Travels in Central America part 2 [View Full Entry]

---

---

Mexico Mar. 3 - Guanajuato Cool colonial town. Estacion Esperanza - hostel and popular hangout. Man outside plays guitar and sings, "The times they are a-changing". Fun nights and foosball at Barfly. Loud dogfights in the middle of the night. Strange mummy exhibit at museo momia. Bonfire on hill overlooking town. Couple hikes up to La Bufa for great views. Spanish school at Falcon for a week. Another oven gas explosion at the hostel gives a girl burnt eyebrows. Made killer guacomole. Birthday celebration and pinata beating below Santo Cafe. The Grill - too "fresa". Sunday [View Full Entry]

---

---

One month is Peru was not enough to fully enjoy all there is to do and see in this country. But we made the most of it. Spending time in Lima and the beach towns to the south. Then heading up to the high altitude and the amazing Machu Picchu. Next we made our way to Mancorra for the the nice beaches and nightlife. The final leg of my trip was spent in the Amazon where I got a taste of life in the jungle [View Full Entry]

---

---

Slovakia Bratislava 11/8 - Making my way into Slovakia from Budapest didn't go as smoothly as I hoped. I had heard good things about a city called Banska Bystrica in the center of the country. After taking a train to the Slovakian border and walking across I had a difficult time figuring out the buses I needed to get there plus nobody spoke English. Figuring it out as I went along, I reached the city around 7pm only to discover that every pension was full. This left me with a choice between paying for an expensive hotel room or just moving [View Full Entry]

---

---

Italy Rome 9/17 - Back to the west. The weather was cold and wet. The prices were high. Back to noisy dorm rooms. No longer would rice be part of almost every meal. The entire environment had changed after I had gotten so used to that of SEA. Even for all its history, architecture, and art; I couldn't appreciate this city. It felt like a theme park to me. Watching tourists in matching red hats following a grumpy tour guide around the streets to check off all the sights from their guidebook. So many of the shops and restaurants are focused [View Full Entry]

---

---

Vientiane 8/10 Took the really long 21hr busride from Hanoi. The seats were small and the aisles were filled with sacks of onions, garlic, and other vegetables being transported. Many Asians have little tolerance to windy roads so there was the sounds and smell of vomit to deal with as we drove into the mountains. But we got there. The capital of Laos had the feel of a small town. Being in such a relaxed place was a nice relief from the loud craziness of Hanoi. The only ATMs in the country are in this city so I pulled out $200 [View Full Entry]

---

---

Saigon 7/16 I spent a couple days in this loud, crowded city. A lot of people here are really pushy and tough to deal with. I checked out the war museum which showed very graphically the damage America inflicted on the land and the people in its attempt to save Vietnam from communism. So far its very difficult to notice any signs that this even is a communist country. Vietnam is more free market than most western nations. Mui Ne 7/18 I explored the giant sand dunes and ended up in a small poor neighborhood. A group of kids were very [View Full Entry]

---

---

Singapore 5/9 - Switching continents I landed in this tiny country. Checked out Sentosa Island which was a bit over-the-top touristy. The night safari zoo was cool and riding a bike around Pulao Ubin during a massive monsoon turned out to be a lot of fun. Pulao Tioman 5/14 - Got into Malaysia and hit some culture shock. The heavily Islamic population took some getting used to - lots of stares and unfriendliness. Took the ferry out to this island off the east coast and shared a bungalow on a tiny beach. The scene was very quiet and empty. The food [View Full Entry]

---

---

Melbourne - 3/22 I spent a few days in my first stop getting a plan organized for my 6 weeks in Australia. I decided to fly to Cairns and travel down the east coast. Melbourne was hosting the Commonwealth Games so the streets were packed with people in the final week. I spent some time grinding it out at the Crown Casino. My last night playing cards there I saw WSOP champ Joseph Hatchem playing a few tables away from me. Cairns - 3/27 I landed at midnight and stepped off the plane into the hot and humid air that makes [View Full Entry]

---

---

Auckland Feb 20 - I arrived in Auckland at 5am after the 13 hour flight from SFO. I took a trip to an extinct volcano island called Rangitoto and hiked to the summit for some killer views. I booked a pass with a backpacker bus tour company called Stray. Hahei Feb 24 - Started the Stray tour today. We took a scenic drive out to Hahei. Most of the people travelling are Europeans, 22-27 years old travelling solo. Once we got to Hahei, most of us spent the afternoon sea-kayaking around the coastline of islands, beaches, and coves. Our driver barbecued [View Full Entry]

---

---