Travel, Photography, Life.
North America
Duluth CouchSurfing Invasion
Mar 3rd
Last weekend was the Duluth CouchSurfing invasion. CouchSurfing is a great way to connect with other travelers in your city and around the world. About thirty-five of us made it all the way up to Duluth, Minnesota for a chilly February weekend. Madison has had such a mild winter, it was a bit shocking to take on the North Shore’s 15-degree weather. Still, it was a great getaway, even if for only a few days.
Click here to see my photos from Duluth.
Leaving the Life
May 22nd
April 19, 2008
Day 876
The final day of my trip had arrived. After a long night without much sleep, I couldn’t keep my eyes open on the hour-long bus ride to the airport in Cancun. Nothing of any significance happened on my two flights home. People complained about having to wait an hour to check in and their flight getting delayed by an hour, but I was used to that kind of stuff. In fact, the airport seemed extremely efficient to me. I was amazed at how far one could travel in one day. After years of getting stopped every ten minutes for random speed bumps, police checkpoints, pitchfork-brandishing protesters, flat tires, tuk tuks, and the occasional alpaca crossing, I was able to travel nearly 2000 miles in a mere four hours in the air, a distance I hadn’t covered in at least the last four months.
I was freezing when I landed in Milwaukee, but I’ll adjust eventually. There wasn’t nearly as much culture shock coming back this time around. I think being in Playa del Carmen, where Wal Mart’s and McDonald’s abound, for the last three days helped make the transition smoother. I’m actually really glad to be back home.
So this is the end of my trip. Now comes the most difficult part. I have to get a new driver’s license, get my car running again, catch up with people I haven’t seen in years, try to get my old website back up, sort through 11,000 pictures for printing, put together a resume, search for a job, try to put back on a few pounds after dropping below the 150 mark for the first time since I was like twelve years old, and probably do a bunch of stuff I haven’t even thought of yet. I’m sure I’ll write some follow-up entries eventually, but for now this blog is closed.
My Triumphant Return
May 22nd
April 15-18, 2008
Day 872-875
Today I entered Mexico for the first time in ten years. The bus went from the Belizean border up the Caribbean coast to Playa del Carmen, one of those all-inclusive American resort towns. Seventy-five percent of people on the beach were pasty and fat. They looked like in the last year they had spent fifteen minutes exercising, thirty minutes in the sun, and the rest of the time in an office eating junk food. Fifteen percent were so red it looked like someone poured a can of paint on them because they went from a terrible winter with no sun to sitting outside all day in the tropics without the inconvenience of sunscreen. The other ten percent were the color of bratwursts with a matching skin consistency, like they had spent three hours per day in the tanning booth for the last three months to prepare for their trip. That’s not to say that I’m the prime example of a perfectly-bronzed beachgoer either.
The weird thing about Playa del Carmen was that despite all the decadence and tourists who think sitting on a beach for five days constitutes getting to know a new culture, the place started growing on me. The weather was perfect, the sand was fine and white, and there was nothing expected of me because nobody else was doing anything, either. My biggest accomplishment at the end of my trip was going to the clinic for another blood test to confirm that I was finally dengue-free. I also played a lot of cards with my fellow hostel-goers and realized that while I am going to miss this carefree lifestyle, it’s okay that it’s about to come to an end.
The photo album for this entry is here.
Return to Airportland
Oct 18th
October 18, 2006
Day 327
We only had a short drive to Miami planned for today, so instead of taking the freeway, we drove over to the coast and headed south. Mansions, yachts, and nice cars were everywhere. The entire beach seemed to be in private hands, and tall bushes obstructed our view of everything but the road ahead.
When we went through Boca Raton, we noticed an animal sanctuary and decided to check it out. It turns out that a small amount of the original Florida wilderness actually hasn’t been plowed to build a condo or a mansion. There was a boardwalk leading through the reserve with a 40-foot tower that gave a nice view of the city and the ocean. The walk was short, but that was good, considering the 90 degree temperature and high humidity. We saw a pelican, some bees, and butterflies along the way. There were also several aquariums containing sea turtles, stingrays, sharks, and lots of other fish. A grade school class was there on a field trip, so we were able to sidle and learn about the wildlife. It turned out to be a nice place to stop for a few hours.
The drive to Miami was tough. We had a motel booked, but our only map wasn’t detailed enough to show any of the important roads to get to it. Just when I thought we were almost there, the road ended and we were forced to go to the airport. Then we had to turn around and take some side street and were completely lost. Luckily we got there eventually, but it’s a pretty crazy area to drive through with a thousand highways branching off in every direction. The thing that will save me tomorrow is that the motel has a free airport shuttle service. I can’t wait to get on that plane, although admittedly, I have absolutely nothing planned for once I get to Ecuador tomorrow afternoon. As usual, I’ll be winging it.
The photo album for this entry is here.
A Bad Flashback
Oct 18th
October 17, 2006
Day 326
Today involved a lot more driving. If you’re not from the US, it might be hard to fathom jut how big it really is. I’ve heard of Europeans showing up in New York, renting a car, and asking how far it is to the Grand Canyon. It can take a week to drive across the country, and that’s without even stopping to see anything. In our case, it took us two days to get to DC, and two more to get to Miami.
Looking at the map, and judging from memory, it appeared that there would be a narrow line of almost continuous cities all the way from West Palm Beach to Miami. Figuring figuring the motels in Miami would be really expensive, we started searching for a place early. We ended up stopping in… West Palm Beach, where I had my horrible bus experience when I first returned to the US!
After unpacking, we took a drive and walk around the city and confirmed that it’s definitely a shithole. Extreme wealth and extreme poverty live right next to each other with nothing in between. It’s really hot and the only people walking around are drug addicts, beggars, and yuppies. I don’t know how I ever got talked into stopping here. At least this time I can take refuge in a hotel room instead of being forced to sit outside among the elements while I wait for full buses to show up all night.
Southbound
Oct 18th
October 16, 2006
Day 325
We decided to avoid the early morning rush hour and left our hotel at 10:30 this morning. It was a long day of driving, and we ended near Savannah, Georgia. Our hotel not only was cheaper than the one in DC, but it had free Internet, parking, and breakfast, none of which the DC hotel had. Still, it was at least five times more expensive than most South American hotels. The most exiting news of the day was that the political mudslinging on TV has changed to a new set of candidates I’ve never heard of.
The climate got hotter as we headed southbound. I already saw my first palm tree since leaving, and the weather man complained that it would be an extremely cold night at only 72 degrees! The climate has begun to resemble that of my next destination, which I’m getting ever-more-anxious to reach.
The High Point of the City
Oct 16th
October 15, 2006
Day 324
This was our last day in Washington DC, and luckily my mom got tickets to the Washington Monument online. We took the metro downtown again, and walked over to the monument for our 10:30 appointment. There wasn’t much waiting in line because the tickets were for a specific time. Everyone from the 10:30 time slot took the elevator to the top of the monument at the same time.
There was a lot of fighting about building the Washington Monument in the mid-1800′s, and before construction could be completed, the Civil War broke out. When the war ended, thoughts of the monument resumed. It was finally finished in 1885. At a height of 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world for four years until the Eiffel Tower was finished. It still is the tallest freestanding (no mortar was used in its construction) marble structure in the world.
When we got to the top, we were free to look out the eight small windows facing in all directions for as long as we wanted. The view of the city was amazing. The White House, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol, and Pentagon were all clearly visible from the top. The great view, minimal waiting in line, being able to stay at the top as long as you want, and the free price make the Washington Monument a no-brainer for anyone visiting Washington DC.
Back on the ground, we took a long walk around the National Mall. We started at the World War II Memorial, then walked along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial and over to the Vietnam Memorial. Finally, with only a few hours left before everything closed, we went back to the Natural History Museum. I saw the Hope Diamond and exhibits of bugs and the Earth’s geology, then decided to check out the art museum across the street. I was too museum’d out by that point, though. I just couldn’t squeeze any additional sightseeing into the short amount of time left.
We were all thoroughly worn out by the end of the day, so we went back to hotel and slept. I didn’t realize there was so much to do in DC. I feel like three days was barely enough time to scratch the surface of the city’s attractions. I guess I’ll have to come back again someday.
Some thoughts on Washington DC:
- If you carry a bag or backpack of any sort, be prepared to be searched whenever you enter any building.
- Searches are very inconsistent. Sometimes they thoroughly go through everything and make you turn on all electronic equipment. Sometimes they send everything through an x-ray machine. And sometimes they just do a quick once-over and care more about doing their job quickly than making sure the building is secure.
- The Smithsonian’s are great. Put together, it’s the biggest museum in the world, and it’s all free. The artifacts on display are second-to-none, and they’re set up in a totally non-boring way. Just give yourself a few weeks if you want to explore them thoroughly.
- Definitely don’t drive downtown in the day. There’s almost no parking to be found. The subway is a much better option.
- There are people walking around from all over the world. I must have heard at least fifty different languages being spoken. I even saw a Chola walking down the road once! Our government is at an all-time low in popularity internationally, but that hasn’t stopped foreigners from visiting our capitol.
- I’ve heard DC is one of the most dangerous cities in the country, but the parts I visited didn’t seem dangerous at all.
George Washington’s House
Oct 16th
October 14, 2006
Day 323
Today was another day of sightseeing. This morning we went to Mount Vernon, which was George Washington’s house. It’s located on a large farm in Virginia, about half an hour from DC. Washington inherited the farm from his brother when he was 22. He then married Martha, who was probably the richest widow in all of Virginia. She and her two kids came to live with George at Mount Vernon, and he decided to expand the small house, a process that took decades to complete.
We tend to think of Washington as a great ruler, but he was first and foremost a farmer. After he fought in the French and Indian War, he came back to Mount Vernon and ran the farm. He switched from growing tobacco to grains and hemp because they didn’t deplete the soil as quickly, and he employed the newest technology of the time to produce the highest yields possible. Over 300 slaves worked on his farm from sunrise to sunset, six days per week.
After spending decades on the farm, Washington went away to fight in the Revolutionary war. He told Martha he’d be home for Christmas, but he never mentioned which year. Eight years later, on the day before Christmas, he was home, and the US had won the war. Of course he became the first President and conducted a lot of his business from Mount Vernon. He left office after two terms and went back to farming, but he unfortunately died about a year later. The farm was in the hands of private owners until the mid-19th century when it was bought by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association and opened to the public.
Walking through the house and the rest of the farm was an interesting look at history. Washington was quite affluent, so I got to see how the upper crust of society lived back in the 18th century. The visitor’s quarters themselves were larger than most houses of the day, and there are ten bedrooms in the main house, so the Washington’s had a lot of visitors. In fact, they averaged over 500 annual visitors at one point. The slaves’ quarters were very basic, with just a bunch of bunk beds and a small fireplace in a room, but at least they were livable. Still, it makes me wonder how some of the less-affluent people of the day treated their slaves.
Mount Vernon is in an excellent location. It’s right on the Potomac River, in the middle of a large forest, and many large fields. The view across the river is spectacular. I can easily see why Washington liked living there so much.
The Mount Vernon visit took a large part of the day, so we had just a few hours to head downtown. I went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, which is on the Mall like most of the Smithsonian’s. On the way, I saw a game of Ultimate being played in front of the Capitol. I wanted to join in, but I didn’t have much time left for sightseeing. Living in the area would be nice because there’s always some sort of pickup game going on on the Mall.
The Natural History Museum was once again massive. The exhibits mainly contained fossils from throughout Earth’s history and lots of stuffed animals. I also saw a Maoi from Easter Island, one of only six removed from the island and one of only two in the USA. Of course, I had already seen one on my visit to Vi?ña del Mar, Chile. Once again, I was totally overwhelmed by the size of the Smithsonian.
Tonight we met up with uncle Mike again for dinner. We attempted to drive to the Marines Memorial, but got completely twisted around in the labyrinth of roads and eventually turned back. It’s so much fun sitting in the back of a car with your parents and great uncle and trying to navigate through an unknown city at night. You don’t even know what a blast it is.
Walking Around the Mall
Oct 16th
October 13, 2006
Day 322
Our main goal today was to walk around the National Mall and maybe go up the Washington Monument. We were warned not to attempt driving in DC during the day because of the horrendous traffic, so we started out by taking our hotel’s shuttle to the nearest metro station. The metro was a bit confusing because there were only vending machines to buy tickets from instead of people, and the fares were different depending on where you wanted to go. I thought I figured out how much it would cost and put enough money into the machine for the three of us, figuring it would give me the option to get three tickets. Instead, it only spat out one ticket with credit for all the money I put in the machine. I figured it wouldn’t be a problem, so I went through the gate and handed my ticket back to my mom to use.
“Excuse me, where is your ticket sir?” a metro employee asked me.
“She’s using it now,” I replied, pointing back to my mom.
“You can’t do that. Everyone needs their own ticket.”
I don’t know what difference it makes if everyone has their own ticket or if all three are together in one, but the fact that I was only given one ticket to begin with is what angered me. Every other subway I’ve been on has an actual person selling tickets, and you just request the number you need. The DC Metro’s method is efficient if you know what you’re doing, but it’s extremely confusing for tourists, who seem to make up 90% of the metro’s passengers. In fact, the city probably wastes more money employing people to help the tourists figure out the system than they would if they’d just hire actual people to sell tickets.
The first place we went to was the visitor’s center. They were searching everyone’s backpacks at the entrance, and since I had my laptop with me to search for a wireless hotspot, I had to turn it on to prove it worked. It was a pain in the ass, but I guess it’s just something I’ll have to get used to as long as I’m here. The visitor’s center didn’t give us much info about things to do, but it did have some interesting exhibits about the construction of the White House and the various presidents who have lived there.
The National Mall is huge, and there are literally hundreds of attractions on it, so we just decided to walk around for awhile and go to whatever looked interesting. We saw a large crowd of tourists were gathered at what turned out to be the White House. You couldn’t get very close to it, though, so about the only interesting thing I saw was a guy mowing the lawn. I could see that particular activity at just about every middle-class house on any given Saturday, so I quickly decided to move on.
The Washington Monument was nearby, so we walked to it and attempted to get a ticket to the top. We discovered that the tickets were free, but we couldn’t get in anymore today, so we’ll have to try again another day.
The next stop was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The place was absolutely huge. It had replicas of the first US space station, the Hubble Space Telescope, the lunar landing site, lots of old airplanes, and just about everything else imaginable having to do with flying. I walked around for about four hours until it closed, but I didn’t even see one quarter of the exhibits. Later, I found out that there are over twenty Smithsonian’s in Washington DC, so it would probably take months to see it all.
After the museum, we walked to the Capitol and watched people play football and soccer on the Mall for awhile. It was a beautiful sunny day, so lots of people were out and about all over the place. Getting back to the hotel took a long time, so we basically just relaxed with the small amount of time that remained in the day. I was pretty annoyed with the city at first because of the metro system and getting searched everywhere I went, but seeing the Smithsonian changed my mind. The only strange thing is that there’s a huge, amazing museum dedicated to learning right next to dozens of government buildings dedicated to…well…I could say a lot of things, but certainly not learning.
Our First Look at DC
Oct 16th
October 12, 2006
Day 321
Today we got up later than my dad would have liked, had breakfast with Dr. Turk, and said our goodbyes. He has had an amazing life and was a great host. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who has been to as much of the world as him.
Today’s drive took us through Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. It seemed to take a lot longer than it should have because of the congested highways around DC. We finally arrived at our hotel early in the evening. It’s a nice place, but its location just outside of DC has caused it to be far more expensive than its luxury warrants.
Late at night, my great uncle Mike, who lives near here, stopped by, still in his square dancing outfit. He took us for a drive around the major tourist points of town. We went past the National Mall, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the capitol, and the FDR Memorial. Traffic wasn’t bad at night, but we were told that it’s horrendous during the day, so we’ll take the subway to get around tomorrow. So far, DC seems like a beautiful place with an overwhelming amount of stuff to see. We’ll only have few days to squeeze a lot in. I’m not going to have any great adventures write about yet. Just a lot of touristy stuff.