1 yr later

so... it has been a yr since i left on this journey and what a ride it has been.

It is difficult for me to describe this last year. Sensory overload is one way to put it, but it was much more special than that. I think i have grown a lot. Even just traveling solo and figuring things out for myself in completely foreign places has proven to be very empowering for me.

yeah, there where times when i got lonely. but dealing with it, moving passed it, and learning to hang out with and rely on just me has been very rewarding.

There is too much to reflect on from the last year to put in a single blog entry, but just know that i am doing fantastic and this last year has just been indescribably amazing for me.

People keep asking me things like "oh, what was your favorite place?" & "are you ready to go back to reality"

I don't know how to answer these questions. Every place offered a unique experience, all of them great. Did i find a place i think i could settle down and live? Maybe a few, but i would not say that i had the most spectacular experiences in theses places. The vibes there were just cool.

As far as going back to reality... I know what they mean when they say that. Plug back into the daily grind. But that is not what i want my reality to be. So i guess the answer to that is no. I am not ready to go back to their reality. I will continue to pave my own path, not knowing exactly where it will lead. But to be sure, i am enjoying it immensely.

I must say i have been missing my friends and family. I think so much of my strength has been drawn from knowing that you guys have my back. Call it a safety net, call it a sense of belonging, but whatever it is, and even though i was not always in constant contact, know that i draw power from you and you are not being taken for granted. Thanks for being there with me.

Because i was on the move so quickly, many relationships and experiences were constantly fleeting; saying hello and goodbye constantly. With such a short amount of time to spend with people, you find yourself (and this is quite true for many backpackers who i met) trying to relate to people and places as quickly as possible, which can make it tough.

that all being said, I have met quite a few amazing people from all over the world this last year that i will make an effort to really keep in touch with and try to visit. But I have also met a ton of douche bags.

I can't tell you how sick i am of the constant interviewing process that takes place. Where are you from? what job did you do before traveling? where have you been? where are you going? how long have you been traveling? Shut up and just drink a beer and chill out. If we relate, then it will happen naturally, without it being forced down my throat. fuckin relax.

At the end, if i found myself in a big group of people who were having the "interview" conversation, i would just leave and hang out solo. I was tired of trying so hard and it was annoying to watch other people try so hard.

Even though, i realize, that yes, that was probably me at the start of it all.

It will be a pleasure to hang out with people who will not force feed me their personality in fear that they will not have anyone to go out to the bars with because this is their last night in town and they are leaving tomorrow.

but this is a small gripe and i do not deserve to complain.

Coming back to my point, i don't think i could have sustained much more bouncing around with out settling somewhere. too much hello and goodbye. relationships and experiences become rushed due to time constraints and lack a genuine feel. It takes time to get to know people and places. And when there is so much out there to see, you feel obligated to push on. i felt that i missed out on some of the finer things on this trip by walking too quickly.

1 yr was a long time yes, but i could have done the exact same route much slower and probably had a richer experience. the places i enjoyed most were the places i stayed the longest. I was able to build a kinship and that made it special.

so... enough babbling.

An adventure is coming to an end, and a new one is beginning. The future holds unknown treasures that i look forward to stumbling upon.

I start work on the mountain as a snowboard instructor on the 20th of November. I am enrolled in the community college up in tahoe and plan to take some renewable energy classes up there too. I have a few other things in store, but those are the only two that are concrete.

i will have my cell in the states. same as last time.

415-321-0591

My blog will be going into retirement at this point until i decide to venture abroad again. if you want to know whats up, send me an email gutman62@gmail.com or give me a call. Hope you have enjoyed the updates as much as i have enjoyed writing them.

Peace

Brazil - Raining and Amazing

Seriously, only got 3 days of sun in brazil, but what a country!

Started in Florianopolis, a gorgeous beach town, where i met some local guys who took us on a hour hike through the jungle, surf boards in hand, to a secluded beach. I really recommend this place. Very tranquil and i could easily spend a month there.

After only 2 days, i left for belo horezante. My friend Guilherme, who i traveled for a bit with in peru/bolivia, was there and i got to stay with his family. His mom picked me up from the airport and we were able to communicate with her portuenglish and my spanglish. We got to their place and watched soap operas together for 2 hrs until guilherme got home. Soaps out there are pretty entertaining. I cried, laughed, and even learned a little along the way. Thanks Mrs. Parrah

Partied thursday night and then went out to his lake house the for the weekend. This place was so chill. get there, kick off your shoes, grab a beer and just hang out in a hammock. we went to the lake and did some wakeboarding and was just a very relaxing weekend. I got a little sick one night and had to go to bed early, but nothing major. guess the last 340 days of drinking every day is catching up with me.

Next was Rio. Ahhhh rio. would love to be here during the summer. Got at least one sunny day and the beaches were just packed with beautiful people wearing next to nothing. Brazilians are very comfortable in their skin. Fat, skinny, flabby, firm, all wearing speedos, or floss. I was either disgusted or turned on every 2 seconds.

The parties are non stop. I swear people do not have jobs there. We went to one club where there are just hoards of brazilian girls throwing themselves at gringos (they call em gringo hunters out there) Let me just say, that the desperation in some of these girls eyes was a little sad. And a little awkward. Plus you are not sure who is working and who is just trying to be a baby's mamma.

After leaving the party in rio, i went to sao paulo for the last part of my trip. I met up with my friend Caue (ka-way) who i met in chile. Stayed at his house and kicked it with his friends all weekend. they are just like me and my friends. We road bikes to the park and drank beers, played video games, and toured the city. I was even invited to a brazilian wedding which had an open bar, all you can eat buffet, and a funk band. SO much fun. Weddings out there were pretty similar to the US. except this was a fucking plush setup.

I just got back to Ajijic last night and it was great to see my dad. It is the end of a long journey and the start of a new adventure. I will update some final thoughts in a few days. for now, i plan on drinking some tequila and detoxing from a years worth of bouncing around.

Also really good to see my dog.

Argentina schmargentina

So I am probably the worste argentina traveler I know. Didn´t even make it to Buenos Aires, And i had originally inteded to hang out there for a month. Fuckin hell.

To sum it up, i cruized through the andes from santiago, chile to mendoza, argentina. Bueatiful ride, easy border crossing, ski lifts going right over the road we were driving on.

Mendoza was more suburban than i had thought. It consisted of really wide streets, pedestrian walkways and lots and lots of wine. In fact, there is a bike tour you can do of the wineries and you get as much vino as you want. dangerously fantastic.

Then, a 17 hr bus ride to cordoba where i hung out for litereally one day. walked the city for 7 hours, ate a bunch of ice cream (they love ice cream out here), went to the bars at night which consists of a ton of students.

Then woke up and took a 22 hour bus ride to Iguazu falls. stratling the brazilian Argentine border. Huge waterfalls that really are impresive, but are set up just like disneyland. Do you know what the best thing about walking with 165 yr olds...? There´s 100 of them. And they walk really really slowly and take pictures every two seconds.

But i managed to find an off beat trail where you hike 4k into the jungle and end up at a pretty secluded waterfall/natural pool you can swim in. You just sit back and think... I am swiming at a base of an amazing waterfall in the jungle in argentina. Life is OK.

then i got my visa sorted out for brazil ($150) and took a 14 hour bus ride to florianopolis. A surf town on the coast south of sao paolo.

I am just waiting to book my flight back to mexico which will be around the 15th of October. This long trip is coming to an end, but i don´t plan to actually start reality anytime soon. Whatever that means. I still have some things to look forward to out here. I have a brazilian friend who has a house on a lake and we plan to do some wakeboarding this weekend. Then i will end my trip with a week in RIO. I must also say I am very excited to hang out with good friends and family once again. I love you guys!

I'm off. Finally!

Just got back from a combination pizza hut and taco bell. For those of you who don't know, I LOVE TACO BELL but combinations are shit because they always sacrifice quality when they try to make two different types of food at the same fast food establishment. Stick to one thing and do it well i say.

Anyway, in spite of this theory it was fucking delicious and a much needed greasy hangover cure.

Leaving for Mendoza Argentina in the morning and I am thanking the lord that I actually have a morning that I will feel human enough to endure a long bus ride. These last few days have been really rough party days as Chile just celebrated its national independence. The whole country is one huge whirlwind of drunken, hot dog eating madness.

Went to a DJ Dead Mouse show the other night and danced our heads off till 5 am. Even encountered some girls who wouldn't stop making out with each other. But not cuz were insistently asking them to. They were lesbians trying to pick up one of our friends for an all girl 3some. Our friend graciously fought them off for 3 hrs.

A couple of my friends from the animal refuge came out here and they ended up in Chilean jail for getting into a fight. One my buddies took an acoustic guitar to the back of the head. They fight dirty out here with no apparent regard or appreciation for music. I, quite frankly, am appalled.

Today my ipod got all funked up while trying to update new software and i lost most of my music, and my quality headphones are broken. But all in all everything is in decent shape and I am ready for at least 1 night of detox. But who knows, it is still early and my hangover is wearing off.

This place is a little intense

Just to give you some insight into my perspective and state of mind in santiago right now, here is a poem i wrote about the bar in the hostel here. I think if i stay here another week i will be clinically insane.

Trapped again. Unable to escape I keep coming back here. The dim soft light reflects off the dull adobe walls; barely illuminating the refracted face in the wine glass that stares me down as I consume. Lucifer! What time is it? There is no clock. Roll another cigarette and ponder new ways to take the conversation to inappropriate places. How long will these friendly strangers bathe in my filthy suds. I know them from yesterday’s darkness and they are back again. They must like me. And I them. We are starving creatures who feast on the self-destructive hours of the night. Chained to the poisonous vials we chase for eternity I share as much disgust with myself as I do with them. Disgusting swine mongering parasites. Get the fuck out of here. But alas we are trapped. Again. And we are hungry.

Feelin Chile

My wounds have started to heal up, my bug bites are almost all gone, I am able to buy Parmesan cheese, and i have Chile to thank for all of it.

This place is definitely more expensive than any country i have been to on the trip, but has a very European vibe that is transmitted not only through the architecture and cuisine, but in the culture as well.

So I began my Chilean adventure in the northern desert. Incredibly vivid stars, supposedly one of the best place in the world for gazing, and also one of, if not THE driest place on Earth.

Up there i took some bike rides to salt lakes. BTW, 60k bike ride in the fuckin desert is a terrible terrible idea.

Did some star gazing with this french astronomer dude.

and went sand boarding down the dunes up there. This was pretty cool. I had sand boarded before but this particular day we decided to hike to the very top of the ridge and watch the sunset. We stumbled upon a rock igloo which someone built to protect from the wind which was ripping. Me and a couple of friends i had made built a fire and hung out in this igloo for a few hours while the sunset, watched some satellites orbit the sky as it was so clear, and sandboarded down by moonlight. Romantic i know. No we did not hold hands.

Oh, I also ended up at a local guys house who was having a huge party out there on some ranch house 20 min outside of town. Stayed up till 5am and ended up having to run away from some local girls who were stalking us.

I meandered down the coast solo for the next week or so and just had some me time. Hit up a few different towns, went to the wine country, It was nice to have some quiet time and not feel obligated to party. Although one night i did sing johnny cash karaoke at a random bar, and the Chileans apparently love Johnny cash because i felt like a mini celeb.

Oh, and all this time was trying to line up an interview to become a snowboarding instructor up in Tahoe and was having trouble predicting when i would have phone/skype access, or where i would be in 4 days time.

Anyway, when i got to Valparaiso i finally got the interview. And got a verbal offer from my new boss. So... if i do get the paperwork (which should come next week) I'll be living in tahow this winter being a ski bum. Good times.

After i left the interview i was feeling good. I ended up talking to some random chilean guys who were drinking in an alley on the street. I asked them for some of their wine and ended up partying with them all night. They were soccor hooligans for their local club team, The Wonders, and all had tattoos of their team and had stories of all the fights they got into. Gnarley dudes, but good fun all the same.

Next i made it to Pichilemu,a beach town just south of valpairiso. I met a guy on the bus going there and he was from colorado and went to CSU. interestingly enough on that same day, CU was playing CSU in the big game, so we had a little rivalry going.

Pichilemu. Cool town, fun waves, cold water. we even bet on some horse races when we were out there and won. Not to mention i ate the grossest hot dog of my life which for some reason, chileans love. Hot dog, mayo guac mix, more mayo, hot sauce, mustard, ketchup. It is a dog loaded to the brim with sauces that, just let me say, DO NOT mix well in your stomach, nor is it possible to have a clean mustache for the next few hours.

Now i am in Santiago and i went snowboarding up here 2 days ago, Amazing. Surfing and snowboarding within a 2 day period. Just like california. You could actually see the ocean from the top of the mountain.

Lat night i went to see a 20 piece Chilean band called Banda Conmocion. The show started at midnight and did not stop will 4am. Everyone was completely soaked in sweat cuz of all the dancing.

Gonna leave for Argentina in a few days, zip over to brazil, and most likely end my trip in Buenos Aires. Flights are just cheaper from there. Got to be up in the mountains by November 20th.

The adventure continues.

Cats, Bugs, Bears, Monkeys, Piss, Shit & Shitty internet

So, yes, long time no update. shitty internet connections. For those of you I have talked to this will be repeat. For all others....

Sit back relax and enjoy.

So, I spent the last month in the bolivian jungle at an animal refuge. They offer refuge to animals who had a tough start in life i.e. abused monkeys (they actually found human semen in one I shit you not), talking parrots that were pets in bars and got peanuts thrown at them, thus learning really fowl language (like the word pun?)Pumas who´s mothers were killed and kept as pets (nothing funny about that), etc.

so I got there with intentions of working for 2 weeks with monkeys, but they shit and piss all over you all day long so i decided i wanted to work with a cat instead. but to work with a cat you have to stay a month And unfortunitly they had no cat openings for a week. so I said what the hell, you only get to walk a cat through the bolivian jungle once in your life right?. So I worked construction for a week and then got to work with the most baddass cat in the park. His name is Roy. He is a mountain Puma (very similar to a mountain lion)

What an experience!!! for starters, your average day consists of hiking 7 miles in the jungle up and down treacherous terrain every morning followed by lunch and a nap. Then we hike another 5 miles in the afternoon.

Let me just say this is not like walking a dog. Roy tries to pounce, scratch and bite you every chance he gets. And he gets quite a few, is usually successful and he´s a strong fucker. And you walk him with a rope that is tied around your waste. If he takes off running, he takes you with him. He dragged me down a cliff once which yeilded a large sratch and a bruize on half my arm.

For the first week I wanted to say fuck it and quit because it was so hard. And many people do quit. Last month he went through 5 people in a week. But after a while, your knees get used to all the hiking and your wits sharpen up real fast. Plus you get to know the cat and can learn to stop his attack. One time he jumped on me and I threw his ass down a hill, another time he took a chunk out of my leg. You win some you lose some. Seriously, this is one of the gnarliest things I have ever done and is definitely the bloodiest and muddiest I have ever been in my entire life, but you really learn a lot about earning respect. And demanding it in return.

the days were long. 7:30am till 5:30pm with only one day off every 2 weeks but everyone parties at night together. really a cool group of people at this place who all share a love for animals. Hard work, sometimes scary, but really rewarding.

let´s see..... what are some fun anecdotes....

-millions of bug bites that come to a head and puss up each day which offers plenty of great popping entertainment right before bed time.

-we lived in a shit hole hostel appropriately named Las Vegas, where the family running it thinks it´s funny to turn off the water while you are in the shower.
This is only if you are lucky enough to have water. Often times the monkey volunteers had to wear their monkey shit and piss to bed.

-Everyone gets giardia or a worm or some sort of shitting virus/parasite. The dude who I was walking Roy with got giardia twice. You know you have it because you go to the doctor, shit in a tiny cup to test the stool sample. Strange how they give you a tiny cup because if you have the bug, aiming bodily projectiles might be a problem. Everyone discusses the state of their BM´s (bowel movements for the laymen)out here. pretty hilarious.

-One girl got lost in the jungle walking a cat and when she did not come back for the party that night we had to go look for her. I had recently purchased an inflatable alligator raft which I turned into an alligator costume so I had to go look for her while I was a drunk alligator. We didn´t find her until the next morning. Buzz kill.

-I put together a fundraising party my last night at the park and we all got pretty smashed. To make a long story short, we raised money, partied till 5 am, and when I woke up at 1pm the next day I realized I had slept walked and pissed in the corner of my room. ON and IN my backpack. What the fuck!? (first time for everything) Plus I was leaving the next day so I had to travel with a piss soaked backpack for the last 24 hrs. Not cool. Turns out I was not the only one who pissed in my room that night.

-I left the park yesterday and last night I had the coldest bus ride of my life. Not only, to my surprise, did my pissy backpack freeze, but I was so cold I had to do aerobic exercises in the bus for an hour straight just to keep warm. I kid you not. It was then that one of the Bolivians realized I was freezing and was nice enough to give me one of his 3 blankets. I was the only gringo on the bus so the Bolivians must have thought I was mentally challenged.

I am currently waiting for a jeep to take me across the border into Chile where I will meander down and try to get some snowboarding in. The jeep was supposed to leave yesterday, but i got stuck in this town another night since there not enough people to fill the jeep, thus making it as proffitable as possible. Hopefully I can leave tonight.

The last month has been really great. A truly unique experience, but it is time to let my wounds and bug bites heal for a while.

Oh, and I got to work with a bear out there too who rips coconuts open with his bear hands. His name was Balu.

Enjoy the photos. I´ll try and update more often when i can.

Taxing Bolivia

Yes, I am in Bolivia now. And to cross the border Americans have to pay $135 dollars. now that may not seem like a lot, but it is. and i never carry that much money around, thus i had issues getting into the country.

No ATM, no bank, no sympathy from the customs guard. Either go back to peru, or he would hold my passport while i go into Bolivia, hunt down an ATM, and then come back to the border and pay the ransom. Oh, and the nearest town has no ATM either.

Luckily i charmed $135 out of some English girl who was on the bus with me.

Don't worry, i paid her back eventually.

So as soon as i crossed into Bolivia you really feel the difference in culture. people are POOR and tend to stick to indigenous outerwear, which i like. They have preserved their culture but at the cost of western advancement and infrastructure.

It is weird too. There are a ton of Indios (indigenous people)who beg on the street and i am so numb to panhandlers that i usually just walk past. But the Bolivians who can give, do give. And quite often. I am not sure about the welfare system here, but it seems as if people have more of a tendency to take care of each other. It is a nice feeling.

For the last week i traveled with a Brazilian guy who was heading the same direction i was. We got to La Paz at 10 pm and ended up meeting a bunch of other travelers who we knew on the road and partied till 6:30 the first night. this same night i saw the english girl at the after hours club we were at and she had no money to get home. Thus it was blind fate that she lent me the border money so that i could pay her back when she was down, out and stranded.

From La Paz we took a tour/safari of the Bolivian salt flats. Largest salt flats in the world actually. we heard it is cool to take figurines with you on this trip because you can take cool interesting perspective photos on the flats. so we did. you will see.

This place was windier and colder than shit. I kid you not. Coldest i have been all trip. The wind was blowing dust non stop the entire time and you had to make sure you kept your mouth closed whenever outside. That being said, it was really cool to cruize around the landscape in a covered jeep. Crazy terrain that looked like a star wars scene.

we started in an old train cemetery that was interesting to check out and they let you scramble all over these old trains and take pictures, getting tetanus at your own risk. I wore gloves.

then went to the salt flats which were crazy. it looked like snow. but was delicious salt. we even slept at a salt hotel, completely made of salt bricks. we scrapped the ground for salt when we wanted to season our food. very unique experience.

then we just cruised around the high plains for the rest of the trip. seeing frozen lakes where flamingos apparently thrive, crazy rock formations, thermal geysers and volcanic craters.

After taking a 12 hr overnight bus to get back to La Paz we barely just made it in time to catch another bus for our death ride. We took mountain bikes down the most dangerous road in the world. 6 people died on their mountain bikes this year by falling off the cliff.

This was fucking cold too. we started above the clouds in the snow. through the clouds in the rain and mud, then below were it finally warmed up just enough for the bugs to attack our ankles. This was really fun. Biking in foreign countries is the shit.

Now i am just chillin in the hostel getting ready for the next couple of weeks where i will be in an animal rehab center in the jungle in Bolivia. I think i will mostly get to play with monkeys which is good because i need to overcome my fear of them. Let me explain.

when i was 10 yrs old i went to the shittiest petting zoo ever near acapulco. literally a donkey, a parrot and a monkey tied to a stump. you walk down the line and pet each one. well, the fucking monkey bit me and then we had to go to some shady mexican doctor who gave me a shot in the ass. first and only monkey bite and first and only shot in the ass all within 3 hrs.

so hopefully i can heal these old wounds with the little fuckers here. although i did hear that one of the retarded monkeys at this place bites someones pinky off every year. it should be interesting.

Bye Bye Peru

I just got back from a 4 day trek that consisted of mountains, jungle, and yes, Machu Picchu AGAIN. Had to go back and check it out some more. The trek was rad.

day 1: 6 hr mountain bike session that started in the clouds and ended in a gorgeous river valley. Cold as shit at the top which I combated with my ability to ride with one hand and drink from a flask of rum with the other. Oh, and I now have symmetrical blisters on each of my thumbs from the shitty handle bars.

Day 2 & 3: trekking through the mountains and jungle. We would trek then break, trek then break, trek then break. I would literally sweat through my shirt, then it would dry, then sweat through it again. This would happen at least 6 times a day. I don't know how it did not just disintegrate. At the end of the 3rd day our trek ended in a hot springs i.e. my first shower of the trip. Felt good but got destroyed by sand flies. I have at least 20 bites on each ankle not to mention other places. Bastards.

Day 4: machu picchu (again) But this time I woke up at 3:30 am, hiked to the entrance by sunrise and was one of the 400 people able to climb up to Wayna Pichu, the mountain above Machu Picchu. (they only allow 400 people up there a day) You literally feel like you are on top of the world. The Incas must have all had baby sized feet because you are hiking on 6 inch steps that wrap around shear rock faces with an easy 1000 ft. drop right next to you. A little nerve racking, but absolutely amazing.

Yesterday was a long day. I woke up at 3:30am to climb up to MP, and then stayed up till 3:30 last night. Today I am relaxing. Going to spend the last of my soles (Peruvian currency) on a $10/hr massage, not as sleazy as it sounds, I think/hope... Then I am off to Bolivia tonight.

Here are some pics of the trek and i also took some pics of some random Peruvians while i was drinking a cup of coffee on a balcony above a plaza in Cusco. Read: i am not a creepy voyeur. I just wanted some Peruvians in my memory card. is that weird?

And someone stole my fuckin jacket. Fuckers.

Alpacas & Machu Picchu

We went to machu picchu yesterday. I had heard such great things that i kinda figured there was no way it could live up to its expectations, but words nor pictures can describe the grandiosity of that place. Truly worth it.

Ken and I also had some fun interactions with alpacas. Here are the last of the pics from my journey with my brother.

Ken is gone and now and I am on my own.

This will be the longest stint by myself. Although I am a little apprehensive, I know the challenges I will face will make me stronger and am excited to face unknown adventures.

Guinea pigs, Condors, Pisco, Labor Strikes & Ken

After a nice refreshing time in the states, I thrusted myself back into the world. This time with my brother Ken.

Thanks to all who put me up and took care of me. I love you guys.

So here is the update so far. My last night in the states I spent quality time with some amigos. I barely made it to my 11 am flight due to my extreme hangover. Why do I always do that to myself right before I have to fly. The guy on the plane next to me couldn't look me in the eyes. Not only due to the smell of booze permeating through my pours, but the threat that I may projectile vomit on his recently purchased precious $10 airplane turkey wrap was real.

I couldn't eat anything till 10 pm that night in Miami. I am disgusting.

Got to Lima, Peru at 5 am where I met up with Ken who was waiting for me at a hotel. I caught 2 hrs of sleep before going back to the airport where we both flew to Arequipa to hang out and acclimate.

We stayed in the town center which had a really cool colonial vibe. We ate some guinea pig which is a specialty out here, which tastes like dark turkey meat, but you litterally have to gnaw on the thing like a guinea pig in order to get any of the meat off. We drank a bottle of Pisco, Peruvian booze, which tastes like ass, but once you get down to the last 1 tenth of the bottle you start to warm up to it. We saw a 500 yr old mummy found atop the nearby volcano, apparently the beatiful daughter of some weathy Incan family, which despite all the decay, was still kinda hot, and we explored the largest monastery we had both ever been to.

After feeling no ill affects of the altitude, we booked a trip to the nearby Colca Canyon, the second tallest canyon in the world. Woke up at 2:30 to catch the 3am bus, but waited and watched a drunk Peruvian guy stumble and swagger back and fourth in the same spot for a full hour before we were picked up. It is important to stay patient and not feel threatened by local drunks while traveling. You will inevitably have to deal with both.

Before diving 4000 ft into the canyon, we stopped along this ridge where we watched enormous condors fly in the crease of the canyon. We listened to Simon & Garfunkel's "El Condor Pasa" while we absorbed our impressive and truly awesome surroundings. Forever the song will remind me of that experience. Really cool!

The hike itself was a 2 day trek into the canyon basin. 4000 ft up. 4000 ft down. As is the Inca tradition, we chewed coca leaves to help prevent altitude sickness and to give us energy. The leaves tasted like crap. Like a we just chewed on a bunch of cud. However mixed with hot water the tea is quite pleasant. We stayed the night down below and then hiked back up at 5 the next morning. My legs are still sore.

Next we went to Puno, a town on Lake Titicaca. The town is whatever, but we did go to the floating reed islands on the lake. Really unique. Apparently a local tribe escaped the neighboring warrior tribes and Spanish by building floating islands on the lake made out out reeds. They travel in Vikingesk boats and take shits in little ceramic pots that they laid out for us to see. Enjoy the photos of that :)

We were going to hang out for one more night in Puno before leaving for Cusco (the base of machu picchu) but there was a huge labor strike that is currently affecting the whole region. They put up road blocks on the roads and organized huge protests while the cops stood by with riot gear and tear gas, just waiting for the shit to go down. We literally got the last bus out of Puno before being trapped. Kinda sketchy, but it was fun being displaced by uncontrolled events and forced to the town of Juliaca, which all the guide books label as "the most dangerous city in Peru."

ken and i made it out alive and are relaxing in Cusco right now. Taking a ciesta. when we awake, we'll drink a bottle of Pisco and go out on the town. He has a couple more days here before returning to reality and then i am off on my own.

it feels good to be back on the road again. more to come. enjoy the pics.

New Cell Number 415-321-0591

I have long forgotten the feeling of phantom cell phone buzzings in my pocket, feelings of guilt as i screen your calls, and man-texting with my friends, but it is time i submerge myself back into reality and get on with it.

once again, here is my new number

415-321-0591

Learn it, Love it, Call it...

I made it

I'm back in SF and i am alive.

To all my friends in the bay. See you soon!

Colombia

I am not dead.

Although i do feel like dying right now. Super hung over from an all night clubbing extravaganza in Cali, Colombia. But that is another story that is not really worth noting except for the fact that we thought it was a good idea, after no sleep and a full night of partying, to start bbqing this morning at 9 am.

I fell asleep before the kindling could catch.

Colombia has been really great. the people here are incredibly friendly and warm. There exists a different culture of trust and honesty that wasn't present in central america. For instance, you never pay for beer one beer at a time. you pay at the end when you are done drinking. In all the hostels there are fridges full of beer and you just take one whenever you want and mark down on a piece of paper how many you had during your entire stay and settle up at the end. That shit would never fly elsewhere, but for some reason it works and nobody takes advantage.

I started in Bogota, which I had originally thought would be a city i'd want to escape fairly quickly, however it was fantastic. There are a ton of college kids out in the old part of town which is a colonial style looking village at the base of the mountains. I got in there at 9:30 at night and immediately found some random Colombians who took me to the dirtiest most awesome heavy metal bar i have ever been to. Imagine 40 long haired, leather clad, bandana wearing, cigarette hammering, members of various local speed metal bands pumping their fists to Iron Maiden in a dark cave lined with kiss, ac/dc, and megadeth posters. My outfit was a little out of place, but my fist pumping abilities were right on par.

I went from Bogota to Medellin. The home of pablo escobar, and implants. Not just breast implants, but ass and lip implants too. Probably the most highly concentrated sector of barby wannaby look-a-likes this side of hollywood. Not that i am complaining. It was fucking awesome. Yes, the night life in Medellin was great fun, but I also managed to go on a pablo escobar tour where we checked out his old homes and offices that were sabotaged by car bombs on multiple occasions, his planes he used to traffic drugs in, his home where he died in, and his grave. Apparently people out here use the address of his home as lucky numbers. you can see in the slide show.

Some colombian guys also took me and a couple other guys fishing. I was stoked. I thought i was going to a picturesque lake or river, but when we got to the place i was a bit surprised. It consisted of 4 different sized bathtubs filled with water where you can hang your hook bated with a piece of dough which is tied to a 3 foot string tied to a 3 ft bamboo pole. Not exactly sport fishing. But it was a funny place to chill and drink a beer as we got soaked by torrential rain and the lighting almost zapped our balls off.

Plus, once you catch the fish they give you this stick to bash it over the head to kill it. There is something about bashing a fish over the head with a stick that somehow makes you feel like less of a man.

Next I headed to this quiet mountain town called Salento. It was a nice break from the party life and I was able to chill out and have some quiet time by myself. There are gorgeous views of river filled valleys and high mountain peaks, all covered with lush green grass. Colombia is a very beautiful country and not as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be.

There is a national park near salento that i went hiking in and i met some aussi guys on the trail who i had met in Medellin. We did a 4 hour hike and climbed 1000 meters through mud, horseshit and rain to the top of this peak where we found a little wooden shack and some guys serving hot chocolate and cheese. It was the most delicious thing I think i have ever put into my mouth. Besides maybe a philly cheese steak from the cheese steak shop which i can't fucking wait to have.

I cruised with these aussi guys down to Cali where we went on a all night bender and here i am. Good times.

I leave for Quito tomorrow and am getting ready for my flight home on the 13th. It has been quite an adventure so far. Looking forward to continuing with more familiar faces and landscapes.

Bocas Del Toro Con Amigos

Bocas Del Toro is the shit.



Not to mention i was blessed to have friends from the states who wanted to come and meet me. Scott also met up for this trip too. There were 8 of us in a room which included a huge balcony overlooking the water, a fridge for us to stock our beer, and our own bathroom.

8 dudes in a room is a stinky ass room. Not to mention there was a water situation which limited our ability to flush the toilet, unless of course we filled up a metal bucket with sea water to aid in our sanitary managment. which was not the best alternative since we were not sure if the toilet water from the hostel was going into the ocean below us and we were just filling the bucket up with what we were flushing down. Gross right?

I actually decided it may be better to flush the toilet with disgusting 8 gallon jug of TANG we baught, but that resulted in a nuclear looking pot of orange brown toxic spooge which would most likely take 8 billion yrs to decay. (sorry for the imagery, but it was noteworthy)

Bocas has a water shortage issue so the water is only on for two hours a day between 7-8 am/pm

Becuase of the bucket situation you could tell when anyone in the whole hostel needed to flush their shit becuase they went to the deck to fill their bucket. I must say, the expressions on the girls' faces when they came to the deck to fill their buckets were priceless.

Water situation aside, bocas was a ton of fun. There are young people everywhere and it seems every night is either 80's night or lady's night. Plus, beers cost 60 cents. Paradise!

The surf swell was not that big which was perfect for me. We found a boat captain, Willy, to take us out everyday. He'd drop us off at a remote beach 30 min away, we'd paddle out of the boat to the surf, then he'd come back to get us 3 hrs later. Really cool experience. Plus i caught the best waves of my life on this trip. I've been improving.

One night we decided to play wizard staff. For those who don't know, Wizard staff is a geniously simple game that involves beer and tape. In short, you drink a can of beer and you duck tape your next beer to the top of your empty can. Eventually, you start to form a wizard staff made of your beer cans. If you drink enough to create a staff as tall as you are, you win. it was a tone of drunken fun and i incuded some pics for your viewing pleasure. oh, we made hats too.

The food situation was pretty good. It is super cheap and filling. for $3-$4 you can get a huge plate of food at one of the local cafateria style restaraunts. Or you can just do what i did and eat dim sum from off a rack at the local hardware store and for dessert, go straight for the carribean burger truck that makes sloppy joe type burgers consisting of the most delicious mystery meat ever.

It was a very successful trip. Oh, and did i mention we partied with the ex hells angel president Rodney Gee. He's a scary lookin fucker who likes to slam $1500 cash on the bar in panama. A good way to attract negative attention quickly. We did not stick around him long.

So all of the guys left yesterday and i said goodbye to governor this morning. Thus ends our adventures together as we both embark on our solo journeys. It has been an amazing ride so far and we both realize, in retrospect, what a no brainer decision it was to leave and venture out into the world. Tryuly priceless.

Originally i planned to take a boat from panama city to colombia, but i changed my mind. The boat will take a while and it costs the same as a flight. I figured i'd rather spend the 5 days in colombia than manning the helm of a boat while the captain is in a passed out drunken slumber. This has been a common story of this boat ride.

So i booked a flight and then decided i'd sell my surf board. I Surfed yesterday morning for one last session, then slapped a 4 sale sign on it and walked with it around town trying to slang it to whoever. I tried everything and everyone and no bites. My throat was dry so i figured i'd have myself a brew. I walked into this bar i know and ended up selling it to the bar tender for $100. which is only $50 less than what i baught it for. Now i am traveling a bit lighter and it feels nice. I don't have to worry about swinging it around the wrong way and hitting some random guy in the balls, or myself for that matter. AND, some guy in bocas will be cruizing around with a surfboard with a big ass profile of my face on the bottom. That makes me smile.

Now i am sitting in the airport in panama city waiting for my flight to bogota in 6 hrs. I got 20 or so days left on this section and i am doing it all solo into uncharted waters. I am really excited and will make the best of every minute of it.

Some reflections at this point: Since i made my decision to come back home i have found myself thinking more and more of what i am going to do when i get there. All the things that pass through my mind are enjoyable, and make me happy, but at the same time i still have 20 days left here. By making future plans and by having something to look forward to, I have to work harder to try and appreciate the present moment. When i had no where i needed to be and nowhere i needed to go, i was just where i was at that moment and that was ok.

Now i have to be somewhere at a certain time and that it is influencing my thoughts and actions as opposed to doing things on a whim because that is the way i am feeling at a particular moment.

I am not saying it is bad for me to have plans, but i noticed the difference in my outlook after they were made. Like i said, I have 20 more days and i plan to work harder at appreciating the present without letting the looming future hinder my ability to enjoy where i am.

That being said, i am really looking forward to seeing freinds and family again.

enjoy the slide show.

Solo treck

I left nicaragua on the 6th on my own.

Traveling solo has been unreal. Being able to do what ever i whant when ever i want however i want has been a very empowering feeling. I highly recommend it.

I got to playa Samora and checked into a $10 a night hostel right on the beach. I love this town. I met some of the local costa rican guys who work at the hostel and hung out with them all week long. It happend to be a religous holiday that weekend for easter and they had a ban on booze across the country. But these guys had all the inside hookups so it didn't matter

I even got to play on their soccor team. I was the only gringo at the game and i scored the first goal for my team. I felt realy cool. Then on my last night i stayed up partying all night long and caught a 6am bus to panama. Needless to say i went out with a bang.

Then last night i got to bocas del toro panama and went out to a local bar full of indian guys. I made friends with them and a few of us took this guy's boat to some random town 30 min away. We go in the bar and there is a guy literally passed out on the floor right in front of the bar and nobody thinks it is weird. we leave to back to the town i am staying in and the engine breaks down.

Then it starts to rain. Fucking poor actually.

so here i am, with two native panamanians who speak 0 english, in the middle of the ocean, 2 in the morning, drifting. 2 hrs later we drift to an island and wake up some random guy with a boat and he has to tow us to my new friend's house in his village. we get there 30 min later and he gives me some dry clothes to borrow. Dry womans jeans to be exact. So i put them on and fall asleep on his futon which has 0 cushions. I woke up to little kids running around looking at me strange. But i made freinds with his family and they were very warm to me. People live very poor out here but are so giving. it was an amazing experience.

I had to take a pis real bad so i went to their bathroom. it is outside and consists of a few posts, a tarp rapped around to form a circle and a large bucket of water. I didn't know where i was supposed to go.

I try to hold it, but it is too hard. A little embarrased i asked this kid where the hell my piss was supposed to go. 5 min later we figured out what echother were saying and he just told me to piss in the river.

The engine was still broken so i hitched a ride back to bocas with some fisherman.

It was a mentally exhausting night, but the entire experience was not something i could have baught anywhere. And i made some new friends out of it.

Today some friends get here from the states and we will be looking for good surf.

Oh and last but not least, I have booked a return ticket home from quito ecuador. I get back on may 13th to san francisco. will hang there for a week, then go to colorado for a week for a wedding, then to NYC to hang out with family and go to my mom's grave site. the 31st marks the 1 yr anniversary of her death.

Then i come back to the bay area till june 30th and leave for peru with my brother.

So this is a message for all my friends and familly who i may see when i return to the states.

I NEED PLACES TO STAY! YOUR COUCH, YOUR FLOOR, YOUR REFRIGERATOR. IT DOES NOT MATTER.

so if i show up unannounced expecting to be put up, don't say i didn't warn you. And i am probably going to eat all of your food too. and drink all of your beer.

5 weeks in san juan del sur

ahhhh.... life is really relaxing. It has been hard to update the blog when every day has basically been the same. No i am not bored at all. i am really embracing the slow paced monotony. I know i will have plenty of time in my future to be running around.

Literally, i wake up, read for an hour or so. brush my teath, hop in the pool, make breakfast (it is probably like 9 am at this point) maybe read a little more or do some drawing, decide when we are gonna surf, hang out for a few hours by the pool, make lunch, go surf, come back, maybe drink a few beers, go to bed, then do it again.

that being said, there have been some interesting occurances.

We have been following the local baseball team and going to the games out here. Nicaraguan baseball games are legit. Everyone is smoking, drinking, and loudly talking shit about the pitcher's ex girfriend who is now sleeping with a member of the other team. There are the local drunks who attend every game and there is actually a job description for the guy who has to ussher these drunks back into the stands when they inevitably stumble onto the feild.

The ticket price is 50 cents, there are $1 beers, and a full plate of food is $2.50. Plus most weekends there is a double header so you make a day of it.

We also went to Omatepe island which is (apparently) the largest volcanic lake island in the world. We rode Scott's dirtbike on the ferry and i rented my own bike while i was there. We were like the show Chips as we motored all aorund the island. Really cool place to visit. Natual mineral springs to relax by, very friendly people, amazing views of the volcanos as you are surrounded by a huge lake.

An interesting anecdote of this trip was when we got a little lost on the moto's and tried to get back to the main road. We ended up crashing our way through a jagged rocky dry river bed until we hit an almost impossible section to get through. This riverbed happens to be a highway for locals who walk to and from work so they were laughing at us the whole way as we stumbled through. I tried to make it up this section and wrecked the bike a little. Nothing major, but slightly noticable to the trained eye. But after dusting my self off, The locals helped me push the bike up the rocky slope and we were on our way.

The next day i return the bike (including the cracked plastic light cover which i peiced on there attempting to hide the damage) and the lady said it was all good. We got on the ferry and i incurred no extra charges. phewww!

Until i got to the other side of the lake.

As we near the dock on the other side, i notice a ton of cops and a few military personel. Huh? they can't be waiting for me. it was just a dirt bike. I get off the ferry and they immidiatly start talking to a few people asking them their name. Then asking them if they know a michael. Oh Shit! They finally get to me and i admit my name . I little nervouse, i manage to figure out what the hell is going on. I guess i put $100 of damage on the bike and they wante me to get into a taxi with them to the atm to pay them. All thsi for $100. I suppose Nicaraguan police are pretty bored. So i comply and go to the atm with them, making sure Scott follows me on the dirtbike so they don'e haul me off to no-mans-land. Small price to pay to avoid Nica jail. exciting times.

Oh yeah, I also got pretty creative with facial hair again. this time i sculped the pencil thin mustach with a mole beard. Which means that i shaved everything exept for a pencil thin mustache and a small clump of hair that exentuates a small mole on my face. It was so hidious that Scott got uncomfortable looking at me. which says a lot for him.

Now i am getting ready to leave nicaragua. I depart on the 6th on my own and am meandering back through costa rica to meet friends in panama who are in search of good waves. It will be nice to see more friends from home. Scott is meeting up for this trip too. After that i plan to do a solo trek farther down south into colombia and ecuador. Looking forward to the experiences ahead and to see what it feels like traveling by myself.


here are some pics. two slide shows this time since i did not have time to combine the albums.

3 weeks and counting in San Juan Del Sur

The people here are great. Both the locals and gringos give off this great embracive vibe. It is a small town and you get to know people fast. That being said, everyone knows about everyone elses business. For instance,

One night we wanted to go out and needed a ride to town so one of our friends haled a bicycle taxi to peddle up a 4k hill to pick us up. Sweaty and exhausted, the taxi peddler was thankful to be going back downhill into town. But when we started to pick up some more speed , and as a truck was beeming down on us from behind, he lost control and slammed us into the side of the hill on the road. Faces were smashed into the brush, belongings were strewn along the road, injuries and laughter ensued, and everyone seemed to find out about it the next day. No one´s life is a secret and information travels very fast.

I asked our friend (who is putting me up) if she had seen some ceramic plates that were missplaced in our kitchen area. Within 2 min of that conversation, one of the night watchmen was accused of steeling them and on the verge of getting fired. You really have to watch what you say even if it is completely inocent.

All in all life is very relaxing out here and i have just been enjoyig the down time. I keep busy by doing some reading, writing, drawing, and when their is opportunity, surfing.

Gov bought a moto bike out here. We got a surf rack on it and now have our own wheels to the beach. The bike is a fun toy and we promise to be careful and not to crash. Surprisingly, the ocean water is like 60 degrees out right now. Cold enough to make my feet numb after 30 min. Not prime conditions.

Other than that, i have slipped into a routine which i enjoy sustaining for the time being. My computer, konked out on me so unfortunitly i have to come into town to keep the updated. So apologies for the future update delays.

costa rica, panama and beyond

ok, ok, so i know i have not been updating this as often as i would like, but it is because we just finished up a serious sprint.

Gov met up with my dad and i at our hotel for the last night in san jose. Leo left at 4 am the next morning so i said my goodbyes the night before. (No way i was getting up) gov and i woke up leisurely and manhandled the last all you could eat buffet before transitioning to a more economic lifestyle.

Then it was off to the races. We covered a lot of ground so I'll try to some it up with the highlights. we went to jaco for a night where we were inundated by whores and tourists and subway. I have never been to a all you can whore, whore bar before but it was an interesting experience. One i don't need to have again but a good place to take a girl on a first date.

next we went down the coast to Playa hermosa, a really chill stretch of beach inhabited by mostly tourist surfers. (in fact, there are just a ton of tourists in costa rica from all over) We stayed for a couple of nights since the vibe was nice and the surf was good.

next was manuel antonio just south of hermosa on the pacific coast. A Picturesque beach with a very tourist friendly town to boot. Gov was sick at night so i went out by myself and ended up meeting a ton of people and having a blast. Cool spot to visit.

We then decided it was time to get out of costa rica and we hightailed it to panama. Interestingly enough we were only in panama for 4 days checked out the canal, a surf town, and a mountain town that looked like it could have been in germany. then back up to costa rica where we crossed a pretty sketchy border on the Caribbean side. A couple of cab facilitators almost fist fought over who was going to help us across the footbridge they called a border.

but we made it to puerto viejo where we stayed at the most ridiculous hostel ever called rocking j's. a mega hostel with tents, hammocks, life music and a full bar. the party was always going on here. good times, but had we stayed more than 2 days we would have gone insane. tough lifestyle to keep up.

me meandered back over to the pacific side to santa theresa which is a town i wish we spent more days in. Good surf, nice accommodations for cheap and apparently you have to belong to the beautiful people's club to hang out here. it is like they pay people to stand around and look good. it was a trip.

now we are in san juan del sur, nicaragua staying with some of gov's friends who own a yoga community. this is day 3 and so far i have surfed and done yoga every day. I sleep in their garage (for free) and eat beens and rice. life is good. I think we may even get to join the local san juan soccer club with some locals. we have practice today at 5. wish me luck.

some final thoughts after this round of traveling: We have seen so many places in such a short amount of time. I am thankful for all the visual experiences we have gotten, however i can't say i really know one place or another. we didn't hang around long enough to let each place soak in.

Some people have asked me to comment on the culture of folks out here. Well, unfortunately it is tough for me to do. how does the saying go... a roling stone collects no moss..? well a sprinting traveler does not get a chance to really hang out with the locals. Everyone who i have conversed with has been friendly, helpul and interested in my story, but alas each of these relationships does ot last for more than 30 min at a time. I think for the time being i am going to walk a little slower.

Traveling so fast is really fun, but is exhausting. Keeping both those things in mind, i am happy to be stationary for a while and get a chance to really absorb my surroundings.


Sorry no pics this time. it takes to long for me to upload them with the connection i have.

trip to costa rica with my dad

What a great trip.

Not just the natural beauty of the country but a great pleasure to spend so much time with just me and my dad. From drinking JW Red every night before pigging out at all you can eat buffets to getting completely drenched by rain on a riverboat as you are hunting wild beasts to photograph to sitting on the bus on route to a fantastic destination as the tour guide instructs us on the famous sex tourism and prostitution within the country. (no, we did not take part)

a truly fantastic vacation/adventure that i will cherish for the rest of my life. Thanks dad for the memories! (i wanted to make a public thank you)

We cruized all around the country in a bus full of others on the tip. a lot of doctors on the tour so we were covered. Saw a ton of wild life, more than i can say i was able to document. But a howler monkey did take a shit on the porch of one of the cabins were were staying in. At least he did not throw it at us. Otherwise i would have been forced to retaliate in exactly the same way. And i had been eat all you can eat buffets the entire time. i think I'd win that battle

here are some photos from our great trip. now Gov and i are cruizin the pacific coast in hopes of epic surf, relaxing times, and new adventures.

Eww! Don't look at me when you do that

Got to San Jose, Costa Rica and life is good. As soon as we arrived, we made a friend at the hotel we were staying at and he liked us so much, he gave us a free performance. His name is Don Kiko and in any other country this would have cost at least $5.

Sorry the video is sideways. I will course correct next time. Also, let me know if there are issues with loading times. I am trying to get vids uploaded correctly.

Turn up sound for commentary

Road Trip To Texas

My dad and I had to take care of some administrative stuff in the states so we made a road trip out of it. We traveled north to texas which is the closest US border.

Northern Mexico is mostly high desert; full of Joshua trees and rocky mountain ranges that thrust violently toward a sun bleached sky. I was surprised by its rugged beauty and even romanticized what it must have been like to be an outlaw cowboy running from the texas rangers into ole mexico.

I did not foresee this happening, but it felt really nice to be back in the states. Even after only 2 months i missed the country I call my home and felt more of a kinship towards it than i have in a long time. Despite all the ultra right wing texas radio talk shows bad mouthing Obama I really enjoyed texas.

We stopped in San Antonio for a night where my dad and i cruised down to the Riverwalk and dined on ribs, brisket and Budweisers. Damn that felt good.

After which we went to Austin where i had some business to take care of. I had my last day consulting for LegalMatch and spent the day in the offices there. So that is the last of my work obligations for now and although i no longer have a steady income, i am also no longer obliged to be tied to a computer. But Austin is a fun town full of open minded people (generally speaking compared to the rest of texas) and i had fun partying there that friday night.

After Austin we drove to Katy, which is a town just outside Houston where Trudy and her kids, Chris & Jenny, and their families live (old time family friends. People who knew me since before i was born) Even though i am Jewish, it felt like Christmas while i was over there. There were toys all around, i got to play guitar hero and mariokart on wii and drink beer and eat good food without having to worry about being anywhere. A very nice feeling full of love. Not to mention i ate taco bell which i had been craving. #7 with a baja chalupa please!

I also bought myself a mini laptop for my travels. My new favorite toy. this thing weighs less than 3 pounds; dimensions measuring 10x6inches (give or take) So now i can mooch off of free wifi while i am traveling and keep everyone posted while abroad.

It took a couple of days to drive back to Ajijic, but now we are here and getting ready for our departure for Costa Rica on the 23rd.

Adios Mustacheo

It is my obligation to inform you that after 2 and a half months of full growth and companionship i shaved my handlebar mustache. The decision was a tough one. We laughed together, we drank together, and we creeped girls out everywhere we went together (except for the older ladies who really seemed to like it.... interesting social experiment i must say) you see... with a substantial lip hair waterfall encroaching on your teeth, one's smile becomes compromised by a fucked up gap toothed effect. (notice the last picture in the slide show)

Despite all the good times we shared, I was not prepared for the responsibility involved in the ongoing maintenance of such a face pet. I had to clean it, feed it, brush it, love it, and pick up the shit it seemed to leave behind.

That being said, i did take some pictures in its loving memory and was even able to establish a new benchmark in mustache tricks i have yet to see or hear of anywhere else.

I implore you to observe, appreciate and attempt to innovate.

Click to enlarge the slide show

Feliz Ano

Well, well, well... what can i say about my new years... Except for that it was fucking RAD. My boy Aaron rented a sick house in Sayulita with his fiance for a new years bash/bachelor/bachelorette party. There were 16 of us in this place. On top of the hill with infinity pools yielding an unobstructed view of the bay. Amazing.

On our way out, Gov and i stopped in the town of Tequila (the home of tequila) where we took a distillery tour. Notice the hair nets like Lavern and Shirley. We then went to Puearto Vallarta to party for the night before departing for Sayulita, 45 min to the north.

Not to mention i got a sweet tattoo while i was in Sayulita. We were chillin on the beach and Bret told me he would pay for the tattoo if he could pick it out. Sure why not! So i got one. It is in the slide show.

It was nice to hang with some old friends, especially after 2 months away from the states. It definitely made me appreciate the good friends I have and even made me a little homesick due to the fact that I have been away for so long. But alas, I know that unknown adventures lay ahead and now is the time in my life when i can take advantage of my lack of responsibility. Regardless of all the awesomeness i left behind.

Celebrating the new year forced me to reflect on 2008 which was a tough year for me. One of my motivating decisions to travel was to leave a life of routine and predictability, but after some reflection i realized that last year definitely kept me on my toes with unpredictable challenges and also unpredictable blessings. I guess the moral of the story is that you do not need to pick up roots and leave in order to encounter unexpected, life altering experiences. For better or for worse. Life has it's tendencies to throw you curve balls whenever and wherever.

Gov left for Nicaragua a couple of days ago and my dad and are embarking on a road trip to the states tomorrow morning. When we get back, we leave for Costa Rica for a 12 day tour of the natural beauty. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my pops.

Below are some picks of Tequila and New Years In Sayulita.

Surfart

After Gov and I went surfing in Puerto Escondido, i Bought a board since i knew i would use it over New Years. I also decided to turn it into an art project.

Check it.