Head Over Handlebars About Easter Island

There are times when I can go weeks without thinking of anything interesting to write in a post and then there are days like today when I sit with 3 potential posts in mind. I'll eventually write them all, but this one comes first. And even though I write about Easter Island, there will be pics from the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, Uyunia Salt Flats and Easter Island.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As luck would have it, on that Wednesday before Thanksgiving, a family friend of the owners of the hostel where I was staying, had come into town from Tahiti. To celebrate, they had this huge feast where they wrapped chicken, pork, and fish in banana leaves and then placed them in the Earth on top of hot embers. Blazing hot stones were then placed on top of the food, and the whole thing was covered in dirt and left to cook for around 3 hours. Lots of other side dishes were prepared and the owners invited those of us staying at the hostel to join them in a feast. It was an amazing meal and gave me an island Thanksgiving. Pretty special. The meal I actually had on Thanksgiving was pasta with canned tuna fish and avocado. Not quite as glamorous as the night before, but it didn't matter.

So, my last 4 days was spent in one of the most remote places on Earth, Easter Island. It is the land of the famous Moai statues. You know, those huge stone heads that actually do sit atop full bodies. As far as islands go, it was pretty, but there are definitely prettier islands to visit. And even though Easter Island is so remote, it was loaded with tour groups speaking a variety of different languages. It definitely isn't a place that is on the typical backpacker trail, but is certainly on the travel radar of many middle to older aged people wearing socks with sandals.

One of the things that bothers me when I travel is when I feel like I am seeing and doing the same thing as everyone else. You might be thinking, "This guy is on Easter Island and doesn't feel like he is doing something unique?" Yup. When you share sightseeing space with tour groups, especially on an island with 3 main roads, it starts to feel like everyone is seeing the same things and taking pictures of the same stuff. I take comfort in knowing that I am still probably seeing things a bit differently than most, as my photographic eye is better than your average tourist, but it was still tough to break away from the masses and feel as though I was seeing something that no one else was seeing.

Renting a bike for 3 days was how I chose to transport myself around the island. Not a flat island and not always paved roads where you would like them to be paved. I am not much of a bike rider, and before my trip this year, it had probably been about 10 years since I had last ridden a bike. So riding my bike over rocks, uneven dirt roads, and past curious horses and cows, was a bit uncomfortable for me. However, it did allow me to experience some things which most other tourists didn't: Saddle sore, copious amounts of sweat and extreme exhaustion. Not quite the unique I was looking for, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.

As far as the Moai statues go, they were quite impressive. I have consistently been amazed on this trip how people of these ancient civilizations transported such large stones from place to place to make temples, pyramids, and statues. Without the benefit of modern machinery, it was an amazing feat for them to do what they did. The Moai statues were all carved out of rock at one particular quarry and then the finished statues were dragged to all parts of the island to their final standing place. Not short distances, mind you. There were plenty of statues which fell during transport to their final destination and others which fell when trying to be erected on their platforms in the village. Can you imagine spending months and years on a statue only to have it break? All of the Moai, but for 7, face inland. Facing inland was the position of the Moai so that they could protect each village. The 7 that don't, face the sea and pay homage to those who discovered the island.

So, am I head over handlebars because I rode my bike successfully around the island without falling? Nope. I'm head over handlebars because after I was done taking pictures of the Moai, with the night sky as a backdrop, my friend Dano and I actually fell head over handlebars in a moped accident. Out of all the places I've been, especially with the craziness that is Southeast Asian traffic, the remote Easter Island is the place where I get into an accident. Some jerk on a motorcycle crossed in front of us to get into a nightclub parking lot and stopped in the road before fully getting to the parking lot. So his entire back end was protruding into the street. Dano hit the brakes hard, but our momentum still carried us into his back wheel and we both fell over the handlebars of the moped. That guy then sped off, which started a disappointing chain reaction of events related to the human condition. Good news, relatively minor injuries for the two of us, all things considered. My camera got a bit dinged, but is still entirely functional. The biggest loss of the night was Dano's cell phone, which was stolen by a local pretending to 'help.' He of course, denied taking it. But after rushing into the bar following his 'helpful' deed, he returned to the parking lot and made a spectacle of emptying his pockets trying to prove his point. But there were only 3 people who could have had it: Dano, me, and the local. Take a guess which 2 didn't have it. He even made a mistake at one point in saying, "I didn't take your Iphone," without us ever saying the phone in question was actually an Iphone. I'm no police detective, but I've watched my fair share of Matlock and Murder, She Wrote to know that a slip of the tongue like that is pretty damning evidence of guilt. The locals were of course incredulous that we would ever accuse them of stealing. I think they even called us racist at some point. Who knew that 'process of elimination and deductive reasoning' were acts of racism? We called the police, but they were also of no use, especially given our rudimentary Spanish speaking. Hard to believe that not one of the other locals at the club was the least bit helpful. In fact, they were all kind of laughing at the fact we were in an accident, and not once did they ever ask if we were ok. Left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth about the type of human beings which live on Easter Island. I think the Moai statues would have been more helpful than these people.

All in all though, after the pictures I had taken that night of the Moai under the stars, my Easter Island experience was always going to be memorable. Standing face to face with 15 Moai, ocean in the background, ambient moonlight, stars above, and with only Dano and Pedro as company, I had gotten the unique experience I was looking for. Sometimes, all it takes is 1 picture to turn a trip from 'just another stop on a long journey' into something 'truly unforgettable.' Cheers.

Tongariki

Now for the picture gallery:

Easter Island

Galapagos Islands

really really old lava formations

local fish market observers

famous finches

marine iguanas

famous turtles

blue footed boobies

Cusco

Sacred Valley

sexy dude at the highest point on the Inca Trail

Not the top of the world, but it felt like it

Machu Picchu

My hiking buddy, Anina

The Inca Trail Gang. We all made it.

Top 2 sunset from my whole trip

Lake Titicaca

Train Graveyard on Uyuni Salt Flats

This is just a small sampling of the Uyuni Salt Flats pictures. There were more lagoons of various colors and a trip into the Atacama Desert. I'll leave some pics for a future post. I'm in Buenos Aires for the next couple of days and then off to Ushuaia, the starting point for my cruise to Antarctica. Continent 7 on this 7 continent trip is about 1 week away. Someone is getting excited.

Giving Thanks

While many of you who read this blog might not be celebrating Thanksgiving on the 22nd like those of us from America, I figured I would take this opportunity to reflect back upon the last 10 months and relay those things for which I am thankful. Every other American blogger in the world will probably be writing a similar post, but clearly mine will be the best. I am truly thankful for my modesty.

I am thankful for....

weather Gods. Nearly every stop on my trip has been filled with perfect weather. I can't really remember a time when rain washed out any important segment of my trip. 

the South African street mugger who was terrible at his job. Not only did he not rob me of about $7000 in cash and camera equipment, but he had the common courtesy to wish me a nice day as he walked away. Sweet guy.

airline pilots. Keep doing your thing. I've got a few more flights to go.

airlines who give good meals. LAN airlines, you are excluded from this conversation.

my heart and a good set of lungs. They did my overweight self proud during the Inca Trail hike.

hostel breakfasts. No matter how bad they are, it is at least 1 less thing I have to pay for on any given day.

overnight buses. Or more to the point, I am thankful when overnight bus rides end. The only people who seem to sleep on those journeys are the locals, and I am not one of the locals.

countries where I can flush toilet paper down the toilet instead of throwing it into a trash can.

showers with water temps slightly warmer than freezing.

showers with shower curtains. I'm talking to you Asia. Is it so hard to have some sort of tub or shower curtain with your showers? Water goes everywhere and makes a simple trip to the toilet a matter of life and death after a shower has been taken. You try to be helpful with the sandals you provide, but they are 4 sizes too small for most human beings feet and just make it even more treacherous to walk across the slippery floors.

the 3 outfits I've worn all year. No need to ask questions. You heard me. 3 outfits. Oh sure, I've worn a bathing suit, a t-shirt or 2, perhaps 5 pairs of socks, and maybe I've worn long underwear a time or 2, but yes, essentially 3 outfits. And I'm still reeling from the loss of my beloved orange shirt. That was a serious hit to the wardrobe.

my Nikon d700 camera. You've done yeoman's work. Keep it up.

Tessco canned goods. Don't know if I could have survived Africa without you, but I would have been willing to give it a try.

firstrowsports.eu. Wish I would have discovered you sooner. You have helped me keep my sanity and allowed me to watch good 'ol American sports whenever I have wanted.

fast internet speeds. There are fewer things more frustrating than paying for internet and watching your money thrown away as sites take forever and a day to upload.

my ATM card. You heard me correctly. I am thankful for my ATM card. Without you I wouldn't have had nearly as many interesting stories to tell. I will have traveled to around 35 countries this year and you will have worked in exactly 7 of them. Way to be, you miserable piece of nearly useless plastic.

for my ever dwindling bank account. Hang in there. I'll beef you up next year.

Seriously though, I am thankful for all of the new friends I've made and the old friends with whom I've been able to reconnect. From Tash and her brother James in Australia, my cousin Jeff in Australia, Stacey in New Zealand, Phil and Kristie on the Milford Track, Lori in Cambodia, Jayci in China, the entire crew in Africa, Scott and Julie in Serbia, George in Hungary, Mary in Portugal, my friends in the Galapagos at Jatun Sacha, the entire crew from the Inca Trail, Michael on Easter Island, and the dozens of others with whom I've only spent an evening or 2, you have all enhanced my trip experience in many different ways, and I can't thank you enough. 

I am thankful to all of you who read my blog. It's been a good outlet for me and something I've enjoyed writing very much. Knowing that so many of you keep up with my adventures makes me feel good. Makes me feel like I am still in your lives even though I am many thousands of miles away.

Finally, I am thankful for my family. Whether it is a frantic phone call from a bus station in Malaysia, or from a cab in the early morning hours in Beijing, you have been there every step of the way. It can't be easy as parents to see your first born go on an adventure which takes him to some strange parts of the world, but you've been supportive and done a serviceable job of hiding your anxiety. Skype is an amazing tool which has greatly aided communication with my brother and parents, but it will be nice to see all of your faces in person when I return in a month.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Watch football for me, and eat lots of good food. I'll probably be having an overpriced $4 hotdog on Easter Island for my Thanksgiving meal. What I wouldn't give for a nice piece of Tofurkey, I mean turkey, with all the trimmings. See you soon.

10 Minutes of Sunshine

Apologies again for the lack of pics. As I give detailed descriptions of my recent hike along the Inca Trail, I'm slightly embarrassed to think of myself as a photographer and not put pics in this post. But when 1 picture takes around 7 minutes or so to upload with these slow internet speeds throughout South America, I would rather keep all of you readers up to date with my travels and show pictures at a later date. Call me anal, but I is who I is.

Doing any kind of tour with a group can lead to various levels of enjoyment depending on the personalities of all parties involved. I was extraordinarily fortunate during my 4 months through Africa to meet people who have now become friends for life and was equally fortunate in meeting friends for life over my recent Inca Trail adventure which culminated on 11/11/12, one of the best days of my entire life. Not just during my RTW travels this year, but of my ENTIRE LIFE.

Here in the southern hemisphere, summer means rainy season in Cusco, which should have meant miserable conditions during some portions of the 26 mile hike. For centuries, the Incans and the Peruvians have prayed to the Sun God, Mountain God, and Mother Earth God so that their farming and livelihoods are prosperous. I'm not a religious man, but I am a man who likes to take alot of photographs in relatively ideal conditions, so there was nightly praying to these Gods so that my Nikon d700 got as much of a workout as my quads, calves, and buttocks did while hiking to elevations which topped out at 13,860 ft (4200m). The hike itself spanned 4 days, and as I previously stated, was the length of a marathon race. Having run a marathon last year, I can definitely say that that experience was more grueling given all of the training which was necessary to ensure my success, but this hike was a real close second, given the altitudes where it took place. There was lots of huffing and puffing and burning lungs. Lactic acid filled muscles rudely greeted me each morning during my first few steps following each 5am wakeup. But you know what? None of that stuff mattered.

I was with 16 other amazing people (guides included) who filled each day with companionship, laughter, and encouragement. My Swiss friend Anina was by my side every step of the way. The Australian Las Chicas Locas always managed to keep the mood light and put smiles on the faces of everyone while at camp. And the Wolfpack members combined all 3 of those aforementioned qualities. Every person in the group added a unique quality which made this group dynamic something special. As I've mentioned in previous posts, good company can make mediocre experiences more enjoyable and turn amazing experiences into something more memorable than words can explain. Consider me speechless. I am forever grateful to all of you.

As for the scenery. There are times during most hikes when I often wonder to myself why I'm bothering to go on that particular hike. For me, I need a payoff. I need amazing views to make a hike seem more like an experience and less like exercise. The Inca Trail was littered with whiplash inducing, jaw dropping payoffs. I even found myself laughing at times because I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. There were moments when I literally felt as though I was on top of the world. With each passing beautiful weather day, I kept hoping that our final day at Machu Picchu wouldn't be the day when the rainy season finally got the memo to, well, rain on our parade. In talking to Anina, I just kept saying, "Just give me 10 minutes of sunshine at Machu Picchu." Enough for me to see it, photograph it, and get a feel for the grand city nestled in the Andes Mountains. And while I would have accepted a rainy fate on that final day, given the metaphorical pedestal I had placed this day on my RTW trip, I would have been highly disappointed if rain and wind was the story of the day more than Machu Picchu itself. Not only did the weather cooperate, it came through in spades.

11/11/12: 3am wake-up. Pitch black. Sky full of stars and a sliver of a crescent moon. Valley full of fog. Legs feel surprisingly good following a day where we climbed down nearly 3000 steps over a 1000m elevation change. I was antsy to get this show on the road, but the gates didn't open until 5:30. Just before waiting in line (queue) for the better part of an hour, the fog in the valley started to clear, revealing jagged mountain peaks. An encouraging sign, and a really good photo given I had to use a tree stump for a tripod. As the gates opened, after about a 90min hike, including a section of the trail known as 'gringo killer' due to the steep incline of this wall of stairs, every hiker converged on The Gate of the Sun from where Machu Picchu could first be viewed. The initial clear views were followed by an eerie rolling fog, which obstructed the city for a few minutes, until it rolled out of the valley for the remainder of the day a few minutes later. Our tour leader said in his 200 or so hikes to this point, beautiful sunny weather has only happened about 30% of the time, at best. Not very good odds, but probably better odds than 4 consecutive virtually completely sunny days. And so, at 7am, I had my 10 minutes of sunshine and was satisfied with my Inca Trail experience. But 7am does not a day make. The next 5 hours wandering down to the city and then exploring the city, left me giddy. Ancient ruins, mountains, and blue skies with strategically placed clouds made for a photographer's dream. So as noon rolled around, and we left the ancient city, we had a relaxing and reflective lunch in the town of Aguas Calientes. At around 3pm we boarded a train for a 90min ride along a raging river at the base of the Andes. The train also had sky light like windows which allowed for clear viewing of the surrounding scenery which included many snow capped peaks. You would've thought that sitting on comfortable seats for the first time in 4 days would have trumped any desire to view the passing scenery, but you'd be wrong. Once the train ride ended, we boarded a private bus for our ride back to our hotel in Cusco. By 5pm we were on our way home, but the sights just kept on coming. I've been bragging since I witnessed Namibian sunsets nearly 6 months ago, that those were the best sunsets of the entire trip. However, I could make a really strong case that what I witnessed during this ride to the hotel was equally as good, if not better than those bright orange Namibian sunsets. The setting sun illuminated the snow capped peaks, and when the sun finally dipped behind the horizon, the sky lit up in deep dark oranges and blue, which served as the perfect backdrop for the jagged mountains in the foreground. We even made our driver stop the bus so we could get out, marvel, and drool. Giddy, yet again. Dance music filled the bus for the remainder of the ride home, and following a tasty dinner of pisco sours and guinea pig, yes, guinea pig, we all headed out for a night of dancing. I'm not usually much for dancing, although my African travel buddies may disagree, but I'd pretty much been dancing all day anyway, so taking my rigid hips and superb white man upper body dance moves to the clubs wasn't that much of a reach considering my mood during this 'once in a lifetime' type day. I danced my portion of the night away until 3am, completing the 24 hour challenge which so many hikers undertake on this final day of the Inca Trail hike. The perfect end to a perfect day.

And at the end of the night, as I unknowingly said a premature goodbye to Anina (I ended up staying in Cusco an extra day just to spend time with her and my other hiker friends who lingered in town for another day), one of the things she said to me struck me as the most poetic, genuinely nice things anyone has ever said to me. She used my words in a way which really encapsulated how I should feel about every single day. She wished me many more days filled with 10 minutes of sunshine. It really was the perfect metaphor for both this day and for those days when not everything goes my way. It is a message we can all take to heart. We should all look for those moments in each day which can fill us with happiness and embrace them. So, whether it is something which makes you laugh for a fleeting second or an entire 24 hours filled with goose bump moments, may all of your days be filled with 10 minutes of sunshine.

The Things I've Seen

After writing my most recent blog post about an actual travel destination and nothing else, I feel the need to get back to my roots and write about some of my recent thoughts and observations. Here goes:

What is the point of online check-in for air travel when you still have to wait in line at the airport to check your bags? I thought the whole point of this online check in system was to avoid standing in lines at the airport. Although I am occasionally wrong, this is not one of those times. Some airports have actually gotten with the 21st century and devised this fancy system of erecting plastic poles with these seat belt like retractable fabric straps so that an entire line can be devoted to those of us who only need to drop our bags off. Ingenious I tell you. Absolutely ingenious. Just yesterday, I had a flight from Quito-Cusco by way of Lima. The airport in Quito, which only has about 4 airlines fly out of it and maybe 5-6 departure gates, had a separate line for baggage drop. The airport in Lima with about 60 check in lines couldn't devote a separate line for baggage drop. So...when I left Quito, my bags had tags which said they would go all the way to through to Cusco. But when I got to Lima, I had to get my bag at baggage claim, and then wait about 30min in the check in line for my next flight, despite already having my boarding pass, so that the luggage tags with Cusco already printed as it's final destination could be removed and replaced by new tags stating Cusco as my final destination. I've had to reclaim my bags at stopover points before and then send them through to the next destination, but usually there is a desk near baggage claim that just takes the bags and then you can continue on to your next gate. Not in Lima though. These airports need to get their acts together and always have a baggage drop line, no questions asked.

Airplane etiquette: If you have bad gas, and you absolutely can't hold it in, let out a tester. If it smells, "For the love of everything good and pure, please don't continue to let out any further gas for the next 5hrs of the flight." Stale cabin air is better than smelly cabin air every day of the week.

Is there a reason why airplanes can't be built an extra foot or two longer? I recently had a flight where I sat in the very last row of the plane and was unable to recline my seat. Build the plane a bit longer so that all passengers can recline, or sell those seats at a discounted price. Either everyone can recline or no one should recline. I may preach good posture to my patients in the PT clinic, but good posture on a plane is unnecessary and highly uncomfortable.

I used to be one of these people that had to be first on the plane and now I laugh at that type of person. We have assigned seats people, so what in the world is the rush to go sit in a claustrophobic plane? First of all, you end up standing in a line of more than 50 people, once boarding is announced, just to get onto the plane...silly. And then once you get on the plane, you sit on a far more uncomfortable seat than the one you just left while sitting in the waiting area...even sillier. (First Class passengers who get to ride in thrones from one destination to the next are excused). NEWS FLASH: "That plane ain't takin' off until my butt is in my seat, and I'm gonna be the last one on the plane whenever possible." As a well traveled American told me earlier in my trip: If the gates shut behind you and you know you're the last one on the plane, you can spot potential empty seats anywhere on the aircraft and sit in any one of them regardless if it's your assigned seat or not. Pretty clever.

Speaking of assigned seats. I can somewhat understand the point of having them for airplane travel. Some people want window seats. Others want to stretch their legs in the aisle. No one wants a middle seat, so book your travel earlier and avoid that disaster. What I don't understand is having assigned seats on bus travel. Windows are huge, so whether you sit right next to window or by the aisle, you can see the passing scenery. And if I get on a relatively empty bus a few stops and a few hours before another passenger boards, but i'm not in my assigned seat, why does this person then have to be a nuisance and ask me to move when obviously there will be another open seat on the bus on which he can sit? We are all going to get to our desired destination whether we are in our assigned seats or not. So suck it up, leave me alone, and sit anywhere else but where my butt is currently planted.

What is it about that mysterious (un)fasten seat belt tone on a plane, that causes people to immediately have to use the toilet the second it goes off a few minutes after takeoff? Did these people not have to use the toilet 5 min ago while still in the waiting area of the airport or do they just really love going #1 or #2 in the smallest bathrooms known to mankind? I'll refer you back to that whole 'rushing to get on a plane' rant. Instead of standing in line and then sitting on the plane waiting for me to board, use the toilet in the airport. I'm pretty sure your assigned seat will still be assigned to you even if you're not first on the plane.

You know how you are always told to fasten your seat belt when sitting on a plane? Well the other day, when staying on the plane during a stopover on my way back to Quito from the Galapagos Islands, I was actually told to take my seat belt off while they were re-fueling the plane. Who knew that keeping my seat belt fastened could actually blow up the plane during the re-fueling process? Next time all of you are at the gas station with passengers in tow, make sure they take their seat belts off so your cars don't blow up in front of your eyes. Don't say I didn't warn you.

What is the point of having 'Airplane Mode' on electronic devices if they still want you to keep your devices turned off during take off and landing? Just make 'Airplane Mode' good enough so that it can't interfere with the pilot-air traffic controller relationship. If a dude can successfully skydive from space back down to Earth, surely we can develop this technology.

I understand I'm traveling in countries with speakers of all languages, but please don't spend 5min telling me in 2 or 3 different languages that my on-board entertainment is going to end in 5min. By the time you're done telling me, so is my entertainment.

I just left the Galapagos Islands: Home of The Theory of Evolution. Perhaps some day screaming, crying babies will evolve to a point where they neither scream nor cry on planes.

Whatever happened to good old fashioned begging? Not that I'm complaining, but I've seen fire breathers and jugglers the past few days, trying to make a buck in the middle of the street, while traffic is stopped. I'd be a bit concerned if I was driving the first car in line at the light though. What if the dudes juggling bowling pins with each other drop one and it bounces off the ground and dents my car. Or worse yet, a big gust of wind happens to blow the fire breather's flames in the direction of my car engine or gas tank. Wonder if insurance policies cover accidents by jugglers or fire breathers? Perhaps they should in Peru and Ecuador.

Was standing in line the airport a few weeks ago and saw two gentleman who each had awnings for eyebrows. Never have I ever seen such thick bushy eyebrows. These things seriously will keep all raindrops from ever reaching their eyeballs. I may have inherited, thinning head hair, crazy triceps hair, and a red dot of blood vessels on my left pec (which also is the source of all my powers), but thankfully, awning eyebrows avoided my DNA.

Many of you already know my stance on ladies wearing high heels on cobblestone ancient sites, but have you all seen this hair style lately. Men are the typical offenders. They have this braid of hair coming out of the side of their head. It's not a pony tail off the back of their head. It's a thin french braided strand of hair typically found just behind the ear and coming down their shoulder. Seriously. What idiots come up with these fashion trends. Too bad it is probably considered assault to just walk up to these guys and cut their braids off with a pair of dull, rusty scissors.

How is it that gasoline prices on the remote Galapagos Islands are $1.45 per gallon (3.7 litres), when it is nearly 2-3 times that amount just about everywhere else in the world?

I can't take credit for this last rant, as a friend of mine just recently wrote about it on her blog, but it bears repeating. Why aren't there more hostels out there for the young successful business professional? I realize that at my advanced age of 33, perhaps the hostel community isn't catering to my age bracket, but they should. I would prefer not to spend every waking evening with the typical late teen-early 20's immature "I'm only traveling around the world to go on a bar crawl every night" crowd. But very rarely do I have such choices. Anymore, if a hostel wants business, they have to offer such activities. Because if they don't, the 'cooler' hostel down the street will, and they will soon be out of business. There need to be more hostels, that instead of promoting a club like atmosphere, promote a wine bar/cozy hole-in-the-wall pub atmosphere. I can understood the appeal of deafening loud music in a club (although I hate it). But why does it have to exist in a hostel? There is no appeal in sitting in a hostel's common area having to scream into someone's ear in order to carry on a conversation. Go to the club brats and let the hostel be a place for using free wifi, meeting new friends, and maybe sharing a beverage or three.

That's all for now. I leave in the morning to start hiking on the Inca Trail. Hoping for good weather and no altitude related issues. Cheers.

Galapa-go to the Galapagos

A bit of a cheesy title, but totally appropriate. I would also like to apologize in advance for the lack of pictures in this blog post. What the islands lack in internet speed, they more than made up for with scenery and wildlife. However, with 1 picture upload taking around 7 minutes, and with wifi connections which come and go, I refuse to sit through the madness that would inevitably ensue if I tried to upload pictures into this post. I have learned to be more patient on this trip, but even I have my limits.

When I committed to come to the Galapagos Islands at the beginning of the year, I decided to also come here as part of a volunteer experience with Lead Adventures. I chose their 3 week program so that I could sufficiently explore many islands, while at the same time, making friends during the volunteer portions of the trip. I'm still not entirely sure about the whole 'pay to volunteer' thing as it seems a bit contradictory to me, but as I finish my 3 weeks here, I leave with very few complaints.

Santa Cruz was my starting point. Highlights included the blindingly white beaches at the beautiful Turtle Bay, a tour of Academy Bay and Las Grietas with snorkeling stops along the way, the many sightings of the famous Giant Tortoises, and the daily harassment fisherman endured from pelicans, frigate birds, and sea lions upon bringing back their day's haul. There was also a brief volunteer period of about 8 hours over the course of 2 days that was essentially me shoveling dirt and picking weeds. Seemed pretty pointless to me and on top of that, I was the only volunteer. So much for making friends there. Perhaps the best part of my time on Santa Cruz was the day I spent away from the island when touring Santiago and Bartolome Islands. When standing on Santiago, I was literally standing on lava flows that were 2 million years old. That's right 2 MILLION! I realize that most places in the world where we all walk on a daily basis are extraordinarily old, but rarely does it feel that way when surrounded by modern buildings and amenities. To just look around and gaze at this barren landscape was truly amazing. You could really feel as if you were experiencing the island as Charles Darwin himself would have seen it when first formulating his Theory of Evolution. And it's next door island neighbor, Bartolome, had perhaps the most beautiful scenery of my entire 3 weeks. Walking up to the top of the island with a viewpoint of turquoise blue waters below was really special. And of course there was snorkeling, where I got my first looks at black tipped sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, penguins, lobster, and many species of tropical fish.

Week 2 brought me to San Cristobal. It was here where I spent the better part of 4 days volunteering at Jatun Sacha, located in the highlands of the island. It was part summer camp, part volunteer. It occurred to me as I was helping complete 4 projects around the grounds, that in spite of traveling for the last 9 months, I have accomplished nothing this year, unless you consider reaching the top of a few mountains on 3 different grueling hikes, accomplishing something. In addition to the projects on the grounds, I met a great group of people coming from parts of world including: America, Germany, Northern Ireland, England, Norway, France, New Zealand, and Canada. We enjoyed socializing while working, when eating, while swimming in the waterfall fed swimming hole, during a friendly game of soccer, while hiking to a beautiful cove, and during a snorkeling trip to Kicker Rock where it felt as though we were all dropped into a Galapagos and Black Tip shark tank with some Spotted Eagle Rays and Manta Rays thrown in for good measure. Other interested observers of this amazing snorkeling experience were the famed Blue Footed Boobies. It was a great week and a volunteer experience I would highly recommend for solo travelers and families alike.

My last week in the Galapagos was spent on Isabella, the largest but least populated of the islands. It was a nice relaxed vacation week with evenings spent having good drinks and good conversation with a Canadian friend, whose travel plans coincided with mine, coming from San Cristobal Island. As always, companionship is a welcome change of pace form the grind of solo backpacking. The 17km hike on day 1 to Volcan Negro and Volcan Chico was of moderate difficulty but with stunning views of lava fields, volcanic cones, and the turquoise waters surrounding the island. The caldera of Volcan Negro is still active and is the 2nd largest caldera in the world behind the Ngorongoro Crater, which I had the good fortune of visiting earlier this year. Wandering around the island on subsequent days to catch views of flamingos, marine iguanas, and sea lions was also enjoyable. And as is the case on any island in the Galapagos, snorkeling is always an option with sharks, sea lions, rays, and sea turtles always lurking just below the water's surface. A nice happy hour with 2 for 1 drinks at a little beach bar was a nice way to spend most evenings while watching the setting sun with crashing waves providing soothing surround sound.

While it is expensive, to visit a place like the Galapagos Islands can't be done on the cheap if you want to have a truly memorable experience. It is a place that should be high on the list of every world traveler for both the abundance of unique marine wildlife seen only here, and the stunning scenery. It is a trip, that if you allow yourself to be immersed in how special this place truly is given it's link to the Theory of Evolution, and for the fact that as I write this post islands are currently forming, it will be one of the best vacations you will ever take. And those are big words from a relatively harsh travel critic.

I'm off to the Inca Trail starting on Tuesday. Good bye sea level. Hello thin air. Cheers.

Bored with Enjoyment

Bored with enjoyment. Sounds crazy doesn't it? It might sound impossible and you might not want to hear that, "Mr. 'I'm taking a year off from work to travel around the world to visit places most of us only dream of someday visiting' is bored," but he has been lately. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why I'm bored, but it's probably a combination of: emotional letdown following a heartbreaking ending to an exciting Baltimore Orioles baseball season, fatigue from 8 months on the road, relatively average sightseeing over the past few weeks, and a bit of that 'final week on a continent malaise' that occurs when looking forward to my next continent.

When I last left you, I was in Lisbon enjoying a night of Fado music with my friend Mary. Awesome evening of entertainment. The following day, I hopped on a bus to Obidos and somehow ended up in Egypt. Not really of course, but within the town's castle walls and cobblestone streets there was an exhibit about Abu Simbel, complete with a replica of the facade that greets you as you enter the real thing in Egypt (which only 2 short months ago I was fortunate enough to visit). Made me chuckle. I go from country to country to see new and exciting sights, and the big thing in town is something that blew me away 2 months ago. It was the first stop in Portugal that left me with a sense of deja vu, but it wouldn't be the last.

I next traveled to Porto, where the most exciting part of my stop there was a shave and a haircut. I've never had a shave at the barber, but this felt like the place to do it. As I walked along the streets, there were a handful of barber shops, and I chose one with a couple of little old men that didn't know a lick of English. I felt as though I was back in the 70's. All of their equipment and the clothing they wore couldn't have been purchased later than that decade. But aside from losing half of my sideburns because of the language barrier, it was a positively unique and memorable experience. Can't say I feel the need to have a straight razor eliminate the whiskers from my face ever again, but at least those 45 minutes were a bit of an escape from the monotony of wandering around another city. I don't want to sell Porto short because it does have a colorful waterfront, tons of places to taste the delicious red and white port wine (never knew the white version existed), and a dish called Franceschina (which I'll explain later), but that dish and the haircut were the highlights of my visit there.

Deja vu part deux occurred when I visited Lagos, or should I say Great Ocean Road minor. It was kind of a poor man's GOR. Same type of sandstone cliffs overlooking turquoise waters, just of a lesser magnitude than its' big brother in the southern hemisphere. It was definitely beautiful and what made it more tourist friendly than the GOR is that it had one town center with the handful of beaches around the cliff area linked by a pedestrian friendly walking trail. No car was needed to explore the rather extensive coastline. Definitely is a place worthy of a vacation.

Now you may read all of that and think, "How can he be bored with all of those activities?" I'll answer it like this. If you ate your favorite food everyday and only your favorite food for the better part of 6 straight weeks, wouldn't all of you eventually be bored with eating and grow slightly tired of something which you otherwise love? Of course you would. Well, my travels through Europe fit that description. I also think that if every backpacker took a look in the mirror and was honest with themselves, almost all of them would admit they have felt this way from time to time during their adventures.

Traveling can be a strange dichotomy at times. The mind may fuel the thought that one is obligated to hop on a bus and go somewhere new for a few days simply because one has the time, money, and because sightseeing options have been exhausted at the current location. But the body doesn't always agree with this philosophy. Personally, I know that if I let my body win these battles, months and years from now I will regret not having gone to destinations like Obidos, Porto, and Lagos. So I go, enjoy the sense of adventure in going somewhere new, knowing full well I'm probably going to be filling my days with activities quite similar to those of previous stops.

So, I knowingly place myself in these types of travel situations and am accepting of the fact that there might be periods of boredom, because ultimately, I would much rather be bored with enjoyment than bored at work. I just think it's important for everyone to know, that you can still be bored even when seeing and doing so many 'once in a lifetime' experiences.

Since I have left Europe I have now started on a 3 week adventure in the Galapagos Islands, to be followed by Machu Picchu, Easter Island, and Antarctica. Quite a few high value, unique stops left on my trip before heading home around Christmas. I'm really looking forward to my time in South America and will hopefully be overwhelmed with enjoyment over the last 2 months of my travels.

FLIPPIN' RIDICULOUS

I promised in my last post I would write some things in future blog posts that seemed flippin' ridiculous to me. Future posts will hopefully have more pics tied in with flippin' ridiculous stories, but for this post, I will once and for all chronicle the long sad tale of woe about my ATM card. May this be the last ever story you read about this tiny piece of plastic.

For those new readers to my blog, let me catch you up. Started my trip in Australia with an ATM card which had a crack on the magnetic strip. Wouldn't work. $100 FedEx fee later and 1 month later, I had my parents send me a new card to a friend's house in New Zealand. Worked for about a month before an ATM machine in a seedy Malaysian bus station permanently swallowed it. 6 weeks of cash advances on my credit card with ridiculous interest rates ensued, and after another $100 shipping fee, I received my next card at a hostel in Cape Town, South Africa just in time for my 4 month African adventure. After weeks of unsuccessfully trying to withdraw money from ATM machines in various countries, my bank tells me that my card won't work in Africa, Jordan, and Turkey because of 'security concerns.' Fan-flippin-tastic. Had my parents then Western Union about $4000 USD while I was in Tanzania. Silly me to think I would actually get that money in USD. Instead, I got about 6.5 MILLION Tanzanian Schillings. Great for buying the country of Tanzania. Terrible for losing out on exchange rates there and in each of the countries that followed. My new card then did its' damndest to not work in Greece, but I guess 1 bank had sympathy for me, so I was finally able to get local currency. My card worked there, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Hungary, but then decided it didn't want to work in Portugal. Every flippin' ATM machine in Portugal is tied to the same system, so if my card won't work at 1 bank, it won't work at any of them. I totally get if the bank doesn't want my card to work in 3rd world countries. I don't like it, but I get it. But Portugal isn't 3rd world last I checked. Sooo, I decided to do a cash advance and get out a bunch of Euros that I would use for the rest of Portugal and then exchange the rest at the various airports in South America, because as I rightly predicted, MY FLIPPIN' CARD DOESN'T WORK IN SOUTH AMERICA EITHER. Or at the very least, it doesn't work in Ecuador, but I refuse to even try and use it in other countries. That card will not cause me anymore anguish on this trip. I refuse to waste any more time sticking that card in machines, punching in the PIN, telling it how much money I want, only to ultimately be told to contact my bank with apologies on how sorry this bank is not to be able to give me money. So, more cash advances on the credit card along with terrible exchange rates in the city of Quito, have drained even more cash from the 'ol bank account. I'm fed up with my card, my bank, crappy exchange rates, exorbitant cash advance interest charges, and new card international shipping fees. Many of you know I like to speak in hyperbole, but it's no exaggeration when I tell you I could have financed an additional 1-2 weeks of travel were it not for those aforementioned rates and fees. FLIPPIN' RIDICULOUS. Abso-FLIPPIN-lutely RIDICULOUS.

How about some pictures from the rest of my time in Portugal:

Obidos

Porto

Lagos

Dogfish Head Soup

Clams with Pork

Bream

Port wine with chocolate

Franceschina (above and below): It is a sandwich  that means 'little Frenchie' which supposedly was created by a man as an homage to his girlfriend. It has 3 slices of bread with ham, sausage, steak, and cheese. On top is an egg and the whole thing is wrapped in a thin lasagna like noodle, smothered in cheese, and sits in a spicy tomato sauce. If I had a girlfriend, and this was the sandwich I created for her, she probably would dump me. It contains components from chicken, pig , and cow. If I called a girlfriend any one of those farm animal names, the writing would be on the wall.

Melon with Cheese

Fried baby squid with salad and chips