http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Fort-Fun-Granola-Boy/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Fort Fun Granola Boy en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:29:25 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:29:25 +0000 And this is it...the final travel blog entryThe flight from London stopped in Reykjavik Iceland for a couple hours. So I was really excited about seeing Iceland from the air if nothing else One caution Iceland Air doesn't necessarily market itself as a discount airline but it is imagine a transatlantic flight LondonIcelandNYC without any food Well unless you want to pay for it http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-York/New-York/Manhattan/blog-424519.html And now we find ourselves reflecting on Paris.I was able to make the EasyJet from Glasgow to Luton easily then a coach straight to Oxford where I met up with Lara and Jacob. Oxford again easily one of my favourite places though this visit was to be quite short. I snuck in maybe an hour of sleep before we took off for a very earlymorning delirium filled bus trip to London then the taxi to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-423440.html Do you find something funnyironic about welcoming someone back to the real world after they've just spent the last six weeks exploring the...well real world So now I can properly update you And it helps to put my own recollections down. So here we go.Scotland was quick. Scotland was amazing. It was nothing short of a homecoming of sorts to be back in Glasgow. Just hearing the thic http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/Glen-Coe/blog-422653.html Back in the States Yesterday started in a Paris hotel room then a train London's Underground a flight to Iceland then NYC then a subway ride then a 2mile hike through the grid that is midtown Manhattan. I was a little tired after that.Anyways I have so many pictures to share The crack in the laptop screen is symbolic of my regret over not being able to share them with you for another http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-York/New-York/Manhattan/blog-422113.html Well they finally did it...they killed my laptop.Actually the laptop works fine...it's the screen that has the giant crack in the corner. So the 200 pictures I have yet to download and prepare for distribution to the privleged masses will need to wait until I'm back in the States and can hook my poor crushed laptop into another monitor.I know I've let you the interested follower down...I pr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-421690.html Aye ah' morning ta yah.So Scotland has been an absolute whirlwind...though of course amazing. Perfect temps here as well. Glasgow's treating me proper went for a run in the park on Sunday after being kept up in Oslo again then night before...by the same snorer Fate has a sense of irony to be sure. then yesterday rented a car and drove up to Glen Coe for some amazing hiking.I had rented http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/Glasgow/West-End/blog-420545.html Those 120 degree days and 85 degree nights seem a long way from where I am now. At 62 degrees north I'm the same latitude as a point between Anchorange and Denali Nat'l Park in Alaska. Ironically enough 62 degrees also happens to be the temperature up here as well awesomely comfortable.My first day in Oslo the 14th I got a card from the tourist office which you can use to rent a bike. The http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Norway/Ostlandet/Lillehammer/blog-419633.html So...Copenhagen has quickly risen in the ranks to one of my favourite placesFirst the train from Munich to Hamburg took most of the day and the German announcer was greatly apologetic that the train was running 3 minutes late. Such is German punctuality...but considering I had only 5 minutes to make my train from Hamburg to Copenhagen much appreciated. What no one told me when I booked the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Copenhagen/blog-418221.html Internet of sorts...though still paying by the minute sadly...the router gods have yet to smile upon the rest of the world with abundant free wifi. Go USA The last few days have been an absolute blur. The 7th I spent the day exploring Istanbul then took the sleeper train overnight to Bucharest Romania passing thru Bulgaria. I shared the room with a Denverite of all people though he http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Copenhagen/blog-417505.html This will be another quick one...I'm facing my 3rd night in a sleeper train which is saving me money on hostels but I'm slowly crossing the border from smelly and oily to really quite rancid. I may be forced to use the train shower...shudder with me now.The train from Istanbul to Bucharest was pretty ghetto and hot but definitely way better than toughing it out in a hard seat for 20 hours. I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/blog-417178.html Ah the internet Glorious unhindered access allows me to once again report on traveling drug dealers incidents and iPhones. Read on.Getting to Syria was fairly straightforward. I was able to return the rental to its home without so much as a scrape sorry but I'm kind of proud about this fact. The staffer from the car rental shack on the side of the motorway who shall go nameless to pr http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-416203.html I've got so much to say about Syria...but precious few moments here at the ol' internet cafe so far I think the only one I've found in Aleppo....I'll be uploading pics but it may take a few days before I'm not paying by the minute and trying to make travel plans at the same time. It appears leaving Syria is a bit more complicated than entering.Syria is inexplicably chaotic and friendly. Y http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/North/Aleppo/blog-415823.html So this will be my last night in Jordan Tomorrow I head north to Damascus.Yesterday Joe Steph and I made the 3hour trek up from Wadi Musa into the heart of the beast Amman. I have to say we did pretty freakin' spectacular navigating all the way through town into the very centre. We even found a parking spot straight away. I'm pretty proud.I was sad to say goodbye to Joe and Steph and the http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/North/Jerash/blog-414509.html And now...Petra. I started out early for a morning run yesterday. Folks don't seem to open up shop very early around here so I figured a 6 am run would be a little less uncomfortable. I ran up the steep hill from Wadi Musa into a neighbourhood very quiet and no traffic. Key. On my way back down the hill I met a friendly guy working on his car and an older guy waiting on a corner presumably http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/South/Petra/blog-414132.html Wow so much to write. Internet has been a little spotty deal.Bethany Nathan McKenzie and Rachel took me to the bus station in Fang for the 3hour van ride to Chiang Rai. I already miss them crap. I sat next to a monk on the ride down and he knew English fairly well. He even negotiated me a kickin' fare for a tuktuk back to the airport Steve's travel hint for today when your new http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/West/Madaba/blog-413694.html The past few days we've spent with Billy and Kelly of Ambassadors In Sport going from school to school teaching soccer skills teaching about God and generally having a riotous good time with our young Thai friends. Soccer joins the nations together in a common bond more than anything else I've seen.Today was spent up in the Chinese tea village of Mae Salong. I rode in the back of the pickup http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Mae-Salong/blog-412469.html Yesterday Tuesday Nathan Rachel and I set out for Burma. I'm starting to gain a real appreciation for the miracle that is 711. They're like the Thai Starbucks absolutely viral. I got myself a tasty ice cream bar on the way.Over lunch we met up with Billy and Kelly who work with a sports ministry here in Thailand. Bethany and Nathan's ministry is working a lot with Billy to get some futb http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-411829.html This will be a quick one but I guarantee a whole load of pics in the next day or two...I was picked up at the Chiang Mai train station by my very benevolent friends Bethany and Nathan and Rachel and baby McKenzie came with so we had a little readymade family. We stayed in Chiang Mai that night then the next day Sunday came northeast to Chiang Rai for evening church and the Night Bazaar. M http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Mae-Ai/blog-411321.html 2 days ago I finally landed in BKK. Immediately upon exiting the airport I was forced to stare down and yell at an aggressive taxi driver. Seriously dude.Took the bus to Hua Lamphong train station in the middle of the city I say that because only YHWH knows if BKK actually has a middle though it would be made of delicious noodles and egg yolk if it did. The only train left to Chiang Mai d http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-410614.html Deodorant and a quick brushing do not a shower make.Sitting in the Taipei airport waiting for my next flight to Bangkok. From there it will be a slow slog into the city a 10hour train ride north to Chiang Mai and a 34 hour bus ride to get me near Mai Ai. I think that means I get there on Saturday. Though last I checked it was Wednesday.On the long flight over I sat next to a health worke http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taipei/CKS-International-Airport/blog-409968.html