Simultaneously in First and Last Place

Monkey Island

2009-10-15T18:04:00.001-07:00

This is just me climbing over to the other side of Monkey Island.

This is the guy that got bit. He was walking up to this big monkey trying to feed it and this old, haggard looking one walked up behind him, grabbed hold of his leg and just dug her teeth in.

2009-10-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Well since Heather mentioned on her blog that I would have a certain picture on my blog I feel somewhat obligated to post said picture. Even though I'm fairly certain no one is even reading this thing anymore.

So the story goes that we jumped on a large ship that kind of resembles some ancient Asian war vessel to tour Halong Bay up in the north of Vietnam which is now being considered for the next seven wonders of the world. It's pretty frickin amazing and totally worth a nod. So after a night spent aboard this boat which is actually referred to as a "junk" (I never asked why) we got off on Cat Ba island for a little trekking before taking a bus to the port on the other side of the island to then get on a another boat which transported us to this even smaller island called Monkey island. Needless to say it had monkeys. But the best part was that it was set up in this little cove with a very private beach, with our own bungalows nestled just under the forest. It was totally baller. I felt like Englebert Humperdink or Jay-Z or somebody like that.

But the point of this post is to tell the incredibly embarrassing story of hiking up this rugged, dangerous, never-in-a-million-years-would-this-be-approved-by-OSHA, super liability trail to the top of one of the many mountains on Cat Ba seeing this fellow wearing almost the exact same thing as I was. Now I'm not usually one to play fashion victim but what are the chances. The only difference was that he had his shirt tucked in like he was climbing up here to attend some formal speedos dinner party.

Numbered days

2009-10-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

We're now two hours out from catching a flight back to Saigon. The air transit in Vietnam is so affordable it makes it worth it to not waste twenty hours on a bus or train. But Saigon will be our last stop before heading home on Wednesday night.

Cham ruins at My Son

2009-10-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Homesickness is only in your head

2009-10-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

So we've gotten around a little bit since the last time I posted. Currently we're in Hoi An which is one of the towns that got hit pretty hard by the typhoon about a week ago. The water damage is still visible on the walls which reaches over six feet high. It's hard to imagine what this town really looked like during the worst of the storm. And even harder to fathom how they pulled it together so quickly. There is still a film of dust and dirt all over the surfaces here where the waters have only recently receded but most of the debris has been cleared and everyone is open for business. It's really incredible to think about. We took a bus out of town to visit some old Champa ruins at My Son and there are still remnants of the flood hanging high up on trees and power lines. It seems that in some places the waters carried the washed away at least ten feet up leaving a dangling mess of dead foliage. We are really lucky that we detoured though Dalat instead of coming straight up the coast.

So in between here and Dalat we spent a few days in Nha Trang which is a whole other world when compared to the rest of the Vietnam that we've seen. It's located right on the coast with beautiful beaches reaching forever in both directions. Palm trees, blue waters, clear skies. I mean the place would be an absolute heaven if it weren't for the mass of foreigners attempting to mold it into the next Cancun. I constantly felt like I was walking down some beach strip in southern Fl. But the upside of this was the oh-so-satisfying comfort food. I actually had to come to Nha Trang for the best burger of my life. I have pictures and I will post them soon enough. But believe me when I say it was worth coming back for. And then there was the guilty pleasure BBQ joint. We were just walking the streets one night and some round guy came walking out of his place attempting to lure us in for "the best BBQ you've ever had". The exclamation on his statement was the giant neon cowboy sign waving back and forth with his right hand. I could only scoff on the inside since I'm from the south and he was too big to offend. His spiel I actually found very ugly. The selling point being that all of his meat came from the states, "none of this Vietnamese crap". For one I feel that the meat being corn fed and medicinally filled in the U.S. cannot possibly compete with the grass fed, free roaming beef that they have here locally. The tastes just don't size up. And two, if you're going to come over here and open a restaurant, not help contribute financially to the community that allowed you this opportunity by buying overseas instead of locally, and then knock the quality of food that they both eat and provide here, well then you're just a huge dick and your business should fail. But then he mentioned that he served hot wings so I went in and had some. I live for both hot wings and guilt so it was sort of the perfect storm.

So yeah, we spent five days there eating too much and also having a blast. We got totally lost on bicycles, went scuba diving and snorkeling, braved the roads on a scooter, got a sunburn, went to a day spa for a mud bath, and basically lived like royalty. It was super awesome.

And now we're here loving this place with it's old-world French architecture until tomorrow afternoon when we'll take a plane up to Hanoi and venture out from there.

Dalat

2009-09-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Some of the slimey eats at the local market.

We happened to be here for the annual moon festival when the moon is at its fullest. There are roving dragons with their own soundtrack (kids on drums and cymbals banging away) running all over the streets and into stores. Supposedly they bring good luck to those they visit.

This white one just about visited my face but when his laser beam eyes caught mine he turned the other way. I don't know if that's lucky or not?

Dalat to Nah Trang

2009-09-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

We've been Holed up in Dalat for four days now which is one too many. We had scheduled a bus ride back to the coast for this morning but canceled it last night. If you have'nt heard there have been some really hellaceous storms on this side of the world. Only three days ago a typhoon barrelled through the Phillipines and as of the last time I checked there were at least two-hundred and forty dead. When it reached the South China Sea it picked up strength again and hit the cental coast of Vietnam pretty hard. So far there are twenty-four poeple dead and more than a few unaccounted for. Luckily for us we're further inland and at a higher elevation but we still got an idea of what this thing was like. The weather yesterday was just furious and from the inside of our room, five stories up we could hear the wind ripping through the streets. A tree fell on a woman while taking her kids to school on their scooter and a couple of back-packers new to the hotel said they passed a car with the top crushed in only a few kilometers outside of town.

So just to play it safe we put off our ride out for one day. Tomorrow we're heading back to the coast to Nah Trang. This is probably going to be nothing more than a pit-stop before heading north to Hoi An which is an area that took the brunt of the typhoon. I'm curious and a bit anxious to see what's happened out there.

And the picture is just something I took during a storm in Phu Quoc. It has no relation to the storm I just referenced.

Ca Phe

2009-09-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

The coffee here is pretty great for the most part except that there is no such thing as a free refill. Each order is brewed at your table over your own cup in a mini-filter. And what they usually serve is just a dense, near syrupy liquid that is incredibly satisfying. Maybe that's the reason behind the refill rule. The amount of caffeine being served in every drip. But they shouldn't assume to know my tolerance. Or it could also be due to the extra jolt of energy you get when ordering Ca Phe with milk. They prefer to use sweetened condensed milk which is kind of like white yoo-hoo but sweeter. Actually I haven't seen any fresh milk in this country despite the prevalence of cows. Most places just serve the sweet stuff or boxed milk. One night at dinner I had a craving for the "fresh milk" offered on the menu and what arrived to my table was a slightly watered down glass of sweet milk with some ice-cubes. And the really strange thing was that when I got near the bottom of the glass there were a significant amount of sugar crystals just hanging around waiting to be drank. They actually added sugar to my sugar milk. I really do love it here.

This is food

2009-09-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

For some reason I thought this was going to be filled with bacon or sausage. Hoping actually. But it turned out to be kind of sweet. Strange. This one cost about thirty cents but they had a slightly bigger version with about a dozen little piglets suckling at the teet which was priced at fifteen-thousand Dong. About eighty cents. Fair, no?

North from Saigon

2009-09-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we caught a plane from Phu Quoc back to Saigon. The weather just wasn't letting up, the storms were getting stronger and more consistent and we found ourselves stuck close to the room. We rented a scooter a few days ago to try and get around the island but after we navigated the scattered brick path from our hotel and found the road to be nothing more than rutted out, wet red clay we turned back. So due to the weather conditions we had pretty much exhausted the island.

And now it's seven a.m. a day after we caught our flight and we're about to get on a bus for a six hour ride up north to the city of Dalat. At dinner last night we got to talking to a young ex-pat who's been here for a year and told us that there wasn't much to see there but we're going anyway. Maybe we'll only be there for a day or two before heading north again but we're going none the less. Supposedly it's rich with French Colonial architecture set mid-way up the mountains. So why not go?

Zen and the art of living like the rich

2009-09-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

For Sunday

2009-09-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

So here are a few pictures of some of the foods we've gotten into. Mostly hits and only a couple of misses. More strikes than gutters. All in all the food has been a highlight and a reason in itself to be here. The prices have been inconsistent for sure but we've yet to spend more than ten dollars on any meal. Most often it's costing us about three to five dollars. We could be paying even less but we've adopted a habit of ordering at least three entrees for any one meal. As I write this we have just finished our fourth meal of the day. The first being the staple, egg and bread. Lunch #1 began with a pork and mustard green soup followed by a fish and tamarind soup and washed down by a few cups of strong coffee and and some carrot juice. I'll have to reserve another post at another time to write about the sweet, sweet coffee they serve over here. Lunch #2 came when another (and there have been many in the last few days) violent storm found us and we waited it out in a beachside bar/restaurant. I wasn't particularly hungry yet as I sat there and enjoyed the rain but I just couldn't pass up a thick piece of Tuna steak cooked in chili and lime juice. Especially when it cost just over two dollars. And since we've got the menu open let's just add a couple giant BBQ prawns dipped in a honey/ chili sauce. And one more cup of coffee please because I'm on vacation. Thank you. But somehow the time wittles away, it's near dark, and well the best internet access around here also happens to be a fine spot for a bite to eat so why don't you just bring us a plate of coconut prawns. But it just seems a little sparse on the table so if you wouldn't mind also cooking up that pork chop with onion sauce to kind of fill the space we would certainly appreciate it. Hmm, maybe this getting to be a little unhealthy. Yes, that's probably right. OK then bring us a plate of fruit. Now I feel better.

Steve Perry's got nothin' on my jouney

2009-09-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

So I'd like to paint a picture for you. It concerns the modes of transportation and level of gag-reflex control that it took to get over to this incredible island.

We awoke at six in Chau Doc to pack our bags and get a little something to eat before heading out yesterday morning. Breakfast was simple and the heat was already invading when our "bus" pulled up outside of the hotel. It was actually the equivalent of a Volkswagon Vanagon and Heather and I were the ninth people to get on. The road to Rach Gia I was told would take three and a half hours so I assumed that this was just a shuttle to get us to the bus depot. but we continued to pick more people up and headed further outside of the city. I maybe have let on a little too much there and ruined the surprise which is that this "bus" was going all the way. Not so terrible since it was overcast and a bit rainy, which brought a cool breeze through the interior. But it seemed like there was no limit to how many passengers this caravan would include. Soon we had sixteen people crammed inside and hurtling along, horns-a-blarin'. It became a bit of a jig-saw puzzle as we came upon more people. Some had to get off to reconfigure the load and everyone squeezed in just a tiny bit more. At last count there were twenty-one people in what was morphing into a Vietnamese clown car. And they were alowed to smoke. Anyway, it was about this time that, predictably, we scored our first and unbelievably last flat tire. But even with all the stops and the single tire change it only took three and a half hours. How could they have known.

And then we are in the middle of Rach Gia and need to make our way to the Ferry which we have no idea how far it is or where it might be. Obviously we need a ride but the only available option is the back of a scooter. Two people on a little scooter seems dangerous enough but we were still carrying our over-weighted packs and it continued to rain down. The only thing that made me feel even a little at ease was the image I held in my mind of a family of five riding a single scooter down a very busy and not so flat highway just a day earlier.

Now were at the boat Ferry which was given the unfortunate name of SUPERDONG 1. It's a fast boat that takes us from the mainland and across the ocean to the East side of the island Phu Quoc. I thought that it would be an awesome ride, chilling on the bow, staring out at nothing, on a smaller version of an American ferry. No. It was the Vietnamese equivalent of Greyhound but really fucking fast. I should have known that this was going to be a rough ride from the smell of puke all over the floor behind me. But would I have not gone? No. So we get out of port, crammed in tight and this thing takes off right out of the gate and soon enough the waves are big and it's tossing the boat around, smacking the hull like a steel drum. At times it felt like we were boating down a gravel pit and I thought to myself how ironic it would be if we had fretted about the flight over only to die in a boat crash. This I shared with Heather to her dismay. But obviously we made it and I didn't have to use the barf bags that they were handing out.

So from the port at Phu Quoc we caught a real taxi to the other side of the island and it's unspeakably gorgeous. So private and quiet and our room is only twenty yards off the sea. The food is incredible and I think that I would like to die here. But we will be flying back to Saigon.

marinade?

2009-09-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well I have yet to see any Thit Cho (dog meat) on the menu but I've asked around and it's definitely out there. Our vietnamese tour guide said that it was very potent "like levitra" and then in a mock-girls voice, "too much, no more".

Chau Doc

2009-09-21T00:56:00.000-07:00

Alright, we made it out of Saigon just two days ago and currently we're in Chau Doc. The town sits on the border of Cambodia and Vietnam about five hours from Saigon. We chartered with a company that provides gawking tourists a ride around the Mekong Delta but it was a pretty fair deal. For fourteen dollars we got a two-hour bus ride South to Cai Be where we transfered to long boats for a ride through the Delta and along the floating markets. We got off the boat in some remote villages to check out the locals making things like coconut candy, puff rice, something like caramel corn, and other things that they then had the opportunity to sell us. It was nice. Some things we probably couldn't have seen without the connections of the tour company and they also make it possible for the villagers to make a couple extra bucks. Good stuff.

After a couple of hours trucking along narrow river passages we made it to Vinh Long which was our intended destination. The idea being that we would split off from the tour and find another boat to take us up to Chau Doc. After talking to someone about our plan it didn't seem like that was going to be a very easy ride to score. Luckily another group was leaving from Vinh Long to Chau Doc later that day so we just hooked up with them. We thought that it was cool because it also included a room on a floating hotel. Romantic right? Yeah, it was definitely more of a floating motel and they made us pay extra for a/c. So it goes.

Now we're stuck inside our room trying to beat the heat which is alright since the day started at five-thirty. We've already made accomodations for an early morning ride to Rach Gia where we catch a fast boat ride across the ocean to the island of Phu Quoc where we're hoping to just settle in for a few days and relax.

Ho Chi Minh City

2009-09-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

So we're here in Ho Chi Minh City. Have been for just over a day now. It took roughly twenty hours to travel from our house in Olympia to the hotel in HCMC. The time diference is fourteen hours ahead so it's two in the afternoon in the states and four in the morning here. My sleep schedule is also on vacation at this point.

We're giving ourselves two days in HCMC to get adjusted (oriented?) before we head down to the Mekong Delta. But so far so good. All flights on time and the hotel is nice. Right in the heart of Pham Ngu Lao which is the cheaper back-packer area. But still very nice. For as many people that reside here there is really very little trash. The air quality is a whole other story. Believe me when I say you can feel more in the air than the heat.

So nothing much has happened yet for me to write about. Just a few meals, some conversation, and to-die-for napping. But Heather is also running her own blog and she'll be uploading alot of the photos we'll be taking. You can link to it on the left side of this page along with two blogs from my friend Sunday whom any day now should be landing in New Zealand. GalacticMu is dedicated to the world of sci-fi and Anger Burger concerns itself with food. Both of which should be checked out by anyone who has an appreciation for good writing.

VIETNAM

2009-09-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Who's still reading this thing?

2007-09-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

So this is for anyone out there who actually reads this thing. I'm home. Back in the states. Back in Olympia.

I had some money issues. My debit card and credit card both became unusable and because of this I chose to end my trip early. I could have made it come together, borrowed money, had new cards sent to me but I took it as a sign that my time was up. It had been four months since I left Olympia and although I can't understand the feeling now, I was actually homesick. I think that India shocked and scarred me and I needed a break. I also wanted some good food and a bed that wasn't made from softened plywood.

Now that I'm back I'm trying to hold on to the momentum that I felt while there. My mind, to escape the harshness of my surroundings would veer towards the future and productivity. At the time I was almost bi-polar with with my desires. One moment I was thinking about my credit, school, and buying a house then I would be completely immersed in the world that I was living in at that time and in that space.

Although I knew that there was so much to gain from continuing on through India I was also ready for some stability and familiarity. And some red meat. I felt sure of my decision all of the way through my Valium induced coma flight home. And during my lay-over in Newark I had to fight the urge not to cry because I felt so wrong and wanted nothing more than to take my decision back and return to India.

But I'm here now and it's only a matter of time before I'm gone again. School starts in three weeks, job prospects are looking good, snowboarding season is just around the corner, and my friends are enough to help me fool myself into thinking that I have made the right decision.

If anyone has been reading this that doesn't have my e-mail and would like to correspond or just say hello, then here it is.

thascavenga@yahoo.com

Peace

2007-09-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

So these are two Zoo pics and one from McLeod. I'msure you can figure which ones are which.

Just fillin'space

2007-09-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

2007-09-01T03:38:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures I had lying around. I almost lost them today. I stuck my card reader in the USB Port,got caught up in doing something else and left it in the port. A few hours later FREAK OUT hit. I ran back and it wasn't in the computer. Near FREAK OUT #2 except that the computer guy gave me a smile like he knew what I was looking for.

So thankful for the nice people in this world.

Simultaneously in First and Last Place

2007-08-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

So it's been four months now and I'm still on the road. Still amazed by what I see and growing more thankful for my place in this life every day. And the title of this blog is still as relevant today as it was when I first created it. I'm sure some people may have thought it just a cheap reference to a bicycle race of one but what I was really trying to get across was my fear of losing the familiar, safe inertia of my life then and the excitement of throwing it all away coupled with the possibility of something more.

It's all about cultural relativism and possibilities.

By quitting the security of my job and the promise of an education I had just given up my standing in "the race". I was in last place,losing money and choosing to be homeless. But to escape the baggage that comes with that life and to experience something wholly different which could possibly affect the way I went about the rest of my life, I had just jumped into first place. I got out and got on. To be a bit cliche, I was living life and what could be more important and than that. I can't lose in this aspect of my life. I can only come out ahead. And I now admire all of those that due the same, breaking out to interact with the rest of the world. This is what it's all about.

2007-08-31T00:57:00.000-07:00

So I'm still sick with this lung infection but i just couldn't stay in my room any longer. I had to escape. So I caught a cab to the Zoo. It housed primarily Himalayan and Asian species of animal. They had a few different monkeys, a bunch of leopards, a snow leopard, Siberian tiger, bears, things that looked a lot like dogs, and things that looked like pig/rat/homeless-sewer-dwellers. The thing that I'm petting is a type of mountain goat called a Ghorat and this particular one was super friendly. As you can see it actually came to the cage and let me pet it. But then again I was also able to touch a Leopard and a Wolf. One of the coolest animals was this Owl. It was huge, made a strange, deep sound and reminded me of the dog thing from Labyrinth. It was actually mesmerizing with it's huge eyes. And the Talons were bigger than my fingers.

Other than that I'm still relegated to my my room, hiding under the covers watching one of the two English stations offered. There is no bathroom in the room, just a communal one down the hall with no shower, just a spicket that spits out cold water in a cold environment. I'm sorta hating life right now, unable to really appreciate the beauty of Nainital because I'm far too connected to my body. I just sit around filling a once empty water bottle with my sick because I'm too exhausted to walk outside and spit over the railing. It's actually filled to a quite impressive level with something that nobody wants to see. Three weeks ago I was becoming dehydrated due to diarrhea now it's due to snot and phlegm. It got so bad that I had to do away with my prized mustache because it was becoming more of a snot-stache. It was hard to finally come to but the idea of all that yellow and green clinging to the bristles under my nose was making everything all so much worse.

OK so this Internet place can eat a dick. I've tried to upload about five pics and the only one coming up is the Bathroom one (yeah, that's the bathroom and also shower room)and that's after about fifteen minutes. So I'm done. Going back to the room to eat Vit. C and hate myself. But it's fucking pouring rain out and I didn't bring an umbrella.

Come on Karma, kick in already. I'm one of the good guys.

Delhi is Dirty

2007-08-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

So I barely made it to the tiny town of Nainital. I was still having an interesting time in Delhi, which makes me question my soul. I like to believe that I was meant to be a Jedi but the darkside is always so much more alluring. The chaos and filth of Delhi is such another world. And you start to get used to the crap and poverty that is in every direction. The noise pollution never stops, it invades that sanctity of my rented cage and I have to believe this is having some side effects on my psyche. Maybe I'll just come home with an inability to lower my voice, always shouting like I'm angry for simple things like "OVER EASY WITH TOAST". That's how it goes around here, smiles are a bit of a rarity and the verbal interactions sound like two mentally retarded NY cab drivers arguing over a parking space, but somehow one of their mothers got brought into it and now everyone hold on 'cause know it's gonna be a blood bath. And then they stop. Maybe walk away, maybe just stand there but all of a sudden the imminent threat of war is over.

So I'm also sick. This I knew was going to happen for staying in Delhi too long and I'm paying for it now. I have a pretty bad lung infection and I'm on my second set of antibiotics since being in India. The good news is, no diarrhea. YIPPEE. But htis also means that I'm kinda kept in my cell for most of the day. Yet ther is so much to do here. There are hike, caves to explore, trails, and neighboring towns to check out. But it's taking all of my energy just to type this stupid blog. So now I'm going back to my cage. bye, bye.

Since I've got five hours til my bus leaves...

2007-08-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you about another hellish bus ride that Mel and I took. It was supposed to be a 12 hour overnighter and it actually got there on time. WOW, we were actually in Chandagarh twelve hours later! So we step off, catch a rickshaw driver and tell him where we want to go. We hit the hotel and they're all full so we pick another one which turns out to be full when we get there. Hmmm.... And why are there two rickshaws drivers I'm wondering. So after a few more we take there advice of a "nice, cheap" hotel. But you're never supposed to let them take you to their place because they get a commission, which comes in the form of higher a room cost to you, from the people they drop off. Just one of the many hustles these people have but who could blame 'em? So we get to the last one and the rent is like 800 rupees. We're used to spending 3-4 hundred and Mel is on a tight budget so we say Fuck That. Turns out there was a Doctors convention in town and the whole place is booked except for the top of the line places where 800 rupees will get you nothing. So the whole thing was a wash and we had no choice but to leave town so we told the driver to just take us to the bus station and we'd find a new town. And this guy screwed us on the fare. Charged us 250 rupees for the ride even though a few times I told him to just take us to the bus station and he would say one more, I sure. So I reluctantly gave him the 250 and then I get hit up by the 2nd "driver". He tells me that the fare was 250 but that he was the guide that got us around and therefor deserved some money also. I'm sure anyone who knows me can already hear the words that were coming out of my mouth. Fuck That. And you know he didn't get shit from me.

So here is how it continues. After twelve hours on the bus and an hour in a rickshaw we wander around the bus/ train station for a bit and find a bus heading to Delhi. It's another six hour bus ride to Delhi! Ugh! Let me tell you that Mel was super cranky again. Go ahead Mel, tell 'em how cranky you were and how you kept complaining about my talons. I myself was in a state of peace and acceptance. I hardly noticed that I was even on a bus.

So however many days and nights it took this bus to go six hours we finally got there. But we had no idea where we were. It turns out we were still an hour from Paharganj by rickshaw.

So: 12 hr. bus ride, 1 hr. rickshaw, 6 hr. bus ride, 1 hr. rickshaw

But then it was all good when we finally got our AC less plot in hell with no western toilet. Somebody upstairs loves me.

I'm done with this town.

2007-08-28T03:32:00.001-07:00

It's time to head out again. I've got a bus ticket for Nainatal that leaves around ten P.M. tonight. I haven't heard anyone talk about this place but according to the Lonely Planet it's a pretty green environment with the town surrounding a good size lake. There are a bunch of nature hikes winding up and through the mountains and also some narrow caves to explore.

It's mostly East and a bit North of Delhi with supposedly great views of the Himalayas. I'm crossing my fingers that the air is a hell of a lot cleaner than here 'cause this place is really starting to affect my health. I even look darker. I spent everyday for a month and half on a bicycle in the sun but I don't think that I ever got this dark. It's like the exhaust is seeping into my skin making me not exactly brown but kinda muddy-yellow. And I've lost three teeth. And a toe. But luckily it wasn't the big toe or else these flip-flops wouldn't work anymore. Maybe it's just from all of the walking though.

So what's new around here?

2007-08-28T02:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since Mel left and I'm still currently in Delhi. At first I was just taking it easy, trying not to be hasty in any decisions about travel and accepting my time in Delhi. It was actually pretty enjoyable. Though when I first arrived here five weeks ago I was shocked and appalled by the filth and congestion. Now I'm seeing the place a little differently. Since being alone and frequenting the same places I've begun to make friends and engage in new and exciting conversations with many different types of people.

There is the Baba that I have coffee with on the street who tries to impart some knowledge to me but a lot of the times it comes out a bit vague, cryptic, and muddled in poor English. So some things I get and others I nod my head at. But I still look forward to that part of my day.

On my walks around the city I'm almost always stopped by locals, as are most westerners, but sometimes it's due to genuine curiosity and the exchange is good. The people here I believe are overwhelmingly good-natured.

Then there was the Sikh whom I shared a beer with and allowed me to ask questions about his culture and the differences between the many religions and deities. I received way too much info to go into it here. But again the exchange was fascinating.

And then there are the numerous other travelers that I've casually had coffee or a meal with, talking about where we're from, where we're going, what we've seen. Some I've even exchanged emails with for possible future travels. One of which is a snowboarding instructor who insists that I have to come to his home and ski the Alps. Pete are you reading this, 'cause you're coming with me.

Yesterday Andrew came in from McLeod Ganj after spending three weeks there and we spent the day doing relatively nothing. A little internetting, eating, drinking, T.V. watching. It was great to see him again yet he left this morning for his return flight. He wasn't looking too hot at midnight last night so I'm wondering how his flight went when he was only able to get four hours of sleep.

A few days ago I took a walk around a different part of town and came across an Indian boxing tournament. So I sat down and took in a couple bouts but it must have been amateur hour 'cause these kids couldn't fight. It was still nice to see a little violence though. It made me feel like I was back in the states.

Oh yeah, and this is against Mel's' better judgement, which is still sub-par to my own, but I got my ears cleaned by some guy on the street. I almost did it while Mel was here but she thought that it was just too gross. It was. Not the actual cleaning part but that he would pull out big gobs of ear wax and then wipe it on the back of his hand to show me what a "dirty man" I was. The first ear guy that I turned down said they same thing, "you very dirty man" with a scowl of disgust on his face. I suppose this was his sales pitch but I kept thinking that he was the dirty mother fucker for wiping my dirty ear wax all over his hand. At least in my ear it's hidden. I said thanks but refused to shake his hand afterwords. Actually I may never shake another Indian hand ever again.

2007-08-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

...In the great demoralisation of the land he kept up his appearance. That's backbone.

Joseph Conrad,
Heart of Darkness
pg.36

Such a Romantic Nightmare

2007-08-24T02:49:00.000-07:00

So Delhi is still where I'm at. Presently I'm staying put due to some issues (nothing legal) but I'm accepting this and making the best of it. I'm realizing how sprawling Delhi really is and the filth and stench of this place no longer chokes me. In fact I hardly notice it. I've become so familiar with my one small section of town that I feel as if it's a home.

Since Mel left I spend my days drinking coffee and wandering the alleys of Delhi. I just walk and get lost in the paths of this city. I lose track of which way that I've gone and never back-track. I've found myself in dimly lit Labyrinths winding sideways and around but never back. The narrow streets are enclosed by stories high buildings and the people are more tightly packed, choked in the heat. Getting lost is the point and it happens so easily. There have been times when I had a suspicion that I might be getting myself into an area that I'm not meant for. Like maybe the Indian Mafias stomping grounds. But I never feel threatened. I'm only finding myself in unfamiliar territory and my mind reacts to this by what It's seen on television and read in pulp novels. I try to think that I'm in a post-apocalyptic Fraggle Rock. Which is not such a stretch of the imagination since, as Andrew pointed out, Indians look like Muppets. And then as I feel that I will never escape the maze I catch a glimpse of direct, horizontal sunlight and I'm out.

Late last night I was roaming the streets in the Main Bazaar and came across a place that serves alcohol. This is a rarity in this part of town so I went in for a Scotch and beer. This was the underbelly nightlife of Paharganj. It looked like the bar scene in Star Wars where Luke and OB Wan first recruited Han Solo but if the budget was limited to ten dollars. It was boisterous and rowdy. Mostly Indian with a few western faces slumped in the corners. It completely satisfied my dark side and threw me into an alternate Delhi. It was even a little more than i cared to indulge in so I left soon after and was greeted by an almost refreshing, in comparison to the inside, city street with the homeless sleeping on both sides amongst the trash and feces. It was a sort of romantic nightmare.

So this is it. My home is Delhi for a while and since I'm resigned to this place for the time being I'm going to accept it and take as much as I can from it. But i do feel that the incredible pollution is having some negative effects on me. I look forward to a thorough detox when I get home.

Left to my own Debauchery

2007-08-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Great Indian adventures of
Soggy Bottom
and Leper Butt
have come to end

And Then There Was One

2007-08-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

So I took Mel to the airport on Monday night. The rickshaw guy originally agreed to two-hundred rupees and when we got to the airport he tried to say three-hundred. We argued for a quick minute about the set amount agreed upon and then he says "please 50". I gave him the two that we agreed upon and walked away but with a little concern that he was gonna find me later when I hit the street for a return ride. So I walked her to the door and that was that. I was definitely sad to see her go and at the same time excited for a solo adventure. So I went downstairs and got a pre-paid taxi back to Paharganj where I'm staying. As I was getting dropped off the guy who wasn't even driving said "50 rupees". I was like "WHAT? this is a pre-paid taxi" for which he replied "No, fifty rupees", to which I replied "Fuck That" and started walking. I have to say that the haggling for a fair price is an acceptable, even fun part of surviving here but this blatant even aggressive way of scamming money is starting to get under my skin. On a few of our bus rides the driver actually tried to make me pay to store my luggage under the bus. I almost fell for it but when I really started questioning why I paid for a ticket that didn't include luggage he started to back down saying "I don't know", that's when I started to understand all the little scams that go on around here and how many, less assertive people get took on the daily.

So that was just a little venting from an exhausted bandito

Yep...

2007-08-16T02:21:00.000-07:00

So here are a few of the pictures from the flight. They certainly don't capture the experience but I take some video with the camera while I was up there. It already seems like a distant memory compared to the sensation of actually being there.

I bet Mel will post some more pics from the ground. Probably some embarrassing ones with me in my wedgie-harness so those should be worth checking if only to use against me later. But don't hate, you wish you were me.

Last Day in Vashist

2007-08-16T01:54:00.000-07:00

One more wonderful town. Our hotel was again built onto the side of a mountain with a very daunting staircase leading up. The view was at times overwhelming and even at the height of our room we could still hear the running white water below. The first day we trekked down to the river to spend a few hours with our feet in the water, taking it in. We found a very chill roof-top restaurant with a good menu, awesome view, and a big screen T.V. that we watched Spider Man 3 on while chillin' with some drink and asking myself how I got this life.

The next night we hit a new roof-top spot and I ate my fist piece of fish in a while. Trout from the local river (I'm Hoping). We met a local guy who approached us about Paragliding the next day and we woke early to make it happen.

Mel turned it down due to her budget so it was just me up there. We caught a rickshaw about a half hour out of town through some very remote villages and up into the mountains. Once we got to the spot it was another 7oo meter hike almost directly up the face of the mountain. Brutally unworn terrain was the trail and the travel made just a little bit worse by my wearing flip-flops. At least I wasn't carrying all of the chutes up to the top like the grunts.

So forty-five minutes later we reached the top, threw on the harness, strapped in, and ran off the side of an amazing Himalayan mountain. I can't describe how incredible it was to be up there soaring above the tree line, going higher, seeing more and thinking Holy Shit! I'm Paragliding in the Fucking Himalayas!

So then about fifteen minutes later it was over and we landed. Caught the rickshaw back, took a shower, and now we have about four hours 'til our bus leaves for a 12 hour ride to Chandigarh. Woo Hoo!

A Strong Contender for Worst Bus Ride of My Life

2007-08-14T07:13:00.001-07:00

We are currently in the very small town of Vashist. Yesterday we came by bus to Manali from McLeod Ganj where Melissa and I parted ways with Andrew. We had spent a week there and I certainly could have stayed longer but Mel only has a week left in India so it was time to see more. Andrew on the other hand was going into an 11 day Vipassana retreat three days later so he stayed behind. I hope that he'll be O.K. by himself. When I first found him in Delhi he was filthy, had shrunk to only six foot, and was barely able to feed himself. He was disoriented and had trouble forming sentences in English. He spoke in some sort of pre-consciousness, hippy speak. Over the weeks though he grew to his normal 7'5" and we began to dialogue about the "outside world". Hopefully he'll be alright.

We all loved the atmosphere of McLeod and the minuscule villages neighboring it. On my last day there I was leaning on the ledge, looking out into valley and knew that I would miss that place for the rest of my life.

But it was time to go and we had decided to go South East. We purchased some tickets for an overnight bus whose route skirts narrow mountain passes for most of the 10 hour ride, caught a taxi down part of the mountain to the bus station where the driver tried to charge me a luggage fee of ten rupees to stick the bags in the cargo bay. I almost fell for it but realized pretty quick that this was just another India scam. No way was that guy gonna get my twenty-five cents after I just paid eleven dollars for a ten hour luxury bus ride.

So shortly after we were off and nail-biting. We had all of these visions of rough, unpaved roads wide enough for a small Geo Metro and a medium sized goat but that would inevitably be forced to accommodate two large bus's and possibly a herd of goats. It was all true and worse. The rain started after an hour or so as we barreled along through the thickness of deep clouds. The Xanax helped me to come to terms with my mortality in a fairly La-de-da fashion.

So the events that follow are as I remember them. I was dozed off when we came to a stop around 3 a.m. in the pouring rain for what I thought would be one of the pee-brakes. it turned into the driver drinking Chaya and mentioning almost in passing, that we would be there for an hour. I had already refused him ten rupees for tossing my bag into a wet bay and just didn't have the nerve to question his work ethic. An hour later the driver stepped up into the cockpit, turned the key, The engine whined, and we all got out again to stare blankly into the black rain.

Now it's three hours later, people are sleeping where they can, it's 6 a.m. and the engine turns over. Fuck Yeah!. We enthusiastically jump back onto the bus, smiles around and another bus employee states that this will be a great place to stay unitl the roads are cleared. What? So the story goes that the roads were washed out, landslides were up and down the mountain pass and we were to wait until the rain subsided and the roads could be cleared. It was turning into a hell. The rain stopped, the sun broke, and the flies gathered. The place we were stuck at had drinks but no food and there was no word on the roads.

O.k., hell. At I don't know what time but certainly hours after we were scheduled to be in Manali, the bus was moving with the pasengers and their flies. It was true about the roads and the wash-out. The going was slow and a bit nerve-wracking since I had slept off the Xanax. It seemed to be taking forever to get there. Mel was CRANKY, and I was hot and sticky. O.K. I was cranky too, but not as a bad as her. Don't let her tell you different. So anyway, it was four in the afternoon when we finally reached the bus staion, ten hours after schedule and twenty after we left McLeod. We went and had a beer.

2007-08-09T01:25:00.000-07:00

Just one small view from our room. The clouds do roll in and cover every piece of this hill side until nothing is seen but a white out.

The other pic is just a shot down the road. I haven't been taking many photos so these are about it.

McCleod Ganj

2007-08-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

Five days ago we escaped the miserably hot state of Rajasthan and began our way North to McCleod Ganj, (Hippies raise your hands), in the state of Himachel Pradesh. In order to get here we first took an overnight, 10 hour train back to Delhi. We arrived around 6 a.m., caught a rickshaw to the main bazaar and bought tickets for another overnight 12 hour train that left the station at 9 o'clock that night. When we hit whatever town we hit, we then caught a 4 hour bus up steep narrow mountain roads to Dharamsala. Where we then caught another 30 minute bus to McCleod Ganj. I had sea legs (or train legs?) for the next day. I constantly felt that the ground I was walking on was incredibly unstable, swaying in the breeze, and doomed to collapse at any moment. It didn't.

It is so pleasant here. It's home to the Dalai Lama and serves as a refugee city for fleeing Tibetans. There is a peace here that we hadn't encountered elsewhere. It's mostly filled with Buddhist Monks and western tourists. The food is Delicious and the air clean. The city is built on the side of a mountain and the clouds drift in throughout the day, sweeping up and covering our view of the Himalayan foothills. Our room is centrally located, looks over the valley below and to the granite peaks above.

There is a small moviehouse that seats maybe twelve people to watch films on a big screen T.V. which is propped up on a two foot high table. So far we've seen 7 years in Tibet and a shitty bootleg copy of Pirates of the Carribean 3.

Desert Madness Takes Hold

2007-08-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

This is what politically incorrect looks like. Toilet paper turbans.

No Time for Love Dr. Jones

2007-08-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

So we made it to the rat temple of Kali Mata. Not as many rats as I had hoped for. I guess I was picturing monster rats covering the floors and scurrying over my feet. Probably when the monsoons hit it would resemble that a little more.

We had a little tag-a-long, which was more Melissa's admirer that was vomiting unsolicited information the entire time. The kid would not leave us alone. Mel kept encouraging him though. At one point, he looked at Andrew up and down and with a slight disdain for him asked "how did you get this body"? As if to say "You are tall and weak". Maybe he thought that Andy was Mel's man. I don't know but Andy should have wrestled the dude.

The little kid in the picture is not Andy's nemesis, just a cute kid that liked to have his picture taken.

Lost in experience

2007-07-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone recognize a Camel? The other shots are the old Fort behind the city. No one is conquering that place. It looks like it was carved directly out of the earth, from the top of the mountain down. The other photo is the clock tower near the city center, about a two minute walk from our room.

I had planned to write more, I always do but there is just so much happening at all times. There is the tangible. Like the constant motion of bodies and machines. Also the perceptions of my new surroundings. I'm lost. Every moment is a new beat, a new stimulus. It's all action with little chance of reflection. I can't even journal fast enough. Every new sight gets drowned out by the next. Beauty after sorrow after Oh Shit, I almost got run over by a Water Buffalo or whatever I might not be dodging fast enough for that one moment. No wonder it's so hard to find alcohol here. It's too dangerous to not be tip-top.

Tomorrow we catch our train to Bikaner. The plan thus far is to hang in Rajasthan, which is sooo hot right now. Then we regretfully return to Delhi for as little time as possible in order to catch a train North to the state of Himachal Pradesh to lay low in the Himalayas for a couple of weeks. I can't wait for some lush, cool environment. Gonna make me homesick for the Northwest

Days of Pushkar

2007-07-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

So this is just a taste of Pushkar. The first photo is the sunrise from the vantage point of our balcony. The next one is a Unicorn and the third is a one of the Ghats that surround the lake. Shortly after I snapped this picture we crossed over a bridge and were signaled over by some Babas under a Bodhi tree for a sit. The days blend together but saw for the first time snake charmers and an ALL DAY festival for the full moon. The celebrations adn parades wind their way through the streets causing chaos and excitement. everyone is involved in the action. The parades and music run deep into the night and this is a way of life. In the states we'd have traffic cops, guard rails, security for the floats and you know abotu a thousand phone calls to the police thrity seconds after dark because of the ruckus. These people have more of a communtiy than any I've ever seen.

Still in the Deserts of Rajasthan

2007-07-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well now we're in Jodphur, Rajasthan. We held out in Pushkar for three days and got completely spoiled by the lack of noise and air pollution. The city is very tiny compared to all of the others that we've been to and doesn't allow autorickshaws which cuts down on the filth factor considerably. we also splurged on a 450 Rupee room (US $11.25) which sat high up on the top of the hotel with numerous windows and a balcony overlooking the lake and most of the city. The sunsets from this room were amazing. We did have a bit of a schedule to keep and we felt like we had seen all of the city. So our next destination we decided on was to be Bikaner which is home to a rat temple. Since the trip from Pushkar to Bikaner is roughly 10 hours by bus we thought that we'd do it in two trips, having a two day layover in Jodphur.

As for our illness, I'm feeling a lot better. Almost 100%. After I just couldn't kick the shits I fell back on antibiotics and stopped taking my Malaria Meds. I wish that I had a picture of the pharmacy we went to and the guy running it. It was small, like the size of a living room in a double-wide trailer and with the same feel to it. The "Doctor" resembled a human slug that couldn't control it's teeth. All I could think of when staring at this guy was the Ruler in DUNE that floated around and and drank pus all day. And every time we brought up an ailment (Diarrhea, Back Pain, Nausea) the "Doc" had the proper (maybe ?) med within arms reach on his desk somewhere in a pile of cellophane pharmaceuticals that were scattered about. Sometimes you just gotta have faith (and Google).

A Strong Contender for "Worst Night of My Life"

2007-07-29T00:40:00.001-07:00

So Melissa and I came down with the expected case of Diarrhea. But it was accompanied by the violent regurgitation of anything lining my intestines, chills, sweats, and vicious muscle spasms. Mels came on 16 hours before mine and I couldn't have guessed that it was going to be such a hellish experience. I became completely dehydrated without the capability of holding water and it took all the life out of me. We holed up in our room for two days and then decided to make way to Pushkar by taxi. There was no way that I was going to risk a four to five hour bus ride with no toilets so we paid Fifty American for the cab. This was about five days ago now and I'm still having issues.

Other than that Pushkar has been beautiful. There is a lake in the center of town which is surrounded by Ghats that head down to the water. The people, for the most part, are less pushy than in the other cities. Except for some Gypsies that started calling me a "Poosay" when I wasn't falling for their pleas for money. The food is good and we found a hotel with a pool yesterday where we took some time to cool off.

I'm not really feeling this "blog" thing right now. Partly because there is so much to write about and partly due to Mel waiting for me to go get something to eat. I'll be back

And check Mels blog out 'cause she has all the dope photos

2007-07-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

Now this was a great day. We headed into the bazaar for a little window shopping and then caught a bus to Amber (pronounced Amer) which was a Palace/ Fort high up on the hill. It houses the worlds largest canon on wheels and many different Muslim and Hindu temples. We met some of the most kind and friendly poeple yet there. Almost like super-fans of the West. So much hand shaking and hand waving and picture taking. We were total rock-stars. The Muslims we passed were not as freindly. Almost no smiles coming from those grills. At the top there were again many monkeys. Not as many as at the Hanuman Temple and also a different kind. Very friendly. Their soft hands would gently take some naan from mine. Although when I tried to play hard to get with the food some fangs came out. I learned my place very quickly.

This is India

2007-07-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

This is a view from atop the Wahal Mahal

Jaipur, Rajasthan

2007-07-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

On our first day in Jaipur we toured the city by auto-rickshaw. I can't really convey how chaotic and unnerving the city streets are. There are bikes, and rickshaws, and motorcycles, scooters, pedestrians, cows, camels, and dogs all going back and forth. There are sometimes street lights and traffic guards but it seems that they are only cautionary devices. It's confusing even to describe so I'm going to learn to post video so you can get a taste.

We headed through the remnants of the old Pink City and made our way to the Sun God Temple which you can see above the Pink Gate on the picture. The driver stopped at the bottom and we trekked up to the top which is also the monkey temple and a shrine to Hanuman, the monkey god.
Holy Monkeys! They were everywhere. You can see in the picture at least thirty and there were more behind us, above us in the trees and scattered about the mountain. I felt like I was home.

The middle picture is just the view from the temple. The city sprawls forth and fades away. This is India. Never ending company.

A Shitty Day

2007-07-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

We left our windowless, A.C.less room about an hour too early this morning to make it to the train station on time. It was just before five in the morning and already the horns were Honking and the rickshaws were out in full force. We caught a ride for about thirty cents a piece, which I'm told might have been too much, passing the sleeping homeless and early rising merchants. By the time we hit the station ten minutes later the city seemed wide awake. Somewhat. The station is open-air and could easily be described as Post-Apocalyptic. Broken tile floors with sleeping bodies (or I hope they were sleeping) littered about and in every other available surface the people were already moving back and forth. This was just after five. We made our way to the platform with an hour to spare. Nothing to do but either confront or ignore the thousands of stares coming from all sides. I had my eye on one drowsy looking stick of a man with his back to me when I noticed that he was actually peeing on the platform. And then he stood there. And the people were still staring at us. Then a few minutes later the stick man took hold of his pant leg and began to shake until pieces of shit fell out near his ankle. And he remained standing there. And the people were still staring at us. At us! He took a few more minutes, slipped out a few more lumps, got some on his feet, and then walked three feet to a pillar and scraped the shit from between his toes. I was too entranced to notice anyone staring at me. Later someone slipped in it.

As the train rolled along we passed the type of slums that I've only seen in National Geographic or Time. Such a sad display of existence that I couldn't attach an emotion to it. I just watched with me eyes stuck. And then we started to pass "The Poopy Fields". Andrew had forewarned us and it was everything I had expected. Men pooping everywhere. Some hidden in the grass, others squatting directly on the tracks. It seemed ludicrous, like I was in a perverse Dr. Seuss book. They stared in our windows as we passed with their pants down and.... You know what, I'm just gonna stop there. It did seem to take the edge of the rest of the sights. What I mean is that multiple men pooping outdoors in "The Poopy Fields" is so very funny.

My Compatriots

2007-07-21T23:40:00.001-07:00

So I'm traveling with two very close friends. One being Andrew who is a friend from Olympia and the Other being Melissa whom I've known for over a decade. They both have blogs which I would now like to direct anyone to.

Andrews is http://andrew-tarter.livejournal.com/
Melissas is http://blogsfromanon-blogger.blogspot.com

Melissa is also a professional photographer with her own business back in Florida (which is one of the reasons I allowed her to tag along:). She is an amazing photographer and I would encourage anyone with a little spare time to chech her website at
http://www.melissamariephotography.net/
Since our talents lie in different arenas I will, from now on, refer to here as My Photographer
as she will she will also refer to me as

Her Journalist

. It just sound good.

I'm Here

2007-07-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

Well it took around 24 hrs. to get here but it but it was smooth. Andrew met us at the airport with a cab waiting. Thirty minutes of the most terrifying traffic later we made it to the New Delhi Bazaar where we had a room waiting for us. We took a quick minute to unload our gear and we hit the streets.

I can't really say how I feel about this place yet. It's an almost constant sense overload filled with noises, smells, and obstacles. It's everything I was informed that it would be and still unbelievable. Stray dogs, Roaming cows, Litter, filth, Bikes, Rickshaws, cabs, Horns, incessant movement everywhere. All of my attention is devoted to navigating the narrow streets and remaining with my companions. Last night I was nudged/ hit, by an auto-rickshaw and it just seemed like part of the game. Everyone is making there way somewhere and I'm asking myself, "Where"? Nobody stops but to pause and let another move forward and then it's on again.

We got an early start this morning and took in breakfast at a roof top restaurant above an Israeli Guest House. It was still fairly quiet and we could look out upon the city and see the still sleeping citizens on top of other buildings. As the time drew on the sounds became more frequent, the car horns more constant. After breakfast we made our way to the train station to purchase three tickets to Rajastahn for tomorrow morning. We catch the train at 6am and will end up at our destination 5 hrs. later.

I don't feel like I'm in a place mentally, to take photos yet but be sure they will come.

Peath Out

2007-07-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

It's 9a.m. and wer'e about to leave for Orlando to catch our flight. 2 hrs. to Jersey, 4 hr. layover, and then 16 hours to Delhi. I'm still not filled with excitement. I've either got a sense of peace and Presence that i've never known before or I'm scared out of my fucking mind and refuse to face it. Either way it's good a place to be.

Hustlin' Time

2007-07-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

I'm now just four days away from my departure to India. I've been in Florida since July 12th and it strikes me that only seven months ago I stated that, "this will be the last time i come to Florida". Hmmm.... well it wasn't a desire to return to this angry, cracker-ridden state that has me here now but instead a cherished friendship with my traveling partner Melissa. I originally had intended to meet her in Delhi but she had a few reservations about arriving in India alone. Considering India's oppressive treatment of women and reading about the scallywags and rat-scallions roaming the major cities in that country I can't really fault her for any apprehensions about being alone. But I need to make pefectly clear that I in no way wanted to visit this doomed and morally rotten appendage of the States.

But here I am and it's not so bad. I've got books and coffee and a pool. A few treasured friends and sunshine. i recieved a suprise email from an old friend that i hadn't heard from in over a decade and we're actually meeting up later today. He's also still connected to the other guys in our crew so it should turn out to be an awesome reunion.

As an update to my travels, i reconnected with a friend at the Crisis Clinic a few weeks ago and found out that she is going to take an extended vacation in Vietnam. What this means is that once my commrades in India return to the states I'll be free to make my way over to 'Nam, "The Shit", and meet up with Grace for some new travels. Man, the evolution of this adventure just keeps unfolding to include new people and places. It all started with a bike trip down the coast and I wound up staying in San Felipe, Mexico, spending three weeks in Arizona with my family, melting in Florida for a week too long, India, Vietnam, and who knows what else is to come. All of this because I let go of the life I knew for something I didn't. The fear that I felt before leaving has opened me up for experiences that I can only fully understand the meaning of in quiet retrospect. But I'm sure of gleaning immense benfits from these travels even before their had. Fuck Yeah.

Show Low, Arizona

2007-07-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

It's July 11th and I've been spending the last three weeks in Show Low, Az. with the family.

After reaching the border and spending a few hours in Tijuana, Nevada and I drove back to San Diego and the following day drove down to San Felipe, B.C. to spend some time on the beach. Her father and his wife also live down there so we had a place to crash. It's a small, no-where town that is on the verge of coming up- American Style. Big half built housing developments for tourists and snow birds line the road miles before the town center. It seemed like the first pieces of property to go up were the overprotective concrete and iron barriers guarding the green grass patches and completely out of place water fountains. Almost no homes were in sight, only the billboards foretelling the future.

On our way back into the states Nevada's car began to overheat in the line to cross over to California. We scrounged up a few dollars, a bit of change, 2 lighters, and an apple to give to the men gathering water for the radiator. We barely made it to an auto parts store and I have to think that we had little chance of making it another mile without destroying the engine.

I met up with my Dad and his partner Nancy following our return to San Diego and the next day we began the seven hour drive back to Show Low, Az. We passed through some ares of lower Az. that were hosting some intense heat. 118 degrees in one town. About six hours into the drive we stopped for lunch and when we went to leave the car wouldn't start. The Heat had killed the Battery. Luckily we were able to get a drunk Indian with a Fiery, self-important attitude to give us a jump and we were on our way with our fingers crossed that the battery also hadn't killed the alternator. We made it home but the the next day the battery was toast.

It seems that I'm the unlucky common denominator in these motor excursions and tomorrow I leave for Florida. Hopefully the bad Juju has burned itself out and I can have an incident free trip which takes me by small commuter plane from Show Low to Phoenix Intl. where I'll catch a bigger jet to Houston, Tx. and then over to Orlando Fl.

Ajui! La Fronteira de Mexico

2007-06-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Hector, don't be so fucking sensitive you big baby. You're still one of my least hated customers. And who is this Cy that has a problem with my "fuck-ness"? I thought that it was one of my more endearing qualities? Anyway, I leave for India on the 20th of July. I plan to write more as I reflect back on the last 7 weeks and finally reveal the true meaning of Simultaneously in First and Last Place. I encourage all of you to stick with me as I hone my bloggy prowess and wait for the publishing checks to roll in. Hopefully this is an entertaining site for my friends to visit and my truly authentic way of expressing angst and "fuck-ness" are received well.

2007-06-19T11:27:00.001-07:00

So I made it into Mexico Mon. afternoon. Wow. The original plan was to cross over to make it official and then head back over to the U.S. side to wait for my friend Nevada to show up so we could take a cab into Mexico. Problems. I made it across through the main road with all of the cars but didn't see a safe road to ride on and couldn't find the way to the other side to come back through. This is where it got interesting. I tried to approach a customs officer to get directions and she immediately says "no habla english". Won't even get make a move to send me in the right direction. And how do you get a job as a customs officer w/o speaking English? I don't buy that one at all. Then I'm trying to get another officers attention, and he sees me but refuses to acknowledge me. WTF? I'm obviously trying to find a way around. So I say "fuck it" and decide to ride back the way I came. I knew that it was a bad idea but I was getting frustrated. So I start riding and all of a sudden this international alarm goes off like I'm sprinting toward the President with a curling iron and wearing a hospital gown, or, like I'm trying to cross the border the wrong way. What a sound. So I turn around and head back to face the authorities but again no one will give me the time of day. Weird. So finally Nevada came around and we spent the next three hours haggling and being hassled. Anybody want a chicklet?

DONE. WORD.

2007-06-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well, that's it. 1,824 miles, 35 days of riding, 6 days off, 2 flat tires, 1 not-so-slow leak, 2 rear racks, 3 1/2 bottles of Tapatio, 4 heads of garlic, 148 hours in the saddle, 3 states, 3 countries, countless songs sang, 1 broke spoke, 3 bent chain links, 1 bent chain ring. Hissy fits and self- doubt galore with an amazing amount of elation spread throughout.

Pretty people, expensive cars and Chem-Lawns

2007-06-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well it seems that it's gonna be all cities for the last couple of days. It's good news for resources like food and computer access but it's definitely gong to take more time and energy. I try to stay off of the freeway as much as possible but it means traversing these endless cities which takes all day. I'm going to try to get to San Diego by Sun. night so that I can get into Mexico by Mon. This means minimal site seeing and all day riding. I think that I'll have to average around 70 to 80 miles a day but thats alright. I have no real interest in exploring these towns. I feel completely disconnected from this bustling scene and want nothing to do with it. I'm ready to finish this. If I were to do it again or advise anyone else on it, I would say make your final destination just South of Big Sur, Like Pismo Beach, and then catch a train.

2007-06-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is just a sampling of the roads in Central/ Southern Cali. The one on the right had a good shoulder but still the sound and feel of cars screaming past at 70+ m.p.h. is nerve racking after a while.

Only depend on myself

2007-06-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

So I keep getting ridiculously bad directions. I usually rely on maps and people to get me where I'm going and it has worked very until the last few days. Yesterday when I was lost I rolled up to a gas station to ask how far I had to go until I hit Hwy. 1 and the dude told me I had to go back up Hwy. 246 about thirty miles North or else it would take me 100 miles going South. WHAT? I pulled out my map to show him how close it was and he told me it must be an old map. "I not bullshiting you man. I live here forty year". Do the roads stretch with age in California? 15 miles later I was on the 1 going South. Then at the campsite I was talking to a pretty cool guy about the ride and how far it was to Santa Barbera. He responded with a fairly accurate amount of 30 miles but then added in that it was all down hill. We were standing on the Beach. Sea Level. I pointed this out to him and he mentioned with a motion of his hand that I had to climb this first hill (that was maybe 100 ft., I probably could have thrown a rock to the top) then it was downhill. Um yeah, I'll just pedal up, put the bike on auto-pilot, and just coast the thirty miles into Santa Barbera while taking a nap. Just let gravity do all the work. Maybe he thought that everything just rolls South like it looks on a map. Well it doesn't. I thought the same thing up until a month and a half ago or else I might not have done this thing. Actually everything rolls North. At least it's felt that way at times.

Just a few more days

2007-06-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today I'm in Santa Barbera and I'm taking it easy. The wind is blowing hard North bound and it's too hard to fight all day so I'm breaking it up a bit. Coffee, computers and rock n' roll. Yesterday was a hard one also. I missed my turn off and wound up heading inland. I checked my map and saw that I could either backtrack 4 miles or just keep going, catch 101 and follow it back to the coast. It was only a 10 mile detour but it was horrendous. Inland is so much hotter than the coast. I knew that it would but it turned out to be more so than I understood. Plus, there is NOTHING out there. I was afraid that I was going to run out of water and then I hit 101. I immediately noticed the signs forbidding pedestrians and bikes. I didn't have much of a choice since to backtrack would have meant 40 miles at this point so I went for it anyway. Hair raising, tense, and awful. It was a major freeway with a cracked shoulder that had weeds growing all down it. It was only 11 miles but I hit three bridges that came around corners and had no shoulder. Just white lines and a concrete barrier. This was not a place where I could take the lane. I just I had to wait for an opening and sprint. I finally made it to my dirt plot of a camp spot around six p.m.

Fat Fuck/ big peice of shit update

2007-06-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

So the fat bike tourer is definitely just a scam artist. He's not even a bike tourer but a homeless guy that traded his shopping cart up for a bicycle. I was sitting around camp back on the day before Big Sur when this rider from Seattle rolled up and made conversation. He started talking about how one day he met a biker who claimed to have numerous holes in his tire and had his bike bag ripped off with his money in it and now he was broke. Same exact story he told the German couple while finishing off a six pack and the same story he told the New Zealander while scamming a free tube. I don't think he ever got around to telling me about getting ripped off, probably because I was trying to ignore him. Anyway the kid offered Fat Fuck twenty bucks and when he did, Fat Fuck asked if he could make it forty and then he would mail it back to him in a few days when he got to a bank or something. OH man I was rollin'. So the kid gave him another twenty and asked for his home address. Fat Fuck wrote down that his name was Micheal and he lived in Canada. He told me that his name was Ian and he was from Australia. He definitely had an Aussie accent. The kid from Seattle also ran into him about sixty miles north of where I did and at a close campground to where the other tourers met him. He's just a guy with a bike that pushes it back and forth to different campgrounds. The kid from Seattle was noticeably offended that he was taken advantage of and it probably didn't help that I found it so funny. But what I would I would give to run into Fat Fuck again with all of the coastal riders holding spare tubes and just whipping the shit out of him.

2007-06-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

What I'm noticing about the culture of cycling is that road bikers are dicks. They won't even look your way when you pass and wave. I suppose the reason being is that the sudden movement of a facial expression could increase their wind resistance but that still makes them dicks in ridiculous clothes. So I started playing this new game where when I see a roadie in front of me I step on the gas to smoke those fools. I imagine myself as an evil cycling wizard that steals their spirit as I pass 'em by. Shaming them by getting lapped by a kid wearing cut-off jean shorts, a studded leather belt, and carrying 60 extra pounds of gear as they lose ground while wearing the latest in skin tight, cycling-nerd gear. They look so ridiculous. It does lose it's fun when the person you lap happens to be 75 and then catches up to you for some friendly conversation about bikes. I suppose that we're all assholes sometimes.

Pee brake

2007-06-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

I was passing through the town of Guadalupe and had to pee so I'm doing it in the Library. It's another clear day and the heat is on. I stayed in Oceano last night at a most depressing campground. $25 and no hiker/ biker spots. It was cramped with beach rednecks, loud music, and screaming kids going wild. It made me miss the days of camping amongst the Winnebago Warriors. My spot happened to be located at the intersection of the camp road right next to the dumpster. Awesome. I think that I'll get back to riding. It's so hot though that I can't even wear sunglasses 'cause it feels like they trap all off my sweat in my eye holes. I mean the sun was beating down on my baseball hat. The air was getting hot. The beer was getting flat. Looking for a girl, I ran into a guy. His name was MCA. I said Howdy. He said hi... Oh wait, that's the story of Paul Revere as told by the Beastie Boys. Whatever, I got a license to Ill.

"bronze sexy" with a hint of scab.

2007-06-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

I traded in my 56 year old New Zealand riding buddy for a 21 year old that just started a few days ago. We met at camp and the next day rode together for about ten miles until I couldn't take it anymore and sped off. He was too slow and talked too much. Crowdin' out my solitude. We came across each other at another camp a few days later and hiked up this trail to a river, then went up the river traversing the shallow spots and rocks. It was a quiet, beautiful area. Late that day I started noticing that I had bumps and scabs on my ears. Turns out that sunscreen should be applied there too. My bad. Now I have nasty 3rd degree burns with blisters and scabs. Oh well. The rest of me is tanned to a perfect bronze sexy. My new favorite color "bronze sexy" with a hint of scab.

Still livin' the Hobo life

2007-06-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken between Monterrey Bay and Big Sur. The land is lush and alive with Redwoods and white capped waves. You have to be very alert while riding this area. The views will steal your attention so quickly and in most parts of this area there are no guard rails to keep a person from veering off the side.

San Louis Obispoe

2007-06-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday the 12th and I should hit San Diego this coming Monday. Right now I'm in San Louis Obispoe and it's beautiful out. I'm gong to spend most of the day riding around this town, taking care of errands and then head S.W. to Pismo Beach for the night. Yesterday I woke up on the North side of Big Sur and traveled across that amazing landscape with my destination being San Simeon about 70 miles away. Big Sur was incredible. The climbs were big and the descents fast with about 3,500 ft. of elevation gained and lost throughout the day. It was all so stunning that I barely felt the fatigue that I have in the past when climbing these kinds of roads. As I came into San Simeon it was only 5 p.m. and I was still feeling fresh if just a little hungry so I decide to push on another 25 miles to Morro Bay. The wind was at my back and the terrain had changed from near vertical hills to rolling pastures as I kept a pace of 20+ miles per hour. I approached Morro Bay around the 95 mile mark and since I was so close, decided to push it 'til I hit 100. 13 miles later I hit San Louis Obispoe at 8:30 with just over 107 miles for the day. Now I'm ahead of schedule and have time to thoroughly explore San Louis and Pismo Beach. The skies are blue, cloudless and I think that it's gonna be a great day.

2007-06-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Some people subscribe to the theory that man evolved from apes. I tend to think that we evolved from Sea Lions. Fat, Lazy, Grouchy, Loud, Sea Lions. There like dirty, wet apes with more mass. Maybe apes evolved from sea lions. Start replacing your Darwin fish magnets with Guerra sea lion ones.

CONDORS

2007-06-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

I was rolling down Big Sur yesterday and these guys were perched on the railing next to the road. A lot of what I've seen over the last couple of weeks has been less than extraordinary because of my frame of reference. Even though I haven't actually seen the California coast or the Redwood Forest in person I do have pictures in my head from books and television that give me the impression that I've seen it before, thus diluting the experience. But walking up to these huge birds and standing five feet from their massive bodies was a much richer moment. They look monstrous and out of place anywhere but in a Fantasy/ Sci-Fi film. And again I seem to relate things only to modern media with no personal identification. I don't know what it is like to see something for the first time ever and be truly awed. Maybe in India...

the days run away

2007-06-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

So I have about nine days left and I'm not thrilled about that. Part of me wishes that I had no other obligations and could just keep on riding. I do have some amazing things lined and I'm not regretful at all it's just that I really like this bike touring thing. The past few days have been the most incredible this whole trip. I'm having perfect weather with the wind blowing faster than ever but now it's finally at my back, pushing me along. I'm so comfortable camping that I would now prefer it to sleeping indoors. My body has ceased giving me painful commentary on it's weathered situation and the miles just fly by. This certainly will not be my last tour. But anyone is welcome to join me in the future.

The squeeze

2007-06-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is Dave, the New Zealander. This hill was just absoludicrous. No shouldere for the first mile and a half and STEEP. If you don't come into the lane some these big trucks and semis will try to come through and squeeze you out.

2007-06-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

So I came through San Francisco and all the satellite cities like Fairfax, and Sausalito yesterday to wind up at Half Moon Bay State Park. For a few days I had kept winding up at the same camp as this older guy from New Zealand. He was always gone before I even peeked my head out of the tent around eight in the morning but we seemed to be following the same book. Yesterday we decided to team up to traverse the city. It was awesome riding. We took almost all back roads and neighborhood streets. Occasionally asking for directions and constantly stopping to look at the map. It was a long, fulfilling day. We left camp close to eight in the morning and made it to the next camp 63 miles later around six P.M. We took some wrong turns and followed some bad directions and at one point found ourselves carrying our bikes up and down some stairs to get to the bike lane of the Golden Gate Bridge which in fact is not gold but more of a rusty orange or spicy pumpkin type of color. I was just stoked to be there.

Camping in a swamp

2007-06-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

I met the biggest piece of shit the other day. This fat fuck that looked like the hybrid version of a hobbit and Sam Kineson but fatter rolled up on the campsite a few days ago. His bike was loaded to the max and I couldn't figure out how he even pushed that thing around, let alone pedal it. He seemed like a swindler and a liar. Told me his tube had nine patches on it and was worthless and wanted one of mine. WHAT? I have a spare tube because I might need it and how are you such a fat fuck anyway. I wanted to get a picture of him and his bike but i didn't want to give him the impression that we were friendly after aggressively giving him the cold shoulder all night. Turns out that another bike tourer heard the same story about the flat tire and gave him a spare just a few days earlier. What kind of scam is that anyway? What, does he sell all these begged for tubes back to bike shops along the way? He'd make more money picking up bottles and cans for recycling. What a fat fuck.

So I was thinkin'....

2007-06-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

When they make a movie about my extraordinary life and adventures maybe Samuel L. Jackson could play me on my bike tour and when he's had enough of the weather his catch phrase could be "I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THESE MOTHERFUCKIN' WINDS ON THIS MOTHERFUCKIN PLAIN!". Can you see it? $$$$$$$

Bodega

2007-06-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Bodega Sand Dunes State Park. I rolled up to the hiker/ biker spot and one of my friends was still camped out there. It's nice to see familiar faces on the road. There were a couple of jokers camped out next to us though. They looked like ex-roadies for Huey Lewis or Bad Company. One had a long leather trench coat on while I was feeling fine in shorts and his buddy had the classic 80's thick and ultra black shades on. They tussled with their tent for a while and then proceeded to watch movies on a laptop while slugging beer and liquor. Weird dudes.

2007-06-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

In California when you see a sign that says, "Danger, Sheer Cliff, Stay Back" what it really means is that Ninjas might be around.

Big Grinnin'

2007-06-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah Ya'll. I say whatever about the other day. It took me a little while to process the bullshit but now I'm all good. I hit a store, got some fresh veggies and chicken breast and called it an early day around thirty-five miles. The Day after was awesome. A little over fifty miles to camp and it was all coastal with the wind heading my way. Just fucking beautiful. I have times when I think that bike touring is just physically strenuous and boring. Then I hit amazing sights and cute little towns and charge up hills just to cruise back down. I forget about miles and speed and pedal effortlessly while in awe of my situation and surroundings. I love my life.

2007-06-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

So I was going to post again and be lite hearted about the whole thing with a very Easy Rider kind of attitude until I went to upload some new photos and somehow since the library two hours ago I have lost a bunch of recent photos. Pretty much a weeks worth. I have no Pictures of the Redwood Forest or even the last three days of Oregon. PISSED.

Not My Day

2007-06-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm havin' troubles today. I woke up at 8:00 so I could get to the library early enough to still make it to Bodega Bay. I got kicked off the computer after my hour but there system was so whack that I had to move to another computer then that one was super slow. It took forever to do anything. So I actually started riding at a little after one. It was windy, gloomy, and bleak. Then my chain got caught up in the rings twice. It turns out that the bottom ring is bent. Then it started raining a little.

Hobo Chili

2007-06-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

YEAHHH... this picture was taken about ten miles from the California border by my riding buddy Richard. We stayed at this park overnight with two other bike tourers that were heading North. We gathered some wood and I made a big dinner of chicken in a red sauce with rice and beans and flour tortillas. I am becoming a very good outdoors, minimalist chef. Did you know that you could use an old shoestring in place of a bullion cube? It makes for some good Hobo chili.

After we crossed over the border we left 101 and headed inland to go deeper into the redwoods. Such an amazing place. At that point Richard and I had been riding together for four and 1/2 days but we were heading in different directions afterwords. The company was nice but my solitude was beginning to get crowded. I learned a lot from him though. Mostly that pop-tarts good. The kid was culinary maniac. This first day we rode, we both stopped at a Safeway. I got Gatorade, apples, bananas, beans, and a loaf of bread. He came out with an 8 pack of donuts and a quart of milk. Then proceeded to consume it all before getting back on his bike. Another time, a few days earlier, we stopped at a store about three miles from camp to get dinner stuff. We went halves on the food and he also bought a pint of Ben & Jerry's. I wrongly assumed that we would share it for desert until a mile down the road when i looked back to see him steering his bike with one hand and using the other to squeeze the ice cream into his mouth. The pint was finished before camp. WILD! The day after we split up I was cruising back on the 101 when I saw him sitting outside of a convenience store finishing off a whole box of macaroons. The kid was amazing.

2007-06-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

So I'm just outside of Manchester, Ca. about 120 miles from San Francisco. My plan was to do roughly 70 mi. to get to Bodega Bay sand dunes but this library didn't open til noon. So I don't know how far I'll get. It doesn't really matter anyway. I've been having trouble finding internet access for a week now so i definitely wanted to hang out and use the computer. The next decent size town is probably San Fran. I also had issues finding a computer that would let me transfer images. When I got here I initially could upload pics but now I can't. Arghh! I' gonna move to another computer and if it doesn't work I'll just spill something on it.

KOA's suck!

2007-05-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

So I spent last night at my first KOA campground. Fucking awful and weird. I'm used to paying three to five bucks to camp and this place charged 17$. The hiker/biker area was located right behind the store and about fifty yards from the freeway. There were also spotlights on all night and I woke to the sounds of tractors ploughing the field behind the camp. The whole place is surreal. It's like I rolled into some trailer park gated community and rented someones ramshackle backyard. My area was surrounded by brick and wood walls like my own private camp prison. It did have a hottub though. I'll post some pics later when I have a computer with an accesible USB port. KOA's suck

Shoulderless roads seperate the boys from the fools

2007-05-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm 2 miles from Eureka, Ca. I was thinking about getting a room and spending the day tooling around the town and doing laundry but I really want to get some miles in. But my mind and body were about to hit the breaking point yesterday so I'm not sure what it will be. I took a side trip into the redwood forest about 15 miles after I crossed the cali. border to get to the Jedediah Smith campground which was deep in there. It definitely was amazing and a nice break from the blistering heat. After that I cut back in to 101 and headed down to Orick. The days have been a little brutal. California specializes in treacherous highways like Oregon does with Bridges. i estimate that I climbed about 5,000 ft. of elevation in the last three days. And they all seem to be so steep. The kind that has the grade warning by the road for descending vehicles. One hill climbed to 1,200 ft. with most of it having no shoulder to ride on. I'm doing between 4 and 6 miles an hour while cars are screaming by at 40 and 50. I wanted to stop and take a picture but I couldn't kill my stride. California is not for lovers, it's for sadists. But after a few hours of climbing hills I get to scream down a mountain for ten minutes and it almost makes it worth it. Doing fifty miles an hour on a bike is pretty exhilarating.

How?

2007-05-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Shouldn't this have been lying flat on the ground? How in the hell does a staple stick straight up and pierce my tire?

Bike trouble update.

2007-05-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

So as for the bike, I've had a few more set backs. I did replace the rear rack in Aberdeen but it might not make it to Mexico. Maybe. On Sat. Heather set me up in her friends beach house in Neskowin, OR. Awesome place. Thanks Heather, it was great to see you again. The road to get the house though is littered with very jagged rocks which tore up my tire. I failed to notice it until two days later as I was too busy claiming my scrabble-master title against Heather. I mean it was insulting. Total scrabble domination. It almost ruined our friendship. Anyway, I spent Sun. and Mon. stuffing my face and chillaxin' then on Tue. I packed up and noticed the flat which also had ripped a little hole in the tire itself. Luckily Heather was still around and she gave me a ride to the next town, about twenty miles away, to buy a new tire and patch the tube. It was pretty late in the day by the time it was all taken care of so we stayed in the town of Newport where I again Crushed Heathers scrabble dreams. Anyway, I took off on Wed. morning and only thirty miles into the day I got another flat. A large staple went right through the tire and into the tube only a 1/4 of an in. from where I had just patched it. Oh well. Then on Thur. as I was crossing the bridge into some town whose name doesn't matter I got a bent chain link. Richard, my touring buddy, had some extra chain links so we spent a good while doing that. That's about it...so far. Oh yeah and some squirrels clawed up my tent while I was taking a hike last week so now I've got duct tape patching it up. I'm still having an amazing time though. Peace Out.

Why wouldn't I want to be here?

2007-05-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Seriously, this is fucking amazing. The views are incredible and there are these fat, invalids barking and smearing shit all over each other. It's deeply beautiful and grotesquely heelarious at the same time. Just like me.

Doobie brother

2007-05-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

This guy was headed North on the coast from San Diego. Rollin' on a big mountain bike with knobby tires, guitar on his back, and head phones blaring. The guy hardly noticed that I was there and proceeded to tell me he was a Doobie Brother. Then he played air guitar while singin some song that I might have known If I was born thirty years earlier and hadn't fried my brain on drugs. Immediately after the air guitar session he asked me where the pot was, as if it just had to be somewhere in the immediate vicinity. He seemed angry that there was none so I asked for a picture. "Shit, I don't care dude"

These are the good old days

2007-05-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

The days just roll by and I'm finding myself in Bandon, only a day away from the California border. I hooked up with that cyclist I parted ways with in Florence and we've been riding together since yesterday. It's nice to have some company. And also someone to make a huge feast with at the end of the day.

This pic was taken today far off of 101. Just some dumped couch that looked like a fine rest stop. Until I started to think about what kind of meth lab or human fat factory it came from. Then I got scared and rode away. Ugh.

Good Morining

2007-05-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Whut up Ya'll? I spent the night in Florence, Or. last night. Made a couple of friends along the way, one of which was also heading south so we rode out for the last ten or so miles of the day. We parted ways in Florence because I was getting a motel for the 2hr. season finale of LOST. Oh such a good episode. See you next season LOST. I'll miss you.

2007-05-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

This is just outside of Cannon Beach at just over 500 ft. of elevation. The wind was evil and I had to work hard to find my Chi.

such is life

2007-05-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

So I seemed to be blessed by magical camping spots. On Thursday, after i blogged and took care of the bike It was already two-thirty before I left town. i was hoping to make it to Bay City but I was fighting a fierce headwind most of the way. Usually on flatland I'm able to average 15-17 miles an hour but the wind was keeping me held down to about 9. It feels like I'm being bullied by a mean spirited ball of cotton and it just frustrates me too much. I find myself screaming at the wind and wanting to punch nature in her nose. So I called it a day around thirty miles and pulled into the first camping spot I found. MAGIC. It was lush, had hot showers, and there were wild rabbits everywhere. I couldn't look in any direction without seeing a rabbit grazing on some grass. I paid for the night, went to go find a spot and who was next to me but my two German touring buddies. And not thirty feet from our site was a wide grassy field with two dozen horses roaming around, neighing, clomping, and swishing around in the creek.

2007-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today I'm in Tillamook, Or. Last night I camped out in an excellent area just off the beach. I had the most secluded spot and only a hundred or so yards from the ocean. I layed down to rest just as the sun was going down and fell asleep to the sounds of crashing waves. Around midnight I was woken up by heavy raindrops taping on the surface of my tent. found it hard to fall back asleep with the immense glee that I was feeling at the time. I wanted to stay awake and soak the sounds in but not long enough to hear it end. Sometimes this all feels like a dream.

Good Friend/ Bad Driver

2007-05-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

I Had meant to post this shot of Max earlier to get back at him for shaking my bike off the bus so here it is. Enjoy Fishies, this is your fearless leader at his finest. Somebody at work should print this and tape it around the bar.

Goodbye Quinalt

2007-05-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time in Quinalt. I can't believe I live only two hours away and have barely explored the area more than a handful of times. It was also great to see my friends. We hiked around just a little 'cause Jeff had some sort scrape on his leg that he kept complaing about. I can't believe this is the same guy I saw catch a Salmon with his bare hands. Seriously, bare fucking hands! Later we all hung around the bon fire again and Sarah busted out her Fire fighter gloves that can withstand a crazy amount of heat. I was actually able to grab hold of a red, burning log with those things on. My arm hair unfortunately was not fire proof.

2007-05-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is one of my fellow tourers. His name is Adolph and we've passed each other a few times, his buddies name is Raymond. They're both from Germany and carry around trailers like this one. Just livin' the life. They start earlier than I do but I make more stops so we keep lapping each other. I've come to appreciate every time I see them.

1 state down and two to go

2007-05-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Yesterday I it made over to Oregon by crossing a 4.2 mile bridge of treachery. It might have been the most dangerous thing I'll have to do this whole trip. Two narrow lanes and just over a foot of shoulder. I kept an exhausting pace of 20 mi. an hour most of the way while nursing a busted knee (ten ibuprofrin seemed to help a little). When I got to the other side I criuse around a little, found a cheap motel, cleaned up, and then cruised around a little more checking out the town. Let me tell you that after a day of hauling around a huge load for forty+ miles and four+ hours there is no better treat than dropping off your load and pedalling around on what seems to be a feather weight bike. Astoria, Or. is a cool little place. I stopped in to a bar for a beer and a bite to eat an immediately made a friend. He also happened to work at the local bike shop and used to live in Olympia. We actually knew some of the same people. He was also on his bike so we downed the beers and cruised around as he showed me the hot spots. One of which being a very new brew house that rocked. we had some dinner and then scooted over to another cool joint called the Voodoo Room. All classed out with hipster/ rockabilly adornments. The bartender looked like he was birthed and raised there with slicked back hair and one greasy, curly bang hanging down his forehead like Johnny Depp in Crybaby. Scott, my bike buddy offered to let me stay at his house the next night if I wanted to stick around town but today is just too beautiful not to ride. So I dropped my bike off at his shop this morning so he could get some things in better shape and I'm taking the time to blog. Rad.

Anonymous

2007-05-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

So I appreciate getting comments but when you do, leave your name or else it just comes up anonymous. Also if you click on a picture it will enlarge it, making it like totally cooler!

"You can't just let nature run wild"

2007-05-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

I snapped this picture of the bald eagle as we were travelling the backside of the lake.
The Sea Anemone's were all over the beaches around Kalaloch.

Still here

2007-05-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday and I'm staying another night at Quinalt. This place is just too amazing to leave. Heather came up yesterday and Sarah and Jeff will be here in about two hours. This is the best bike tour ever. The Hoh rain forest is bordering the backside of Quinalt and it's incredible. Heather and I took a drive around the thirty mile loop yesterday and decided that some hiking was in order. Waterfalls and lush, vibrant greens are everywhere. After our hike we're going out on the resort owners boat, whom we made friends with last night. Very cool guy. We had a huge bonfire on the beach with a few of his buddies. Chillin', drinkin', talkin'. I mean this guy definitely has his life figured out. Tomorrow I'll start again but with a fully recharged battery, muscles repaired and hopefully my tent patched up. The first day I got here I spent some time tuning up my bike and realized that at some point the brake caliper had shifted over and was rubbing the rotor constantly. That means I was pedaling against my own brakes for who knows how long. What a soldier...

rats

2007-05-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

The raccoons get big out here.

Dirty Rats!

2007-05-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

So after the Rack fiasco I set up camp, rode down to the next gas station for supplies; i.e. beer, came back and started up diner. Yum! After walking around the campsite and viewing the beach for a while I Laid back in the tent to cash out for the day. It was incredibly windy and a bit cold (just under 40 degrees) so my sleeping bag was the most magical place to be at that point. I nodded off to what should have been an amazing sleep but a few hours later I was startled awake by an awful noise just outside (or so I thought) of my tent. All of my supplies were located right next to my tent, under the rain fly in my bags. I wrongly assumed that because my food was in ziplocked bags inside of my panniers that it was safe. NO. At that point I had no idea what was happening so I leapt out of my tent with my machette (yes, I've been sleeping with my machette) to find Raccoons having their dirty way with my stuff. I sort of chased them away. They kind of strolled away, looking over their dirty shoulders as if deciding whether to leave or take my life. I retreated back to my tent with everything that I had and not five minutes later I heard that same awful sound. But all of my food is in here... the awful sound that I heard was actually those dirty rats ripping through my tent only four inches from my toes to get at a bag of granola. WTF? I jumped out again and searched for rocks big enough to knock that rats ass out. Needless to say I did not sleep well. ugh...

2007-05-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is Kalaloch.

Broke Rack Mountain

2007-05-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

So this is where the split was. To the left of this is a support bar that was bent and showing stress lines. I've had to repack the rear load to move more weight to the other side. Please let me make it to Aberdeen.