TREE HOUSE

Heidi and Grace and I took off one day to explore Isla San Cristobal, and outside of a little town in the highlands we came across a tree house built up in the branches of a ceibo tree. The tree was huge, and the shack could sleep two people, had a mini kitchen, and a tiny bathroom. We could have stayed there for fifteen bucks a night each, but it would have been a tight squeeze for the three of us. The picture in the middle is of Grace scaling the trunk of the tree! And the picture on the right is of a fireman's pole that must have been around thirty feet tall. Yikes!

SEA LIONS

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno has more sea lions than people hanging out around the boardwalk along the harbor. I'm not exaggerating. They're everywhere, sprawled out on the sidewalks, napping on the park benches, barking and playing with each other on the little beach, and splashing about in the water below the docks. They're pretty cute animals, but man alive do they smell...

PUERTO BAQUERIZO MORENO

Grace and Heidi and I left the mainland last Tuesday and flew out to the Galapagos Islands. Our first stop was the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristobal. It's the second largest town in the Galapagos Islands, but that doesn't really say much. It's pretty small. We stayed right on the harbor in a cheap little hotel and spent a few days exploring the island and checking out the wildlife...

MONTAÑITA

Grace and Heidi and I decided to head out to the small coastal town of Montañita for a day or two before our trip to the Galapagos. Grace spent some time in Ecuador about eight years ago, and was excited to return to the small beach town that she had once visited. But how things had changed! The town wasn't as small as it used to be. In the large city of Guayaquil there was barely a gringo in sight, but this was not the case in Montañita. Don't get me wrong. The place was awesome, but it was almost one of those spots that I would categorize as a "generic world beach." There were many qualities that were unique to Ecuador, like the guys selling ceviche on the beach, but there were times when I felt like I could have been back on Phuket in Thailand, with a mishmash of young international travelers looking for a good beach party. We stayed for a night, enjoyed the beach, and then took off for the Galapagos Islands...

SOMETHING SPECIAL

Grace and Heidi arrived last Friday night, and on Saturday we set out to find a local travel agency to figure out a trip to the Galapagos Islands. The first place we stopped was a place called Centro Viajero, a small travel agency run by a man named Douglas Chang and his trusty sidekick Fernando. Fernando was quick to offer us some cold beers as we discussed possible itineraries, and we ended up hanging out, laughing a lot, and making a new friend. After talking about travel plans for an hour or two we headed back to Douglas's apartment around the corner for some more beers and a light dinner. Fernando's wife arrived soon after and they announced that they were planning on heading back to Fernando's hometown for the night, a small village called Pedro Carbo about an hour or so outside of Guayaquil. And then he invited us to all come along. And before we knew it we were in a minivan heading out of the city, picking up friends along the way, and Douglas Chang and I were in the back seat sharing a bottle of scotch called Something Special. What an appropriate name. Whatever was blended into that Something Special ended up helping me acquire the nickname "Gringo Loco" that night...

We arrived in Pedro Carbo and went to Fernando's home, a humble concrete block house on a dirt road. We were greeted by a mob of little kids, nephews and nieces, and Fernando's two year old son Benjamin. The kids all piled into the minivan and we drove into the little town for a delicious chicken and rice dinner. After the meal we dropped the kids off and went out to the discotec. On the way we stopped at a little carnival that had been set up in the street, ate some candy apples, and went for a ride on a sketchy make-shift ferris wheel. The discotec was fun, and apparently the DJ called me out for being the gringo with the crazy dance moves. (How embarrassing.) We didn't end up making it back to our guesthouse in Guayaquil until the wee hours of the morning. What a night...

There was a point earlier on in the evening when Grace and Heidi and I wondered whether we should go along with our new friends, hop into a van, and head out to an unknown village on the outskirts of Guayaquil. We had only been in the country for a short time, and we didn't really know too much about our surroundings, but we decided to trust these people, and it ended up being a night that I will never forget. Fernando and Douglas shared with us a little slice of life in Ecuador that we would have otherwise never experienced, it was something special...

PARQUE BOLIVAR

Right in downtown Guayaquil there's a little city park the size of one city block called Parque Bolivar. It's a nice little park with some gardens, a statue or two, a handful of old banyan trees, and a bunch of huge green iguanas. There are tons of them, lying on the sidewalks and hanging out in trees. I'm not sure how they got there, but I'm guessing it would be pretty hard for them to leave being that the park is surrounded on all four sides by a bustling city. They seem content, though, and don't seem to mind sharing the park with people. The locals don't seem to pay much attention to them either, casually stepping over them as they walk on the sidewalks. One man saw me snapping photos and in what seemed to be an attempt to impress me, grabbed one of them and picked it up by its tail. The guy was holding his arm straight out and the iguana`s front legs were still touching the ground. He looked at me and chuckled, and then let go after he was scolded by a nearby policeman. This was the first time that I discovered that you don't have to go into the wild to find wildlife in Ecuador...

LAS PEÑAS

I've been in Ecuador for over a week now, and it's been awesome so far. I arrived in Guayaquil last Thursday and had a day to explore before my friends Heidi and Grace arrived. Heidi and Grace are friends of mine from San Francisco and have just set out to spend six months exploring South America.
Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador, and it may not be the most popular destination for tourists and travelers, but I actually found it to be a pretty cool place. It sits along the massive Rio Guayas, and in the last ten years the city has invested a lot of time and money in rebuilding the riverfront, now called Malecon 2000. The promenade is full of shops and restaurants, gardens and playgrounds, and it collects a nice breeze off of the river. It's a wonderful place to hang out for people of all ages.

Heading north along the waterfront I ended up in Las Peñas, an old historic slum that wraps around a hill with a lighthouse perched on top. Like the Malecon 2000, Las Peñas has undergone a major renovation in the last ten years. However, only the buildings along the the steep, stair-filled path leading up to the lighthouse have gotten the makeover. The walkway is quite charming. It`s full of brightly colored cafes, bars, gift shops, and homes, but as soon as you wander off the main path the transition is drastic and in the blink of an eye the alleyway reverts back to the old dark and dirty shantytown. The picture on the left was taken from the Malecon 2000 looking up at Las Peñas, and from that perspective you can kind of see how the buildings on the right side of the hill have a bright candy-coating, and how the buildings on the left are still grey and untouched.

Once I got up to the top of the hill I climbed up to the top of the lighthouse where I was met with sweeping views of city and a much needed breeze. I always enjoy finding a good vantage point in a new city to help me gain an understanding of where I am.

ECUADOR

Last time I updated this blog it was in December of last year and I was in Bangkok. I left Southeast Asia and returned home for the holidays thinking I would hunker down in the new year and find me a job back in San Francisco. However, it didn't take me long to realize that I still needed to get out and see a little more of the world... well, that and the fact that the job market right now is just a little bit intimidating. I figured that I'm not going to be able to do this kind of stuff forever, so for now I guess I'll just have to put off making any big life decisions until the fall. So after a few wonderful months full of family and friends, I jumped on a plane to South America. And here I am. Ecuador!

WOW

I parted ways with Nate in Chiang Rai, he took off towards Lao, and I headed south to Bangkok. In a few hours I will catch a flight to San Francisco. Life is good. I've been in southeast Asia for over eight months now, and all of a sudden this chapter of my life is coming to an end. It's been wonderful, some of the best eight months of my life.

I feel like I could write a bunch of stuff right now, you know, to kind of sum up all that has happened in the last eight months. But that's not really my style, I guess. I like to keep these blog posts nice and short, and maybe have a nice picture, or a short video, or something. Anyways, I chose this picture for this blog post because it kind of sums up my traveling. But actually, I didn't really travel here to Thailand, I moved here. I lived and worked here. My dad shared a quote with me not too long ago, by the travel writer Paul Theroux, that said, "I sought trains; I found passengers." And I guess that's what this has really been about for me. I've posted a lot of pictures on this blog of a lot of beautiful scenery, but really, the best part about traveling, or living somewhere, is who is behind the camera with you. Because whoever that is, they are the ones that really help make the experience. This is a picture of me and Oot playing the guitar together. I've probably spent more time with him and his daughter since I've been in Thailand than with anyone else. I will miss them terribly.

I'm going back to San Francisco now. This blog isn't done, really. Perhaps I can find some way to keep it interesting. I hope people have enjoyed it, my stories, the pictures, the videos, and my excessive use of reggae music in my videos.... anyways, I've had some beers tonight, and I'm about to catch a little van to the airport so I can fly home...

CHIANG RAI

It was a two day trip to Chiang Rai from Chiang Dao, with a night spent in Tha Ton, a lazy river town on the border of Myanmar. We made our way up and over some mountains, and through some small villages and towns, until we reached Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai is a pretty big city, with an awesome night bazaar, and an even more awesome outdoor food court slash beer garden. We had a great time hanging out and eating...

THAI WHISKY

There's not really much explaining to do about this one...

CHIANG DAO

Two days out of Pai and Nate and I found ourselves in Chiang Dao. It was a real nice little town, we stayed for two nights. Chiang Dao sits at the bottom of Thailand's third largest mountain, which seems to just come out of nowhere, I mean the area is pretty hilly, but the mountain just seems to pop out of the horizon. It's quite stunning. We explored a cave, ate some great food, drank some of the local liquor, and just relaxed for a day in small-town Thailand...

ON THE ROAD WITH NATE

I left the islands a couple of weeks ago and headed north to meet my friend Nate. Nate's on a massive bike tour of southeast Asia, and flew into Bangkok mid November to start his ride. By the time we joined up he was in Pai, and after a few days of hanging out, I rented a motorbike and joined him on his trip...

NICK

Nick flew out to Thailand in early October to join me in my travels, and I couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy. We didn't have much of a plan going into our journey, but it didn't take us long to realize that whatever we did, we would have fun doing it. Two months together, wow. And every minute of it was awesome. We parted ways a little over a week ago, I journeyed north to meet up with with my friend Nate, while Nick's girlfriend Izzy flew out to join him for a week in the islands. It was the end of an epic journey, but only a small chapter in the story of our friendship. I am very lucky and thankful to have a friend like Nick.

LANTERNS

A night on Ko Lanta with some of my bestest friends...

THANKSGIVING

Nick and I left Laos a little over a week ago, and after a brief stop in Bangkok we took off for the islands! We were joined by Nick's sister Zany, and our friends Timothy, Miki, Debbie, and Davis. The seven of us have been having a wonderful time together. I may not have been able to make it home for Thanksgiving this year, but I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with some of my closest friends. And for that I am extremely thankful...

KUOANG SI WATERFALL

There are some amazing waterfalls in the mountains surrounding Luang Prabang. They are great places to hang out, with turquoise blue swimming holes and trails that follow the rivers up and down the mountains. I spent a number of days relaxing by the waterfalls, reading my book, splashing around in the water with my friends, and just enjoying life...

LAO-LICIOUS!

We found a great guesthouse in Luang Prabang thanks to a recommendation from our old traveling buddy Jesse, and it ended up being a big reason why our two days in Luang Prabang turned into ten. It's run by a wonderful family, a husband and wife and their three daughters, and is located in an out-of-the-way alley a stones throw from the Mekong. We met Mathieu there on our second night, and the next day we met Julie, Delphine, and Allan. Great friends. They are the other reason why our stay was prolonged.

Two of the daughters who run the guesthouse offer a cooking class called Lao-Licious! Nick and Mathieu and I decided to sign up for it and holy shit was it awesome! The class started with a trip to the morning market where we purchased our ingredients and got a little lesson on what's what. After that we went back to the guesthouse where we spent the rest of the morning preparing the feast! We cooked four dishes, not including the sticky rice, which is a staple in Laos for every meal. The picture on the bottom left is Moak, a mixture of beef, pork, egg, and other tasty stuff, all mixed together, wrapped up, and steamed in banana leaves. It was quite tasty! The picture above that is Laos Salad, a fresh mix of greens with an egg yolk based salad dressing. Pictured on the top left are the fried spring rolls that we dipped into a homemade peanut sauce, mmm! And to the right of that is Laap, the national dish of Laos. That was my favorite! A spicy beef salad flavored with ginger, garlic, and lemon grass, it was amazing! The feast was extremely delicious, and the whole experience was wonderful. I will never forget that meal as long as I live...

SUNSET ON THE MEKONG

One of the reasons Nick and I have been stuck in Luang Prabang for longer than we had originally planned is because we've made some wonderful new friends here. They are all French, and we all get along quite well - Mathieu, Alan, Delphine, and Julie. We've been doing a lot of fun things together, biking to waterfalls, exploring the night market, sharing beers. Last night we went to see a Lao dance performance at the theater, it was great. Every night we try and find a good place to watch the sunset, there are tons of great spots along the river. I really like it here...

FRENCH COLONIAL TOWN

The French colonial architecture in the old part of town adds an interesting twist to Luang Prabang. Many of the old mansions that line the river have been restored and converted into guesthouses and hotels, it's quite charming...

LUANG PRABANG

Nick and I put in a long day after we left Phou Khoun, riding nearly 130 kilometers all the way to Luang Prabang. Holy shit was it tiring. We conquered some pretty big mountains though - had some grueling climbs and some crazy descents, and didn't roll into town till after the sun had already gone down.

Luang Prabang is an amazing old French colonial river town. The Khan River runs parallel to the Mekong for a little ways before it hooks around and joins in, and the old part of town sits on the thin strip of land in between the two rivers. It's a wonderful town. Nick and I came here thinking we'd leave after a couple of days, that was about a week ago...

KASI TO PHOU KHOUN

The first leg of our bike trip took us from Vang Vieng to Kasi. It was a great first day, and was rather flat compared to the next few legs of our adventure. The following day we took off for Phou Khoun, a little village up in the mountains. And let me tell you, those climbs were not easy on a bike with one speed...

OUR NEW BIKES

Nick and I had originally planned on exploring Laos on motorbikes, but unfortunately it ended up being a little too expensive. But that didn't stop us! We left Vang Vieng after a few days and headed north towards Luang Prabang, still riding on two wheels, but this time with no motors...

BIKING VANG VIENG

Nick and Jesse and I rented some mountain bikes for a day and went out to explore the countryside around Vang Vieng. It was awesome...

AN OLD FRIEND

As soon as we got off the bus in Vang Vieng we bumped into our old friend Jesse who we met in northern Thailand. It was great to see him, we hung out together for a few days before he took off for China...