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Mat Zalk - Matgellan

Matgellan Hi friends-

This blog is dedicated to world adventures. To exploring places discovered and undiscovered alike, for they're all new experiences to me. Some days are boring, some are exciting, but the road of life has many turns, all of which hold new discoveries and lessons to be learned. How many different species of mangos are there? How many ways can you sharpen a knife? I'm out here trying to find out the answers to these mind boggling questions and others. Stay posted to find out what I discover.


PS. Click the little gallery icon below to see other photos, and check out the super-cool yearbook photo!


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Joined on: September 26th 2006
Last Login: March 29th 2008

Blog Entries: 27
Photos: 225
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Mat-Zalk, order by Date newest first.

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And there I was, sitting in a 15 passenger van that was packed with 21 people. The fat guy to my right was breathing heavily, and I could almost hear his nostrils flaring, craving a smoke of the Gitanes cigarettes that had led to this condition of eratic breathing in the first place. His wide frame jammed me up against the window, and though I was a bit uncomfortable, I was pleased to be sitting next to the open window. The woman sitting in the row ahead of me was probably beautiful, though I could only imagine, as the black abaya [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 1 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1434 words | [diary=257077] | 2008-03-29 02:24:05


Resting Donkey
Resting Donkey
This is the cutest donkey scene I've seen. He's just relaxing in the sunlight during a hard day's work.
My eyes open. As I stumble out of a hazy sleep, I notice that my thick woolen blankets have slid off the bed, again. This is the fourth night in a row, but I havn't yet figured out a way to keep the blankets on top of me. I guess my first priority is keeping my body on the bed. The frame is a bit tilted, and as such, makes it easy to roll to the lowest point. What do I really expect? I am paying $4 a night to stay in this luxurious Luxor hotel, breakfast included. If the bed [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 1 Comment(s) | 19 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 954 words | [diary=239367] | 2008-01-26 13:15:42

Desert Bike Riding
Galibaya & Head Shawl
When in Rome...

By Mat Zalk
January 13th 2008

Walk Like An Egyptian

 Africa » Egypt » Sinai » Dahab
Bus - circa 1980
Bus - circa 1980
Minarets from a local mosque peek out from behind this old crappy bus. It's buses like these that have taken me around the Sinai Peninsula and over to mainland Egypt. At $1 a gallon, there's no need... [more]
I napped. And woke occasionally. The scene, a decrepit touring bus, circa 1980, dark inside with a musty tinge to the recirculating air. The front of the bus was painted with the car brand Renault, and I wondered whether anyone knew that Renault doesn't make buses. I was trying to ignore the noises coming from the busted speakers above every seat, but the sound of chanted verses of the Koran, coming like squeals from a dying cat, were overpowering my ability to think. Staring blankly out the window, I noticed the waves of trash that the Bedouins have left in the [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 2 Comment(s) | 10 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 486 words | [diary=235610] | 2008-01-14 17:00:43

Bedouins with Their Camels
Bedouins, part 2
Hiking Mt. Sinai

¨Who in the hell would put a village at the top of a mountain?¨ I thought. As I reluctantly trudged along switchbacks ascending 3500 feet to the top of the lush green mountain, I began to dislike my long-winded, recently befriended guide Brian. Two hours uphill isn´t such a big deal, but I´d had barely a wink of sleep in nearly two days--a bout of a stomach illness had set me back a few days and my energy levels were at an all time low. Thinking back to the day before, the three hours of hiking were less grueling, but I [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 2 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1031 words | [diary=212957] | 2007-10-28 02:00:08


Imagine this-- you´re at the bus station, sitting on the bus, mentally preparing for the journey...come to think of it, you´ve been prepared for this journey since you first got on the same school bus so many years ago. ¨Blue Bird Body Co.¨ you familiarly read, and those forest green pleather seat covers are etched into your brain forever. The proprietor of this public transport vehicle may have painted over the deep yellow you remember, but deep down you know it´s the same bus. Even back then bus driver´s fan didn´t work, and instead sat collecting dust from the time you [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 4 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 633 words | [diary=204103] | 2007-09-21 01:58:40


Granada Street
Granada Street
This is a nice street in Granada. It is the oldest colonial town in Nicaragua, and looks similar to some town in Cuba, most notably, Trinidad.
Strolling through the outdoor market (okay, to be honest it's partly outdoor, and partly shielded from the sweltering heat by corrugated tin), I couldn't help but enjoy the bustling atmosphere. The horse carriages noisily passing by and dropping manure onto the streets, the money changers screaming, the guys that want to sew new soles onto your shoes, and finally, the heart of the market, vegetable and meat stalls hawking the day's freshest items. It's a wonderful amalgamation of colorsm noises and smells; an experience similar to that in other countries where people don't buy produce at Whole Foods, but instead go [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 0 Comment(s) | 11 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1229 words | [diary=199972] | 2007-09-08 22:59:56

Decrepit Church
Old Time Biker
The Stupidity I´m Talking About

Forgot to Mention
Forgot to Mention
I broke a 9 foot board in two spots when I landed on a rock. I guess I wasn´t paying attention to where I was. Oh well, live and learn.
Hello Nicaragua, Goodbye Costa Rica! That´s it, I´m gonna have to do it: After being in Costa Rica for a month, I got sick and tired of the lazy tourists and the super safe reputation that makes Costa Rica a haven for fat Americans and other bad tourists. The locals are jaded to the tourism and lack any desire to interact with people on the road of life. This is a particularly difficult situation for me, because interaction with locals in Spanish speaking countries is the spice of my life. So this is what it´s come down to. The moment I [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 3 Comment(s) | 7 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 909 words | [diary=197206] | 2007-09-05 01:02:34

Hammock Time
What Am I Doing?
Beach Restaurant and Bar

The days have been long and action packed. We've seen sunrises from the beach, the desert and the mountains, each one equally painful yet rewarding. As I write this I am sitting in a hostel in Cairns, the northeast corner of Australia, after a full day of traveling. This morning I was in central Australia—the Outback, the bush, the red center—and tonight I sit in the coastal town of Cairns. Tomorrow we are up to no good—river rafting all day on the Russel River, followed by two days of sea kayaking and beach camping. In seventeen days we've spent five [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 3 Comment(s) | 23 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 782 words | [diary=176452] | 2007-07-07 00:00:00

RECOVERED
RECOVERED
RECOVERED

Pool Excercises
Pool Excercises
Here are a few of my fellow candidates, alongside Bjorn (course director) and Michael (staff instructor). We´ve spend quite a bit of time perfecting our skills so they are demonstration quality.
PADI--Propaganda and Dive Indoctrination Becoming a PADI Scuba Instructor is like being a Campus Republicans Club President at the Republican National Convention--readily accepted indoctrination at the highest levels. The propaganda levels are only matched by national campaigns of the most effective war-time leaders of any nation. References to "the system" pervade my daily life. Marketing equipment and continuing education are stressed to an absurd point, and while useful to know, such brainwashing leads me to question whether we'll end up in a PADI compound outside of Waco, following our sacred Course Director as he instructs us to breathe some odd [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 9 Comment(s) | 4 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 473 words | [diary=157674] | 2007-05-16 00:00:00

My Course Director
The Giant Stride
Presentations

Caught Doing Laundry
Caught Doing Laundry
I try to do my own laundry in an effort to keep a level head, especially in a country where a community member's weekly salary might be as little as we pay for a night's accommodation. Here I am caug... [more]
Conversations on Palau Arriving in Palau was quite a shocker. We jumped off a quadruple engine plane carrying twelve, including us, from the Philippines to Micronesia. Kendra was happy to see the US Dollar. Me? no way. The week in Palau confirmed what I initially suspected; the trip cost the same as four months living in Malaysia. Everything was priced as if we were in the States. I guess it makes sense; they only achieved their independence in '94, so we had to pay to see Blue Corner, one of the top dive sites in the world. Anyhow, the week [View Full Entry]

Mat Zalk - Matgellan | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 5 Comment(s) | 10 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1019 words | [diary=146401] | 2007-04-08 00:00:00

Spinner Dolphin Guides
Going Overboard
Butanding Interaction Boats



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