranean.

The Oddessey

2009-06-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

So I may have one more encore left in me. I left for Italy for some sailing off the coast of Naples. This trip had all sorts of bad omens to start with. The group of friends joining me for this trip were some of the same ones from the Belize trip three years ago plus a couple Brits.

Jaime drove me to the airport where I spent the next six hours figuing out how to get to Rome on time. A big storm had rolled into DFW cancelling every flight that morning. I was lucky enough to get rerouted through NYC, but would lose a day in the process. This wasn't as bad as it seemed since it would give me a chance to see my brother's family before jetting to Italy. However, I knew immediately that my bag would not meet me in Rome due to all of the scheduling changes. So I grabbed a few things to survive (shirs, underwear, toothpaste, etc.) at my brother's place before going to JFK for the flight to Italy. As it turns out, I was right. My bag arrived in Rome about five hours after I left the airport for Naples. The bag never got to me until after the sailing was finished, so I'm wearing nearly the same thing in every photo.

I blame the lost bag for my broken toe in Capri. We hiked up to the main center from the marina one night for dinner. Capri is quite a fancy place with many high end boutique stores. I was dressed like a bum (I was wearing the same clothes for about four days at this point) with these flip flops I bought off the street. On the way down, we took a detour and I ended up crushing my big toe on one of the steps. Now this presents some issues especially if you plan on walking around various cities in Europe for the next three weeks. I decided not to do anything about it and to try to let it heal on it's own (a decision I may regret later). So now, I'm on a boat with a broken big toe and no clean change of clothes. It couldn't get much worse.

Unlike the previous sailing trip, this one was blessed with superb weather. Perhaps I was being rewarded for my luggage and big toe problems. In addition to the sun, the water was crystal clear and just the right temperature to cool off a hot body after a day on the deck of a boat. Top off the week with great food, drinks, and fancy mega yachts. Although I wore the same clothes for a full week, it didn't seem to matter too much.

I was getting used to pretending to be one if the rich and privledged. Was this the life of a professional slacker? I hoped so, but the truth is that we work our asses off to enjoy these few grand moments.

This is the last one...Really

2009-06-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

I always get a little anxious when I'm about to embark on a new trip. Especially if I'm going to a new place where I haven't been before. There is a balance of cautious and carefree feelings which need to be managed when you arrive. Although, you don't want to be paranoid about pickpockets and thieves the entire time, you still shouldn't be totally careless with your belongings. I have been preaching all of these safety rules to my cousin June. She's probably sick of hearing, but I kind of feel like a protective older brother in this situation.

Before I leave, I must promise myself that this is THE last trip and I need to get serious about finding new employment. Since the travels have began, I've learned so many new things which I would consider life skills. The past few trips, although they had a purpose, are just "fun" excursions. I'm trying to get as much culture out of each country, but let's face it.... You are sailing in Italy.... How much culture are you going to get swimming in the Mediterranean and eating pizza? As some of my friends and family keep reminding me, there are some big questions which need to be addressed when all this is over. I believe I know the answers now, so let's see what happens.

Shifty eyes

2009-06-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

I've stumbled into another world.

I left my normal coffee shop haunt and drove a couple miles north to the M street Starbucks just to the north of my neighborhood. I'm here to meet someone to discuss jobs at Raytheon. She's running late. Now you would think that in two miles, the clientele would not be that much different than those of the Lakewood Starbucks. However, I'm sitting here with a case of shifty eye checking out all the people in this place. While the Lakewood shop has a mix of wealthy country club goers, bearded musicians, and young hipsters, the M street shop is exclusively middle aged upper middle class folks. I'm overwhelmed by how loud people talk as if they want you to hear their conversation about all the unique and interesting things they have done. I wish they would just shut it.

The other thing I noticed are all of the creepy shifty eyed men checking out the ladies in the coffee shop. I never really noticed it before since I don't spend too much time hanging out for long. They are hiding behind their New Yorkers and NYTs but passing a glance whenever a new face walks in. I think I'm turing into one of those guys myself.

Productivity

2009-05-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a month since my last blog entry. Being back in Dallas is starting to take its toll on my well being. I look back to the days when I was working and wonder how the heck did I get so much done in a day. The number of meeting, emails, call, experiments, reports, etc. It was amazing that I was able to get as much completed as I did during those days. Now, I'm lucky to get in a run, grab a coffee, and mow the lawn before 4 PM.

Speaking of coffee, I've been planting myself at the coffee shop just to get out of the house. The house is death if you are unemployed and are not actively looking for a job. Now I know how bored retirees are when they are at home all the time. Anyway, I've noticed certain types of characters who are always at the shop. I'm not talking about the people who come and go, but those whose lives seem to revolve around the local coffee shop. You have your pseudo intellectual reading the New Yorker (but you know its a prop to pick up girls, albeit smart ones). The rocker who played a gig last night and working off the hangover with a triple shot. The creepy old guy who checks out every girl who walks in the place. The writer, to has his mac and earbuds likely writing about the shitty show the rocker dude put on last night. On a side note, I saw an ex of mine roll up to the shop in a $50K sports car and fat wedding ring. Have I really been away for that long? Just a reminder of how my life has been on pause while everything else keeps on moving.

The sailing trip in Italy has exploded into another huge excursion. I've invited my cousin who just graduated from design school to join me. The plan now is to travel through the north west part of the country then to Switzerland. Hopefully Emma and Hamish will be in Saas Fee and I can get a day or two of summer skiing under my belt. From Switzerland, we fly to Spain. hopefully we will be indulging in some great food and wine along the way. The cost of this trip will be much higher than the previous ones. The money is starting to run out, so the job hunt will definitely pick up a notch when I return in July.

The Horror

2009-05-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have come to realize that one big reason why I loved travelling other than experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, and catching up with long lost relatives, is that it was an escape from the realities of life in Dallas. It seems that I'm spending more money being at home than I was when I was on the road. As a reality check, I came home to a leaky roof and unkept yard. Further investigation of my surroundings yielded a long list of items in the house I need to address. That takes a back seat to other more pressing items.

Before I left, Thad and I bought a house in the historic district in Dallas. The house has been on the market since September of last year. The time on the market has started to drain all of my "In case shit happens" back up cash. At this point I see no end to the bleeding of my checking account until the house is sold. The issue now is that the house IS complete, but it is not exactly restored to the period when the house was built. I'm faced with the delima of pouring in extra cash into the place to make the interior match the exterior. Pooh!

Press The Eject and Give Me The Tape

2009-04-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

What a mess. I have returned home to Dallas and my room now looks as if my bags exploded. There are clothes, winter gear, bags, chocolates, and unopened mail all over the place. On top of that, the refrigerator broke and the yard needs a good manicure. It seems that I have been thrusted back into the domesticated life whether I like it or not. I'm feeling a bit a relief coming home and knowing that my travels have ended for the most part. It is a much different feeling than the previous time where I couldn't wait to get out of the US again.

I have been absolutely rocked by the north Texas allergies since returning. I do not with this affliction on anyone. The evenings have been especially bad since I can't breath through my nose. Being home also means boiling hot temperatures and bugs that bite and sting. maybe I should have stayed in Switzerland after all.

The end of my travels signifies a close of a chapter in my life. It's as if I'm on a long road trip and I'm tired of listening to the same mix tape. Now I'm digging in the glove box looking for another mix tape to play. However, nothing is labelled so I'm not sure how the next tape is going to sound. Will it rock, will it have too much electronica, will it remind me of an old girlfriend (the break up tape)? It is a mystery to me, but what I do know is that it WILL be different. I'm sure in the future, I'll have to press the eject and change the tape again. But until that happens, I'll welcome the new tunes coming from the old car stereo.

Below is the conclusion to my list of songs from Patagonia to Switzerland. Consider the box set to be complete.

Fleet Foxes- He Doesn't Understand Why. This is one of the only new albums I had on my ipod before it was stolen in Queenstown. I listend to this album constantly while I was on the Overlander and the Transalpine.

Ambulance LTD- Heavy Lifting and Ophelia. Wow. It turns out I have listend to these two songs nearly a billion times according to my itunes counter. The album was good, but I didn't think I was listening to it THAT much. I think these songs were on a play list I was listening to a lot while in Patagonia.

Elliot Smith -Thirteen I think this is a Big Star cover. The song was featured in the movie 'Thumbsucker' Not much to say here other than the song reminds me of me friend Heather in Chile.

Nouvelle Vague- Ever Fallen In Love. Another cover song. This time I wasn't sure whether to put the Buzzcocks version here or the bossinova cover version. I kind of like the softer bossinova version so it makes it on the list.

Oasis- She's Electric. This reminds me of a German gal I met on the Routburn track. A funky girl with red dreads.

Travis- Writing to Reach You. I'm not sure why this song is here, but I was listening to it a lot. maybe because I was seeing a few people for a second time during this part of my trip.

Franz Ferdinand- Matinee. Yes I know they have a new album, but my ipod is ancient.

Verve- Lucky Man. This song burst into my head while I was walking on the beach in Australia. I was already thinking ahead to Switzerland and thought, shit! I'll be snowboarding in less than one week!

MGMT- Kids. I should thank Emma for putting this song in my head. It is one catchy ass song. Makes me want to throw big air cab 5s.

Second Time Around

2009-04-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well. I arrived in Zermatt yesterday afternoon. The place was just a bit less crowded than I remember due to it being the last week of the season. Being back in Zermatt is kind of surreal. A few things have changed, such as the addition of new hotel which was under construction when I was here last year. Some things haven't changed, like the high prices for food. I happened to run into Bemsy as I got on the bus to the hostel. She was the first of many familiar faces I would see this trip. I'm only here for two nights, before heading to Zurich so I'm gonna make the most of my time here and reminice about all the fun I had here with the PL kids.

I spent nearly a whole season and never saw a storm like the one we had today. We are supposed to get about a meter of snow over the next two days. The upper mountain is shut, but the lower mountain is still skiable. The snow flakes that are falling look like giant postage stamps. They are what my friend Alex calls 'Base Builders.' The snow is making the place look like a real Swiss ski resort in the middle of winter. Those who are lucky enough to stay until Saturday (change over day) will be blessed with waist deep powder. If it does clear before I leave, I should get some great shots of the Matterhorn (you can never have too many pictures of the Matterhorn).

The Red Rocket Returns

2009-04-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe that I was surfing off the beaches Australia a week ago and now I'm snowboarding in the Swiss apls. This morning I was putting on my snowboarding socks and saw that I still had my flip flop tan line. Now I'm going to work on my goggle tan this week. I truly feel blessed having the opportunity to travel around the world and enjoying things I would never have done staying at home in Texas. I'm glad the end of this chapter in my life is finishing in Switzerland. Seeing the mountains one more time makes me feel complete.

I was hoping for more people from the Peak Leaders group to come back for the reunion. Unfortunately, the kids are busy with exams or lack the funds to come out. My first stop is in Saas Fee which is in the valley next to Zermatt. I'm staying with little Emma and Hamish in their parents flat. Since Hamish broke his collar bone a week ago, I'm using his season pass this week. Last year, we spent over 70 days on the mountain. This year, I have spent two and a half days. My legs are not in the same shape as they were a year ago. Every time I strap on the board, it feels like I'm riding for the first time.

Saas Fee is much smaller than Zermatt. However, the freestyle park is awesome. The kickers are well shaped, the halfpipe had the perfect pitch with well maintained vert. Emma is teaching lessons in the morning, so I'm doing a lot of exploring myself. I need to be careful since this place seems to be more avalanch prone compared to Zermatt and I still don't own a beeper. Come to think about it, a beeper is only good if you are riding with a partner. Since Hamish is out of commision, I'm less likely to take risks off piste by myself. In any case, I'm chillin' on the mountain and should be well relaxed by the time I get home to Dallas. The time change hasn't affected me too much, but I did sleep about 11 hours the first night here.

Brisie

2009-04-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

I walked past two nearly identical piles of vomit this morning on the way to the South side river area. The contents were about the same. Same color. The only difference between the two piles was that the second one was actually stepped in by someone. It reminded me of the all the dog shit on the side walk in Buenos Aires. The vomit was located next to two adjacent park benches just outside of the Tinbilly Hostel. It is the hostel with thumping base emanating from the bar 24 hours a day. I'm so glad I didn't book there.

So my day started off with me trying to see the Nick Cave Exhibit at the performance hall. I really wanted to see it since I was late to the place the day before. I reached for the doors and everything was locked. Then I looked at the hours printed on the side of the door. 'Exhibit open from 10AM-4PM Tuesday-Saturday.' However, to me it read 'You are fucked!' So I wandered over to the GoMA which is the modern art museum. The GoMA had a free Chinese contemporary art exhibit, so I hung around for the rest of the morning before heading to Chinatown for some grub.

Brisbane isn't bad. It does have a nice area downtown by the river with museums and performance halls. like with most cities, it would have been good to see it with a local. That way you can really find things you would have missed in passing. Banana Benders Hostel was one of the better places I landed during my time in Australia and New Zealand. It reminded me a little bit of Pudu where most everyone in the hostel knew each other after a couple days. I made a few new friends in the hostel and was even taught how to do the Tim Tam Slammer (which is a method of eating a Tim Tam cookie by using it as a straw for hot tea). It was a good place to wind down the travel to this part of the world. looking forward to going home now.

They Travel in Pairs

2009-04-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Noosa is a small town and most folks arrive and stay for only a day or two. Due to the length of my stay, I felt that I had to stay for a while instead of wasting days on a bus or train. I started to notice that people were arriving to my hostel in pairs. Everyday pairs of travellers from different countries arrived my dorm room, Germans, Swiss, Danish, Israelis, English, and Norwegens. It was as if the rain was a signal for Noah to collect pairs from each country to deposit into the ark also known as the Koala Backpackers Hostel. The only single traveller in my dorm was a Welsh guy who had been travelling since the last world cup (yep, thats three years ago). All this got me thinking that I'm about ready to stop my travels.

My plan was to file the claim for the stolen backpack this weekend. In so doing, I mentally reviewed the list of items in my bag which were stolen. The list was fairly short, but each item had wither high practical or emotional value.

1. Passport- high practical and sentimental value. Do I really need to explain? I can't go home without it. It also was chocked full of stamps and visas from all of the countries I've seen over the last 8 years.

2. Camera- High practical value, low sentimental value. Although the memory cards had all of my picutres.

3. Books (Autralia Lonely Planet and Buddism Explained)- High practical value, low sentimental value. One can argue that you don't need a travel guide for Australia. However, I ended up buying another one when I returned to Auckland.

4. Journal- High sentimental value. I'm really pissed off about this one. As Heather and others can attest, I was writting a lot over the past two months. Only a tiny fraction of my journal entry made it to the blog. There was about a half year of memories documented in that book. My hope was for Teo to be old enough to read it one day and to become inspired to travel the world. However, after some thought, he has already been to Berlin within the first six weeks of his life, so I'm thinking that travelling will not be a problem for him.

5. Sunnies- High practical and sentimental value. I loved those Smith sunnies! I'm wearing those sunglasses in nearly all of the pictures in the blog. I ended up replacing them with a pair of Electrics, but they are just not the same as the sliders.

6. The pack- I also loved that DaKine pack. I replaced it with another brand and I just don't like the fit.

Wave of Mutilation

2009-04-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

The last time I tried chasing the weather was about 5 years ago when we were searching for big powder dumps in the pacific NW. I ended up flying to Reno to catch a depression which dumped a ton of snow in the Sierras. It was the best powder I had ridden in Tahoe. Instead of following storms, this time, I was following sun. The weather forecast called for rain and storms for the rest of the week. However, I was afraid to venture too far north since getting back to Brisbane would be a hell of a long ride from Airlie Beach. I ended up settling for Noosa which is two hours north of Brisbane.

Despite the rain, I ended up doing a surf lesson in the morning. The lesson itself was well run. For some reason there were only women in my class (not that I'm complaining). Our instructor was a French guy who looked exactly like Clive Owen except for an annoying accent and zinc oxide all over his face. Having a REAL lesson was much better than taking instructions from a friend. The last time I tried surfing was in LA and the only thing my friend Steve told me was to paddle hard then stand up. The lesson that time was like the skiing scene in Better Off Dead when Booger tells John Cusack's character to go straight, then when something gets in your way....turn. Maybe it was due to the snowboarding or the BASI training, but I was able to get up on my board every time. I even paddled into my own wave. Although the the lesson was fun, I was absolutely getting worked by the waves. The incoming storm had really made the surf big (not that nice for beginners) and the rip current kept taking the students towards the jetty. I wish I had been able to take a multi day surf course, but the weather was not expected to ease until later in the week.

The next day, all of the schools were cancelled due to the surf. There were still people in the water, but the waves were too big for beginners. It would have been miserable if I would have decided to rent a board and practice on my own. I did see something unusual that morning. She was a tan and super hot Asian surfer girl. For those who don't know, most Asians HATE the sun and do as much as possible to stay pale. The beaches in Thailand often have lawn chairs under a canopy to keep Japanese tourists out of the sun. And if you pick up any Japanese beauty magazine, every other page is an add for skin whitener. That is why I was so surprised to see this gal so tan. It is obvious that she was not a FOB Asian based on her style. My guess is that she is actually from Hawaii and is just here for the endless summer surfing all the time and living out of a camper van. There is no other explanation. This is what I believe and I'm sticking to it.

The rain has killed the Frazier Island cruise, so I'm going to play things by ear until it's time to head to Brisbane.

Look at that Rippah...Crikey!

2009-04-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Instead of flying up to Cairns, I ended up heading to Noosa from Brisbane. The weather forecast didn't look too good, so I figured heading a little north would buy me some time. Australia is definitely more expensive than NZ for travelling. Both hostels and food prices are jacked up. It may be a function of being on the east coast in summer. I guess it is not bad since I'm here for less than a week.

Spending a few days in Sydney only left me about 5 days for the rest of my travels. Originally, I wanted to do a cruise and some scuba diving further north, but I'm only able to do a few activities and limit my travel destinations. Noosa will be the furthest north I would go. All of the other destinations would mean lost time on the bus.

Never in a million years did I ever expect to see the Crocodile Hunter's Zoo. I remember watching the older shows with my buddies and laughing my ass off. Steve Irwin's antics looked like excerpts from a animals bloopers show. Since the zoo provides free transfer from Noosa, I decided to spend a day there to check it out. The place was awesome. It was one of the best zoos I've been to. You are able to get up close and touch the koalas and kangaroos. The staff were really accommodating and would take time out to take your picture and talk about the animals one on one. The highlight was the croc feeding which is not like what you have seen on the TV shows, but a more mild form. The zoo is constantly expanding. The original zoo was just a reptile reserve, but now it has everything. They plan on expanding over the next few years to add an Africa and Americas exhibit. It is a must see if you are going to Queensland.

Finally Arrived in Oz

2009-03-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well...It took me a week, but I'm finally here in Sydney. I did my normal walking tour through the major part of the city hitting a few of the tourist spots.My niece's place is in north Sydney, so one must cross the harbor bridge to get to down town. The views from the bridge are good and you can see the opera house and the main harbor from there. Along the way, I could spot people walking on the bridge as part of an organized tour. Everyone was wearing the same outfits and tethered to a safety cable. The folks on the tour are up really high on the bridge and totally exposed to the outside. This is one tour that I would not attempt if I was scared of heights (it's a long way down!). The walk only took about 30 minutes, then I was in the downtown area.

The big cities are all beginning to look the same to me now. The major shopping areas are crammed with the same stores and restaurants. I browsed for some new sunglasses and souvenirs on George and Pitt street working my way over to Darling Harbor by early afternoon. Sydney has a decent aquarium, so I stopped in for the remainder of the afternoon fighting crowds of Japanese tourists to check out the shark tank and dugongs (sea cows). I think I'll be seeing some more of the beaches and ocean tomorrow. Big cities are just not my thing anymore so I'm not planning on doing too much here before moving on to Brisbane.

Ping Pong Wizards

2009-03-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

I've had some time to fart around in Auckland while sorting out my travel plans. The extra time has been spent hanging with family. I ended up playing table tennis with the old timers one afternoon. These guys were serious ping pong players! My cousin and uncle are THE BEST table tennis players have have ever seen! My uncle watched me play Raymond (my cousin) for about three minutes and immediately knew what my weaknesses were. He basically toyed with me for a couple volleys before slamming a cross table shot to my backhand which was unreturnable. To counter this, I cheated over to the right hand side of the table (I'm a lefty). My uncle then targeted the left side of the table where I was not able to reach with my forehand. I have never been so sore playing ping pong before in my life not to mention being embarrased by a bunch of 60 year old dudes.

Sorted

2009-03-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

The burglary at the hostel this weekend has cost me about a week in travel time (not to mention a few hundred dollars). The US embassy is closed on Wednesday, so the soonest I will be able to do anything will be Thursday. That means the earliest I'll be able to arrive in Oz will be this Friday or Saturday. Quantas has been great helping me change my flight schedule. So everything seems to be in order for me to start travelling again shortly. The latest word from the police is that about 13 different backpacker hostels in Queenstown were hit on the same night. According the the owners at Black Sheep, this was the first time anything like this has happened in years. I guess I let my guard down too early.

Looking over my schedule now, I will have to skip Cairns and fly directly to Brisbane after Sydney. We'll see if I can cover all the activities I had originally planned to do. Brisbane seems to be a good base of operations, but travel time to the Whitsundays and Byron Bay is a bit long. I find myself already thinking of Switzerland. I booked my tickets last night and I'm ready to go.

I "doctored down" again yesterday. Since I have saved about 1/3 of my pictures from my trip, I felt the need to capture as many photos of Queenstown as possible before moving on. I ended up buying another day pack and digital camera (the third one in two years) before summiting Dan Lomond peak for the second time in three days. Fortunately the weather was still awesome and I had great views from the peak. This time I cheated and took the gondola back down to the city instead of bombing the switchbacks. The other people who I have met during my travels will send me their pictures from Milford Sound and the Routeburn Track. Only the pictures from the glacier walk will be missing.

The Oh Shit Bag...Gone

2009-03-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Of all the places my "Oh Shit" bag could have been stolen, I can't believe it would be New Zealand. Apparently, there was a rash of thefts last night in Queenstown. About eleven people reported items stolen from their rooms in various backpacker hostels. In my hostel myself and another girl had their belongings stolen. The only consolation is that the police have a good description of the person who committed the crime. So now I'm sorting out what needs to be done as far as my passport is concerned. I hope I don't need to travel back to Wellington.

By the way. The "oh shit" bag is where I keep my passport, emergency cash, itineraries, and credit/ATM cards. So when you loose it, you say "Oh Shit!"

Queenstown is...

2009-03-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

The nicest mountain resort town I've been to outside of the United States!

Every country has a town like this, but this place is so clean and comfortable that you feel so at ease when you arrive. I would equate it to Bariloche in Argentina or possibly Pucon in Chile. The town is a year round destination with great hiking, water sports, bungee jumping, paragliding, etc. in the summer and skiing in the winter. The only problem is that the activities are quite expensive. Paragliding will set you back about $100 US. Bungee jumping costs about $85 US for a single jump (hmmm. 85 bucks for 4 seconds of free fall). After hiking the Routeburn, it was a nice place to rest and relax before heading off to Australia.

I had tacked on a sea kayaking excursion in Milford Sound right after the hike. There were nine of us including team France, a Canadian couple, and a couple of English girls. The weather was a mix of rain and sun, but mostly rain. Milford Sound (or the MILF as the guides called it) was carved from glaciers thousands of years ago. The surrounding rock faces were steep and covered with trees and bushes. It has been raining for the past two days, so there were multiple cascades along the sides of the rock as far as the eyes could see. I liked the rain and clouds because it gave the sound a nice backdrop for pictures. We paddled in tandem boats out into the water. Although we were given neoprene and fleece outfits, I was still cold. The water was a bit choppy as we headed out, so I was soaked immediately. To keep myself warm, I paddled constantly to keep my temperature up. Along the way, we spotted a few seals playing around in the water. The group was strong, so we covered a lot of water that afternoon. My arms nearly fell off when I finished. I was tired due to all the paddling I was doing. Since I was the only one who needed a ride back to Queenstown, I got a little tour from the guides on the way back. In hindsight, I should have done the overnight sea kayaking trip in Doubtful Sound, but I will save it for another time (maybe in BC this summer).

I'm off to Oz tomorrow. It's going to be warm, so I'm sending all my cold weather clothes back to the US this afternoon. Nothing but t-shirts and swimmers for the rest of this trip!

Routeburn Track

2009-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

As with everything else here in New Zealand, the hiking trails for the great walks are so well maintained that it doesn't even feel that you are out in the wild. The trails are groomed with fresh gravel where possible. Bridges are rock solid. The toilets are built in such a way that if the waste tank is full, it can be replaced with an empty one and the the full tank air lifted out by helicopter. The huts along the great walks have multiple stoves with gas, so no need to pack in extra stuff. You can definitely see where the money for the hut fees go.

I took the late bus out to the start of the trail and was accompanied by an American couple from Brooklyn and an Aussie. The weather forecast was for sun the first two days, then turning into rain for the next two. Steve (the Aussie) and I took of for the first hut at a relatively good pace. We decided to try climbing Conical Hill if time permitted. Since Patagonia, I've noticed that my pack carrying endurance has improved dramatically (thanks to HP). We arrived at Routeburn Falls hut at 5PM which was much faster than the estimated time. The clouds started to move in so we loaded a day pack and headed out for the pass. We had about 3 hours of daylight remaining, so I started a mix of running and walking to the approach. For this trip I decided to wear running shoes and packed my boots just in case. The shoes really allowed me to spring up the ascent to the climb. Unfortunately, the pace was too much for Steve and I ended up waiting at the emergency hut for him. From the hut we could see that the clouds had covered the peak. No views this evening.

When we returned, there were a group of people who were already in bed by 8:00! Why? It turns out that these same people woke up at 6 AM. Not to start hiking, but to eat their three course breakfast. And they had no regard for the people still trying to sleep at that time in the morning (fuckers!). Anyways, Steve and I made another attempt at Conical Hill the next morning. This time, the views into the adjacent valley were spectacular. There were low lying clouds swimming past snow covered peaks giving the views a mystical feel. From there, the trail hugged the side of the mountains up and over a pass, then down into Mackenzie Lake hut. The descent down to the hut was through the beech tree woods. Everything was so green and lush that you could tell this place received lots of rain every year. All of the trees were covered with moss as if they all wore wooly green jumpers. The sun was beaming down into the valley when we all arrived. Steve and I met up with the American couple and two German sisters on the way down to the hut. We all hung out by the lake stretching out our tired legs. The Germans actually jumped in the lake which was friggin freezing! Everyone started to get to know each other as the trek progressed. It was great fun meeting new people along the way.

As predicted, I woke up to rain the third day. By NZ standards, when they predict clouds, you have drizzle. When they predict drizzle, it is what we call rain. When they predict rain, it is like walking through a friggin' shower. Unlike Patagonia, when the weather changes, it normally sticks around for a while. I was well equipped for the rain this time (more than at Fitz Roy at least). It was only two hours to the last hut. With the clouds and the rain killing the views, I just put my head down and walked. It is amazing how many water falls appear when it rains. At times, it looks like there is one every 20 meters. The last stop was Howden Lake hut where we dried our things and gorged on the remaining food. Some people packed so much food that there was literally a buffet line in the evening.

Overall, the walk was good. I wish that I had time to do another one in another part of the South Island (maybe next time). I would wake up the next morning at 6 AM and walk to the divide in the dark to catch the bus for my sea kayaking trip in Milford Sound.

Final conclusion for the shoes on the trail. Running shoes are kind of soft, but trail running shoes may be a good option. Need to look for some approach shoes when I get home.

The South Island

2009-03-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

I breezed through Christchurch and took the Tranzalpine to the west coast of New Zealand. The route passed through the Canterbury plains following the Waimakariri river up to Arthur's Pass. From there, you can see the mountains which make the south island look a lot like Patagonia. I'm currently in Franz Josef which is a small town and home to one of two well known glaciers in NZ. I refrained from doing any glacier walks in Patagonia thinking that I could do one here. I booked a half day on the ice which was just enough for me. The FJ glacier is nice, but it pales in comparison to the Moreno glacier in Argentina. The unique thing about the FJ is that it ends in a sub-tropical rain forest. It is strange seeing the ice and thick trees and ferns all in one place. I was blessed with great weather today. No clouds and you could see for miles. In Switzerland, if you heard helicopters during the day, it meant that some one was hurt or missing. In Franz Josef, helicopters in the air means good weather and visibility for aerial tours. There were heli tours leaving every 15 minutes from the town. It was a good day to be out.

One thing I've noticed is how good the hostels are down here. I have never been to a place where the facilities are consistently good. My YHA hostel in FJ has an awesome kitchen. You should see some of the meals people are cooking here. Friggin' Gourmet!!! From my perspective, travelling is too easy here. No one is paranoid about losing their belongings. Shit such as ipods, passports, cameras, etc. are just scattered everywhere in these dorm rooms. The hostels are top notch, transportation is well orchestrated so connections are always on time, and there is no language issue (for me at least). This has not been adventure I was looking for, but more of a vacation.

Technical Issues!!!!!!
I'm going to euthanize my ipod after this trip. I've had that thing for at least 5 years and the battery only lasts 3-4 hours. I have also decided that my pictures are quite limited compared to the live view. Maybe I'll buy an SLR camera once I return to the states. I just can't fully capture the scenery the way I want with my current camera.

FJ is only a two night stop. I'm off to Queenstown tomorrow.

I Want My MTV....Back!

2009-03-10T02:17:00.001-07:00

My buddy Kirk had sent out his top 25 most influential albums list on Facebook this week. Due to my jet lag, I've had a lot of time to think about mine between the hours of 3 and 6 AM. It occurred to me that much of what I listened to or liked in the early 80's was based on what I saw on MTV. Then I realized that there is a whole generation out there who have never known cable TV without MTV. Then I also realized that there will be a new generation of viewers who will watch MTV and NEVER see any music videos.

I really miss those days. Do the words "Hello, I'm Dave Kendall, and you are watching 120 minutes on MTV" make you smile. For those hardcore MTV fans, you should remember the first 120 minutes host Kevin Seal. Whoever thought of the concept of the music video was a genius. I'm not talking about live concert footage pieced together. I'm talking about Michael Jackson's Thriller video. A music video so powerful, there was a "Making of Thriller" video for the video. How about Mick Jones and Joe Strummer playing in an oil field with a pet armadillo running around in the video for Rock the Casbah. Oooooh, and David Lee Roth swinging a samurai sword around and doing the splits in the video for Panama. Men at Work, Talking Heads, Flock of Seagulls, Phychedelic Furs, Beastie Boys, Elvis Costello with those red boxing gloves, I can go on and on remembering videos from the 80's to early 90's.

I was able to pare my list of top 25 albums down to about 30. These would not be my favorite albums, just those that I remember during specific moments of my life. Maybe I should compile a list of top 25 music videos too.

Wellington and The Start of My Backpacking Trip

2009-03-10T01:42:00.000-07:00

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

I decided to take the Overlander which is the train that links Auckland to Wellington. The route cuts right down the middle of the north island. The ride would be a long one, but at least I would get a chance to see the scenery. The landscape is green and lush. All of the mountains seem to be covered with grass. There are so many cows and sheep lining the country side that they seem to be part of the landscape itself. I would arrive in Wellington just late enough to grab dinner and check my emails before going to bed.

Maybe it is the part of town I'm in, but I'm getting a good vibe from this place. I found an excellent coffee shop called Fidel's (Castro) which is right across from a giant adult book store. No matter. The place is punky so I immediately liked it (or Ponkhay and Agyness Deyn would say with her Manchester accent). Yup. She's my flavor of the week. It quickly struck me like a Mike Tyson bitch slap that Wellington is actually a mini San Francisco. My friend Peter did tell me this before I left, but I only noticed it in the houses when walking up to Mt. Victoria lookout. The town is brimming with personality and it has a very arty and poetic feel to it.

I spent the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon at the Te Papa museum. There were about half a dozen school groups waiting outside the museum when I arrived. It reminded me of the scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when Ferris, Cameron, and Sloan were at the Chicago Museum of Art (Cameron starring at the Seurat painting with the Smiths "Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" playing in the background). I was in luck because the Monet Exhibit just arrived less than a month ago in NZ. The exhibit was slammed with people. There were art students taking notes, collectors, critics, and tourists making their way through the maze of impressionist paintings. I have noticed what I have coined the 'art critic' pose. You should know this one. It's the one where one hand cups the elbow of the opposite arm. The other hand is scratching the chin as the person stares intently at the painting expecting to discover its soul. Chill dude! The painting ain't moving. Besides the Monet exhibit, the other long standing installations were also good. Who can resist the real life giant squid? I wish I had another day in the city, but I must push on to keep to my schedule.

I finished the Alchemist much more quickly than I expected. It took me a while to find a few more good books to read. More weight for the backpack. I'll definitely send stuff home when I reach Sydney.

Auckland and the Family

2009-03-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well... I don't think I'm going to see too much of Auckland while visiting with the family. It is just a fact that I'll have to deal with during my travels. I had some hint of this while travelling in Taiwan, so I should have expected the same thing while here. I've been doing a lot of family oriented things the past few days which is fine. Some of these cousins or nephews I'm seeing for the first time or the first time in over 23 years.

My brain is finally catching up with the language. Most of my communication with my family has been a mix of Taiwanese and English with a bit of Mandarin mixed in. For the first day, I kept on saying Spanish words such as "Si" and "Pero." Eventually, I was able to shake the habit. It is also kind of weird seeing a whole set of relatives with Aussie/NZ accents.

My cousins and I decided to drive up to the bay of islands for the weekend. My cousin in law Raymond is the perfect stereotype for bad Asian drivers. He drives super fast on the winding NZ roads and doesn't believe in blind spots. When we got in the car, he put these big sunglasses on top of his normal glasses making him look like a male Yoko Ono. Also, he speaks Taiwanese like Archie Bunker where everything seems to be totally obvious to him and everyone around him is stupid. The rain on the drive up made me a bit uncomfortable with his driving, but we arrived in Paihia unhurt. The day was a total loss. Even the cultural show at the museum was closed due to flooding and rain. The next day was clear and we booked a cruise in the surrounding bay (along with all the other retirees). The boat ride was nice and we were accompanied by two pods of dolphins. Overall the trip was not a total disaster. The next two days were spent with family at Cornwall Park (none tree hill) and the suburb of Devonport. Auckland reminds me of a combination of both Santa Cruz CA and Portsmouth NH. Don't get me wrong. I like the place, but it is similar to other places I've been before. I'm looking forward to head to the South Island soon.

One thing I can always count on when visiting family abroad is that they will feed you until you burst. Every night, I've had excellent Chinese food and a lot of it. Even during the day, the aunts and cousins will offer up fruit (which is excellent in NZ), snacks, and coffee. All of the weight I lost tramping in Patagonia will be gained back in a week.

They Lost My Bag Again!

2009-03-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

My backpack was delivered 30 minutes before my shuttle to the airport. I dumped out all of the camping gear and switched out some of the clothes, but not all. The weather in New Zealand is similar to Patagonia, so I would require the same things. Since I booked the huts for the Routeburn Track, no tent or thermarest was needed. The only addition to my gear was the pocket rocket and mess kit. And so I would arrive to see my relatives bringing a lot of dirty laundry with me. I mean nothing in my backpack was clean when I left the house. I did have enough time to buy some chocolates for the family so I didn't arrive empty handed.

I was waiting at baggage claim for about an hour when they paged me over the intercom. Apparently, my bag was en route to Brisbane. Not Again! The airline had lost my bag twice within 48 hours. At least I was getting picked up by family and I could hang out without worrying about my bag. I was thinking about all the stuff I could buy if the bag was lost. Jane introduced me to a NZ clothing company called Icebreaker last year which uses wool for all their products. The great thing about wool is that it doesn't stink. I've had better results using natural fibers over synthetics in the past (only for base layers) so I'm going to load up before heading back to the US. Also, the dollar is very strong against the NZ dollar, so my travels should be fairly cheap this go around.

Upon my arrival, I realized that I hadn't done too much planning for my trip. I had a basic outline, but I knew that I would cross out a bunch of things due to time. Four and a half weeks in Patagonia was no where near enough time. How could I expect to adequately see New Zealand AND parts of Australia in five! My thoughts ran back to Florence who was the French gal I met on the Navimag. She had the same delima trying to squeeze in as much as she could in Patagonia before going home. The only thing which was set was the Routeburn Track from the 16th to the 18th. The rest was still up in the air. I surrendered the fact that I wouldn't see the great ocean road or Ayer's rock this time. My two weeks in Australia would be my vacation from my vacation, just like Phuket for my SE Asia trip. The plan now is to head up the east coast for surfing and scuba diving.

So I'm sitting around with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Everyone is talking at the same time about what I should do in NZ. It's a real mess. I'm sure it will all work out. I just need to make sure to book everything ahead of time so I don't lose any days.

and on top of all that...
I still miss Patagonia.

The Math is Not Working In My Favor

2009-03-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

I'm currently waiting for my backpack which is supposed to arrive by 5 PM. However, my shuttle to the airport is picking me up at 2:35 PM for my flight to Auckland. This is going to be close.

Whoops. What about Pucon?

2009-03-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

I must not be spending any time in the internet cafes. I'm trying to update everything from home since the internet is fast and there is no line.

It was a long bus ride, but we pulled into Pucon at around 11PM in the evening. I quickly found my hostel which was close to the bus station. The Tree House was a nice place run by and English woman and Chilean guy. It was a slightly more expensive, but it had a good relaxed feel and the beds were nice. John, Lou (the English couple), and I decided to book the climb of Volcan Villarica. Nearly everyone who comes to Pucon climbs the volcano. It isn't that technical, but it sometimes is too much for those who do not normally exercise. The day started at 6:30 AM. Dang! We took the bus to the ski resort where we took the top lift up to the start of the hike. The lava rocks grabbed at my boots quite well so I had good traction to pull myself up the switchbacks. The group started to thin out due to the pace of the guide. I was still with the fast group but John and Lou fell back a ways. That was alright. No need to rush anything when you are climbing something that tall. Eventually, we reached the snow. There was a temperature inversion that morning, so it got hotter as we ascended. The snow was soft, so we didn't need cramp-ons that day. Once we were at the top, you could smell the gasses coming from the crater. Sometimes the sulfur smell was so great, it felt like someone had sliced a whole bag of onions right underneath your nose. The way down was much faster than the climb. We all sat on these butt covers and slid down troughs in the snow. It was like being in a luge run. Quite fun, but we were soaked by the time we reached the bottom. Overall it was a good tour, but I would have liked to have done it in the spring where you can snowboard all the way down. Maybe next year.

The next day, I teamed up with a few folks from another hostel to hike to the mirador at Cani. There were four of us, each from a different country. Jess was the Canadian and the strongest of us four. She was doing the opposite loop as I had done the month before through Patagonia. Her triathlon training propelled her up the steep 9K track like a gazelle and the rest of us hung on as best as we could. The trail wound it's way through araucaria (monkey puzzle) trees past a couple small ponds to a mirador at the top of a cliff. From there we could see four different volcanoes. It was worth the effort. After a few minutes, I led the group off the mountain HP (Heather Poyhonen) style. Jess was the only one who stayed with me as I bombed the switchbacks back to the park office. This time the descent was a bit easier since I wasn't carrying 15 kilos on my back. We returned to Pucon all dusty and smelly. A good shower would do wonders.

Lou met me at the Tree House and invited me to join them for an evening at the hot spring. This would be a nice conclusion to my trip on Patagonia. I spent five hours on my feet today, so a nice long soak to relax was what my body needed. I had been hanging out with John and Lou for the last three days. John is a guy who could be anyone's friend and Louise is such a sweetheart with stunning piercing blue eyes. They are well traveled and great to talk to about going abroad and life in general. There were eight thermal pools in all. Each varied in temperature from the luke warm to the torturous 45 deg C boiling pot. We started off in the wrong direction starting with the super hot melt your skin pool first. Being far away from the city, the stars were very bright. I'm still not used to seeing stars from the southern hemisphere. I was so relaxed when I got back to the bus, the trip back seemed like it only took 3 minutes. My trip was nearly complete. I said my goodbyes to John and Lou. My bags were packed for the most part so I mentally prepared myself for the long bus ride back to Santiago and the overnight flight back to the US.

Just like the last time I left South America, I felt as though I was not completely finished with my time here. I could definitely see myself coming back, but who knows when and how.

Pit Stop

2009-03-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

I get home and start checking the internet and I notice that Morrissey is holding a baby on the cover of his new album. Por Que?

It was a crazy travel day leaving Pucon. The bus had a flat tire on the way to Santiago so I was worried that I wouldn't get to the airport on time for my flight. Everything turned out alright and I even had enough time to order some food at the Ruby Tuesday's at the airport. The flight was long and I'm in the mode where I'm getting used to speaking to people with American accents again. I always seem to want to stay longer when I travel to South America. I don't know why. For Switzerland, it was the end of the ski season and for Asia, I was ready to come home to see friends and family. However, the last two times in South America, I wanted to extend my travels to hang out with people who I met along the way.

I arrived in Dallas at 6 AM. Everything was going smoothly until I was the last one standing at baggage claim with no bag. This puts me in a somewhat difficult situation since I leave for New Zealand in 36 hours. My thoughts turned to what could have happened. Could someone have walked off with my bag on accident? That seems very unlikely since I had my tent and Keen sandals strapped to the outside of the bag. The other possibility is that the bag never left Santiago. If they found it and put it on the next flight to DFW, it would arrive tomorrow which would do me little good. I mentally went through the inventory of items in my backpack that I needed for New Zealand and Australia. I had backups for most items, but I would have to buy new toiletries, sleeping bag, guide books, and rain gear. Crap! More rain gear! The list of things to buy gets bigger as I think about it. Maybe I'll pack light and buy everything in NZ.

The house was immaculate when I walked in the front door. Jaime had cleaned the place up quite nicely since I left. Now I had to go through piles of mail separating out the bills and tax forms from the junk mail. The day will also be spent uploading pictures and catching up on emails and such.

I'm glad I am not spending too much time at home. You just get way too comfortable when you are at home for a while.

Day of rest and a dude who looks like Moby

2009-02-25T07:46:00.001-08:00

Shaggy drank too much coffee Moby.

It is always smart to have one rest day after a spell in the mountains. I said goodbye to the German girls and hooped a bus to park Llao Llao. The idea was to have leisurely walk through some of the trails and maybe swim in the lake. I showed up expecting a park station where I could get a map, but there was nothing. I ended up tagging along with an Argentinian kid from BA and we went up to Cerro Llao Llao. It was at that point I started to contemplate spending a full year living in South America. My thoughts went back to Heather´s last words to me. ¨Sell your house and travel!¨ she said as I left Puerto Natales. In many ways, moving to South America is much easier than moving to Europe. The cost of living is cheaper, and I can actually work as a snowboard instructor here at Catedral as well. Of course my Spanish needs to be a bit better, but it is not that far fetched. Just move here a month or two early, take some classes, and I´m good to go. However, the pull of going back to corporate life is as strong as the forces which keep the moon in orbit. Could I pull myself away from the big screen TV, Eames Lounge Chair, 100 cable channels, and high speed internet? Is it possible? Sure! Anything is possible, but only real life experience would tell the truth. Coming from a family of doctors, I would be going against every respectful Chinese value. Would I turn into that crazy irresponsible uncle your parents kept you away from because he is a ¨bad influence.¨ Or could they embrace the changes in my lifestyle to put freedom and happiness in front of money and security. These thoughts ran through my head all day.

I met a nice English couple from London at Pudu. We would be travelling together to Pucon on the same bus. I ended up hanging out with them for the remainder of my trip in Patagonia.

Nahuel Huapi Circuito Chico

2009-02-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

Aw.... Do you have an owie on your little piggy?

After two treks in Patagonia under my belt, I felt I had everything dialed in. I was going to attempt the small circuit in Nahuel Huapi. The first stop was Laguna Toncek which is a climber´s paradise. I arrived at Catedral and hopped on the gondola to take me up to the ridge. After that, I had a two hour traverse scrambling over boulders over looking cliffs into the adjacent valley. The route was not for beginners. After the traverse, the path dropped into the valley containing the lake. The descent was sketchy at best. My only though was that I would have to climb out of this valley the next day with 15 kilos on my back. My effort was well rewarded with great views surrounding the lake. I found myself a nice protected campsite away from the wind. Just like at Torres del Paine, I found a nice rock on which to bake myself. It was so tranquil watching the clouds shoot past the spiny peaks in the distance. The evening was cold and still. However, I was glad there was no rain to speak of.

The next day to Refugio San Martin would be the most challenging day. I woke up to a sunny day with no wind. The lake was like a mirror and I was able to take some great photos before packing up. I walked towards the ascent that I nearly killed myself on the day before. On the way, I teamed up with an Israeli kid hiking by himself. Up and down we went. Into, across, and over two ridges and three valleys before arriving. The descents (each over 300 meters in scree) just killed my feet. Never the less, we arrived at a reasonable hour and I was able to do a little day hike around the area. The facilities at Refugio San Martin are top notch. The camp sites are well maintained too. The next morning I hiked up to a small lake which had these great polished limestone rocks next to it. The rocks were worn down from years of glacial activity. The result were these smooth contours which happended to conform nicely to your body if you wanted to lay back in the sun. It also provided a good backdrop for some photos I would take later on in the morning.

The descent out of the mountains was 18K. Add to that the extra 6K down the road to the bus stop and you have a very long day. I bombed the switchbacks Heather Poyhonen style, running the curves and tap dancing off rocks. My knees and toes were aching, but I pressed on wanting to get back to buy my bus ticket to Pucon. It was really hot that day and I ran out of water at 18K. By 24K my body was so fatigued and dehydrated that I jumped out int he middle of the road to flag down the next car. Lucky for me, there was room in the car for one more person and a giant backpack. The family drove me back to Bariloche (much better than waiting for the bus). My feet felt like two fire balls when I arrived back a Pudu. There were blisters on top of old blisters. I smiled with a small sense of achievement. I would have liked to do the entire traverse, but it would have been much safer to do it with a partner (well maybe next time).

Pudu and Bariloche

2009-02-20T03:03:00.000-08:00

The wind totally shook the plane like a souvenir glass snowball as we descended towards Bariloche. The poor Dutch girl in the aisle seat almost vomited before we landed. Bariloche was a familiar place and I immediately felt comfortable as I stepped off the plane. The walk uphill to the hostel from the bus stop was familiar as well. Emma (one of the owners) met me at the door with a big hug. It had been 6 months since I was last here. The place was a little different than before. There was more random art and the place felt broken in. I showed up just in time for curry night. John and Emma made Tandori chicken for the guests in the hostel. It was nice change from four straight days of spaghetti dinners. Thing were rocking at the hostel this time. I guess it´s high season after all.

I was excited at the prospects for the upcoming trek. The weather looked promising and folks I met told me the trails were in good shape. I tagged along with a couple guys who went to Cerro Campanario. The skies were overcast, but the views were still good. I would later find other places around the lake with even better views of the surrounding area. After provisioning for my trek, I came back to find two German girls who I had met in Torres del Paine. I have seen Sarah and Jenny every week since my travels began. It´s a common occurrence since it´s high season and most people have a similar route through Patagonia. There was a nice crowd in the hostel bar that night. I ended up going out with a few British and Canadian kids to a reggae bar until 4:30 AM. It would be a slow start to my trek the next day.

Patagonian Mountain Gods are Unhappy With Me

2009-02-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

I must have made the mountains gods angry for some reason. I was booted out of Fitz Roy faster than Morrissey at a Metallica concert. It was as if I had cheated on my girlfriend and she was now getting back at me, but in the most cruelest of fashion.

Mountain God: So...You came to Patagonia for a girl eh? So...um what about me. Am I not reason enough for you to return to South America?

Sam: No. You have it all wrong. I really wanted to come back to see you. I´ve been thinking about you for the last two years. You are so beautiful. I really wanted to spend time with you.

Mountain God: Shut up! I see right through you. You little piece of shit. I know you came back to see that girl. One day when you least expect it, I´m going to make you pay for your cheating ways.

Sam: I´m sorry baby! I really am. I´ll take you some place nice to eat. How does Red Lobster sound?

And so the story continues.
One day in El Calafate was enough for me. My next trekking adventure would be three hours away in the small town on El Chalten. I would be heading into the Fitz Roy sector of the park. The Swiss couple in my hostel decided to join me since I had the cooking supplies (stove, pots, gas, etc). As we closed in on El Chalten, the weather became worse and it was raining fairly hard when we finally arrived. We decided to get a room at a hospedaje for the first night to wait and see how the weather shaped up for the remaining two days. At noon, we thought about heading up to the first mirador on the way to Laguna Torre. The rain stopped as soon as we left the room. There was a ton of water and mud on the path, but we managed to make it all the way to the lake that afternoon. The skies cleared as the afternoon progressed. However, the peaks were like a magnet for the clouds and we were unable to see Cerro Torre and the surrounding peaks. I saw just enough of the mountains to want to come back again. This daily weather sequence would be the norm for the next day as well. The next day we went to the campsite Poincenot. The skies cleared again in the afternoon and you could see the routes to Laguna Sucia and Laguna de los Tres. The Swiss couple were leaving the next day, so I decided that tomorrow I camp here and see Monte Fitz Roy. The mountain god had set her trap. She gave me enough to see to make me want to come back for more.

The weather had showed enough promise over the last two days that I though it would clear any day. However, this is Patagonia and nothing (especially the weather) is a guarantee. I said my goodbyes to Beatrice and Michael the next morning. As I headed for the trail head, the rain started to trickle just slightly. I made the ascent towards Laguna Capri loaded down with all my gear. I was only wearing a long sleeved dryfit shirt with a windstopper vest. This was enought to keep me warm ,but it was not water proof. By the time I reached the first mirador (1 hours) the rain and wind picked up their intensity. I was starting to get cold, but was in cruise control all the way to the campsite. At some point, I saw little pieces of ice falling down on me. With the high winds, it felt as if my face was getting bead blasted. I played out the scenario of what to do once I reached the camp. Don´t waste any time and get that friggin´ tent set up I thought to myself. Once I reached Poincenot, I was soaked. My pack was waterlogged and my boots soggy. I immediately started setting up the tent. My fingers were numb and not functioning properly due to my gloves being soaked through. After fumbling about for a few minutes, I finally managed to get everything set up. I was really cold at that point and stripped off my clothes to put on something dry. The extra clothes I brought were buried deep in the pack inside a plastic garbage bag, so I was able change into dry clothes. Even with my down sleeping bag wrapped around me, it took about an hour for my body to feel warm. The rain didn´t let up this afternoon as it had the previous two days. More campers started to arrive with the same thoughts of seeing Fitz Roy. We would all be dissapointed. To my horror, I soon discovered that my rainfly was starting to leak slightly. I had strung the rain cover as tight as a trampoline to keep the wind out, but it was not keeping all the water out. My only hope would be that it stop raining overnight and maybe my gear and I would stay dry. The mountain god made sure she would get the best of me. It rained even harder and the wind was even stronger during the evening. I slept well considering my circumstances. The next morning, I woke up to see dirt all over the things I had kept in the vestibule and all over the sides of the tent. Apparently, it rained so hard that the droplets kicked up dirt under the rain fly and all over the tent. The leaking rain cover created a small puddle in one corner of the tent. Nearly everything was wet. The temperature never rose above 7 deg C all day and all night. It was decision time. Sit to wait it out, or pack your shit and head back to town. I opted for the later and dreamed of a hot shower and meal back at the hostel. I quickly pack all of my soggy gear, slid my feet into the cold wet boots and started home. My pack was significantly heavier due to everything being saturated. The rain continued to pelt me as I slowly trudged back to El Chalten. On occasion, I would turn to look back towards Fitz Roy to see if the skies cleared. Nope. It still looks like shit up there. I arrived in El Chalten looking like a drowned rat. As soon as I stepped into the Hostel, the rain stopped and the sun came out! It had rained for 26 straight hours and it decided to stop as soon as I reutrned to the city! I could picture the mountain god laughing at me saying Ï told you I´d get you.¨ One good thing about the rain stopping was that I could set out all of my crap on the front porch to dry out. The area in the direction of Fitz Roy still looked like crap so I made the correct decision. Tomorrow I leave for Bariloche for promises of better weather. I hope mother mountain god was satified with her revenge and would let me go on my way without further issue. I would leave Fitz Roy for another day and hopefully the next time the gods will smile upon me.

El Calafate and The Glacier

2009-02-18T07:25:00.000-08:00

I was sad leaving Puerto Natales. The people I met really made me feel welcomed. The light rain was still falling as I left Erratic Rock en route to the bus. As we pulled away, I fondly remembered laying on the rock under the towers with the sun in my face. This would end up being the highlight of my entire Patagonian adventure. All of the windows fogged up in the bus during the five hour trip to El Calafate. There is not much to look at during this stretch of road anyways, so nothing missed.

El Calafate is much different than Puerto Natales. Although both cater towards tourists, El Calafate seems more polished. Everything here is somewhat fancy and well maintained. However, it all comes at a price. I remember some of the prices from the last time I was in Argentina, but dude! Things here are expensive! Everything from accomodation to food to camping supplies cost so much more than I remember. I began to wonder if everything in Argentina became more expensive, or was it just here.

The main draw for tourists here is the Perito Morena Glacier. You all have seen pictures of it in postcards, travel magazines, and TV. However, seeing the glacier live is quite impressive. I booked a half day tour which is more than enought time to see the glacier. The thing is massive. It stands about 55 meters tall in some places. I opted to skip the boat tour since it doesn´t bring you any closer than the viewing balconies. From the miradors, the boat looks like a toy in a white porcelain bath tub with the walls towering overhead. As you stand there, you can hear pops and cracks as the ice moves slowly towards the lake. People stand for hours waiting for sheets of ice to fall into the water. I was not that lucky, but a Swiss couple I met filmed a giant piece fall which left a huge ripple in the water. No matter how many glaciers you have seen in the past, you should not miss the Moreno Glacier if you have a chance.

The W at Torres Del Paine

2009-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Readers. I warn you ahead of time that this will be a long entry.

Most backpackers going to Torres Del Paine are attempting one of two options. The circuit is a ten day trek around the entire park. Many people opt for what is known as the ¨W¨ which is a 4-5 day trek covering most of the main sites. I decided to do the W due to the limited time in Patagonia.

Heather came over to the hostel the day before to plan out the route and the meals with me. We planned for ten meals to cover the entire four days. When we were finally finished with the planning, and the ¨to buy¨ list was so huge that I though our packs would weigh 30 kg each. However, I was excited with the prospects of eating well for this trip. Our trip would start from right to left (looking down on the map). Starting off with the towers and ending with glacier Grey.

Transport to and from the park is well choreographed. Each bus or shuttle waits for the next at each connection. We arrived at the trail at 10 AM, applied the sunscreeen and headed to our first campsite at refugio Chileano. The trail took us up the valley for a couple hours. During our walk, the weather was constantly changing. It was warm, but there were clouds in the direction we were going. I hoped that the towers would not be fogged in later on in the afternoon. Once at Chileano, we stopped for lunch. Heather had made some hummus the night before, so we dug into it with some fresh tomatoes. The clouds descended on us during lunch and it didn´t look promising up the valley. Well I didn´t come all this way not to see the towers, so we loaded up our day packs and started up the valley to the mirador. You never know the capability of your trekking partner when you are hiking together for the first time. Heather proved to be much stronger than me. Maybe it was because of her marathon training, or maybe it was the new running shoes. In any case, she absolutely crushed me scrambling up the last boulder field to the lookout. I mean she was a rockstar on those boulders leaping from one to another overtaking everyone in her path! When I finally caught up to her at the top of the hill. My near heart attack experience was rewarded with blue skies and a clear view of all three towers. Heather suggested that we head down to the lake to get away from the crowd and I agreed although my knees didn´t. The views from the bottom were even better and there was no chatter from other people. After the obligatory pictures, we parked ourselves on a giant rock layed back in the sun and watched the clouds pass through the towers. This would be the highlight of my entire trip in the park.

The second day was just as sunny and warm as the first. We were now on our way to Cuernos for the second night. This was going to be the longest day of the trip. It took as few hours to hit the refugio, but the views along the way were very nice. Heather stopped to pick a few Calafate berries growing along the trail. She planned on making a special treat for later. Once we arrived, we met up with Heather´s boyfriend Serkan and another friend who was working at the refugio. They decided to take me to Valle Bader which is not a marked trail on the map although there is a climber´s camp there. The route to the camp was a long ascent up the the valley. The three threw down a pace that I just couldn´t stay with. At some point the trail was non existent, so we scrambled up a steep scree field, then the some scrub grabbing on to branches to keep from sliding down the mountain. Over one last bolder field and we had arrived at the climber camp. My body was nearly wiped out. The views from the camp were very nice and you could easily see why the climbers set up camp here. The valley was surrounded by vertical towers flanking both sides of the glacial stream. Heather broke out the Calafate berries and made a sort of honey, berry, dark chocolate tart for all of us. My body was able to recover slightly and we backtracked down the mountain to the refugio. The way back was even faster than before. All four of us were running down the trail, sometimes out of control. On the way back I could see some clouds on the horizon. The breeze had picked up tremendously in the past four hours. It was not a good sign for things to come. We were treated to a colorful sunset before bed. I needed all the rest I could get because tomorrow would be the longest day according to the schedule.

Well, it was bound to happen. The crap weather finally moved in over night. At some point I woke up thinking that my tent would be picked up and tossed into the lake. We made an attempt at Valle Frances that morning, but the views from the first mirador were just terrible. I could see the glaciers on the far side of the valley just fine, but the peaks were hiding from us that morning. Cooler temperatures came along with the winds. We were freezing our butts off after stopping at the mirador. Heather wasted no time and cranked it down the trail back to our backpacks. We got the heck out of there and set off for Refugio Pehoe which would be our last night. It took a while for us to warm back up from the walk in. The wind was pushing the rain sideways so strong that when I arrived at the refugio, the right half of my body was wet and the left half bone dry.

Last day. We hiked up to glacier Grey in the morning. The wind was howling directly in our faces on the way up. The going was quite fast due to the bistering pace Heather threw down. We arrived at Refugio Grey in about two hours. You could see huge ice bergs floating in the lake beside the camp site. We sat in the refugio for an hour to warm up. After lunch, we walked the last ten minutes to the mirador. The weather had cleared upon our arrival, and we were able to see glacier grey in the sun. After about an hour, we ran back to Refugio Pehoe for a celebratory beer. I had finished the W and experienced nearly all of the conditions Patagonia had to offer (except snow). With this trek under my belt, I felt even more prepared for Fitz Roy and the other treks I would take on the way back to Santiago. It was nice to share the experience with someone. I don´t get the chance to do this sort of thing too often at home, so it was nice to have a partner with local knowledge and superior capability.

Naviamag and The Route Down

2009-02-05T16:31:00.002-08:00

A few folks from the hostel in Puerto Varas were also catching the Navimag from Puerto Montt down to Puerto Natales. We caught the bus down to PM which only took twenty minutes. Upon our arrival I realized that Heather´s advice about stayng in Puerto Varas was spot on. Puerto Montt is not that nice and I´m glad I spent the two days elswhere. The Navimag is the ferry which ships passengers, cars, and other goods down throught he fjords to Puerto Natales. The entire trip takes four days. Although you can buy everything on the boat, It was recommended that we buy snacks and alcohol ahead of time since those things were expensive on the boat. I ended up buying a 1.5 liter box of wine. Yes, wine in a box! My intention was to share the wine, but this would prove to be a big mistake later on.

I was located in¨the ¨C¨ berth which had the cheap beds. Our bunks looked like book stacks in the university library. Beds were small but surprisingly comfortable. Even the huge Dutch girls could fit comfortably in the beds. I shared my section with an Irish couple making their way south from Peru. Rosie and Louie had worked one year in New Zealand, so I immediately started bombarding them with question for my next trip. The passenger space on the three decks is actually small. It took 5 minutes to see pretty much everything. For more detail, you can see this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfBQ_OBBzOM

Our route took us out of Puerto Montt into the Gulf of Ancud. The breeze was strong and everyone was at the bow looking forward out towards open waters. As we went further down, the temperature started to get colder and the days longer. The weather was constantly changing. Rain in the morning turned into sun two hours later, then turned back into clouds, then mist, then back to sun. The weather is so unpredictable that people here don´t even pay attention to the reports. On occasion, the boat was escorted by seals and dolphins. We could also see whales in the distance which brought all of the passengers to one side of the boat all at the same time. The boat made a couple stops along the way. The first was Puerto Eden which is a small colorful fishing village. The second was at the glacier Pio XI. After seeing the glacier, I wondered if it was worth going to El Calafate after all. Before I knew it, it was day three and I had not started on the box wine. So I started drinking the box at noon hoping I could finish the entire 1.5 liters by the end of the bingo party that evening. Remember, I said that my intention was to share the wine, but the Irish couple only drank beer (big surprise). I don´t remember too much after the bingo party, but I woke up in my bunk the next morning with purple lips and a stained toungue. During breakfast, I only stirred my eggs around on their plate and went up to the bow to see if the cold air would help cure my hangover. I was like that dog who sticks his head out of a moving car. It did bring some relief, but I would be wrecked for the next 24 hours.

I could see Puerto Natales in the distance. We were finally here. From the looks of the city, I can see how this place would be totally deserted in the winter. However, it is now high season and the streets are filled with people, most of whom are arriving to see Torres del Paine. This would be the closest I´ll ever be to the end of the earth I thought to myself. Of course Ushuia is even further, but due to the time constraint, I had to make a compromise. Looking forward to meet up with Heather again and see the greatness of the park.

Tight Lines

2009-02-05T16:31:00.001-08:00

My fishing guide Renaldo picked me up on time at the hostel. We were on our way to the Petrohue river running at the foot of Orsorno volcano. On the way, I realized that I had not asked nearly enough questions about the fishing trip as I needed. He explained that we would be primarily streamer fishing, but could take me to one of the tributaries for some dry fly fishing if I wished. I took a gander at all of the streamer flies he had and some from his dry fly kit. Everything looked similar to the trout kit I would have in Idaho.

We loaded up the boat and took a ride up to the river. It was a picture perfect day. I was the only one on the entire river. The water was clear (about 3 meters vis) and no wind to speak of. We stopped at a place which looked as if I was directly under the volcano. The first few casts from shore produced nothing, so we started our drift down the river. Within 15 seconds, I saw a yellow flash and my rod bowed in a very familiar way. It was a nice fat 16 inch brown trout which put on a great fighting display including a few leaps out of the water. The action was steady for most of the morning. The clear water allowed me to see fish chase the streamer from far away. Each flash of silver or yellow was followed by a nice tug on the rod. Although there were no huge fish, I was happy with one rainbow which nearly touched the 20 inch mark.

Later on in the afternoon, we bushwhacked up to a feeder stream to fish a couple pockets with dry flies. I was absolutely amazed by how many fish I was able to pull out of hole the size of my kitchen table. The trout just murdered the size 10 stimulator. That single fly must have caught 40 fish. By the end of the day, my arms and hands were tired and my face sunburned. However, it was one of the most spectacular fishing days I´ve had in my life. The day lived up to all my expectations and I will never forget it.

I´ll post pics when I have time. But trust me, the pictures look like they came out of a magazine.

It´s All Coming Back Slowly

2009-01-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

I stepped off the plane in Santiago with a sense that something good was going to happen. The routine was typical. Get through immigration, catch a bus and head to town. The smell of summer pentrated my nose as I left through the sliding glass dorrs at the airport. It was then I remembered that I was still wearing two layers of fleece which I had on due to the cold weather at the DFW airport. It seems as though I had been teleported to a different dimension overnight.

Buying the bus ticket to Puerto Varas was no problem. After depositing the backpack, I was off to the city center. Unlike the trains in Asia, the Chilean subway is NOT air conditioned. I´m lucky the trip wasn´t too far. So...How does one kill 9 hours in Santiago? Well, I made my way though the Plaza de Armas to the Mercado Central (no map needed). I had to get a taste of Chilean seafood as soon as possible. After that, I just strolled though the city taking a short nap in the Parque Forestal and taking a coffee at the BrainWorks cafe. Brain Works is one of those hipster cafes filled with mid-century modern furniture with Daft Punk and Fat Boy Slim blaring in the background. I was waiting for the techno twins to show up. I also remembered that the Chile cortado is actual cafe con leche. Not exactly what I wanted, but sufficient to cure my caffeine fix. Eventually I made my way back to the bus station and boarded the overnighter to Puerto Varas. I was suprised at how much Spanish I retained since August and which words eluded me.

I arrived in Puerto Varas at mid morning. The place kind of reminds me of Incline Village at Lake Tahoe, but more compact and nicer. The views of Volcan Osorno were spectcular. The first thing you notice when you get off the bus is the stiff wind which never really seems to stop. I think it´s a bit chilly and have two long sleeve layers on. However, some people are actually swimming in the water. They must be mad! The place seems to be a wind surfers paradise and there were a ton of people on the water.

I looked around for a good one day activity for tomorrow. My guide book is a bit outdated for this town because a few of the listed tour companies no longer exist. My hostel was pushing a canyoning excursion, but I wasn´t interested. I passed on the day hikes since I would be doing a ton of that later on. I couldn´t find anything that interested me, so I stopped in to the Orvis shop to enquire about flyfishing. The day trip was quite pricey so I went to a cafe to think about it over a cortado (cafe con leche). So Yeah. Say Yes to everything right? I ¨doctored down¨ and reserved a day on the river. I´ll likely never do this again, so I guess it is worth the cost. Hopefully, it will be a good experience and the scenery will be fantastic.

All of these experiences so far are quite familiar. It is weird getting into a routine, but a different one than what you were used to back home.

Misc Charges

2009-01-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just can't believe that it took so long for my credit card company to finally deny a charge. In the past week, I have made purchases in three different countries. I bought the Navimag ticket in Chile, The ETA for Australia, and tried booking the huts for the Routeburn track in New Zealand. Why didn't they flag me when I was in SE Asia? I'm sure I used the credit card in three different countries (maybe not in one week though).

I might be a bit crazy scheduling the next three trips back to back. If I miss one flight back to the US, I'm screwed. There has been no time to reseach the Australia leg of my trip. Lucky for me that Stephanie (a gal I met in Thailand) is still travelling there. She has already given me a good suggestion for a two and a half week loop. I should be able to see a few highlights and gather ideas for the next time I go.

My heart is pounding in anticipation to get on the road as if I had a quadruple shot at Starbucks. The shuttle picks me up in three hours. I'm looking forward to the warm weather, seeing Heather in PN, and having a beer at Pudu Hostel in Bariloche. I just need to remind myself to be cool...Be cool Sam...Be cool....and work on your Spanish.

Gap Year.......And A Half

2009-01-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

Jane always told me this would happen. You plan to take only six months off, then before you know it, you have been travelling for a year and a half. I'm headed to Patagonia tomorrow. This trip doesn't hold a lot of mystery for me probably because I have already been to Chile and Argentina. However, this doesn't diminish the excitement I have for this journey. I always considered my first South American journey with Jane "her" trip. It is not that I didn't enjoy the three and a half months this summer. I really DID enjoy all of it. However, my initial plan when I was still working at TI was to backpack in the Andes and see those picture perfect snow covered mountains with turquoise blue glacial lakes. I'm really looking forward to heading down south during their summer and I plan on seeing as much natural beauty as possible.

I'm taking a different approach to packing my bag this time. I'm taking much more camping gear than before and also transporting some goods for my friend Heather in Puerto Natales. Apparently, Powerbars and other backpacking items are a bit pricey, so I'm bringing as much stuff with me to save on cost. Many of these things are consumable, and I should be able to lighten the load along the way. In total, I'm doing three overnight treks which include the Torres Del Paine "W", Monte Fitz Roy, and Nahuel Huapi Traverse. I hope I can accomplish everything in four weeks.

The end of this dreamworld I've been living in for the past year is in sight. At last I decided to travel to New Zealand and Australia starting in March until the middle of April. Then, I'll return to Switzerland to close out the ski season with Jane and the kids from the Peak Leaders program. It is fitting that my world tour end in Switzerland because this is where all of the craziness began. This is where Jane talked me into spending so much time in South America. I came to embrace her "who the fuck knows what going to happen" attitude. This is where the British kids breathed a new sense of adventure into my life. This is where I rediscovered the thrill of snowboarding steeps pitches and catching air off big kickers. I'm gonna continue making memories and friends all the way to the very end...We'll see if it truly is the end when I get there.

Talons Challenge

2009-01-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

Doing the full day at Cu mentally prepared me for the beating I was about to take on Saturday morning. Paul, Mike, and I discussed our plan of attack for all 13 runs. It was agreed that we start with the longest double black runs off of Birds of Prey first, then work our way to the shorter single back diamond runs off of Larkspur. We were blessed with 5-8 inches of fresh powder which really helped with my speed on the first few runs of the day. There was enough soft snow for my board to sink into and I was able to make a few good connected turns early in the day. I knew there were going to be bumps, but I didn't think that the ENTIRE run would be moguls! Jeez! The only groomed run was the Golden Eagle which we bombed without any problem. My legs felt like they had been through a marathon and my punch card only had three holes in it. After a pit stop where we sipped on gatorade and chomped a few granola bars, we were off to tackle the remaining ten runs. Sticking to the plan, we completed all of the double blacks and moved on to the single black runs. However, we were a man down with Mike opting for an early beer and bratwurst instead of thigh busting mogul runs. Paul and I continued on to the last three runs. At that point our legs were so tired we just slid down the mountain not even worrying about technique. Even the groomed pistes back to the chair burned our quads. Once the last run was completed, we were presented with the challenge of climbing the steps to get to the bar for our free beer and brat. Neither Paul or I said anything as we ate our congratulatory lunch. I must say that the bratwurst was the best I have ever had! With my name now in Beaver Creek history, I felt some sense of accomplishment. Next year, I will be better prepared and not start training a week before the event.

Apparently, lift tickets at Alpine Meadows have breached the $60 mark. I guess I was looking at the 2006/2007 prices where they were still under $50.

Road Tripping Through the Heartland

2009-01-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of those social networking sites such as Linked In and Facebook, I was able to reconnect with an old college buddy. He mentioned doing the Talons Challenge this month, but wasn't sure if he had a friend to ski it with him. So I volunteered to join him in Beaver Creek this weekend to snowboard the event.

Do to a limited budget and cheap gas prices, I decided to make the drive from Dallas to Denver. I quite enjoy long drives through the US. One person mentioned once that they didn't think the scenery was any good going through the Midwest and the plains. I completely disagree. The empty wheat and corn fields with the sparsely dispersed farmhouses and grain silos are so picturesque. It would be amazing the see the bounty in the late summer right before harvest. The drive was quite tranquil and I had the perfect tunes to go along with it (Neko Case, The Jayhawks, Wilco, etc.). One problem was my ancient ipod (the one with the disk drive) only had 6 hours of battery life. I've driven through mountains, coast line, desert, Pac NW forests, and rural New England in the fall. I would say that the drive through the heartland is just as beautiful in it's own unique way. I'm immediately reminded of the scene in Forrest Gump where they show him running through the US to the Jackson Browne song Running on Empty. yeah! That's what I'm talking about! I think I'll buy an Airstream trailer when I retire.

Americans have a reputation of not being well travelled and culturally ignorant. However, when I'm presented with this criticism I always mention to non-Americans that most people travel for leisure and not culture anyway. Don't tell me that all of the Europeans on the beaches of Thailand are looking for culture. America has such a vast landscape that it is no wonder why most people stay close to home. We have beaches, mountains, deserts, forests, cities, and a huge mix of culture from all over the world right here at home! I'm not sure from where this new found patriotism came. Maybe I'm just glad that Obama intends on making the US more diplomatic so hopefully we don't come off as assholes abroad.

On another topic...Since when did ski lift tickets reach nearly $100?! WTF! I realized that I haven't been snowboarding in the US for nearly five years. This morning was the first time I've been to a US ski resort since Lake Tahoe in 2004. The last time I was at Cu mountain, the tickets were $68. This morning, I payed $92 and the Beaver Creek tickets are $98! At least Alpine Meadows still has tickets for under $50.

I had a terrible time on the mountain. I tried snowboarding the bumps in the morning and it was a complete disaster. My legs are absolutely trashed. I was only able to muster enough energy for one run after lunch. At the end of the run, I took a digger and slammed my body on the ground (nearly vomited a full bowl of chilli). I immediately unstrapped and walked to the shuttle bus. So I'm taking tomorrow off and hope that I have the strength to complete the 13 black and double black runs on Saturday.

I Think I've Gone Mad

2009-01-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

I'm seeing so many signs that the US economy is crumbling all around me. Nortel just announced it was filing for bankruptcy. Texas Instruments is rumored to have a giant lay off at the end of January. All of my friends, if not already affected, are on pins and needles. It all seems surreal in a way. With that being said, there is nothing really waiting for me in the United States to keep me here. This should buy me a few more months to travel.

So many things have been running through my mind this past week. This may have been spawned from seeing my new nephew in New York this weekend. I mentioned before that I feel like I have been held back a year in grade school. There have been so many changes since my travels began and the pause button has been pressed for me since the end of 2007. 2008 seemed so well planned with every step leading to a premeditated conclusion. 2009 is a different story. While last year started tranquil and smooth, this year is chaotic and full of anxiety. There is a scene in the Darjeeling Limited where Owen Wilson's character is talking to his brothers and asks them to YES to everything no matter if it scares them. Since this year began, I've indulged in every fleeting impulse which came to mind. So what is on the horizon you might ask? I'm going to meet an old friend to snowboard the Talons Challenge in Colorado next week. After that, I'm headed back to South America, New Zealand, France, then Switzerland. Yes! I've gone mad!

Crap! I've done it again. Put too much introspective personal crap in my blog ;-)

It was acceptable in the 80's

2009-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

Things are getting back to normal after returning from Thailand. My sleep pattern is back in sync with the days and nights here in Texas. I've been moving around non-stop since returning to the US and this week is the first week I have with no plans.

With the extra time, I'm plotting my next escape from Texas and the United States. New guide books for Chile and Patagonia have been purchased and I'm deciding on the route and activities for this trip. Initially I wanted to do a lot of trekking, but I think I may narrow down the backpacking to 4 major treks.

It is a bit strange to be sharing the house with a roommate, especially with one who is quite a bit younger than me. Early this week, I was flipping through the channels and found New Order in concert on VH1. Jaime (my roommate) had never heard of New Order before and I began to explain to her the significance of the band during the 80's. The next day, the movie "24 hour Party People " was on the IFC. The movie chronicled the Manchester scene during the 80's with references to Joy Division and New Order. All of this seemed to be lost with her, but I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised since she was born in the 80's. I'm sure this would have been comical from a third party perspective watching the conversation. I'm probably going to end up being that old guy who can't relate to people over 10 years younger.

Did I mention I'm an uncle now? I'm headed to NYC to see my brother, Jennifer, and their new baby boy Teo. I joke with my brother that they named him Teo just so they can call him Mr. T later on. I hope I can find all of the things I bought for the baby when I was overseas.

Jet Lagged and Dehydrated

2008-12-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

I think I have only slept 2 hours since leaving Bangkok. My body never recovers well from the jet lag coming back over the Pacific Ocean. The dry cough was driving me nuts the entire flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco (maybe I have SARS). Due to the 5 hour lay over, I scheduled a quickie (lunch that is) in San Francisco with my friend Jennifer who works close to the airport. I always have some kind of truely American meal as soon as I return overseas. Jennifer didn't dissapoint me. I had a great $12 cheeseburger with fries and a coke. Again, it is strange being back in a place where people speak English with an American accent. As I said before, I met very few Americans during my travels which is nice. I'm sure it will take a couple days to be back to normal. Jaime did a great job taking care of the house so that is one less thing to worry about.

On my flight from SF to Dallas, I met a girl who travelled in South America during the same time Jane and I did. It turns out that she is best friends with a couple American girls I met in BA six months ago. Crazy isn't it? Sometimes the world is small.

Double Album

2008-12-16T06:55:00.001-08:00

I have added a second set of ten songs which will remind me of this leg of my journey. This latest trip definitely had a different feel compared to the first two parts. I think some of the songs reflect that.

Blond Redhead-Spring and by Summer Fall. For some reason, I was reminded of the last date I was on before leaving Dallas. The girl mentioned seeing Blond Redhead when they came through and I immediately thought of this song which is from their album 23.

Estelle-American Boy. This is one catchy ass song. It is huge overseas. I explained to Thad that this was one of the pop songs I actually liked before leaving Dallas. A night in the club was never complete until you heard this song.

Scissor Sisters-Take Your Mama. When you are on the slow boat on the Mekong with no reading material, your mind starts to wander. Maybe I just wanted to dance after sitting on my ass for so long.

Ivy-Only a Fool Would Say That. Originally a Steely Dan song. It was constantly playing in my head as I was shopping in the night market with Yu and a Dutch gal named Karin.

Clash-Guns of Brixton. I should have used Lost in the Supermarket, but for some reason I was thinking of this song while browsing through a Japanese supermarket with Greg in Hong Kong. Note that salmon heads (or fish heads in general) are a delacasy for Japanese folks.

David Bowie-Young Americans. I sat in front of three very chatty American girls on their way to Thailand for the first time. I was also listening to a lot of David Bowie before going on this trip.

Velvet Underground-Beginning to See The Light. Great conclusion to my trip.

Luna-Some track off of Bewitched. Not sure of the exact song, but it was one of the songs which reminded me of particular people back home. As I said before, you tend to think a lot when you are in one place for a real long time.

Death Cab for Cutie-Your Heart is an Empty Room. Same as above.

Aimee Mann-Wise Up. Hmmmm. This reminds me of my cousin Peter who, for lack of a better term, is weird. There were some facts that were made apparent to me later which explains much about his behavior. In any case he reminds me of a character from a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. Except the story doesn't have any closure after two hours and there is no end in sight.

Honorable mention:
James Bond Theme by the guy who wrote the James Bond Theme.

Travelling Alone and Random Things

2008-12-15T02:33:00.000-08:00

Travelling alone definitely presents a different dynamic than travelling with a buddy. I overheard an American girl talking about arriving at Kao San Road at 11PM and not knowing where to go or what to do. I can see how this can create some anxiety if you are travelling alone for the first time. However, Kao San is packed with foreigners at 11 PM and you are better off going some place where there are a lot of people rather than showing up at 2 AM with not a soul in sight. I definitely prefered travelling with a buddy rather than alone when going to new places. I like the security of having someone with you when you are in a jam. It was great having Yu along with me for part of my travels. Not only was she able to speak to the locals and help negotiate prices, but she was in essence a local tour guide as well.

Some random thoughts.

The perfect number for travelling in a group is four. Any more and you introduce many extra variables to deal with. For one thing, getting a taxi for four is easy and so is finding accommodations in the same place. Once you make that number six or more, it becomes way harder. It also helps to get group discounts on tours and other activities.

I have made a list of the four types of people which would be ideal to travel with.

1. The all around outdoorsman-Knowledgabe in many outdoor activities such as camping, diving, rock climbing, kayaking, skiing, etc. should be able to identify quality equipment and therefore reliable tour companies. Able to perform emergency first aid if required. Good with naviagation (map and compass).

2. The doctor/pharmacist-You need drugs for that insect bite? Did you eat something bad? Did you get bit by a monkey? Well having a doctor around is reassuring that's for sure.

3. The linguist-Communications expert. Able to negotiate with locals to help get out of difficult situations.

The last one can be picked from the remaining selections depending on where you are going and the purpose of your trip.

4. The Foodie- Expert on regional cuisine.

5. The Mechanic/Engineer- Able to fix any motorized vehicle or able to build a car out of spare parts.

6. The Entertainer/Musician- Someone who can keep the group entertained. Knowledge of card game and magic tricks a plus.

7. The Bouncer- Strictly for security.

Dudes who look like Moby

2008-12-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

Back in Lamphu House in Bangkok. My farmer's tan is all gone now and I feel quite rested. The great thing about being back in Bangkok is that I pretty much have everything dialed in. I found a great place which serves $1 fruit, yogurt, and muesli for breakfast. The next couple days will be spent shopping for Christmas gifts. I hope I can bring everything back without breaking anything.

One thing I noticed when in southern Thailand is how many European guys look like Moby. It is a common look (shaved head, geometrical shaped glasses). I should have made note of it earlier to take pictures of everyone and maybe even start my own website, unless someone beat me to it.

I won't have too much to write about over the next couple days, so I'll just write about random things which pop into my head.

Monkey Pox Outbreak

2008-12-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

I wish we had more time to do everything on the agenda. Bouncing from place to place cuts into our activity time so we must make the most of the free time we have before bus ride back to Bangkok.

It wears me out to hear the same pitch such as "This is where they filmed The Man With the Golden Gun" or " This is Where They Filmed Tomb Raider." Well Koh Phi Phi, specifically Phi Phi Lei, was where The Beach was filmed. We took the ferry from Krabi and arrived at Phi Phi Don in the morning. From there, it was easy to find a guesthouse and set up an afternoon activity. Phi Phi island had more of a backpacker feel compared to the other places I had been so far. There were many young people and fewer families than on Phuket or Krabi. Some signs of the 2004 tsunami still remained, but for the most part, business was normal for this time of year.

We took a cruiser for a sunset tour around Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Lei. The first stop was Monkey Beach. We were told that at least one person gets bitten by a monkey on every trip. And wouldn't you know it, Yu was attacked as she sat on the beach. It wasn't her fault though. One of the monkeys became aggravated by another tourist who was feeding it bananas. When monkeys attack, they do not do it one at a time, it is like a frenzy. She didn't appreciate me joking about being quarantined for some monkey disease. From there we went to Malay bay where The Beach was filmed. We found out that you can camp there, so I'm going to keep that in mind the next time I go. The beach was beautiful, and it would be so nice to have it all to yourself.

The next morning we hiked up to the lookout to see the two beaches of Phi Phi Don. It was a perfect morning to see the island. Phi Phi Don has two hills connected by a stretch of beach where most of the people stay. It is hard to imagine that nearly all of the buildings on the stretch were wiped out four years ago. After that, we went to the beach to rent a kayak for an hour. It was a lot of work, but nice to be on the water. I almost took Yu back to Monkey beach to get some payback, but we were short on time. I wish I would have had another day on Phi Phi. Maybe another day of diving would have been good. After a full day, we took the ferry back to Krabi to catch the overnighter back to Bangkok.

Krabi and the Superday

2008-12-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm going through a my tube of SPF 50 faster than Michael Jackson though whitening cream!

Krabi was described to me as one of those places you go if you want to escape the crowds of Phuket. It is true is some way, but you get the feeling that Krabi is growing faster than the current infrastructure allows. Proof by the fact there is a McDonalds, Burger King, and Starbucks. As with most places here, you don't stay in Krabi town. You stay at one of the beaches around the towns. I picked Ao Nang beach to stay for a couple days and wait for Yu to meet me before heading to Koh Phi Phi. Ao Nang beach is not as nice as Karon beach in Phuket, but the atmosphere is much more relaxed. From Krabi, you can join a number of tours which take you to surrounding islands for sightseeing, kayaking, elephant trekking, etc.

I decided to sign us up for the James Bond island tour in Phang Nga Bay. I had the feeling that this would be a bit overrated, but it was okay (still overpriced though). It is funny how a franchise like James Bond can draw huge crowds. I'm glad I did this tour just to check it off the list. If I opted for something different, I would have always wondered how good it would have been. The next day, we signed up for the SUPERDAY dive. The SUPERDAY consists of three dives which include King Cruiser (wreck), Shark Point, and Anemone Reef. Although the wreck dive was at 30 meters, I felt really comfortable at that depth. This time I was able to see the leopard sharks and ghost pipe fish. One of the sharks actually swam circles around us in a playful manner. It was quite exciting. Yu was able to take some great pictures and a short video of the shark. I am wondering if what I am seeing on these dives is normal, or if this is really good stuff. The only way to find out is to dive some place else and see for myself.

I will post some pictures once I get the underwater ones from Yu.

The Life Aquatic With Sam Wu

2008-12-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

The last two days have been spent in the open water to complete my SCUBA diving certification. The weather turned a bit nasty the last two days, but it should clear this evening. The weather didn't play that much of a factor in the water since the visibility was still good and I was able to see some incredible sea life. I suppose it takes time to gain the experience to spot things. The dive master was able to point out some animals which I couldn't have picked out myself such as the scorpion fish. Others on the dive were able to see leopard sharks, ghost pipe fish, and other more rare creatures. It was very Jacques Cousteauesque.

I'll likely continue to dive next week to solidify my skill and technique.
Now all I need is a red beanie and a speedo.

Due to the large number of Europeans here in Phuket, I have a myriad of euro restaurants to choose from. My stomach still seems to not take Thai food well after the bus ride, so I opted for some western style food this time. Wouldn't you know it! There is a Swiss Roesti house just 100 meters from my guest house! I ordered the Karon Roesti which is like the Zurich style with veal medallions and Asian mushroom cream sauce. It is sitting a lot better with me than the Thai food. I have also added some probiotics as well as an additional countermeasure for any bugs I may have picked up.

Relief

2008-12-04T04:46:00.000-08:00

It took me four days to complete the trip, but at least I'm here. The bus ride down to Phuket was one of those trips where we had to make a number of transfers at different points to get to your specific destination. The overnighter wasn't bad, but there was no food so I had to snack on some dried fruit and biscuits on the way down. I sat next to an English guy who let me borrow his horseshoe shaped neck pillow during the ride. I will never make fun of those ridiculous looking pillows ever again. Those things are awesome! Armed with the pillow, eye shields, and ear plugs, I was able to sleep fairly well on the way down. In all the trip was 18 hours long. When I arrived at the guesthouse, it was closed for renovation. I took the next best option (which is not bad by the way) at the Pineapple Guesthouse at Karon Beach. I have a single room with private bath and aircon for 700 Baht. More than what I originally wanted to pay, but based on my bus ride, I justified the cost.

The first day of my scuba course is finished. I checked a couple companies and went with Dive Asia. As soon as I found out that the owners of the shop were Swiss, I signed up (almost said the only Swiss German word I know too. You know, to get some cred). You can always count of a Swiss run company to be a quality outfit when traveling abroad. They also gave me the best deal. Unfortunately, I have developed a slight cough with some congestion this week. It is not enough to prevent me from diving, but I need to give my body time to rest. Tomorrow will be the open water dive portion off of two islands. I'm sure it will be just beautiful.

Here are a couple pictures. The beach is like Zoloft for the soul.

I would also like to add that if you are going to have someone do a 200 meter swim and 7 minute float test. DON'T ask them to do it 15 minutes after eating a large bowl of Pad Thai. I had the unsavoury experience of tasting my lunch twice this afternoon. And I think I swam 300 instead of 200 meters.

Evacuation?

2008-12-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Why does CNN have to sensationalize everything? This morning I was lounging at the guest house after breakfast and was watching the news just to get an update on the airport situation. The reporter from CNN said that people were making the drive to the military airport 140K away from Bangkok to be "evacuated" from Thailand. Evacuated? Really? Because I am going to the mall to see a movie this afternoon and I don't feel as though I need to be evacuated from this place. This sort of crap is terrible because it makes people worry. Since my parents believe everything they see on TV, I can't help to think they are worried sick that I'm still in Thailand. Sure the protests are making things inconvenient for travelers, but that is all.

I was late getting a ticket to Phuket. Everything was booked going south yesterday so I have lost a day here in Bangkok. That is okay. Yu and I went to a Japanese restaurant for my birthday which was better than the initial plan (box lunch on an overnight bus). The last two weeks are all planned out now. I won't be traveling too far once I get to Phuket. Yu will meet me in Krabi the last week for some rock climbing and kayaking. We should be able to get a few dives in at Ko Phi Phi. I suspect that budget accommodations will be hard to find in Ko Phi Phi, but perhaps we'll get lucky with the lack of people coming into Thailand and get a good deal at a nice place. I also told Yu that we need to go to Tony Romas (It's the place for ribs ya know) for my last meal. It is somewhat of a tradition to go to that restaurant in every capital city I visit.

Germans love David Hasselhof

2008-11-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

And SE Asia too. There are Germans friggin everywhere! I have actually gotten accustomed to following German tour groups around the temples and getting a free guided tour.

And who is taking care of the Netherlands right now? Is there anyone home? I swear, there are also so many Dutch folks here that you think no one is in Holland right now. I suppose I don't blame them. The weather is crap in Holland now.

Due to the protests and the closing of the Bangkok airport, I took an early bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok. The drive reminded me of South America coming from Bolivia to Peru. The road was absolutely shit heading to the border from Siem Reap (one flat tire on the way). However, once across into Thailand, it was smooth sailing in an air conditioned mini-van on nicely sealed multi-lane roads. In all the trip was 14 hours and I was cashed by the end.

Still monitoring the situation here. I'll likely get on an overnighter (bus) to Phuket tonight. There are flights coming into a military base about 140 K from Bangkok, but I hear it is a real zoo down there. Khao San Road seems to be business as usual with the nightlife still going strong. I suppose it wouldn't be a complete backpacking trip without some sort of major problem. I'm looking forward to chilling on the beach and getting my PADI certification. Hopefully the airports will open up by the time I want to leave.

Siem Reap and the Temples of Ankor

2008-11-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

Okay. This is more like it. Siem Reap is a much better place to visit compared to Phnom Pehn.

I did something a bit hasty and hired a moto driver for three days to show me around. Although I think I overpaid, I can safely say that I am seeing all of the major and even far off sites in and around Siem Reap. I bought a three day temple pass on the first day and saw some of the big hitters the first afternoon. On the second day, I saw the sunrise at Ankor Wat then went to some of the farther temples to complete the giant circuit. On the third day, I saw the Roluos group and took a boat ride to Tonle Sap lake. The trip to the lake was the only disappointment. It basically consisted of a boat ride through the floating village to a restaurant where they had farmed catfish and crocodiles. It had no real cultural value at all.

Overall, the temples were amazing. Some are over a thousand years old and are just breathtaking. There are countless number of restoration projects going on to help preserve the different sites. However, some places like Ta Prohm have a particular aesthetic about them due to the jungle taking over. There are giant trees whose roots look like melted candle wax over very old temple ruins. It kind of makes you feel like Indiana Jones searching for some precious relic. The restoration IS needed since there are places that look a bit fragile. In places, it was to the point where I was afraid to touch or lean against anything for fear that an entire wall could collapse on me. Hopefully the work will extend the life of these temples for people to enjoy in the future.

Just like South America, there is a gringo or farang trail in South East Asia. Although the scenery and the people are different from South America, there is something vaguely familiar with traveling through Asia. Laos has the Luang Prabang to Vientiane route and Cambodia has the Siem Reap to Sihanoukville route. Both are well traveled by tourists and have good infrastructure for travel, tours, and accommodations. I have five days scheduled in Siem Reap. This is likely one day too many, but I'm also handcuffed due to the protests in Bangkok which has the airport shut down. We'll see how things develop tonight, I may be busing it back to Thailand.

Yep. Still hate it

2008-11-25T02:40:00.000-08:00

Okay. Maybe I was a little hard on the city at first. Jane always said that a hot shower gives you new perspective on a place.

After a shower and some time to relax, I figured I would give the city another try. How better to start than going to the Tuol Sleg Genocide Museum. Quite a somber place, but a must see if you are in Cambodia. If that wasn't enough, I deepened my depression by following it up with a trip to the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek. I was reminded of going to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany when I was in high school. However, back then, all I was worried about was finding a remedy for my hangover. This time, it seemed to hit a bit closer to home especially since it happened during my lifetime.

After lunch at a trendy corner bar, I hit the National Palace and the Silver Pagoda. Virtually everything I intended on seeing in the city was covered in one day. There are a few things I have noticed about the city since my arrival.
1. I think there are 5 traffic lights in the entire town. You should see the intersections here! It's MENTAL!
2. Construction everywhere. Apparently there is a huge undertaking to help keep the capital from flooding. The riverside is all dug up and it doesn't look pretty.
3. No need to exchange money since prices here are quoted in USD.

The new guesthouse gave me what I think is a table cloth as a bed sheet. Sure it covers the bed, but it IS a tablecloth (one made of synthetic material which is like sleeping under a garbage bag).

I spent this afternoon in the US embassy adding pages to my passport. I can't believe I'm on my last page. Those Asian visas take up a lot of space. If you do this overseas, the service is free. If you do this at home, it will cost you $60 USD. I took some shit for the guy at the counter for the condition of my passport. It is beat to hell, but what do you expect? It has been tucked inside the front of my pants for the better half of 5 months!

Holiday in Cambodia

2008-11-23T05:13:00.001-08:00

I had that Dead Kennedys song buzzing in my head the entire flight!

Phnom Pehn sucks so far. I'm not sure it has a lot to offer me, but I'll give it a chance.

The fight in reminded me of flying into DFW. Wait! Even worse! The landscape is flat and featureless other than the palm trees scattered around the rice fields. The air is soooooooo bad. Could be the worst place so far on this trip. It makes me appreciate Laos even more.

I have updated a few pictures from Laos.

The suffering!

2008-11-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

The drive down to Vientiane was not as bad as expected. I was all medicated and slept through most of the journey. Our mini-van conveniently dropped us off by the river close to where many of the guest houses are located. I realized the further south we went, the warmer it got. Although it didn't take long to find a place to stay, carrying a 17 KG pack in 30 deg heat will wear anyone out.

After checking in, Yu and I did our usual city walk to see the highlights the town had to offer. Unlike the previous towns, Vientiane is a bit larger so it took a bit longer to reach certain places. On top of that, the sun was just scrambling my brains that entire afternoon. I had enough after a few hours and hired a tuk tuk driver to get us back to our air conditioned room (which was ice cold since I cranked the air con before leaving). After a nice nap, we had a relaxing dinner on one of the many restaurants at the edge of the Mekong. There must be a row of at least 10 different restaurants all serving the same menu and all have large decks along the river. Its a crap shoot! Just pick one!

Laos has been a pleasant surprise for me on this trip. Just think that I almost considered skipping it (due to reasons I may rant about later). Even though I went the well travelled route, the trip made me want to come back to see more. I'll be sure to hit the southern part of the country in the future. If one comes to SE Asia, Luang Prabang is a must see. And come quick because by the way it looks, other parts of Laos will be completely changed in a few years.

Vang Vieng and the Rave

2008-11-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

As I woke up during the bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng I thought to myself "Am I in Bolivia?" The 7 hour trip left my head in a throbbing state which I would not be able to shake for a couple days. What was similar between Bolivia and Laos bus trips is that the scenery IS excellent and the roads are shit. The scenery is much different, but just as beautiful. Instead of the high desert and mountains, you have stone out cropping rising out of rolling green jungles.

Vang Vieng is a small village along side the Nam Song river. It is a great place to take a break and enjoy a cold Beer Lao outside your bungalow. The town is an excellent stop for kayaking, rock climbing, trekking, etc. The most popular activity must be the tubing. Imagine a cool clear river moving at a leisurely pace with a stretch bars about every 100 meters. The music coming from these bars makes the entire valley sound like a giant rave. Great if you are a 20 something English kid on his gap year, but tiresome if you are an old fart like me. Anyway, Yu and I booked a combo Kayak and cave trek with Green Discovery tours. They were excellent for us in Luang Prabang, so we decided to go with them again.

The tour started with a short lesson on kayaking, then off we went. Within the first 50 meters, I managed to tip the boat over and dump Yu in the river (I guess I should have paid more attention to the lesson). We got the hang of it after a while, stopped for a hike into the first cave. I knew that we were going to see the cave, but I didn't think we were going to hike through it. I'm glad we hired a guide. After some more kayaking and treking, we returned back to Vang Vieng all sunburned and tired. My headache still lingering from the day before.

The next morning I looking in the mirror and to my surprise, I had what looked to be the aftermath of an accute alergic reaction. I'm thinking it was an insect bite or sting. I doubt the pizza I had the night before could have done that. I'm taking some antihystamine which I hope will clear things up.

One last thing about Vang Vieng. Every bar/restaurant has "Friends" on TV. I MEAN IT IS EVERYWHERE. As if a truck load of bootleg Friends TV series DVDs broke down next to the town and was looted.

Mission Accomplished

2008-11-19T03:07:00.001-08:00

I wish there was more time to spend on this leg of the journey. We did visit the main attractions around Lunag Prabang including the Pak Ou caves and Kwansi Waterfall. We even climbed to the top of Phu Si to see the sunset (reminds me of watching the sunset at Lake Titicaca). Overall it was a good visit and we need to move on if we are going to make it to Vientiane by Saturday.

Some lessons learned when travelling in Laos:
20K kip entrance fee everywhere.
They don't tell you that you need a flash light (by the way, the guy at the door rents them for 5000 kip).
Sloooooooow service.
They love the TV series Friends!

I have made a few plane ticket reservations to get my butt down to Phuket from Seam Reap, but I'm missing the Bangkok to Phuket leg. It is high season and many flights are already booked. I'm a bit nervous about finding cheap accommodations in Phuket, but I'm sure it will all work out. Taking the bus to Vang Vieng tomorrow.

Luang Prabang

2008-11-18T04:03:00.000-08:00

Schedule three days in this town and you will stay for a week. That is a good way to describe Luang Prabang.

We scrambled around for about an hour until we found a cheap but nice guest house on the bank of the Nam Khan river. After dropping our packs, we went out to check the night market and main street. The place is wonderful! Small enough to feel secluded, but large enough to have the infrastructure to support the huge number of tourists. Again, I seem to be one of the few Americans. Most are from Europe with a good mix from Oz. At the end of the evening, Yu and I planned out the net few days and set up some tours with one of the agencies. The town has a really easy going feeling and if you are not careful, you can easily waste a day sipping cocktails at the side of the Mekong with a cool breeze rustling through the palm trees. The net day we planned on waking up at 6 AM to give offerings to the monks.

The Mighty Mekong

2008-11-18T03:50:00.000-08:00

The slow boat river tour to Luang Prabang was organised in Chiang Mai. We crossed the Mekong in the morning Laos where it was one queue after another. Doing a package deal was convenient since it made securing the visa quite easy. After a few hours of waiting we loaded up the boat and left for Luang Prabang. The trip would take two days with an overnight stop at Pak Beng. The latte colored Mekong is a slow but turbulent river with many rock protruding out of the water. The river is bounded by lush green hills with an occasional buffalo and fisherman on the side. We arrived in Pak Beng at dusk, just in time for dinner. I would soon get a taste for how things work in Laos compared to Thailand.

Pak Benk is a small village with a main street running up from the bank about 200 meters. There is no electricity, but generators keep the place running. Everything turns off at 10 PM. We soon discovered that things in Laos run at a much slower rate that what one may be used to. You must schedule at least and hour extra for dinner. This led to some worry some moments before catching the boat onward. I highly suggest that you take the slow boat if travelling to Luang Prabang. However, bring a good book and a good cushion since most of the seats are just benches. If you are really late for the boat you may end up sleeping on a pile of backpacks in the engine room. Eventually we made it to Luang Prabang safe and well rested. Looking forward to seeing the town and the scenery.

Back into the swing of things

2008-11-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Once again, I'm the only American.

Yu and I joined a group doing a two day hill tribe trek into the mountains north of Chiang Mai. The tour company divided the group by age, so we were hanging out with 20 and 30 somethings. We had 12 people most from Germany, a couple Dutch, and a couple Canadians (French). Our trip organizer reminded us to tell the others that we paid a higher price for the tour (since we had the Thai local price).

The trek was nice, and started with a short elephant ride. The novelty of riding an elephant wears off in about 15 seconds. There was a baby elephant which was kind of cute and was the center of attention for pictures. After the ride and crappy lunch we started the walk. Some people had issues with the climb which was nearly the entire three hours. Even with the shade from the jungle, it was a bit warm. One problem with walking through the jungle is that the trees are so thick that you can't really see anything until you get to a clearing. Eventually, we made it to the village where the views were much nicer.

The communal dinner was quite nice and for the first time in months, I really felt as if I was back in full traveller mode. Many of the people on the tour were seasoned travellers. At least half had already been to South America. Others were coming from China or other Asian destinations. Stephanie (one of the Canadians) had been travelling off and on for 11 years! The vibe for the entire evening was really good. We were able to share stories about places where we have been and funny language mix ups. The next morning I woke up at 5 AM due to the friggin roosters again. Those 5 AM rooster wake up call seems to be common no matter which continent you are on. We hiked down to a waterfall where I was able to swim a bit. No one else wanted to get in because it was too cold. It didn't matter because everyone got cold and wet from the white water rafting in the afternoon. Overall it was a good trek and the people I met were great. Looking forward to meeting them again some day.

I ended up doing something rash and bought another digital camera. The auto focus is not functioning properly on my current one. I can't afford to miss any pictures on this trip. Heading to Laos tomorrow, so I'm not sure when I can post more pictures.

Chiang Mai Moonlight Madness

2008-11-14T17:25:00.001-08:00

The overnighter to Chiang Mai was supposed to be on a VIP bus. The bus was your standard double decker monster. Clean, but no where near as nice as a high end bus in South America. I had another "Wait a second, you are not Jane" moments on the bus when I woke up upon our arrival to Chiang Mai. Yu and I toured the city after our arrival and checked out a few treks. She has been absolutely great as far as getting the Thai local price for everything. After setting up our trek and passage to Laos, we visited the Doi Suthep temple in the mountains. The place was nice, but I'm getting to the point where all of the temples are starting to look similar.

The day that we arrived in the town was the second day of the full moon festival. We returned from the temple to see the crowds lining the bank of the Ping river. There was a barrage of fireworks and these paper hot air balloons being lifted in the air. In the river, the folks were placing floats decorated in flowers, candles, and incense. The balloons and floats signify letting go of bad vibes. At one point I looked into the sky and thought that there must be at least a thousand paper balloons up there. Some poor farmer is going to wake up tomorrow to find his yard littered with those things. The night market was an absolute zoo that evening, but we were able to spot some good food and a few nice souvenirs.

I have decided to buy another suitcase when I return to Bangkok and stuff it with a ton of junk before leaving home.

Chill day

2008-11-10T19:59:00.001-08:00

I've been doing a ton of walking around the city the past few days and need a break. We are gettting ready to jump on the overnight VIP bus to Chiang Mai. Yu and I have planned out about five days of treking, rafting, and elephant riding before shipping off to Laos. If this is anything like South America, these next two weeks will fly by REAL quick. I am a bit relieved to get out of the city due to the smog (as in any big city).

I have noticed that I am not in drinking shape anymore. I'm a lightweight to begin with, but since Switzerland, I haven't been doing too much drinking other than the ten day bender when Jon met me in Argentina. I had a couple beers with Greg in HK and my liver gave me that "Who you talking about Willis" feeling.

Also, since Hong Kong, my camera has been acting up. This comes at a very bad time since I'm headed into the meat of my Asia travels.

Wats Up?

2008-11-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Bangkok without issue and met Yu at the airport. Yu is a friend of an old TI colleague and will be traveling with me for a couple weeks (she is local which will help with the logistics). We arrived at Lamphu House where I was able to get a room for about $10 per night. The place is backpacker central just off of Kao San road. She showed me how to use the public transportation so I could get around on my own. Since it was the weekend, we went to the JJ market. The market is huge and you can actually find good stuff. We spent about 2 hours in the market and only saw about 1/3 of the shops. It will be one of those places I return to just before leaving back to the states. Ended up buying a few shirts at the second hand country western store anyway.

I thought that Taiwan was cheap, but Bangkok has proved to be the cheapest place to eat so far. My first lunch here cost me just over $1. There are plenty of tourist attractions near the guesthouse. I have had one of those long days where you try to see as much stuff as possible in the shortest amount of time. My legs are beat and I'm dehydrated. I was able to see the grand palace, Wat Prakaew, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun. My camera got a ton of use this afternoon. Most all of the Wats look like they were just unwrapped from the packaging. Everything looks so new and shiny. It is a shame that these places are not open at night. The lighting at these places puts another dimension to their beauty.

Found the USB port. Enjoy the few pics.

The Couple

2008-11-04T05:13:00.000-08:00

My arrival to Hong Kong was not at a convenient time for Greg and Jeanette. As I mentioned earlier, they are currently between houses now. Both have been busy balancing work with the stress of decorating and moving into their new place. I really doesn't bother me that they don't have that much time to show me around. At this point, I'm just happy to see them. I was scared for a moment that they would need my help to assemble all of the storage units from Ikea, but they paid for the assembly for the furniture too. I've attached some pictures of their new place in the works (which is high up there and has a nice view). I'll be staying here for the rest of the week.

Greg and I were able to take the ferry to Macau this past weekend for some gambling. As soon as we arrived, Greg was turned away at the Wynn Casino because he was wearing flip flops. What a way to take the air out of the tires! We quickly hailed a cab which drove us to the nearest mall. Greg bought himself some stylish Pumas and we were back in business. After losing about 2000 HKD at craps, both Greg and I clawed our way back into the positive numbers at the black jack table. Greg even won enough to pay for his shoes as well! We rolled back to HK at 4 AM totally exhausted. It is great that the JW has excellent beds.

I have been able to do some sightseeing, but most of the things I have already seen from the last trip. One new place that I visited was the goldfish market. I liked watching the store owners blast compressed oxygen into the water filled plastic bags and display pre-packaged goldfish. They also had other creatures ranging from snails to turtles to crayfish. I have the next few weeks finally planned out, so looking forward to push off into Thailand.

Moonlighting

2008-11-03T06:25:00.000-08:00

I've been working my mangina in the hotel restaurant to earn some extra cash for my travels.

I'm in Hong Kong sucka

2008-11-02T06:14:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping a written journal since I have not been able to access the internet as frequently as I want. I found that I was literally writing an entire book on paper, but then thought to myself no one really wants to read all this crap! So I'll try to keep the descriptions and sappy sentimental stuff to a minimum on the blog.

Hong Kong is such a unique city compared to every place else I've been. It is such a strange mix of international people, money, culture, etc. It is a great place to visit, but you couldn't pay me enough to live here.

It was good to see Greg again and to meet his fiance. Greg and Jeanette had some issues with their last apartment, so they are currently staying at the JW Marriot until their new place is ready. By some miraculous show of negotiation skills, Greg was able to reserve four nights for me in the JW Marriot on Tyco Electronics bill! Not only that, but I have access to the executive lounge (free food and drinks)! The JW is soooo nice (for well over $350 a night, it should be). I'll have four nights of pure luxury bliss by backpackers standards. Unfortunately, I was told I couldn't use the mini bar or order any adult movies. Those corporate types are such party poopers!

I'm using this week to charge up and get everything set for Thailand. The weather is going to be wet for most of the week, so I'm not quite sure how much sight seeing I'll do.

Alishan Forest

2008-10-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have not had computer access in a while, so I'm doing a data dump here.

After climbing Jade Mountain, we stopped in Alishan National Park. I convinced the guide that I wanted to see the sunrise the next morning. It would be another early start (4:30 AM this time). You would think that such an early start would deter people, but the sunrise train is very popular and is one of the main attractions of the park. All of the people were funneled through the gates of the train station to the various viewing sites. A perfectly good sunrise was then ruined by sales men talking loudly on megaphones. I'm fairly certain that they were advertising local produce like teas and such. WHY AT 6:00 AM!? I spent the rest of the day walking through the forest, checking out huge thousand year old cypress trees. This place was beautiful and is a must see destination if visiting Taiwan.

Jade Mountain

2008-10-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

My non-English speaking guide woke me up at 2:30 AM and we ate a little breakfast before heading out the door. There were many other groups from the hostel leaving at various hours in the morning to make the hike up to the peak. Our climb started at 3 AM from the parking lot. It would be about 22K round trip in a single day. Weather was clear and I could see bright stars in the sky on the way out. I know there were some steep drops that my head lamp couldn't see the end of, but I was extra careful in the dark. The first 8.5 K were a piece of cake. As the sun rose, it revealed a beautiful landscape which I could see for miles. We reached Paiyun lodge at 3400 meters above sea level well ahead of time. After a ten minute rest, we took off for the peak. The last 2.4 K was much more difficult with a steeper ascent. The last 0.2 K was a scramble up to the top. I was grateful that the weather was clear. To the east laid a sea of clouds where the tips of the surrounding peaks looked liked islands in a sea of white water. To the west, I could see far into the Alishan Forest. The return trip to the lodge was a bit sketchy at times, but I made it down without a scratch. The language barrier ended up not being an issue after all. However, I did have to remind the guide to speak to me in Taiwanese instead of Chinese for me to understand what he was saying. My Taiwanese language ability took a giant step forward this week due to it being the best way for me to communicate with the rest of the family. After a tasty instant noodle lunch, we were on our way back to the car. This time, the fog had moved in and the woods had been swallowed by the mist. The scenery was so different even though it was the same trail we walked earlier. It was a welcome relief from the blazing sun as well. The entire trip ended up being 9 hours (3 hours ahead of schedule). I was absolutely cashed at the end. It was a great trip overall and not as difficult as I had imagined.

below is a 360 deg video from the peak.

The reunion (Family only)

2008-10-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

I feel very blessed to have a close family on both mom and dad's side. I suppose for me, I didn't really appreciate the family until I was a bit older. It just seemed normal from my perspective until I started meeting people who didn't have the same relationships with their family. The Wu's treated me like a rock star when I returned to Sinying. It was great to see everyone although many of the aunts and uncles have aged quite a bit. I also was able to learn a bit more of the family history and see my grandfather's childhood home (which is now being restored as a monument by the local government). The pictures are of various cousins, aunts, and uncles.

This entry is for my parents who haven't been back to Taiwan in a long while.

My head is going to explode!

2008-10-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Four hours of Chinese language classes per day is really starting to make my head hurt. I have made a lot of progress, but each day we cover so much new grammar and words that I'm not completely absorbing all of it. On top of that, my homework eats up a bunch of my time as well. I wish I had more time to thoroughly learn the language. I would take it a notch slower to enjoy my weekdays a bit more.

I just found out that my guide to Yushan peak does not speak English. This weekend should be interesting. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I hope the view is nice at the top.

One side to the other

2008-10-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how much ground I covered this weekend. After leaving Hualien, I returned to Taipei for a few hours. Just long enough to swap out some clothes and grab lunch. By three o'clock, I was back on the train headed to the other side of the country to visit my cousin in Hsinchu. Joseph works in the science park where many semiconductor companies have set up shop. The plan was to attend his companies family day where some of the employees gather to ride bikes and run a 10K. Joeseph was able to borrow a bike for me. It was a nice full suspension mountain bike in top condition. Great for bombing downhills, but terrible for climbing.

We left the house at 5 AM the next morning and before I knew it, I was starting a 2 K climb with 11% grade. C'mon Dude (I thought to myself)! My body can't take that sort of stress first thing in the morning. By the time we reached the park my lungs were about to burst. Joseph tried to get me to run the 10K (Really?! because I almost vomited a second ago). The ride back to the house was downhill, so not as bad. We ended up riding about 35 miles all together. It was really good to see Joseph again after so many years. He still has a faded picture of me, my brother, and himself when I was 5 years old. We look almost unrecognizable compared to how we look today.

I have two more weeks here before moving on. It is the beginning of the last week of language classes, then I see the rest of the family. I'm looking forward to moving on from here.

More Rain. Jeez!

2008-10-16T02:17:00.000-07:00

With time running down in Taiwan, I decided to cut Chinese classes short this week and head to Hualien to see Taroko Gorge National Park. The weather has been really fickle the past week and I arrived in Hualien during a driving rain storm. The scenery was nice, but not as good as it could have been with clear skies. One of the hiking trails started from the hostel, so I made an attempt to climb it, but the rocks were as slick as a freshly waxed bowling lane. Also, part of this trail traversed a spine with steep drops on both sides. It was best that I didn't attempt the entire route (nearly busted my ass on the way back down).

I had a bad feeling that the weather was going to totally ruin this trip for me. Abrupt changes in weather has been the norm since I've arrived in Taiwan. Looking out the window the next morning, I was surprised to see blue bird skies. After a quick breakfast, I was out the door looking to see as much as possible while I had the chance. Little did I know that the rain would be back early in the afternoon. I was able to see a few of the highlights the park had to offer before the skies opened up on me again.

More bad news due to the weather. Alishan railway has been closed indefinitely due to a landslide washing out a section of the tracks. It looks like another destination will need to be skipped on this trip. Thankfully, my Jade mountain climbing permit was approved, so I've got that going for me.

Starbucks muffin and finding good food stalls

2008-10-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Of all the things to give me stomach problems, the Starbucks blueberry muffin did it. I guess I've been eating so much Chinese food that my body is now rejecting proper western style eats. I have developed a system for finding the best food stalls in the night markets. There are a number of different types of food in the night markets. You sometimes have your pick from three or so stalls selling the same thing. The key is to find the stall with the longest line or the most people hovering around it. The locals love to eat and know which vendors are the best. Just follow the crowd and you can't go wrong.

I'm learning that drinking coffee and writing Chinese characters doesn't mix. The caffeine makes my long strokes a bit jittery. I'm still trying to squeeze in study time with sight seeing time. The cousins took me out to the coast this weekend. October 10th is the Taiwan birthday so school was cancelled and I got the chance to play around. After hiking around the four animal range east of Taipei, we took off to Yeliou Geopark. This place had many weird rock formations created from years of surf and wind erosion. There were tons of people out this weekend. I logged a bunch of miles checking out the National Palace Museum, Shilin night market (that place was crazy!), and actually went to the top of Taipei 101 this time. The last event on Sunday was seeing the Taiwan philharmonic youth symphony at the national theater hall. I busted my cousin stealing flowers from the place.

The other side of the family

2008-10-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

The first time the entire family came to Taiwan, I was 5 years old and my dad was the same age as I am now. Nearly all of my mom's side of the family lives in the US or Canada now. However, I haven't seen many relatives from my dad's side of the family since 1985. My father comes from a huge family of 11 siblings. I guess contraception wasn't used back then. My cousins Steve and Mary (who are music teachers) live in Taipei have proved to be excellent tour guides. One amusing thing is that their German is better than their English. When we are speaking, they inadvertently throw in German words into their English. We communicate with a mix of English, Taiwanese, Chinese, and some German mixed in. It must sound really wierd for people listening.
Steve and Mary took me to Yilan for a long spa session. The entire area is littered with hotels specializing in hot spring spas. They have been going there every weekend for a long time so they had everything sussed out for me. The first pool had tiny fish in it to peck away dead skin from your toes and whatever else you put in the water. After that, you had a variety of pools to choose from. Some pools were infused with chinese herbs, others with fruit or flowers. There was even a milk pool! Once we were done with the pools, we moved over to the massage jet area. This section had at least 40 different stations with all sorts of jets to massage any part of your body. You had to search for ones which felt good since some of the jets are so strong it feels as if the flesh is being ripped from your body. My favorite was the foot massage jet shooting up from the bottom. My cousins will try to whip me into shape for the Yushan climb. We are going to hike some smaller hills in east Taipei tomorrow.

Miscalculation

2008-10-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

The second typhoon missed the northern part of Taiwan this weekend. I was able to do some outdoor activites now that the skies were clear. Peter and I went to the coast to do some snorkeling. It was better than expected although I did have to swim through some debris. The water was not as clear as in the Caribbean, but visibility was good enough to see some fish and coral. One thing that was kind of funny was Peters swim suit which I can best describe as a red banana hammock. I have no idea why he wears a suit which weighs about 1 gram. It was not pretty.

Sunday morning was sunny and hot. Peter went snorkeling again, but I decided to head to Yangmingshan mountain. It is a relatively small peak with abut a 650 meter climb. The trail is basically a bunch of stone stair steps similar to those found on the Inca trail. Some sections of the trail are steep to the point where you can crawl on all fours. Maybe it was the heat or my lack of fitness, but I found the hike difficult. Although I reached the top in half of the normal time, I thought it would be much easier. This has worried me a bit since I'm scheduled to climb Yushan (Jade Mountain) in three weeks which is about 2800 meter higher than Yangmingshan. Jane once said "Don't even talk to me if it isn't over 4000 meters." I can't help but think not only have I miscalculated my fitness level, but I may not have enough cold weather gear for this climb. This is one peak that I don't think I can do "off the couch."

Mmmm Chicken Butts

2008-10-02T02:33:00.000-07:00

I'm discovering that Taipei is a really easy city to navigate. There have been many improvements in the cities infrastructure in the past decade which makes every corner of the city accessible by a short train or bus ride. Peter has not been the most ideal tour guide for me. We have been to Keelung and some other night markets, but he doesn't seem to know anything about the cities main attractions. I've been setting off on my own over the past couple days after class to check out some of the sites.

My class schedule allows me to wander around the city for a couple hours before dinner during the week. I was able to see Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, and Taipei 101. This weekend I'm going to summit Yangmingshan mountain which is just outside of Taipei. One funny thing about wandering around a foreign city is that you will stumble on things you wouldn't normally seek. I accidentally walked down hooker alley when trying to find the MRT station to leave Longshan. At first, I was walking down a street market also known as snake alley. There were some normal restaurants and shops, but I also noticed some sex shops which I haven't seen in normal market areas. I suppose it makes sense that if you keep on walking, you will eventually run into the red light area.

The night markets are a great way to spend an evening. The stalls have all sorts of various food items, CHEAP clothes, and toys. The food here is sooooo friggin' cheap! I can eat three meals daily for about $10 a day. My stomach has been bombarded with many questionable eats over the last few days. I think that a normal stomach would be turned inside out from all the foreign food. But hey man, I was in Bolivia for two weeks! My stomach has seen worse days. I think back to Bolivia and say to myself that maybe I could retire in Taiwan on my current savings. It is cheap an better than Bolivia!

Hunker Down

2008-09-30T01:55:00.000-07:00

Dude! If anyone wants to know. I'm okay. I had to hunker down in the hotel room this entire weekend. Apparently this typhoon was a pretty big one and shut down the entire country. The eye of the storm passed right over Taipei so it has been super wet and rainy for the past few days. Peter and I were able to venture out a bit to see debris all over the roads and up-rooted trees. The east side of Taiwan was severly affected with flooding, landslides, and roads washed away. I had planned on going to Taroko gorge to do some hiking, but that may be dangerous. I'll need to see if the weather clears up before going (biggest danger is falling rocks).

After some though, I decided to get my own room instead of sharing with Peter. It will be an extra $300 per month, but totally worth it. Peter has been obsessing about a couple girls who he has met during his stay here. It is almost unbearable hearing him talk about these girls all the time. Any subject we talk about inevitably morphs into a discussion of his relationship with these women.

My first day of Mandarin class was great. I have one on one instruction, so I will dictate the speed of the material we cover. I get the feeling that I will profit very little with only one month of Mandarin. However, it should give me a good base to start. I hope that being in Taiwan will also speed the learning process. On the other hand, my Taiwanese has improved tremendously. There are still many people (typically older folks) who still use Taiwanese regularly. My vocabulary is coming back and I have been able to get by a little bit understanding and speaking some. My knowledge base for Taiwanese covers mostly what I learned up to about 5-6 years old from my grandparents and cousins. That means I know a lot of fart and booger jokes in Taiwanese.

Just in time for the typhoon

2008-09-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

The simple action of slipping on old hiking boots seems innocuous enough, but the last time I had the boots on my feet, I was on a different continent. The anxiety started to rise as I put all the gear next to the front door. As with my previous trips, I was wandering throughout the house for the last hour or so to figure out if I had remembered everything, or if there was one last item I forgot to pack. Did I need the 32 degree sleeping bag for the mountains? Was the house in order for Jaime to live without me? Could everything be set on auto-pilot? None of these questions had immediate answers, but I knew the answers would come to me once I was on the road.

The great land of America left me with one funny stupid moment before leaving. At the ticket counter, the ticketing agent was reviewing my Taiwan visa. She noticed that the visitor visa was for 60 days and then said "You have a problem with your visa. Your trip is more than 60 days (as she was counting the weeks on her fingers)." I replied that I was leaving from Bangkok on December 17th and I was only in Taiwan for five weeks. She acknowledged as if I was telling her something she already knew, then I realized that she didn't know the difference between Taiwan and Thailand. Not again! Are you friggin' kidding me!?

The trip was extremely long, but I was lucky to arrive before the typhoon. Peter and I were supposed to go snorkeling this weekend, but likely not with the rain. It is really coming down hard now! No worries. It will take a day or two to get over the jet lag and to get a feel for the city anyways. I should be back to full speed by Monday.

More on the accommodations and my cousin Peter later.

Count Down

2008-09-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Almost one more week to go. The countdown has officially begun. Everything seems to be squared away here in Dallas. I'm now making a list of things I'll need to buy before leaving. REI and Whole Earth Provisions love me!

I've learned a whole lot about how to pack for these backpacking trips from my experience in South America. My pack should be a lot lighter this go around compared to the last trip (not packing five pairs of pants this time). However, I do have the same delima regarding what clothes to take since I will be doing some hiking in the Taiwan and Thailand mountains. My guess is that I won't need too much technical equipment, but it may get a bit cold at 3900 meters. My parents are also expecting me to bring gifts for the family as well. I'll be loaded down when I arrive to Taiwan, but the pack will be super light once I'm in Thailand.

It's good that I'm leaving again. It will be nice to be on the road and taking language classes. You would be amazed at how quickly the day goes by when you are not working. It is not like I've been just sitting around, but there were a couple days where I nearly spent the entire morning and afternon in a t-shirt and underwear eating a giant bowl of cereal. Jane would be proud that I'm still eating breakfast regularly.

The South East Asia route has been decided. Everyone has been great giving me suggestions for places to see. I'll be wined and dined by family and friends while I'm in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The real backpacking begins when I arrive in Bangkok. I'll be headed north into the mountains then cross into Laos. From Laos, I'll either bus it down the Mekong to Cambodia, or fly directly to Siem Reap. The next stop will be Phnom Penh, then off to Phuket. My plan is to be in the water so much that I grow fins. Getting sooooo excited to go.

Treading Water

2008-09-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've pretty much taken care of all of the house admin tasks required since returning from South America. The house needed quite a bit of work since Jaime was moving in. I also had a will drawn up (kind of morbid) which was necessary after consolidating all my liquid assets. The list of things to do was much more than anticipated and derailed my plans to travel to the west coast. Too bad because I miss the mountains.

In any case, I now have my reservation set for my trip to Asia. I'll be in Dallas for another two and a half weeks before heading out. If I didn't have the house, insurance, and finances to deal with, I would have only stayed for two weeks. Being at home for so long and getting back into the old routine feels like I'm treading water figuring out where to swim to. I'm trying to keep the internal fire stoked for the next leg of my adventure.

There are a few good things I'm really happy to come back to.

1. Diverse cuisine. Man! I've missed good Chinese food. I've been to Chinatown every week for lunch.

2. http://www.kexp.org/playlist/playlist.asp Cheryls voice sounds like home.

3. Cubs baseball. They have the best record in the NL but will probablly choke at the end of the season.

4. Fishing. I finally was able to head out to the lakes the past couple weeks.

Many people have been helpful giving me tips for Thailand and the surrounding countries. There are a ton of books on my kitchen table I'll need to browse through this week. With most of the to do list crossed off now, it looks like I'll have some time to make a quick trip if I can find a cheap ticket somewhere.

The picture is me at lake Texoma on Laborday weekend.

Farewell South America.....for Now

2008-08-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

What a close to an adventure. The feeling that I had getting on the plane in Buenos Aires was bittersweet. I'm sure it was time for me to go home, but I felt as if I was leaving something very familiar and going to something quite foreign. For months I had been living out of a backpack and moving from place to place seeing new things everyday. Every element of my travels varied. From weather to people to setting to language, it was all sort of new and exciting. I think Jon may have been worried that I would not get on the plane with him to go home. Now I'm back in Texas trying to sort out all of the admin duties (like paying off traffic tickets from April). I would much rather be sitting on a Bolivian bus stuck at a blockade at 3 AM, no heat, and a large woman sleeping with all of her belongings in the aisle next to me.

Early on in the trip, I decided to extend my travels to include places in Asia which I have and have not seen already. Jane was right. One year off can easily turn into one and a half. I hope that the next leg of my travels brings me as much enjoyment and learning as this last one. Patagonia still beckons and you can bet that I will be back boots-n-all.

Bariloche.

2008-08-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

The drive into Bariloche was so nice. We did the overnighter, so we missed the barren landscape in the evening. After changing buses in Neuquen, the scenery started to get better. By mid-morning, we started seeing mesas, trees, and crystal blue lakes. Once we reached Lago Nahuel Huapi, you could see the city.

Bariloche is quite small and before we knew it, we were checked into the hostel. Hostel Pudu was recommended by a few people I met back in Argentina. It was a nice little place run by an Irish couple (Emma and John). The best thing about the hostel was the bar downstairs which had three different kinds of home brew (HH from 6-8 PM).

We quickly made friends with an English guy (who works as a guide in Verbier) and another American. Both Jim and Tarn had been to Cerro Catedral that day, so they were sort of familiar with the mountain. The report they gave me was as I expected from talking to another American a couple weeks ago. THE SNOW IS CRAP (but better than last week where it was crappier)! Well Jon and I didn't take two overnight buses just to sit in a hostel and drink beer. The next day, we shared a cab with Old English (Jim's new name) and Big Drop Heath (Tarn's new name). Confirmed! Crap conditions! Although recent snowfall allowed people to actually ski to the bottom, the snow was heavy and not nice. My rental gear was also shit! The second day was even worse with rain towards the end of the day.

I woke up on the third day to see John at the computer. "120 KM/hr gusts at the top! There is only one lift running." There is only one thing to do now and that's shop, drink, eat, and repeat. We found some great restaurants in Bariloche. Jon was continuing his quest to eat every possible cut of beef on the menu. He went back to the bife de lomo, but it was no match for the 800 gram ribeye he would order the next evening. Tomorrow would be our last day on the mountain, so we were going up regardless of the conditions.

We were delighted to see that the storm that brought the screaming winds also brought a massive amount of snow. The report said 55 km/hr winds at the top, so it was a bit calmer than the day before. The website said that 50 cm had dropped over the last two days. I'm not sure how accurate that report was, but based on our estimate a solid 30 cm was fresh. One major disappointment was how poorly the mountain was managed. The two best people movers (Nubes chair and the big gondola) were not running all week. All of the other lifts were slow to open. There is no such thing as a high speed quad in Catedral. It is all slow and the queues are looooong. By 12 pm the four of us completed one long run from top to bottom. The powder was sweet, but it would take a local to show us where the goods really were.

Sophie is married to an Argentinian and spends half of the year in Bariloche and the other half in Verbier. She is a good friend with Old English and lucky for us, she knew how to get to some steep open powder fields with a little bit of a hike. I had the best two powder runs this season my friends! The second run was highlighted with a 3-4 meter launch off of a fallen tree. That was it for me. My legs were shot, but it was worth it.

Pictures are from the mountain.
I also have one of the 800 gr ribeye.

Patagonia in Winter

2008-08-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Jon is getting aquainted with overnight busses now. We left BA in a rush getting in our last bottle of wine before leaving. We have been on a gastronomic blow out since his arrival. With BA in the rear view mirror the excitement started to build. It would be the first time for me in Patagonia and I was hoping to see something spectacular every day. Morning came and we both looked out the window to see absolutely nothing other than flat land and sparse bushes. I kind of knew that it would be like that, but not the entire way! It was a relief when we entered the bus terminal in Puerto Madryn. The wind was absoluely whippin´! We quicky walked to the hostel and booked the whale watching tour to Peninsula Valdez.

Everyone piled into the van and we set of to Puerto Pyramides. The first stop was a beach about 20K up the coast where we were able to see mother whales with their calves. They were so close (about 20 meters away)! The rest of the trip ended being a dud since the wind had not dies and the seas were really rough. However, you could see whales everywhere along the coast! Although we didn´t ride on the zodiac out to the bay, the tour exceeded my expectations. Once back, it was on the bus to Bariloche. The weather report was promising and I could feel the fire inside me starting to burn hotter. Freshies...Here I come.

Jon and I had the most expensive dinner do date in Argentina. It was well over 2X what Jane and I payed for our final meal together in Lima! My backpackers buget is beat up and bloody!

Shock Treatment

2008-08-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

Jon´s flight arrived a bit late in Buenos Aires, but he arrived to the hostel without any problems. I Jon carried all of the gear I had requested from home, even the items I said were optional. After dumping a couple items in Lima, my backpack was just under 20 kilos, so I didn´t really want him to bring down too much. Looks like I'll need to get rid of more crap before going home. With Jon in tow, we walked around the city checking out the different neighborhoods. We covered the city tour much faster than I expected. It was just like my first day in BA where Jane and I seemed to walk for hours on end.

Buenos Aires Spanish is much different than that of Peru and Bolivia. I have been getting adjusted to GOOD South American Spanish over the past two months only to come back to BA and not understand anything people are saying. The pronounciation is a bit different and I'm working through the shock of learning the sounds again. Still practicing every chance I get.

I took Jon to El Trapiche for his first Bife de Lomo. We arrived at 11:00 PM and the place was packed! The locals tend to have a different timeline that what we are used to in the US. Times for all the meals are shifted by a few hours later. This would be the first of many dinners where I would suff my belly full of red meat. After eating light fare such as ceviche and sushi, the body is not taking to the red meat assult too kindly. The lomo was just how I remembered it from the first time. The entire meal plus drinks cost us about $23 per person. GREAT VALUE!

We decided to cut our time in BA short. Looking over the schedule, we decided to take a detour to Puerto Madryn for some whale watching. This will be good since I will not be back during the whale watching season in Feb.

Separation Anxiety

2008-07-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Our last day started out no different than any other over the past few months. We both slept in a bit late and slowly pack our things to move to a hostel with better service and location. Once situated in the new place, we took care of some trip admin such as confirming our flights and mailing out some post cards. It was business as usual with out any sense of urgency to see things or be some place. The afternoon quickly came and we sped off to San Isidro for some ceviche. We ordered so much food which seemed to be the standard method of operation since returning from the Santa Cruz trek. After lunch we strolled down to the major round about to see what was playing in the cinema. By then it had hit me that by tomorrow at this time, we would be miles apart. Jane nor I mentioned anything about it being our last day together on the trip. After seeing the new Angelina Jolie movie, we went to Osaka (a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant) for our last supper. I think it was at that point we started talking about the end of our adventure together and the things we had done and were going to do. We spent a lot of time in the restaraunt and I decided not to go out for drinks since the taxi was going to be at the hostal at 5 AM. We just went back to the room, packed our bags, and brushed our teeth. Again, business as usual.

At last 5:00 AM came, we hugged and said our goodbyes. And just like that, our time traveling together was over. Now I have to get used to speaking Argentine Spanish again. The folks in Peru speak great Spanish for gringos. Nice and slow....Just how I like it.

I have spent nearly 7 months with Jane in 2008. I feel we have learned so much more about each other over the past three months. For example, the top of Janes left hiking boot shows a ton of wear. The right boot doesnt have a scratch on it. I know that this is caused by a weak left leg which was causing her some problems during the ski season as well. I got to know how sensitive she is to cold weather and luke warm showers. And of course there is the low blood sugar "Hulk Mad!" Jane which I experienced as well.

I will miss the dynamics of having her as a travel partner. Who is going to repeat the street addresses to the taxi drivers now? The one thing that I will always remember was that she was always supportive of me when I was struggling with my Spanish or when I was having a tough go with my bag getting stolen. I just hope that I was able to return the support when she needed it. The other characteristic that I liked was that she had no fear for hard physical activities. She was the one who propsed the idea to climb the 6075 meter peak in Arequipa! And did it! Not once did she complain about me talking about fly fishing (and I talked about it A LOT). Although she did get tired of my rants about the weight of my backpack.

She has been an excellent travel partner and I couldnt ask for anyone better. She knows that there will always be an open invitation when I go to Asia and back to Patagonia next winter,

The Soundtrack

2008-07-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

Like most other events in my life, I have thought about the songs which have popped into my head during those times. In the last three months, I have experienced a myriad of emotions both good and bad. Through those experiences and people I've met, I came up with ten songs which span the duration of this trip. Some have deep personal meaning and others just popped in there. A few others I will also mention, but won't be added to the official list.

The South America Soundtrack:
1. Air - La Femme d'Argent. This song comes from the album Moon Safari which is by far Air's best work. The song is the standard background music for any hip loungy bar or restaurant. I'm still surprised when I hear it even ten years after the album was released. Actually, I could have used any of the first four song from that album for this soundtrack.

2. Amy Winehouse - Any friggin' song from that damn album. Our first hostel in BA played that entire album 24 X 7.

3. New Order- Crystal. In BA, there was a girl from San Fran in Jane's Spanish class named Crystal. She was a typical laid back hippster who reminded me of my cousin June. I also watched a VH1 live performance by New Order that week.

4. The Shins- Saint Simon. The video for this song is so crazy beautiful. The lyrics have nothing to do with Iguazu, but I kept on singing this song (to myself of course) as I was walking through the park. The falls were amazing and dare I say crazy beautiful. It became the default song when I would go to a place that was jaw dropping gorgeous.

5. The Replacements- When It Began. Like all cities in South America, there seems to be a ton of stray dogs running around. The song comes from the album "All Shook Down" which has my favorite album cover of all time. The dogs on the streets of Valparaiso reminded me of the album and the song popped into my head.

6. The Stone Roses - This Is The One. The Salar de Uyuni was one of the highlights of my enitre trip. Both the scenery and the people I met on that trip were unforgettable. Sometimes you meet people only for a moment, but you immediately have a connection. I do plan on seeing Molly B, Jon, and Heather again in the future. There is some deeper personal meaning for me on this one folks.

7. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers- Californication. This should be the gringo national anthem. Every gringo bar played this song. It didn't matter which country. It was like a beacon to summon all gringos to some place familiar and cool. I could have easily put Coldplay or Jack Johnson here, but Californication was so ubiquitous, that it had to be on this list.

8. Vetiver- El Rio. This was the perfect song to listen to while floating along the river watching fresh water dolphins swimming beside you. Rurrenabaque was a nice break from the cold of the mountains.

9. The Kinks - This Time Tomorrow. The song was on repeat in my head as we were flying over the Nazca lines.

10. Nico - Fairest of The Seasons. I've always loved this song. The opening bars definitely expresses the joys and regrets I've felt during my time here. It is an excellent song to close out this part of my South American adventure. This one also has a deeper personal meaning.

Honerable mention>
Portishead - One of Justine's favorite bands.
Righeira - Vamos A La Playa. This song was huge when we were in Bolivia.

Parting ways

2008-07-29T15:49:00.001-07:00

Jane and I will be splitting in two days. It is hard to believe that I have spent nearly six month with her during this wild ride.

Here is a glimps of two of my favorite conversations with Jane.
Sam: Hey Jane, Do you have Red Lobsters (the restaurant chain) in London?
Jane: Well what other colors are there?
Sam: I guess that is a no!

Sam: Hey Jane, did you see that kid with the nun-chucks?
Jane: What are nun-chucks?
Sam: (after a long pause) Are you fucking with me? You don't know what nun-chucks are?
Jane: (in silence just shrugs)

Huaraz and The Santa Cruz Trek

2008-07-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

It was a pain in the ass getting a bus to Huaraz once we arrived in Lima. We did finally manage to book an overnighter which would arrive early the next day. Unfortunately that meant hanging around Lima for a day. Jane and I decided to take it easy in Miraflores and hang out in a mall looking over the beach. It was similar to the huge western style malls in Chile, but without the large department stores. I almost walked into a KFC, but managed to hold myself back. After a movie and Tony Romas (It´s the place for ribs y´know), it was off to Huaraz.

We wasted no time and booked ourselves the trek with a reccommended tour company. It was our intention to blow out the buget the final days in Peru, but all of the nice hotels were booked due to Peru´s independence day. Pooh!

The trek itself was very nice. Jane and I were in great shape due to all the hiking we´ve been doing over the past month. This is a really popular trek and there were many other groups going the same direction. In our group were two Germans and two Israelis. We all got along just fine. The Germans were hardcore trekkers and planned a one month vacation doing just that. The excursion would last for four days and three nights. The hardest day was the second where we crested a 4700 meter pass. Unfortunately, we had a lot of cloud cover that day so the pictures were not as spectacular as we wanted. It gets REALLY cold at night and Jane had some issues sleeping. The sun came out for the last two days and the views were much better. We had magestic peaks looking over us as we walked down the valley. Extra water was collected from small streams created by melting glaciers. We even had fresh trout for dinner on the last day which were caught by the donkey driver. Overall, the trek was good, but I hear the Huayhuash trek (10 days) is even better. Again, another reason to return to South America.

Jane and I are in mid countdown for the end of our adventure. We go back to Lima tonight, then we part ways on the 31st.