Memoirs of a Lemming

One thing that I have always been grateful for, are the great people that have impacted my life. I have been very lucky to have had different mentors and people to look up to, throughout every stage of my life.

Unfortunately, as we get older, we begin to realize: that not only are we not immortal, but so are those that we look up to. Upon returning from the pampas of Bolivia, I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of my former boss, Larry Todd. For more than seven years, I had the privilege to work with, learn from, and to be mentored, by not only one of the most talented engineers in the business, but probably one of the most dedicated husband and father, that I have ever known. The knowledge and skills he taught me as an engineer will stay with me for the rest of my career, but his commitment to his family and friends, will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Thank You, Larry. Rest in peace.

Before leaving home, I had taped little maps of the world, covering the continents that I was planning to visit, during this trip. Next to the names of each country, I placed a symbol, indicating if a visa was required for citizens of the United States, and how laborious it would be to get one. For countries like: Nepal, Laos and Cambodia, it was just simply having passport photos and the fee in US Dollars, but for others such as Brazil it was another process within itself. Since leaving home, it was brought to my attention that two South American countries had instituted a visa requirement for people from the US. One was Chile, and the other Bolivia. According to the websites, their requirements for documentation, matched that of Brazil, and I only hoped that it was not nearly as much work. Back in Bariloche, I visited the Chilean Assembly, and was told that I would not need a visa, if my only purpose was for tourism. And, as you know by now, I was able to verify the rumor, that a visa and the fee could be circumvented if I entered the country via overland, rather than by flight.

I arrived in Salta early Friday afternoon, to meet up with my buds: Orla and Lorraine for a few more days of sightseeing, before I would head back into Chile and work my way home, north bound, as they ventured back south, in search of snow for some skiing and snowboarding. After, dropping of my bags, at the hostel, I located the Bolivian Embassy, and walked there with all my documents in hand, in hopes of getting, hopefully my last visa, for this trip. I arrived at the office, around noon, to find it quiet, with the only staff members chatting away over a glass of tea. One of the ladies came to the counter, to see what I needed. I told her, that I wanted to visit Bolivia, heard that I need a Visa as I am for the United States, brought my paperwork, and wanted to know how long it would take. She responded, by giving me the formal application with the checklist, and told me that the officer was not present, who would actually sign the visa, so please return on Monday morning. We than proceeded to go over each line on the application and the checklist, at my request, so that I could confirm that I would be able to get the visa by Monday afternoon. After filling out the application, we literally went over it, line by line, and she assured me that I would get it on Monday. When we reviewed the checklist, I pointed out that the hotel reservation and the roundtrip ticket requirement were impractical, due to my overland travel and path, to which she agreed and crossed it off the checklist. Feeling good, that it was a simple enough process as she promised, I left the office, with plans to return first thing Monday.

Bright and early Monday morning, I returned back to the office and got the same clerk. When I went to submit the application, with the materials, she said no, that I needed to re-submit with photocopies of the passport, entry stamp, and my immunization card. Puzzled, I asked why she didn’t mention that before, as it was early and many of the photocopy stories were not opened yet, and I could have easily done it over the weekend, if she had only mentioned it, as there was no mention on the checklist. She just waved me off, and said to return with it, and I will have my visa in a few hours. I than asked her: what about the visa fee, to which she said I would not have to pay. I was surprised at this, and asked again, are you sure as I thought there was a fee, she said: no, return with the copies and your visa will be ready in the afternoon. I proceeded to walk around for over half an hour, in search of a photocopy machine, and eventually returned to the embassy forty-five minutes later. I got the same lady again, and proceeded to submit all the documents and application, and we even used the checklist, as she accepted the materials. She smiled and told me to return between 1 and 2 pm, and said goodbye. As I approached the door, she yelled out me to wait, and she said: you need to pay a visa fee. You can only guess at my reaction. I returned to the desk, and reminded her that I asked this before, and she responded, but I thought you were Korean. I gave her a very upset look, and said: why, I said I was from the United States, and why would you assume Korea, I am not even Korean. She tried to slide back everything, as the fee had to be paid at the National Bank in town center, to which, I said: no, it’s not fair, I will pay, but you must accept my application now, as I am leaving tomorrow morning, I will trade you the receipt of payment for my passport, when I return after 1 pm. She agreed and I was now off to the center to pay my fee. As this was now the beginning of the month, and a Monday, the bank was absolutely packed, but luckily the special area of the bank, where I paid/deposited this fee, was less crowded. After another hour or so, the fee was paid, and I had an hour to kill before my visa was ready to be picked up. At 1:30 pm, I returned back to the office, to find the clerk that I was working with, out. The other lady came up, grabbed my submittals, and told me that my application was not accepted, as it was incomplete. She slide it back to me and pointed that I was missing the hotel reservations and roundtrip flight tickets. I explained to her, that we went over this twice, and it was accepted and acknowledged by the other lady not to be an issue. She responded, that the other lady was gone, and it was now too late, as the consulate officer was gone for the day. I was now pissed and said: No bueno, no bueno (not good). She told me to just come back tomorrow, but I absolutely needed everything from the checklist. At this point, I literally needed to breathe deeply in and out, before I was going to raise my voice and make everything worse. I asked her to come back to the counter and to re-review each item, at which time I showed her the notes and scribble made on the checklist, where those two items were specifically X’ed out, based on the discussion with the other lady. She said, she could not do anything else, and that I should return tomorrow. I than, showed her my receipt, told her to give me back my one hundred US Dollars, and I will take my things, and she could keep her visa, as this was not worth it. She looked lost, and said, just come back tomorrow. I said: no, give me money, and I am on my way, otherwise I should get my visa, as I have been here three times already, just today, and I am not leaving without a visa or my money. Than, guess who walks in, the other lady, she sees me and bolts to the corner of the office, I yell and wave at her, to review the application and to remind her, what she had said. But, she wouldn’t come close to me, as the two of them huddled, not knowing what to do next. I kept repeating: you said the application was good, that I didn’t need anything else. Just than, the consulate who was suppose to be gone for the day, comes in and sits at his desk. His appointment immediately sit down, and the two ladies didn’t want to approach him with this problem, so one of them returns to the counter and silently talks over the application with me. I held my ground, repeated, I am leaving early in the morning, my visa or my money. She grabbed the materials back, sat at her desk, and kept flipping through my items, until finally she calls over to the consulate, and describes the situation: I got a guy from America, that submitted his application, paid his fees, and is leaving tomorrow. He provided: the photocopy of the passport, immunization record, bank statement, passport photos, but he can’t provide hotel confirmation and roundtrip tickets, as he is traveling overland. To which the consulate, responds: Okay, give him the visa. This didn’t make the lady happy, especially since I heard it, she than told me to come back again in two hours, to which I said no, I will wait, as I didn’t want to return to find the office closed. She said return in two hours, to which I stood at the counter and said that I will just wait here. I continued to stay at the counter for half an hour and just watched her, hoping that she would expedite it, just to get rid of me. But, needing to use the facilities, I went next door to a restaurant, and returned less than five minutes later. When, I got back, both ladies were gone, and the consulate came to the counter and greeted me, he grabbed the passport off her desk, and showed me the visa, and wished me a good trip. Just, as he handed it to me, the lady walked back in, I thanked him, gave her a glare and walked out, hoping it was my final visa for the rest of this trip.

The six hour bus ride from Santiago, Chile, slowly became a 12 hour adventure. Originally scheduled to leave the Santiago bus terminal around 8:40 am, the bus finally arrived and departed closer to 10:30. Throughout much of South America, I have been able to sleep like a baby in it’s plush long distance buses. The options, are: the Clasico, where your fabric seat reclines maybe up to 45 degrees; the Semi-Cama, there is a leg rest, more width to your seat, and the seat reclines up to 55 degrees; the Cama, leather seats with leg rest, reclines up to 65 degrees and you are given blankets and pillow; and on some journeys the Executivo, where your seat can turn into a bed. With all these choices you are provided meals and/or snacks, and drinks, in the case of Cama and Executivo, wine and champagne is also available. Of course, this plush mode of transportation is said to only exisit in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, so for the time being, I have been taking advantage of the Semi-Cama as much as I can, as I personally have preferred the Semi option over the Cama, as I find the Cama’sseat to be stiffer and the leather to cause me to slide as I sleep. But, I digress…

For most of the journey I slept, until the bus would stop, thinking it was a border check point. Instead it turned out, that the bus stopped waiting for the snowing to let down or till the road ahead was cleared. Yes, I said snow, as my days of Skipping Winter, was now over. The bus proceeded to start and stop over the next few hours as we crossed the Andes, and eventually into Argentina. At the border, the back up of buses and cars, meant that it would take hours instead of minutes, so we hopped off the bus to walk in the snow, or in my case into the local snack shop/cafe to get myself a lomito (steak sandwich), welcome back to Argentina. The border check point took around two hours, and we arrived in Mendoza at 10 pm, instead of at 4 pm.

During the ride, I met Suzie from Oxford, England. As this was her first trip to Argentina, and she was headed for Buenos Aires, I spent a good deal of time telling her how much, I loved it there and why. The two of us decided to split a cab, and to go check out the hostel I had picked out based on the rankings on Hostelworld (website). After checking in, we went back out in search of food, in search of what else, but steak. After all, it was Suzie’s first meal in Argentina, and you have to have steak, to commemorate the occasion. Unfortunately, we had a hard time finding a good restaurant close to the hostel that night, and she had to settle for the worst steak, that I had to-date in Argentina. Welcome to Argentina, Suzie.

The next day, the two of us, went exploring the City of Mendoza with map in hand. That’s when you realize that many of the cities in Argentina are much the same, an urban planner’s dream or nightmare, as most of the heart of the city is set in a grid pattern, with a major square in the middle, and smaller squares/plazas spread throughout the city, and pedestrian shopping streets. And, maybe unique to Argentina, you will find the same street names, whether you are in Buenos Aires, Rosario or Mendoza, named after famous Argentines, it’s various provinces, and it’s significant dates in history.

The tour eventually led us to the famed (using that word very loosely) aquarium of Mendoza, built over 45 years ago, the facility is mostly underground, and resembles much more of a pet store than any educational or research institution/facility. But, for a mere entrance price of 3 pesos, it was probably the best buck, as I got to see, two very unique underwater species (using that words, as I don’t know what to call them: fish, reptile, mammal or freak). One, swam like a fish, and had a robo-cop appearance with it’s head turning side to side at much more of a severe angle than any fish can manage, than there was the thing, that we dubbed: the alien rat fish. As it was like a car crash, scary to look at, but you couldn’t but help to stare at. they were both truly bizarre and beyond words. So, if you are ever in the neighborhood, plan on spending those three pesos. Unfortunately the reptile exhibit was closed across the street, but I could only imagine, what exciting animals, we missed out on.

That night and the next day, would be a true test of patience for me. I am notorious for having a low tolerance for tardiness, at home, especially for deliberate disregard for other people’s time, knowing that others could not leave, until that last person showed up. Suzie found out that she had a friend in town, through Facebook(social network website), and made plans to meet up with him for dinner and a night out on the town, as he had been living in Mendoza for weeks now. Three of us headed out to his hostel, where we continued to wait for over an hour and a half, for one of his locale friends to show up. Than we continued to walk almost aimlessly in search of a restaurant, for over half an hour, when it was presumedthat he had already picked one out. The cherry on top, was when his friends, who wore winter appropriate clothing, opted to take the outdoor seats, inside of the warm indoors, while poor little Suzie was dressed more for a night out indoors, than outdoors. What started as a planned dinner for just before 10 pm, started after midnight, and left us with little time to make a club. (In Mendoza most of the clubs close their doors to new guests at 2 am, and the club area of town is located a 20 min plus taxi ride away). So, when the group ended up at a locale bar, with a heavy metal act, I quickly made my escape, and returned to the hostel.

The next day seven of us from the hostel headed out to the area of Maipu, home to more than a handful of vineyards, that has made Mendoza world famous in the world of wine. We rented bikes from Mr. Hugo, headed first for the wine museum, followed by an olive farm, three vineyards, and finally a chocolate factory, just before sunset. So, what is somebody who is allergic to alcohol/wine, doing on a wine tour? Remember, I am a lemming, and it is the main thing to do in Mendoza. Much like my fellow lemmings for the day, we had not been on a vineyard/wine tour before, but I became a bit frustrated when my compadres, spent most of our time at the vineyards trying to devise a plan to drink the most amount for as cheap as possible, to the point that they spend in excess of half an hour to just save 10 pesos. Here is how it works: at most of the vineyards, they have a tour of their premises and the winery process, it would include a guide, and at the end of the tour, you get to sample anywhere from three to five types of wine. The glass would not be full, more of a taste than anything else. At the completion of the tasting, you can pay 10 pesos and be on your way, or you can buy a bottle starting at 15 pesos, and the tour would be free. So my group devised a plan, to send one person into the tour, go through the tasting, and buy one of the cheaper bottles to share amongst the group. They wanted to do this at each of the vineyards so that each person would get a turn, there were six drinkers. About fed up with this, considering it was only a few bucks, and we were two hours into this bike ride, but only one vineyard down, I was about to take off, when common sense hit them, as they tried the 15 pesos bottle, and found out: you get what you paid for. It is well known that buying the bottles does not guarantee you the lowest price, but you do get a much better selection. So the group decided to pick up the pace, and at the last winery of the day, the oldest in Maipu/Mendoza, we all joined the tour, and they all agreed it was the best wine they had sampled all day. As for me, the cafe con leche really hit the spot, as it was starting to really get cool, as the sun was setting.

25 de Mayo, is one of the most commonly named streets and plaza/park throughout Argentina, as it is known as “el Dia de la Revolucion de Mayo,” or Revolution Day of May, commemorating the sequence of events in 1810, leading up to Argentina’s declaration of independence from Spain. As it was already Sunday, and now Independence Day, the town markets and shops were quiet, but the streets and plazas a buzz. In the main square they had an exhibition or fair of sorts, where various branches of the armed forces, displayed their gear, machinery, uniforms, and vehicles, as kids and adults, ooh-ed and aah-ed, over their guns, night vision goggles, and artillery vehicles. The town was draped with flags, and the colors of the flag: baby powder blue and white, even the fountains throughout the town, now spat out blue water to celebrate this occasion. In the afternoon, I swapped groups, as most of my fellow bikers, were nursing a wine hangover from the day and night before, and went to a smaller square where they had a festival filled with food stalls, pastries, sandwiches, and a stage showcasing singing, dancing, and speeches. The evening and event, was finished off with a small fireworks show, which didn’t really do the trick, as the sun had yet to set, but the release of hundreds of blue and white balloons, followed by white birds, did impress the crowd. Later that night, I caught another overnight bus for Cordoba.

So you want to be a fellow lemming? Many people often say in amazement: I could never do a trip like that, how do you even plan for such a trip? The answer is, you can plan only so much, and just know, that you can always do the same with a lot less, both in planning and things/items. Along the way, I have often tried to pretend what I would do, or how I would get along if I did this trip as my parents, meaning twenty or more years ago. I guess that is why I am doing it, as it was a lot more difficult or even impossible for lemmings to glide into and out of countries, such as: Russia, China, former Eastern Germany… But, with guide books (like it or not) paving the road, along with the internet providing volumes of information and suggestions, it really isn’t that difficult. So, being the engineer that I am, or at least what I use to be (when I actually worked for a living), here are some information to help you prepare for your trip of a lifetime, so that you don’t have to re-invent the wheel. (This entry is dedicated (and in trade, for her on-line journal) to Erin, who I met on the Russia tour group, as she has decided to do a similar trip starting at the beginning of 2009. Have a blast, and come visit me, at…?)

Before you leave:

Vaccinations.Start early with some research as some require multiple inoculations, up to six months prior, others are only good for a shorter time, so plan accordingly. Research the countries you are likely to go, and the adjacent countries (as you are likely to veer off-track), and what shots are required. Yellow Fever is a must when visiting South American countries, as many visas will not be granted without proof of such shots. Sidenote: it was actually less than 50 percent cheaper for me to get the shots at the County Public Health Center, than through my private doctor, so do some research before forking out the money. Also, note that different areas require different shots.

Malaria pills. Can be pricey and may not be covered by your health care provider, so start your research early, as my carrier would only subsides for the first three months, and told me to come back each month after that to get the subsequent doses, meaning fly back home! There are daily and weekly tablets, each with it’s own set of side-affects, do your due diligence. The daily ones, can be purchased overseas, fairly easily. You also need extra pills, for it to be effective, start one week before and up to four weeks after you leave the malaria infected region.

Visas.Some require up to a couple weeks to process, and are only valid for a defined date, after issuance. So do your research on which require and what items are required, and they do vary dependent on your country of citizenship. You can always acquire while in a neighboring country, but it may affect your schedule. Advisable to get any visas you may need for the first few months of your trip in advance. Always inquire about the multiple entry visa, as they are often the same price, and it is just dependent on which box the officer/clerk checks on your application. Items commonly required for a visa application: two passport type photos (so bring plenty of extra, at least a dozen), photocopy of your passport (front page with info and picture), photocopy of your international immunization record (yellow fever, TB shots…), and some countries require proof that you can financially support yourself to leave the country, therefore they request: photocopy of return airplane ticket, hotel reservation, and bank or credit card statement (see my experience at the Brazilian Embassy). I have found ways around this, and often it is just talking to a sensible officer, who can review your passport and see that you are backpacking and traveling via overland. If that doesn’t work, make a reservation on-line for a flight, print out the reservation, than cancel it. Same with the hostel/hotel reservation, they often just need it for one place and only one day, although they may try to request it for your whole trip, the only exception may be Russia. Lastly, always have some US denomination on you, as that has been the globally accepted currency outside of the local currency, may change with the current devaluation of the greenback. Remember, you can always change the local currency into US bills at any currency exchange, so don’t need to carry too much.

Notifications and on-line accounts.In today’s world, most of your accounts can be managed via the internet, so set those accounts and their accessibility via the internet up. Such as: Banks, Credit Cards, 401/IRA/retirement accounts, Insurance (including travel), cell phone company… Many banks and credit companies may suspend/freeze your account if they see overseas transactions, so notify them in advance and the proposed duration, mine required a notification, every six months.

New on-line accounts. This type of travel is actually fairly common, especially with the other English speaking countries, such as people from: England, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, along with other European countries, such as the Scandinavian countries, Germany, France, Spain… As a result, many businesses and websites, have evolved to help the lemmings, move along and stay in touch (all, www dot coms):

Facebook.Social networking site, where you can keep in touch with people from home and people you have met along the way, to exchange travel advice and information. Think myspace, but much more vanilla, and only people you want to see your page, can.

Couchsurfing. I haven’t used it, but is gaining momentum. Site where you can meet locales, for coffee, dinner, or for a free bed on a couch, as the locales gets to practice their English and meet a traveler, and you get a locale friend that may be able to show you around, practice the locale language. and possibly a free bed. The site does include a rating system, so you can see feedback from those that have met the individual before.

Hostelworld.Reservations for hostals/guesthouses around the world. The rating system, keeps the establishment on their toes, as each person who makes a reservation, can provide feedback after their stay. Sites like this are vital to the lemming community when in search of the next bed in the next foreign country, foreign city. If you plan to make many reservations through them, purchase the Gold Card for $10 USD, as each booking cost $2 USD, but is free for a year with the Gold Card. reservations can be booked with a minimum of one day in advance. Other booking websites, include: Hostelbookers and Hostels.

Hostel International (HI).A worldwide organization, which establishes a minimum standard for hostels to meet. A hostel must meet those criteria to be deemed a HI Hostel. When you are a member, you get a minor discount (often 10%), when staying at those hostels, along with some other benefits. My two cents: didn’t use it much in Europe, as non-HI Hostels are often better, but in China, many were and came in handy, in South America it’s a mixed bag. You can always purchase it at any HI Hostel, so don’t need to join at home, as membership starts immediately.

Skype. Call via a computer/internet connect for as low as 2-cents a minute. Nuff said, as it’s often cheaper to call with this service, down the street, than via a public telephone. You can even call for free to a friend at home with webcam, of they are operating on Skype at the same time. takes literally a few minutes to set up the account, and you can than use it, around the world. A must if you want to stay in touch, not if you want to be lost.

New E-Mail Account.I assume you already have one of these. But, I have found it most useful and practical to have a separate e-mail account for the purpose of staying in-touch during the trip. So that the other e-mails for bills and your previous working life, doesn´t get mixed with your new and constant contacts, during your trip. I also created a second account, with which, I pdf and e-mailed copies of important documents, so that I can access around the world, such as passport, driver’s license, plane tickets, visas…

Photo-sharing.Such as Flickr, Kodak, Butterfly… there are many. Pick one that lets you store, access, and share based on your needs. There are many, often each with a set of pros and cons. I mostly use Kodak, due to it’s unlimited storage, and ease to share with friends, just by forwarding a link, con is the time it takes to upload an album.

Blog.If you are reading this, nuff said. Keep in mind, you can write a private journal on-line, as well.

Round-The-World (RTW) Tickets.Via a travel agent, you can buy one plane ticket that will cover the globe. Don’t try to fly or book every leg, as things will change. just pick one arrival city, and a separate departure city for each continent, you want to cover, If you need to fly in-between, there are many locale budget airlines, that will do the trick. I didn’t have the time, knowledge and experience to set this up, and may have paid more a a result. But it has worked fine for me. as all flights have to take place, after that first departure. As a substitute, I have purchased/found each flight via websites, such as: Sidestep, Airtimetable, Mobissimo…

Things to bring.

Seriously, there is nothing, you can’t get almost anywhere around the world. The only question is the quality and the price. Often, they are inferior and cheaper, in those distant, less developed countries, but their are exceptions. So if there are any items tat are near and dear to you, that is the decision you have to make, as I have seen people bring the strangest things, such as their wobbie(?)/safety blanket. For me, these have been essential:

Camera. Get familiar with your camera, before you leave, as you are unlikely to keep or read the instruction manual on the trip or ever. Pick one, based on size and weight, most importantly. But for me, I have appreciated my selection based on memory card type as well as battery. As it’s a good idea to bring extra memory cards, and extra battery, wouldn’t believe all the places where my primary battery has dies at. Imagine hiking to the top of Mount Sinai to watch the sunrise, and due to the cold, the first battery dies out, just as the sin was finally rising. Of course, that also means, the size and weight of the battery charger, which I much prefer over the use of portable batteries (i.e. Duracells and Energizers). Many times, I wish I had one of those super cameras, with telephoto electron powered microscope lens, but my cassette sized (remember those? for those born before the 80s) camera, has done the trick just fine.

Phone/Blackberry.I brought one of each. My old cell phone, which I unlocked and now purchase SIM cards, to make local calls, when I am in the same place for a period of time, for me in: China, Taiwan and Argentina. And, of course my Blackberry has been the envy of all other backpackers, as i am not a slave to the internetcafe, when staying in touch via e-mail or Facebook, or when writing drafts of this blog. If you bring an international cell phone, much like the Blackberry, look into international rates/programs, especially on the cost of texting, which has become an international phenomenon.

Ipod/MP3 Players. Do I need to really say more. Just imagine all the marathon bus and train rides, along with waits, where the locale country has no concept on the time-value-of-money.

ATM/Credit Cards.Open an extra account, and look at what the cost are for international usage. Having two of each has been invaluable, especially in countries like Argentina, where they limit each ATM transaction to the equivalent of $100 USD. I opened a credit union account, which allows me to use ATMsaround the world with Plus or Cirrus, and pays all the ATM fees for me, probably has saved me hundreds of dollars, already. There are also banks which are international, with branches and ATMs around the world, such as: HSBC. When bring a credit card, advisable to have one a Visa and the other a Mastercard, for some strange reason, some areas take one, but not the other.

Clothes/Shoes.The lighter (weight) the better, as you will carry it with you, until you decide to toss it. Which also means: don’t bring that favorite shirt or pants, unless you are willing to part with it, or have it destroyed. The darker the better in many cases, as it may be returned to you, dirtier/stained from the laundry. Camouflage cargo pants, are probably the most popular article piece of clothing, for that reason. Plan on rotating you clothing if on a long trip, between the season (even if you were planning to skip winter) and mere practical use, as you will likely return home with a different wardrobe.

Misc. Ziplock bags are great for odds and ends, such as: shampoo when it explodes in your bag, and storage of little mementos along the way. Travel sack, when you just don’t like the look/stains of the bed that is home for the night. Interesting enough, most of the camping type gear are imported for the States or Europe, so if you want the real thing, it will cost more overseas. But you must assess how much you will use it, to warrant carrying it all. Locale brands often do the trick, and you can always look into rental.

Guidebooks.Remember they are merely a guide-book, full of people’s suggestion, not gospel. So take it with a grain of salt, as the publishing date is often many months or even years since the author actually visited the establishment. In many cases, you can buy that English version, in that locale country at a premium, or in the case of Southeast Asia, fake copies can be purchased almost anywhere at a fraction of the cost. Carry as many or little as you want, as it’s the heaviest item considering it’s weight, yes for all those fellow engineers, we are speaking density. I have adopted the practice of ripping out the pages, when I pass through that city or country. Most popular brands, covering the globe, are: Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and Footprints.

And Most Importantly:a good attitude, respect and an open mind. Remember you are not at home anymore, and although it may seem backward, archaic, and sometimes just wrong; it is you that is the foreigner and guest, not them. Many times, my fellow lemmings are stuck on the locale culture, to the point where it absolutely ruins their trip, an example if the act of spitting in China and India, and the requirement for females to cover up in Muslim countries.

HAPPY TRAVELS!!!

Ahoj, Goddag/Hej, Privet, Pryvitani, Dzien Dobry, Guten Tag/Hallo, Jo Napot, Zdravo, Zdraveite, Merhaba, Salaam, Ni Hao, Kam Sangbo Dugay, Namaste, Sawatdi, Sabaai-Dii, Ola and Hola. In other words: Hello, from around the world, or at least from most of the countries that I have visited this past twelve months.

My one year anniversary, since I left home on 6 June, 2007 (like how I am using the international standard date format), has come and past. There was no speech, no fireworks, and not even a cake to celebrate the occasion, in reality, I barely remembered the date, only reminded by the fact that I received an exit stamp from Chile, and an entry stamp into Bolivia, with that date stamped into my passport.

To quickly catch you up, to where I am now: I re-entered into Argentina through the snow filled Andes, going east from Santiago, Chile to the wine country of Mendoza, Argentina. I spent three days there, highlighted by a vineyard tour self-led on bike. Don’t worry I haven’t picked up drinking or smoking (as the self portrait may have indicated) since I have left home, but the bike tour is a must do, while in Mendoza, and everybody always needs a designated pedaler. Next, I visited the second biggest city in Argentina, Cordoba, also considered by some as the culture capital of Argentina, if not all of South America. After a few days, I hopped on another overnight bus, to Salta where I met up with my Irish Sisters (Orla and Lorraine) for our last hurrah, before we headed in different directions, and not knowing when and where we would ever meet up again. The freezing desert of San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), was the next destination, where: I battled against a huge dose of altitude sickness, learned about the stars from a world famous astronomer, got my butt kicked, and was re-introduced to the love of traveling. From there, I hopped on a three day off-road trip into Bolivia, where I witnessed some of the most unique, wonderful, and serene landscape, that these eyes has seen. From the Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Flats), I re-entered third world civilization (defined by a city with population count greater than 100 thousand), into Potosi, the world’s highest city, at 4060m.

I will hopefully write in-depth about the last few weeks, but after catching up on the blog in Buenos Aires, I have found it very easy to fall behind. Today, I found the time to write this summary as I am now confined (not trapped) in Potosi, Bolivia, due to the number of protest and instability in the country. Waking up this morning, with the intention of traveling to Sucre, we discovered the bus companies were all shut down, and the roads are blocked due to various reasons. In summary, the political climate of Bolivia is some what volatile, as part of the country, specifically the affluent province/region of Santa Cruz wants to be autonomous. About a month ago, that region voted to separate from the national government led by President Evo Morales. The national government, deemed the vote to be illegal, and in a possible move for re-affirmation of his popularity, President Evo Morales (it´s first indigenous President), proposed a vote in August, where it’s citizens will vote on whether he, his government officials, and local representatives, will stay in office. The issue of autonomy stems from many issues, diversity and ethnicity, but most probably due to the issue to wealth and class, as the regions seeking autonomy are rich in wealth as well as gas resources, and are not fans of the left-winged President. So, how does this effect me getting confined to a working class town of Potosi? What was once one of the richest cities in South America if not the world, is now a struggling mining town with rich cultural history, filled with churches and one of the best museum on all of Bolivia, well according to some of the people I have talked to, the miners have taken this opportunity to protest against their minimal wages and taxes that is being passed down to them by the rich companies. Information is varied and sporadic, and quickly reminds me that I am in a third world country. The goal was to get to La Paz by the end of the week, which puts me on track to enter Peru in less than a couple weeks, but now, who knows.

To many, especially those with timelines and set dates to return home, they have found this frustrating and annoying. Just this morning, I have heard many, vent out in frustration with the use of: some expletives, and I hate this place. Personally, I don’t blame them for feeling that way, but in reality that is what traveling on a developing country is all about, and for someone who is traveling with no schedule, I am enjoying the ride, and respond with these three words: Welcome to Bolivia!

Hope all is well. Go Lakers!!!