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]

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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]

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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]

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¨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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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