Our flight from Quito landed us on the island of Baltra (which was a WW2 US army base at one point), then a bus to the edge of the island, a ferry over to Santa Cruz, and then a taxi to the town and we were there. In all, the day went Bus-Bus-Plane-Bus-Ferry-Taxi. But we made it, and we were ready to see how the whole “evolution” hogwash was supposed to work. Continue reading Those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed →

After three months in Colombia, it was time to move on to a whole new world. Ecuador, a Latin American country that just uses US dollars. If you’re wondering where all our Sacagawea dollars went, the answer is Ecuador. They have a rich appreciation for Native American culture here. Continue reading I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven →

Why wait? I figured I’d start the year in a new place, so to Costa Rica I went. With a few days before my family arrived, I stayed in San Jose for a couple days, which isn’t nearly as bad as people said it was. Stayed in the University Area and there were a couple very nice hostels. Mostly people landing and then leaving in the morning, but the WiFi was good, so that’s fine by me. Continue reading See, here I am now by myself, talking to myself. That’s Chaos Theory! →

Because you can never climb too many volcanoes in one week, I decided to go up Volcano San Pedro with a friend of a friend to see what that was all about. I’ve been sleeping under its shadow for weeks, so I might as well see what’s up there.

Continue reading Everyone is the age of their heart →

My lack of updates is due to normal life setting in. Most days I’m pretty sure I’d trade the beautiful backdrop for a reasonable Internet connection, but I’d like to be at the point where I wouldn’t make that trade, but it’s difficult to get there with a bad connection. Vicious cycle, right? Continue reading Ten cuidado con el fuego (It’ll burn you!) →

I dragged myself out of bed after two hours sleep so I could leave at 4am and catch a bus to my flight. All went quite smoothly, actually, and I arrived and checked in to my hotel on Santorini just after 8am (room was available so I didn’t have to wait). Opted for a quick nap and began my day around 11am instead. Continue reading One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings →

After picking dad up at the airport around 7am, we had about 2 hours to burn before we could go to the Blue Lagoon.  I decided to drive the peninsula the long way and check out the coastline, and then we arrived in Grindavik and got coffee while we waited.  The owner of the coffee shop, Bryggjan, was as nice as he was adverse to putting vowels in the name of his business.  He gave us some local tips to see some cool things. Continue reading We’re still pioneers, we’ve barely begun. Our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us. →

Reykjavik is a small city with a townish feel, so it’s not as if there’s an absolute ton to do here. So I’ve predominately spent my time working, actually getting things done on time that is, and almost getting ahead a bit as I look to do more traveling over the next few weeks.  Don’t want to start that from behind.  So this is largely a story of working in Reykjavik. Continue reading I do not allow that a being gifted with thought and will can allow himself to despair →

Saturday we were super productive.  Ran all kinds of errands, switched hostels, I bought some shoes, signed up for a hike, went grocery shopping for said hike, walked around the city, and then ended it relaxing in hammocks with cold drinks.

I prefer León to Granada.  Less touristy, but still had the city feel and was easy to walk around.  Lots of small shops, restaurants, and some cool Spanish architecture throughout the city (not as well-maintained as Granada though). Continue reading Wherever he saw a hole he always wanted to know the depth of it. To him this was important. →

Wednesday was a work day, but I balanced things pretty well.  Worked from early until around 3pm, and then I met up with Laurens and we rented bikes for a few hours and rode down to Ojo de Agua, some natural spring on Ometepe.  It was a serene place, just hung out in the water, read for a while, and relaxed. Continue reading I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. →

As a seasoned traveler, my bravado has apparently gotten out of hand and I arrived in Granada rather unprepared when it came to actually getting to where I needed to be.  Of course I don’t know any Spanish, but I had the address on my phone and showed it to the taxi driver.  We headed towards Granada (which is like a 45 minute drive), speeding around in his deathtrap with a dysfunctional seat belt. Continue reading It’s no big sin to stick your two cents in If you know when to leave it alone →