http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Wild-Eyed/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Wild Eyed en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:01:30 +0000 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:01:30 +0000 June 5 Took the overnight train from Kiev to Luts'k in the northwest corner of the country. Upon arrival we found the small station already stirring with early bird locals awaiting their trains. We departed by taxi as the cold morning air began to sting our ears and noses and stopped first at Michael's friend James' apartment. James is also employed by the Peace corp as a teacher and spen http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Lviv/blog-406305.html May 31 We arrived in Moscow Friday morning stiff from the long transAtlantic flight. After clearing customs with relative ease we claimed our belongings and plunged into the heart of Moscow by train. Drab Soviet highrise apartments began to punctuate the forested landscape miles outside of the city center. In Moscow we scarcely had time to catch our breath before heading to the ticket offi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Kyiv/blog-404224.html July 13 After catching our flight out of La Paz Ryan and I have arrived at our final destination in gorgeous Argentina. Arriving from the airport at Diana's apartment in the Las Caitas neighborhood our friend greeted us with sleep in her eyes and steaming hot mat to rouse us from the fatigue of travel and the chilly winter morning air. Diana explained that she had been out until around 50 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-402401.html July 8 After departing from Cuzco on an overnight bus Ryan and I found ourselves staring out at a brilliant sunrise over Lake Titicaca and wrapping up in a few extra layers to ward off the bitter cold. We reunited with a Japanese friend Yoshi whom we had met on our rafting trip near Cuzco had a great alpaca lunch walked around a bit and discovered that one of Perus poorest cities was actu http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-297088.html June 30 Had a run in with two of my favorite actors in Cusco on Thursday. Dominic Monaghan and Evangeline Lily. Never heard of them you say Well Monaghan played the chipper hobbit Merry in The Lord of the Rings movies and Lily currently stars in the television drama LOST Monaghan is a former costar on the show. You never know who youll meet on the road I guess. Friday I went white http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-293348.html June 24th We are currently in Cusco taking a moment to catch our breaths after taking in the colorful Inti Raymi festival earlier. To catch everyone up after unwinding a bit in Trujillo Ryan and I backpacked to Lima where I became aware of just how enormous the place really is. The pollution is eyestinging the pace of life is frenetic and the poverty is quite appalling but there is some http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-289359.html June 14 We made the journey to Guayaquil over a week ago but soon found ourselves overwhelmed by the sweltering heat pollution and chaos of Ecuadors largest city. So we boarded a bus in search of greener and cooler pastures. Crossing back in to the Andes we settled into a gem of a city at Cuenca in the south of the country. After taking a day to explore the areas cobblestone allyways http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/La-Libertad/Trujillo/blog-287086.html June 3 Slowly but surely Ryan and I are making our way to the Peruvian border. We have spent the last several days wandering through Quitos Old Town marveling at the beautifully restored buildings imposing churches and frenetic pace The city teems with life and I could not help but feel as though I had just been swept along with it. We learned the ins and outs of Quitos complex transp http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Riobamba/blog-283321.html May 30 Touched down in Ecuador. The taxi ride into Quito was fabulous The city is incredibly large and the highrise buildings and highways seem to extend forever. Arriving in the Old Town Ryan and I were able to get our bearings before locating an excellent little hotel 5.00 per night with fabulous views from the third floor terrace. After wandering the cobblestone streets and dining 1 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-282333.html May 26 Sixteen months after leaving Africa she is still with me. My thoughts still float with the ocean breeze. My feet tap to her rhythm. My heart yearns for adventure. But I have decided to save my next chapter in Africa for a later time. South America beckons. After years of anticipation she is presently three days and three flights away. Time to shake the sand from my flipflops af http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/blog-280306.html December 5 Tanzania is among the most beautiful countries I have visitied and for good reason Kilimanjaro Ngorongoro Conservation Area Lake Manyara and Zanzibar Island are only a few of the featured attractions of this East African treasure. My words fall short of realizing her ineffable beauty but it is my hope that these images will provide a window into the paradise that is Tanzania. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Moshi/blog-214811.html December 1 After departing Accra and via two layovers in Lome Togo and Abuja Nigeria Patrick and I made the most of our short time in the Ethiopian capitol of Addis Ababa. With enough qat and coffee in our systems to fuel a rocket we escaped the evening chill by relaxing in the coffee houses and nightclubs of this interesting East African city. The soothing rhythms of the band and the dim http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Addis-Ababa-Region/Addis-Ababa/blog-214809.html I apologize for not posting this blog sooner but finals travels and the common cold have kept me occupied in the last few days. Last weekend I set off to Benin a small country with a history steeped in the practice of voodoo the slave trade and grand empires. We crept into Benin at twilight after hours of frustrating travel to the East frontier of Ghana and across Togo. The country appea http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Benin/South/Cotonou/blog-104193.html After hours of discussion and a reluctant agreement two fellow Americans Ian and Lindsay and I headed to the chaotic Kaneshie station to find transportation to the West of Ghana en route to our ultimate destination Cote d'Ivoire. Once one of the more stable countries in West Africa Cote d'Ivoire boasted a prosperous economy and a considerable community of European expats. The capitol Abidj http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Cote-d-Ivoire/blog-99728.html For the first time I have stepped off Ghanaian soil and ventured into the confusing yet utterly charming borders of Francophone Africa. Crossing the border from Aflao in Ghana my travel companions and I were greeted with the same bustle and cocaphony we had come to know in Ghana but with a decidedly different twang. Mototaxi drivers courted us with eloquent French and aside from the fish a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Togo/Lome/blog-97352.html The past two weeks have been notably lowkey in stark contrast to previous actionpacked weekend excursions and the mad dashes around the university to sort out class scheduling and paper work. I haven't picked my way through any jungles to view magnificent waterfalls and I certainly haven't seen any elephants or antelope. In fact I have become quite comfortable lounging around the dorms jo http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ghana/Greater-Accra/Accra/blog-94278.html Finally I have found the time to use a quality computer with a working disc drive The following pictures correspond with my previous travelblogs detailing my adventures to Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary Wli Falls Tamale Larabanga Mole National Park and others. Enjoy News I'll be traveling to Togo and Benin with my Beninese friend in midOctober. Francophone Africa awaits. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ghana/Greater-Accra/Accra/blog-90383.html Last Thursday I departed for my crosscountry tour of Ghana I began by visiting Kumasi the capital and heart of the Ashanti people and the site of the largest market in West Africa. I did my buying elsewhere however and bargained in Twi I'm learning fast with the kente sellers in Bonwire. I couldn't discern whether they asked me to repeat wobegye sen roughly translated as how much d http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ghana/Northern/Tamale/blog-90180.html First off Happy birthday DadSo as I had mentioned in my last post I decided to return to the Volta last weekend to further explore the villages jungles and waterfalls of the region. It was not a dissappointment. When I arrived in Tafi Atome the only accomodation in the village was occupied by a small group of Danish volunteers so I had the opportunity to stay in a local's home for the ev http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-88370.html Finally I have discovered a computer with a working disc drive. For the moment the power is also stable so I will use this opportunity to post a few of the pictures I have taken thus far. Please enjoy and know that more will follow Oh and as for this weekend I will be traveling back to the Volta region to spend quality time with a few primates and buy kente cloth at a local market in Taf http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ghana/Greater-Accra/Accra/blog-86877.html