http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/el-salvaje/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from el salvaje en-us Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:42:32 +0000 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:42:32 +0000 March 26 through March 29 After winter quarter was over I decided to drive down to San Francisco from Portland to relax and sightsee before leaving for Colombia. The tenhour drive is spectacular. The mountain ranges are beautiful and the scenes are breathtaking. Southern Oregon and Northern California are beautiful. I arrived into San Francisco late Thursday night. Driving into San Franc http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-399725.html It was a shame that I didn't get to spend Christmas time with my family this year. However Shanghai had plenty of the Season's spirit. Everywhere one turned Santa's big smile was there to greet you or drawn Merry Christmas signs on windows were at every other store. Even street vendors set up shop to sell all types of Christmas merchandise. The shame was that even with all this spirit Fel http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-359920.html One of the sections of the wall opened for tourists is located two hours northeast of Beijing. The Simatai section is beautiful. The views seen cannot be described by words. I am hoping some of the pictures will show the beauty. Felipe Alex and I left the hostel at about 630am. The hostel in Beijing set up the transportation hike and meals. Though the price quoted to us did not include http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Great-Wall-of-China/blog-359472.html What a wonderful time we had in Beijing. Over a week of exploring the capital and its surroundings was great. We stayed at the Sulitun International Hostel near the Worker's Stadium in the northeast side of the city within walking distance of the Dozhimen subway station. Arriving early evening in the city the first stop was a delicious dinner at a local restaurant that was fit for five or http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-355944.html Well the year has had its ups and downs. The city of Portland and the most of the state of Oregon is wonderful with lots to do and see and drink. Living in Beaverton for most of the time really didn't help me get into the atmosphere but once in Portland you feel why the city is one of the best in the country. Grad school has definitely been a great experience. I have learned things tha http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Oregon/Portland/blog-322132.html BOGOTABogota has plenty to offer. The city center is beautiful and walking throughout is easy and relatively safejust no de papaya and you will be fine in other words use common sense. The Plaza Bolivar is a beautiful spot for travellers and tourists alike the Prima Catedral el Palacio Narino the Bolivar Monument the Palacio de Justicia and other government buildings can be found he http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-302740.html August 30 2007 through September 9 2007This time upon arriving to Medellin I took the 'colectivo' a minibus which only costs 5500 pesos. You can find the 'colectivo' once you step outside of the airport and a blue sign with a bus is visible. Mostly business people were on board only with two foreign couples the ride was quiet and I had a chance to view the scenery that the road provi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Medellin/blog-208372.html August 22 2007 through August 30 2007I left midday for Bogot on Wednesday August 22 the plane ride of under thirty minutes was not even long enough for me to get a nice nap before meeting up with Janneth and her family. Earlier I woke up feeling sick not only with a stomach ache but also with cold like symptoms. Apparently most of the members at my sister's household also woke up with th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-207410.html August 13 2007 through August 22 2007Though when leaving Cancun I was sad an indescribable feeling came over me. I was now on my way to Medellin a city that I had not stepped on since I was eight when my family migrated to the United States. A mixture of happiness nostalgia anxiousness excitement and concern came over me something that I had not felt before and I certainly did not k http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Medellin/blog-207075.html August 8 2007August 11 2007Since planning this past trip Tulum was the only place that every single individual talked about. Lucia described it as the best place on Earth. Kozme said Es lo maximo. Any individual that I talked to told me about Tulum. This website also provided me with wonderful blogs along with beautiful pictures that only whetted my appetite to visit the small secl http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Quintana-Roo/Tulum/blog-201925.html August 6 2007August 8 2007The Yucatan was the region of Mexico that every friend of mine from Mexico talked about. Merida Chichen Itza and Tulum were what everyone described to be the best of Mexico. My research into my travels always seemed to discuss Tulum and thus became so fascinatingdue to stories and pictures from everywherethat it became the main place I had to visit. But bef http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Yucat%E1n/Chich%E9n-Itz%E1/blog-201872.html August 3 2007August 4 2007I had gotten a chance to see Tepoztlan before on my first trip to Mexico. I enjoyed it greatly and the town left a nice impression. From the beginning of planning our trip our intentions were to visit Tepoztlan specially since Janneth had noticed that a neighborhood festival was planned for Saturday the fourth. I had also mentioned to her about the pyramid and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Morelos/Tepoztl-n/blog-201828.html August 1 2007August 6 2007My third time in Cuernavaca three years after I had first stepped in the land of tequila as my friend Kozme calls it we ended up doing the same thing we did the last time I am not complaining. The groupJanneth Lucia Elkin and Iarrived into Jiutepec on Wednesday where Adrian lives just before midnight. Adrian and Bere were waiting for us with plenty of http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Morelos/Jiutepec/blog-201661.html July 31 2007In February of 2004 a professor at the department of anthropology at Michigan had offered some students the opportunity to do a dig just outside of Mexico City. It was part of the work he was doing and I became very interested. However because I had been offered another research job in Cuernavaca Mexico I was not able to take up the offer to do the dig. At that time my inter http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Estado-de-Mexico/Teotihuac-n/blog-201601.html July 30 2007August 1I met Janneth in midMarch 2007 she was my student at Interactive College of Technology. Our relationship quickly changed from studentteacher to friends and by the end of April to a couple. My intentions for the summer were to travel to Mexico and from there go south through Central America all the way to Colombia. However those plans changed rapidly as Janneth wa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Distrito-Federal/Mexico-City/blog-201566.html July 8 2006July 11 2006Olomouc treated us well and we were surprised at how relaxing the town left us we weren't too sure how to feel on the ride to Prague. The ride was short quiet and comfortable towards Praguewe decided to sit in first class and didn't mind paying the extra fare. The train arrived at Praha Holesevice north of the city. After settling into a lackluster hostel we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/blog-201262.html I have been in the country of my birth for 3 weeks now seventeen years after I left and had not returned. I have travelled all throughout Medellin city where I made my home for the first eight years of my life and to Bogota to visit my special someone Janneth. I have heard stories from all possible family members some of which I did not know existed. I have cried and laughed and had nosta http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Medellin/blog-198623.html July 7 through July 8 2006 July 7 It was very early when we left Katowice. The ride was comfortable and we were feeling very relaxed after staying the night at such a great hotel. A bit past noon we arrived into the town of Olomouc Czech Republic and the weather was scorching hot. We took refuge in the station while we got our bearings straight. The information office was helpful and foll http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Olomouc-Region/Olomouc/blog-146536.html July 4 through July 7 2006 July 4 It was late morning as the train finally departed the Keleti train station in Budapest. A bit late but we didn't care we were to be in a train all day anyway past nine at night. The ride was quiet and comfortable though full of passengers. Crossing the border into Slovakia was no problem and the officers barely looked over the passports. The train was pac http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/blog-145836.html July 1 through July 4 2006July 1The train left the Bratislava station an hour late. We were to get off at the Keleti Train Station and once we arrived to the city we were a bit confused. However in the end it all worked out. The train station is small with few platforms but it is an amazing building. We had again booked a hostel online. The hostel's address was not written on it's infor http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/blog-139632.html