http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/PeruOutlaw/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from PeruOutlaw en-us Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:15:31 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:15:31 +0000 Dear Friends So arguably aside from losing a traveler the only greater casualty especially near the end of a trip is your digital camera. While we didnt lose it cliff jumping it is at the bottom of Lake Atitlan and try as we might we couldnt find it. 500 pictures or so gone to the sea. Luckily the set of Jin and I roasting marshmallows over lava are in tactWeve had a wild past few da http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/San-Pedro-La-Laguna/blog-321756.html Dear FriendsToday I write from a hostel that could be the set of a movie. A multicolored place filled with white kids from all over the world. Next to me a Briton who said cheers when I moved my chair for him. Behind me two Israelis using Skype. There is a table of Germans playing Risk and an American reading The Life of Pi in a hammock. That American is Jin...The place is half indoor http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/El-Peten/Flores/blog-320633.html Dear FriendsSometime you make a decision and it implies some obligations. Along with our decision to go to Soloma came many many days of buses. Jin and I took two days of solid bus riding to get in and out of that scary town we spent two in Xela and now weve spent two getting here to the heart of the Guatemalan Jungle Flores City outside of the Mayan ruins of Tikal.Buses can be a wonderful http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/El-Peten/El-Remate/blog-319491.html Dear FriendsMuch has happened since my last hectic email.First of all I want to thank everyone for your generous donations. We were able to raise more than I had anticipated 120. With that we were able to make donations to both the man in Jolocmu as well as the Spanish Schools childrens charity program. Much thanks to all. I am honored that so many of you trust me with your donations and http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Quetzaltenango/blog-318631.html Dear FriendsSo never before have I written two letters within such a short proximity of each other. But alas I am venturing to an area where I don't know what my next chance to write will be. Let me continue.A few weeks before I left on this trip I read this story on the cover of the New York Times. httpwww.nytimes.com20080803us03deport.htmlr1scp6sqguatemalastcseorefsloginIt http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Panajachel/blog-317761.html FriendsSo the past few days Jin and I have been doing some obligatory highly touristed activities. They have been much fun believe you me much fun and highly unoriginal. But hopefully we bring our own originality to the mix.First a vignette on my travel companion. Jin my college room mate ever playful with language and desperately lacking in Spanish skills has terribly mispronounced the http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Panajachel/blog-317446.html Dear FriendsLook here its Carl Beien. Im realing from a recent graduation from Bucknell University and fabulous graduation party that so many of you came to What a blast It was too hot to drink much of the beer but for those of you who stayed around till late it wasnt to hot for a crazy game of croquet in the park Whoo DogBut alas Im not just writing to remind those of you who missed http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Antigua/Antigua/blog-316262.html We've had snow the past couple of nights here in beautiful Lewisburg and one night after it stopped some freezing rain came in. Now this might be a pain for driving or walking or doing anything on asphalt. But on the other hand it was magical for walking on snow. It reminded me of being a little child in Decatur Illinois during winter time on Uncle Dick's farm. You could get one foot on t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Pennsylvania/blog-246313.html Hey FolksSo I'm back home again after another exhausting day's work at Navy Pier. Since my last letter things have moved from the mundane life of Beijing China to the wild and crazy life out west in Chicago IL. I spend my days riding my bicycle back and forth from Navy Pier a mere 10 miles each way sometimes after midnight and in between I hawk boat rides. On my return to my home stay fami http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Illinois/Chicago/blog-170871.html Hello Everyone So it is amazing to me I lived in Beijing for 4 months and coming back to it feels a little like coming home. After seeing so many new places Beijing feels very familiar to me. I know how the subway works and what accent the cab drivers will speak with. I never thought I could feel comfortable this way in a city besides Chicago but here I am in Beijing China feeling like http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-168086.html Its a big move folks. I've just been forced to cut the Tibet section of my trip short folks. The exciting trip through Eastern Tibet was simply not in the stars. The permit situation in Tibet these days is exceptionally stringent. I only heard one story of a skeptical French man who tried to take buses through the area. He said he was only picked up by one in every five buses and the ones tha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi--an/blog-166009.html Yesterday we ventured out from our wonderful hotel right off the Barkhor in tibet's Old Town to go see the Potala Palace. This however did not work out as we had planned but led us to some interesting places and to met some interesting people. The first was a shop keeper on the Barkhor circuit just outside of the Jokhang Temple. Besides having a whole bunch of really neat stuff he seemed gen http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Tibet/Lhasa/blog-164742.html Hey There Folks So I'm writing from a beautiful guest house in the heart of the old quarter in Lhasa. This place isn't in the guide books. It was recommended to me by that shady Tibetan travel agent I used in Beijing. By the way he turned out to be all he was cracked up to be. While he did charge me a bit of a surcharge for his services he did pull through with individual permits when no one http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Tibet/Lhasa/blog-164329.html Hey There Folks My semester abroad as of a few hours from now is officially over. While my Chinese has surely improved leaps and bounds for me a single semester abroad is simply not enough to acheive any real fluency. While I can surely get around and have conversations for which I know all the vocabulary it would take much more study for me to be considered a competent speaker. That b http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-161695.html Hello All My Fellow Americans For the most part anyway... My time in Beijing is quickly coming to an end and I'm getting very reflective. Images that I've been taking for granted have lately started to stick with me. This morning as I got off the train I watched the undulating wave of blackhaired heads move briskly up the stairs. At a glance they all look the same but I've been here lon http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-158956.html Hey Folks Summer is coming to Beijing and its coming in force. Some days its hot but thats not all the time. We haven't gotten any of the Gobi Desert dust storms that Beijing is famous for yet and thankfully I probably won't be here when they do come. As for now the space between the roads and buildings that made Beijing appear desolate and dreary in the winter time have blossomed with all http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-156614.html We got up at 6 this morning and I probably could have slept later. Maybe my body was a little more used to this physical exhersion. Either way we needed to hit the road. Gordon flew out of his bed the efficient Engineer that he is and I quickly followed suit. Once downstairs for breakfast however Gordon's efficiency was delightfully stalled when we ran into the father of a family who had come http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Hebei/Langfang/blog-155414.html Today I woke up around 5 surely thanks to going to bed as early as I did last night. Its like despite how much worked I put in the night before I'm never really tired the next day. I was a little sore but not enough to really feel bad.The orphanage provided breakfast first time I've had cereal in months. Raisin Bran I love raisin bran Then Gordon and I headed out. My butt was as sore as I co http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Hebei/Langfang/blog-155404.html Today Gordon and I arrived at China Orphans outside of Langfang. The ride was terrible. I am clearly out of shape. I was riding so slow slower than I ever thought I could. I must be in the worste shape I've ever been in. It was painful. Gordon was delightfully patient. He's really doing this because I am. So for him to have to carry me is really pathetic. He's a real trooper. If Ali or Dre had ma http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Hebei/Langfang/blog-154699.html Hey Folks This has been the week of all weeks. I've done a lot and think its all really worth writing so I'll try to keep things brief. On friday after class some friends and I decided to go to Beijing's underground city museum. During the sixties Mao Zedong felt that building an intricate system of tunnels under Beijing would be a fabulous idea. Not only was he afraid of nuclear attack from http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-154376.html