Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawai'i

About three weeks ago, I left the tropical fruit farm on Puna side for a work-trade gig at a youth hostel in Kailua-Kona. I've been working the front desk from 8am-Noon, five days a week. I moved here because the hostel is in the center of town and I figured it would be easier to get a paying job. I haven't had much luck thus far. I've applied for about 20 jobs, all within my grasp as far as job experience is considered. I guess the economy is as bad as everyone says. Living on farms and not working in the mainstream culture I miss a lot of what is going on. Which I don't feel is such a terrible thing.

A friend of mine introduced me to a realtor on Kona side, who in turn introduced me to a massage therapist that performs body work by walking on people at the local farmer's market. I'm planning on heading down to his booth tomorrow to learn some techniques and get some work done. He makes roughly $250 a day when the tourists are pouring in! He took me to a local pastors home for dinner and worship which was very interesting. Totally different from my normal routine and I found talking with the people there to be very nice. The only person to ask me about my religious views was a 12-year old girl who then told me she was having doubts about "her parent's religion". I went to the dinner hoping to make some job contacts but ended up talking with the young girl, attempting to give her a positive role model to look toward.

I found a job posting on Craigslist last week seeking gardening/food prep/animal husbandry work that pays $11-15 an hour (with avg 40 hours a week) including food and board. I made a resume specifically for this job, which was the first time I've listed my farm work in any one place! I've worked with seven farm and gardens! I got a call from the owners today and they are picking me up Friday to take me to the property to check it out. I'll post more info as I know it!! This seems absolutely perfect! To be able to live off the land, farm, work and get PAID!

I've summited my application to work with Clean Vibes again this year, only this time I'll get paid. Typically a crew member works 10 hours a day for about two weeks. Which includes camping, meals, water and a ticket to the event. I've been thinking about going back to mainland for a visit and to take on some quick paying jobs, there's so much more than in HI! CV would give me a chance to do several of the things I love; recycling, educating, festival life, travel, camping and GET PAID!

In writing this entry I feel so money oriented. I hate that money controls everything that we do. I'll be happy when I fight off the travel bug and can just buy/lease/trust/manifest some land to care for good.

Three month mark in Hawaii

Honestly, it doesn't at all feel like I've been here three months. I've been filling my off time with reading, beach trips, hanging out in hammocks and general relaxation. It's currently coffee harvest season so I've been doing that after work some days; $15 for a 25-lb bucket of beans. I intend to use that money to supply food during the few weeks of camping I have planned for December.

I changed my departure date from the WWOOF farm to Dec 13th; for a number of reasons. I feel I have not learned anything in my stay here and I feel somewhat like an indentured servant. I still would have visited this farm if I had known what it was to be like, but only for a few weeks not several months. I feel as though I could of learned so much at another farm - although the living condition would have been less luxurious. So on the 13th I will head south to Green Sands Beach and camp there for a few days. Hitchhike to Volcano National Park from there and spend about a week taking in all the trails, craters, lava tubes and lava flows. I have a few contacts I've made in the Puna area so I'll probably check them out and I have a WWOOF stay 'planned' for two weeks starting around the solstice. The farm is basically a survival camp; no work quota or leaders - only need to gather foods to feed ourselves. It's located on a road which is well known for communities, survival camps and the like. So, if I don't like it - I'll walk to the next place. If I don't fall in love with a community there and end up staying I'll head to Hilo and check out some of the touristy sights; the waterfalls, caverns and camp on some beaches. Then further north and trek into Waimanu Valley for several nights. There's a few farms I'd like to check out for a few days in Waimea and Hawi before committing to a longer stay. One is a paint (type of horse) ranch that also installs solar panels; which is 8 miles from the highway. Another is a hatha yoga/raw food/detox/hare krishna place - I've always wanted to visit one to see what all the fuss is about. If none of those places pan out I'll arrange a stay at the Kona hostel for AM work and get a part time job in the evenings. After a few months I should have enough money to spend a few weeks exploring the other islands before flying to New Zealand or Australia.

Aside from all those plans I want to go with the flow. That's my basic outline so I feel like I have a purpose. Although it is liberating to not have a plan at all - it sort of causes me a bit of stress. I like to have something to anticipate. Shaheen, another WWOOFer whose been on the farm with me for almost 6 weeks is leaving Sunday, Ian will be here until January and we have a newcomer, Doris, who arrived last night. All are great people and I'll be sad when we separate paths.

I've been doing great! Trying to do yoga, meditation and eat vegetarian. Although, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I've started writing a journal-type thing in a book; although I can't say whether I'll actually write in it. I've been trying to live in the present as much as possible (besides all the above planning). Enjoy the wind, smells, sounds and the contact with my fellow humans. I actually feel a lot better when I do not think and only absorb the moment. It's freeing and comforting. And no mom, I'm not turning into some Hare Krishna person. Actually this thinking started while reading "Dharma Bums" and then "A New Earth" (which is that book that Oprah talks about - remember when you told me to get online and do something with her program or something). Not to ruin a surprise but that will probably be your Xmas present.

Well, today's my day off and I don't know what to do. Probably go read and catch a ride into town to buy a camp stove and some propane. It's hard to believe that I leave in two weeks. Very exciting though!

Click them to make them bigger!

Another day in paradise

After fighting an urge for chocolate for a few days I made the walk with my meager tip earnings to the gas station down the highway. A long walk up the driveway lined with avocado, guava, coffee, lime, macadamia nut, bananas and beautiful flowers of all kinds. Once on the highway it's a narrow, crushed lava shoulder and a two-lane road. The clerk at the gas station is the same aged but always cheery Hawaiian women who's always one duty. I make a mental note to ask if they need help on my next visit. She smiles, as always, as she counts my change and starts conversation with the man, a transplant who seems to know the clerk very well, in line behind me. Crossing the street and turning down the driveway, I notice the vog (volcanic fog) has let up enough to see the ocean. Today is the first day it has been clear enough to see the curve of the earth in the horizon. I sigh, bite into my chocolate, and think of spending my day off snorkeling with tropical fish, sea turtles and dolphins.

I'll be at Rainbow Plantation until Janurary. I'm entertaining several ideas for after that. I'll probably work for three months at a hostel in Kona while taking a parttime job in the evenings. That should allow me time to save money to fly to Australia and get through customs there. Though, there are so many great farms all over the islands that I could spend years here.

St Louis & Hawaii

I took a Greyhound into St Louis and my Couch Surfing host, Lindsey, and her guy friend, Jason, picked me up from the bus station. STL Greyhound has a nice new station in downtown, opposed to in the ghetto of N STL. However, the security is crazy - they wouldn't let me in the terminal without an onward ticket! I just wanted to go to the bathroom! I discovered Amtrak is connected and used their facilities instead.

I guess all the stress and fretting over leaving made me a tad anxious and I got sick for a day. After they picked me up we headed to a sweet bar called Atomic Cowboy where a Burner (as in Burning Man) meeting was taking place. Caught a bit of fire spinning before I decided to pass out in the car. Basically I ended up crashing on Lindsey's couch while Jason attempted to make me eat for the next day. I did wake up in time for us to venture to the City Museum, The Loop, and hang out with some of their friends. The next morning the amazing pair drove me to the Metro so I could catch the train to the airport. Both were amazing hosts and I hope to see them next time I'm in STL.

The flights were not that exciting. Both weren't that packed and I got a window seat for both (sweet!). I arrived in Hawaii at 2pm and found out that there was not a public bus that made the run to Kona. Taxis cost $25 (the cost of a hostel stay). I sat around for a while thinking I could ask some kind looking folk for a ride but that didn't happen and I was getting antsy. I watched a backpacker looking guy walk down the road and figured I should hitch. I walked for a bit along the airport road to the highway to no avail and then realized I probably looked like a male with my hair tucked in my hat. With hair down the second car that went by stopped. SUCCESS. The guy was really nice and worked for the airport. He drove me to an internet cafe in town where I found a cheap hostel to stay at. I walked around for a bit since it wasn't opened yet and ate dinner.

MORE LATER.

Missouri

I'm back at EW for two weeks. Well, I guess another 9 days then I'll be heading out actually. Preston drove me to Chicago last week so I could catch the bus to Springfield to meet with the EW trip that comes into town every two weeks. I took Megabus from Chicago to St Louis for $27, caught a taxi to the Greyhound station ($10) and then the dog to Springfield ($38). It would of cost me $120 and taken 6 more hours had I taken only Greyhound from Elkhart.

It was really nice to spend some time with Preston - he's thinking about ways to come travel with me. We'll see how that panes out over time. We took a drive to South Bend before I left to see Notre Dame, which was nice. A real ritzy campus. We also visited some of his friends down state a bit and played croquet - which I won. Drank some nice beer and what not. I'll miss him a lot.

EW has been nice. It's good to see my friends and spend time with them. I know I won't be back this way for a while so I'm trying to soak it up. The creek is back to normal, pretty much anyway. Swimming has been amazing. I've watched a few of the kids and it's so nice to have them back in my life. The youngest has gotten so much older since I last saw him - it's so neat to be able to see him grow. I've been eating good food (the garden is amazing), pooping regular (for mom), and basically relaxing.

I'll be heading to St Louis on the 26th and spending two days there couchsurfing with a girl who works with an urban farming co-op before catching my flight to Kona on the 28th at 6am. I'll have a layover for a few hours in Phoenix. After that I start work at the WWOOF farm/B&B on the 1st. I'll be working 8am-1pm, 5-6 days a week (depending on number of guests) with the rest of the time off. The website for the B&B is here if you want to take a look.

Indiana and Michigan

I got into Indiana last Tuesday after an 11 hour car ride with Ben, a 30-something from Colorado. Yet another successful rideshare from Craigslist! Four for four! The drive was pretty uneventful, only three stops for gas/food. Lots of corn fields.

Staying with the guys in Indiana has been pretty fun. Lots of movies, drinking and general mischief. Well not too much mischief - but a moderate amount. We drove up to Empire, Michigan this past weekend for Sleeping Bear Dunegrass & Blues Festival. A very fun little festi. moe played two nights and Cornmeal played nearly everyday. Bump also played, although we missed them. Lake Michigan was only about a mile from our campsite so we went swimming a lot. All in all, a good time. Well, minus the over abundance of cops. Twice we were shaken down by the local sheriff. Once during the day for a hand rolled cigarette (meh). And again during a big drum circle that broke out in the road next to our tents. The cops came to break that up after a few hours but being 3am, everyone's blitzed and there are 3 cops roaming in the dark. Pretty scary and annoying.

It seems the flights I'll be getting on for Hawaii are pretty open - success! I'll be heading out August 28th - I believe. I'm leaving for Missouri in the next few days - spending two weeks in Missouri before heading to St Louis airport. I'll probably couchsurf there for two nights before my flight. Then Hawaii! How awesome?

The end of July

A year ago I was living in Costa Rica. I've been traveling, or bumming around, for over a year. A YEAR! Here's a brief run-down for those who haven't been on the band wagon:
One and a half months working on an organic coffee farm in Rivas, Costa Rica
A week or so working at a hostel in the rural highlands of Chirripo National Park (one of the last buildings before the wild)
Seven months (off and on) at an intentional community in rural Missouri (meeting people who I will forever consider family)
Months/weeks here and there visiting Delaware and igniting travel bugs and dreams when I could
Went to five festivals without paying a dime after working/volunteering them (Langerado in FL, Summer Camp in IL, Wakarusa in KS, Bonnaroo in TN and All Good in WV)
Worked an a sheep farm in Lawrence, KS for two weeks
Spent two weeks with one of my best friends in Columbus, OH
Had numerous Greyhound/Craigslist ride share adventures
Met so many people that have to buy handfuls of post cards

The biggest thing is that I've gotten used to being alone and taking care of myself again. My health is much better than it was when I worked 40+ hours a week and was living the stress-filled American dream. I used to get sick every month, like clock work. I felt over-whelmed, closed in and sort of like a trapped rat. Now I am so much happier, healthier and fulfilled. Even if I was to go back to a typical job tomorrow my outlook would be totally different. I know what life is about. It's about enjoying it to the fullest. Our world is full of sadness and destruction right now, why not change it starting with yourself. Realize that all those pills your doctor throws at you aren't the answer. GO OUTSIDE and away from cars! Sit down under a tree and breath. Take off your shoes and feel the dirt. And no, you won't get a disease (well, maybe, here in Delaware). Breath, relax, listen to the birds, feel the wind shift, feel the connection of your body to the earth and breath. Our current society is running at a break neck pace...which mains sooner or later you are going to break your neck. Many of the illnesses and disorders that plague our society weren't even a issue until this last century. In this same time we've gone from horses to cars as transport, from hand written letters to email, from cherishing family to isolation via television. Why not give slowing down a chance instead of popping happy pills? But you need money to pay the bills right? Gas is too high to ask for an hour cut? I'm not saying you need to quit your job and be a vagabond. Take a sick day when you feel a little down. Ask yourself 'What do I really have to do today?' Take the long way home. Hand write a letter to a close friend instead of emailing - so it will take a few days longer, but I guarantee they'll love it. Enjoy life and don't fret. Life has its ups and downs, lefts and rights, u-turns and roundabouts. Just breath while you do go through with it.

I guess I am a hippie.

Delaware & Ohio

My time in Delaware was cut in half because I found a Craigslist rideshare to Columbus a week earlier than planned. The woman I rode with was very nice and good conversation was had when I wasn't passed out in the passenger seat. She had a sweet ride, an old 5-speed Saab. She dropped me off at my friend's work in the Short North (south of OSU campus in Columbus). The past week has been a lot of fun. I've been relaxing a lot, borrowed someone's bike, had dinner with WWM and Jenny, drank with my friend's parents, went bar hopping, went to ComFest (hippie type festival Cbus does every year), fell in love with a thrift store that had many things in my size, and many more things I can't recall. I've been trying to get a ride to Nelson Ledges to no avail. My CL ride that I had arranged last week canceled and I haven't had any luck since. Oh well. I'm heading to All Good Festival in WV next weekend. Volunteering with Clean Vibes again, always a great experience. Probably ride back to Delaware with one of the friends I have going. Stay there for a week or two and hang out. Then probably up to Camp Bisco in NY and Gathering of the Vibes in CT. Then to Hawaii. I have a farm stay arranged on the Big Island starting on Aug 30th.

My new tattoo

Kansas, Tennesse & Delaware

I stayed in Lawrence, Kansas for two more weeks since my last entry. Most of the time was spent working on the farm. I helped plant over 60 tomatoes and did the prep work for a half dozen more rows. The owner was trying different techniques on mulching around the seedlings to see if the crop could be planted earlier, produce later or produce better. Some of the rows were previously tall grasses so we mowed the rows and put down a line of damp, poop hay that had been used in the sheep pens. We raked the tall grasses back over top to provide a cover. I'd love to go back and taste the fruits of my labor. Also, I went to Wakarusa on the other side of Lawrence. My farm's owner dropped me off and I asked at the volunteer check in if they had any openings. Next thing I know I have a shiny blue wristband attached to me. I had to work two-8 hour shifts on Sat and Sun - but the shifts were just as fun as enjoying the festival. Two of the nights were canceled because of strong thunderstorms (it was Kansas - tornadoes are common - with lots, lots, lots of lightening). Two of my EW family were there and I had a blast spending time with them. Lots of skinny dipping and slight craziness! I hitched out of the festival to get back to the farm as the rain died out Sunday. Enjoyed a hot shower and nursed my wounds from walking barefoot.

Storm rolling in at Wakarusa


Sheep at the WWOOF farm


A few days after the festival I caught a Greyhound to Manchester, TN for Bonnaroo. About 4 other people were on the bus with me the whole way - good festi family. The finally bus to Manchester was nearly full and half was for 'Roo. Three of the guys rented a car and I caught a ride into the grounds with them. A note for those who Greyhound into 'Roo in the coming years. The owners of the gas station chase off any cars offering you ride and ask you to take their shuttle in for $5 a head. It's not such a bad deal but the guy was a douche. He said in past years people have offered rides, had the rider throw their shit in back and sped off with it. Personally, I trust my gut. I believe that if a Greyhound rider simply waited for a car that was obviously going to 'Roo and asked if they had a spare spot that it wouldn't take that long to get a ride. Anyway, I camped with my new friends way back in the boonies. I didn't mind though. Quiet at night - I had a nice sleep all nights. Alas, I slept through every late night. Still on farm time you see.

'Roo was 'Roo. Getting way too big, dirty (not just the dust), unfriendly and unfestival-like. So many first timers there! I wanted to take them all with me so they could see other festivals. They'll learn! I guess I am a snob when it comes to certain things; festivals and traveling mostly. It's just because they're my life at the moment.

Shakedown at Bonnaroo 2008


I worked clean up after 'Roo for two days. Met awesome new friends and had a blast working and playing. Clean Vibes is always a great experience. I highly recommend it. One of my fellow volunteers was heading to NYC so I bummed a ride to Delaware. My plan was to head to IN to see a friend but it wasn't in the cards that time. I've been here a few days and I'm hopefully heading out Thursday with a ride share from Craigslist to Columbus. Then to find a ride to Nelson Ledges Quarry for RythmFest. Oh, the joys of the vagabond life.

Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois & Kansas

Way too much time in the mid-west if you ask me! Spent a month back at EW in Missouri. The last week I was there I went on a float trip in Arkansas for 5 days. Canoeing the Buffalo River! So we only made it 10 miles, but we had a hell of a good time! Caught Greyhound to Peoria, IL. Met a kind guy working at the bus station there who offered to take me in for the night & let me tag along to Summer Camp Festival (about 20 mins north) the next day. Hung out with some of his friends and had a lot of fun.

Summer Camp was AMAZING. Such a great festival! Good music, multiple sets for most bands, nice camping, not too many people, kind folks all around. Got to take my photo with one of the guys from Umphreys (I was working right next to the Main stage one day). Good fun. Met so many interesting, fun people. Got a free ticket into one of the late night shows with Ha Ha the Moose, two of the guys' from moe's side project. Amazing set. Watched the Flaming Lips & Umphreys with a 18-year old who was at his first festival! Danced so hard to George Clinton & P Funk that my entire body ached. Stayed up late the last night jumping to Cornmeal (Allie with her sexy fiddle). Spent the night in my tent while they attempted to evacuate the campgrounds because of 70 mph winds and tornado warnings. My small kid's $20 Walmart tent withstood!! Ba-ha! Caught a ride back to the bus station with the guys who gave me the late night pass.

Dancing in the mud at Summer Camp

The Flaming Lips at Summer Camp

OAR at Summer Camp

Passed out (drooling-style pass out) on the whole 12 hour bus ride to Kansas. Was in Iowa for a second but I was out like a light. One of the first bus ride where I didn't talk to a single person. Note: Always make sure it's your stop. I almost got off at the wrong city twice! Yeah, I was passed out.

Got picked up by my WWOOF host right as I arrived in Lawrence, KS. Been on the farm here for four days or so now. One of the house mates is a massage therapist and bought a vendor booth at Wakarusa. She may have an extra ticket to sell me on the cheap. She's out of town so I won't know until next week. The farm is nice. Long hours, harsh heat and sun but varied work and kind folks. Today I harvested green onions, lettuce, spinach and eggs. Washed a huge amount of tubs for market tomorrow. Collected seeds from the invasive weeds in the pastures before they start to spread. Yesterday put up two lengths of fence for the sheep. Learned how to winch, put up h-bars, and secure fencing for a herd of sheep and a llama. I'm working with Luna, one of the border collies, to have her respond better to commands. I got her to bring the sheep to me from the far side of the farm yesterday (with some help from the owner).

I have free roam of everything in the house. After I work some I can take the bike to downtown or what ever. The Kansas River is five blocks over and the storm surge is crazy right now. Downtown Lawrence is really nice. Heady library that I have a temp card to borrow. Biked to Sonic today for food; sometimes I get bored of farm fresh stuff (I am an American). Tomorrow is market but the owner said most weekends are relaxing but I'll probably go collect more of those weed seeds and reinforce one of the fences.

Red lettuce at Kansas farm

Ambroses

Swallow & nest

Dead Indigo Bunting

Langerado & Florida

Once again the value of the internet is proven on my travels. I check Craigslist randomly for rideshare listings depending on where my next destination happens to be. This time I lucked out with a group of 20-somethings heading to Langerado in a school bus from NYC. Nine Jewish people and myself, an atheist, on a 1000+ mile roadtrip. We averaged 55mph the whole way and the bus broke down three times. We left Delaware 2am Wed and by 5pm Fri we had reached Daytona Beach, just in time for Bike Week. Because six of the people practiced shabbat, which is a day of rest from sundown Fri to sundown Sat, the bus wasn't going to make it to the festival until Sunday. I talked the other three non-praticing people into renting a car and driving the rest of the way. All in all, I paid $65 for the whole transportation down to FL. We arrived at the Seminole reserve around 3am and were told we had to wait. The three guys wanted to get discounted tickets so they had to wait for 5am and I had to wait for on the work exchange people to wake up to get my wristband.

We set up camp near some of the guys friends and I wandered off to explore. I spent some time at EW's vendor tent and saw a ton of great performances. Because we didn't arrive until Sat I missed a ton of bands I really wanted to see on Thurs and Fri - but it's alright. I did get to see REM, Phil Lesh, 311, Govt Mule, Ani DiFranco, Keller Williams, Ben Folds, Disco Biscuits, Citizen Cope, Minus the Bear, Ghostland Observatory (which put on a sick light show), Railroad Earth, State Radio, Yard Dogs Road Show, and other bands I wandered for a few songs.

After the festival I started working for Clean Vibes, doing the clean up work of the stage areas and the campgrounds. In the process of this my tent, pack and everything was lost/stolen. The work exchange people told me the wrong place to camp so everything was gone when I went back to check on it. But got my passport and license back from the Seminole police. Meh, I moved on. Two days of picking up trash, groundscoring left and right, and getting nice warm home cooked meals - all for free. CV offered to pay us that wanted to stay longer but I had arranged for two kids from Orlando to take me to the Greyhound station. So we left and ended up skinny dipping in Ft Lauderdale - which was awesome. Since I really had no place to be I tagged along to Orlando and spent the night with Natasha. Had an amazing lunch of vegan beans and spices with rice and then caught a cheap flight back to Philly thanks to my mom. I spent a good chunk of my tax return on replacing my gear and I'm heading back out on the road on 4/21.

Into Fall We go

In retrospect, the past months have been a great time for me to shape who I am and come to terms with what I want from life. But during the past few months it's been a whirlwind of people, places, feelings, thoughts and moments. I can't begin to explain what I've gone though since Chris left. I can't, not at all. I stayed in Delaware for maybe a week and decided that too many memories and ghosts floated in my path there. My friends and family were/are so supportive of me, I cannot ask for more.

I left for an intentional community in Missouri, which is what some people call a hippie commune. Basically, I view it as an alternative to the materialistic world of work that America is known for. It is not a prefect picture of utopia by any means, but it gives a good example. Life without the worry of work, money and possessions is possible. And don't think it's a bunch of ex-Dead Heads getting knotted in the sticks. Internet, running hot water, a huge DVD collection, 1000+ acres of the most diverse woodland in the US, four swimming holes, a family of 50+ people who care deeply about your well being and your interests. And no, I don't have to sell my car, give my money or worship a guru. The only requirements are that I understand the social contract (basically no hurting other people), work 35 hours a week (childcare, cleaning, gardening, cooking, feeding animals, nut butter production, etc), one weekly kitchen chore (dishes), and 2-8 hours of required income quota (working in an area the community profits from). I usually work 4-5 hours a day, hang out the rest of the day with the 20-something crowd, hike/swim/ride bikes, drink a bit and maybe watch movies. Not so much different from the outside world but no one here frets about bills or medical care (after 6 months I get covered here). No need to worry about anything but enjoying life and getting your labor sheets in.

I have no plans as to when I'm leaving yet. I have ideas but I'd rather not share them until I'm certain. I tend to tell everyone my ideas in the past and I usually change them shortly after. So no talk until it is decided. Email or leave a comment if you want any information about the community or my plans. wheresamber@gmail.com

Seattle, WA

Wednesday, August 9th
Ah, the joys of flying alone! My flight left from Philadelphia at 11am. I had a layover in Dallas/Fort Worth for about two hours. When I booked my flight I had planned to meet up with another Tpunk member for the connecting flight. However, he ended up canceling his flight and I spent two hours wandering around the terminals. Dallas' airport is actually one of the nicest I've seen. The layout is simple, four large terminals connected by a monorail type system. This landing in Dallas is actually the roughest I've had, I'm guessing it was the wind factor. Quite a few screams errupted from some of the children on the flight but actually it wasn't that bad. The flight from Dallas to Seattle/Tacoma had a movie playing which made the flight seem faster than it was. Arriving in Seattle it turned out that Anthon's arrival to pick me up and my leaving the terminal to go to the street was timed perfectly. Anthon drove me toward Beth and his apartment telling me about the city and life in general. We waited for Beth to get off work and took nearly an hour trying to decide where to go for dinner. We ended up going to a pizza restaurant that serves thin-crusted specality pizzas. Very good! After dinner we went to the Fremont section of Seattle and saw the infamous "Fremont Troll". Then we stopped at Water Works, a large park and abandoned gas factory and proceeded to roll down the huge hill that overlooks downtown. Of course, I got sick from this roll and spent the rest of the night sleeping and/or vomitting. Great way to start the week!

Fremont Troll

Thursday, August 10th
During the night Jamie, a fellow East Coast Tpunk, arrived. Jeanie, one of the local Tpunks, picked us up after we had breakfast (both Anthon and Beth had to work) and showed us around downtown. First stop was Pike's Place Market (famous for the throwing fish), next we drove around Capitol Hill district (known to be the 'gay' community), finally we ended up at Seattle Center which is where the Space Needle is located. After wandering around Seattle Center for about an hour we decided food was needed to survive the rest of the tour. We headed up towards the Puget Sound area and ended up eating a a burger shack near the harbor. Jeanie dropped us off at Anthon/Beth's for her to make her henna business: http://www.paintedlotus.com. Jen arrived from the Mid-west and the group went to dinner at a Thai restaurant in Wallingsford. Two bottles of wine later the group ended up at a local Irish pub with three more Tpunks in tow. All together: Anthon, Beth, Jeanie, Will (Tacoma Tpunk and 'bus driver'), Jamie, Mike (Jen's partner in crime and my Tpunk dad), Jen, Tony (Tpunk founder), Carmen (Tony's partner in crime) and myself. The group moved onto the Sea Dragon (a jazz bar down the street) where we proceeded to have rounds of brews, shots and Irish car bombs. No night is complete without a fast food stop. Complete with Anthon running down the street at 1:59 to ask the place to stay open for the group to get there. Luckily they had plenty of free leftovers!

Friday, August 11th
My car load to Cascades National Park left a little later than the other cars in our group. We stopped at a popular BBQ joint in N. Seattle and then headed up into Northern Washington. The drive was beautiful! Surrounded by 'hills' according to Jeanie but I thought they looked more like mountains. Actually they were the foothills of the Cascades. We arrived at our campsite and set up camp. I believe that we spent most of the day and evening hanging around camp working on the keg of Mac & Jack.

Saturday, August 12th
We woke up early and went for a drive to all the overlooks and scenic areas in the park. First we stopped at a small path that lead to a cliff overlooking part of the river. Next to the parking lot was a bridge that went over a deep stream of glacier runoff. Needless to say walking out on the bridge was a little wobbly. We then stopped at a overlook of Diablo Lake, from which you can see numerous glaciers (6-8, I can't remember). Onward to the overlook of the Liberty Bell. We ended up eating lunch on the lookout which is basically the top of a huge, huge cliff. We then stopped for a short hike through some mossy forest and then onto a small town to pick up booze. The town was actually laid out like a old country western town...complete with roving violin and banjo players as well as a saloon. Back at camp dinner was started and our group had to perform the entertainment. Needless to say a bottle of 16yr old Scotch Whiskey Single Malt Lagavulin helped us. Wow, I still hear about that one. I don't recall too much more of that night. I believe this night was when a meteor shower took place. This involved the whole group gathering on the edge of the river and staring up at the sky, drinking beers.

Over Diablo Lake

Sunday, August 13th
Today we woke up a little later. Breakfast was lazy and we decided to split into groups. Mike, Jen and myself decided to go on a hike. The rest of the group went swimming in the freezing glacier-fed river. The hike was murder for me....all up hill - considering the most hiking I get is level Delaware parks it was tough. Mike kept me going and the views were worth it. However I believe something was incorrect with our guide because two hours into the hike we were way above the lake....which we were supposed to be level at after 3 miles. We ended up turning around and high-tailing it back to camp because the gate is 'supposed' to close at 430pm for the park. However we didn't get there to 5 and there were still many cars parked there. Oh well, still a good time was had by all! Back at camp our group was on clean-up and got to relax for the cooking of dinner. Dinner was fantastic! Foil dinners with potatos, sausage, oinions and so much more! Down by the river a few of us Tpunks were having a heart-to-heart. Back at camp everyone else was drinking and attempting to kill the keg. At some point I looked at Jeanie and said "Wanna get drunk?" I got a "Sure" and 15 minutes later both of us were trashed. Good times that night!

Monday, August 14th
Waking up early we packed up camp and left for Seattle. Brooke, Jeanie and myself took the van and ended up stopping a local burger joint in the middle of nowhere. Awesome! We got back to Seattle and I ended up going to Tacoma with Jeanie to return the van, getting my first view of Mt. Rainier! When we got back we headed to dinner at a Mexican place and then headed to the local Irish pub again for darts. The night ended with several Tpunks passed out on the floor. The next morning I flew out and had a layover in Chicago.

Anchorage, AK

Anchorage, Alaska
December 9-12, 2006

December 9th

We set out on a 8am plane for Anchorage, with a short layover in Las Vegas. We had amazing luck with all our flights are got on to all of them, which was anxiety-fulled because we were flying non-res (or standby). We arrived in Anchorage as the sun was beginning to set, which is roughly 4pm in the winter. During the winter months average daylight is about four to six hours. During our few days there the sun normally rose around 9:30am and set around 4:00pm. However, the sun never rises above that far into the sky because of the tilt of the earth. During the summer months the sun is up for about 20 hours on average. On the summer soltice the sun stays up for 24 hours, which our CS hosts told us prompts bars to stay open 24 hours. Basically, it's treated like a huge party. After some slight trouble with getting our rental car we were off onto the snow-covered roads. Surprisingly, the weather is not as bad as many think. On average it was between 15 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit during our stay but there's virtually no windchill. The roads were fairly clear but most were covered in packed snow. We headed off to visit our Couch surfing host, Gracie. Her sister came over shortly after we arrived and they took us to a Mexican restaurant down the main road. The food was decent, even though we ended up getting burgers, and after dinner Gracie and Brittany took us on a tour of downtown Anchorage. They showed many of the main tourist attractions as well as provided us with Alaskan information and answered all of our questions. We learned quite a few things from them:
- Eskimo is a derogatory term - Native is a better choice
- 1 in 5 people that visit Alaska never leave
- West View is not a good area of town
- Most cars in Alaska have studded tires
After a tour of downtown, Gracie headed towards South Anchorage to give us a good view of the mountains. Gracie attempts to change lanes and a car in her blind spot honks it's horn. Gracie pulls back into her lane but the van starts to fish-tail and eventually we end up doing a 180 into a ditch. Scary experience but everyone and the car was okay. Her brother came and helped us out and we were back on the road in 20-30 minutes. The car that we almost hit actually stopped and helped us get out as well. Yet another example of friendly Alaskans! We headed back to Gracie's and met her room-mate Hellen and some of their friends. They decided to take us out and try to see some moose, however we failed miserably.

December 10th

We woke up early and headed down towards Seward. The 2-hour drive consisted of beautiful mountain along Turnagain Arm. We stopped dall sheep high along the mountain cliffs and the mud flats that are visible at low tides. Girdwood, a small town made of retired hippies and winter sport enthusiasts, was along the way to Seward. We made a short stop there but the town was still asleep so we drove by the crazy post-modern houses and continued our journey. After some scary road conditions on one of the mountain passes we decided to continue and not turn around and were rewarded with clear roads shortly. We arrived in Seward, which is a main port of cruise ships and whale/glacier tours, and explored the deserted docks for a bit. We then headed downtown towards the Mount Marathon. In the summer a drunken race is performed up and down Mt. Marathon. Racers run full speed both ways, eventually ending bruised and bloody at the base. Here's a YouTube video of some kids that hiked up the the top: here - just in case you want an idea of how steep and high the climb is. We decided to go into the Sealife Center, since the town was pretty much dead considering it's far into the off-season. There we saw many of the native animals and discovered that puffins don't look like the puffins you see on television, they look like small black ducks. We stopped for lunch at a Chinese buffet called Peking on 4th Ave. I highly recommend it to anyone that visits Seward in the future. On the drive out of town we spotted a kestrel and bald eagle, just hanging out in trees along the highway. The drive to Anchorage was uneventful but the view makes it an amazing drive. Back at Gracie's, she and Hellen made us moose tacos. Tasted very similar to beef! After dinner, Chris and I decided to head towards Earthquake Park and try and spot the Northern Lights. Not even 3 minutes after arriving, a cop came up and made us leave the park - since we had planned to leave for Sterling the next morning early to take a dog-sled ride we opted to just head back to Gracie's.

December 11th

We woke up early and headed down towards Sterling. About 30 minutes into the drive I remembered that the receptionist for the sled-dog kennel had said she'd call if the snow wasn't deep enough. Sure enough, a voicemail was on there saying that because of the warm weather and small snowfall they couldn't take us on a ride. We decided to head to Girdwood and explore there again. The same highway takes you to Sterling and Seward, also eventually Homer if you follow it long enough. We checked to see if the Mt. Alyeska Tram was open but it wasn't so we headed back to Anchorage. We started to head north towards the "Valley" to get a better view of Mt. McKinley. However we decided the drive was too much and turned back around to explore downtown Anchorage some more. Gracie and Hellen recommended a few restaurants to us and we decided to go to Snow City Cafe, which is popular among the 20-something crowd apparently. After eating we took at drive back to Earthquake Park for a distant view of McKinley and the Cook Inlet. We drove a bit farther and stopped at "The Bluffs" and took a walk around the infamous Alaskan mud flats. Brittany has told us that once a woman was stuck in the mud and they tried to pull her our and ended up ripping her in half. Awesome. In our case the mud was frozen over and safe to walk on. We enjoyed the sunset and take the chilly, windy walk back up top. We headed back the Gracie's and played a finally game of Trivia Pursuit. We tried to see the Northern Lights again but we aren't sure if we saw them or if it was just a haze in the distance - what we saw was similar to this picture but a great deal lighter. We said our goodbyes to Hellen, Gracie and Sweet-Sweet (their cat) and headed back to the airport. After nine hours in the air and an hour layover in Pheonix we were back on the smoggy East Coast.

Along Turnagain Arm

Still along Turnagain

Sunset on the mud flats

Bonnaroo 2005

Wednesday, June 8th
I left Delaware around 3pm and drove straight to Manchester, TN. Took about 18-20 hours total including rest stops and food breaks. While passing through southwest Virginia I ran headlong into a thunderstorm, which caused zero visibility while driving on two lanes next to tractor trailers. Somehow I survived and enjoyed views of lightening over the Applician Mountains once I got out of the path. Simply beautiful. I stopped for two hours at a rest stop about ten miles south of the farm to catch up on some sleep.

Thursday, June 9th
After waking up already drowning in the hippie Bonnaroo crowd. At least 30 cars or Rvs where parked around, most occupants either sitting on the grass talking or passed out in their cars. I drove down to the next exit and filled up on gas. (I'd heard many horror stories about the wait to get into the farm) Twenty minutes later I'm on the tail end of a 4-hour wait to get into the farm, and I already have to go to the bathroom. Along the access roads (the main line is on the highway shoulder and then takes an exit and follows some country (access) roads for about a mile or two. Many people looking for tickets, selling necklaces, giving out water bottles, and the like. Once I reached the security checkpoint it was hell. I got through fine, other people no so lucky. The girls in the van next to me had a ton of beer in glass bottles (glass is a huge no-no, barefoot people are the reason). One old beat-up van broke down 10 feet after the toll, the occupants pushed it to the campgrounds I believe. From there the line moved smoothly, even though I ended up a good mile walk from Centeroo (the actual venue). After parking, setting up my tent, getting to know a few neighbors and checking out the map, I set out. After reaching Centeroo I try to get used to the layout and names of the different stages (Which Stage, This Tent, That Tent, What Stage, The Other Tent, etc.). I knew I'd get lost at some point during the festival, which I did, for about an hour. It started raining later in the day and this is where all the mud came from. I spent the rest of the day walking around sitting in on some breakdancing groups, belly dancers and a few bands.

Friday, June 10th
I woke up around 9am to people listening to radios, talking and extreme heat. Even though I had the shade of the trees on my side my tent was baking. I would swip off the sweat on my forehead and not even 10 seconds later new sweat would take its place, no joking. I spent all day in Centeroo listening to Joss Stone, Allman Brothers Band, Dave Matthews Band, Brazilian Girls and Mars Volta. Of course I walked through and listened to others but I have no clue who they were, I was having enough trouble going from point A to point B.

Saturday, June 11th
Saturday I saw Kings of Leon, Gov't Mule, Xavier Rudd, Yonder Mountain String Band, OAR, Jack Johnson, Keller Williams, Widespread Panic, Trey Anastaio, Secret Machines and many more. Half way though Widespread I got bored with the corwd. I had ended up up front and the crowd was a little to jumpy for me. So I headed over to the smallers stages and ended up watching people play at Sonic Village (light poles that have motion sensors that make the pole blink or chirp. Apparently a group of drummers had gathered in the middle of the forest and had a large crowd around them dancing. Compeletely amazing are the only words I have to describe that.

Sunday, June 12th
The last day of Bonnaroo started just as the other days, sticky and hot. By now the mud from Thursday was ankle deep or more in most places. Flipflops were death traps, a booth selling new slip proof clog things had a pile of at least 1,000 rubber flipflops. People were handing the money over the pile of shoes to buy new pairs. Today was Amos Lee, Umphrey's McGee, Citizen Cope, My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Donna the Buffalo and another Widespread show. While walking back to the campgrounds I joined a group of kids from Kansas, one obviously tripping on something crazy. He points out to everyone the beautiful 'Bonnaroo Sunset' that is setting over Centeroo. The moment will be with me forever: Covered in mud up to my butt, not bathed in 5 days yet enjoying a beautiful pink and blue sky.

Monday, June 13th
I wake up at 7am with almost all my neighbors gone except the ones directly surounding me, meaning I can't leave until they do. After two hours there's a hole and I follow an SUV to the entrance, weaving in and out of people still camping, garbage and mud holes. Two cars are already stuck in mud at the exit so the line leaving my campground has to go around them...over garbage and the like. Once I make it to the access roads it's smooth sailing until I hit traffic for an hour south of Manchester. Half the cars around were Bonnaroo cars, some with windows broken out (whethere from locking keys or people being retarded). Fianlly the parking lot formerly known at Rt 24 lets up and I don't hit traffic until I reach Washington DC. I stop in a Perkins in some little north Tennesse town and eat by myself, covered in mud and smelling (although I can't smell anything but I'm sure I do). I reach home and discover two sores from my flipflops (one which is now a scar). The shower I took upon arriving home was the best shower in my life.

Spain

This trip was with People to People Student Ambassadors.

Friday, June 27th - Philadelphia to Madrid
Left Philadelphia International Airport around 4 pm on a six hour flight to Paris, France. Once there we had a 3 hour wait until our connecting flight to Madrid.

Saturday, June 28th - Madrid, Spain
I only slept for an hour on the plane so when we arrived in Spain around 10am I knew I would be dead my nightfall. We stopped at our hotel and dropped off our luggage and proceeded to a nice little restuarant. Here I was introduced to the three course meal, and well I have to say I loved it! After lunch we went on a bus tour of Madrid, which I barely remember because I was nodding off around this time. Back at the hotel we figured out how to work our phone cards and got ready for a night in Plaza Mayor. We had free time to wander around the area and try to talk to the locals, which was pretty easy. It's a wonder how far basic language skills will go. This is where I learned to never make fun of people struggling with English in the US. Once you see the other side you completely understand. So after some shopping we went to dinner at a flamenco restaurant. By the end of the show almost all of us were starting to fall asleep on the table. Finally the day ended back at the hotel with me passing out cold.

Sunday, June 29th - Madrid, Spain
After a breakfast in the hotel we went to the Prado Museum and went on a savanger hunt. It was basically a race to see who could locate certain painting the fastest, our team won and we were later rewarded with small swords from our visit to a sword factory in Toledo. After our hunt and a quick lunch we stopped by the Palace and gardens. We had a small amount of free time and a number of us went to a cafe and meet a wonderful lady. She worked at a translator and moved from country to country with her two dogs. She remains one of my heroes. After this we had dinner and returned to the hotel for the night.

Monday, June 30th - Granada, Spain
We woke up and packed to leave Madrid but not before stopping at the Moncloa House for a lecture on Spanish government. We then left for Toledo, which is my favorite place in the world. We visited the cathedral and wandered around the city for a little bit. We also visited a sword factory and had a lecture about that followed by lunch overlooking the olive fields. We then began a long bus ride to Granada.

France

This trip was with People to People Student Ambassadors.

Saturday, July 5th - Montpellier
We left Barcelona just before dawn and crossed the border into France without any problems. After half the day on the bus we stopped at a beach for some swimming. Also our first taste of topless beaches! The guys on the trip were more than eager to see...well you get the idea...however they didn't think the French reputation for not shaving would be so right. Score one for American chicks! After some frisbee and sunbathing we headed to our hotel near the Place de la Comédie in Montpellier. After check in me and three other students headed out to wander around town. This also provided the first glimpse of European sex shops. After about an hour of wandering side streets we noticed a group of 3 locals following us. All were a few years older than us but looked very 'street savvy', for lack of a better term. We headed back to the main square where most of the other students had stayed, watching various street performers. When we thought we lost them we stopped at a fountain about a block from the main square to take a breath. Not five minutes later the three locals were surrounding us. Asking if we were Americans, how old we were and where we were staying. Of course this was all through extremely broken English. At first it seemed okay, they were simply curious, we'd had lots of moments when locals started asking us about America - nothing new there. Then it turned ugly. One of the guys (who had somehow gotten a bike since they followed us) started touching one of our backpacks that was laying on the bench between us. The other guy walked behind us (automatically we put our hands over our bags and tried to stand up) and started touching our hair and contunied the questioning. The third, a female, stayed in front attempting to distract us from the two others. As soon as we realized what was happening we got up and said we were missing curfew. They attempted to follow us but stopped once we hit the square. That was the only moment during the whole trip that I was scared for my life. After that we headed to the hotel and spent the rest of the night watching South Park in German with French subtitles.

Sunday-Monday, July 6-7th - Annecy
Since Montpellier was only an overnight visit we headed towards Annecy early the next morning. We stopped in Orange for a quick tour of Arausio, a 2,000 year old Roman theater. Although it was a tad pricey to just enter (even more for a tour or audio tape) it was totally worth it. Climbing up to the top of a 7,000-seat theater is not an easy task after spending all day on a bus. We had a bit of free time to wander around the town but spent most of the time looking in the tiny shops they had. Back on the bus we followed the Rhone valley to Annecy.

July 8th-13th in Germany and Switzerland

Monday-Wednesday, July 14-16th - Paris

Thursday, July 17th - Paris to Philadelphia
We left the hotel just before dawn and headed to C