Internet of sorts...though still paying by the minute, sadly...the router gods have yet to smile upon the rest of the world with abundant free wi-fi. Go USA! :-) The last few days have been an absolute blur. The 7th I spent the day exploring Istanbul, then took the sleeper train overnight to Bucharest, Romania, passing thru Bulgaria. I shared the room with a Denver-ite, of all people, though he hadn't lived there in some time. The train was vintage Soviet sleeper, hardly the standard of comfort. We were awoke at 3 am when we pulled into the Turkish/Bulgarian border...so we all unloaded the train, bleary eyed, only to find that there was no one in the immigration office. This didn't seem to concern our train staff too much...they had plenty of whiskey and cigs, so they ... read more

Ah, the internet! Glorious, unhindered access allows me to once again report on traveling, drug dealers, incidents, and iPhones. Read on. Getting to Syria was fairly straightforward. I was able to return the rental to its home without so much as a scrape, sorry but I'm kind of proud about this fact. The staffer from the car rental "shack" on the side of the motorway (who shall go nameless to protect the guilty, helpful and otherwise) offered to take me straight to Abdali bus station in Amman. Now, I had grown pretty suspicious of anyone offering anything in Jordan because I usu. found a hefty "tip" to be expected, but in this case I laid my suspicions to rest and figured, why not. Turns out, this guy actually lived in New Jersey for something like 8 ... read more

So this will be my last night in Jordan! Tomorrow I head north to Damascus. Yesterday Joe, Steph and I made the 3-hour trek up from Wadi Musa into the heart of the beast - Amman. I have to say, we did pretty freakin' spectacular navigating all the way through town into the very centre. We even found a parking spot straight away. I'm pretty proud. I was sad to say goodbye to Joe and Steph and the awesome conversations we had. Getting out of Amman was hardly straightforward, which begs a brief description of what Jordanian "driving" really consists of: First, if you're used to street names and signs...no such thing here. In fact, you'll be driving along, and suddenly the road will "split"...it's up to you to pick left or right...or up the hill. ... read more

Wow, so much to write. Internet has been a little spotty - deal. Bethany, Nathan, McKenzie, and Rachel took me to the bus station in Fang, for the 3-hour van ride to Chiang Rai. I already miss them - crap. I sat next to a monk on the ride down, and he knew English fairly well. He even negotiated me a kickin' fare for a tuk-tuk back to the airport! Steve's travel hint for today: when your new monk friend negotiates your fare, you win. The flight to BKK was uneventful - I ended up spending a little more than I normally would to get a decent hotel right near the airport. It even had a fitness center - spot on. As I planned my Jordan itinerary on the flight to Abu Dhabi, I began to ... read more

Yesterday (Tuesday) Nathan, Rachel and I set out for Burma. I'm starting to gain a real appreciation for the miracle that is 7-11. They're like the Thai Starbucks - absolutely viral. I got myself a tasty ice cream bar on the way. Over lunch we met up with Billy and Kelly, who work with a sports ministry here in Thailand. Bethany and Nathan's ministry is working a lot with Billy to get some futbol into the schools, and of course to include teaching about morality and God in the process. Crossed into Burma, where you could buy...cigarettes!!! Wow! I had no idea such delights were available. I am supposing, of course, that the sarcasm is noted. So after leaving this glorified shopping mall, we headed back to Thailand where we came to Mae Sai. A small ... read more