For some strange reason, it was cheapest for me to stop in portland, oregon before heading to south america. so i made it a weekend. it just so happened that my mother and my niece were in portland during this time visiting my brother, Zach. The three of them picked me up from the airport. They were excited to see my mustasche. it was great to see family. zach set me up with our friend craig down the street. mom and devon had the couch covered in zach and his fiancee, jen´s, single bedroom apt. lily, their dog, was a bit [View Full Entry]

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I was not excited to be back in Kauai. It was like starting all over. there was nothing new. i was going back to the same farm, which had the same people. i had grown hadnt i? i had started onward and upward. i was on a roll. it seemed like a step back, but i fell back into the island rhythm. from the airport i had no ride or numbers to call. so i just started walking and managed to hitch back to the farm. jim saved me from jumping on a boat or a plane and leaving. he took [View Full Entry]

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leaving the relaxed atmosphere of Pai was difficult but time was running out. from chiang mai i took a night train to bangkok. i walked around downtown bangkok and rode the elevated monorail and metro just for fun. both were very nice but stayed in the business district. after a couple parks and a mall i caught another night train to surat thani, where at 5am i was herded onto a bus that i was told went to krabi. this was a mistake. we were all captives of this particular transportation company. everyone on the bus was dropped off in an [View Full Entry]

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After leaving the family of whom i had grown so fond, i made my way to the bus station. i was on my way to Chiang Mai. i took an overnight bus and arrived in the morning. nothing was open. so i just walked around keeping my eyes open for breakfast or a guesthouse. i ran into a few backpackers doing the same. i joined them in the search for a place to stay. we all had breakfast together but soon parted ways as they went on reasearching canopy tours and rafting trips. i walked around the city for a few [View Full Entry]

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i felt ok taking the bus to Cambodia because i had researched the scams and knew to look for them. i avoided the package deal. took a tuk tuk to the bus. got in a tuk tuk to the border and shared with an american on the bus. he reassured me that he had done the bordercrossing many time and he would help guide me through. so the first thing that happened was that the tuk tuk stopped off on a side street and the american tried to get me to join him in buying my visa here for twice the [View Full Entry]

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helen got a seat that, when darkness fell, was converted ,by an attendant, to a bed with a curtain to separate from the aisle through the middle of the car. the light was always on. a compartment was pulled down out of the cieling that made another bed above the seat bed. a plastic bag containing sheets and pillow came with each bed. the lower bunk is preferred as it does less swaying as the train rocks and corners and it is easier to access. when i bought my ticket there were no more at the rate she paid so i [View Full Entry]

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the distant future, the distant future...it is the year 2551. my trip to thailand occured in the year 2551. Thailand has a different calender. anyway... i limped out of the airport and took a shuttle bus to khaosan road, where all the backpackers hang out. khaosan road started out small but has become a huge gathering place for foreigners on a budget. the austrian girl i had met in kauai gave me some suggestions as she had recently been to thailand. i was dropped off by the shuttle at khaosan but walked to another street soi Ram Buttri which was lively [View Full Entry]

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Hitchhiking is the best way to get around Kauai. The bus is only $1.50 but it doesnt run on sundays or holidays. and the bus only runs to 730pm. and the buses dont go everywhere. people really do pick up hitchhikers on kauai. noone should drive in a car without at least one passenger to lighten the carbon footprint. it is pleasant. i like being able to have a 15 minute personal conversation with a stranger. you get all of their attention so you get to learn alot about a perfect stranger. the first question is always, 'how long have you [View Full Entry]

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I landed in Lihue, the county seat of Kauai, in the same plane as Rob and Danielle. It was dark when we arrived but the weather was pleasant. i didnt get to see anything on the way to Rob's place. they put me up for the night. i awoke the next morning while it was still dark. i followed the sound of waves crashing on a beach. i found myself in the middle of a huge bay(hanalei bay yes this is where puff the magic dragon lives seen from heights curled in the landscape of the hills and mountains around the [View Full Entry]

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I spent my summer working odd jobs in wooster, Ohio. the tedium eroded my sunny disposition. i couldnt bear to get lost in the undulating waves of past and present. i couldnt hold on to any train of thought. i had nothing to hold on to at all. so all it took was a whim to uproot me. i have moved to the island of Kauai. but first i wanted to spend a week with Vince Mariola in Arizona. This was not my first trip to the Grand Canyon. my first time was with my brother Zach just after graduating from [View Full Entry]

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