A San Francisco 4th of July...

San Francisco, CA

July 5, 2008

The city was jam packed all weekend long with tourists in town for the long weekend. After a short run down the Embarcadero; avoiding the steadily growing crowds along Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, we headed into Trieste seeking refuge, coffee and some conversation.

We sat down at a table with Karen and Brian—a local couple we met at Trieste a few years ago and caught up on their busy lives of work and training for a marathon. Even though it was a holiday Karen had to head out the door for a day in the office, we shook our heads in pity, and turned back to our conversation with Brian.

A man in his mid fifties with a heavy beard and hat sat down next to us. He wore jeans and a flannel shirt to keep him warm with the foggy chill in the air. He took off his leather vest before he dumped out the contents of his canister of French’s Potato Sticks. Inside the container were dozens of dollar bills folded into different shapes—origami like. Some of the shapes were hard to distinguish, such as Yoda, but others looked like flowers, hearts, or insects.

As the man meticulously set-up his arrangement of dollars, he turned to Marc and said, “wearing that hat is like wearing a dead baby on your head.” Marc, who was wearing a Nike running hat, calmly listened to the man for a few minutes as he continued his rant about Nike’s unfair labor practices. He explained that Nike buys children from China and South East Asia and has giant sweat-shops where they are forced to make their shoes and clothes. He went on to pontificate on how Nike is enslaving African Americans for advertising dollars —last I heard LeBron wasn’t complaining! Marc turned to the guy and said, “Dude you can stop. You convinced me when you said I was wearing a dead baby on my head.” We quickly finished up our conversation with Brian and headed out—we had other things to do besides support child labor.

The streets buzzed with activity when we left Trieste and headed for home. People with maps stood on almost every street corner—trying to navigate their way through the city while taking in all the sites. The day was perfect to be a tourist—not too hot, not too cold. Regardless, we decided to get out of our neighborhood for a round of Disk Golf in Golden Gate Park.

The crisp air in Golden Gate Park was refreshing. The fog lingered throughout the 18 holes of Disk Golf, but you could feel the warmth from the glow of the sun hiding under the protective blanket. I tried to perfect my throw, still taking 3 shots to get down the fairway, and laughed the whole way. Well, maybe there were a few curses under my breath.

When we made it back to our neighborhood we were pleased to find no cars blocking our driveway. We were concerned with the 4^th of July parking frenzy, already underway, that someone might “mistake” the empty space in front of our garage for a legitimate spot.

As the day started to turn to night Michael T., Mama T. Marc and I headed over to Angela’s house for the main event—no, not fireworks—the incredible spread at Angel’s of Russian Hill. Being around a group of great people, eating incredible food prepared by Angela and was a perfect 4^th of July. Well, minus the fact that this year’s fireworks display was trapped behind the blanket of fog that still lingered in the bay. As luck would have it, an hour after the grand finale, the fog lifted and treated us to panoramic views from one of the best views around the world.

The night was termed Angela’s Independence, or Ange-Palooza and re-release into society—very similar to Mitch-a-Palooza without Snoop or… streaking. (Sorry, no shirts)

For fun, we published "A Very Happy Redneck Third of July" from 2005.

A Very Happy Redneck Third of July...

This is an all time favorite story that was originally posted July 3, 2005.

Background

For the long Fourth of July weekend this year, we decided to visit my mom in the green state of Washington . My mom and step dad live in Westport , WA , a small fishing village southwest of Seattle . They have a cute place in the middle of “downtown” Westport right across the street from the harbor and Float 3. If you enjoy seafood, you can walk across to Float 3 and buy fresh crab, tuna, prawns, or salmon. My nephew and two of his friends, all 15, joined us at my mom’s house.

Prior to arriving at my mom’s house, my nephew’s dad took them to the local Indian casino to purchase fireworks. The local Indian casino is in a town called Tokeland and it is approximately 20 miles from Westport . I should note, everything is legal on the Indian reservation, and they carry everything—bottle rockets, M-80s, etc. The boys had bags of fireworks and at least 50 books of matches stored in their bedrooms.

When purchasing their fireworks, the boys learned there was a fireworks show on the third of July. The boys really wanted to go to the show and they wanted to make sure we left earlier enough for them to light off some of their fireworks. I think the boys were interested in seeing the pyrotechnic display, which was designed by a professional this year, not by one of the chiefs, but I think the real goal for the boys was to add to their own collection of fireworks.

The Main Event

The seven of us crammed into the minivan—the three boys, mom, Jim, Marc, and me—Marc was driving, and we made our way towards Tokeland. Approximately 12 miles into the ride we pulled over to let the boys let off some of their fireworks. There were groups of people on the beach, some around bond fires, all lighting their share of fireworks. Some even thought the fire was a perfect place to light the fireworks—I am not kidding—they were mostly firecrackers, but one group put one of the spinny things that shoots into the air in their fire. The boys only brought one bag each—they called this their warm-up for the 4th—now I think it was a warm-up for what was to come.

After the boys messed around on the beach, throwing firecrackers in water, skipping the flare things across the water, and throwing firecrackers at each other, we all piled back into the minivan. At this point I was very thankful nobody got hurt.

The next part of the story is told best by Marc, but I will do my best to paint a vivid picture of the scene.

Marc is gliding the minivan down the road towards Tokeland. It is about 10pm and it is finally starting to get dark, dark enough for the main event. We come around a curve in the road and immediately see a blue and light flashing light, smoke is everywhere, and there are people on both sides of the street. Marc immediately suspects there is an accident up ahead, and proceeds with caution. We get up closer to the red and blue flashing lights and realize the lights aren’t even on an emergency vehicle. Instead the lights are strategically placed on top of a hut type structure selling fireworks.

We pass the hut structure and continue towards the casino. The dark streets are lined with people on both sides, firecrackers are exploding in front of the minivan, and people, with their kids, are dodging in front of the minivan to cross the street. A lot of the people have a cold one in their hand. I think if it wasn’t for the boys and their desire to see the fireworks show, we would have found the first place to turn around and got the heck out of there.

We make our way to the casino without getting hit by a firecracker or hitting a pedestrian, we pass the casino, find a place to turn around, and actually find parking. We are maybe an eighth of a mile from the casino.

After we parked and were attempting to get out of the van, a jeep headed in the opposite direction drove by with a group of rowdy guys. The jeep didn’t have a top, so they all jumped out. I am in the back of the minivan and get out just as one of the guys is walking by. He has a cold one in his hand and is saying, “fuck yeah I am going to walk down the street and drink my beer. I wouldn’t leave it in the jeep.” That sets the tone of what is yet to come.

We get everyone together and start walking towards the casino. The casino is now on our right side. There is smoke everywhere, bottle rockets going off overhead, M-80s in the very near distance, the spinny things in the middle of the road, kids crying and peeing their pants, and dogs barking. A firework show is a great place to bring your pitbull. I think I can say this is true chaos.

Marc has the best description for the chaos. Think about the bridge scene from “Apocalypse Now.” Martin Sheen gets off of the boat and turns to one of the soldiers, “hey, who is in charge here?” The soldier turns to Martin and says, “I thought you were sir.” No one was in charge, and that was apparent at the Tokeland Casino on the 3^rd of July.

We left the boys at the fireworks stand and told them we would be back for them in a few minutes; we were going into the casino to use the restroom. The walk from the stand to the casino was maybe 50 meters, but that 50 meters was full of excitement. People were sitting in the back of their trucks, drinking Budweiser, fathers were teaching their 3-5 year olds how to light fireworks, a man walking by with a young girl on his shoulder looks around the parking lot and says, “This is just like Viet-Nam.” Fireworks are exploding everywhere and you have to worry about the stand at the end of the parking lot catching on fire.

We get to the Casino and the police squad for the whole town is out front, there were three cars, and these officers weren’t moving. Marc thought it would be a better idea to go back and keep an eye on the boys instead of going into the casino. He headed back to the stand and stood there waiting for the boys to wheel and deal. It was at this point Marc saw something he says helped define the evening and the clientele frequenting the show. A younger couple was walking towards him. The guy had one arm around his woman and a beer in the other hand. He was wearing a t-shirt, obviously homemade, that said, in black block letters, “I have the DICK, so I make the rules.” Marc couldn’t wait to tell me about the shirt.

The main event started, the launch pad was placed right in front of the casino. I am sure this was the safest place. It was so loud, louder than before. I go back to the stand to check on the boys and Marc. The boys finally felt they purchased enough fireworks and wanted to put their purchases in the minivan. The five of us walked back to the van and Kyle, my nephew, turned to Marc and asked if it was okay to light off a firework or two. Marc, in a serious tone at first, fading into a little laugh, said, “No, Man, it isn’t okay.” Kyle laughed too and threw a firecracker into the bushes.

We walked back to the meeting place and Marc suggested I go find my mom and step dad. I find my mom and send her to the meeting place and go back to find Jim. After searching for approximately 10 minutes, I find him standing very close to the launching pad and right underneath the fireworks. I grab him and bring him back to the meeting spot. The show was still going on and we were still a few minutes away from the grand finale, but we convinced everyone to pile into the minivan and head home. We didn’t want to be on the road after the show with all of the drunken rednecks.

If you ever want to celebrate a very happy redneck 3^rd of July, you know where to go— Tokeland , WA . Or if you ever forget who makes the rules, check to see if you have a dick.

God Bless America !

Back In the Moment..

Emigrant Wilderness, CA

June 6-8, 2008
N 38°08.030
W 119°50.170

It had been more than a year since we set up a campsite, something we became very good at doing during our travels and something we instantly realized we missed. We forgot the process as we unloaded our tent from the backpack, pulled out the various pieces and fumbled for a few minutes before everything we learned during our time in South America and New Zealand slowly came back to us.

We commented we were lucky it wasn’t raining or snowy and the 40 mph winds we battled in Patagonia were no where to be seen. We were about 10 miles deep in Emigrant Wilderness with vast granite mountains enclosing us in a valley, with a crystal clear, ice-cold, gushing creek preventing us from setting up camp any deeper in the backcountry. As we stood there, we felt “in the moment” for the first time in months; probably since our return to society on February 1, 2008.

Emigrant Wilderness has to be one of the most beautiful places in California, possibly the United States. The vast forest is somewhat unexplored, especially compared to nearby Yosemite Wilderness, and as you wind your way through the trees, creeks and granite it’s possible to go a whole weekend without seeing anyone else.

On this particular trip, early in the season, we crossed paths with only six other adventure hikers like us. The backcountry of Emigrant Wilderness isn’t someplace you get to by accident… a 3 hour drive from San Francisco; through the small Central Valley towns of Escalon and Oakdale, winding your way by the Sierra Foothill towns like Jamestown and Sonora, and finally another 60 minutes down fire-trails and gravel roads off Highway 108 in the Sierras you’ll eventually find Crabtree Trailhead, an entry point, or true gateway, for backpackers into the wilderness area.

The clear blue skies and warm temperatures made the trip to this pristine part of California even more incredible. During the day we waded across the knee high, ice-cold creeks (it felt like my toes were going to fall off) to explore different areas of the backcountry. We struggled across large sections of snow; the sound of running water below us, driving our hiking poles into the snow ahead of us with each step in order not to fall through an ice shelf.

At night we pulled on a few more layers and started a fire. We slept comfortably under the Milky Way and chalky light from the quarter moon, the sound of the breeze rolling over the top of the pines and the gurgling of the creek in the background.

Our sub-par dinners took us back to our time in Torres del Paine when we had to choke down the rice and soup mix to fill our empty bellies. At least we didn’t have the cumulative nights of rice and soup mix, only two, and with some trail mix, salami, cheese and Clif Bars we were far from starving.

As we basked in the sun on the shore of the creek, we discussed our favorite dishes at various restaurants, including the succulent salmon rolls from The House, which made our mouths water for something more flavorful than cardboard—it was only a day away.

We reminisced about where we were a year ago, Hanoi, Vietnam, and the heat we experienced as we trekked through the city, drank beer on the streets, drank coffee overlooking the lake and, most importantly, spent time with Bob, Teddy and Elise.

Of course we discussed our next travel plans. Should we go to Mexico? Thailand? Indonesia? Unfortunately, we have to figure out what is next for us in terms of jobs. For now, we will enjoy our time at Emigrant Wilderness and know we still have a lot to see in our own backyard.

Note: To the person who inquired about purchasing our blog for a measly $50. The answer is definitely NO.

A Final Step Back...

San Francisco, CA USA

April 11, 2008
N 37°48.049
W 122°24.580

Simply said, I can’t sit still for long. This became more apparent the last few weeks as I anxiously waited for job interviews and offer letters. I sat in the coffee shop, tried to write stories, but my clogged brain couldn’t focus on anything except for the task at hand—finding a job. Then, as the prospect of a job started to become a reality, I took off to Las Vegas for the CTIA Convention and now I’m spending my first week of my new job in London.

Being on the road is part of me… no matter how much I miss Marc, I don’t think I can sit behind a desk and punch away at a keyboard every day.

Yes, it is difficult being back in the work environment; yet another step in the re-entry process, maybe the final step. However, since I am spending my first week on the job in London it still feels like I am traveling. As soon as I stepped off the airplane knowing I had to navigate the train station and then the underground, my heart started pumping—I was back in the action. Of course, an obvious piece was missing, Marc who had to stay home at a mundane job of his own.

I popped out of the London underground at Oxford Circus wheeling my small, carry-on suitcase and headed off to find my new office. This is when I realized I didn’t have one of my most trusted traveling devices—my compass. Initially, I headed off the wrong direction before realizing my mistake and backtracking. It felt good to be back in the game.

After my first day in the office, I knew I needed some fresh air to fight off the effects of jet lag. Plus, I had to stay awake until at least 10:00 PM in order to completely adjust to British Daylight Time. I pulled on my running shorts and shoes and headed out to Regents Park, to take in the spring flowers, crisp evening air, and enjoy the company of other runners. As I stopped to look at the tulips in bloom, I reflected on my life over the past few months, and the leisurely hours I spent inside around North Beach and Café Trieste.

Marc told me over and over to document some of the stories of the day… they really were memorable. Of course, not all were grand. Especially when Elvis Christ, the local drunk who is arrested daily for being drunk in public, jumped MoMo, another local favorite. After the incident, MoMo explained to anyone that would listen, he wasn’t taking any more shit and was going to start carrying a butterfly knife to fend off Elvis. I hope this story doesn’t end in a dark alley in North Beach with MoMo in prison and Elvis Christ dead.

Over the past few months I frequented Little City Market and kept Ron and Mike, the local butchers, on their toes. I visited the market before our trip, but not as often since Marc was only occasionally eating meat on the weekends. However, since I have been home and cooking regularly, I visit Ron and Mike a few times a week.

On one visit I was showing off the market to a former colleague, on the next day I rolled in with a stroller while I was babysitting Sadie Jordan. Yet, on another day I walked in with Marc. After shuttling in so many different faces it took me a few more visits to get the story straight with Ron and Mike… no, the baby isn’t mine… that that is a former colleague… and yes, Marc is indeed my husband, but no that wasn’t his baby either.

Saving the best for last, the most memorable story of late was the morning I sat outside Trieste in the crisp air and a young, Norwegian tourist stumbled up looking for his hotel. He never made it home the night before and couldn’t remember how to get to his place. I gave him directions, asked a few questions and he stumbled on his way. I continued sitting there, sipping my coffee, when the guy next to me screamed out, “wow, look at them soar.” I looked up and saw a few pigeons flapping in the air near the church across the street. “They are such beautiful birds, those hawks, there… oh my, they are making love right now” he exclaimed, “sometimes I feel like I relate more to birds than to people.” I looked up again, looking for hawks, but still saw only pigeons and wondered if I am the crazy one. As I peered into the guy’s eyes, it was almost as if I could see his imagination flowing freely, and knew he really believed there were hawks in the air. I was pretty sure some mood enhancing drugs were involved. I have seen bird man a few more times since the initial meeting; he is always very courteous, we have engaged in some interesting conversations about local politics, jobs and the neighborhood in general. I felt he related pretty well to me… and I am not a bird.

Since the end of our trip I have met new people at Trieste, at Little City Meats and had the opportunity to watch a beautiful 15 month old girl, Sadie Jordan. Even though the last two months weren’t relaxing as I was living them, I will look back on the time fondly, especially now that I am back in the game.

Another Step Back...

San Francisco, CA USA

February 19, 2008
N 37°48.049
W 122°24.580

Another step in our re-entry process started today, at least for one of us, as Marc went back to work. It was inevitable, of course. We knew our good times of leisure and travel couldn’t last forever, but they were sure nice while they lasted and probably changed us forever.

Now I have to find ways to keep myself busy until I find a job and avoid the post travel blues. The past week has been challenging for both of us. Our house is back together, there isn’t a lot to do except enjoy the sunshine and our neighborhood, but the scenery is the same. We became so used to moving through different cities, taking in new sites, attempting to comprehend different currencies, and understand different languages on a regular basis, that even multi-cultural San Francisco hasn’t been able to hold our attention.

A lingering depression has grabbed hold of us and won’t let go. We planned, saved and dreamed about our trip for over two years. We finally embarked on our journey in early 2007, enjoyed every minute, and made it safely back home after 368 days on the road. So, after three years of being consumed by The Big Trip... it’s now over.

As we sit in our house it now consumes us in a different way. With memories we can’t forget, don’t want to forget… beaches, children, remote villages, smiles, friends, travel days, daunting weather, food and always the thrill of what’s next.

As we try to return to life as “responsible” and “productive” citizens we grapple with the need for balance and those people we used to be. I think we’re ready to get back in the “game”, but at the same time we will always miss those Travelers.

Home is Where the Food is...

San Francisco, CA USA

February 16, 2008
N 37°48.049
W 122°24.580

While traveling we would comment on the abundance of vegetables, produce, dairy and meat we can get in the Bay Area, and how quality product makes a huge difference in the final dish. A perfect example of this rule was when we were in Vietnam. We expected the Pho to be the best in the world. However, since the local produce didn't compare with California produce, the end product wasn’t what we expected. With a few exceptions, we decided our favorite local Pho place was better than street-side in Hanoi.

It is great to be home and have access to the some of the best meats, cheese, breads and local produce around; and now that my kitchen is back together I enjoy cooking nearly every day. In fact, I consider cooking to be therapeutic as we navigate our way back to reality.

While we were gone we thought about Molinari's, the deli in our neighborhood, or Little City Meats, where I have to receive approval from our butcher on how I intend to prepare the cut of meat before he’ll let me leave the shop. I also dreamed about the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building and the fresh fruit and even though we saw other great markets, none of them compared to the vast selection and fine produce right in our neighborhood.

I guess what I am trying to say is even though we are lacking the daily stimulation we received while traveling, and we’re experiencing bouts of post travel depression, we’re happy to be back in San Francisco and definitely enjoying the convenience and simplicity of life at home.

Many Good, Some Bad, Some Just Flat Out Crazy...

San Francisco, CA USA

February 11, 2008
N 37°48.049
W 122°24.580

Now that our place is pretty much back together we’ve spent the last few days getting re-acquainted with our neighborhood. We took the time to visit our favorite shops such as Molinaris, Giordano Brothers and, of course, Café Trieste. The space on the corner of Vallejo Street and Columbus, which used to be Rossi’s Grocery Store, and has been vacant for nearly three years, has a new tenant moving in. North Beach Pizza is moving across the street to the south-east corner of Grant and the smell of stale beer and urine still linger on the street on a Sunday morning. It’s nice… our neighborhood still has a lot of the character and characters we’ve missed so much—many good, some bad, some just flat out crazy.

When we made our way down the hill to Trieste in the late afternoon we saw some of the ol’ neighborhood characters including Earl. Earl is a young man who lives in the neighborhood, sells “Earl Made” clothes and hats and has been in a bit of trouble with the law, mostly drug related or induced. Earl appeared to be in a “good place” when we left. He was exercising, making his clothes and I think he even had a steady job. Unfortunately, even though I was happy to see him make the change, I sort of missed the “old” Earl, and I also knew it wouldn’t be too long before “old” Earl resurfaced. Now, Earl spends the vast majority of his day standing across the street from Café Trieste, listening to his iPod, dancing, rolling and smoking cigarettes, soaking up the sun, and basically waiting for nothing.

Elvis Christ, another one of the guys in our ‘hood, writes his poetic tirades on masking tape and then tapes the words to the sidewalk. Every few weeks a new scattering of words will be taped along the sidewalks of Columbus and it will take a couple weeks to fully absorb Elvis’ rants. I am not sure if the self proclaimed Mr. Christ has ever been on the wagon, but he might want to think about straightening out a little bit; especially since he was arrested twice last Saturday alone. A simple drunk in public citation gets you tossed in the local North Beach holding cell for four hours, according to my sources. Then, you’re back out in the middle of Washington Square screaming to everyone in the park, “I’m Elvis “fn” Christ, the king of this neighborhood, listen to what I say and you can catch a Frisbee too!”

We relaxed in Washington Square for about thirty minutes, watched the dogs and small children run wild, listened to what Elvis had to say, and enjoyed the warm sunlight as dusk rushed in. We didn’t recognize many of the faces sitting on the grass and for a moment it felt like we were traveling again… what a gorgeous day and beautiful city.

A Whole Closet of Clothes...

San Francisco, CA USA

February 8, 2008
N 37°48.049
W 122°24.580

There have been a lot of firsts over the past few days as we settle back into our lives again. I don’t know if I should really call them “firsts,” we have done them before, but not in the past year or so. For example, we considered ourselves runners before we left on the trip, but another pair of shoes, running shoes, would have taken up more space in our packs—they didn’t make the cut. Now that we are home we plan on running again and that first run is going to hurt!

The other big thing over the past few days is wearing non-travel clothes. Every time I look in my closet it feels like shopping, a lot of it seems new and exciting. Wednesday night was the first time in over a year we have been able to enjoy San Francisco in non-travel clothes and non-travel mode. As I was getting ready, I went to my closet, looked through several sweaters, shirts, shoes, and pants before making a selection. I sat there thinking, “this all seems like new stuff to me, but I wonder if it is even fashionable to wear.” It was hard to believe all the clothes; especially after traveling for a year with 4 shirts, 2 pants and a couple sweaters. It was a little overwhelming.

I have never been a cover girl for Vogue in terms of fashion, and in the past year I knew I was far from fashionable with my blue fuzzy fleece (Marc called it my Cookie Monster sweater and would always follow with a growl of AHHHH, Cookieeee!), burgundy sweater and my red, brown and beige hat. In fact, in big cities I was a little self conscious of my get-up, and I was ready to put that behind me.

I pulled on a light blue sweater, jeans and some heels. After my shower, I put on eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner… the whole nine yards. I was even able to blow dry my hair and some what style it. I laughed a few times as I wobbled in my heels as we headed out the door. It was a surreal experience after being away for a year.

The night was a lot of fun. We were able to catch up with old friends, eat great food and drink good wine. It was a perfect night in San Francisco and it felt good to be home.

More Lists...

Best Coffee

1. Hanoi, Vietnam
2. Bilbao, Spain
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina
4. Positano, Italy
5. Dalat, Vietnam

A Room with a View

1. Hvar Island Apartments, Croatia. We had a view of the castle, harbor, marble promenade along the sea, and the Adriatic Sea. The sunsets were amazing from our balcony.
2. Bayview, Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand. The bungalows are terraced into the hillside, giving each room a view from the balcony. At night we would sit on the balcony, read, drink a cold beer and stare out at the Andaman Sea as longboats chugged by.
3. Pensione Maria Luisa, Positano, Italy. The city is built on a cliff that gradually goes down to the water at about a 13% grade. Since we didn’t have anything obstructing our view we had spectacular views of the Tyrranian Sea from our balcony.
4. Pension San Sebastian, Spain. When we walked into our room, we looked straight out at the Bay of Biscay. This was great until the sea turned angry and tore out the balcony below us overnight and knocked on our window a few times. It might have been too close for comfort.
5. Marriott Marquis, New York City, USA. Even though we were using Marriott reward points we lucked out by being upgraded to a room that overlooked Times Square. It was a lot of fun watching the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks battle it out on the JumboTron.

Things We Take For Granted

1. Flushing toilet paper down the toilet
2. Paper napkins instead of waxed paper
3. Stop signs and other means of traffic control
4. Ice
5. Tap water—not only for drinking, but for brushing your teeth too.
6. Black pepper. This is completely non-existent in Chile. It is hard to come by in Argentina, but some places do have it if you ask.
7. Picking up our cell phone and calling home without mortgaging our house.
8. Enjoying the scenery while walking down sidewalks instead of dodging the various piles of dog poop!
9. Wearing perfume instead of DEET!
10. Fresh Water showers

International Headlines for 2007 (what we saw when we had CNN)

1. Myanmar Protests
2. Bhutto Assassination and Pakistan politics
3. Trapped Miners in Utah
4. Disappearance of Madeline McCann in Portugal
5. Iranian President Amadinajad speaks at Columbia University
6. Paris Hilton goes to jail. Paris Hilton gets out of jail. Paris goes back to jail (do we care?)
7. San Francisco Oil Spill
8. Kenya Elections go south, riots breakout
9. Britney Spears melts down, loses her kids
10. Maradona hospitalized in Buenos Aires
11. South Africa wins Rugby World Cup
12. OJ Arrested in Las Vegas sports memorabilia armed robbery
13. US Sub-prime mortgage crisis
14. Dow Jones Tops 14,000
15. Tiger Mauls kid in San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day
16. Australia wins Cricket World Cup
17. Michael Vick Arrested for Dog Fighting Ring
18. Chinese Toy Recalls
19. Marion Jones Confesses to Doping, loses medals
20. Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize
21. Oil Hits $100 a barrel
22. Anna Nicole Smith found dead. Who is the Baby Daddy of little Dannilyn?

Wanna See Some Pictures?

Do you want to see the best-of-the-best pictures from our travels?

If so, we’ll be running through the Top 1000 shots from our journey on February 29^th. The big screen TV’s at Giordano Brothers will be rolling, a special music-mix will be rockin’, Happy Hour will be in session, and G’Bros famous sandwiches will be hot!

We would love to meet everyone that followed our journey over the past year; those we know and those of you we don’t. Everyone is welcome! So make plans to celebrate leap year in the City by the Bay.

We’ll see you at Giordano Brothers
February 29th at 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
303 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133

Pod People...

San Francisco, CA USA

February 5, 2008
N 37°48.049
W 122°24.580

Today was a big day for us. Our “pod” was delivered and we had to move back into our place. It was an interesting process—both the delivering of the pod and the thoughts going through our heads. The good thing was we worked as a team and got the job done.

Let me back up one day. We arrived home on Monday after spending the weekend in Sacramento retrieving our car, watching the Super Bowl, making a stop at Lowes, and grabbing a bunch of miscellaneous items at my Dad’s house. After unpacking our car, we walked around the house preparing stuff for the delivery of our pod. This is the surprising part… Marc and I fought more in a single afternoon then we did our ENTIRE trip.

Being home feels great, but at the same time I think both of us have a lot of pent-up anxiety, uncertainty and mixed emotions about being home. It was strange, 72 hours earlier we were travelers; navigating our way around the world, unfamiliar territory at every corner. After several “interesting” exchanges throughout the day, we looked at each other and asked what the heck is going on? In the end, we kissed and made up, but it was a frustrating day.

Today, we started by casting our ballots, grabbing coffee at Trieste, then returning home to wait for the pod. When the delivery men arrived at 9:00 AM, the street in front of our house was chaos. A large PG&E truck was double parked a half block up the street, there was a cable guy blocking one side of the street in front of our house, an AT&T truck with men working on the poles next door, a taxi driver being scolded by a police officer, and then the cabbie tried to stop in the exact spot the pod was being dumped.

The pod was coming up the street on a forklift, the cabbie was backing up, honking cars were creeping up the street and we stood there in amazement laughing. It couldn’t have been crazier if we planned it.

As soon as our pod was dropped at the curb we threw the door open and started unloading. We unloaded a total of 36 boxes, 4 wardrobe boxes, a BBQ, deck chairs and a bunch of miscellaneous items that we didn’t even remember packing a year ago. It took us about an hour, and at least a dozen trips up the elevator, to empty the contents of the crate. After everything was unloaded we tackled the kitchen and then our closets. We steadily worked until 5:30 PM, leaving ten boxes for the following day.

We did have a few surprises throughout the day. Plus, we were even lucky enough to find a rotary cheese grater with a big chunk of moldy parmesan cheese still in it. I noticed a little yellow on the outside of the grater and said, “There better not be cheese in here.” Sure enough, I opened the grater, and dumped out a few ripe chunks.

As we unpacked box after box we were amazed at how much stuff we have. We questioned why we need all of this stuff. We lived quite comfortably for a year with only what we could fit in our backpacks. We survived without sharp knives, a Cuisinart, dozens of sweaters, and numerous pairs of pants, shirts and shoes… do we really need all this stuff?

I guess that’s the question we’ll have to answer over the next few months as we adjust to old our lives back in San Francisco.

Historic Sites/Cities

1. Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
2. Normandy, France
3. Washington DC
4. Rome, Italy
5. Taj Mahal (Agra, India)

Thanks for Meeting Us (whoops…we only had four)

1. Shelby and Dustin (twice)
2. Bob and Teddy
3. Pat and Randy
4. Elise
   

Funniest Stories

1. Massage in Vietnam with Teddy
2. Delhi Run Around…
3. What a Pisser…
4. Close Call at Abel Tasman
5. I Want to Get Arrested…
   

Best Sunsets

1. Montanita, Ecuador
2. Hvar Island, Croatia
3. Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand
4. Halong Bay, Vietnam
5. Mumbai, India

Home...

San Francisco, CA USA

February 2, 2008
N 37°48.049
W 122°24.580

After 1 year and 3 days traveling through 99 cities in 23 countries, we are officially home. Currently, I am sitting at our dining room table thinking about our good fortune.

We traveled through five continents, including North America, and never once had anything stolen, no major injuries, or were faced with a hostile or life threatening situation. Okay, maybe there were several white-knuckle bus rides, near misses with scooters, a memorable trip from Agra to Delhi, and lets not forget our favorite… the bus ride in Ecuador.

For some reason people excitedly ask, “So did you get sick?” It’s unfortunate; I think many people are afraid of traveling because they’re afraid of getting sick. However, as long as you’re cautious; don’t drink the water, keep your hands and nails clean, don’t eat fruits or veggies washed in water, and eat fresh hot food, we really believe the chances of getting a food born illness is slim. So did we get sick… outside of a couple coughs and colds we had the pleasure of hosting a mild case of the Big D Shuffle, in Cambodia.

I can now safely take off my St. Christopher necklace (thanks Vosti), knowing I am safely home. I am proud to say we traveled without incident. I couldn’t say these words two days ago, or our plane might have crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

It feels great to be home even though it doesn’t really feel like home yet. Our “pod,” or storage unit, containing all of our material belongings arrives on Tuesday, and then the process of reassembling our home begins. In addition to unpacking our personal items, we have to make some minor repairs; nothing big, just minor things that need attention after renting our house for a year. As our friend Scott said, as long as we didn’t find any bullet holes in the walls or dead hookers in the closets, it was worth a trip around the world.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It has been over a year since our final cleaning frenzy when tears flowed freely from my eyes, excited about our impending adventure; however, scared at the same time, unsure of our immediate future, afraid of the unknown. We knew we had planned well, meticulously well, but sometimes in life you’re thrown a curve ball. We knew there would be curve balls along the way, things out of our control, and those are the things that scared us.

The past year has been incredible. At times I felt like I was removed from my body, floating above, not really sure if I was living out this dream. We saw incredible sites, learned an unbelievable amount about the world, ourselves and each other.

Most importantly, as a couple we grew closer than ever, counting on each other every single day, always working together to find our way. Of course there were a few disagreements, raised voices, idle threats of returning home, but in the end we pulled together, solved the problems at hand and had incredible year.

We want to thank our family and friends who supported us along the way. In some cases we received emails from home with work updates, parents picked up our mail and we were lucky enough to have people visit us along the way. Everyone was instrumental in helping us realize our dream. Thank you!

So what next? We plan to keep on Blogging over the next few weeks; documenting our reentry period, tossing out a few more Top 5 Lists, simply winding down and preparing for a public picture showing. Keep in touch… we’ll make sure to post all details surrounding dates, times, and locations.

Also, I’ve decided I will continue to write and post at least once a month. The posts will most likely be related the best city in the world, San Francisco.

Most Difficult City to Navigate Even with a Map & Compass

1. Venice, Italy
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Hanoi, Vietnam
4. Genoa, Italy
5. Tokyo, Japan

Our Favorite People We Met Along the Way

1. Roger Vanderbeek (on the bus from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales)
2. Sara Patterson (roomed with Elise on junk boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam)
3. Miles and Ben (Elise’s buddies in Sydney, Australia)
4. Jef and Irna (in a pub in Brugges, Belgium)
5. Carline and Di (on the roof of our guesthouse in Positano)
6. Mr. and Mrs. Ito (showed us around Tokyo)
   

Best Books We Read Along the Way

1. “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair
2. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kensey
3. “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt
4. “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
5. “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides

Best Restaurants

1. El Boliche de Alberto—Bariloche, Argentina. We were able to watch our steak being cooked at this incredible steak house. The beef in Argentina is some of the best we have ever had. We made a second trip to this place since the first night was so incredible.
2. Lobster Street Side—Nha Trang, Vietnam. We had fabulous lobster grilled on the street with a tasty lime sauce. At 180,000 dong per Kilo the lobster was a real bargain. We sat on the street on the preschool table and chairs slurping every last bite of lobster out of the shell.
3. Café de Amis—Hoi An, Vietnam. This restaurant had a fixed menu each night. We were able to order seafood, vegetarian or meat. Since there were five of us we were able to try all three!
4. Osteria de Benci—Florence, Italy. This is where I had my favorite meal in Italy. The classic bistecca alla fiorentina served on top of fresh arugula with the perfect amount of pecorino shaved on top was fantastic. I don’t typically eat a lot of red meat, but this large t-bone steak was so good I was practically gnawing at the bone when I finished. This place was recommended by a friend of mine who visited Florence two weeks before us.
5. Restaurante Ze Manel—Coimbra, Portugal. The especialidad do casa, or special of the house, is feijoada a leitao, a stew of beans and suckling pig. I ordered the special, while Marc ordered a variation with rice and meat on the side. Our dishes arrived in large soup bowls with ladles. Mine had a side of rice and Marc’s a side tray of meat soaked in olive oil and garlic, pleasant aromas instantly filled our table.

A Clean, Safe City...

Tokyo, Japan

January 31, 2008
N 35°40.360
E 139°46.600

Tokyo has been a great experience for us and we’re very happy we made the stop. We had a great time with Mr. and Mrs. Ito and their hospitality was far beyond our expectations. They became our friends, or tomodachis, and we enjoyed all of our time with them in Japan.

Our time in Japan was very quick, but we were able to soak in many of the sites over the last few days, eat sushi and visit with our new friends. We even had the opportunity to connect with a few of my old colleagues from Openwave who work in Japan.

Tokyo is by far the cleanest and safest city we have visited during our journey, especially since there are over 12 million people living in Tokyo proper.

It’s incredible, there aren’t any garbage cans on the streets, but no one would ever think of throwing a wrapper or piece of paper on the ground. Smoking is only allowed in designated areas on the streets and cigarette butts are always tossed into the designated receptacles. Little girls, with their book bags, ride the crowded subways alone, laughing, chattering and never worrying about their safety. Everyone seemingly works together, taking pride in the city; keeping it how they want it—safe and clean.

Now on to the best of the best… the toilets. The toilets in Japan are amongst the most sophisticated in the world. You practically need an owner’s manual to operate them. In some places the seats are heated, they play “etiquette” music to avoid others hearing bodily functions, and they have several different bidet options. Marc loves the warm water, warm air and comfy warm seat so much; he wants to install a Toto toilet at home. We’ll see…

And of course the people in Japan are incredibly polite. It’s against the rules to use your phone on the train, and when you’re sitting next to “priority” seats designated for the elderly your phone needs to be off all together. This cuts down on the noise on the train and allows people to relax on their way to or from work.

Overall, we had a great stop in Tokyo and it was a perfect last stop for us before we re-enter society.

Over the next week or so, look for a final wrap-up, more Top 5 lists and possibly a public picture viewing at Giordano Brothers for those interested.

Best Beaches

1. Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand
2. Montanita, Ecuador
3. Sandfly Beach, New Zealand
4. Positano, Italy
5. Barcelona, Spain

Friendliest People

1. Cambodia
2. Thailand
3. New Zealand
4. Japan
5. Australia

Worst Traffic

1. Bangkok
2. Saigon
3. Rome
4. Mumbai
5. Delhi

Best Public Transportation System

1. Barcelona, Spain
2. Prague, Czech Republic
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Berlin, Germany
5. Sydney, Australia

Time for Fresh Fish...

Tokyo, Japan

January 29, 2008
N 35°40.360
E 139°46.600

After Ko Phi Phi we made a quick stop in Bangkok. When I say quick, I mean quick… 12 hours after arriving in Bangkok we were back on a plane on our way to Japan.

Our 6:00 AM flight got us into Tokyo in the early afternoon and we were able to head out and get some local cuisine. Japanese fare is one of the main reasons we decided to tack Tokyo onto the end of our journey—we had dreams of fresh sushi, shabu-shabu, yakitori, tempura and of course more sushi.

After a dinner of yakitori at a dark and smoky little Japanese pub, or Izakaya, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. We had a big day ahead of us with Mr. Mamoru Ito and his wife; they scheduled a full day tour of Tokyo for us, a perfect way to see Tokyo and celebrate our one year milestone.

Let me explain how we “know” Mr. Ito, or Ito-san. We didn’t find him and his wife in the smoky little Izakaya; we were actually referred to Ito by Marc’s dad, Randy. Randy is a retired high school superintendent, but still finds time to travel and perform accreditations of overseas American schools. The schools are normally attended by children of US ex-pats. Ito works at one of the schools Randy visited in Japan and then became good friends with Ito when he had the opportunity to guide Ito around the San Francisco Bay Area a few years later.

Okay, back to our one-year milestone…it has been exactly one year since we left San Francisco bound for Ecuador. It has been an amazing journey with a lot of ups and not many downs. We’ll spend the last few days in Tokyo making the most of our time and enjoying the company of our new friends, Mr. and Mrs. Ito.

The best part is, since there so many great sites to see in Tokyo, and food to eat, we haven’t had much time to think about the fact that we’ll be home for good in a mere three days. We’ll do our best to keep up the blogging, in the meantime, check out a few more Top 5 Lists.

Worst Travel Days

1. Ecuador Bus Ride (What a Pisser!)
2. SFO-Koh Phi Phi Don (40 hours of travel)
3. Vietnam Six Pack with Bob, Teddy and Elise
4. You Go Pak Beng? I Go Pak Beng...
5. The Journey Back to Bombay...

Natural Beauty

1. Halong Bay, Vietnam
2. New Zealand—ALL of it!
3. Patagonia, Argentina/Chile
4. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
5. Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil

Favorite Cities, excluding San Francisco (Marc)

1. New York
2. Amsterdam
3. Rome
4. Prague
5. Barcelona

Favorite Cities, excluding San Francisco (Laura)

1. Barcelona
2. New York
3. Rome
4. Prague
5. Tokyo