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All of the entries in January, 2000 are here for organizational purposes. They are all of the static links on our webpage.

Please ignore the man behind the curtain.

The Baltics

June 13 - June 16

Because the Bon Voyage Party is not until June 4, we are taking some time out of this part of the trip. It looks like we will (at best) see on Baltic country and that country will probably be Estonia. We can fly to Tallin from London and then go on to Saint Petersburg via ferry:

http://www.5stars-of-scandinavia.com/siljatallinnstpetersburgrates.htm

http://www.silja.us/stpetersburg-tallinn-rostock.htm

(those may be the same line)

or possibly also by train. Russia is a bit picky about visas, so we may have to make hard plans for this one.

London

London is where I call home. We spent a few days here getting together last minute kit and bidding farewell to UK-based friends and family.

Day by day breakdown:

• Tue Jun 7th - Landed in London, picked up by Jonny and Jenny, The Dogs with Overture UK folks
  
• Wed Jun 8th - Slow day of recovery, BBQ with AM/FM and J-Rock
• Thu Jun 9th - Lunch with Nic, train out to Wales, BBQ with Pat and Julie
• Fri Jun 10th - Sleep in, train to London, pints with Pat and Ian B, dinner with Jonny, Jenny, AM/FM and J-Rock
• Sat Jun 11th - [Uhhhh......]
  
• Sun Jun 12th - Jason convalesces, Mike sees Kirsty R, Matthew A, and Robert H
  
• Mon Jun 13th - Early flight out to Tallinn, Estonia
  

Estonia

June 13 - June 17

The official first stop of Operation Cromulent. Everying up to this point has been preparatory.

Estonia was a fine choice as a warm-up country. The language was very foreign and it was not quite on the normal tourist map, but it was relatively rich and there were plenty of English speakers to help along the way. The entire experience got us used to dealing with practical confusions, language issues, and working hard to meet locals.

Day by day breakdown:

• Mon Jun 13th - Arrive from London around noon, check into hotel
• Tue Jun 14th - Moved to cheaper hotel, exercise
• Wed Jun 15th - Tour around Old Tallinn, ladies' night at Club Hollywood
• Thu Jun 16th - Check out of hotel, hacky sack with Fins, board ferry to St. Pete
• Fri Jun 17th - Arrive
  

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Photo Album

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Sailing

May 30 - June 10

We have hired a boat out of Split, Croatia for one week. The crew assembled over a couple of days between Zagreb and Split. After the trip, Mike headed out alone to meet his parents while Jason delivered Jackie safely to her plane.

Day by day:

• Tue May 30 - arrive late at night on train from bucharest via budapest, walk around town looking for a hotel but all is full, catch a taxi to a hostel outside of town and check in
• Wed May 31 - up around 10:00, tram into town, stop off at bus station to check schedule to split, walk to train station to check timetable to split and to munich, walk up to near cathedral to drop off laundry, have a heavy lunch of croatian home cooking for lunch, back down towards train station to exchange money, up to tourist office to find a camping supply store, walk around a bit to find a trek towel but settle for a gym towel, stop at cafe for a beer and a snack, end up seeing x-men 3, return to hostel via tram to sleep
• Thu June 1 - mike up at 05:45 to pick up atkin at train station, take tram back to hostel for a shower and to relax, travel to bus station to drop bags, leave jason there, atkin and astle head into town, take in croatian history museum and the city cathedral and a street market, mike gets involved in a street performance, cut down to pedestrian city for beer and a pizza, check out modern gallery, meet jason back at bus station, quick voyage by taxi to retrieve laundry, board bus for split, two stops along the way but otherwise quiet drive through green scenery, met by leo at the bus station offering private accomodation, a bit of confusion trying to find a place with 4 separate beds, jason and jackie decide to head to a hotel, mike and atkin eventually settle into an apartment a little out of town after have tea with a family, out to find a drink but end up just having a chicken sandwich and doing back to sleep
• Fri June 2 - up around 09:00, head into town to find the internet, meet up with jason and jackie and go to net cafe to sort out crew list, jason gets on a bus for the airport to meet katia, others have a walk around town and some lunch, meet back up at hotel cafe for a beer, walk up to the apartment, jason and jackie head back to the hotel, katia has a nap whilst the mikes read and chat, all reassemble at the hotel and meet the mysterious falk, out to pizza place for dinner, meet troy at bus stop, back into town center for a couple of more beers before retiring
• Sat June 3 - mikes up around 07:30 to start prepping breakfast, others arrive around 09:30 and have a fry-up, clean up and check out of apartment after making battle plan, mikes spend 2 hours at net cafe before attempting to walk to marina over a big hill, change plans and grab a taxi, arrive a bit late for boat orientation, others arrive a bit later, board the boat and store supplies, motor for 2 hours to milna, tie up at the dock just as a wedding party is coming out of the chapel, walk around the town a bit, stumble into a small wine cellar and get some local grog, take an american resident's advice and head for a fish restaurant a bit outside of the main city, eat a big meal, back to the boat to swill grappa and smoke before bed
• Sun June 4 - woken up around 06:00 by horrible bells from the church, slowly the crew gets on their feet and has tea and breakfast, sail out to vis, some seasickness, cafe and internet upon arrival, snack it up on the boat, dinner at pizza place
• Mon June 5 - out and around vis, anchor in cove for lunch, dingy around to cave for a snorkel, sail back to harbor, dinner and drinks in the marina, early-ish to bed
• Tue June 6 - attempt to sail to korchula but get blown back to hvar by what might have been a tornado ("tarnado"), stop in marina oppostive hvar, 1 year anniversary champagne, taxi out to hvar, nice beefy dinner, dancing and hanging out, back to boat via taxi, crash
• Wed June 7 - sail to nearby harbor and set anchor, explore hills with small hotel and goats, two ambushes / one successful, pasta dinner aboard, atkin and troy sleep on deck to keep watch
• Thu June 8 - up around 08:00 and get things moving, sail towards bols but are pushed back by strong bora wind, resort to motoring directly into high waves to make it, tie up next to an unfriendly german-run power boat, mike stays aboard while others head out for lunch, the girls and jason go to the beach, atkin gathers advice from around the marina and it is concluded that we cannot stay the night, get everybody back aboard and sail/motor to milna with a brief stop for swimming, eat al fresco at a nice fish place, return to boat with a polish guitar player and singer in tow for more drinks, everybody collapses at some point
• Fri June 9 - late start in milna, get out of harbor around noon, spend a bit of time waiting in line at the gas pump, good sailing towards split, drift in heave-to position and have pasta lunch, motor back into marina, showers after a celebratory drink, mike packs up and heads out with katya to train station via taxi, board train around 22:20 and sleep all the way to zagreb
• Sat June 10 - mike arrives zagreb around 06:30, have lunch in the station, board train for munich around 7:30, watch the mountains go by across slovenia and austria, arrive in munich around 14:00

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Photo Albums
Sailing In Croatia

Video Clips
Basement Winery
Sailin
Jackie's Croatian Concert

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Temple of Heroes

The OC Temple of Heroes is a place of honor for people that have made contributions to the OC abve and beyond the normal call of duty.

Jonny C and Jenny T - Picked us up from Heathrow, gave us free room and board in Londinium, and generally helped us get wound back down after the madness of the NYC.

Tennis (sp?) - Set us up with some post-club Estonian breakfast and a place to have a few final laughs with our new Baltic lady friends.

Angela and Mamma - Showed us the sights of St. Petersburg in high style.

Daniel/Simona/Stacia/Polina - Grabbed us off the street and created an unforgettable evening of drinking, dancing, and conversation.

Kate and Nastia - Led a dusk 'till dawn tour of the finer parts or Irkutsk.

Professor Kolia - Just when it thought it was a myth, he demonstrated that the Russian propensity for drink is alive and well.

Leo R - Set us up with not one, but two free places to stay in super-expensive Tokyo.

Jonny R - Our tour guide to the underbelly of the Eastern Capital.

Wee Wee - Got shit straightened out when our Chinese bus driver tried to pull some scammy scamola.

Andrew - Went several hours out of his way to ensure that we had a decent place to stay at a fair price. He went so far as to personally inspect the room.

Vicki and Lilly - A chance meeting in Tiananmen Square led to a week of enthusiastic native guides in Beijing and beyond.

Cora - Her tenacious will to help the foreigner saved us from a torturous 19-hour ride through southern China the "hard way".

Erin L - After threatening for almost 4 years to come to Yangshuo, I finally did, and Erin was there to help us along every step of the way. She arranged places to stay, came to meet us in Guilin, and introduced us to all the right people (I love you Lily) and places. She was equally gracious when illness forced us to suddenly leave and hooked us up with friends in HK. Top marks (and big thanks) all around.

OC Dictionary

Neologisms from the road (best viewed in unicode).

ANZACs ['an-zaks]
n. - Insufferable antipodean backpackers.

bleef ['blEf]
n. - a foul substance - especially a slimy or odorous one.
v. - to excrete such a substance.
adj. (bleefy ['blEf-E]) - describes something with bleef-like traits.

bolsa ['bOl-s&]
n. - Scrotum. (Jason was kicked in the bolsa by a camel.)

booya booya ['bü-y& 'bü-y&]
excl. - An exclamation of extreme delight at good fortune. During utterance, it is conventional to shout, knock something over (a lamp is a particularly good target), and thrust both hands in the air.
First exclaimed by Erik B during a game of Liars' Poker in Argentina.

bwaaaaaa saaaaaay [bwo-'sA]
excl. - A general exclamation of dismay. Must be spoken in a whining shout.
First (and repeatedly) used by Vicky and Lilly in China.

camaoeira [kam-O-'A-r&]
n. - Advanced sexual technique.
First heard from Jo in Salvador, Brazil.
See also cuarto seite.

cameltoa [kam-&l-'tO-&]
n. - Cameltoa is a fictitious monster appropriate for South Park. It indicates sex-related disgust.
This expression is not normally said directly. Rather, it is referenced by flapping the lips together slowly while breathing out.

chinese [chI-'nEz]
adj. - Describes something that stinks heavily of scamola. Generally used surreptitiously.
See also scamola.

colonaut ['kO-l&-nät]
n. - Russian male homosexual.
Deftly coined by Lauren E.
See also intestinaut.

corn beef ['korn 'bEf]
n. - Any of a variety of models of small shared-ride vans in Brazil. An intentionally vulgar anglicism of the Brazilian Portuguese word "combi", meaning the same. Generally used to specifically annoy Fabiana.

cuarto seite ['kwär-tO 'sech]
n. - A place (especially a room) where a lot of sex occurs. Refers to the domicile of one Jo, proprietor of a hostel in Salvador, Brazil and a notably randy individual.
excl. - A plaintive cry for sex.

'dat true? ['dat 'trü]
qust. - One of the few questions in the OC lexicon, this phrase seeks to emphasize the veracity of the previous statement. The correct response is "true 'dat".
See also true 'dat.

eigh ['a]
excl. - The sound of an Australian passing at a fair clip. Indicates mediocrity or lack of interest.

fancy bitches ['fant-sE 'bich-ez]
n. - Monied women affecting airs. Also, snooty damsels.
Origin: ODB.

flippy dance ['fli-pE 'dants]
n. - Capoeira.
Proudly coined by Mike to emphasize his general lack of respect for possibly the lamest fighting technique know to man. It makes Tai Chi look like ninjitsu.

hhhhhhhhh [unpronounceable]
excl. - Said to a camel to make it kneel. Sounds something like the clearing of the throat.
Origin unclear. Possibly Arabic.

I [don't] like it. It makes me feel... ['I ('dOnt) 'lIk 'it. 'it 'mAks 'mE 'fEl]
excl. - Always spoken slowly. The thought is completed with an unusual or creepy adjective. This expression is used to call attention to some comedic aspect of an object, person, or situation. (I like it. It makes me feel... wet.)
First spoken by a Swede in South Africa.

intestinaut [in-'tes-ti-nät]
n. - Male homosexual.
Derived from a Dutch slang term that translates roughly as "intestinal tourist".

not many, infin'y ['nät 'me-nE, in-'fin-E]
adj. - Many.
Derives from the paradoxical philosophy of New Zealand hip hop star and Christchurch native: Scribe.

poo poo ['pü 'pü]
excl. - Always spoken in a sing-songy cadence, this is an expression of cheerful contentment with the state of affairs. Allegedly Dutch.
Similar phrases include "hee hee" and "hoo hoo".

scamola [skam-'O-l&]
n. - Any kind of lie, half-truth, or trickery.

Scuba Steve ['skü-b& 'stEv]
n. - A toy featured in the film Big Daddy. His name is usually invoked as "damn you Scuba Steve" to indicate general frustration.
The word scuba can be used in conjunction with other terms or names (damn you scuba jason. damn you scuba burrito) to form a more specific exclamation.

smokeadisimo [smO-kA-&-'dE-sE-mO]
excl. - Expresses delight. Must be pronounced with a "Spanish" accent.

take the fucking photograph, nigga ['tAk 'th& 'f&-ki[ng] 'fO-t&-graf, 'ni-g&]
excl. - A request to do something immediately, especially after a long wait. A direct quote that has achieved connotation through historical usage.

telefooooone [te-l&-'fO-On]
excl. - A repetitive nonsense expression used as a space-filler in a manner similar to humming or whistling. May be derived from Arabic.

time for some cheese ['tIm 'for 's&m 'chEz]
excl. - A demand for, or query regarding, breakfast.
Although the record is not entirely clear, scriptural usages of similar expressions crystallized in the most frequently cited original usage by Tenacious D in the otherwise unremarkable recording entitled Malibu (Taking A Poo).

the book of many things ['th& 'buk '&v 'men-E 'thi[ng]z]
n. - A travel guidebook. Usually from the Lonely Planet series of hand-holding texts.
See also the nerd book.

the nerd book ['th& 'n&rd 'buk]
n. - A travel guidebook. Usually from the Lonely Planet series of hand-holding texts.
See also the book of many things.

thirty percent VAT ['th&r-tE p&r-'sent 'vat]
excl. - Indicates an unnecessarily intense level of surprise. Always bellowed with an Australian lilt of remarkably high volume and pitch.

toblerone ['tO-bl&r-On]
n. - A British caucausian male of imperceptibly minute African stock disproportionately proud of there underproportionate heritage.
Origin is obscure, but is loosely derived from Tobago by way of toboggan.

traveling at the speed of light ['tra-vli[ng] 'at 'th& 'spEd '&v 'lIt]
excl. - Sung in the warbling style of a 20's entertainer. It indicates that a person or situation has no soul, despite pretensions otherwise. (Toblerones are often traveling at the speed of light.)
See also toblerone.

true 'dat ['trü 'dat]
excl. - Confirmation or strong agreement with the correctness of a previously stated opinion. Often a response to "'dat true?".
See also 'dat true?.

yupi yupi ['yü-pE 'yü-pE]
excl. - A exclamation of joy, delight, or exhultation. Generally spoken with arms akimbo in an unnaturally high voice. A more restrained form of booya booya.
Some evidence suggests it is of Arabic derivation.
See also booya booya.

Cambodia

Jason, Ben and Jarah took three days out of their time in Thailand to enjoy the ruins of Anghkor area of Cambodia.

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Photo Albums
Cambodia

Video Clips
Apsara Dancing

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Antarctica

December 27 - Janauary 6

Some links:

• Our Boat
• Cruise Details
• Cruise Recap
  

We left and returned from Ushuaia, Argentina. The cruise was a total of 11 days. Jarah E joined
in for the journey.

Day by day:

• Wed Dec 28 - board boat around 16:30, check in, first meeting, watch departure, champagne cocktails, dinner, many drinks in the bar with giovanni, in bed for about 02:00
• Thu Dec 29 - up for breakfast at 08:15, jason gets some exercise, mike right back to bed until 14:00 (motion sickness pills are strong), spend afternoon drinking tea and logging OC video, daily meeting, dinner, play D20 until 22:00 then hit the bar, play mexican with a good crowd, collapse about 02:30 after listening to giovanni play a few of his songs
• Fri Dec 30 - up for breakfast at 08:05, back to cabin to read and relax, jason gets a bit of exercise while mike works on D20 character, lunch, take a look on deck then return to cabin to blog and log video, dinner, suit up and hang out on deck, zodiac cruise, whiskey in the bar, bed around 12:30
• Sat Dec 31 - up at 07:00 for breakfast, suit up and head to land, hike up hill with a commanding view and watch ice chunks break off, return to boat for lunch, afternoon landing in hawaiian shirts, make snowman at the top of a hill, return to the boat for barbecue dinner on the back deck, jump in zodiacs for glacier cruise after a bit of wine and champagne in the bar, hit the new year party, win hat contest, champagne on back deck, cigars in the snow, back inside to lame disco then wander below to find russian party, watch some sort of play, have a bit of a dance before getting asked to split, fall on as on the bow (not sure what i was doing there), sleep around 03:00
• Sun Jan 01- sleep in until lunch, eat, suit up and head to land, build a easter island head in the snow, back to boat and chill over cups of tea, dinner, early to bed
• Mon Jan 02 - mike sleeps in until lunch, jason gets up to land at british station, lunch, a bit of d20 stuff and hanging, afternoon landing at big penguin colony absolutely full of poop, back to boat to chill, russian show and supper, a few drinks in bar becomes a lot of drinks, jason to bed at 00:00, mike and jarah somewhat later
• Tue Jan 03 - mike again sleeps until lunch, jason and jarah up early for landings on deception island and a swim in the volcanically heated sea, do some post-lunch blogging and napping, largely uneventful landing, nice dinner, last landing - mike nearly gets eaten by a seal, shower and warm up, international dinner, drink a bottle of vodka with the italians then sleep
• Wed Jan 04 - mike sleeps until lunch, spend all afternoon watching documentaries and working on blog and video projects and galleries, dinner, work a bit then mike and jarah go to drink with russian doctor, mike to bed for about 02:00
• Thu Jan 05 - mike up around lunch, spend some time on bridge and trying to find jason, d20 denied so chill, spend afternoon doing this and that, farewell dinner, mexican in the bar and get well sauced, jason and jarah sleep a bit, mike stays up all night to watch boat arrive
• Fri Jan 06 - disembark around 08:00 in a a state of tired confusion

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Photo Albums
Antarctica

Video Clips
Zodiac Attack
Three Blind Penguins
Snowman Massacre
Even Seals Scratch
Antarctic Plunge

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Current Location

Home.

Argentina

December 24 - December 28
January 6 - January 29

We entered Argentina the first time on a bus for Chile. We spent a few days in Tierea del Fuego before cutting out for Antarctica. After, we plan to head north all the way to Brazil in the company of the Briceno family.

Day by day:

• Sat Dec 24 - cross border around 14:00, arrive in ushuai at 19:00, check into hotel, out for christmas dinner at 20:30, back to hotel and sleep at 0:00
• Sun Dec 25 - up around 09:30 for breakfast in hotel, conversation with a anglo-american couple that live in rio, find lunch at bar/cafe, spend the afternoon in a net cafe with wifi, nice steak dinner at che-themed restaurant, in bed for about 0:00
• Mon Dec 26 - up around 09:30 and check out of hotel, check into new hotel, grab bus to national park and spend a few hours walking, lakeside lunch, cup of coffee at cafe and bus back to town, drop laundry, go to bank, spend a bit of time at net cafe, up to room to chill and watch a bit of TV, out for pasta dinner, sleep
• Tue Dec 27 - up around 09:00, simple breakfast, check out of hotel, move over to hotel albatros (organized by antarctica tour company), wait around in lounge until room available at noon, lunch at pubby cafe, back to hotel to get laundry receipts and chill a bit, jason out after laundry but unsuccessful, some TV, then out to buy pimp cups and booze, deliver goods to hotel, jason out to get laundry again - this time with success, chill in hotel, jarah arrives, out to parilla buffet place for big supper, back to hotel to sleep
• Wed Dec 28 - up at 07:00 and drop bags in lobby by 08:00, have a bit of breakfast at hotel, relax in lobby for a bit, out for a short time to buy glue and pens, taxi out of town to tour group asado lunch next to the water, jason back on bus, mike and jarah walk back, hang in hotel for just a bit then board bus for the boat, board boat around 16:30

(In Antarctica for a bit)

More day by day:

• Fri Jan 06 - check into hostel, have breakfast with lee ann and jarah, mike gets some bad news by email so return to hostel to sleep, mike calls home, rest a bit more than out for supper at che-themed place again, drinks at irish bar with dr. dudley backup and son (ben), out to x-mas restaurant on waterfront to dance, return very late and very drunk
• Sat Jan 07 - up at 10:00 to move to another hostel, mike spends almost entire day sleeping and watching tv and being hung over, dinner at french-style grand cafe, back to hostel to watch tv and relax
• Sun Jan 08 - up at 07:00 and take taxi to airport, catch flight to rio gallegos, get some lunch there and hang in internet cafe after a walk around town, back to bus depot to catch an overnight ride to puerto madryn
• Mon Jan 09 - arrive around 12:00, check into hostel, take in laundry and have empanada-based lunch then search for SIM cards, back to hotel to siesta, out again around 18:00 to chase down phones and such, stop to get haircuts and end up having dinner with the owner of the place (natalia), walk natalia to her car then return to hotel to blog and then sleep
• Tue Jan 10 - up around 11:00 after a night full of scary dreams (for mike), buy bus tickets to BA for the evening of the 13th, try to pick up jason's new SIM card but are denied, denied again at laundry, kill some time by having a beachfront lunch of pasta and salad, pick up laundry and return to hotel to change for the beach, enjoy an afternoon at the beach followed by a drink at a bar on the sand with live guitar player and singer, back to hotel to shower, try again to pick up SIM but again denied, spend some quality time at an internet cafe uploading media, simple late dinner at parisian-themed corner cafe
• Wed Jan 11 - up around 10:30 and walk an hour down to "ecocenter" but find it closed until 5, stop on way back for hamburger and hotdog lunch, return to hotel to regroup, jason tries to get SIM again but finds place closed, mike naps while jason hits the beach, work on media stuff, dinner, early-ish to bed
• Thu Jan 12 - up around 09:30 and both get some exercise, regroup for lunch, mike heads out to find a box and some tape while jason relaxes, mike fails but does spend some quality time with the internet, meet up at hotel and nap then head for ecocenter, spend an hour or so there then return to hotel, gussy up a bit and head out, dinner at restobar then some pool then back to restobar for a beer, try local dance joint but nothing is going at 01:00 so turn in in preparation for early start tomorrow
• Fri Jan 13 - up at 09:00 and pack, check out of hotel and mike spends rest of morning putting stuff in the mail while jason reads at the hotel, lunch at barbarian corner cafe then get a big dollop of internet, over to bus station to wait a bit more than board ejecutivo service to buenos aires with a short dinner stop
• Sat Jan 14 - arrive in Buenos Aires around 11:30, take a cab into town, pass over louis's hotel as too expensive and settle into prince hotel at a much more comfortable rate, shower then have a bit of a walk and a very nice lunch of tamale (mike) and fat soup (jason), back to hotel to relax, walk up to cafe to watch football match, out to milion for drinks, spend evening chatting with a couple of girls, return to hotel around 06:00
• Sun Jan 15 - relax a bit at hotel, check out then jump a taxi to the airport, meet louis and cab it back, crash hard for a few hours, walk around city a bit and ruin our supper at a local cafe, mike chucks some wine on louis, retire early
• Mon Jan 16 - up around 10:00, steak and chips lunch, cemetery, stop for drinks on way to japanese gardens, tube down to arms and armaments museum, walk down to central plaza and pop into cathedral, stop in cafe on pedestrian walkway (la florida) for a beer, mike gets shit on, walk back down to hotel for shower and relaxation, out to san telmo for "vietnamese" dinner with drinks at an empty bar afterward, in bed for about 01:00
• Tue Jan 17 - up around 10:30, light lunch at cafe, inquire about estancias and tango at tourist information bureau, head out to Once by train, walk back, relax at hotel, meet for beers in cafe next to louis's hotel, head out for italian dinner in microcentro, back to hotel to relax, put louis to bed and grab a cab out to the club around 02:00, return to hotel at about 06:00 after a storming night of drum and bass with bad boy orange
• Wed Jan 18 - up around 13:30, mike feeling damn ill, jason and louis have lunch then work on organizing estancia trip and tango outing, mike stays his ass in bed and blogs and watches TV, jason and louis head out at night for a few beers than a tango and dinner thing
• Thu Jan 19 - up around 08:00, jason and louis head to airport to pick up eric and karen, mike heads down to park and gets shit on while reading paper, return to hotel to wash, then go to another park to read the economist, fall asleep on park bench and awake to find the soon-to-be extended briceno family, over to restaurant from first day in BA for lunch, naptime, others head out to shop while mike goes to see (half of) king kong, meet back at oasis bar (next to wilton hotel) for a few beers than cab it to waterfront for steak dinner, back to oasis for a drop of aged tequila then call it a night
• Fri Jan 20 - up at 09:00 and back up, check out at 10:00 and meet louis and eric and karen at wilton hotel, cabs to bus terminal, catch a ride to san antonio de areco after a short wait, taxi to estancia, hang out around pool, tea time, change clothes and go on horse ride, croquette match, wine and sunset, dinner and talk with english and irish couples, hang out on porch after with the dogs, retire to room to bathe and relax, sleep
• Sat Jan 21 - mike sleeps until 13:00, others get up around 10:00 for breakfast and a riding lesson, big fat beefy lunch, ping-pong with kids, hang around pool for a bit, mike and karen play some bocci, then a game of croquette, tea, jason goes for another ride, others enjoy cocktails and chess, take some photos of jason on horse, back to porch to hacky sack and such, chicken dinner inside, drink wine and play cards into the night, in bed for about 02:00
• Sun Jan 22 - up around 10:00 (or earlier in some cases), grab a bit of breakfast, packed and out for 11:00, catch a bus straight through to prince hotel in BA and check everybody in, walk down for empanada lunch then over to parks to shop at market and relax, regroup at hotel and set out to palermo viejo for upscale dinner followed by nice drinks, back to hotel, boys chat about finance before bed
• Mon Jan 23 - up at 11:00, split up, mike and jason have an indian lunch, karen and eric get their shop on, louis sorts out plane tickets and missing stick (at estancia), regroup at hotel, mike and jason nap and compute, eric and karen back out for lunch, out for a movie, dinner at corner bar/cafe thing near cemetery, drop karen and louis at the hotel, boys out for pints at the shamrock, karen later makes everybody go to bed
• Tue Jan 24 - up around 11:00, gather the clan and head out to san telmo, lunch and beers in nice square, watch a bit of street tango and feed peanuts to the birds, walk down to national museum but it is closed, taxis up to national art gallery, spend some time there before regrouping at hotel, some napping, mike out to shop a bit, stops at oasis bar/cafe to read newspaper and is joined by the rest, dinner and many drinks there, drop off eric and karen and louis at the hotel then out to drum and bass night around 02:00, return to hotel for about 06:00 and sleep
• Wed Jan 25 - up around 11:00, louis and karen and erik are checked out of the hotel, jason has a lunch date with emma, others go for empanadas and such, interview eric and karen after the lunch, hang out over coffee in corner cafe, meet up with jason, head to airport and say goodbye, taxi back, dinner at rigeletto, watch pulp fiction over some beers in the hotel, sleep
• Thu Jan 26 - up at 08:30, pack up, talk to front desk about tickets, they will contact travel agent whilst we go to bus station, go and return via subte to bus terminal to get tickets, back to hotel on check on flights, all is well so turn over passport and credit card data and head to lunch, nice eats at cholito, split up, jason heads out to buy new sun glasses, mike goes to park to write letters and work on blog and edit vid and the like, mike stops at apple store to get laptop foot fixed and also takes in tea and cake, meet at hotel and get tickets, hang there for a bit reading before off to bus station, board bus around 20:50 and speed into the night
• Fri Jan 27 - up around 08:00 for onboard breakfast, arrive in iguazu about 13:00, check into hotel alexander and immediately head out for a al fresco lunch, chat up waitress a bit and hang with street urchin, also meet claire - scottish girl at next table, claire enters a bet with mike regarding tony blair's nationality that necessitates a post-lunch trip to the internet cafe where the matter is decided soundly in mike's favor, she agrees to accompany the OC lads to the falls the next day, head back to hotel to read and relax around the pool then enjoy wifi in the lobby, head out around 23:00 to a salsa dance club called cuba libre, dine on hamburgers and many fries and enjoy some beer and energetic dancing, return to hotel at 01:00 to get an early start on the next day
• Sat Jan 28 - up around 07:30 and to the bus station for 08:00, claire does not show, take 08:50 bus to falls, hike along catwalk to top down view of falls, then backtrack to take truck ride through jungle and boat ride on the river and into the mists, then cross to beach where jason has a swim and mike dries out, climb up steps and run into navimag peeps looking over smaller falls, chat with them a bit and walk around then part company, cross back to mainland and walk lower circuit back to where we started from, grab bus back to town and hit hotel to wash and relax, out for final parilla supper then back to hotel to snooze
• Sun Jan 29 - up at 09:00 and pack, breakfast and hang out in lobby taking advantage of free wifi, down to bus station, empanadas while waiting, get bus to border, jump off bus to get stamps, cross into brazil around 12:00

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Photo Albums
Buenos Aires
Estancia
Iguazu Falls

Video Clips
Beach Soccer
Puppy vs. Big Nuts
Iguazu Falls

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Chile

December 6 - December 24

We entered Chile by taxi from Peru and worked our way down the lenght of this long-ass country. Most travel was by bus, but there was a pleasant train/ferry combo leg in there from Santiago to P. Natales. We left the country on a bus into Argentine Tiera del Feugo.

Day by day:

• Tue Dec 6 - cross border around 09:00, have breakfast at arica bus station while looking for a place to sleep, catch a taxi to chosen hotel and settle in, over to internet cafe to finalize brasil hotel, lunch at local place, buy SIM card for jason and new phone for mike, back to hotel for a bit of this and that, mike climbs el murro and jason chills, rejoin and head out to make trouble, dinner and strong beers at cafe, out to rock club but mostly empty, hit the strip club for many beers, back to rock club well drunk where mike occupies self screaming at the band, ditch out and return to strip club, somehow make it back to hotel
• Wed Dec 7 - hotel brings breakfast around 10 but don't get out of bed until at least 1, mike has a shocking hangover, hit firehouse cafe for lunch and a restorative pisco sour, it doesn't work, sit in hotel burning DVDs and watching shitty movies (streetfighter!) to recover, out for pizza dinner and a restorative beer, it also doesn't work, then retire for more TV and DVDs
• Thu Dec 8 - head to bus station and catch a very long ride (20 hours) to la serena, mike has to sit next to a very strinky mofo, bad movies are watched
• Fri Dec 9 - arrive in la serena around 12:00, find a hotel and taxi over to settle in, out for cafe lunch al fresco, mike takes a nap while jason organizes the immediate future, mike heads out to fax driver's license to mom, rejoin jason and go out to local pub for 2 completos and a big pitcher of beer, then off to jazz cafe for a bit more food and rather more drinks, meet english couple (eliott and kelly) from santiago there and procedure on to another bar and then on to a salsa/disco sort of affair, return to hotel in something of a state about 04;00
• Sat Dec 10 - up late and out for another al fresco cafe lunch, kill time in courtyard of jazz club enjoying wireless and nice weather, mike is again feeling worse for wear, back to hotel to meet van that takes us first to hotel in vicuna to drop bags then on to observatory to check out stars, return to hotel after the show and pass out
• Sun Dec 11 - up early for breakfast of cake, cheese, tea, bread, jam, and butter, hike across town and take in election day antics, climb up local mountain to statue of mary, back down and hang in plaza de armas for a snacky lunch and to watch the world go by, a bit of a rest at the hotel, hacky sack back in the plaza, try to get some food but most things are closed, resort to eating an entire fried chicken and a mountain of potato chips while watching predator in the hotel, sleep
• Mon Dec 12 - up at 09:00 for another breakfast that includes cake, walk over to pisco bottling plant and take the tour, taxi up the valley and try to find another pisco outlet, eventually find a shop and get the goods, taxi back to hotel then out for a very nice lunch next to a garden, pick up bags and catch a commuter bus back to la serena, wait in bus station for a bit drinking beer and computing, take night bus (23:45) to santiago
• Tue Dec 13 - arrive in santiago around 08:00, settle in to city hotel, nap a bit, hit cafe in plaza de armas for a sturdy lunch, go shopping for christmas presents and cold weather clothes in pedestrian area, trek out west to a big mall to continue shopping, have light dinner in cafe there, back to hotel, out for beer and completos and empanadas, in bed for about midnight
• Wed Dec 14 - up at 09:00 and grab breakfast, out to central station to get tickets, walk back along main road and stop for a very meaty (but apparently typical) lunch, drop in a few vintage clothing shops along the way, hop tube back to hotel, a bit more shopping, mike fights the post office while jason runs errands and makes use of the internet, mike calls home to SC, stops for a coffee, assemble at hotel to prep for night out, good mexican eats then a student pub, find that dance club is closed, settle into another bar blaring butt rock classics, meet a local called richard and chat with him a bit, end up in strip club for an hour until closing, bed down somewhere near 04:00
• Thu Dec 15 - up at noon and have lunch just off the plaza de armas, back to hotel to relax a bit, mike heads out for a walking tour of the city, jason blogs and rests, reassemble around 08:00 to shower and head out to celebrate jason's birthday, go to bellavista for drinks and dinner then more drinks then a club, bounce around a bit and end up in a reggaeton kind of place until closing at 04:00, walk home and hit the sack
• Fri Dec 16 - up at noon and back, leave bags with hotel and head to local cafe with wifi for a big laptop jam, get nice spanish lunch on the way, take in "coffee and cigarettes" then pick up bags and taxi to central station, board train and split around 22:30
• Sat Dec 17 - arrive in Temuco at 07:00 or so and change to P. Montt train, it arrives at 14:00, catch a taxi into town and check into hotel, late lunch at local cafe, drop off laundry, mike walks up to fishing village of angelmo to shop for a jumper, jason does a few errands, meet back at hotel for a nap, check out parade then grab giant hamburgers at OK Corral, mike heads out to take in street carnival and some free music, then back to hotel to sleep
• Sun Dec 18 - mike up late at 12;00, out for a run, meet jason back at hotel and walk up to angelmo for seafood lunch, screw around for a bit then head out to cafe for coffee and wireless, realize that final league cup match is on and head back to hotel bar to enjoy, laptop jam a bit, then head out for a completo and a beer and call it a night
• Mon Dec 19 - up early at 07:00, mike out for a run and breakfast, grab laundry and pack, taxi to port, get tickets and leave bags, head down to angelmo for another seafood lunch - picorocos (barnacles) this time, grab some groceries then wait for departure at port, board boat around 03:00, four person cabin shared with an australian girl (chris) and a french man, cocktails at 18:30 with chris and andrea (another new friend - from ny), then dinner at 19:30 followed by beers and some music on the bar deck, in bed for about 0:00 after a couple of bedtimes stories
• Tue Dec 20 - up at 08:15 and grab a big (by chilean standards) breakfast, mike spends the morning talking to andrea, jason does some laptop shiz, lunch with chris and andrea, mike showers then works on vidz after a read, jason hits the laptop as well, long nap for mike, cocktails, dinner, conversation with passengers, sleep
• Wed Dec 21 - jason up early to visit natives, mike up at 11:30, lunch with the usual suspects, spend the afternoon working on jarah vid and d20, cocktail hour at 18:30 then ruckus dinner with boozy conversation to follow back in the pub, mike gets attacked by an irate passenger and heads off to bed after a smoke with a sympathetic welshman, jason stays up late for some dancing
• Thu Dec 22 - up at 09:00, mike has a hangover, leave the ship and take a taxi to town, try to find breakfast and succeed after a short stint in the park like hobos, get some internet at local cafe, hang at bus station then board up for p. arenas, arrive around 17:00, check into hotel, stop at cafe for simple dinner and watch the football, back home to watch TV and chill
• Fri Dec 23 - up at 09:30, missed bus to argentina, so spend day eating seafood and shopping and chilling (love the cable), watch crappy movie in the evening then head back to hotel to blog and play games and watch TV
• Sat Dec 24 - up at 06:30 to catch bus for ushuaia at 08:30, cross into argentina around 14:00

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Photo Albums
Drink Chile
Navimag

Video Clips
Take That Photograph
Completos and Conversation
Da Glacier

---

Russia

June 17 - July 5

We entered Russia in St. Petersburg by overnight ferry from Tallinn, Estonia and spent a few days up north before grabbing the train for Moscow. After a short two days in the captial, we boarded the Trans Siberian Railroad and headed east. We stopped in Omsk and Irkutsk and arrived in Vladivostok on the 4th. The next day, we flew to Fukuoka, Japan (via Seoul - Air Korea) on the 5th.

Day by day breakdown:

• Fri Jun 17th - Arrived St. Pete, checked into LDM (Leningradsky Youth Palace), internet cafe, searched for Estonian singers
  
• Sat Jun 18th - Tour of Saint Pete with Angela and Mama, Club Metro that night
• Sun Jun 19th - Kidnapped by Simona, Polina, Daniel, and Stacia
• Mon Jun 20th - Laundry, lunch with Angela and Mama, coffee with Daniel and friend, hacky sack with Swiss lads, boarded overnight train to Moscow
• Tue Jun 21st - Arrived Moscow, checked into hostel in The Frozen Land of Nador
• Wed Jun 22nd - Got JR rail pass, mimed our way into tickets to Omsk, Red Square, drinks in The Arabat with Anna The Swede
• Thu Jun 23rd - Bath house, boarded train to Omsk
• Fri Jun 24th - On train
• Sat Jun 25th - Arrived in Omsk, no hot water, townie club
  
• Sun Jun 26th - Exercise, watching everybody drink in the park, Club Bunker
• Mon Jun 27th - Internet cafe, board train to Irkutsk
• Tue Jun 28th - On train
• Wed Jun 29th - Arrive in Irkutsk, boozing around town with Kate and Nastia
• Thu Jun 30th - Slow day, cafe lunch, central market, laptop jam in pub
• Fri Jul 1st - Leave Irkutsk for Vladivostok
• Sat Jul 2nd - On train
• Sun Jul 3rd - On train
• Mon Jul 4th - Arrive Vladivsotok, Kolia-sized hangover
• Tue Jul 5th - Fly to Fukuoka Japan via Seoul (Air Korea)
  

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Photo Albums
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg House Party
Moscow
Trans-Siberian Railway

Videos
Trans-Siberian Walkthrough
Student Art Film
Nikolai

---

Photo Albums

• US
• Housewarming Party (November, 2004)
• LA Bon Voyage Party (May, 2005)
• US Road Trip (May, 2005)
• NYC Bon Voyage Party (June 4, 2005)

• Estonia
• Tallinn (June 13 - June 16, 2005)

• Russia
• St. Petersburg (June 17 - June 20, 2005)
• St. Petersburg House Party (June 19, 2005)
• Moscow (June 21 - June 23, 2005)
• Trans-Siberian Rail (June 23 - July 4, 2005)

• Japan
• Tokyo (July 6 - July 16, 2005)
• Kyoto (July 16 - July 19, 2005)
• Mt. Fuji (July 19 - July 20, 2005)
• Kobe Ferry (July 22 - July 24, 2005)

• China
• Chronology of China (July 28 - August 18, 2005)
• Tourist Sites of China (July 28 - August 8, 2005)

• Vietnam
• Mekong Delta (August 22 - August 23, 2005)
• Cat Ba Island (August 28 - September 1, 2005)

• Laos
• Crossing Laos (September 4 - September 6, 2005)

• Thailand
• Muay Thai (September, 2005)

• Cambodia
• Cambodia (September 11 - September 13, 2005)

• India
• India Overland (September 26 - October 16, 2005)
  
• Himalayan Trek (October 3 - October 6, 2005)

• Australia
• Great Barrier Reef (October 22 - October 24, 2005)

• New Zealand
• Scenic New Zealand (October 29 - November 14, 2005)
• Taking It to the Forn (November 2 - November 24, 2005)
• Sailing (November 14 - November 16, 2005)

• Los Angeles
• Los Angeles (November 17, 2005)

• Peru
• Peru Overview (November 19 - December 6, 2005)
• Machu Picchu (November 30, 2005)

• Chile
• Drink Chile (December 7 - December 22, 2005)
• Navimag (December 19 - December 23, 2005)

• Antarctica
• Antarctica (December 26, 2005 - January 4, 2006)

• Argentina
• Buenos Aires (January 14 - January 26, 2006)
• Estancia (January 20 - January 22, 2006)
• Iguazu Falls (January 28, 2006)

• Brazil
• Wild Brazil (January 31 - February 15, 2006)
• Pousada Da Jo (February 16 - February 27, 2006)
• Rio de Janeiro (February 25 - March 2, 2006)

• South Africa
• South African Party (March 10 - March 24, 2006)
• Cape Town (March 18 - March 25, 2006)

• Lesotho
• Lesotho (March 8 - March 13, 2006)

• Egypt
• Cairo (March 26 - April 1, 2006)
• Eclipse (March 29, 2006)
• Desert Trek (April 2 - April 6, 2006)
• Sharm El-Sheikh (April 9 - April 11, 2006)

• Turkey
• Tourist Turkey (April 14 - April 27, 2006)

• Greece
• Santorini (May 2 - May 5, 2006)
• Meteora (May 9 - May 10, 2006)

• Bulgaria
• Bulgaria (May 14 - May 23, 2006)

• Romania
• Romania (May 24 - May 29, 2006)

• Croatia
• Sailing In Croatia (June 2 - June 10, 2006)

• World Cup
• World Cup (June 12 - July 10, 2006)

• Hong Kong
• Hong Kong (July 4 - July 12, 2009)

FAQ

What does "cromulent" mean?
It is an invented word from the Simpsons. Check it.

Are you a gay couple?
No. Are you a gay couple?

How much did the entire trip cost?
About forty grand apiece.

What languages do you speak?
We both got English down pretty well. Jason speaks Spanish. Mike speaks passable French and enough Russian to get into (or, hopefully out of) trouble.

Was it safe for Americans to travel in 2005/2006?
We intentionally avoided anywhere that was clearly unsafe, not because we were cowards, but because stopping the operation because of an avoidable mishap in Pakistan would have made us feel really stupid. Beyond that, I don't really think that Hanoi is any less safe than New York. We could have gotten shot or blown up in either place. Not being in cars every day probably increases our survival probability more than staying domestic would have.

Why come yer damn movies don't work? Huh?
They do work. But, we use the much-maligned MPEG4 format, so you have to use VLC or Quicktime. They play nice.

New Zealand

October 25 - November 17

We flew into NZ at Christchurch. There we rented a 4WD RAV4 ("Baron Von Bleef") and hit the road. Our route went via Mt. Cook, Queenstown, Westport, Wellington (where we saw Jon B.), Rotorua, Waitomo, and Auckland. We flew out on a Qantas jet for LA.

Day by day breakdown:

• Fri Oct 28 - arrive in Christchurch 04:00, check into hostel and collapse, up at noon, lunch, arrange truck rental, pints and snack at sports pub, out to Home for drum and bass, head to Base around 01:00 for more DnB action, to hostel around 03:00
• Sat Oct 29 - up at 09:00, check out of hostel at 10:00, taxi to truck rental place, pick up the truck, and head south in increasingly pissy rain, stop in ashton (sp?) for lunch and to pick up supplies, down to timura (sp?), stop at info center to check into hostel, jason naps while mike walks around in rain, nap for mike, dinner at pub, play pool, live cover band at outlaws, back to hostel around 01:00
• Sun Oct 30 - up at 09:00, pack and check out by 10:00, hit the road, gas and lunch in some little town (?), stop by lake (?) and throw rocks, on to mount cook, check into cabin about 20 minutes from the mountain, naps, dinner at mountain cafe up the road, back to cabin to burn DVDs and relax, sleep
• Mon Oct 31 - up at 10:30, head up to camp ground, breakfast of nutella and rice cakes, walk up to hooker lake, drive up tasman road, jason draws while mike walks to blue lake (now green), relax by stream and have cheese and salami snack, over to town for dinner in the old mountaineer cafe, back to camp/hotel, read, discover missing tapes, sleep
• Tue Nov 01 - up at 08:30, mike showers, jason chooses to be stank, leave camp, drive to twizel, breakfast at lou's cafe, drive on to queenstown (sp?), check into black sheep hostel, short walk into town, mike place's a bet on the melbourne cup, ATM, internet, watch horse race (bet not a winner) and drink beer and eat very nice beef nachos, jason goes to buy a book and mike has a walk around the lake, meet back at hostel for nap, nerdy computing and TV in early evening, back out in search of nightlife, do not find it and return to base for sleep
• Wed Nov 02 - up at 10:00, book skydive for 16:00, lunch at Naff Cafe, back to hostel to read and compute, jump out of airplane, back to hostel, out for dinner and drinks at The World Bar, meet some English girls, dumped by said girls, back to hostel around 00:00
• Thu Nov 03 - jason up early to head out bungy jumping, mike up around 10:00 to head out fishing, meet up back at hostel around 18:00, jason naps, mike blogs and deals w/ jason's bungy DVDs, fergburger for dinner, over to red rock bar for beers with folks from hostel, jason retires with mike to follow shortly, in bed for 00:30
• Fri Nov 04 - up at 08:30 to pack, check out of hostel, internet session in queenstown, hit the road, stop in wanaka for turkish lunch by the lake, back on the road to the west coast with some stops to see a waterfall and throw rocks into the tasman sea, stop at fox glacier and pack into ivory tower hostel, meaty dinner at local saloon, work with bungy DVDs, read, sleep
• Sat Nov 05 - up at 09:00, pack up and head north, stop for whitebait lunch in ross, halt a few more times along the way to stretch, photo op in charleston, check into trip inn in westport around 16:00, mike goes for a run, shower, a bit of shopping, pizza dinner, back to hostel to regroup, out to carters beach for cheap and cheerful fireworks, return to hostel, compute, read, sleep
• Sun Nov 06 - up at 09:00, breakfast in westport, rafting a no-go, head out for picton, stop at tourist trap of NZ's longest swing bridge, one or two other rest breaks along the way, light meal in cafe in picton, work on video projects while waiting for ferry, board ferry around 19:00, mostly read during crossing, arrive in wellington at 22:30, drive to jon b's, take advantage of free wireless, bed down
• Mon Nov 07 - up around 09:00, lunch at hipster cafe called fidel's, see the national museum ('te papa'), mike splits to check out parliament and associated buildings, meet back up at foot of cable car and travel to top, walk back down to jon's, take jon out for dinner and drinks, in around 00:00 and to bed
• Tue Nov 08 - up around 10:30 with slight hangover, head out for cambodian lunch, jason back to jon's to do research online, mike has a shop, shoes and presents are purchased, meet back at jon's, meet tam, then meet jon's mum, head out for very good pizza and suffer some boorish conversation with an american and a canadian, also meet a nice italian girl that wants to know about california, back to jon's to crash on the early
• Wed Nov 09 - up around 10:00, say good-bye to jon and his mum, breakfast and big coffees at local cafe, hit the road around noon, brief break to play mini golf (mike wins), stop at 'moon craters' to see a bit of thermal activity, check into hostel in rototura, out for dinner, run into southern girls from cairns, back to hostel bar and meet a couple of swedish girls, out to irish bar and back to hostel bar, some dancing, beers and photos in the hostel, sleep
• Thu Nov 10 - woke up by knocking Swede around 12:00, mike slightly hungover, japanese lunch, jason out to visit crafts center, mike stays behind to shower shave (new design) and organize tapes, jason returns to organize hongi outing then out to park for exercise, mike stays in hostel to work on jarah video, catch bus to maori dinner and show, return to hostel to booze it up, sleep around 03:30
• Fri Nov 11 - again woken up by Swedish knocking - this time at 09:00, pack and out the door by 10:00, lunch on the way to Waitomo at some roadside cafe, arrive at Juno Backpackers and converse with german receptionist while enjoying pool, shower and book cave trip, mike naps, jason does some sort of crap, go into town to dine at local tavern, back to hostel to read and watch movies, early to bed
• Sat Nov 12 - granola breakfast at 09:00, at Waitomo Adventures office for 09:45, 100 m abseil followed by hike and scrabble and swim through cave complex, emerge on the other end and hike back to caving hut, dinner supplied as part of the trip, have a few beers with other members of group, adjourn to tavern for a few more before calling it a night, in bed around 00:00
• Sun Nov 13 - up at 04:00 and drive out in hopes of finding someplace that is showing the Ireland vs. New Zealand ruby match, hopes are dashed in Hamilton when discover that match has already concluded, breakfast at local bakery before pressing on to Auckland, check into hostel with parking, hit the internet cafe, korean lunch, try to book sailing course without success, mike naps, jason launders, out for pizza dinner, stop on way home for some asian dumplings as well, mike launders, work on videos and soundtracks, in bed at around 00:30
• Mon Nov 14 - up at 10:00, brunch on pies and chips at local cafe, jason takes care of internet business, mike heads to Doverport (sp?) to exchange a book, meet back at hostel around 15:30, drive out to yacht club - get lost on the way, stop at shop to buy boat slippers, meet suzanne at 17:00, sailing lesson until about 20:15, dinner at the loaded pig, back to hostel to enjoy magnum bars, sleep
• Tue Nov 15 - up at 08:00, takeaway breakfast from peter's, meet suzanne at 10:00, sail until 16:00, back to hotel to wash, out to K Road for south indian supper, back to hotel, sleep
• Wed Nov 16 -up at 08:00, takeaway breakfast again, meet suzanne at 10:00 and sail until 16:00, back to hostel to relax, meet allan's friend jill at rokino's (sp?) on high street, dinner at cave-like japanese place, back to high street for more drinks, say good-bye to jill and canadian girl and carry on to an empty club, head home for about 03:00
• Thu Nov 17 - up at 09:00, check out of hostel, head to internet cafe, meet jill at 1 for a drink, say goodbye, over to bookstore for packing materials, back to internet cafe, drive car to rental place for drop-off, to airport, board qantas flight around 19:00 and take off for LA

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Photo Albums
Scenic New Zealand
Taking It To The Forn
Sailing

Videos
Prep & Takeoff
Der Beach
Auckland Sailing

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World Cup

June 10 - July 10

Our match schedule was:

12 Jun - USA vs. Czech Republic in Gelsenkirchen
17 Jun - USA vs. Italy in Kaiserslautern
22 Jun - USA vs. Ggana in Nuremberg
26 Jun - ITA vs. Australia in Kaiserslautern
30 Jun - Italy vs. Ukraine in Hamburg
04 Jul - Italy vs. Germany in Dortmund
09 Jul - Italy vs. France in Berlin

Mike's parents, sister, and brother-in-law came out from the 11th to the 23rd. We had a rental car that entire time and took a side trips to Amsterdam, Koln, and Salzburg. After we dropped the parents in Munich, the OC made for Vienna. We stayed with Beth S.'s family in K-town before heading up with her, Kevin B., and Leo R. to Copenhagen. Katya S. flew out for the weekend of the Hamburg match and we hooked up with Carl U. and others in Dusseldorf before Dortmund. Before Berlin, we made an expedition to Amsterdam where we picked up Falk U. and returned with him to the capital where we stayed with his parents and were joined by Troy. The OC parted company the day after the final.

Day by day:

• Sat June 10 - arrive in munich for about 14:00, change trains and grab some euros and sandwiches, long but comfortable ride to dusseldorf in the company of england fans, get a train on to the airport and check into hotel sheraton
• Sun June 11 - up a bit late, sushi lunch in airport, pick up keys to rental car and meet parents, drive to hotel in essen, big lunch at hotel, others sleep while derek and mike stay up to watch a few matches and chat and drink beer and soda (derek is off the sauce)
• Mon June 12 - most up for breakfast, jason arrives around 13:00, have lunch at hotel, a bit of a nap, head out for game at 16:00, parking problems, make it into the stadium almost just in time for the kickoff, watch the US get plastered 3 to 0 in a terrible match (for us), run into kevin b. in the stadium then run into cynthia g and jason w outside, give the latter 2 a ride back to essen, walk to local town center to get some turkish grub, back to hotel to sleep
• Tue June 13 - mike up around 09:00 for quickie breakfast, hang with mom a bit in the beer garden reading about cologne (the city), got everybody on their feet, leave the hotel for about noon and drive to cologne city center, park, walk up pedestrian avenue to cathedral, up the river on bicycle taxis and take cable car across river, hang out in park for a bit, walk back down to cathedral on other side of river, cross at rail bridge, back through shopping area to the car, drive to dusseldorf, find a place on the water to watch the france vs. switzerland match and have a bit of dinner, back in the car and drive to essen in time to watch brazil and croatia in the beer garden, do some internet research and updates before falling asleep
• Wed June 14 - up at 07:00, shower and shave and breakfast, call sixt to confirm that car can be taken out of germany, gather the troops, drive to amsterdam, park just near rijksmuseum (sp?), walk around museum square a bit and stop into cafe-ish restaurant for lunch, derek and jenny hit the museums while rest go on a walking tour into downtown, shop and watch some soccer and drink tea and such to avoid the intermittent rain, meet back up at the car around 18:30 and head back to essen, jason and mike head to put to watch germany vs. poland, others go to greek place to eat, in bed for about 23:30
• Thu June 15 - up around 08:00, breakfast, jenny and mom and derek and mike head into town for some errands but most things are closed apparently due to a holiday, pack up and drive to mainz, arrive at hotel konigshof right next to main train station, mom and dad and jason and mike walk down to the waterfront to have a bit of lunch and to watch a soccer match, return to hotel and watch another match in tapas place across the way, pasta dinner at very nearby italian and to bed
• Fri June 16 - up early enough for breakfast, travel to rhine by train, take a long boat ride up the river to koblenz, catch a train back, back at hotel for around 23:00, family has a late pizza dinner
• Sat June 17 - up late, jason sick again (derek's fault, apparently), mike and jen out to buy game supplies, meet helpful tunisian guy, leave in car around 13:30, park in distant lot and catch bus into town, sit in beer garden listening to a band and futzing around for a bit, stop in park to get all gussied up, long and slow walk to stadium, watch a dramatic one/one tie with 3 ejections, crowded bus back to parking area, derek drives home as mike is fairly drunk, arrive around 01:00 and straight to bed
• Sun June 18 - up late-ish, walk to near mainz cathedral for late lunch, mike and jason go to beer garden to watch games, others go to hotel to rest, meet back at hotel around 20:30, watch last match of the day in tapas place, retire
• Mon June 19 - up early for breakfast, pack the car and head out, dad travels by train on his own, others stop in rothenburg for lunch and a shop, reassemble at minotel brunner hotel in amberg, mike and jen and mom out for a look around the city while dad and derek rest and jason watches a match, reunite for dinner (excepting derek), retire to hotel rooms to watch TV and sleep
• Tue June 20 - up early, leave at 08:30 for salzburg, lunch with a view, mom and mike sit at cafe and shop while others are off to see fortress, split up again - mike and jason watch germany vs. ecuador on big screen next to cathedral while others shop and see sights, leave for amberg around 18:30, out for a doner dinner then to bed
• Wed June 21 - up early, mike and mom breakfast than sort of repair the panels on the rental van that got damaged in yesterday's minor collision, mom and mike do some wedding outfit shopping, mike out for haircut, all (minus derek) assemble at hotel, out to city square for a simple lunch, mom and jenny off to shop, boys back to hotel to do this and that before the 16:00 match, jason and mike and mom out to local joint to watch a game, return to hotel to collect others, walk back to same place to eat and watch the evening game, mike and mom retire early, others hang on a bit to watch end of game and have dessert
• Thu June 22 - up early, pack the car and head out to nurnberg, park car in plenty of time for US vs. Ghana, head over to "nazi documentation center" then sit in beer garden to have sausage lunch and a beer, split up to watch the US lose, meet back up at the call and drive down to munich, find the hotel after some outfit - 4 miles from airport, mike and derek drive back to return rental car and come back via bus, mom and dad and mike and jason have supper in underground hotel pub, sleep
• Fri June 23 - up early, simple breakfast in hotel, take shuttle to airport, check in and have a snack and a coffee outside, say goodbye to astles and crouchers, take train to munich central station, change for train to salzburg, chat with an austrian businessman and trainspotter for a bit, make a quick connect to train for vienna, read and blog and such along the way, meet karoline and sonja at vienna west station, drive to near tulln and have a light dinner and some wine in a garden, have a quick look at a nearby village before heading to tulln, sit on karoline's balcony and drink wine well into the night
• Sat June 24 - up early, breakfast at karoline's with her sister charlotte, charlotte takes the OC on a tour of vienna, see the sights and do some shopping and rest a bit in a park, drive back to karoline's to get ready for the party, kill some time in a beer garden next to the danube, charlotte drops OC off at party, help set things up by hanging printed photos, stand around and drink a bit and congratulate yashi and nina, leave in karoline's car early - maybe around 00:00
• Sun June 25 - up at 06:00, karoline drives us to tulln train station to catch a ride to vienna west station, connect on the u-bahn, board train around 08:20 and sleep most of the way, inquire about tickets in munich and have a burger king lunch, make contact with elizabeth s. who promises a place to sleep in k-town, board train for k-town via heidelburg at 13:30 or so, rest and blog aboard, meet elizabeth and wolf and colette at the station, they take us to their place in a nearby village, dinner there and watch portugal beat holland in a match with four sending offs, to bed
• Mon June 26 - up around 09:30, colette makes a very nice fried breakfast, catch the train into town with elizabeth in tow, exchange voucher very easily for rest of match tickets, meet kevin b. and leo r., settle down in beer garden for a good bit and listen to a somewhat cheesy band, walk up to the stadium to see italy beat australia at the last moment with a penalty kick, hang around town eating slowly served sushi, make it back to the house for about midnight, decide to head to copenhagen the next day, all four boys now crash on colettes floors and couches
• Tue June 27 - up around 08:00, colette makes dutch pancakes for all and we spend the morning chatting about this or that, pack up and head out, train to mainz, drop bags there and watch brazil beat ghana in a local beer garden, make a friend of a scotsman who happens to be sharing our table, beat feet back to train station to catch ride on to koln, then switch to sleeper train, all five of us pack into a couchette cabin and watch pulp fiction on a laptop before bed
• Wed June 28 - up around 09:00, arrive in copenhagen main station for 11:00, arrange a hotel room through tourist info center, drop bags and head out, elizabeth and mike split up from the group and head out to hippie village to listen to music and wander about, others take in some more conventional sights (palaces and forts and museums and such), meet back up on the street on the way back to hotel, mike and elizabeth stop at station to arrange tickets to hamburg the next day, wash up and take care of a few bits and pieces before going to wagamama for dinner, from there carry on to a small concert venue to watch boss hoss - a german band that does country covers of popular radio songs, head to a club afterwards on foot, mike and liz split before entering, all end up crashed in our hotel room made for 5
• Thu June 29 - up at 08:30, mike heads down to blog and breakfast while others snooze, carry bags over to train station to store in lockers, head to national museum to learn about danish history, split up after, mike and liz go shopping for a gift for coco, jason and kevin enjoy the tivoli gardens, not sure about leo but he ends up with some chocolate, reassemble at train station and board our ride back to hamburg, train drives onto a boat to cross the water, buy much booze on the boat and get a bit sauced on the remainder of the voyage, talk a bit with fellow passengers and exchange jokes, arrive at hamburg, mike and liz take a hotel room across from the train station, others go to meet leo at guesthouse in st. pauli
• Fri June 30 - mike and liz meet kevin and leo ro. at the train station, reservations are made, walk up pedestrian street and have a falafel lunch, long walk along lake to a museum hosting a football exhibit, mike walks liz back to station to put her on her way back to kaiserslautern, meet back up at fan fast but it is full, take train up to near stadium, watch first half of early match on a small tv at a kebab stand, watch rest inside across the way from the statdium, go in and watch italy beat the snot out of the ukraine, kevin and leo ro. head back to train station and take off for switzerland, leo r. and jason head back to st. pauli, mike goes to the east of town to meet katya who has just flown in from milan
• Sat July 1 - mike and katya head into city center by train, have fancy lunch on canal, walk around and see the sights, end up in st. pauli looking in sex shops for japanese porn, meet jason and leo at fan fest, watch england lose to portugal before watching brazil lose to france, drop by the guesthouse to drop off stuff and have a beer before heading down to the reeperbahn (minus leo) to drink, mike and katya split around 3, jason stays on until 5 or so
• Sun July 2 - up a bit late, mike and katya check out of hotel and head over to guesthouse to drop bags, grab jason and head out for a vietnamese lunch, down to reeperbahn to shop for a birthday gift for katya's dad, head over to park to relax in the sun, back to guesthouse to gather the goods, jason goes as far as bus station to say goodbye, mike carries on to airport, reassemble just the OC (for the first time in awhile) back at guesthouse, head down to reeperbahn for a pork meal and some beers, things are pretty dead, buy a little present for mignon before heading back to sleep
• Mon July 3 - up around 10:00, shower and update log and pack up, down to internet cafe to send a fax and read email and such, have lunch at mr. kepab, take the u-bahn down to train station and wait for service to dusseldorf, chat with some old german folks on the way, arrive in the dorf for about 18:30, meet carl at the station, walk over to hotel to check in, meet up in lobby with carl and alex and head out to waterfront for a few giant beers and some seafood eats, head in a bit to the old town for more drinks at an irish place before moving to an arabian-themed joint where we smoke sheeshas and meet mexicans, then around the corner to a dance place called peter pan, a very drunk mike apparently picks a fight with a bunch of gay men, taxi back to hotel to crash
• Tue July 4 - up around 12:00, mike has a bit of a hangover, get a kepab on the way to the train station, take a long hot ride to dortmund, drink a few beers before going to the stadium, watch italy beat germany with two overtime goals, meet with kevin and leo afterwards, mike goes out on his own, he ends up in hospital for a few hours and reaches the dorf around 05:30 the next morning, jason in a bit earlier after hanging with leo and kevin for a bit
• Wed July 5 - up around 11:00, say goodbye to carl and joel and vanessa (alex already left for paris by train), stop at pharmacy to get drugs for mike's throat infection, drop bags at train station, eat at nice cafeteria-style joint, mike hangs at internet cafe while jason is off to post, have a tea in a nearby cafe, back to train station to retrieve bags and wait, chill on platform for a bit, get very pimp first class service to amsterdam - sleep almost the entire way, meet mignon (huzzah!) at the station, head over to hers by car, have a few drinks and a dip in the pool, anouk joins for dinner, smoke a spliff with neighbors karen and corentina (sp?), anouk takes off leaving only mike and jason and mignon to hang out in the pool until late, in bed for about 02:00
• Thu July 6 - up around 11:30 when mignon arrives from alice's to make breakfast, head out to surprisingly fun wax museum, walk up to vondel park and have a tea, mignon goes to a meeting while the OC goes back to hers by tram to relax, alice and corentina show up and order chinese for dinner, close on their heels are wendy and daniella and dora and mignon, most of the group head out by bike to a "beach" near the river, meet mr. falk there, hang out and drink and smoke splif for a few hours, return to mignon's by bike, in bed for 01:00 or so
• Fri July 7 - up around 08:00 to say goodbye to mignon, properly get out of bed about 10:00, take care of a few computer things, say goodbye to alice who is off to the gym, pack up, then say goodbye to neighbors, out the door and on the tram by 12:30, drop bags at central station and pick up train reservation, argentine steaks for lunch, back to station to get bags and wait on platform, are joined by mr. falk, climb aboard and cross back into germany without incident, arrive at east station around 10, take s-bahn to eastern suburbs, falk's family has dinner ready - "chicken klaus", turn in after a very good meal
• Sat July 8 - up around 10:00, breakfast on the terrace at noon, troy has arrived, head out to city for some sightseeing, take in the old bit before reaching the brandenburg gate and the path of the wall, see holocaust memorial before having a typical german dinner, over to fan fest to watch germany beat portugal for 3rd place, travel to an old brewery that is now a club complex, leave around 04:00, back at chez unger for about six, falk and mike have a light snack before bed
• Sun July 9 - up around noon, breakfast on the terrace again, falk and troy head to beach and then on to a barbecue, mike and jason head direct to the stadium, pick up some italian-candians along the way and help them a bit, meet with leo and kevin outside the stadium, hang out a bit, meet andreas and some other overture-era folks inside the stadium, watch italy beat france on penalties (zidane sent off in overtime for a headbutt), straight back to home base, troy and falk reappear after jason and mike are already in bed
• Mon July 10 - up at 6, shower and pack up, one more nice breakfast on the terrace, momma unger drives mike and jason and pappa unger to the train station, cruise into town, have a bit of sparkling wine to celebrate completion of the mission, both on same train south, jason gets off a fulda, say goodbye on platform

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Photo Albums
World Cup

Video Clips
A True Patriot
Boss Hoss

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Greece

April 27 - May 14

We traveled to Athens by overnight train from Istanbul. After two days, Lauren joined us. We flew down to Santorini and back before saying goodbye to Lauren and starting out for the north. We made an abortive attempt at seeing some islands not too far from Athens before getting back on track and heading inland to the monastaries of meteora. After that, we spent a few pleasant days sampling the urban pleasures of Thessaloniki before heading to Bulgaria by train.

Day by day:

• Thu Apr 27 - cross border on daytime train, make the change in Thessaloniki for overnight train down south
• Fri Apr 28 - wake up missing stop at athens, try to get a taxi but end up taking a train back one station, then get a taxi that wanders around quite a bit, first choice hotel is full but they redirect us to another that has room, can not check in until 10, walk down to busy square to have a light breakfast and coffee/tea, check into hotel and have a nap, out to nearby square for dinner, watch films on TV, sleep
• Sat Apr 29 - up around 11:00, out to internet cafe, grab a big lunch, send some parcels from the post office, relax back at hotel, mike drops off and retrieves laundry between reading about the crusades, walk around checking out alternative hotels for lauren's arrival, buy movie tickets at theatre, spend an hour snacking and drinking beer, watch V For Vendetta, walk back to hotel, sleep
• Sun Apr 30 - up around 09:00, breakfast in hotel and arrange to stay two more nights, hang around in hotel and cafe for most of the day reading and blogging and such, head out to airport by bus and meet lauren, return to hotel and drop bags, out to local bar to down ouzo and other strange drinks, mezze dinner not too far away, cafe for a bottle of wine, back to bar to have one more raki, get a bit of baklava on the way, retire to hotel to sleep
• Mon May 1 - up at 08:00, breakfast in hotel and make plan for the day, walk up to parthenon but find it closed, admire the view, walk into town and take in a few protests, have a sit in the park, down to studenty area to have lunch and then coffee and a couple of glasses of wine (for mike), walk a bit more across town to view some hipster cafes and shops, back to hotel, go to internet cafe to upload some shiz, mike and lauren hit the hotel grand bretagne for cocktails and conversation, jason joins and all head out for dinner, very filling meal along somewhat touristy street, return to hotel, pack, early to bed
• Tue May 2 - up at 03:30, head to airport via bus, long line to check in, catch flight to santorini after a bit of a wait, arrive around 07:00, taxi to kumari but unable to find an open hotel, jason arranges a hotel and transport to thera, check in, get breakfast, take a nap, out for drinks and snacks with ocean view, walk down to old port past lots of donkey poop, have a beer by the water, cable car back up to the town, back to hotel to change clothes, run by supermarket to get some snacks and booze, down a bottle of wine, head out to cafe to have cocktails and watch sunset, seafood dinner, hit the bars to booze it up and dance, back to hotel relatively early, sleep
• Wed May 3 - up around 11:30, out to breakfast after a bit of a lay in, a few drinks over crepes and back to hotel, jason scores some beers, play mexican for quite some time on hotel balcony, very nice dinner at lonely planet recommended restaurant, out again to murphy's to get things started, have a boogie there than bar hop to a few other places, retire around 5 AM
• Thu May 4 - mike sleeps in until six or so, jason and lauren go out for breakfast and some internet during his slumber, shower and head out in the evening for dinner of multiple souvlaki wraps, grab some baklava and enjoy it overlooking the water, cup of tea in a nearby cafe, over to box bar for a drink, mike calls it a night on the grounds of general whoozyness, jason and lauren carry on late
• Fri May 5 - mike up early to shower and blog, lauren and jason rise somewhat later, pack and drop bags at hotel and book a taxi to hotel, out to local cafe, jason enjoys mexican omelette and corona to celebrate the mexican holiday, get a newspaper and sit in another cafe with a view just chilling, mike and lauren climb up hill to get a look at old church, come back down and meet jason, back to hotel and jump in cab for airport, no issues boarding flight and arriving back in athens, luckily manage to find a hotel room by way of a booking service in the arrivals area, bus than tube than a short hike to hotel, check in and drop bags, mike and lauren back out for indian meal in slightly dicey part of town, back in to sleep
• Sat May 6 - up at 07:30 and downstairs for nice hotel buffet breakfast, out the door around eight on foot and arrive at parthenon half past, get in early and see the hill, walk down from there to national gardens and enjoy coffee and a bit of a debate at the cafe, walk up to archaeological museum and take in the excellent collection, have lunch in weird russian gypsy porn disco, back to hotel to relax for an evening on the town, walk a good way through not the nicest hood to reach a tourist free family neighborhood eatery, great meal, back to hotel and in bed for around one after copying lauren's photos
• Sun May 7 - wake up late at 06:10 and immediately leave for the airport in a taxi, get there in plenty of time especially because lauren's departure has been delayed, have a cup of tea and a cheese and spinach pie while we wait, say goodbye, return to hotel on the very new subway, mike stops for a bowl of cereal, nap for a bit, awaken and pack, down to internet cafe to take care of some backlogged business, lunch at local cafe, pick up bags and take subway to train station, train we want is not leaving until late so choose another somewhat at random, end up in halkida, unable to get a bus that day so check into john's hotel on the advice of a very friendly and helpful taxi driver, watch a police academy movie, out for seafood dinner and ouzo, watch some crappy movie on TV with ralph machio playing blues guitar before falling asleep
• Mon May 8 - up around 11, shower and pack and check out, decide to head elsewhere on the advice of the hotel manager, back to train station to get back to the main line, lunch and a few beers there waiting for train up north, get on the wrong train so get after one stop, taxi back where we were to find our train long gone, change destination and get new tickets, board another train (the right one), read and blog and nap and watch the hilly scenery as the sun goes down, get off a bit early at larisa and head straight to nearby hotel, mike out to atm and back, watch a bit of escape from la before heading out for basic dinner at very nearby restaurant, return to sleep
• Tue May 9 - up around 06:00, shower and pack up, to the train station and have tea and a small breakfast, sleep through most of the train ride to kalapaka, get a taxi to kastraki and check into sydney hotel, have a cup of coffee with the very gracious hotel owner, get a map and head out for a long circular trek that includes stops at lots of scenic hilltop monastaries and a break for lunch, back down to the village and get some OJ before retiring to the hotel to rest, shower and head out for a couple of beers at the only bar/club in town, dinner and wine at taverna with good view, retire to hotel and watch a bit of AI before falling asleep
• Wed May 10 - up around 09:00, breakfast separately in the hotel, jason out early for rock climbing lesson, mike hangs out in village square and reads and blogs, meet back up for simple lunch and decide to split, check out, taxi to train station but find that the trains are not running so carry on to bus station, wait a bit waiting for ride, arrive in thessaloniki that evening, taxi to hotel, back out for a dinner at the kitchen bar on the waterfront, also stay for one confused post dinner cocktail, martini rossi ain't all >that<>
• Thu May 11 - up around 10:00, mike out for a run, gets bit by a dog (not badly) on the way back and has a bit of a shout at the apologetic owner, shower and gather up laundry, march out to drop off clothes, have a nice lunch at a quiet restaurant near the student cafes, hop over to an internet cafe for a few hours to get some stuff uploaded, pick up laundry, stop off at book shop and pharmacy on way back to hotel, relax for a bit, hit the oceanside strip for a few beers, have an unsatisfying dinner at an ouzeri back near the hotel before heading back to the seafront, hang around in a bar with well-dressed locals for a bit before deciding to retire for the evening
• Fri May 12 - up around 10:00, mike has a minor hangover, dress and out the door, head north to see the older (turkish) part of the town, have a nice seafood lunch with a view over the old city walls and down to the harbor, check out fortress that was used as a prison, than over to what appears to be an old church but is actually in the process of being built (or possibly rebuilt), down to the lower city, have a cup of tea at the byzantine history museum before having a look around the exhibits, the place is nice and the collection interesting but the very watchful staff are unnerving, walk back towards hotel, stop at internet cafe before going up to the room to chill and shower and watch a spot of TV, dinner at a noodle bar then pop next door to "don't tell mama" to hang out with gay bartender that we met at the museum cafe, down quite a few drinks before jumping into a cab for an entertainment complex called "milos", dance to dj spooky and leave shortly after the start of the comparatively lame set of one df food, taxi over to a place called "boutique" but only stay for a bit because mike is feeling very unsteady, taxi back into town and crash at the hotel
• Sat May 13 - jason up around noon and out for lunch, mike up around 16:00 with a good hangover, watch TV for a bit before heading out, mike gets a chicken gyro to snack on, sit for three hours in a place called elvis drinking and doing little else, head over to a place we saw that has karaoke, sit at the bar and talk to the saucy bartenderess and bleat out a few tracks, stop by elvis again briefly on the way home but decide to turn in, hit the sack for about 15:00
• Sun May 14 - up at 11:00, pack and check out - leaving bags at hotel, head down to post office so jason can send off a few things, have a gyro lunch at a little place and chat with the waiter about his dream of going to the US, walk up to internet cafe and shift some bits, hang out in nearby cafe for awhile before walking back to hotel to collect luggage, take a taxi to the train station, wait there for a bit before boarding direct service to sophia, hang out with some cypriot kids on board that study in sofia

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Photo Albums
Santorini
Meteora

Video Clips
Karaoke Mike

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Turkey

April 14 - Apr 27

We arrived in Anakara (via Istanbul) from Cairo early on the 14th. After two days in Ankara, we headed west for Izmir and spent a few days there before moving on for an extended visit to Istanbul. We left by train for Athens.

Day by day:

• Fri Apr 14 - land in istanbul early, clear passport control and change to domestic terminal, hang about a bit before boarding flight around 08:30 for 09:00 launch, arrive in ankara about 10:00, clear customs and grab a taxi into town, have a nap until 15:00 or so, jason relaxes at hotel while mike has a walk around, meet back at hotel and head out for pide dinner at restaurant below the hotel, return to hotel, fall asleep early
• Sat Apr 15 - up around 07:00, mike out for a run in local park, return to hotel for turkish breakfast, shower, out to drop off laundry, to cargo handler to mail packages, walk down to shopping area to find bookstores, spend a few hours on the internet in an upstairs cafe overlooking a pedestrian road, taxi over to museum of anatolia civilizations, have a walk around old town (citadel) district and eat an early dinner in a restored ottoman mansion with views over the city, walk back to hotel, jason deals with photos while mike reads, to bed around 22:30
• Sun Apr 16 - up around 07:30, mike out for a run, back to hotel, mike takes breakfast than has a shower while jason fusses with photo mosaic program, pack and check out of hotel, grab laundry, back to hotel to repack, walk over and get a minibus to the main bus station, buy tickets at 13:00 for a 14:30 to izmir, wait it out in the bus station reading and having a snack, one tea stop along the way, arrive in izmir bus station and have iskender kepab dinner, taxi into town and check into imperial hotel, sleep
• Mon Apr 17 - up around 07:30, mike out for run in nice local park complete with track and workout area, back to hotel to shower, out for breakfast at corner kebab and confectionary place, buy bus tickets to selchuk near the train station, catch free mini bus to bus station, jump on connecting bus just as it is leaving, arrive in selchuk around noon, walk to site of ephesus (efes) and spend maybe two hours looking around, walk back to bus station and wait for a bit before catching a ride back to izmir, mini dolmus back to hotel, relax for a bit - mike finds the internet, walk to the fancy part of town in search of a rough guide pick that is not to be found, settle for waterfront dinner at a nice sports bar type of place, enjoy our first turkish beers, march back to hotel for sleep
• Tue Apr 18 - up around 08:30, decide to have a lazy day in town, soup and bread breakfast at nearby cafe, back to hotel quickly to get ready, walk town to city bazaar and look around, up the hill to ruined fort, talk to a kid and an old man and take some pictures, stop to drink beer/tea and work on various books and projects, walk back down and stop for pide dinner in the bazaar, back to hotel, jason stays in while mike goes out looking for cinema, he doesn't find it - settles for an evening sit in the park before returning, read a bit and early to bed
• Wed Apr 19 - up around 07:30, pack and check out by 8, minibus to bus station, drop big bags at left luggage, jump a bus out to village near ancient sardis, walk a bit to reach the two sites and have a look around, stop in village to have a nice lunch, catch bus back to izmir from main road, arrive around 14:30, collect bags and head out again by bus to istanbul after a bathroom and internet break, a couple of stops along the way for tea and dinner and such, arrive in istanbul around 00:30, taxi into old part of town, walk around a bit finding a hostel, eventually settle into a twin room and crash
• Thu Apr 20 - up around 08:00, breakfast in hostel, pack up and check out, stop by bookstore to get an istanbul guide, sit at closed outdoor cafe for a bit looking for a place to stay, try out a few options before settling on another hostel, check in there and retrieve bags, do a bit of research on apple repair places, head out to taksim square and beyond to drop off jason's laptop for a fixin', nice lunch near apple center, taxi back to taksim square than a bus back to near the hostel, relax and read and surf (free wifi) for a few hours, have dinner at a very nice restaurant with open fire, retire after the meal to bed
• Fri Apr 21 - up around 08:30 and have the usual turkish breakfast at hostel, head out again to taksim by bus than taxi to retrieve jason's laptop, metro back to taksim, walk down iskadil (sp?) cad. to look at the shops, walk for miles down an unpleasant busy street to have tea at the pera palas hotel, walk down to water looking for a bus back, end up hiring a guy to get us across the golden horn in his little boat, walk through a bit of the bazaar area on the way back to the hostel, relax for a bit, bus back down to taksim square, walk along iskadil (sp?) looking for a place to eat when encounter a pair of "friendly" locals - one that speaks pretty good english, we join then for a barbecue dinner then they take us to a bar with scammingly high prices, we bail, go for a beer or two at a cafe that features turkish music, try to find a particular club but fail, get denied at the roxy, take a taxi over to babylon, hang there for a bit with a disappointingly young crowd dancing to disco, split by taxi back to the hostel, in bed for around 04:00
• Sat Apr 22 - up around 10:00, mike grabs a quick breakfast in the hostel, check out the blue mosque and the aya sophia, have chicken kebap lunch at corner cafe run by very garulous man, he recommends a joint for watching the galatasaray vs. fenerbache derby that evening, relax in the grass for a bit, down to view giant cistern, walk up to palace but decide not to go in, back to hostel to chill for a bit, mike out to travel agent to try to get train tickets but no luck - will have to go back monday then down to barber for a hair cut, walk down to cafe to watch the footie, have a mezze platter before the match but forced to abandon it in order to save marginally reserved seats, game is a 4 to zero blowout but fun, hang around cafe and have supper, back to hotel to change clothes, grab a taxi downtown, mike gets scammed by the old "you gave me a 5, not a fifty" trick and (on top of that) is overcharged, arrive at drum and bass clus show at balans and watch ronnie side do an uninspiring set, leave around 02:30 by taxi and arrive back at hostel for maybe 03:00
• Sun Apr 23 - up around 12:30, kofte lunch in busy local joint, over to hamam for a bath and viscious massage, stop for tea and orange juice after, stop at sweet shop for some turkish delight and a bit of cakey thing, back to hotel to read and blog and surf, eat supper in a turkish place near the hostel, have a few beers and a desultory dance with the other backpackers gathered around the various hostels and honkey bars, retire at about 15:00
• Mon Apr 24 - up around 11:00, breakfast at patisserie where weird joke-telling kurdish guy works, drop off laundry, out to travel agent to get train tickets, they now claim that they can not handle international ticketing so walk to train station, get tickets with incident, return to hotel, head out for a lonely planet walk west of sultanahmet, skirt the edge of the bazaar area and eventually find a cab, view a big mosque, walk down busy road and stop for an ice cream, take a look at old city walls where the city suddenly seems to stop, over to 4th century church, fancy dinner near the church of ottoman-era food, taxi back to near hostel, jason out to retrieve laundry, mike sends a bit of the email and works on eclipse video while jason reads, watch sin city (again) and hit the sack
• Tue Apr 25 - this is apparently ANZAC day, up a bit late, tasty kebab lunch at cafe owned by guy that directed us to football cafe, walk around grand bazaar and buy some goods, stop for a drink of boza - weird fermented grain stuff, take a look at sulieman's mosque, walk to waterfront and catch tram to sultanahmet, walk to hotel and pick up warm clothes, back down to waterfront to catch ferry across the water, taxi up a hill, enjoy good view over tea, then retire inside to have a dinner mostly remarkable for the sunset view, taxi back down the hill and catch ferry back, march up to hotel, mike sets a tape to capture before bed
• Wed Apr 26 - up around 09:00, mike has breakfast in hostel, out the door for 09:30, make it to waterfront with plenty of time for jason to have a snack and to catch the bosphorus tourist ferry, travel all the way to the black sea, disembark, climb up hill to castle, come back down for seafood lunch, take the boat back to city center, stop by train station to check on departure for the next day - all is good, walk to hostel, mike pops out to swap some books and chat with kurdish guy while jason does some internet comms, walk over to yeni marmara tea house to enjoy good food and wifi and a champion's league match, back to hotel to pack and sleep
• Thu Apr 27 - up around 06:30, shower and finish packing, taxi to train station, board early, mike pops out to get some cash and a bit of breakfast and coffees, train departs on time around 08:30, guy a bit more borek on board, get some snacks at turkish border, cross into greece without incident

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Photo Albums
Tourist Turkey

Video Clips
The Call To Prayer
Turkish BBQ
Turkish Catfight

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Egypt

March 26 - April 14

We arrvied from Bahrain on the 26th and were lucky enough to meet Chris and Gigi on their last evening in Egypt. We spent a few days in Cairo, saw the pyramids and the big musuem, and split by taxi out into the desert. After a four day trek, we returned to Cairo and head immediately for the Red Sea where we did 4 days of diving. We took one rest day after emerging from the ocean, then caught a bus to Cairo and an early flight on the 14th on to Ankara (via Istanbul).

Day by day:

• Sun Mar 26 - arrive around 13:00, suffer a bit of confusion at immigration trying to get a tourist visa, immediately thereafter find baggage personnel to report our still-missing luggage, hook up with a travel agent called abdul who helps us manage the bag issue and book a hotel, he also arranges a ride into town and accompanies us to our room, a friend of abdul's called ahmet arrives an hour later to talk about travel options, we plunk down some cash for a trip to the pyramids on wednesday, head to zamelek island by taxi to meet chris and gigi in the pub beneath their hotel, have a mezze dinner of sorts there, say goodbye around 22:00 and return to hotel, early to bed
• Mon Mar 27 - up around 10:00, breakfast in hotel, head out on foot to american university bookstore to buy reading material and guidebooks, deflect a tout on the way, walk down to street bazaar, buy some clothes, tea then meaty lunch, cross over big road to get a look at a mosque, take a tour and have a great view of the area from the minaret, met outside the mosque by a guy claiming to be an english student, he shows us around some workshops and craft stores, mike buys a little present for his mom and a fez for himself, part company with volunteer guide after a short visit to a papyrus shop, walk back to hotel, find that luggage has been delivered - huzzah!, call ahmet to arrange transport to eclipse, he comes buy a bit later to collect money and the deal is sealed, head out to local joint for a tasty dinner of grilled meat and macaroni and salads and fresh bread, back to hotel to do a bit of admin, sleep
• Tue Mar 28 - up around 09:30, breakfast in hotel, pack up and check out, leave bags in the lobby, head down to mcdonalds for internet access, walk up back towards hotel to check out some camera shops in search of solar filters, stop in to DHL to mail gift to mike's mom, a bit more shopping, tasty lunch of meet in pasta and beans, walk down to nile to check out the scene, walk back up to hotel and wait there for driver, he arrives around 20:00 with chris (another passenger to the eclipse), drive all night with only a stop in mersa matrouh to have tea
• Wed Mar 29 - arrive at eclipse sight around 04;00, have some tea and bread and generally chill out in the cold, watch the sun come up, play a bit of hacky sack, wait around, get interviewed on live TV, the show starts at 11:00 and hits climax around 12:40, the egyptian president was there, get a lot of photos and video, wait for driver to come back with chris, jason meets some members of the egyptian pariament, jump into car and split for cairo, stop for a meal in mersa matrou, say good-bye to chris who is staying there, truck on to cairo with only one more stop for le toilette, arrive back at hotel around 22:30 and straight to bed
• Thu Mar 30 - up at 06:50 and out the door at 07:30, drive with guide and driver to pyramids of giza, take a camel ride to see the site, jump back in car to see older pyramids at sakarah, guide gives us a good rundown, view inside of one tomb, stop for lunch at a very touristy restaurant but the food is good, return directly to hotel by car, do some turkey and desert safari research before taking a good nap, make a few safari-related calls but no very solid leads, head out to mcdonalds for some internet access, stumble across restaurant that does pizza and savoury pastries, eat there and chat in french with some locals, back to hotel to sleep
• Fri Mar 31 - up at 07:00 to shower and do some more reading about turkey, breakfast at hotel, book tickets to ankara on the phone, taxi down to zamalek to pay for tickets after an attempt to find the travel agent at the wrong place, taxi over to egyptian antiquities museum, enjoy exhibits separately, have a cafe lunch, save mummies and king tut for last, walk back to hotel, jason reads about crusades while mike works on eclipse video, out for dinner in mostly empty hotel restaurant, back to hotel to watch a bit of james bond before bed
• Sat Apr 1 - up at 08:30, jason puts in the laundry, not so patiently wait for hot water, cold shower, breakfast at hotel, out to mcdonalds for internet access and to upload april fools day joke, underground to ramses square so jason can post some things, mike kills time by drinking tea and watching movie in cafe, walk back to hotel, eat takeaway lunch in hotel room and watch CNN, chill reading and burning DVDs and watching CNN and crap movies, out to cairo tower to dine in cheesy rotating restaurant, target nightclub does not appear to exist, go on a hunt for belly dancing that takes us to a riverfront club and the pyramid road, retire back to the hotel around 23:00 in despair, straight to bed
• Sun Apr 2 - up at 07:40, shower, pack, mike pops out to try to get the internet but finds cafe closed, check out and jump into car destined for baharia oasis, one stop at grimy rest area to buy water and stretch, back in car to complete the trek, arrive around 12:30, have lunch, arrange trek and pay a big stack of cash, relax in room and charge devices, take a trip around town in a 4x4 along with 2 girls - a canadian and a kiwi, mike has a swim in the oasis lake, watch sun set from a hilltop, return to camp for chicken dinner, early to bed
• Mon Apr 3 - up early to have simple breakfast and tea before heading out in a truck to meet our guide (arajip) and his camels (names not known), mount up and head back across town, stop for lunch in a little stone house with a frond roof then nap away the hot hours, back in the saddle and into the desert, camp in the sand after a few hours, tea then dinner, watch the stars for a bit then hit the hay
• Tue Apr 4 - up around 9 for tea and simple (cheese and bread and jam) breakfast, break camp and head further out into the desert - this time on foot, stop at a shady spot for lunch, then press on for the afternoon, stop again near some kind of oasis farm for supper, asleep for 22:00 (or maybe earlier)
• Wed Apr 5 - up around 09:00, usual breakfast and tea, trek out on foot, arrive in a small oasis town around 11, stop next to hot spring pump pool and have a swim and a wash, lunch on beef (maybe brain) and tuna and such in palm branch hut - are joined by some local friends of arajip's, hang there for a bit napping and reading, head out again on foot, make camp in the sand, tea then supper, jump into sleeping bags not to long after sunset
• Thu Apr 6 - up at 8 and discover that camels have gotten into the supplies, shoosh them off with arajip's assistance, have a bit of breakfast, pack up and trek (jason on camel, mike on foot) for 2 hours, stop for an early lunch in the less than copious shade, read and nap until about 14:30 then head out again, make it to meeting point near an asphalt road, pass the time throwing rocks at other rocks and having a bread snack, pickup is two hours late, debate hitching and decide to camp there the night, safari company folks show up in a truck just as we are settling in, put camels in the back and drive into town, say goodbye to arajip, pickup bags and have a soda while waiting for room, drop stuff in room and head down for a nice mutton supper, back to room to get clean and process photos and blog and such, mike calls home to wish his parents happy birthday, shower and sleep
• Fri Apr 7 - up at 07:00 to pack up, simple breakfast (this time with fig jam!), in the car at 8 and head out with a brief stop for the driver to get some take-away eats, two pee stops on the way, get dropped off at bus terminal, have lunch while waiting, make some calls to arrange dives and accommodation with at first little and then some success, bus leaves around 14:20, jason reads about the crusades while mike blogs, two short stops on the way, arrive for about 21:00, take a taxi to the hotel, check in, dinner in hotel is expensive so go across the way for al fresco meal with friendly staff, back to hotel to sleep
• Sat Apr 8 - up at 09:00 and catch hotel breakfast, walk across the way to have coffee and cake and use wifi at "the station" cafe, back to the hotel to change rooms, head out by mini bus a dive center on the bay, arrange to do a check dive at noon, go out and purchase prescription lenses for mike, jump in the water around 13:00 with dive leader and a german (austrian?) couple in tow, have a nice shallow swim and see some fish and a moray eel, drop off equipment and make arrangements for the next day out on a dive boat, lunch on the beach, try unsuccessfully to buy an enclosure for jason's camera, taxi back to hotel, wash, laptop jam, cross road to cafe to use internet, sandwiches and italian soda for dinner, back to hotel and watch a bit of the twin towers, sleep
• Sun Apr 9 - up at 07:00, breakfast at hotel, catch 07:45 bus to dive center, on the dive boat for about 09:00, do some nitrox instruction aboard, first dive is deep and do narcosis test and practice a rescue skill, have a bit of a swim along a reef wall, back on boat to enjoy the sun and have lunch, chat with fellow passengers including an english actress that will be presenting a show called "tribe wanted", second dive is shallow reef wall, joined in a group by claus (older german guy) and his young daughter nora, manage to surface on top of the reef (whoops!), get dragged back into the boat, pleasant ride back in past a rusty wreck, arrange next two days of dives, head to pleasant rooftop egyptian place for dinner, taxi back to hotel to bathe and sleep
• Mon Apr 10 - up at 07:15 to read SSI nitrox book, breakfast at hotel, picked up at 08:45 and down to different docks, board boat and head out to ras mohammed park, do three dives including a cave and part of a wreck surrounded by toilets, back to dock late and transfer by crazy taxi to dive center, organize a few things there and buy DVD of day's diving, say goodbye to dive guide mohammed and head to town to drop off camera and get money and dine on tasty chinese/japanese soup, taxi to hotel and straight to bed
• Tue Apr 11 - up at 05:30, picked up at 06:30, transfer to same dock as Mon, get on different dive boat, snooze while heading out to site of the thistlegorm wreck, breakfast on the boat, two dives on the wreck - one out and one in, lunch aboard, wait around while others do a third dive on the way back in, reach dock around 18:00, shuttle to dive center to get an idea of the size of the bill, so-so lebanese dinner in nama bay, back to hotel to watch a bit of TV and sleep
• Wed Apr 12 - up at 08:00, mike finally showers after 2 days of stinking, leisurely outdoor breakfast at hotel, watch a bit of TV and finish off a DVD burn before heading across the way to use wireless at the cafe, mike has a skype with crowlins then jason gets synching stuff installed as his laptop is dead, both have a sandwich for lunch, back to hotel, relax by the pool and burn DVDs and watch TV, head out to Nama Bay and pay diving bill and get certification cards and paperwork sorted, swiss ice cream near the beach, dinner and sheesha with tea at rooftop camel bar, taxi back to hotel, watch TV while sorting more DVDs, sleep
• Thu Apr 13 - up at 08:20, burn red sea diving DVD, al fresco breakfast by the pool, relax the morning away, mike goes across the way for tea and cake and wifi, return to hotel to back up, check out around 11:30 and taxi to bus station, leave sharm at 13:00, arrive in cairo around 18:30 with only one police stop to sniff the baggage, taxi from bus stop in cairo to airport, hang out in cafe to have dinner and pass the time until check in, board plane around 02:00 and in the air for 02:45

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Photo Albums
Eclipse
Desert Trek

Video Clips
The Eclipse Dance
Bedouin Breakfast
Desert Trekkin'
The Camel Dance

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Brazil

January 29 - March 2

We entered Brazil by car at Iguacu and split by plane from Rio.

Day by day:

• Sun Jan 29 - wait for seemingly ages for a bus at the border, pass the time with hacky sack and sweating, grab taxi to last few kilometers to bus station, lunch and buy tickets on to campo grande - leaving the next afternoon, taxi back to town and check into lanville hotel, do a bit of this and that, nice dinner at outdoor corner restaurant - steaks and chicken, retire to hotel around 22:00 to capture tapes and burn DVDs and play doom, end up watching some crappy segal movie with ja rule, sleep by 00:00
• Mon Jan 30 - up at 09:00, mike down for a nice buffet breakfast (more than just bread and jam), back to room to continue DVD burn process, out to see the city, fast food lunch of fried goodies and fruit juice, do a bit of shopping and looking for english books, back to hotel to watch TV and relax, taxi to bus station, catch our ride to campo grande around 17:00, stop after change of bus for a very nice buffet supper, sleep onboard
• Tue Jan 31 - wake up on bus around 08:00 and arrive in campo grande, met at station by enthusiastic arranger of tours, he provides us with free breakfast and a shower and we agree to 3 nights in the pantanal, relax in hostel, catch bus out of town at 11:30, stop for buffet lunch around 14:00, transfer to a 4x4 truck when road becomes dirt, one or two stops along the way to rest, arrive in camp around 19:00, settle in and have dinner, our group of 8 includes the OC and a girl from iceland and an italian and a family of 4 swedes, hang out a very little over beers then to bed
• Wed Feb 1 - up at 06:00 after a buggy evening in hammocks, breakfast at 06:30 and head out for a hike at 07:00, tramp through swamp a bit and finish up with a swim in black waters, back in camp in time for an early lunch, spend afternoon relaxing and playing hacky sack and making bone jewelry, head out again at 15:30, stop near rio negro to take pictures with alligators, also see lots of birds and some monkeys and capybaras, back to camp to freshen up, have a few beers before late dinner, one more beer before bed, mike gets love and hate temporarily tattooed on his knuckles
• Thu Feb 2 - up early again, fish for pirana in alligator-infested swamp just near the camp, manage to catch a few, have a nap before lunch, piranas are eaten - very nice with a bit of lemon but not much meat, afternoon siesta then head out in the rain to mount up, spend several (3?) hours on horses, return very sore, race to shower before new arrivals, several beers before dinner, boisterous dinner, a few more drinks in the suddenly very busy bar before bed
• Fri Feb 3 - sleep in, up late to drink water and pack and have lunch, back in the truck around noon, get stuck in the mud on the way and have to lever the truck out, transfer back to bus for campo grande with a couple of rest stops along the way, arrive back at hostel around 19:30, shower and repack, have dinner and some drinks with new friends from iceland and italy, jump on bus around 23:00, sleep almost immediately
• Sat Feb 4 - wake up on bus, hang out with easily impressed kids and make some chit chat with other travelers, buffet lunch at roadside stop, rainy sunset, fried goodies and juice for dinner, sleep
• Sun Feb 5 - still on bus, fried goodies and strong sweet coffee for breakfast, blog and sort photos, arrive in porto velho at noon, taxi to hotel, walk to hospital to get jason's big feet diagnosed, return to hotel to rest, mike heads out to get a big lunch and some internet, meet back up at hotel, mike heads out again to buy boat tickets, runs into jose from the bus on the way, all meet up at hotel and head out for some drinks and a bit of food, jason calls it early, mike and jose carry on until midnight
• Mon Feb 6 - up at 09:00 and grab nice breakfast in hotel, mike handles laundry while jason out to pharmacy, head down to docks to get hammocks and ropes, run into jose and he helps get things sorted, also get a ticket for jason - something that mike failed to do, back to center of town to shop for english books with only a little luck, stop around 14:00 for a large steak lunch at the same place mike had lunch the previous day, back to hotel to burn DVDs and blog and sort pictures, mike out to find a market and have a look around, meet back at hotel and head out to internet cafe for an hour, stop for a hotdog sandwich on way back and watch scorpion king for a bit on the side of the road, back to hotel and in bed for about 23:00
• Tue Feb 7 - up at 08:30 and grab another nice hotel breakfast, shower, head out to get SIM cards, spend a long time in one shop getting jason sorted, mike gets his phone "unblocked" in another shop but is unable to make jason's SIM work so buys a used phone - will get a SIM in manhaus, back to hotel to check out and head down to boat, mike pops out for some supplies and a bit of beer, hang around on deck drinking beer all afternoon, boat leaves sometime around 18:00, dinner is somewhat thereafter, spend the evening watching concert DVDs and hanging out, retire about 23:00
• Wed Feb 8 - up around 08:00 for simple breakfast of bread and coffee, spend the morning in hammock reading, big lunch, afternoon sitting on deck drinking beer and chatting with other passengers - including an older english-speaking dutch gentleman, dinner at the usual hour then break into the "Presidente" cane wine that mike bought in a fit of dumbness, it goes down rather badly, after stop in a small port, discover that jason's ipod and phone and wallet are missing - strongly suspect a culprit who is now gone, console selves with a few more drinks and then bed
• Thu Feb 9 - up around 08:00 again for another simple breakfast, spend the morning in hammock reading and drawing cartoons, spend the post-lunch hours doing more of the same, after dinner there is a bit of a barbecue on the top deck with lots of music and a bit of dancing, turn in early out of general boredom, cold and rainy all night and do not sleep very well at all
• Fri Feb 10 - up early at around 05:000 after a night of bad sleep, pull into manhaus for about 06:00, walk up and check into hotel continental, have a brief encounter with a jungle tour operator but turn him down, very welcome showers (in cold water), out to internet cafe to upload a lot of content, per-kilo lunch, jason out to try to make some calls regarding his missing cards, mike to hotel to nap, meet back at hotel around 17:00, jason has been unsuccessful, he heads out again while mike stays in to burn DVDs and read darwin's journal, jason returns grumpy having accomplished nothing, mike asks after permanent marker used to write on DVDs and jason immediately locates his wallet and phone but ipod is still gone, hang about a bit before heading out for a celebratory (and very stuffing) churrascaria dinner, straight back to hotel to pass out
• Sat Feb 11 - up around 08:00, shower and head to breakfast, return to room to prep for a day of errands, over to tour company to organize outing to jungle, our guide frank helps us find jason some shoes and get some flights to salvador after our return, back to hotel after and then out for fish lunch at local joint, get mike a TIM SIM and some batteries then split up for a bit, mike does a tour of the city while jason sorts out amex fraud issue, meet back at hotel around 18:00, jason's issue was a fake fraud, italian dinner and two beers than straight to bed
• Sun Feb 12 - up at 05:00 and pack up, suarez (from the tour company - sp?) picks us up at the hotel in a car and we head to bus station after a brief stop at his office, meet two spanish guys (javier and joan) that are joining our little group, take a very cold bus trip out of town, jump off at a little village and buy some last minute supplies than walk down to the river, about one hour on a speedboat and reach base camp, breakfast than a row boat trip over the nearby water, mike puts up a brief argument about the itinerary, do a circular trek after lunch, bathe in river, dinner than bed down early in hammocks
• Mon Feb 13 - up at 06:30 or so and grab breakfast, pack up and head out into the forest, reach camp in about 2.5 hours, hang hammocks and such, have lunch than head out into the forest, back for baths in stream, dinner, shoot the shit a bit than turn in
• Tue Feb 14 - coffee around 06:30 and out into the woods, return about 13:00 for a bath and lunch, loll about a bit than gather extra fronds for the shelter, bathe in the stream again, coffee and biscuits for dinner, play a round of cards and then retire to hammocks, chat for a bit before a mostly sleepless night
• Wed Feb 15 - up at 06:00 and immediately back up and hit the trail, arrive back at base for about 08:30 and enjoy a nice breakfast, spend some time hanging out and watching frank make two blow guns, big lunch, row across river to a farmhouse and enjoy a few cold beers, back to camp to wash and pack up, boat arrives during a rain storm, say goodbye and have a wet trip back to the village, hang out at bus stop for a bit playing hack sack with a local kid, two hours on bus to manaus and are met by manuel with a big hat, drive into town to get bags from tour office, over to manuel's for a shower and unexpected free meal, manuel drops us off at airport, nerd out in terminal waiting to check in, get on first leg to brasilia and pass out
• Thu Feb 16 - awake at 07:00 or so and get off plane, sleep on floor of airport waiting to connect to salvador, take off again around 10:20 and land around noon, taxi into town after struggle with brazilian phone system, first choice hotel shut or full or something, policeman (maybe) takes us to another place where we agree to seven days at a somewhat discounted rate, immediately take in a free lunch, run a few errands in the afternoon and then settle down into drinks and a big free bahian dinner with the staff, wash a few dishes than nerd out near the balcony for awhile, sleep
• Fri Feb 17 - up at 08:30 for big breakfast, a bit of admin and then out to internet cafe until 14:00, jason to flippy dance practice in the afternoon, mike hangs out in hotel reading and burning DVDs, dinner with hotel staff at very close restaurant, beers in the door of the hotel, taxis to Barra, a bit of confusion when some of party gets lost, reunite and end up in a gay club, return to hotel for about 01:30 for sleep
• Sat Feb 18 - up around 09:00 for another big breakfast, watch flippy dance practice - jason participates, get flights to rio and try to organize passage to canudos, por kilo lunch on central square, back to hotel to wash and relax, jason naps while mike hits the internet and does a bit of shopping for carnaval costume, reunite at hotel, have a few beers, out for al fresco dinner, back to hotel around 20:30 drained of energy, jason to bed, mike heads back out at 23:00 with a young australian guy and Edge (hotel staff) to a club at the mall near the beach, dance a bit to canned disco and then watch a band of teenagers play a ska-ish set, back to hotel for about 01:30 and to bed
• Sun Feb 19 - up around 09:30 for yet another fine breakfast, hang about waiting for shower and letting it rain, hit the streets for a bit of touristing, mike gets mugged, back to hotel for a few beers in the street then off to shopping mall, pick up some bits and pieces for carnaval costumes, a few more beers then fruity drinks in the pousada, wait for jo to arrive to go to churrascaria, bail out on meat trip in favor of pizza, return to hotel, jason turns in, have a few more drinks with andre 3000 for his birthday, hang out a bit in front of pousada with the gorillas drinking beer, sleep
• Mon Feb 20 - up around 10:30 for breakfast, jason to internet, mike hangs in pousada to blog and work on video stuff, mike out for internet in afternoon, meet back up in pousada lobby and hang out with meatheads a bit, out for dinner after a couple of cocktails, go to festa with kids from the pousada, big crowd and music is kind of boring, in bed for about 01:00
• Tue Feb 21 - up around 09:30 for breakfast with lots of people in pousada, jason attends to hideous blister while mike works on blog shite, meet up with belgian girls at noon to go to the beach, get there by bus, spend a few relaxing hours making sand castles and an orange cape and drinking beer and eating fried cheese, back to town by taxi, jason and belgians to flippy class, reconvene belgians and the OC around 21:30 at the pousada, there is music on the steps next door and fruity drinks going around, out for al fresco dinner at unfancy little place, manage to converse among all the street vendors and passing drum-heavy parades, down the hill to a reggae club, that closes so move on to a seedy little place a bit farther on, are joined by hamish (new friend from UK) for a bit, jason's camera is stolen at the club so we take off, try to find a hip hop club that hamish knows but it is closed, say goodbye to hamish then hang out on the street a bit, jason walks belgian #1 (joanna) home then returns to find mike and belgian #2 (anna) still hanging out on a street corner, jason heads to bed, mike walks anna home and them himself staggers into pousada as the sun is coming up
• Web Feb 22 - up at 10:00 or so, mike has something of a hangover, wash up and head out separately to barra to get hair sorted for carnaval, now are both sporting mohawks of sorts, meet up back at pousada after jason's flippy school, mike heads out to internet cafe to cancel recently misplace ATM card, clean up a bit and head out for dinner at bahian place over the road after a fruity drink at the pousada, immediate return to base to read and blog and take it easy, a few beers with other residents and staff, jason out to samba party, mike early to bed
• Thu Feb 23 - up at 10:00 for the usual breakfast, pack up, get some laundry in for same-day processing, out to the internet for a bit but otherwise spend the day hanging out and reading and napping and blogging, early dinner of bahian pork loin, farewell to pousada staff, taxi to airport, hang out and blog, flight delayed a bit, take off around 01:00 and get immediately to sleep, awake upon landing around 15:00, claim bags, get an expensive pre-pay taxi to the hotel
• Fri Feb 24 - can not check in so hang out and snooze in the lobby, out for pricey but good al fresco breakfast by the beach at 08:00, back to hotel to try to get in room but still no luck, wait around in lobby until 13:00 and finally get checked in, wash and sleep, up at 16:30 and head out to tourist info center and shopping mall to look for new camera, back to hotel to get dressed, mike hits internet cafe while jason rests, head downtown to central square to watch a free samba concert, meet some girls (floriana and olivia), head to samba school drum practice for sweaty dancing, then to hip hop club for more, taxis back to copacabana to sleep
• Sat Feb 25 - up around 14:00 and have feijoda (sp?) lunch in hotel, get cleaned up and head out to sambadrome, mill around before getting tickets, show starts at 20:00, jason splits at 23:00 to meet girls, mike stays around until 01:30, meet back up at hotel, jason with febiana in tow
• Sun Feb 26 - up around noon, shower and head out to a family barbecue very far from the city center, have some eats and drink beer and dance, leave there around 19:00 for a bar where karaoke is sung and more beer is had, then its time to head to the carnaval, a wet march in the rain to street festival, hang out drinking beer and eating junk food for awhile to avoid the downpour, hip hop dancing in the street for a bit, mike grabs a taxi home after a protracted argument about safety, jason out all night and sleeps in the burbs
• Mon Feb 27 - mike up around noon and relaxes in hotel, out for beachfront lunch and relaxation, jason appears somewhat later, naptime, meet girls at hotel for about 19:00, walk the copa in costume (captain futuro and admiral capoeira), sit for a few beachfront and down cocktails, call it a night around 00:00
• Tue Feb 28 - up around 14:00 or so, lunch at little place next to hotel, grab some cash and new disposable camera, out to cinelandia to meet the girls, beers in front of tetro municipal, walk over to lapa to join a bloco, spend 2 hours on the march, relax over pizza back at lapa, mike heads for home around 21:30, others stay out, jason and floriana appear in copa some time later
• Wed Mar 1 - up around 13:00, mike heads out to drop off laundry and get a hair cut and look for a new backpack, search leads to local shopping mall where success is had, back to copa via bus and have lunch next to hotel, up to room to blog and chill with cable TV, jason and floriana return, watch a bit of TV and look through pictures (actual prints!) then head out for churrascaria dinner, stop by internet cafe and then back to hotel to pack and sleep
• Thu Mar 2 - up at 07:00 to shower, mike has breakfast before picking up laundry, finalize packing and take a taxi to the airport, catch earlier flight (09:30) to sao paolo, bus transfer to another airport, have to wait for south africa desk to open, do a bit of shopping, relax with laptops, check in, find out that need onward tickets and mike needs a yellow fever shot, get the shot then buy a throwaway ticket, proceed to gate, buy some headphones for jason and exchange a bit of money, mike has a bit to eat while waiting to board, watch big rainstorm, get on day plane and take off around 17:30

Photo Albums
Wild Brazil
Pousada Da Jo
Rio de Janeiro

Video Gallery
Howler Monkeys
Fishing For Piranha
Brazilian Jumping Bean
Jugglation

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South Africa

March 3 - March 25

We flew into JoBurg on the 3rd from Rio. From there, we trucked down to Petermartizburg (sp?), up to Lesotho via Sani Pass, back down to Petermaritzburg (sp?), south to Durban, along the coast to Cinsa, and finally to Cape Town. We flew out of Cape Town via JoBurg on the 25th.

Day by day:

• Fri Mar 3 - land around 07:00 after a very nice flight, plane had a truly on-demand video system, mike watched 'shop girl' and 'the weatherman' and 'serenity' and 'four brothers', phone hostel from airport and get an expensive taxi in, sleep until about 16:00 then head out for mall, lunch of salad and burgers, buy a new still camera and some books and some SIM cards, back to hotel and mike passes out while jason arranges transit (by bus) to durban
• Sat Mar 4 - wake up around 04:00 due to early to bed, shower and hang, cooked breakfast shortly after 7, read and plan for a bit, buy baz bus tickets all the way to cape town, head out to other mall, buy new memory stick at electronics store then turn back looking for used mobiles, do not find them, stop at hostel to pick up example small battery, back out to electronics store to buy new batteries for universal translator, jason turns back and mike walks on the additional 20 minutes or so to the mall, mike watches 'walk the line' then shops unsuccessfully for a hat, returns by cab for about 15:30 to meet jason who has just returned from lunch and has otherwise been chilling, beers and rugby before veggie lasagna supper in hostel, early to bed
• Sun Mar 5 - up early to catch baz bus, walk to shopping center to get cash and coffee and food from bakery, hang in hostel lobby for a bit joking around with staff, get on the baz bus, lunch at gas station, arrive in maritzburg around 16:00, check in, walk up to hospital with judith (swiss girl from baz bus), then walk into town to check out art museum before closing at 6, search for a pub leads to a indian place where we down some bunny chow, back to hostel to drink beer and converse into the night, in bed for around 22:30
• Mon Mar 6 - mike up early to call sani carriers and read, big breakfast cooked in the hostel, to town to buy some camping equipment and a new phone for mike and to hit the internet cafe, return to hostel, mike pops out for a bit to get cash, board landrover at 12:30 and head to underburg, spend a few minutes at carrier office before getting dumped at a local hotel, drink beer and relax while waiting for ride to sani lodge, ride finally arrives and make it to hostel, have nice supper there and some beers chatting with a dutch guy (peter) and an english freelance journalist (jen?), in bed around 22:00
• Tue Mar 7 - up early for simple breakfast, get map and head out for day hike, lunch near a waterfall and mike has a swim, up to top to see interesting rock formations and take in the view, return for about 16:00, do some reading and relaxing before dinner in the lodge, some conversation with others after, retire to room to pack and sleep
• Wed Mar 8 - up early for breakfast in the tea house, meet our guide matthew - an interesting man with a big beard and a subtle sense of humor, jump in truck and head to underberg to pick up some stuff, play hacky sac in small parking lot while waiting for arrival of dutch girls, dutch girls arrive - anouk and minion, back to lodge to drop off goods then head for sani pass

In Lesotho for a bit...

• Fri Mar 10 - cross back to SA in the evening, drop girls off at hotel to get massages, boys head in to clean up, all reassemble over dinner, go into town with big peter in his big peter truck, many drinks and some splif and some dancing at the underberg lodge pub, return to sabi lodge for about 02:00
• Sat Mar 11 - up early-ish for another tea house breakfast with the dutch girls, catch a ride with matthew into underberg, jump a minibus taxi into petermartizburg (sp?), lunch there on pizza in a friendly bakery, catch another minibus taxi on to durban, catch a regular taxi there into banana backpackers and take some dorm rooms, immediately take a nap, mike and jason head out for dinner, head back early as can not safely get cash, hit the hay for about 21:00
• Sun Mar 12 - up early and out to get some cash, mike heads to mall for breakfast and internet while jason chills at hostel, reassemble and go to beach to meet the dutch girls, hang near big pool for awhile before taking in some fair rides, have a beer to calm stomachs and wait out the rain, return to hostel on foot to clean up and relax, rani from sani pass shows up, order nandos food, have a big feast and then play mexican for some time, leave around 00:00 for "joe cool" bar down at the beach, meet up with rani again there, stay out until about 15:00 drinking and dancing and the usual sort of thing
• Mon Mar 13 - up at 06:00 to pack and catch baz bus to cintsa, mike sleeps most of the way, a bit of reading and eating of KFC is also done, arrive around 17:00 and check into a safari tent with a very good view, nap, dinner at 20:00 in the loud bar, back to tent to deal with blog and photos and such, early to bed
• Tue Mar 14 - up around 08:30 for a big breakfast at the hostel, read a bit and digest, down to the beach for a sit, back up to hostel to enjoy pool for a little, jason has a laptop jam while mike reads and then naps, indian supper at hostel, early to bed
• Wed Mar 15 - up around 08:30 for a light breakfast at hostel, jason heads to surf school, mike reads and then watches a shitty film ("the core"), jason returns and heads up to laptop jam, decision is made to leave the next day so reservations are made, lunch at the bar/pool and some ping pong, hang in bar before dinner and meet german girl (vanessa?) who recognized us as KFC enthusiasts from the baz bus, beers and conversation, roast chicken dinner, beers and conversation and dancing, bed around midnight
• Thu Mar 16 - up early and pack, try to get a game of volleyball but no luck, lunch at bar/pool and chat with an american girl (jaynie?), spend much of the rest of the day watching TV (monkey business, danger mouse) and reading, catch the baz bus around 18:30 and head to port elizabeth, arrive there at 00:00 and straight to bed
• Fri Mar 17 - up at 06:00 to catch bus at 06:45, spend the entire day on the bus reading and sleeping and whatever, burgers for breakfast and lunch, some chatting with other passengers but mostly pass the time in silence, arrive at parliament hotel in cape town at about 22:00, jason decides not to go out for st. patty's day, mike tries to contact the dutchesses, no luck, sleep
• Sat Mar 18 - up at 09:30, down to long street to eat pies and get some internet, finish up admin around 16:00 and make a dash back to the hotel before jumping in a cab for the rugby stadium, watch the cheetahs beat the stormers then return to hotel, get picked up by rob (american guy from baz bus) and his turkish friend and head out to observatory for some drinks and a rock show among the collegiate type, also have a dance with some black folks with a short stop by some pretentious opium den sort of thing, catch a cab home around 02:00
• Sun Mar 19 - up around 09:30 again, walk over to waterkant to talk to travel agent about flights, follow that up with a very nice al fresco breakfast on a quiet street corner, walk up to south african museum then back to hotel by way of an ATM, pop out quickly to also get some cash for jason, rest for a bit, grab a taxi to waterfront and buy egypt guide book and discover that admin hassles for ghana are too much trouble, try to get tickets for a film but find it sold out, have beer and nachos on the waterfront instead, taxi back to hotel, shower, make contact with the dykes, they have a rental car and agree to come and pick us up for a night out, meet dykes on long street after a quick glass of wine, confused drive out to the beach, pizza and drinks and dancing near the shore, drive over to gay bar downtown, more drinking and such there, taxi away, drop off dutchesses, mike rides on hood for a bit, back to hotel, in bed for about 05:00
• Mon Mar 20 - up about 13:00, mike has a hangover, breakfast at nearby coffee shop, back to hotel to blog and deal with flights and shower and all that kind of thing, out to post office to mail some tax forms and a stolen plastic leg, return to hotel for a few moments, jump in cab down to waterfront and take in academy award winning bore-fest "tsotsi", back to hotel for a bit before walking down to city hall for overlong but enjoyable hip hop festival featuring lots of good music and dance, back to hotel to have bass-heavy dreams
• Tue Mar 21 - up around 10:00 to shower and fuss about with laptops, soup and salad lunch at pizza place, further up long street to internet cafe, return to hotel to drop of bags, out to company's gardens for free concert, the show is lame so go down to waterfront to meet rob and check out the cat he is taking to florida, drinks and snacks after, rob splits, dinner of lobster and abalone, return to hotel and sleep
• Wed Mar 22 - up around 10:00, breakfast in hotel, shower, out to district 6 museum then the castle, taxi up to table mountain cable car but it is closed because of high winds, down to gardens to arrange flights, walk over to kloof street for indian lunch, over to labia theatre to inquire about right eye short film festival, walk through the company's gardens on way to hotel, relax for a bit and steal free wireless internet, out to mama africa's for some music, try to go to hip hop club but get redirected, meed german vanessa and sit for a bit eating pizza with her and her friend, head upstairs to play two games of pool (very badly) and then retire back to hotel
• Thu Mar 23 - up around 09:30, pack up and move rooms, jason heads to robben (sp?) island (former mandela island prison), mike not feeling well so stays in bed and works on video stuff, meet back up at hotel around 15:00, head out at 17:30 to see part of right eye film festival (pinky pinky is highlight), tasty kurdish dinner with piss-poor service, back to hotel for 21:00 to play with jason's new ipod nano and research egypt and capture some videos, watch some of "dreamcatchers" (shite) and sleep
• Fri Mar 24 - up around 10:30, walk to garden square center to have brunch and collect tickets for egypt and buy mini dv tapes and pharmacy stuff, walk back to hotel, up to long street for and hour and a half of internet, back to hotel, taxi up to mount nelson hotel for tea, watch a wedding party while we are there, walk back down to hotel through company's gardens to relax and capture some more vid, get a call from rob, meet him at 21:00 at madame zangara's for tasty gypsy dinner, then taxi to maverick's strip club for some whoring, leave about 02:00 to meet the dutch girls at some club, bounce back and forth between a few places before getting free entrance to opium with some help from alice's new wrestler friend, hang and dance, girls leave suddenly with alice in a huff after a bit of an incident, part company with rob and head for hotel around 04:00, stop for a pie on the way
• Sat Mar 25 - hang out in room for a bit feeling tired and lonely, check out and get shuttle at 05:45, mike calls mom while waiting for check-in to open, check in and sleep waiting for departure, board plane and fly to JoBurg, wait in a very long line to check in for flight to Bahrain, board at the last minute and leave SA soil around 12:30

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Photo Albums
South African Party
Cape Town

Video Clips
The Rapping Dutch
Mike In The Hood
Coloured-Ass Crooks

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Peru

November 18 - December 6

We arrived in Lima on a flight from LA late on the 17th of November with Lehra in tow. We spent a few days in the capital before heading north to Chicalyo for 2 days. Back to Lima and we dropped of Lehra at the airport, then continued our way south.

Day by day...

• Fri Nov 18 - arrive into lima from LA around 23:30, book hotel and taxi at airport, head into town, check-in, sleep
• Sat Nov 19 - up around noon, switch to different room in same hotel, hit the streets for guidebooks, SIM cards, and a very nice seafood lunch, walk up to seaside and enjoy the view, back to hotel to get a jacket for jason and relax, head out to clifftop posada to catch the dying rays of the light and drink and eat fried food, head down to park in barranco to catch some nightlife, do a bit of bar hopping and cap things off with a chicken/beef/french-fry/hotdog sandwich, taxi back to hotel and collapse
• Sun Nov 20 - lehra and jason up around noon and head in for lunch while mike recovers from most recent hangover, meet back at hotel around 15:30, head out to plaza de san martin, pisco sours on the terrace at the hotel gran bolivar, walk up pedestrain shopping street to electronics store, stop in at eglesia le merced, up to plaza de armas, poke head into catedral de lima, walk up to italian restaurant with balcony and watch folks over supper and beers, stroll around market and look at souvenirs, mike buys a small bottle of milk and liquor, taxi back to hotel, watch sin city and chill
• Mon Nov 21 - mike up around 09:00, others a bit later, shower and pack, lunch at local cevicheria, head to museo nacional but it is closed, try to take a pee at biblioteca nacional but it is under construction, find relief at burger king, grab a taxi to plaza de armas and walk over to iglesia san francisco for tour of franciscan monastary and catacombs, coffee and cake on plaza de armas, walk down to central mercado in search of books - don't find 'em, grab a cab back to the hotel, throw stuff into cab and head to cial bus departure point, wait for about an hour, lehra starts on d20 character, board bus, dinner and a movie then sleep (sort of)
• Tue Nov 22 - arrive in chiclayo around 08:00, jump in cab to a hotel after a bit of spazzing, breakfast and shower and relax for a bit, sizable late lunch then return to hotel, jason goes to bus station to retrieve lost items whilst others chill, mike and lehra out to plaza de armas to check out church and people watch, regroup at hotel, relax, head out to pizza joint, then on to casino for a bit, end up at karaoke bar, return to hotel around 03:00 after quick stop at a lame disco
• Wed Nov 23 - up around noon, lehra and mike with hangovers, store bags at hotel and go for another big lunch, purchase bus tickets back to lima, walk down to large central market for a shop, jason illin' so returns to hotel, mike and lehra carry on, buy some mangos for local kids, jump in cab, quick stop at hotel to drop new goods then on to beach, walk along rickety pier and meet some stoned local kids, head back down to beach for a beer and a sunset, taxi back to meet jason, quick dinner (no jason), then taxi to bus station, short wait there then get on bus, dinner and starsky and hutch en route, sleep
• Thu Nov 24 - arrive in Lima around 08:00, direct to hostal de patio and put sick jason to bed, lehra and mike out to net cafe to find place for thanksgiving, make reservations at the marriott, back to hostel to relax, mike sleeps for a bit while jason and lehra shop and such, all out to disappointing porn cafe, mike and lehra carry on to arcade and water-front bar to watch sunset while jason heads back to hotel to relax, rejoin at hotel to prep for dinner, taxi to marriott with lehra's bags, have thanksgiving dinner (not bad), all in cab to airport, say goodbye to lehra, return to hotel, cnn and sleep
• Fri Nov 25 - up late and check into a different (suite-sized) room, light lunch then spend afternoon burning DVDs and researching the rest of the SA part of the trip, out to waterfront for dinner and video games, back to the pad for more tape shuffling and some reading and TV and then bed
• Sat Nov 26 - up around 11:00 and make calls regarding Inca Trail, looks like we will not be able to start until dec 2 at the earliest, decide to forget the hike, taxi to bus office for tickets, lunch nearby, taxi to bus terminal, wait for a bit, board bus around 16:30 for cusco, watch some movies and eat some crap food and sleep
• Sun Nov 27 - wake up around 09:00 on bus that is busily being cleaned, breakfast at arequipa terminal, back on bus for long haul to cuzco, lunch and dinner served and the same damn movies watched again, arrive in cuzco about 20:30, taxi to hotel, check in, grab water and other supplies then to bed
• Mon Nov 28 - up late, jason heads out to find internet, mike joins a bit later, do some serious searching for hotels in rio, adjourn for late lunch just off of plaza de armas, back to hotel to burn DVDs and such, arrange bus tickets to puno, relax at hotel, vegetarian dinner, happy hour drinks at popular local bar and take in a local band that is a fusion of all kind of hippie crap, back to hotel around 00:00, sleep
• Tue Nov 29 - up at 09:30, jason manages to get breakfast, mike not so energetic, pack up and leave bags at hotel, pick up bus tickets, spend a bit of time in internet cafe, go to train station to get yet more tickets, mike leaves jason in plaza de armas to arrange post of sailing book to atkin and pisco to jonny - the latter is not a success, rejoin in city center, light lunch of soup and salad overlooking the plaza, inca museum, hang out in plaza some more, big up bags and walk down to another plaza to catch ride to start of train ride, 2 hours by car through the mountains, then wait out the rain in a cafe, board all-gringo car on train around 20:00 and head out, arrive in aguas calientes about 22:00, check into hotel and sleep
• Wed Nov 30 - up at 05:00, simple breakfast at hotel, buy tickets for machu pichu, board bus about 06:30, arrive at 07:00, enjoy the central ruins in relative silence, steep hike up to overlook - get rained on, back down for lunch at cafe, hike up to inca bridge, chat with some soldiers, back down and board bus to town, hit the natural springs, hotel to shower, out for very good peruvian dinner cooked by the french, some video and photo work then early to bed (22:30)
• Thu Dec 1 - up at 06:30, mike breaks fast while jason dozes, check out of hotel and hit train station around 08:00, jump on little tourist train back to ollantaytambo, take a taxi the rest of the way to cuzco then connect to stinky puno bus, arrive puno 20:00, settle down in hostel promoted heavily on the bus, out for alpaca dinner, back to hostel to drink beer and cut video, sleep
• Fri Dec 2 - up early, mike goes for a very short run - altitude sucks, out to internet cafe for a few hours, lunch, jason retires for a bit and mike heads down to travel agent to work on anapia arangements, meet back at hotel then back to agent to finalize, cuy dinner, back to hotel and sleep
• Sat Dec 3 - up at 06:00 to meet 07:30 bus, leave for yungiyo (sp?) about 08:00 and get dropped off about 10:00, take bike taxi to city center to meet our captain, collectivo to port and jump on little boat, about 1 and a half hours to anapia, meet nancy at the dock and head to the house, settle in and have lunch outside, walk around the island with felix, relax at the house, dinner in our room, mike's birthday party - cake, milk, and flowers in hair, sleep
• Sun Dec 4 - up at 06:00 and head over to other island in felix's sailboat, feed and milk the cows, back to the house for a quick breakfast then over the other side of the island to do some fishing, back to house to clean the fish then eat 'em for breakfast in the garden, relaxing afternoon of readying and studying and walking and taking pictures, dinner downstairs then early to bed
• Mon Dec 5 - up at 07:00 for quick breakfast, settle the bill and say goodbye, then catch the boat back to the mainland, collectivo to town then another bus to puno, check in with agent, head out for lunch and internet, then back to agent to collect bus tickets, off to bus station, leave for tacna at 21:00, watch The Mask in spanish and try to sleep
• Tue Dec 6 - arrive in Tacna at 07:00, get a taxi with a swiss couple across the border to Chile

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Photo Albums
Peru Overview
Machu Picchu

Video Clips
Happy Birthday
Machu Picchu
Little Girl in a Big Jacket

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Australia

October 17 - October 25

We arrived in Cairns (via Sydney, from Mumbai) on the 17th and left to Christchurch, NZ on the 27th with a long enough stop in Sydney for some seeing of sights.

Day by day:

• Mon Oct 17 - land in Sydney around 10:30, connect to cairns about 13:00, land again about 17:00, taxi to gilligan's five star backpacker hotel, relax, burgers, sleep (mike increasingly ill)
• Tue Oct 18 - up around 09:00, check out of gilligan's and move to global palace, nice breakfast, mike to hotel to chill (still illin') jason out and about, mike stops by hospital to get some drugs, dinner at irish pub, mike home early, jason out on the town
• Wed Oct 19 - mike up around 12:30, burger lunch, get trailfinders working, internet cafe, jason hanging at the lagoon, mike sees about tickets to NZ and SA, reassemble for supper, mike to movie ('the devil's rejects') and jason out on the town
• Thu Oct 20 - mike up around 12:00, big breakfast, organize diving tour, get STA working on flights as well, free-ish pub dinner, mike to see 'serenity' at cinema, jason out on the town, mike returns to watch TV and capture video
• Fri Oct 21 - up at noon, fitting for scuba equipment, mexican lunch, move NZ tickets back 2 days to accommodate scuba no-fly period, work on peru flights some more with STA and Trailfinders, 'reef teach' - listen to excited irish marine biologist go on a bit about the reef, subway for dinner, watch a bit of TV, pack up for scuba trip, sleep
• Sat Oct 22 - up at 05:00, arrive at dive shop at 06:20, to the boat, 2 fun dives to get back in the swing (see turtle on the second), navigation dive (swim in circles), first night dive (wicked!), showers, sleep
• Sun Oct 23 - up at 06:30, deep dive (jason skips), search and recovery dive, underwater photography dive, second night dive (jason skips), shower, dinner, 2 beers, sleep
• Mon Oct 24 - up at 06:00, jason illin', crappy first dive, in detention for second dive, excellent shallow third dive in very bright seas, lunch, pack up, back to cairns, check into hostel, laundry, shower, jason sleeps, mike goes out with folks from dive trip, stumble back to hostel
• Tue Oct 25 - up at 10;00, mike has a hangover, full english breakfast, get tickets from NZ to Peru (via LA!), post office to mail gift to mom and passports to Jill, retrieve and examine photo CDs from the dive, afternoon nap, jason internets, mike has dinner with jackie, in bed before midnight
• Wed Oct 26 - up at 10:30, chunk video files, sushi lunch, admin and napping in the afternoon, seafood dinner, early to bed
• Thur Oct 27 - up at 04:00, to airport and fly to sydney, see opera house and harbor bridge, jason to imax and mike to powerstation museum, rejoin at airport, flight delayed, get off the ground 4 hours late
  

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Photo Albums
Great Barrier Reef

Video Clips
SCUBA Surfacing

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India

September 26 - October 16

We arrived in India by plane from Bangkok early on the 26th. We spent a few days in Delhi getting the lay of the land, visiting with Kohl, and seeing some sights. Next it was up to Shimla by train, over to Dharamsala by bus, up the mountains by foot, then back to Delhi by bus. We spent less than a day in Delhi (not our favourite town) before getting a train down to Bombay (Mumbai) where we spent the remainder of our time. We left India on October 16 on a Sydney-bound Qantas jet.

Day by day breakdown:

• Mon Sept 26 - land around 04:30, collect bags, take taxi to YWCA, wake up staff and check in, mike naps until around 14:00, jason breakfasts and naps, hot showers than out on town, meet a guy (govindah?) who takes us to get SIMs then to do a bit of shopping, head over to connaught circus to internet cafe, mike gets shitbombed on return trip, quick stop at ATM then back to hotel to await kohl, meet up and head to Parikrama rotating restaurant for dinner, kohl back to slum and OC back to hotel to sleep
• Tue Sept 27 - up around 07:30, breakfast at hotel, tuk tuk to kahn market (sp?, not closed despite what driver says) to buy books, walk up raj path to national museum (also not closed despite what guy on the street says), excellent collection, dosa snack at museum, tuk tuk to C Circus for internet, walk to nearby market (name?) in search of pharmacy, find cloth store (mike's turban) and watch repair and shaving gel shops instead, walk back to hotel to shower and relax, tuk tuk through Old Delhi to Karim's near the Jama Masjid mosque (biggest in India), nice dinner on busy side street, bicycle rickshaw over to Lal Quila (Red Fort), meet kohl for sound and light show - kind of lame, short walk for cup of tea on the street, walk back through narrow streets to big mosque, part company with kohl and head back to hotel to watch sitcoms (friends and seinfeld!) and sleep
• Wed Sept 28 - up around 08:00, breakfast separately at hotel, arrange train tickets to Shimla at YMCA travel agent, check out and leave bags, tuk tuk to the hare krishna's iskon temple, walk over to baha'i lotus temple, tuk tuk to Tughlaqabad Fort, walk among 14th century ruins now inhabited by monkeys and "volunteer" tour guides, tuk tuk back to hotel to pick up train tickets, walk to park hotel for tea and cake and relaxation, over to south indian place (Banana Leaf) for a very satisfying vegetarian meal, walk back to YMCA, almost pick-pocket attempt en route, pick up bags and take taxi to old delhi train station, board 2nd AC sleeper car and leave 23:00
• Thu Sept 29 - up around 04:00 to make toy train connection to Kalka, nap and read and take pictures, very lovely scenery - green trees and buildings clinging to the sides of the hills, arrive Simla 11:00, check into White Hotel, lunch on restaurant terrace, internet at tourist center, to hotel to relax for a bit, mike back out to research plane tickets, rejoin at hotel for dinner in empty basement restaurant, sleep
• Fri Sept 30 - up around 08:00, climb to monkey temple, late breakfast at indian coffee shop, brief break at hotel, walk winding bazaar, jason to hotel, mike attempts to walk to waterfall but gets lost and ends up drinking tea at hotel on valley floor, rejoin at hotel, dinner at park cafe, over to terrace restaurant for a drink, up to local disco for a few more, city quiet, retire early
• Sat Oct 1 - up around 08:00, pack up, board bus at 10:30, long day winding way to dharamsala (sp?), arrive around 21:00, check into hotel tibet after taxi up to mcleod ganj, dinner at hotel, sleep
• Sun Oct 2 - up around 09:30, breakfast at local cafe (peanut butter on tibetan bread), hike up to mountaineering institute to arrange trek, down to internet cafe to update blog, a bit of shopping for trekkie goods, walk around tibet-in-exile complex, view tibetan museum, screening of refugee documentary, tibetan dinner on terrace of local hotel, early to bed
• Mon Oct 3 - up early to prepare for trek, over to lodge to drop bags and get equipment, up to mountaineering institute for final pack-up, head up the hill, stop at a few cafes along the way, overnight at Triund
• Tue Oct 4 - up early, breakfast and break camp, head up the hill, lunch at the cave, walk over to stream, dinner, early to bed
• Wed Oct 5 - up early, breakfast, drop bags and head up to pass, back down, lunch at cave, break camp and back down to triund, dinner with local booze, sleep
• Thu Oct 6 - up early, breakfast, leisurely stroll back down to macleod ganj, arrange stay at harish's lodge, hot showers, sort photos and burn CD, chat about search engine marketing, internet cafe, sort travel options for next day, cafe to work on trek blog entry and photo gallery, back to hotel, meet up with harish and SK for nice dinner at posh hotel, back to hotel to archive bits, write custom file splitter, sleep
• Fri Oct 7 - up at 08:00 to continue archiving work, leisurely breakfast at french cafe, get bus tickets for delhi, back to hotel for more bit-herding, pack up laundry, internet cafe, catch overnight bus to delhi, sleep little
• Sat Oct 8 - arrive Delhi 07:00, cycle rickshaw to train station, tea and toast, buy tickets to agra, stash bags in cloak room, off to c. circus, hour in post office mailing stuff, hour in flight office getting cheapo tickets to Oz, hearty lunch at The Host, mobile top-up for jason, walk back to train station, retrieve bags, tea, board train 17:30 (AS class), get moving on schedule at 17:45, nice chat with folks on the train, work on chinese catfight vid, arrive agra 21:00, tuk-tuk to hotel, arrange for 05:00 meet on Monday to go to Taj, check in and sleep
• Sun Oct 9 - up around 09:00, mike reads about earthquake in north over breakfast while jason sleeps, jason tries to get exercise but local park is not sufficient, breakfast, arrange tickets to mumbai, line up taxi to local ruin, take off to abandoned mughal capital, pick up guide, spend a couple of hours there seeing sites and making wishes, back to agra, quick stop at craft shop, mike buys a christmas gift for his mom, back to hotel, futz about with computers, sleep
• Mon Oct 10 - up at 04:00, pack, leave bags at hotel, grab tuk-tuk, tea and toast with lots of butter, breakfast at a different hotel, back to our hotel to grab bags, to train station, get unreserved ticket and jump first train to bombay, manage an upgrade to 3-tier AC after some doing, lunch, read, work on chinese catfight video, dinner, sleep
• Tue Oct 11 - up at 07:00, bread omelette (egg sandwich) for breakfast, work on blog and catfight video, arrive Victoria Terminal 09:30, taxi to Godwin Hotel, hot showers, walk to India gate, across cricket practice to Marine Drive, walk back to Taj Hotel for ocean-view tea, back to our own hotel to bathe and get dolled-up for an outing, very nice SE asian dinner, next door to Indigo for expensive drinks and posh (but cold) company, home around 01:00 for sleep
• Wed Oct 12 - mike up around 11:00, no jason in sight, mobile missing, room-service breakfast, jason back from exercise and has been approached by scout for bollywood extras, out to get jason some eats, dine at leopold's, over to internet cafe to blog up a storm, mike ducks out to retrieve phone from Indigo, walk to local theatre to see No Entry, dinner at Sundance Cafe near theatre, back to hotel for sleep
• Thu Oct 13 - up at 06:30 to prep for a day on set, breakfast at Leopold's, on bus for an hour or so, spend the day in a musical number set in the Vancouver Yacht Club on a sound stage, jason is a bartender, mike is just some guy dancing and drinking, very nice lunch and dinner-ish snack, bus back arrives at about 22:00, drinks and some more food at Leopold's with other folks from the shoot, retire to hotel to watch a bit of TV and fall asleep
• Fri Oct 14 - mike up around 09:00 to blog and relax, jason up shortly thereafter, lunch of bel puri (sp?) - a local snack specialty, walk over to stadia to see about cricket, meet ali along the way, he takes us into stadium for a quick look but there are no games to be had, stick with ali for view from top of hotel and a cup of tea at the art gallery, agree to meet again tomorrow for some sightseeing, back to hotel to relax, long taxi ride to juhuu (sp?), unwilling to pay $350 USD to get into Enigma at the JW Marriott but classy drinks and nice cashews are enjoyed with relish (that is supposed to be salsa), walk around a bit looking for alternative, return to hotel, some TV then sleep
• Sat Oct 15 - mike up around 09:00 to finish Shame, jason up a bit later, breakfast at Kamat (south Indian), meet Ali at art gallery, jump in taxi and head to area of temples around terraced pond, over to jain then hindu temple, quick stop at hanging gardens, drive by tower of silence, some stops to shop along the way but nothing purchased, tea at cafe and give Shame to Ali, walk to oval to see cricket but game is complete, split up with ali and head back to hotel, relax and shower and work on videos, meet Ali to visit night Ramadan night market, bus back to hotel, sleep
• Sun Oct 16 - up around 09:00, mike meets Ali at Taj Mahal Hotel to shoot interview, late breakfast at Leopold's, jason joins up, say goodbye to Ali, relax at hotel after trip to book store and cybercafe, taxi to airport, flight for Oz leaves around 18:30

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Photo Albums
India Overland
Himalayan Trek

Video Clips
Drive Through Agra
Taj Mahal Tour

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Thailand

September 6 - September 26

The OC + Jarah arrived in Thailand by a ferry across the Mekong from Laos, then took an overnight bus to Bangkok where we met Ben G and Janelle S. We stayed one week in the big city before breaking into two squads. Mike and Janelle jumped a train south for some time on the beach at Koh Lanta. The rest took a plane to Angkor Wat. Jarah split after the return flight while Jason and Ben headed up to Chiang Mi. Ben and Janelle left around the same time and Mike and Jason re-united on Koh Tao for a week of scuba school and lounging about. We left on a Delhi-b0und plane from Bangkok at the end of a long day of travel from Koh Tao.

Day by day:

• Tue Sept 6 - arrive on Thai side of Mekong around 09:00, tuk-tuk to ATM then on to bus station, arrange tickets on overnight VIP bus, walk to rickety local restaurant for breakfast and free language lessons, tuk-tuk to city center to find internet, jarah and mike to local museum, jason remains to blog his brains out, all re-assemble and tuk-tuk to restaurant from the morning for a good-bye beer and some more lessons, jump on bus around 20:00, chat for a bit then bed down
• Wed Sept 7 - arrive Bangkok 05:00 and head direct to Sukhumvet (sp?) to meet Ben and Janelle at the Ariston Hotel, chill in the lobby until check-in time after breakfast buffet, check-in, catch some snooze, swim and drink at the pool, down to Nana for dinner at pool-hall-ish place (Skool?), then to Y-Not bar, connect four, jenga, billiards, daniel and gisele (sp?) arrive, mike and janelle split with daniel and gisele (sp?) to pat phong for strip clubs and street food, others remain for drinking and clubbing, all late back to hotel
• Thur Sept 8 - mike and janelle sleep most of the day, thai boxing, upscale dinner in pat phong, nasty "shows", mike and janelle go back to hotel, others stay out doing things their momma does not approve of
• Fri Sept 9 - up early to move to Nana Thai mansions - 3 bedroom suite with weird semi-outdoor kitchen, whatever, mike and janelle hit the streets to run errands, then down to river, rainy trip up to wat pho, met jarah and ben, ben splits for home, janelle and mike and jarah have beers by the river, long walk towards town, all re-assemble at hotel, dinner at 'food station', mike and janelle retire early to research angkor wat options, the lads hit the town
• Sat Sept 10 - angkor wat planning session and buying of tickets, janelle shops then meets mike for trip to palace which is closed, mike and janelle meet ben and jarah at park festival, head down to water for supper, back up to hotel to meet jason, boys head out, janelle and mike stay in to watch movies and eat pizza
• Sun Sept 11 - up early-ish to pack and check out, mike and janelle spend a day in temples and palaces then pick up bags and head to train station, train for trang leaves at 18:20 sharp, others go to airport (?) and catch flight to siam reap
  

Janelle/Mike branch:

• Mon Sept 12 - train arrives trang around 11:00, connect to minibus to koa lanta (sp?), swim, dinner, drinks in da bar
• Tue Sept 13 - up early for island tour, snorkeling, lunch on the beach, nap, back to resort, massage, dinner, many drinks in da bar with jo, antony, adam, and willow
• Wed Sept 14 - up late (mike has hangover), walk up the road, see elephant and monkeys, hitch ride back with electric company, dinner, hang out in da bar
• Thu Sept 15 - up around 11:30, trek out to waterfall in jungle, saw an elephant and some monkeys on the way back, upgrade to nicer bungalo for last night, showers, snack, admin, sleep
• Fri Sept 16 - Bus/Ferry/Bus/Ferry/Bus/Bus/Ferry/Bus transfer from Ko Lanta to Samui bungalo, some admin regarding Janelle's flights, out for nice french dinner
• Sat Sept 17 - Some admin for mike reagarding scuba, walk and fruity cocktails on beach at chaweng, back to bo phut to change, swimming, watch sudden storm over pints, out for pizza, TV and sleep
• Sun Sept 18 - Janelle flies out early, mike checks into cheaper big buddha digs, hospital to get scuba form sorted, then over to scuba shop to book trip, supper at hotel, quiet night reading

Jason/Jarah/Ben branch:

• Sun Sept 11 - plane to Cambodia, evening Apsara dances
  
• Mon Sept 12 - all day at the Angkor ruins, nice evening meal with shadow puppets
  
• Tue Sept 13 - flew back to Bangkok; failed to see Sum Yum Goong; Jarah flew back to his homeland, Ben and Jason caught train to Chiang Mai
  
• Wed Sept 14 - Arrived in Chiang Mai, got massages, explored night bazaar
  
• Thu Sept 15 - Visited Hill Tribe museum, shot some handguns, kidnapped by locals. Ben took a train back to Bangkok that night
  
• Fri Sept 16 - Jason spent the day with Nam Fon. Visited local temples, water falls, and a late movie.
  
• Sat Sept 17 - Jason catches train out of town, heading south, towards Chumphon
• Sun Sept 18 - Jason arrives in Chumphon, putzes around for a few hours, takes overnight boat to Ko Tao
• Mon Sept 19 - arrive in Koh Tao ass-early, confirm SCUBA lessons and accomodations, meet up with Mike in the afternoon
  

Mike/Jason branch reforms like Voltron:

• Mon Sept 19 - up early for breakfast, buy ferry ticket to koh tao, rush to get laundry and check out of hotel, ferry ride on the ss puke-a-lot, meet jason at dock, check into bungalow, run on the beach, thai dinner by the sea, out for drinks, met two austrian girls - carolina and sonya, carolina retired early but others went on to dance, jason split, mike walked sonya back to hers, sleep
• Tue Sept 20 - up late-ish, first scuba lesson (classroom) in afternoon
• Wed Sept 21 - up early for scuba school, in classroom in the morning, first dive in the afternoon, jason to thai boxing class at night
• Thu Sept 22 - up early for scuba school, in classroom in the morning, second dive in the afternoon, jason to thai boxing class at night
• Fri Sept 23 - up at 06:00 for last day of scuba, dives number three and four in the morning, get certification admin sorted, pub lunch with scuba class, internet cafe, mike finds a bungalow for saturday night, meet scuba folks at bar after snack-based dinner, off to thai boxing in local arena, more booze at after-party, very drunken stagger home
• Sat Sept 24 - check out of dive bungalows, arrange tickets to india, thai lunch, walk to new (nicer) bungalow, jason relaxes by pool while mike deals with video capture, contact kohl via SMS for delhi rendez-vous, fish dinner on beach, back in early to pack and rest
• Sun Sept 25 - up at 8 to shower and check out, take cat to shore, bus to bangkok, taxi to airport, tickets meet us there at 22:00, jason sends some post, to gate, board around 02:00, take off shortly thereafter

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Photo Albums
Muay Thai

Video Clips
Thai Boxing in Bangkok
Ben's Last Will and Testament

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Vietnam

August 18 - September 5

We flew into HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon) on the evening of August 18th. We spent several days there followed by 2 days in the Mekong Delta. We then took the Reunification Express up north and met Jarah in Hanoi. We spent several days in Hanoi, then made a break for Cat Ba Island / Halong (sp?) Bay. We were back in Hanoi in time for the 60th anniversary of Vietnamese independence. The next day, we took the overnight train to Hue, saw the sites for a day, then started the unexpectedly long 2 day bus journey to the border with a surprise overnight stay in Dong Ha.

Day by day:

• Thu Aug 18 - arrive HCMC, met Becky at exchange, to hotel, out for beers in honkey land
• Fri Aug 19 - up late, move to new hotel, pho lunch, SIM cards, train tickets, ATM, relax by river, jason nap, mike to rex for beerz, dinner at local (bia hoi) place
• Sat Aug 20 - up late, jason to park for exercise, mike taping on motorbike then to markets and pagodas, internet at juice bar, meet lee (sp?) and arrange mekong trip, french dinner, local disco, mike to bed early, jason meets up with becky and off to club lost (name?)
• Sun Aug 21 - up late, pho lunch at market, race track, jason nap, mike to cafe juice for internet / TV and sleep
• Mon Aug 22 - up early, drive to Mekong, lunch by water, trip to floating market, stop to see popped rice, stop for tropical fruits, drive to Cam Tho, check into hotel, dinner out in local joint, back to hotel
• Tue Aug 23 - up early, pho breakfast, boat to floating market, stop to check out local plants and animals, back to Cam Tho, eel hotpot lunch, drive back to HCMC, internet in juice cafe, board train to Hanoi 23:00, wee (sp?) and sleep
• Wed Aug 24 - wake up on train around 8:30, breakfast provided by hosts, hang out, nap, dinner, hang out, reading, sleep
• Thu Aug 25 - up at 05:00, arrive hanoi around 06:00, meet jarah at hotel and check in, early run around lake, coffee and croissant, encode, dim sum buffet lunch, drop off laundry, hanoi hilton, pagoda, back to hotel, out to snake village, back to hotel, out to cafes to drink snake wine, back to hotel early-ish for sleep, craft french blog article
• Fri Aug 26 - out to internet cafe, lunch there, back to hotel to get passports, go lao embassy, snack at cafe, pick up passports again, to train station to get tickets, back to hotel, out to highway 4 for croc dinner, back to hotel, d20 and blogging(nerdcore)
• Sat Aug 27 - up at 09:00, bread and jam for breakfast, over to Ho mausoleum, war memorial, pho lunch, split up from jason and jarah, cybercafe to print erin's address, over to post office, met tuan and di (die!) on the way, coffee, post office, chinese chess board purchase and lesson, green tea, chinese chess club, dog dinner and bia hoi, back to hotel early to deal with media issues
• Sun Aug 28 - train to haiphong, taxi to dock, ferry to cat ba island, check into hotel, organize boat trip the next day, dinner at bia hoi, beers on the waterfront, finish off playing jenga in honkey pub
• Mon Aug 29 - board boat around 09:00, wait for engine repair, leave port around 11:00, small boat to dry cave, small boat through stone bridge, swim back out, anchor for dinner, chess, early to bed, rat attack
• Tue Aug 30 - up early, breakfast on boat, swim to small beach, attempt to snorkle, diving off boat, monkey island, return to cat ba, wash up, com dinner, back to hotel, mike and jarah out again for karaoke cat and dog with tho and friends, back to hotel around 00:00, jarah full of whiskey
• Wed Aug 31 - breakfast at hotel, motorbike up to national park, climb mountain capped by observation tower, bike back to town along the shore, fish dinner on boat, out to suspicious club, jason to bed, jarah and mike to karaoke, back to hotel around 00:00
• Thu Sept 1 - up at 10:00 and breakfast at hotel, friends came by dock to say goodbye, ferry to haiphong, taxi to bus station, immediately caught bus to hanoi, taxi to hotel, dinner at kangaroo cafe, get snacks, pulp fiction at hotel
• Fri Sept 2 - up early to prepare hats, check out island on the lake then over to Ho masoleum, back to hotel, mike to pick up laundry, meet jarah and jason at lakeside cafe, to hotel to retrieve camera and hats, walk around the lake and entertain the locals, mike back to hotel in sweat duress, jarah and jason stay to catch fireworks, all meet back at hotel around 22:00, jason and jarah back out to cafe for a beer and coffee, then back to hotel for about 00:00
• Sat Sept 3 - up around 09:00, most of day in cybercafe, mysterious meat meal on street, hang out in hotel lobby for a bit, board train to da nang
• Sun Sept 4 - up around 09:00, get of train in hue at 10:00, get bus tickets through laos, bun bo (noodle soup) lunch, citadel, cafe by river, mike gets some immodium, ho chi minh museum, cafe by river, bus up to dong ha, get stuck, jason and jarah to tunnels, mike stays at bus station to sleep
• Mon Sept 5 - up at 04:00 to catch a mini bus to the border, exchange money there, met by woman who takes us across to laos, some visa issues resolved by application of cash, cross into laos around 08:00 or so
  

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Photo Albums
Mekong Delta
Cat Ba Island

Video Clips
Riding Pillion
Lunch in Ha Long Bay
Bomb-Ass Tower

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China

July 24 - August 18

We entered China near Tienstin (Tengdu?) by ferry from Kobe, Japan. The crossing took two days and was generally relaxing. There were a few Westerns aboard, but we mostly kept to ourselves. From there we took a bus into Tienstin proper then caught a train to Beijing. We met some girls there that travelled with us to Xi'an (change of plans from Shanghai). We followed a path through the center of China to Chengdu and Kunming and finally met up with Erin L in Yangshuo by way of Guilin. We both got ill (ulcers for Mike, sinus issues for Jason) and took the overnight bus to Hong Kong where we spent nearly a week recovering.

A day by day breakdown:

• Sun Jul 24 - arrive tengu (sp?) 14:30, xfer to beijing, thief bus driver
• Mon Jul 25 - drop off cameras for repair, thai food for dinner
  
• Tue Jul 26 - hot pot, mall with art students, pick up cameras, meet girls in T square, tea, karaoke, club cobra (name right?)
  
• Wed Jul 27 - buy new cameras, peking duck
• Thu Jul 28 - great wall, ming tombs, leave beijing 22:00
• Fri Jul 29 - arrive xi'an 23:00
• Sat Jul 30 - sightseeing, bread soup lamb dinner
• Sun Jul 31 - mike to park, jason to terracotta warriors
• Mon Aug 1 - leave xi'an 17:00
  
• Tue Aug 2 - arrive chengdu 09:30, in-room internet!, hot pot with matt and apple
• Wed Aug 3 - free breakfast, search for laundry, temples, sichuan opera
• Thu Aug 4 - long effort to get train tickets, check back in to hotel, dinner with matt, out drinking
• Fri Aug 5 - big rain storm, hang out in hotel lobby, train to kunming (upgrade)
• Sat Aug 6 - arrive kunming, check into hostel, train tickets, internet in chapter one cafe near university, out to "the hump", dice game, met a swiss guy
• Sun Aug 7 - leave laundry, bus tickets to stone forest, shopping, relax at hostel, internet at cafe, orchestra and dancers in park, pizza dinner near lake
• Mon Aug 8 - stone forest, pick up laundry, jason illing, to train station
• Tue Aug 9 - arrive guilin 15:00, meet erin 16:00, bus to yangshou, check into monkey jane's, dinner and drinks at karst cafe
• Wed Aug 10 - wake late with hangover, hospital, pharmacist, hang out in buffalo bar, bed early
• Thu Aug 11 - decided to leave that night, bike ride, swimming at beach, erin interview, dinner on roof of cafe de china (name right?), board night bus with lots of honkeys
• Fri Aug 12 - arrive shengen (sp?) 10:00, walk across border, take train and mtr to ymca, check into suite, go to baptist hospital, noodle dinner, sleep
• Sat Aug 13 - breakfast at ymca, move to lee garden guesthouse, shopping in kowloon, internet at chungking mansions, trip to fedex, movies in da room
• Sun Aug 14 - move to YMCA on HK side, lunch at phlip/malay place, split from jason, tram to central, up the escalator, internet cafe, mong kok computer center, walk nathan road, ferry to convention center, meet jason, video futzing, dinner at house of noodles and wantons, late night internet
• Mon Aug 15 - up early to talk to billy on his bday, drop off tapes with guy, arcade, thai kung fu movie, congee w/ wontons, video work in hotel
• Tue Aug 16 - lunch at corner restaurant, video work, travel agent, pick up tapes, get laundry, pizza dinner, no go-out - jason illin', chill at hotel
• Wed Aug 17 - doctor, exercise, chinese lunch, admin at hotel, jason to peak, met jonas and manny (swiss), phillapino dinner, club, dancing, hotel
• Thu Aug 18 - pack up, mike and kelvin l lunch, jason hk musuem, tea at peninsula, to airport, flight to HCMC

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Photo Albums
Chronology of China
Tourist Sites of China

Videos
Climbing the Great Wall
A Lovely Meal
Typical Chinese Traffic Pattern

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Japan

July 5 - July 25

In Russia, nothing works. In Japan, everything works a lot better than it has to. We spent a fair bit of time in Tokyo enjoying some free accomodation. A sudden end to hospitality forced us to pick up and move farther afield. We spent a few days in Kyoto, climbed Mount Fuji, and split by ferry from Kobe (after a very nice steak). Japan was also very notable because of the company of Allan E and Juan N - the first of many OC guest bloggers and a pair of very welcome faces.

Day by day breakdown:

• Tue Jul 5th - Flight from Vladivostok to Fukuoka via Seoul, stayed in Fukuoka
  
• Wed Jul 6th - Shinkansen to Tokyo, moved into Leo's place
  
• Thu Jul 7th - Laundry, admin
• Fri Jul 8th - Met Jonny R, Drank at Soma, karaoke
• Sat Jul 9th - Hang over, metal show at Shinjuku Loft
  
• Sun Jul 10th - Saw Batman Begins
• Mon Jul 11th - Exercise in local parks, admin, German dinner with Leo and Jon W.
  
• Tue Jul 12th - Moved to mike's, Narita temple, met Juan
• Wed Jul 13th - Day trip to Nagoya to see sumo
• Thu Jul 14th - Day out in Odaiba, Musuem of Science and Innovation
  
• Fri Jul 15th - Admin (tokyo station), met Allan, shinto festival, club w/ jonny r
• Sat Jul 16th - Booted out of mike's, moved the OC to Kyoto, goodbye to Allan
  
• Sun Jul 17th - Parade, shrine/temple walk, pub dinner, 50's bar
• Mon Jul 18th - Aichi expo, move to Kyoto ryokan
• Tue Jul 19th - Made our way to Mount Fuji
  
• Wed Jul 20th - Early climb of Fuji, check into lakeside ryokan
  
• Thu Jul 21st - Goodbye to Juan, travel to Kobe, Kobe beef dinner
  
• Fri Jul 22nd - Board Kobe to Tianjin ferry
• Sat Jul 23rd - Kobe to Tianjin ferry
• Sun Jul 24th - Arrive Tianjin, bus to train, train to Beijing, check into hotel
  

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Photo Albums
Tokyo
Kyoto
Mt. Fuji
Kobe Ferry

Videos
Japanese Death Metal
Taiko Drumming
Nuno Descending Fuji
Kobe Ferry Walkthrough
Under the Bridge
Chinese Singing
Shiptop Hacky-Sack

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Comments

This section is for general comments. If you've got something to say, spit it out.

Preparation Deadlines

Current set of deadlines:

* Tue 11 Jan 2005 - Complete list of needed visas
* Sun 16 Jan 2005 - Go/No Go decision on NYC leaving bash
* Sun 23 Jan 2005 - If Go on NYC bash, choose date + send invites

Other TODOs:

* Book passage to Antarctica
* Get the scoop on the Trans Siberian RR (get tickets?)
* Contact all potential travel companions
* Learn to scuba dive
* Learn to sail
* Enter ticket lottery for World Cup 2006 - Starts Feb 1st

Manifesto

Jason is bored with the hum-drum of everyday life as a micro-plumber. Mike is easily pursuaded by Jason's silver-tongued oratory. For these reasons will feel that it is self-evident that all men (however equal) deserve to take a year off from their toil and travel the world. It won't be easy. It won't be cheap. It will be a bit of a deserved respite from our late youth and our early adulthood. I'm not saying that seeing the world makes you into a man. Being able to BBQ properly - that makes you a man. I'm not saying that we're going on some sort of voyage of discovery. Everything in the world that can be found likely already has. We're not hippies. There is no larger philosophical point at hand. What is at hand is our undeniable urge to walk the earth. The origin for this lust for wandering is not clear. Some say that it goes all the way back to the very first days when mobility meant survival. Others believe it to be a product of the post-agricultural society. There are practical reasons. I will feel like a chump if I die without visiting at least six of the glorious seven continents that grace our planet.

Contact Us

You can email us.
Jason: jasonNOSPAMbriceno AT yahoo DOT com
Mike: astNOSPAMl3 AT yahoo DOTcom

Or, you can leave a comment on the website. Choose your poison.

Video Gallery

All files here are in MPEG 4 format. If you have trouble viewing the videos, please try out the offical Operation Cromulent Video Player - VLC. It is free (as in beer) and available for Windows, OS X, and a number of Linux distros. It is known to handle our flavour of MPEG 4 correctly.
Quicktime should also work, but it doesn't have a Linux distribution for you super-nerds out there.

Mini-Movies

• Au Revoir, LA (small) (large) - Bonne Voyage house party.
  
• Cracker Dance (small) (large) - Honkeys getting down.
  
• Ulceration Nation (small) (large) - The inside of Mike.
• Chinese Catfight (small) (large) - Oh... Yeah.
• Thai Catfight (small) (large) - Women are so violent.
  
• boing (small) (large) - Potential energy in action.
  
• The Hunger (small) (large) - The portrait of a monster.
• The Wine Incident (small) (large) - Wine and laughter.
• Eclipse (small) (large) - End of the World?
  

Raw Clips

• Russia
• Trans-Siberian Walkthrough
  
• Student Art Film
  
• Nikolai
  

• Japan
• Japanese Death Metal
  
• Taiko Drumming
• Nuno Descending Fuji
• Kobe Ferry Walkthrough
• Under the Bridge
  
• Chinese Singing
  
• Shiptop Hacky-Sack
  

• China
• Climbing the Great Wall
• A Lovely Meal
• Typical Chinese Traffic Pattern
  

• Vietnam
• Riding Pillion
• Lunch in Ha Long Bay
  
• Bomb-Ass Tower
  

• Thailand
• Thai Boxing in Bangkok
• Ben's Last Will and Testament

• Cambodia
• Apsara Dancing

• India
• Driving Through Agra
  
• Taj Mahal Tour

• Australia
• SCUBA Surfacing

• New Zealand
• Prep & Takeoff
• Der Beach
• Auckland Sailing

• Peru
• Happy Birthday
• Machu Picchu
• Little Girl in a Big Jacket

• Chile
• Take That Photograph
• Completos and Conversation
• Da Glacier

• Antarctica
• Zodiac Attack
• Three Blind Penguins
• Snowman Massacre
• Even Seals Scratch
• Antarctic Plunge

• Argentina
• Beach Soccer
• Puppy vs. Big Nuts
• Iguazu Falls

• Brazil
• Howler Monkeys
• Fishing For Piranha
• Brazilian Jumping Bean
• Jugglation

• South Africa
• The Rapping Dutch
• Mike In The Hood
• Coloured-Ass Crooks

• Lesotho
• Water Sports

• Egypt
• The Eclipse Dance
• Bedouin Breakfast
• Desert Trekkin'
• The Camel Dance
• Pretty Diving
• Scary Diving

• Turkey
• The Call To Prayer
• Turkish BBQ
• Turkish Catfight

• Greece
• Karaoke Mike

• Bulgaria
• Killa Kela

• Croatia
• Basement Winery
• Sailin'
• Jackie's Croatian Concert

• World Cup
• A True Patriot
• Boss Hoss

• Hong Kong
• Tram Attack
• Night Harbor

Schedule

• may 25 - road trip (done)
• jun 04 - nyc - bon voyage (done)
• jun 07 - london (done)
• jun 13 - estonia (done)
• jun 17 - russia (done)
• jul 05 - japan (done)
• jul 24 - china (done)
• aug 18 - vietnam (done)
• sept 05 - laos (done)
• sep 06 - thailand - cambodia (done)
• sep 26 - india (done)
• oct 17 - australia (done)
• oct 25 - new zealand (done)
• nov 17 - los angeles (done)
• nov 18 - peru (done)
• dec 6 - chile (done)
• dec 24 - argentina (done)
• dec 27 - antarctica (done)
• jan 6 - argentina (done)
• jan 29 - brazil (done)
• mar 03 - south africa (done)
• mar 08 - lesotho (done)
• mar 3 - south africa (done)
• mar 8 - lesotho (done)
• mar 10 - south africa (done)
• mar 25 - bahrain (done)
• mar 26 - egypt (done)
• apr 14 - turkey (done)
• apr 27 - greece (done)
• may 14 - bulgaria (done)
• may 24 - romania (done)
• may 30 - croatia / sailing (done)
• jun 10 - germany / world cup (done)

Mission...accomplished?

Romania

May 24 - May 30

Day by day:

• Wed May 24 - arrive in Bucharest around 07:00, take a cab to hotel but find it full so walk to another, have to wait until 10 to check in so go out for breakfast then retire to lobby to wait and watch TV, back out for beers and a snack, return to hotel, others arrive around 02:00
• Thu May 25 - up around 11:00, pack the car and have breakfast at nearby bistro / cafe, hit the road, stop once along the way in a little town to see a castle, press on through traffic to brasov, stop at park to get oriented, have a cocktail at fancy hotel before heading on to our own digs, out for fancy romanian dinner, over to pub called "saloon", play celebrity drinking game then move down to club below for a bit of a pole dance, retire around 2 or so
• Fri May 26 - up around 10:00, check out and drop bags at hotel, head down to central square to have breakfast, check out city history museum, walk over to main cathedral, jason heads over to internet cafe, others walk across down and go up the hill on a cable car, have a coke at the top and take in the view, all reassemble at hotel and split town, decide to take northern route rather than via bucharest, this ends up taking much longer than expected, enjoy mountain scenery and nice villages, are forced to stop in buzau (sp?) for the night, stay at a hotel near the train station, dine and drink at a pizza place helpfully indicated by a local that we threw ourselves at, in bed for about 0:30
• Sat May 27 - janelle and mike up around 07:30 to have breakfast, others lag about an hour behind, head out in the car through more countryside, take a ferry across the danube and drive south through the delta to the coast, arrive in time for a few drinks and a walk before sunset, have a nice seafood dinner than retire to a beachfront bar to drink beer and dance in the sand, most kids turn in around midnight, but jason stays on until sunrise in the company of some romanians
• Sun May 28 - some up early and some up late, pay for one more night a double room so we can store bags and have a place to shower, leisurely beachfront lunch, spend a few hours sitting in the sand making fun of how white iain is, clean up and pack the car, get going for around 16:00, miss the connection to the motorway and end up taking a bit of a detour through the country again, finally make it to bucharest around 21:00 but spend a good bit of time finding the hotel, settled and ready to eat at 23:00, dine at a late pizza place around the corner, sleep
• Mon May 29 - iain splits for airport around 05:30, others up around 11:00, check out at noon and drop bags with hotel, head out to internet cafe so girls can check in for their flight, over to city grill for al fresco lunch, walk back to hotel to get bags and put the girls in a taxi for the airport, the OC is now all alone again, back to internet cafe for a few hours, walk down to parliament building (second largest structure after the pentagon) to take some pictures and are surprised to find the tuborg international beer festival in full swing, enjoy some skol (horrible brew from brazil) and some bbq and some live pop groups, do a lot of people watching, head back to hotel for around 22:00 to grab bags and a taxi to the train station, do a bit of shopping and eat some macdonalds before boarding first class (our own cabin) zagreb-bound service (via budapest), hit the hay after a bit of reading and looking at new photos
• Tue May 30 - wake up with train at an extended rest apparently close to the hungarian border, chill and blog and such, pass into hungary on the train without incident

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Photo Albums
Romania

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Bulgaria

May 14 - May 24

We came in by train from Greece and spent a few days in Sophia enjoying the attention of our local guides Margarite (sp?) and Roman. From there we headed east to Plovdiv and Valiko Tarnovo by train. We left the country in the early morning hours of the 24th on a Bucharest-bound service.

Day by day:

• Sun May 14 - arrive in sofia around 23:30, are met by margarite and roman who drive us to a hotel at the university where margarite works, mike turns in directly, jason goes out for a slice of pizza before bed
• Mon May 15 - up around 08:00, meet margarite at 09:00, have a cup of tea and some pastry that she brought, tour the university a bit, get instructions and a map from margarite and head to the city center, view some churches and such, have a nice al fresco lunch in the bulgarian applebee's, over to shopping mall to look for new shoes for mike, try to go to fine art museum but it is closed, head back to university, stop for a tea and some water and to people watch, back to hotel around 16:00 to have a rest and update blog and such, chinese restaurant for a very big dinner, back to hotel to watch TV and eventually fall asleep
• Tue May 16 - up at 09:00, shower and shave, small breakfast at cafe below hotel, meet margarite, drive out to national history museum built into an old soviet government residence, view the very interesting collection including the oldest known worked gold, drive over to "the bells" - a monument celebrating the creativity of children, drive up to a village for a swiss-style lunch, have a short walk in the hills, discover that margarite is late for class so return to university, part company around 14:40, head up to hotel to relax, mike has a nap while jason exercises, later in the afternoon mike enjoys some free wireless at a cafe on the campus, meet roman at 21:00 at the hotel, head into town in his car with his friend georgki, stop first for some yummy pizza, then on to a bar where we drink beer and chat and meet another friend called daniella, retire around 01:00 and make a stop at student city for a snack before bed
• Wed May 17 - up around 10:00, pop down to hotel cafe for a tea, spend some time relaxing and writing, meet margarite and drive into mountains, walk around a bit in the hills near a ski lift, drive back down to town and shop for shoes for mike, score a nice pair and celebrate with some ice cream in "jimmy's" cafe in a shady square, margarite drops us off back at the university, mike pops out for a bit of wireless, go out together to get some eats - stay close as it is raining, have some chicken and chips, on the way home hear a bit of noise and stop into a cafe to watch the champions league final over beers, retire to sleep
• Thu May 18 - up around 09:00, have breakfast in hotel cafe, wait around a bit for daniella, she arrives with andre in tow, we all head out by car for rila monastary, stop on the way to climb a hill and view the strange landform called "pyramids", carry on to the monastary, have a very nice bulgarian lunch, view the monastary itself, return by car by way of the hills near sofia, rest in the hotel, meet roman at ten and drive to local ice rink for hip hop show, roman splits around 3, the OC stays on until about 5, walk back and miraculously find hotel, sleep
• Fri May 19 - up around 09:00, check out of hotel, meet margarite at 10:30, accept some cool gifts and drive on to train station, get tickets and say goodbye, board train and leave around 13:40, arrive around 17:00 after a stinky journey, check into hotel leipzig, have a nap, out for dinner outside of an old bunker, back to hotel to sleep
• Sat May 20 - one year without a job, crazy, catch hotel breakfast just in time (09:45), head out to city centre, watch a little bit of a youth basketball meeting, drop into internet cafe for 1.5 hours, get lunch and some big beers al fresco, walk through the old city across the river, meet an old guy who gets accosted by the police, back across river and up pedestrian mall, stop at another bar/cafe to upload a few things using their wifi, return to hotel to chill, out for a simple dinner and a bit of a bar hop, no great shakes and return pretty early
• Sun May 21 - up around 11:00, pack and check out, walk down to bus station but find that service we wants leaves from elsewhere, walk over to train station and get tickets for the rail instead, have some toasted sandwiches in cafe and wait on platform for the train, five or more hour ride in slightly sweaty cabin to veliko taranovo, arrive and immediately get accosted by touts, accept a ride from one of them to a cheap (but nice) hotel, check in, dinner at restaurant just in front of hotel, back to room to retire early
• Mon May 22 - up at 08:30, take in laundry, buy tickets to bucharest, hearty breakfast al fresco at cafe, walk up hill to get a view of town, back down to city for a frape and some water, drop by hotel for a few minutes, walk down to house museum and view some folk articles and photos from the last 150 years or so, walk past a large church, then back up, meet some locals hanging at a cafe and have a few beers and conversation with them, try to find stickers and overalls in a few shops to no avail, pick up laundry and return to hotel to chill, nap a bit, head out to supper at the same joint as last night, then across the road to pepy's bar, have a few quiet ones there before moving to club scream, have a dance but vacate when the disco starts, run to bally's and continue to groove, stay until the joint starts to empty out, have a late dinner / early breakfast at mustang food (where we had breakfast yesterday) before turning in around 5
• Tue May 23 - up at 10:30 and check out of hotel but leave bags, have lunch with a view, walk over to ruined citadel and hike around it in the surprisingly intense heat, stop for an ice cream and a juice in the cafe, spend some time in internet cafe, try to catch a film but are too late, hang out in cafe near city square a bit, walk up to different cafe and hang there, out for a pizza on small remaining funds, back to hotel to collect bags and take a taxi to train station, wait there for about two hours before boarding the train to bucharest a bit after midnight

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Photo Albums
Bulgaria

Video Clips
Killa Kela

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Bahrain

March 25 - March 26

A quick stopover between South Africa and Egypt.

Day by day:

• Sat Mar 25 - land around 22:30, find bags to be missing and arrange to meet them in cairo, bummed as this will put us a day behind on getting to the eclipse zone, organize hotel with airline, clear customs and take shuttle into town, have a buffet dinner and watch a bit of TV news before passing out
• Sun Mar 26 - up around 07:30, shower, buffet breakfast, check out and take shuttle back to airport, about an hour to wait before boarding, get on the plane and wave goodbye to the kingdom

Lesotho

March 8 - March 10

We took a 2 night pony trekking tour into the Mountain Kingdom as a little vacation from South Africa.

Day by day:

• Fri Mar 8 - enter country in the afternoon via Sani Pass, stop to swim in the river and mike nearly loses his shorts, stop again for scenic lunch and play hacky sac with some shepherds, make it to the lodge for about 4, walk around village and buy a bunch of grim local beer, dinner and beer and tea and such before turning in
• Thu Mar 9 - up early for al fresco breakfast of porridge and egg, mount up on horses and head out for the day, stop by river for lunch and watch locals building a bridge, frisky ride in the afternoon and end up at village, hang with local folk doing a bit of this and that, late-ish supper of local foods, turn in early to sleep in little round houses
• Fri Mar 10 - up early and simple wash, porridge and bread for breakfast, mount up and head back for lodge, just beat out a hail storm, watch it from the safety of the sitting room over sandwiches, back in the truck and run for the border, stop for a beer at the highest pub in africa before crossing back into SA

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Photo Albums
Lesotho

Video Clips
Water Sports

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Laos

We took a quick, two-day journey through Laos to get from Vietnam to Thailand.

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Photo Albums
Crossing Laos

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Road Trip

LA to New York via Denver, Chicago, Columbia, Charleston and DC. A great American road trip. We did most of it in the luxury and safety of my trusty Volvo sedan. A breakdown by leg:

• Wed May 25th 8 AM - Left LA for Denver
• Thu May 26th 2 AM - Arrived Denver
• Thu May 26th 5 PM - Departed Denver for Chicago
• Fri May 27th 5 PM - Arrived Chicago
• Sat May 28th 10 AM - Left for Columbia, SC
• Sat May 29th 2 AM - Arrived Columbia, SC
• Sun May 29th 2 PM - Departed Columbia for Charleston
• Sun May 29th 5 PM - Arrived Charleston

We stayed with my Uncle Jay and Aunt Betty near Denver the evening of the 25th. Jason headed into Denver the next day to see Tiffany. I had a nice lunch with my grandmother. We met up later downtown and had a drink with my cousin Jason before heading out again. Jason's step-sister and her husband (and newborn son) hosted us in Chicago. We met up with Allan E and Kelly B for a night out. We crashed on my brother's floor in Columbia. I saw him off to work that morning. It was a pleasure to have an IHOP breakfast with Jason's high school roommate Thornwell S. After the last leg, we stayed with my parents in good old C-Town.

In Charleston, I handed over the Volvo to my sis and we switched up to mass transit. A breakdown of the rest of our LA to NY journey:

• Mon May 30th - Charleston
• Tue May 31st - Charleston, flew to DC that night, drinks w/ Jackie
  
• Wed Jun 1st - Brunch with Laysons, tourism, drinks w/ The Fam
  
• Thu Jun 2nd - Lunch w/ Jason's step-dad, train to NYC
  

There are a photo gallery and numerous blog entries dedicated to the voyage. (Links are to May and June archives.)