Leon's Guide To Backpacking In Europe...

For those of you thinking of backpacking through Europe, go ahead and do it! You will see things, meet people, and experience cultures that you will not find in America. It does not matter where you go. There is so much to see in Europe that it does not matter where you go. There are interesting places to go, history to learn, people to meet, and food in every direction. Just pick a place that interests you and is within your budget. Backpacking is incredibly popular in Europe with the under 30 crowd. Young people there do not just travel for 1 week like the typical American vacation. They travel for many weeks to months to several different countries and cities. It's not that these people have a lot of money either. Many were living on less than 30 Euros a day.

What To Bring

Backpacking is just that. Instead of luggage, you have a large camping style backpack to carry everything you need. Try to travel as light as possible. Only carry what you absolutely need and will use. The less weight you have to carry, the more you will enjoy your trip. My total weight was 45 lb., which is quite a bit heavier than what many backpackers travel with. The major items in terms of weight were my Xootr (10 lb.), laptop computer (10 lb.), and camera equipment (10 lb.). I only carried 15 lb. of personal items such as clothes, shoes, hygiene products, etc. When you have to carry everything you need, you learn how to get by with very little. Traveling in the warm months is much easier since you will need to pack and wear less clothes. Some items that you might find useful.

• Passport. You absolutely need to have a passport. You will need this at many border crossings as well as identification at hotels and hostels. Keep it safe and always have it on you. Don't lose it!! A US passport will allow you to go just about anywhere in Europe without a visa. Belarus and Russia are the exceptions.
• ATM Card. This is the cheapest way to get money. The best exchange rates are at the ATM machines. Use the machines rather than the currency exchange counters wherever possible. Try to use an account with a bank that refunds your ATM fees. I use United Heritage, which is a local credit union in Austin.
• A medium jacket. If you are visiting northern countries, it can still get cold enough for a jacket even in the summer. Being from Texas, I found myself needing a heavier jacket than what I brought with me when I was in Iceland in July.
• Laptop Computer. The Internet is an indispensable source when traveling. You can find out where the accommodations are, events that are going on, book travel reservations, etc. I carried a heavy Macbook. Next time, I may try to take something smaller and lighter, but I used my computer a lot, so perhaps the extra weight was worth it.
• Xootr. A kick scooter greatly expands the area you can explore compared to being on foot. Unlike bicycles, these are small enough to bring onto an airplane as carry on baggage. It's also small enough to carry into most places rather than having to lock it outside. I can cruise at 12-15 mph on smooth pavement. It's not that useful in cities with cobblestone roads (i.e. Prague), but in most cities, you can cover 3 to 4 times more area on a kick scooter compared with walking. This was my primary mode of transportation within a city. If you have decent fitness, you can easily cover 30 miles or more in a day. This makes it worth carrying the 10 lb. as I was able to see and do a lot more than I would have without it. It also saved my feet from painful blisters, which happens to me all the time while I travel because of walking so much.

There are 2 ways to do your trip. The first is to plan out where you want to go, where you are going to stay, and what you can do. The other is to just decide as you go. If you have limited amounts of time or  money, it is better to plan ahead so you don't run out of time or money. For my trip, I decided as I went depending on what I saw, who I met, how much it cost, and the local events that were going on.

Transportation

To find a good deal to get to Europe, I use Travelzoo.com. They publish various sales that the airlines have.

Once you are in Europe, the first thing you need to worry about is where you want to go and how you are going to get there. My main mode of transportation within Europe was by trains. I took the bus twice; once into Maribor, the other into Sarajevo. Airline flights can be just as cheap or cheaper than trains, but they usually require you to book in advance for these low rates. For traveling on short notice, trains are cheaper than flying and more comfortable than a bus. The trains in western Europe (i.e. France, Germany) are generally clean, comfortable, fast, and reliable. The trains in Eastern Europe are much more unpredictable. Take this into account when you need to change trains. You can buy train tickets either at the train station or online. The DB Bahn website is invaluable. I found myself visiting that website consistently for train schedules even outside of Germany. Depending on how and where you travel, it may or may not be worth to buy an EU Rail pass. I did buy one, but for where I traveled, it would have been cheaper to just buy the individual tickets.

My favorite trains were the German ICE trains. They are fast, clean, modern, and reliable. They reach speeds up to 300 km/hr which is the fastest I have ever traveled on the ground. The worst trains were in Poland. These communist era trains were dirty, smelly, unreliable. The international trains and trains between major cities were acceptable. But stay away from the regional trains in Poland if possible.

Mass transportation is much more developed in Europe than in the US. For the entire two months, I did not ever need to rent a car. Most cities have a well developed mass transportation system of buses, subways, or trolleys. But remember that most of these mass transit systems stop operating at midnight. You may need to take a taxi if you stay out late at night.

Accommodations

After you have decided where to go and how you will get there, the next step is to find a place to stay. My recommendation is that you book a place to stay BEFORE you arrive. Getting your bearings in a new city is already stressful enough. I find that it is a bit too stressful if I don't know where I am and I don't know where I need to be. Book at least one night at your new destination. This will give you time to orient yourself to the new city. This will also give you someone to call if you get lost and can't find anyone to help you with directions. Before you leave, find out where your train or bus will drop you in the city. Then find out how to get from the station to your accommodations. This is the most stressful part of the trip. Once I get to the place where I am going to spend the night, I am "safe". From then, I am free to plan the rest of my stay since I have a home base to operate out of.

Life revolves around hostels for backpackers. They are how backpackers can travel for months at a time in Europe. Hostels are dormitories where you share a room and bathroom with multiple people. Staying at a hotel every night would make trips far too expensive for most backpackers. I recommend staying in hostels for most of your nights and only staying in hotels when you need some privacy or just want to pamper yourself. It is a big part of the European travel experience.

Hostels are set up to allow you to meet fellow travelers unlike hotels which are designed for privacy. It allows you to chance to make friends with people from all over the world and perhaps even meet that special someone. ;) The hostel experience is something that you don't really find in America. My favorite website for booking hostels was Hostels.com. Their list of hostels is very comprehensive and I booked the vast majority of my stays there. Most of the hostels were reasonably clean and many included breakfast with their stays. It seems to be a very competitive business and the subpar ones aren't around very long or get poor reviews. Since you are sharing a room with strangers, most hostels provide lockers where you can secure your belongings. I've never had anything stolen while staying in a hostels, but do take common sense precautions.

What To Do

Once you know where you are going to spend the night, the fun begins! Talk to the staff about where to eat, what to do, where to go, etc. They will be more than happy to guide you and provide you with maps and literature. The people working in hostels and hotels know their city very well. This is far better than carrying around a thick guide book. Talk to your roommates about where they have been and what they plan on doing. All of the people staying at hostels are there as tourists. It's far more enjoyable to find out about the city by talking to the locals and other travelers than reading a guide book. In many cities there are "free" walking tours that start off in hostels. They are free in the sense that you are only expected to tip the tour guide what you feel he or she is worth. They are a great way to find out the best things to do and to meet new friends as well.

That is all there is to it. Transportation and accommodations are your main worries. Once those are out of the way, it's pretty easy no matter where you go.

Stay Safe

Europe is generally a safe place to travel. I'm sure that there are places you should not go to, but you seem to have to go out of your way to find them. I never felt unsafe in any of the 17 cities I visited. The main thing to watch for are pick picketers and money exchange scams. I have heard of stories of people being robbed in trains while they slept, but the only time I felt a bit uncomfortable was the trains in Poland while I was heading into Krakow. It seems safer to travel in Europe than it America. Nearly every American city have a bad neighborhood which the locals will tell you to avoid.

Most European cities don't seem to have this. It is safe enough that you will see young girls traveling alone by themselves. But as always, stay alert, be aware of your surroundings, and take common sense precautions.

Communications

A nice thing to have is an unlocked quad band GSM wireless phone. Prepaid SIM cards are widely available in every city. If you get lost or have an emergency, it is good to be able to call for help. In Vienna, I got terribly lost, and having a mobile phone to call the hostel I was staying at me saved me a lot of grief. Incoming calls are free. You only pay for outgoing calls.

McDonalds is a good place to get Internet access for free. Hostels may either charge you for Internet access or give you access for free.

Many people speak English in Europe and you will not have trouble communicating in any of the big cities. The further east you go the fewer people there are that speak English, but I was able to get around just fine. All of the staff in hotels and hostels, and most restaurants  and retail stores speak English. Just ask if they speak English and most of the time they will say "a little". :)

Cost

With the US Dollar so low against the Euro (Between $1.40 to $1.50 to €1), Europe is noticeably more expensive than the US for many things. Your main cost is accommodations, food, and transportation. Some common costs that I paid while I was there:

• Hostels: Between €15 to €30 per night.
• Restaurant Meals: €10-€20. Tipping is accepted but not mandatory. If you want to tip, 10% is usually fine. The wait staff get a salary unlike in America. 
• Turkish Kebab: €3.50-€4.0 
• McDonalds Big Mac: €3.50 - €5.0
• Rail Tickets: €30-€90.0
• Museum entrance ticket: €10
• Prepaid wireless SIM card: €10

Western Europe is much more expensive than eastern part. Paris was the most expensive city I was in. But Eastern Europe isn't dirt cheap as it once was. Prices have gone up considerably since the fall of communism.

That's all there is to it! Europe is definitely a different place than America, but it's not hard to do for anyone that is a little adventurous. :)

Kebabalicious: A Taste of Europe in Austin...

Trying out the local food was one of my favorite things to do while I was in Europe. I did spend a lot of time in McDonald's; in fact I ate more McDonald's Big Macs in Europe than I do at home. They are everywhere in the most convenient locations, cheap, fast, they have free Internet access, and often times they were the only places that were open.

But looking for and eating the local food was one of my favorite things to do when I wasn't stressed, rushed, or on the move. Two of my favorite foods were the Döner Kebab while I was in central Europe (mainly Germany) and Burek while I was traveling through the Balkans. These are perfect traveling food. They are cheap (around 3.60 Euro in Germany), widely available foods, high calorie foods that will keep you going for hours. The establishments that serve them usually stay open well after other restaurants close.

I have not be able to find Burek anywhere in Austin or in America for that matter. But there is only one place in Austin where you can get an authentic Turkish Döner Kebab. It originates in Turkey and is a flour wrapped in chicken or lamb, with vegetables, and a particular kind of sauce that gives it its unique flavor. It is similar to a Greek Gyro. What is unusual about it is that the meat is mounted on a heated rotating stand to keep it warm. It is shaved off in thin slices using an electric razor.

Kebabalicious replicates the flavor and style very closely to what I was eating in Germany. They are a small food stand located on 7th and Trinity in a parking lot. Unfortunately they only open from Wednesday thru Saturday late nights (after 9 pm or 10 pm)  and only if the weather is reasonably decent. I would suggest you get there well before 2 am as the lines get very long when the bars close. I highly recommend it as a great place to get a late night place to grab a bite to eat. It's too bad that they don't open longer hours and only serve the downtown bar scene.

European Vs. American Mentality As Seen In Architecture

One of my favorite things about traveling to different places is looking at the architecture. I love buildings. A large percentage of my pictures is of buildings in the various places I travel to. After roaming around Europe for two months, I can conclude that the architecture in Europe is very different than America. I think you can tell a lot about a society and their mentality by the type of buildings that they build.

Let's look at the Austin skyline for example:

Notice the number of large buildings we have. This picture is a little dated as there have been several new buildings that have been constructed since I took that photo. Here are the tallest buildings in Austin:

• The Austonian - 628 ft (208 m) 56 floors
• 360 Condo Tower - 563 ft (172 m) 44 floors
• Frost Bank Tower - 515 ft (157 m) 33 floors

You can see a list of the tallest buildings in Austin here. We have 7 buildings over 100 m and there are 6 more under construction at the moment. I rarely saw such tall buildings while traveling in Europe. Keep in mind that Austin is not even one of the largest cities in America. It's only the 15th biggest city with a population of 758 thousand people with a metro area of 1.6 million people. Take a look at all the major US cities and you'll see that all of them have impressive skylines.

Let's take a look at a typical European city that's comparable in size to Austin. One of my favorite mid size European city happens to be Dresden, Germany.

Unlike American cities, European cities don't look impressive at all from a distance. There are not a large number of tall, large buildings that dominate the skyline. Instead, European cities are much more artistic. Take a look at these buildings in Dresden:

Notice how artistic they are with the colors and sculptures. In general, European cities emphasize the city's art and culture. Even large, wealthy, European cities such as Munich or Paris are built in this manner. There are very few buildings that will grab your attention from a distance. European cities are meant to be enjoyed up close and in person. You can't appreciate buildings like this from 5 or 10 miles away.

Meanwhile, American cities build buildings to emphasis the city's economic strength, prosperity, and status. The Austonian represents this:

There is no economic reason to build buildings such as The Austonian in Austin. It is purely a status symbol for the residents of the building and the city. The whole mentality of Americans can be seen in the architecture of the buildings that we build. It's to show strength, prosperity, and wealth. It represents what is known around the world as The American Dream. Most Americans I know (myself included) have big dreams of wanting to become "the next big thing" in their field. You can see this mentality at work at the buildings we build in all of our cities. We have a very ambitious, competitive nature and mentality. Heck, I want to live in the Austonian. :)

Contrast this with Europe where the cities are built to emphasize their art, culture, and history. Europeans have a very different mentality than Americans. The mentality there emphasizes people's welfare, happiness, and quality of life vs. material wealth and economic status. Hence you see this in their politics as well. Most European countries have a more socialist policy, stronger labor laws, more welfare benefits, and much more vacation time. It's why you see Europeans traveling so much. They have enough vacation time to do it.

Which is the better model? I think both have their advantages and disadvantage. American mentality is definitely more individualistic, independent, and competitive, while Europeans seem to have a more social, cooperative mentality.

My European Adventure

I spent the past 2 months (actually 7 weeks) in Europe. It has been an quite an experience! I have always had a desire to explore the world around since I was a small child, but what inspired me to go on this trip was my trip to Australia last May. There were so many Europeans (especially Germans and British) traveling Australia for months at a time. I had never traveled for more than 3 weeks at a time, so I wanted to go on a multi month trip to see what it would be like. My original plan was to go around the world. I would fly to Europe, then end my European tour in Amsterdam, fly to Asia, and then go home from Asia. That turned out to be a little too ambitious as I am tired from living on the road and a bit home sick as well. Asia will have to be a separate trip.

My plan was to focus on north eastern Europe. I figure western Europe may be too similar to the United States and since I was traveling in the summer, I should do the northern countries while the weather was good there. I could goto southern countries (such as Italy) during the winter on a separate trip. It didn't quite work out that way as I missed the Scandinavian countries (save Iceland) and the Baltic's and ended going into the Balkans (long story), but it was still a great experience.

The first thing I noticed was how far American culture extends around the world. Even in far eastern Europe, you see American icons everywhere. McDonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, KFC, are almost everywhere. These American brands seem even more popular in some European cities than in America. For example, McDonalds is much more popular in Paris than in the states. There were lines at the register at every one I went to. I went there quite often as 1) they are almost everywhere in the most convenient locations, 2) they tend to stay open for longer hours, and 3) there have free WiFi in most locations. In Venice it can costs €5 for an hour of Internet access.

Hollywood movies are everywhere and so is American pop music. They play much of the same top 20 songs in clubs as they do in the states. The influence of America is much more obvious than say, the Soviet Union in the former communist countries.

As I traveled, I started to realize just how American I am. For the most part, America is a very self segregated society. Perhaps there is still discrimination, but it has evolved to the point where it is not immediately obvious as say in the 1950's. People tend to cluster along the lines of race, ethnicity, or religion. They form ethnic or religious communities and we see ourselves as hyphenated Americans (i.e. Asian-American, African-American, Italian-American, Irish-American, etc). You see this in schools, communities, even bars and clubs. Our diversity is both our greatest strength and weakness. Within America, I would say people see me first and foremost as an Asian.

Here in Europe though, I felt that I was first an foremost an American, who happens to be Asian, which was a bit unusual (most thought I was either from China or Japan), but immediately obvious upon speaking to me. At our core, we are a nation built around an ideology and philosophy rather than a race, ethnicity, or religion. I found the easiest people for me to associate with were other Americans (of course), Canadians, Australians, New Zealand, and British. It was not just a common native language, but also mannerisms, attitudes, their view of the world, and social customs.

I found that Europeans in general are a bit more reserved than Americans. They are much less likely to approach and chat up a random stranger. At times, I felt that it would probably be more difficult for me to integrate into a mainstream European community than say Australia or Canada.

However, people from the Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia) were a lot different in temperament than the rest of Europe. It is very different there even for many Europeans. There they were extremely outgoing (the men were a bit crazy) and sometimes a bit aggressive. I was approached many times (since I am obviously not from there) on my trip to Belgrade by people asking me where I was from and what I was doing in this part of the world. But they are a fun people and they love to laugh and have a good time.

What Europeans Think Of Americans

As the result of George Bush, there has been a lot of anti American sentiment in Europe. I can say that George Bush is universally hated in Europe (and probably in America as well). However, Obama seems to be universally loved here. The sentiment seems to have improved with his election. Nevertheless, despite all the good America has done for Europe (defeating the Nazis and Communists), there seems to be great dissatisfaction with our foreign policy. People in Europe seem to have strong dislike of America being the "world police". The people in the Balkans seem to have the strongest opinions of American foreign policy as the Yugoslav wars are still fresh in many people minds. Just about everyone here seems to have a strong opinion about America and unfortunately it's mostly a negative one in the places I've traveled to. Regardless of one's opinion, it is undeniable that America has greatly influenced what has happened in Europe and the rest of the world.

Staying In Hostels

This was the first time I've traveled so extensively in hostels. For the most part, it was a great experience and totally different than staying in hotels and motels. I met so many new friends and interesting people staying in hostels. It was a big part of the experience. Unlike hotels, most of the hostels are set up so that you can meet people. Sleeping in the same room with strangers can take some getting use to, but for the most part, I didn't have too many problems. However, I did need to get a hotel room every few days because sometimes it's nice to have the privacy, security, and convenience of your own room.

I really want to come to Europe again. There is an enormous amount of history and culture here no matter which direction you go. It's a great learning experience to meet people, cultures, customs, and food from everywhere in the world. Just the new friends you will make traveling make it worthwhile. :)

Amsterdam: Drugs, Hookers, and Just About Everything Else

Amsterdam is a much different place than the rest of Europe. It must be one of the most liberal, tolerant cities in the entire world. Drugs, prostitution and just about anything you want to do (as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else) seems to be tolerated here. The city is a melting pot much like New York is. There are people from all over the world because the Dutch must be one of the most tolerant societies in the world.

I spent more time than I care to admit in the Red Light District. You can spend hours here just watching the prostitutes in the windows and the men interacting with them. I found it fascinating just to people watch because of the honesty and openness of it all. Many men would sit there and gawk at the women, but were too scared (myself included) to actually go and try out one of the girls. One British lad I walked around with was virtually foaming at the mouth and wanted to do one of the girls but was paralyzed with fear of actually going to one. You won't find this anywhere else in the world. It was a quite surreal experience...

Dresden, Germany...

This is one of my favorite cities in Europe. Dresden was completely destroyed during the war, so this is a new city. However, they rebuilt it in the old style, so it's a "new" old city. The city is beautiful, clean, and not as overrun with tourists like in Berlin, Munich, or Paris. The city is cleaner than Berlin and perhaps even Munich. It was certainly a relief after being in the Balkans and Budapest because everywhere I went, it was clean (bathrooms, buses, trams, etc).

I don't remember seeing any beggars here either. The public trams are clean, new, and always seem to run on schedule. Right when you walk into the central station it is new, clean, brightly lit. It looks almost clinical. I came into the city from Budapest, so immediately after stepping off the train, I knew I was back in the first world. I felt a sense of relief as being in the Balkans, I was always a little bit uneasy because I was never quite sure what to expect. Germany is a country where everything pretty much works predictably and there is a process and structure to everything. Compared that to many places in Eastern Europe where anything goes. It is the last first world country before going into the relatively undeveloped parts of eastern Europe.

Put Dresden on your list if you want to go somewhere in Germany that is nice and not where a typical tourist go. Most of the tourists there seem to be German tourists.

Vienna (Wein), Maribor, Ljubljana, Venice, Munich, Zagreb, Belgrade...

I haven't made a blog entry since Prague. I got a bit distracted by various things and people. I'll try to make a quick summary of each city since then:

Vienna - The city looks like Paris light. Lots of great museums like Berlin. Vienna and Berlin were two of my favorite cities so far.

Maribor - Sleepy little city in Slovenia. I stayed with a Slovenian family and they were super nice to me. Thanks Grega! Save up your money so you can come visit me in Austin!

Ljubljana - Another relatively calm European city. It's pretty clean and quaint. There's a castle on a hill top that is worth going to.

Venice - The world's only pedestrian city. It must also be the world's biggest tourist trap. It's very crowded, some places are derelict. The city is a maze and I spent much of my time getting lost in the various alley ways. The city is safe, but walking through a dark alley reminds me of bad movies.

Munich - Beer, beer, and more beer. People here drink massive amounts of beer. It's the richest city in Germany. Munich has always been a wealthy city. Bavaria has thought of becoming independent many times.

Zagreb - Only stayed here for 5 hours, so don't know much about it.

Belgrade - One of the most dirty, ugly, and smelly cities I have visited in Europe. But I like it! The food is rich and they serve large portions. Some of the women are stunningly beautiful. There's also great night life and parties going on every night. It's also one of the more affordable places in Europe.

Krakow, Poland to Prague, Czech Republic...

My trip from Berlin to Krakow, Poland was not so pleasant. Poland was a former communist state and therefore was a very poor country. The country has made tremendous progress in the past 20 years, but progress and development is concentrated in the major cities. The country side is still very poor and undeveloped. This includes the rail system, which I heard was one of the worst in Europe.

The Polish train leaving Berlin was actually not bad at all. It was reasonably clean as far as trains goes. The restaurant car serves decent Polish food and the first class seats I was in were clean and comfortable. I should have taken this train all the way to Warsaw because the next trains were not so pleasant. I had 2 transfers, and the first transfer was at Poznan to Wroclaw. This was an awful train! It was old, dirty, smelly, and filthy as can be. As soon as I stepped in, there was the stench of human sewage. I heard things were much worse under the communists, but this was pretty darn bad. The train was also late and I nearly missed my connection. Gosh, it would have really sucked to be stuck at those train stations!

From Wroclaw to Krakow was a little better, but still, not a comfortable ride. I heard the Polish train company saves all their good trains for the international routes and the major routes like from Warsaw to Krakow. I spoke with some travelers in Krakow that came in from Warsaw and they said the train was excellent and fast.

As soon as I stepped off the train I did not feel well. At first I thought it was just from not being able to sleep, but I got progressively more ill over the next day. I must of had food poisoning or perhaps I caught the flu. I was not able to do much for the next 3 days. I had diarrhea, fever, headaches, muscle cramps, and an upset stomach. I decided to stay in Krakow until I felt better.

I stayed on the Garden House Hostel right off the main square. This was a decent hostel and Krakow was a decent place to hang out until I felt better. It is a beautiful, clean city, not expensive (although Poland is not the bargain it was several years ago I heard), and with many excellent restaurants, cafes, and shops. It is a bit touristy with people coming in from all over the world.

The main attraction here is the Auschwitz concentration camps, but I decided not to do this. It was 40 km away from the city and there was a lot of walking. I had very low energy levels due to being ill the past 3 days and not being able to eat very much.

My next stop was in Prague, the Czech Republic. Many people think of this as Czech a Slovakia, but it is now 2 separate countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia. They split in 1992, I believe. Prague is a beautiful city. Check out my pictures. The cobble stone roads are really annoying, since my Xootr doesn't work on them. But one thing I noticed in Poland and in Czech Republic is that people here aren't always so friendly. I guess after being from the southern United States I've gotten use to how open and friendly people are in America (and in Australia for that matter). Often, when asking a stranger at a bus stop for directions, a good place to eat, or a good nightclub, people would often just ignore you as if you were not there. I'm sure the language barrier is one issue, but I don't think that's all it is. It's seems to be part of the culture from speaking to some of the Europeans I've met.

What is very popular in Prague are the hot dog stands. There are a variety of sausages all for under 60 crowns ( a little less than 18 crowns to 1 USD). If you come to Prague, do try out the hot dogs. They are much tastier than the hot dogs we get in the States, I think.

I'm in Vienna, Austria now and I like the city a bit more. It's sort of like Paris, but not as big, hectic, or touristy. They have excellent bicycle and walking paths which makes getting around the city quite a bit easier.

Berlin: Where Communism Meets Capitalism

Berlin has become a completely different city in the 20 years since the wall fell. Like in Paris, there is so much history here as the city has been repeatedly created and destroyed in various wars throughout history. More recently, this is the city where Communism was born and also where it died. When the wall fell, East and West Germany were reunited shortly thereafter and the USSR collapsed as well. The city has a very dark past, but most of it has been rebuilt. However, if you look carefully, you can still see the scars of World War 2 on the buildings in the form of bullet holes. The fighting here was fierce between the US, Soviets, and Nazis. In the recent past, you will find it use to be very dark, scary place. Hitler, the wall, oppression, and people living in fear and poverty. It's completely different today. Berlin is now a thriving capital city of Germany with shops, restaurants, tourists, and plenty of international businesses.

I stayed on a Baxpax hostel and hotel right in the heart of downtown Berlin. This is a decent hotel/hostel with a friendly and helpful English speaking staff. It's 15 Euros on the weeknights and 21 Euros on weekends for the 30 person sleeping dorms. If you are not use to it, it can be intimidating sleeping with so many people. Personally, I was worried there would be a loud snoring, but surprisingly, nobody snored! I also stayed in their hotel room at 60 Euros for the night. It was small (but much larger than the hotel I stayed in Paris), but clean, comfortable, and cozy. One thing this place doesn't have is air conditioning. But I guess the summers here don't get hot enough to require it. They have breakfast for 5.50 Euros and you can get sausage and eggs for 2 euros more.

Leaving the hostel every day is a "free" 3 hour guided walking tour of the city. The tour guide just asks you to tip him whatever you feel the tour is worth. It is an excellent tour put on by "New Berlin" and I highly recommend it. He hits all the major sites and tells captivating stories about the history behind each site. This tour is a great introduction to the city, but like Paris, you can start in the center and just go in any direction you please. There will be something interesting to see. There are plenty of statues, sculptures, museums, shops, and historical landmarks in any direction. Pick up one of the free maps and start exploring. I used my Xootr, but you can also walk or rent a bicycle for around 8 euros, or take one of the many guided tours for between 12 and 20 euros.

I like Berlin! Like Paris, it's a progressive, cosmopolitan city with people from all over the world. Maybe it's not quite as diverse as Paris or does it have quite as much history and culture, but it's much cleaner, newer, less crowded, less expensive, fewer beggars, and no homeless people living on the streets (at least I saw none). Berlin does have lots of graphhiti (why do people have the urge to spray paint walls?) and the tour guide said the city is famous for its graphiti.

One thing I noticed about Europe is so many people use bicycles, walking, and public transportation to get where they need to go. All kinds of people ride their bicycles to get to where they are going. I see old people, young people, men and women in business suits, kids, etc. using their bicycles to get where they want to go. It's much less so than in the US where most people are riding their bicycles for exercise. The streets are also far more bicycle friendly. There are extra wide sidewalks, bicycle lanes and traffic signals, and plenty of bike racks to lock your bike to when you get to your destination. This was true in Reykjavik, Paris, and now Berlin.

I will spend my weekend in Berlin and leave for Krakow, Poland on Monday, July 20th.

Paris, France: 3 days/2 nights...

Paris is a sprawling city with plenty of sights to see. The amount of history and culture here is pretty amazing. Everything is pretty expensive here, so I'm only going to spend 2 nights here to avoid spending a ridiculous amount of money. It's a city worth visiting, but I would not live here.

There is so much to see in Paris! You could spend weeks here if you have the budget. There's the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, the Arch, the massive Louvre Art Museum, countless churches, cathedrals, sculptures, statues, and other interesting landmarks and architecture. Just cruise around on a bicycle or scooter in any direction and you will find interesting things to see no matter which direction you go. Cycling or scootering is best way to explore the city. There are electric assisted bicycles for rent throughout the city. There are plenty of bike lanes and most are smooth, but many are cobble stones which makes it hard to for my Xootr's polyurethane wheels.

For urban environments like Paris, a kick scooter like my Xootr is far superior than a bicycle. It's just as fast in most urban situations (12-15 mph on flat terrain), easier to navigate thru thick crowds. It's lighter in weight, smaller in size, and more stable at slower speeds (<>

It's very easy to get lost, however. Paris is a city full of traffic circles. Every time you encounter one of these traffic circles, there are at least 5 different streets for you to choose from. Pick the wrong one and you are going to get lost very quickly. Fortunately, subway stations are almost everywhere and there's a map to help get you oriented. Subways are fast and efficient. They run until 1 am and there's always less than a 3 minute wait for the next train. However, the trains and stations are dirty, smelly and not pleasant to ride in. I'd rather ride the bus if I had more time to figure out the routes. But as a new visitor, I'd recommend the subways as they are the easiest way to get around the city without getting lost.

If you are spending a few days here, I suggest you get a metro pass. For about 15 Euros a day, you get unlimited rides on the subways and busses. The subways (metro as they call it) are easy to figure out. I used it to get from the airport to the hotel without too much difficulty. Taxis are also reasonable if you need to get around after the subways close at 1 am. Many people here don't speak English, but you will usually find someone that speaks English after asking 2 or 3 people. You will also encounter beggars and street venders harassing you to give them money or buy their wares. They can be very aggressive and may hound you until you give them something.

I am glad I stayed in the Boulogne district in the south west corner of the city. It's relatively quiet area of the city. Central Paris is packed with people with massive crowds on the streets, stores, and restaurants. Prices for food and hotels are also higher. The lines for everything can be long. I stayed at Hotel b at 70 Euros per night. I can recommend this hotel. It's a very small room with an even smaller elevator, but the room was clean and a nice breakfast is included in the price. The all you can eat breakfast includes ham, cheese, croissants, fresh breads, cereal, juice, apple sauce.

At 8 pm tonight, I will be taking an 11 hour overnight train to Berlin. I got a sleeper cabin, so it'll be interesting to see how sleeping on a train will be. It's gotta be better than on airplane!

Last Day In Iceland...

My flight out of Iceland is in less than 11 hours. It's been fun, but I think I am ready to go. Reykjavik is a very small city. In fact, the entire country (300K) has just half the number of people of Austin. However, the city has quite a diverse population given how small and geographically isolated it is. The vast majority of tourists are Europeans, but I also saw quite a few Americans, Asians, and Blacks as well.

• Food is very expensive here. A good meal is US$20-$35 per person. A bacon cheeseburger is around US$7 or US$8 at the current exchange rate. A footlong sub is $8 or $9. Even at the supermarket it is quite pricey. A dozen eggs is around $4 or $5. The most popular food here is the hotdog at 260 Krona. There is an endless line of people getting hot dogs all day long. If there is one reason I want to leave it's because I'm tired of eating hotdogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, or paying $35 for a decent meal. Given that food is so expensive here, you might be surprised to see that there are quite a number of obese people here. Despite what you hear from the media, obesity has very little to do with how much someone eats or how much exercise someone does. It's more to do with what they eat as a result of how much money they make. Fresh meats and vegetables are very expensive in Iceland. People eat pastas, potatoes, processed foods, sugars, and other insulin raising foods. Hence you see quite a number of fat people.
• I stayed 4 nights at the Domus Guesthouse Hostel. It cost 3,500 Krona per night (US $31) for a shared room. Its reasonably clean with good facilities, and a friendly staff. I recommend it if you are looking for a budget place to stay.
• The water here is very good. Iceland has virtually unlimited amounts of fresh water and geothermal energy. The only reason to buy bottled water is for the bottle. The water is very good straight out of the tap. All of the homes are heated with geothermal hot water. They drill for hot water pretty much the same way as drilling for oil. They use the hot water to generate electricity, heat homes, and create heated swimming pools like the Blue Lagoon.
• Despite gasoline costing US$5.60 per gallon, there are plenty of SUV, trucks, and 4x4's. Icelandic people love camping and off roading. The countryside is very beautiful and green. There are waterfalls, geysers, mountains, and glaciers that are just outside of Reykjavik. The terrain is very rugged. You will find sheep and horses in the country.
• The tour guide said Icelandic people are a mix of Norwegian and Irish decent. Most of the men came from Norway and the women from Ireland. People here don't seem to be as warm as in Texas or Australia. Perhaps its the culture or the language. Most of the native Icelandic women here are very pretty if they are not overweight from eating all the hot dogs, pastas, pizza, and fries.
• It never gets dark in July. It's basically daytime all day long. The sun never really goes below the horizon and it is very easy to lose track of time. The darkest it gets is around what would be our sunset, then it starts getting bright again. It's pretty strange experience and definitely not a place to be if you don't like long stretches of daylight or night. It doesn't get very hot in the summer. 50 or 60 F is the high for the day and 50-55 at night.
• For a bankrupt country, they seem to be very well off. There are no homeless people, no beggars, no food shortages, no riots, and crime is almost non existent. The tour guide said that they have 1 murder every other year. The country has never been at war and they don't even have a military. It's one of the most conflict free areas of the world. They just have drunk people breaking glass bottles and men urinating on the streets.

Next stop is Paris...

First 24 hours in Iceland...

After spending most of yesterday getting my bearings, I'm getting a chance to write this post. I landed in Iceland yesterday and so far things have gone as smoothly as can be expected. The first few hours after arriving to a new place is always very stressful until I get my bearings. It's scrambling for lodging, food, exchanging money, establishing communications (cell phone, internet), and trying not to get lost. Of course, I forgot some items. I need a heavier jacket as I am not use to this 50 degree weather after spending the past several weeks in 100+ degree Texas heat. I also need to get a sleeping bag, and a bath towel.

The international airport is about 50 km outside of Reykjavik. The ride is was pretty barren. There were only a few very small tow, but mostly a desolate landscape.

Reykjavik is a really small town. I mean it's REALLY small. It feels like the size of Round Rock or Cedar Park, or some sleepy suburb in New Jersey. I arrived around 9 am and there were just a few people walking around on the streets. When I asked the tourist information guide about where all the people were, she said that it was only 9:30 and they were either sleeping (?) or at work. The entire country is really small. There are only 300K people and well over half of them live in Reykjavik. There seem to be almost as many tourists on the street as people who live here. They seem to be mostly Europeans, but I did see some Asians and Americans as well.

Reykjavik definitely has a unique look to it. They seem to use pastel colors here for the buildings. There are no modern skyscrapers and there doesn't seem to be any buildings that are over 4 stories tall.

I spent the last day using my Xootr to scoot (xoot?) around. It's been a great way to get around, but we'll see how well it works in the rest of Europe, especially in countries that have more cobblestones. I went to their largest shopping mall, which looks like any other Simon shopping mall in the US. I had to go there to get a US to Europe adapter plug. The restaurants seem to serve a lot of hot dogs, pizza, pastas, and fast food. There are also several American and Mexican restaurants. Since Iceland is known for its fishing, I had to try some seafood here. Restaurant Reykjavik has a great (albeit expensive) all you can eat seafood buffet.

I will be here until Sunday morning, when I will head to Paris. For the next few days I plan to hit the many local museums, look for the local hot springs, and check out the night life (if any). Today, I need to buy a heavier jacket, a sleeping bag, and a towel.

Australia Interesting Facts...

It's been about a month since I got back from Australia. It's a great little (in terms of population) country. Great weather, affordable (a little less than the US at the current exchange rates), with a diverse population. I would consider moving there and definitely plan to visit again as long as airfares are as cheap as they are. The culture seems to be close to British and European with an Asian influence in the big cities (i.e. Sydney). I saw a lot of Europeans and Asians and very few Hispanics (didn't see any in fact) and Blacks (very few).

The mass transportation system seems better developed than the US. I spent 10 days there and never needed a car. I only took a taxi twice. I got everywhere I wanted to go on planes, trains, buses, ferry, and foot. Of course, I stayed near the cities. If you want to go explore the Outback, then you would definitely need a car. Gas (or petrol as the Aussies call it) was about AU$1.10 per liter. That's over AU$4 per gallon or US$3.32 per gallon. It's probably more now since gas has gone up since I've been there.

I liked Brisbane more than Sydney. It's cleaner, not as crowded, and a lot prettier. Gold Coast is also a great place to hang out as it is the vacation hot spot for Australia with lots of high rises, beaches, restaurants, souvenir shops, and other attractions. You will definitely want to check out Surfer's Paradise while you are there.

Traveling in Australia is easy. If you are comfortable traveling in the US, you shouldn't have any problems in Australia. It's not hard to buy a plane ticket and figure everything out when you get here. There are plenty of places to exchange money, eat, find accommodations, and buy whatever you may need.

Talking to some of the locals, it seems Australians get paid better than Americans. The minimum wage is AU$14.31 per hour, but it seems that many low level workers make more than this. That is much higher than the US$6.55 per hour here. Also, it seems non skilled workers get paid substantially more there than in the US. When you factor in that the country has universal health care while most of our non skilled workers are uninsured and have no health care coverage, they earn substantially more than Americans.

I'm not sure how they do it. Things don't seem to be anymore expensive than what they are here. The only thing I can think of is that their government does not have the massive debt that we do and they aren't spending hundreds of billions fighting wars like we are. Or perhaps its because there is far less corruption and special interest groups in Australia compared with the USA. There are only 22 million people there, which is fewer people than there are in Texas.

Brisbane to Surfers Paradise: Quick Note

Brisbane is a beautiful city. The heart of the city is definitely the river that winds through it. This city has a beautiful combination of high rises mixed with parks and gardens surrounded by foothills. Its much cleaner than Sydney (which reminds me of New York City) and definitely seems like a much more livable city.

I flew into Brisbane airport and hopped on a train (AU$14) that took me to central station. From here, there are plenty of hostels and hotels you can goto.

I would hop on the city tour bus. For AU$25 you can ride a city bus that takes you to all the major attractions and allows you to ride on City Cat, which is the city's ferry service. Taking a ride on the city ferry service is a great way to see the city skyline. The bus takes you up this mountain that overlooks the city. You can hop on and off the bus and there is another bus every 45 minutes. It's a great way to do a narrated tour of the city.

The main part of downtown must be the Queen Street Mall. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, information booths, and its great to hang out here just to people watch. In particular, there is this discount souvenir shop that sells a variety of Australian items. It is on the corner of Queen and Albert. I purchased several boomerangs, leather wallets (between AU$7-$10), and this kangaroo leather cowboy hat that you will see me wearing now.

I spent a couple days here, and then took the Gold Coast train and transferred to a bus that took me to Surfer's Paradise where I am now.

Sydney, Australia: Tips, Mistakes, and First Impressions

My first impressions of Sydney is that it is a mix of European and Asian culture. From just walking around, the population seems to be a mixture of Europeans (mainly British), Asians, and Polynesians. There seem to be very few Blacks or Hispanics here. I have not seen a Mexican restaurant yet. In fact, there seems to be very few Americans here. So far I've only met one other American from New York. Most people here speak English with an Australian or British accent.

Weather

In May, the weather has generally been warm and comfortable during the day. At night it does get chilly. Bring a light to medium jacket, long sleeve shirts and jeans, should be sufficient.

People

They seem to drink and smoke a lot more heavily than Americans. Smoking is definitely much more common here.

People here are no where near as fat as Americans. I don't know why Americans are so fat! They seem to live pretty much the same way we live. It is not genetics (some say Asians don't get fat) because there are plenty of Europeans here as well. I'm sitting in a cafe on a busy street in downtown Sydney at the moment, watching plenty of people walk by and I don't see anyone that is severely obese.

Units of Measure

For us Americans, here are some useful conversion factors

$1 Australian Dollar = 77-82 US cents. These are the actual conversion rates I was able to get at the time of my visit. 

1 kilometer = 0.62 miles

1 US Gallon = 3.79 liters

1 square meter = 10.76 square feet

100 grams = 3.53 ounces

Getting Here

Getting here was quite simple. Because of the recession there are plenty of cheap airfare around. I booked my ticket online at Qantas for US$918 round trip from Austin thru Los Angeles. You also need to get an electronic visa for AU$20 which is good for 3 months. The flight is 15 hours from Los Angels to Sydney.

Money

I suggest either converting some cash before you come here or opening an Australian bank account and depositing money before you come. Converting money at the airport is very expensive. The least expensive place I found to convert money is at a bank. The cost of things in Sydney is about as expensive (perhaps a little bit less) as Austin, Dallas, or Houston. My Citibank credit card charges a 3% surcharge on everything.

There is a 10% sales tax, but prices in Australia are generally all inclusive of taxes, fees, and tips. Unlike the states, tipping is not expected.

At the Airport/Transportation

Once you arrive and go through customs (pretty painless), the first thing I suggest to get is a 7 day metro pass for around AU$42. I did not do this and ended up paying more. This allows unlimited travel on Sydney's bus, subway, and ferry service. Take a train to Central Station, which is in the heart of downtown Sydney. The public transportation system in Sydney is excellent. Between public transportation and taxis, you should not need to rent a car if you stay within the city.

They drive on the left side of the road in Australia, so be careful at street crossings. Always make sure to look both ways before you cross the street and you'll be fine.

Where To Stay

There are plenty of hostels to stay in. I'm staying in Maze Hostels (417 Pitt Street) for AU$28 for a double room (but so far I don't have a roommate). Book 3 nights and they give you the 4th night free, so I'm paying AU$84 for 4 nights. They are basically like college dorms and can sometimes be just as nasty. Shop around for a clean one. You get a room and there are pubic showers and toilets. By no means are they luxurious accommodations, but they one I'm staying is in an old building and in fair condition. It is located on Pitt Street and is in a convenient location.

Communications

I got a basic prepaid Nokia cell phone from Optus for AU$50. I also got AU$30 worth of credits, which seems to give me plenty of minutes of talk time. Incoming calls are free. So get a cell phone for AU$80

Power

Make sure your power adapters and electronics can handle 220 volts. If they can, all you need is a AU$15 adapter to make the plugs work. Most modern electronics can handle the higher voltage, but check the label to make sure you don't fry anything.

Food

There seems to be a wide variety of restaurants and pubs here. There are lots of Asian and European restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, and fast food. For fast food, it seems McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Hungry Jacks (Burger King).

Favorite Places to Eat:

• Breakfast. At various cafes, for AU$10-$12 you can get a "big breakfast". It includes bacon, eggs, sausage, mushrooms, and toast.
• Lunch or Dinner: I like going to bars or pubs. For AU$10-12 you can get a 250 gram steak with mash potatoes or fries.
• If you are in a hurry, there is fast food which is just like the states.

Things to See and Do

• "The Rocks" / Circular Quay - Come see this iconic landmark. Also see the famous bay bridge.
• Darling Harbor - This is my favorite place in central Sydney. It's a bit touristy, but it's a beautiful harbor with lots of shopping, restaurants, bars, gardens, sculptures, and pedestrian bridges.
• Kings Cross - The seedy part of Sydney with lots of strip clubs, bars, and prostitutes.
• Queen Victoria Building - A stunning building built in the style of Victoria architecture. It is a high end shopping mall, but its worth walk through it to see the architecture.
• Manly Beach - It's a beautiful beach with a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. Take the 20 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay. Use the 7 day metro pass I told you to get the first day.
• George/Pitt Street Area- These seem to be the main streets in downtown Sydney with just about all the shops you need. There are grocery stores (Woolworth), clothing, bars, restaurants, convenience stores, electronics, internet cafes, travel agents, banks, etc.

Next stop, I'm going to try to book a flight to Brisbane and see the Gold Coast!

Carnival Conquest Caribbean Cruise

I went on a Carnival Conquest cruise from February 1st thru the 9th. It was fun! Cruises are the cheapest, least stressful way of traveling. For around $100/per person per day, you get a room, transportation, food, entertainment, and the use of all the facilities on the ship. On today's ships, that includes all the amenities of a resort. It's great if you want to visit a bunch of places in a short amount of time. It isn't good if you want to spend multiple days at a single location. I like it because I love wandering around to different places, never spending too much time in one place.

This cruise left from Galveston and we went to Monterrey Bay, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. I did not enjoy Monterrey that much. It was pretty, but very underdeveloped and the people there were very aggressive in trying to get you to buy something. Cayman was much nicer and more developed. The weather there was surprisingly cool for being so far south. I needed a light jacket most of the time. If it was warmer, I would have gone snorkeling.

Cozumel was by far the best port. It's the most beautiful as the clarity of the water is amazing. The city is clean, people are friendly, and everyone speaks English unlike Monterrey. There are plenty of things to do and see and US dollars are readily accepted.

Carnival is the most budget of all the cruise lines. Everything was decent, the entertainment was good, but I felt the food on the Norwegian Dawn I went on was much better. They had more choices of restaurants and more flexible dining hours. But Carnival does know how to run a great deck party. Check out the video below:

Overall, it was a good deal for the money. Leaving from Galveston meant that I didn't have to fly and it was easy to go on a whim. I got a balcony cabin for $800 per person. You can get this cruise for as low as $500 or $600 if you get an interior cabin in the off season. It's a great, relatively inexpensive way to spend a week.

Driving Into Mexico...

If you are ever driving into Mexico, remember to bring your car registration or title if you intend to drive past the border towns. You also need to buy Mexican car insurance, which was $30 for 2 days.

You need a physical document to show the border people in order to get a vehicle permit. In Texas, our car registration is a window sticker. If the police stop you in Texas, the police only need the sticker on the windshield. I thought that would do, but it was not enough. You need the piece of paper that the sticker comes on, which I no longer had since I threw it out. I didn't bring my title to the vehicle either. If you do not get a vehicle permit, you will be stopped by Mexican border patrol in ski masks, armed with machine guns at about 30 miles past the border. They will send you back to the border to get a permit. Therefore, we ended up taking a bus from Nuevo Laredo (Mexican side). It was actually not bad at all and more comfortable that driving in my car. It costs around $8 each way for the 2.5 hour bus ride. Once you get into Monterrey, taxi's are a great way to get around. They are very inexpensive, usually $4 to $6 to get anywhere we wanted to go.

Otherwise, it was quite simple to get into Mexico with a US passport. There is no inspection to cross into Mexico, but surroundings do feel a bit ghetto. There will be people eager to point you in the right direction (and they want $2 for their trouble), but just follow the blue signs that say vehicle permits. Here you will pay $20 to get a visa (just a form) and get a vehicle permit, which we could not do because I did not have my vehicle registration.

We were fortunate enough to find someone who spoke English to take us to the bus terminal in Nuevo Laredo. It does take some effort to find someone who speaks English once you cross the border. I would find a friend that speaks Spanish. People are friendly and eager to help, but it would make life a lot easier to have someone who is fluent in Spanish with you. 

It is about 250 miles and 4 hour drive from Austin to Laredo and another 2.5 hours from the border to Monterrey. The total travel time would be about 7 to 8 hours including transfers, assuming you don't get held up like we did.

Microsoft Live Maps Birds Eye View...

Check out Microsoft Live Maps Bird's eye view. I love mapping software. This combined with Google Street View means that it can go virtually anywhere! Or at least, you can have a pretty good idea of what an area looks like before you get there. If you love traveling like I do, this is really cool!

Scooting Around Miami...

One of the cool things I really enjoyed doing in Miami was riding a scooter around town. I rented a small Yamaha scooter that are widely available. These are very light weight, very maneuverable, and don't go much faster than what I can ride my bicycle at when I'm in shape. They are far less intimidating than a motorcycle such as my Suzuki SV650 that I had until last year. Unlike a motorcycle there are only 2 controls you need to worry about; brakes and throttle. There is no clutch or shifting to worry about. The fastest this thing will go full throttle is around 35 mph. They are very good on gas. I spent 2 days riding all over Miami Beach and used less than a gallon of gas. They are extremely popular in South Beach as it is almost impossible to find parking at any of the more popular destinations. It was great for taking photos as I could stop any time and shoot in any direction unlike being inside a car. I have been considering buying one of these for some time now to get around downtown. But they are not cheap. A brand new 50-150 cc scooters seem to run $2,000-$3000. I can almost buy a full motorcycle for that amount of money.

Random Miami Rants

I have been in Miami for nearly a week now. I have to say, it is a very different place. Spanish is commonplace here, perhaps even more than Texas. But unlike Texas, there are relatively few Mexicans here. Most of the population seems to be Cubans or from other South American countries like Argentina, Venezuela, etc. There also seem to be quite a number of Europeans here that are visiting on vacation or work here. For some reason, this seems to be a popular spot for them.

I also spent the time to drive down to the Florida Keys. I made it all the way to Key West, the southernmost point of the United States. The main street is known as Duval Street. It is sort of like 6th Street in Austin, but with more shopping, many art galleries, and various other stores besides just bars and clubs.

I am staying in South Beach, which is the southern portion of Miami Beach. Miami Beach is an island off the coast of the mainland and is separate city from Miami. Supposedly there is a big social scene here, but I didn't really find that to be the case. Maybe it's because it's not in season yet. 

The beaches here are topless. Many women can been seen sunbathing topless. It's not as glamours as it sounds and the novelty wears off pretty fast. I never quite understood the idea of laying under the sun to cook yourself. Sun exposure is necessary to get vitamin D, but exposing yourself to the sun for hours at a time can't be healthy for your skin. I saw a few women with bronze, leathery, wrinkled skin from too much sun exposure. Not attractive at all. I guess that just isn't the look I find attractive.

Parking is very difficult in Miami and it almost always cost money to park anywhere. Another thing you will notice is that the tips are almost always included. They will automatically add 15% to your bill. Apparently, it is not the custom of South Americans to tip, so they add it to your bill automatically.

The buildings are built in the Art Deco style. It's very similar to what I've seen in the Caribbean. There are also many high rise luxury condo buildings. Apparently the real estate bust doesn't seem to have affected the real high end stuff as they are still ridiculously expensive.

The weather of course is warm and humid. It's a bit too humid for me.

Last night, I spent the evening in the Design District doing the Art Walk. It was actually fun. There was a good crowd, free drinks and appetizers, and some really nice stuff on display. I wanted to check out the night scene, but I got really, really tired after being out all day, so I decided to go back home and sleep.

The more I traveling throughout the United States, the more I appreciate being in Austin. My next favorite city was northern Atlanta. I've only been there once in 1996, but I remember everyone being extraordinarily friendly. It almost felt awkward. I don't think I would want to live here. The culture is very, very different than mainstream American. It almost feels like a foreign city in many ways. It just doesn't have my type of "vibe". I don't know how to describe it at the moment. 

That's it for now. I will write more later.

Tucson, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe

I arrived in Tucson, AZ and checked out the casino. I played some poker before heading back to the hotel and going to bed.

I spent a day in Tucson, AZ. I did a 30 mile bike ride around downtown and headed up the Catalina foothills. The landscape is a lot different. There are a lot of cactus in Tucson. These desert cities are unique in that everything is in a neat grid and the streets go for a long way. These perfectly flat streets are great in that I can pick up the draft from the cars. I can sustain 35 mph in the draft of a line of cars.

In the afternoon, I went to see Biosphere 2. It's an amazing facility that attempts to mimic the Earth's environment on a large scale. Then we headed to Phoenix and stayed 2 nights in Tempe.

Phoenix is a huge city in terms of area. It's much like Dallas in that there are all these large suburbs that surround the city like Scottsdale, Tempe, and Mesa. Mike and I went to Tempe's Mill Ave to check out the college scene (ASU students). Next day, we went to South Mountain Park and spent the afternoon there driving up the mountain and checking out all the overlooks and TV towers. In the evening, we spent the night in Scottsdale's entertainment district.

Scottsdale is one of the areas of Phoenix with a lot of money. It's too bad that I lost most of my Phoenix pictures due to user error. :( What I remember most about Scottsdale is Saddle Ranch. There is a mechanical bull in that bar. I rode the bull 4 times! I tore up my hand pretty good and my groin and wrists are pretty sore! I got pretty good at it as well as I could stay on longer than just about everyone there except for this guy that was actually a rodeo bull rider.

There were so many beautiful women in Scottsdale. But you could tell many of them were fake and there was a lot of plastic. They were just too perfect (face, hair, body, etc.) and it was obvious that there was a lot of surgury going on. Sure, it looks good, but it's just not real either. Many of the girls there looked like they came out of a Barbie factory. There were a lot of blonde bombshells. Sure, it's my type, but it's too exagerated. We talked to the bartender at this Dive Bar and she told us that you had to have plastic surgery in order to work there. I definitly recommend checking out the Scottsdale neighborhood. It's very upscale and must be one of the nicer parts of town.

We left Phoenix the next morning and started a 6 hour drive to San Diego. It was interesting to see how the geography changes. We saw farmlands, deserts, sand dunes, wind farm generators, and went over rock mountains going into San Diego. These mountains are interesting because they seperate the desert from the coastal climents.

San Diego is a beautiful city. We spent the morning in La Jolla. This is a beautiful area of town and it seems every piece of property is over a million dollars. Then we headed to "Old Town" which has a bunch of old shops. We picked up a trolly tour and saw the cruise ship terminal, downtown, and Coronado. These are some really beautiful places. California certainly has a certain style that is unqiue to it. Every property in Coronado is supposdly worth a million dollars.

Tucson, AZ

I am currently in Tucson, AZ in my motel lobby. Yesterday was an exhausting day of driving. We drove for 10 hours from Fort Davis, TX all the way to Tucson. We arrived at Tucson at 9:30, checked into the hotel, and then visited a casino. I played poker for a couple of hours, won $4, then went to bed.

It has been hard to find a decent Internet connection over the past few days. I spent the first night in Fort Stockton, TX, about 2 hours north of Big Bend. The second night was in Fort Davis, TX. I saw the observatory and attended the star party. The star party was awesome! The guy had this high powered green laser that he would use to point out all the constellations. Being in the middle of nowhere, I could see so many stars.

It is incredibly desolate in West Texas. I would not see any cars or people for tens of miles at the time. There was nothing, but cattle and open country. The scenery in Big Bend is quite spectacular. Mike and I did a 5 mile hike up this mountain that took us to 6,000 feet.

Yesterday, we spent a couple hours in El Paso, looking around the neighborhood where he grew up. It seems the entire town is Mexican and they speak Spanish more than English. I10 goes along the Mexican border and you could see the poverty on the other side of the border.

Road Trip: Route Changes

View Larger Map

Check out first post if you haven't read that one.

I've made some changes to the route for my road trip.

• My friend who is going with me would like to make a stop in Los Angeles. Frankly, I don't care for LA after visiting a few times. The city seems to be the ultimate urban sprawl nightmare. But he wants to check out Hollywood and of course, see that famous sign. There certainly are nice areas to visit. The last time I was there, I spent a day layover on my way to Taiwan. You can check out pictures from my flickr set. The first few photos are in LA. There are some very nice beaches. I spent most of my time there exploring Hollywood and hanging out in Santa Monica. There was a nice shopping mall, beautiful beach and boardwalk, and beautiful people to watch.
• I added a stop in Sedona. Sedona was one of my favorite places to visit. It's famous for its stunning red sandstone formations. I was there back in 1994 with my parents and we stopped here before heading to the Grand Canyon. We did a Jeep tour on the trails, which was really fun! I would never do that with my SUV!
• My friend would like to make a stop in the four corners region. This isn't too far from Monument Valley. This is the only place in the United States where you can be in 4 states at the same time. :)

The total milage after these changes increase to 3,700 miles compared with 3,500 miles for the original route. I suspect I will end up driving well over 4,000 miles on this trip as we will log miles driving around each city. 

Garmin GPS Deal...

I just ordered a Garmin nuvi 660 GPS unit from Best Buy for $350 in preparation for my road trip. They are including a $50 Best Buy gift certificate in the deal, so I can buy some more accessories with it. I could have gotten the newer nuvi 750 unit for about the same price, but that unit doesn't have Bluetooth built in, which I find very helpful in the car. The main difference between the 600 and 700 series (as far as the features I care about) is that the 700 has an integrated antenna while the 600 relies on a flip up on. There are additional features in the 700 series units, but I believe the 660 I purchased already does everything I need it to do. 

My old GPS is a worn out handheld Garmin Vista that no longer stays on because the battery contacts are loose and the buttons don't always work now. This one should be leaps and bounds better than what I was using although it can't be mounted on a bicycle like the Vista could.

You can find the deal here. The nuvi 600 or 700 series of GPS's seem to be getting the most favorable reviews so far. Here's a detailed review from GPS Magazine. Still, I like the GPS units that are integrated into the car's dash. You can move these units from car to car, but you have cables and mounts hung into the car which can be inconvenient.

Road Trip: Preliminary Route

I've been playing with both Yahoo Maps and Google Maps to plan out my trek through the southwestern United States. I like the graphics on Yahoo Maps better, but Google Maps seem to work much faster. The route I plan on taking will look something like this:

View Larger Map

I plan on spending quite a bit of time in Arizona. I have always been fascinated with the Arizona landscape and the American West. The desert with the bright red rocks, cactus, brilliant blue sky, and the Grand Canyon have fascinated me since I was a child. 

Major stops that I'd like to visit are:

1. Big Bend National Park, TX - This is one of the most isolated parks in the country. The pictures I have seen of this place is beautiful.
2. Tucson, AZ - This is a fast growing Arizona city. It is one of the cities I had considered moving to. However, I decided against moving to Arizona because of the extreme heat. However it should not be too hot this time of the year. From the pictures that I have seen, it is a beautiful city.
3. Phoenix, AZ - This is the largest city in Arizona. I plan on spending at least a few hours exploring the city and resupplying here. I've been there only once before in 1994. What I remember most about the city were the cactus and the fact that the streets are LONG! You can be on the correct street and be nowhere near where you want to be.
4. San Diego, CA - If it wasn't for the high cost of living, I would live in San Diego. The weather is perfect. There's the ocean and the mountains are near by. It's a beautiful city with beautiful people from what I hear. I've never been there, so it will be interesting to see first hand if it's true.
5. Las Vegas, NV - I only spent 3 days there over Halloween weekend. I met quite a few interesting characters. I plan on spending more time visiting the sites. I definitely want to do Hoover Dam, play some poker, and perhaps stay in a luxury hotel.
6. Monument Valley, UT - Almost every American would instantly recognize this place even if they've never been here. It has been used as a backdrop for countless TV shows. I remember this place as the backdrop for the 80's show Air Wolf.
7. Amarillo, TX - I don't want to come back down thru I10, so instead I'm going to go thru the Texas Panhandle via Albuquerque, NM. Don't know what I'll find here besides cowboys and cattle.
8. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX - I've been to Dallas a few times including a trip I did over 4th of July weekend in 2006 as well as a few trips there with my mom. I have never been to Ft. Worth, however. For this trip, I will probably spend the majority of my time exploring Fort Worth.
9. Austin, TX - Back home to Austin, TX!

According to Google Maps, this entire trip will be about 3,500 miles. I'm hoping to see new, interesting things, to meet new people, take beautiful pictures, and to come back with interesting stories.

So how much will a trip like this cost? At 18 mpg with my 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, I'm estimating I will need 200 gallons of gas. At $3.50 / gallon, that will be $700 in gasoline costs. I'm estimating it will take between 2-3 weeks to complete this trip. Three weeks of hotels at an average cost of $60/night will come out to $1,260. I shouldn't count food entirely because I need to eat regardless of whether or not I go on this trip. But it certainly does cost more to eat out than to cook at home. Plus, there is money for excursions, although I tend to do mostly free or cheap activities like museums or city tours. Anyways, I'm budgeting around $2,200-$2,500 for this trek across the south west.

It would be nice to have someone go with me both for the company and to split the cost of this trip. Unfortunately, it seems most of my friends don't seem to have the time, and/or the money for something like this. Let me know if you are someone that would be interested in doing something like this.

Road Trip!

My last day at Dell is tomorrow. I am planing to go on a road trip in the next couple weeks. Back in 2005, I did a 2 week road trip through the eastern part of the country from New Jersey to New Orleans and back. Now I plan on exploring the south western part of the country. I plan on heading west towards New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and Colorado. Some major cities and attractions I would like to see are Tucson, San Diego, Grand Canyon, Big Bend, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and Sedona.

I really want to go explore Arizona. I was there in 1994 to visit Phoenix and the Grand Canyon. I remember the beautiful red rocks in Sedona and the brilliant blue, crystal clear sky. There is some of the cleanest air in the country there.

Gas is very expensive though. A trip like this means I'm burning thru a tank of gas every day, about $55 for 300 miles on my 2001 Pathfinder. Perhaps, I can find someone who wants to go with me.