A few days before we left, Sarena asked what we were going to do in Bolivia and my answer was ‘freeze our asses off and get altitude sickness’. I was being sarcastic, but I really didn’t have an answer to that question. I had no clue what we were going to do, or even why we were going to Bolivia. Some people, like Jeff, had said amazing things, but he lived there for 6 months; we only had 10 days. Others had only negativity for us. What were we going to do in Bolivia? The fact is, we did a lot [View Full Entry]

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I don’t have anything clever to say, or any worldviews to relate at this time. I am way too tired to act intelligent. So I’m just going to put the last few days into words the best I can. Our second day in La Paz was spent getting acclimated, booking our trip to the South, and site seeing. It was a good chill-out day, the last we’d have for a while. That night we went to dinner at El Arriero, an excellent Argentinean steakhouse. For around $30 US we both had pan-fried provolone, beef neck, bread with this amazing vinegar bean [View Full Entry]

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It’s been 24 hours since Billy picked me up at my place in San Francisco. Woke up in California, had breakfast in Texas, lunch in Florida, then dinner and drinks in Bolivia. Amazing how travel works in the modern world. Sitting in the international terminal in Miami listening to Billy talk about Supertramp, Kid ‘N Play, what food he would eat if he could only eat one thing (beets), and something about wanting a puppy, I notice that there are 9 other people within view that are going to be on our flight to La Paz. There are the 5 Canadian [View Full Entry]

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It's time again to escape the day-to-day and throw myself into the unknown. This time it's to South America; Bolivia to be exact. And this time I am not solo. My friend Bill Kornele has been brave enough to join me on the latest adventure. We fly out of SFO on Friday night for 10 days in the poorest nation in South America, whose capitol sits at over 13,000ft. No plans...no itinerary...just going to see where the days take us. Wish us luck! Kevin [View Full Entry]

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I picked up this book called “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova in the Cancun airport without knowing what it was about. It ended up being this amazing book (so far) that is along the lines of “Da Vinci Code”. Instead of following the bloodline of Jesus through Western Europe, this book follows the history of Vlad the Impaler (the real-life Count that was the basis of Bram Stoker’s Dracula character) through Eastern Europe. About 100 pages into the book I came across this quote that pretty much sums up why I always have to go somewhere new every time I travel [View Full Entry]

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My first trip out of the country since my 6 months in Asia, and it’s been extremely hard to convince myself that I only have a week out here. I told myself I needed to get out of the ‘travel’ mindset and into the ‘vacation’ mindset, but I am finding that is easier said than done. I don’t remember the last time I went on a vacation. Thursday night was my 30th birthday and in true fashion of trying as hard as I can to not act my age, I pulled an all-niter. It was a great night and I wouldn’t [View Full Entry]

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No, I am not back in Myanmar, I am still in Hawaii...but I came across this Special Series by the BBC that might be helpful to people thinking about traveling there. They were written by a journalist who just got back. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 [View Full Entry]

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I just came across this great article for those travelers out there (like myself) that are already in their careers, but decide to give it all up for awhile...looks like I'm not alone here. Click link: [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/08/fashion/thursdaystyles/08vaca.html?ex=1150084800&en=1303ceb12af34d33&ei=5087%0A]A Life Between Jobs - NY Times So I have been doing a whole lot of nothing out here, and it's been great. I hung out with Mihwa in Oahu for the weekend, and then came over here to Maui where I am staying with Barry and Rachael (who are expecting their first kid in N [View Full Entry]

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"(I am) happy with that inordinate happiness that comes of exhaustion and achievement, and with which nothing else in life - no joy of either body or the mind - is even able to be compared" - George Orwell, Burmese Days So after… *Spending 5 months… *In 8 countries (US, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar)… *On 3 continents (North America, Asia, Australasia)… *With people of 35 nationalities (Canadian, Korean, Malay, Indonesian, British, Turkish, Kiwi, Ozzie, Brazilian, Indian, Spanish, Swiss...)… *While s [View Full Entry]

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If you read only one of my blogs all the way through...make it this one. Imagine a country… Where the Internet is only 5 years old, but is so heavily regulated by the government that it is almost impossible to contact the outside world Where citizens have to pay exorbitant fees to open a Cyber Café, after which, the government bans e-mail. (by only having 2 internet companies, both controlled by the military and both going through the same proxy with a list blocking hotmail, msn, yahoo, gmail, etc)* Where you can go 2 weeks without hearing a cell phone ring. [View Full Entry]

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