http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/A-Year-to-Moon-Honey/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from A Year to Moon Honey en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:16:03 +0000 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:16:03 +0000 While I would love to provide you with a chockfull of information regarding the Philippines and the intricacies of travel within this would take me much too long. Besides Sarah will have probably entertained you with the full itinerary and if you are not reading her emails please let her know at swoolgaratgmaildotcom.The full details will come when we return from the whole thing but h http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/blog-268925.html Yes here is an update written in real time not written in longterm retrospect as I intend to do when we return from our travels.We are currently in Luang Prabang in Laos a tranquil respite and hourlong flight from Hanoi and the rest of Vietnam. Sarah and I found Viet Nam to be by far the most stressful place that we have traveled as of yet but we have escaped...And to quite an stunning http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Luang-Prabang/blog-275098.html So here we are in Manila after about three weeks in Thailand. I almost have a feeling that I don't need to really write anything about Thailand since every farang nonThai person usually Caucasian in the world seemed to be there while we were except in Phitsanulok. One thing I noticed is that the country's many towns often influence the names of Thai restaurants in the San Francisco Bay http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/blog-261183.html So as you very well know I've fallen behind on my blogging. Thankfully we have pictures and I have a pretty good memory for details on the trip so I'm thinking those two things combined with random notes in notebooks will enable Sarah and I to put together a fairly compelling blog once we return. In the meantime I figured I would update you on the current and the future.Currently we are http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-258234.html We arrived at Retiro bus station in Buenos Aires after a comfy four hour ride in our first salon cama bus complete with wide plush leather seats and a directtovideo Dolph Lundgren movie on the tv. Upon our arrival we took our first subway ride since Rio a month earlier to the Hotel Sportsman where we had made a reservation the night before for 5 nights with a bao privado. Upon our arr http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-252213.html As we crossed the Rio Paraguay we became paranoid that our bus would not stop at Paraguayan customs for us to obtain an exit stamp as we never had a clue if anybody in Paraguay actually listened to anything we said. Then after a bunch of stops and many questions of how much more time it would take to arrive until we actually arrived at the joint customs area for both countries. Obtaining our http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Chaco/blog-244609.html The Paraguayan consul in Foz De Iguazu informed us that we could obtain visas to visit Paraguay in Posadas Argentina so we hopped on the bus and went. We stayed at the Hotel Colon whose owner Monica helped us out on the morning of Thursday December 27th by taking us to the consulate where we found out we would need three additional passport photos and several copies of our passport. Than http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Paraguay/Encarnacion/blog-241476.html So I am writing this roughly three weeks after I previously blogged and roughly a month after we actually did the thing Im blogging about. We are currently in Puerto Natales Chile about to start our 4 day trek into the Torres Del Paine National Park home of the famous Wwhich should be a trail full of Europeans and of course beautiful scenery.But I left you off in Foz De Iguazu Brazi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Paran-/Foz-do-Igua-u/blog-238834.html So we hopped on a bus from Bonito to Jardim where we could transfer to a bus to go to Ponta Pura at the border of Brazil. In Jardim we lunched and went to an internet cafe. As the bus terminal was a good 2km from the town we needed to catch a taxi back to the station. And all we could get were MotoTaxis essentially taxis where you ride behind the driver actually on the motorcycle and no http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/blog-232311.html So we spent the night in the hotel in anticipation of a 9AM bus to Bonito the next morning. The laundromat didnt open at 8 as planned but we still were able to get the laundry and we also caught a bus at 11AM with a very efficient bus company Cruzero Do Sul we arrived in Bonito exactly when we were supposed to.And Carlos the driver of the Hostel picked us up as soon as we arrived. But the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-232300.html We left Ilha Grande on a Private boat rather than the public ferry which we took to get there. When we returned to Angra Dos Reis we had wanted to take a bus to Sao Paulo where we could spend the night but the next bus was sold out. We could have taken a night bus there but we decided instead to push forward to Campo Grande where we could catch a bus to Bonito Sarahs whole reason for wan http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Campo-Grande/blog-229084.html Ilha Grande its an island. And zillions of backpackers go due to its proximity to Rio. And you see the same people as everybody stays at hostels or pousadas within about one square mile of each other. But it has fantastic beaches.On the day after we arrived we intended on hiking to Praa Lopes Mendes as the Lonely Planet had mentioned that some consider it the most beautiful beach in Br http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Ilha-Grande/blog-229082.html We left Trancoso at 1PM on Wednesday December 5th on one of the local buses to Eunapolis a town on the main coastal highway of Brazil where we found rather sparse eating opportunities but we were able to find decent sandwiches at the flyridden Lanchonete sandwich stand from which you could only buy Guarana Kuat Cokes lifeless answer to the tasty Guarana Antarctica. For those who do not http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/blog-228625.html Boy it has been quite some time since we have found an affordable fast and comfortable Internet Cafe but we have found one in Bonito the Discovery Lan House but it has been over two weeks since we have blogged. Stupidly we do not have all of our pictures with us maybe we will upload them tomorrow.So I last left off in Porto Seguro a super touristy spot where high schoolers tend to g http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Bahia/blog-228624.html Due to a before unknown sinus infection Sarah was in tremendous pain during each of the three descents but she made it to Salvador incredibly tired and sneezing at every opportunity.We eventually made our way to an air conditioned room at the Hostelling International. I then went out and bought ourselves quite possibly the most expensive falafel plate ever at the Lebanese Restaurant next doo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Bahia/Len-is/blog-223545.html The Lonely Planet guides all warn about how dull and uncomfortable boat rides down the Amazon are. Many travelers think that the rides are rewarding.I viewed our trip as a way to get from the triple frontier to Manaus where we could connect to a number of additional Brazilian cities. It takes three days to get from the frontier to Manaus.I would never describe the boat ride as comfortable but http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Amazonas/Manaus/blog-221593.html Much has happened in the last week in a half. After I blogged a week ago Saturday. The lavanderia to which we brought our clothes did not give us a good amount of them back including all of Sarahs underwear. Sadly we did not realize this until after it closed. As we had booked a nonrefundable boat ticket to Leticia Columbia for the next morning at 6AM we could not retrieve our clothing. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Amazonas/Manaus/blog-221591.html Were safe just havent had much time to update the blog the jungle tires you out. Its incredibly humid and we will be sailing the Amazon for three days until we hit Manaus. I hope to find a speedier internet connection there for the uploading of photos and such. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Leticia/blog-220369.html So were in Iquitos. Its entirely different ecosystem from the rest of Peru. Were in the Amazon Basin or as Sarah likes to describe it the Jungle. Its hot here and tropicalwet. Its cold at night and dry everywhere else. We flew here from Lima and learneda If you want to leave a secure area after entering one at the airport you cannotb You feel very trapped when you have no idea http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/blog-218558.html We were trying to have a relaxing day in Arequipa while waiting to see whether or not one of the local camera shops could fix our digital camera. So we went to see the beautiful nearly 500 year old Monasterio de Santa Catalina ate an inexpensive but delicious vegetarian meal and then bought chocolates at La Iberica Arequipas famed chocolatier. While sitting on the Plaza de Armas main squa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Arequipa/blog-218552.html