http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Do-It-Like-The-Locals/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Do It Like The Locals en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:49:12 +0000 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:49:12 +0000 050 USA San DiegoThe End Back to AmericanaCheck out the pictures from our final leg of the trip Family photos from the West Coast. Click here.What a time to be back. Coming home to Americana after 14 months of traveling the world is like jumping into a lake of ice water itrsquos a shock to the system. Add to that a bearish economy a dry job market and significant losses to once boom http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Diego/blog-423537.html 049 USA WashingtonFamily photos from the West Coast041809 042209Here are the photos from the final leg of our trip... driving down the west coast of the country. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Washington/blog-402743.html 048 USA MontanaClosing the circle in Montana040909 041809Life comes in circles. Montana marked the closure of three highly personal phases of our trip and of our lives. To begin with this was Hannahrsquos first time back in her native state as a visiting adult she flew back a couple of years ago for a funeral but didnrsquot spend significant time there. This was also the first http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-396380.html 047 USA New York032509 040909New York A city a mountain house and a waterfallNew York is one of those truly unique places in the world. The City radiates energy sometimes good other times not that grabs you the moment you step onto that gratefilled sidewalk and get brushed between a highheeled power suit and an offduty Pakistani cabbie. Your neck creaks and your eyes absorb th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Niagara-Falls/blog-392781.html 046 USA Memphis032309 032509ldquoI'm going to Graceland... Graceland... Memphis Tennessee...rdquo Paul SimonEver wonder how we chose the destinations for our roundtheworld trip It wasn't a scientific process but we did have some selection criteria. First we wanted to go to places that we've never visited before except for Greece which was our halfway 'recharge' point. So http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-389133.html For all you Elvis fans here's to Taking Care of Business in Graceland Enjoy the pics http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-389140.html 045 USA Colorado032009 032309Brother Levi in Colorado SpringsComing back to the States after 13 months of global travel injected some serious patriotism back in us especially Hannah. Waiting for our luggage at LAX I saw an older Hispanic lady struggling with her jumbobags. Speaking in Spanish I offered her a hand... then I thought wait a minute I bet she speaks English In fac http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Colorado/Colorado-Springs/blog-385842.html 044 Peru Cusco030109 031309Tourist ready PeruVisiting Machu Picchu is like visiting the pyramids of Egypt or the Acropolis of Athens hordes of tourists flock the grounds snapping photos listening to their private tour guide explain the area in their native tongue while screaming kids and old folks with canes hobble around distracting you from the sites. Still you gotta do it. It's http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/blog-382552.html 043 Bolivia Oruro020609 030109Volunteering in Bolivia Give a little receive a lotA wise man once said 'Give and give freely and you will receive tenfold more than that which you gave'. Such was the story of our time in Oruro Bolivia volunteering at a soup kitchen for underprivileged children and at a girls orphanage and ultimately experiencing a love and affection so pure that http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Oruro-Department/Oruro/blog-380067.html Here are some photos of the amazing children of Oruro. They are primarily of the girls from the Hogar Penny orphanage for girls and the underprivileged children at the comedor soup kitchen we volunteered at. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Oruro-Department/Oruro/blog-377339.html 042 Bolivia Tupiza013009 020609A Bolivian Safari The most diverse terrain per square mile in the worldImagine driving past a deepred lake with Marslike rocks in abundance through a desert with boulders named after the artist Salvatore Dali and onto another lake this one white with yellow streaks from the salt and borax deposits. All this from the comfort of your Land Cruiser and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/blog-374363.html Here are some fun photos from the Salar de Uyuni. All the photos are 100 original undoctored and Photoshopfree http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Salar-de-Uyuni/blog-376856.html 041 Argentina Cordoba011909 013009Argentina Cordoba Culture Iguazu Falls and a Castle in Saltawritten by HannahArgentina is enormous and wonderfully western. We crossed the border from 'hot dog obsessed' Chile and traversed through the mighty Andes on our way to the cultural center of the Americas Cordoba Argentina. On the 20 hr trip we met a new friend Renee from Australia an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Cordoba/Cordoba/blog-371301.html 040 Chile Ancud010809 011909Unexpected ChileHere's a little travel hint from the 'engineer half' of Do It Like The Locals a little spontaneity can add some much needed spice to your travels. Also don't believe everything you hear or read about a place. Okay that's two travel hints I admit but that's what Chile was for us spontaneous and quite unexpected.First Bariloche Argentin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Los-Lagos/Chiloe-Island/blog-371292.html 039 Uruguay La Paloma122408 010808Bienvenidos a las AmericasArriving in Argentina after spending over a month in the Middle East is a like relaxing to an ice cold beer in your apartment after a journey across the desert. Your couch and the Corona are familiar enough but the fact that they come after such toil makes your apartment feel like the Ritz Carlton and the beer taste like liqui http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/East/La-Paloma/blog-367436.html 038 Jordan Petra121008 122408Caught between a rock a dead sea and a hard to find work placeRocks all around us Salt rocks in the Dead Sea Masada's rock fortress perched on a hill a city in Jordan whose name literally means 'rock' and the vibrant coral of Sinai's Red Sea yes I know the difference between rock and coral.First stop the lowest place on earth The Dead Sea. A body http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/South/Petra/blog-356156.html 037 Israel Tel Aviv113008 120908Sweet and Sour Holy Landwritten by HannahIsrael and the Palestinian territories are home and holy site to the 3 major monotheistic religions Judaism Christianity and Islam. How sweet it is to see a harmonious coexisting of these three in a country that has over 4000 years of wars possessions and rulers.One of our favorite things about traveling is t http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/blog-354520.html 036 Cyprus Lefkosia112508 113008Cyprus SouvlakiCyprus is the daughter island of divorced parents Greece and Turkey and is currently caught in a bitter custody battle between the two. The island boasts some amazing beaches and scenic views and its citizens have a bit of a 'horio' village life attitude that gives them a more relaxed demeanor than Athenians. Hannah and I stayed with m http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Cyprus/Nicosia/blog-354240.html 035 Switzerland Lugano111208 112208Banking with the Brooks in the land of chocolate watchesOkay the title is misleading since we didn't really do any banking eat any chocolate or buy any watches... but we did hang out with our friends Jane and Darren Brooks and newly born Matthew a.k.a. 'Lil' Baby Nug' in scenic Lugano Switzerland.First Hannah and I flew into Milan and unanimousl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-East/Lugano/blog-350344.html Some photo highlights from Milan... http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lombardy/Milan/blog-350347.html