The time is ripe. No kids, no car, no jobs, no house. What is waiting on the other side of the world? Wait, check that, what is waiting in the opposite hemisphere?
Here´s a riddle: What´s three times the size of Buenos Aires, sounds like thunder, and is surrounded by wild cows and pink flamingos? The answer, of course, is ice. "That´s it James," you may be thinking. "You´ve taken way too many busrides and you´ve finally snapped." And while you may be right about the bus rides - you haven´t truly learned Spanish until you´ve attempted to translate four Charles Bronson movies in a row - I assure you that I am still of sound mind, and that the Perito Moreno Glacier, in all it´s strange and mind-boggling glory, does exist. The Parque Nacional Los Glaciers was a big draw for Suzanne and I, and the main reason why we had even picked Argentina in the first place. We have seen so many pictures and heard so ... read more
We have just finished a year of travelling in the tropical climate of Southeast Asia. Two months ago we were riding on top of elephants through humid jungle. 45 days ago we were lying on a beach drinking from young coconuts. One month ago we were sweating it out at a market in Bangkok, buying T-shirts and flip-flops. So why did we just spend a day-and-a-half on a bus to get as close as possible to Antartica? We finally made it. Ushuaia. The last city at the end of the world. The place where Magellan found his shortcut between the oceans. It´s where Darwin named a canal after the boat that brought him here and then called the natives miserable, subhuman beings. The same natives whose fires lit up the coasts and gave the region it´s ... read more
It´s the springtime in Argentina, and with the long, cold, rainy winter behind them, the people of Buenos Aires are eager to get away from the city the weather had trapped them in. It´s a little early to head to the popular sandy beaches in Uruguay (Argentina´s favorite summer playground), but Patagonia´s endless Atlantic coastline provides a great natural landscape that is perfect for escaping in search of clean air and beautiful scenery. Columbus day has provided a three-day weekend that justifies the 20 hour bus ride south to Puerto Madryn; a tourist town sourrounded by enormous national parks and located on the inner edge of a quiet bay. And while it´s still too cold to enjoy the water, the playful boardwalk and enormous beaches have attracted thousands of people to come relax and enjoy the ... read more
Where to begin on conveying how we have fallen in love with this city? Spending a year in the extremely different cultures of Southeast Asia may have had a hand in it, but arriving in the distinctly European - and therefore western - capitol of Argentina has felt like coming home. A certain intertwining between things comforting, and the not-too-exotic-but-still-enticing customs exists here that has us secretly fantasizing about ways to remain forever. But what to write about? How can I express why we enjoy the city of the porteños so much? I could write about the old colonial architecture, with it´s massive stone statues that still try to keep watch over a population that has long since forgotten who they are. Or I could write about the passionate tango dancers, who draw crowds along the ... read more
The elephant is the national symbol of Thailand. It's image is printed on bags of concrete, various food products, and bottles of beer. In the old kingdom of Siam, they led troops on the battlefields instead of horses. When an off-color, or "white" elephant is born, it is considered very auspicious and an honor to donate it to the King's private stables. Even the country of Thailand is shaped like the head of an elephant. Thailand had so many elephants at one time that they were used for logging and farming duties. But with their numbers now plummeting with the encroachment of man, and logging now illegal, elephants are now used for one purpose only: tourism. There are a number of elephant camps around the mountains of Northern Thailand that are a major draw to the ... read more
So here we are again. It seems that whenever we are travelling in the most south of Southeast Asia, there is only one choice to come to when you need to revitalize, regroup, and re-supply. Kuala Lumpur provides all of this, plus great food and an endless supply of embassies and cheap flights to help you out with your next move. It's clean, modern, hip, and now it even feels like home. We've come back so many times, that we are even recognized at the local internet cafe and the barber shop. And we've made some great friends. On our first visit here was a 20 minute stop-over from the Cameron Highlands to switch buses on our way to Malacca. As we rode through downtown, the imposing height of the Petronas Towers and the enormous mosques ... read more
The number next to Den's name is his cell phone number. If you are in Siem Reap, I highly recommend his services. Please call him directly, as a hotel or guesthouse will want to make a commission off of a driver that they are associated with. Angkor Wat. It's the part that everybody does when they travel to Southeast Asia, and there's good reason for it. The Angkor Empire was a civilization who were seriously on top of their game. 700 years ago, they ruled over the entirety of this part of the world, and built temples and buildings so huge and intricate that one would have assumed they would be around forever. While they died out after ruling for seven centuries, their structures have not, and they are definetly one of the marvels of humanity. ... read more
Cambodia. Welcome to the Anti-Disneyland. In fact, it could be billed as "the saddest place on Earth". We were in the capitol of the country, a place where you walk out the entrance of your wonderfully decorated trendy little garden guesthouse, and come face to face with a napalm victim who stands in front of an old school turned genocidal prison. Make no mistake, the main attraction in the lovely city of Phnom Penh is pain and brutality. And the city can be quite accomodating as you view one of the worst examples of humanity. Cambodia is a land of extremes. During the Angkor Empire, they were the most advanced civilization of their time. In 500 or so years they became a country forced back to the dark ages by one of the most brutal dictators ... read more
With such a long trip, things can't go on perfectly forever. Especialy during a time when you are racing around to try to pack as much fun into a short amount of time as possible. It's bound to happen that people get sick, timetables change, and unavoidable things can happen with transportation. All you can do is roll with the punches and hope to get back on track soon. In Nha Trang is when things finally began to catch up. At first we were having a blast. Since we didn't have time to make it to an island, this was our beach bum time. During the day we would pick out chairs laid out with long pillows, get a round of beers, and wait for the food to come to us. Women covered from head to ... read more
It is hard not to interact with people in Vietnam. Even if you wanted to be left alone, it is impossible to do so as a tourist here. For better or for worse, everybody is looking for your attention: the guy selling a watch on the corner; the massage ladies by the beach; the guy who wants to give you a ride to, well, anywhere. As a general rule of thumb, you begin to wave everybody away and look at every offer with scepticism. Once in a while though, your gamble on a random encounter can pay off. One evening over dinner on the second floor balcony of a riverside restaurant, we were approached by an aging man at our table. He claimed to be a waiter there, though we hadn't seen him working, and he ... read more