http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/KevinMartini/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from KevinMartini en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:09:06 +0000 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:09:06 +0000 It's Monday morning. I am back at my desk in my home office. The trip is over and the weekend is over and it's time to start dealing with everything again. I am alright with that. I am just so happy that for 5 or 6 days I was actually able to turn it all off. The whole time on the road I did not let any of the negative thoughts about this house seep into my brain. I blasted them out with ver http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Colorado/Denver/blog-418236.html The shows I have attended while on the road have really brought me back to my formative years. First seeing Willie Nelson performing lsquoAngel Too Close to the Groundrsquo lsquoWhiskey for my Men Beer for my Horsesrsquo lsquoAlways on my Mindrsquo and of course lsquoOn the Road Againrsquo under a picture perfect sky in Louisville Kentucky brought me back to those years when http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Knoxville/blog-417257.html 3 Days of driving music and porn in the Heartland with 44 pictures...pictures tell the story better than I can...so please scroll through the pics...they can be hidden on this site so you have to keep clicking next to see them allhellip1600 miles later and Irsquom in Louisville Kentucky. Irsquove been through here before but like so many other cities in this country I was in and out for http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kentucky/Louisville/blog-416565.html I am on a mandatory furlough for the week of July 6th. Luckily I have enough vacation time to cover it and will not have to take any nonpaid days. Some people are not so lucky. I have been going back and forth about what to do with this week. Jamie will be working Nicolle will be in Y camp I could keep her home but she has more fun there with all the kids than she would be me and everybod http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/blog-414521.html Lake Atitlan Guatemala Antigua Guatemala El Tunco El Salvador Esteli Nicaragua Grenada Nicaragua San Juan del Sur Nicaragua Monte Verde Costa Rica http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/blog-406956.html Jon is on his way to Tamarindo. Drew is sitting a couple aisles over listening to his iPod. The overhead voice is informing me we are going to experience turbulence and delays flying into Miami. I am on my way home from Central America.Itrsquos been a good ride and now itrsquos come to an end. Drew and I are spending one night in South Beach on the way home. Sounded like a good plan when http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/San-Jose/blog-406308.html I had traveled for 8 years without ever really getting sick. That changed a few nights ago in Esteli Nicaragua. The same night Drew landed in Managua. Coincidence I think not. We took the Tica bus out of San Sal through Honduras into Nicaragua and jumped off in Esteli instead of going all the way into Managua. We had heard it was a great place to see the true country. It really was. We http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/San-Juan-Del-Sur/blog-404667.html San Salvador is not what I expected. Most Central American cities I have been to have great contrasts...the very rich and the very poor. But I never expected the shopping centers and hotels that are all over San Salvador. It really looked like any U.S. city. As soon as the bus pulled in I asked Jon if he wanted to head to the beach right away and he agreed. We went down to El Tunco and it was http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/El-Tunco/blog-403420.html Everybody look at me cuz Irsquom sailing on a boatJohn and I just got to Antigua and we are both beat. After having an 8day party in Denver and then partying at Lake Atitlan for 3 days I need a rest. I can only imagine how John feels after being at The Iguana for as long as he has.Anyway donrsquot have much to sayhellipjust wanted to let everyone know I got here safe and that John has s http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/Santa-Cruz-La-Laguna/blog-402489.html All pictures have been posted. Amsterdam Netherlands 94 pics Warsaw Poland 40 pics Vilnius Lithuania 75 pics Riga Latvia 15 pics Kiev Ukraine 63 pics Chernobyl Exclusion Zones Ukraine 100 pics L'viv Ukraine 45 pics Krakow Poland 18 pics Auschwitz Concentration Camp Poland 60 pics Prague Czech Republic 90 pics http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-325384.html The trip is over I am writing this from the Prague airport trying not to think of the 24 hours of travel I have ahead of me. I woke up with a stuffed up nose and sore throat this morning so breathing recycled air all day should be fun Not to mention I somehow twisted the wrong way getting out the cab yesterday with my luggage and pulled a muscle in my leg. I looked pretty cool limping around http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/blog-322886.html I started the solo part of my trip in Kiev Ukraine. I knew it was going to be an interesting place the moment I landed and the whole plane burst out in spontaneously clapping. Successful landing an occasion for clapping Awesome I knew I picked the right place when exiting the airport I saw everything was written in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet. There isnrsquot anything more thrilling or http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Kiev/blog-321719.html Sorry to inundate you with 3 blogs over the weekend but since this trip was broken up into different parts I figure I would do a few small blogs instead of one big one. And really Irsquom just trying to catch you all up on everything. I have actually been solo for about 3 days now in the Ukraine and the guys are probably on flight home right now. Before I blog about Ukraine I need to get http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Lithuania/Vilnius/blog-320844.html Last Sunday morning we flew from Amsterdam to Warsaw. This is where we picked up the car and where we realized the one issue with my planninghellipno GPS. It took us a good 15 minutes just to find our way out of the parking garage. Irsquom going to blame the Polish signs though because when you have arrows pointing towards lsquodo not enterrsquo signs therersquos really something w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Masovia/Warsaw/blog-320525.html It's been over a week and this is the first time I've had a chance to get online and do anything. We booked this trip solid and have been on the go nonstop. Unfortunately I don't have much time to say a lot about what's been going on. Itrsquos getting late and I have an early morning tomorrow. To sum it up everything has gone according to my 'perfect' plans. I got to do everything I wante http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-320218.html The debauchery begins tomorrow. We all fly to Amsterdam tomorrow for the weekend. Then it's a flight to Warsaw to pick up the car and start driving around the northern countries...Lithuania Latvia possibly Estonia...There won't be much blogging on this trip but I will try to post pictures of Matty trying to dance with local girls Mazzola's arrests Plosky's frustration and all the churches a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-316886.html hellipand then we woke up and there was this huge double rainbow in the sky. We followed it to where it ended on an island where there were no clouds no rain and the sun was shining bright. We hiked up the pristine mountain and along the way discovered an indigenous tribe that had never come into contact with the modern world. They served us the most amazing Christmas dinner even though th http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Panama/Colon/Santiago/blog-230816.html Quick disclaimer on this blog I wrote this blog about 6 hours ago. Since then Matty and I have kicked each others ass in Palace we've drank a 12 pack of local brew had the best meal of our trip met one of the coolest British expats been to a local bar with the ugliest foreigners that exist been clubbin' and ate some good ass meatonastick off a street vendor. Now Irsquom chillinrsquo http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Panama/Bocas-Del-Toro/Isla-Colon/blog-229616.html Panama City. I have been here for 3 days and 3 nights and depending on the hour you ask me I will go from telling you I love it to I hate it. Yes within this short period of time I have developed a lovehate relationship with this place. And to be honest I am really in no mood to be writing right nowhellipthatrsquos one of the reasons I hate it. It does not inspire me to write about my e http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Panama/Panama/Panama-City/blog-228701.html This is not a video game this is real life and real life hurtsWe are sitting on our bikes at 16000ft. being briefed on how to survive our 12000ft. descent into Coroico on the World's Most Dangerous Road.For the next 45 hours we will be riding 40 miles down a road that we will share with other bikers cars buses trucks dogs and people. We will be riding on the cliff side because th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Yungas-Road/blog-199157.html