Category Archives: rtw

Road Trip Ready

Posted by on June 10, 2013 3 comments

I’m leaving my home base in Australia, Skydive Maitland, and venturing off. It all started with an idea, and this:

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I took the seats out of the van, put a bed in the back and now I’m ready to go.

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My grand plan is to go all the way around Australia. Some people tell me it is 25,000km or so. I have no real time commitments (as always), so for now I’m heading “north” – to where it is warmer. I think I’m the only guy chasing mild winter on my rtw trip, no more! I’m leaving Maitland with new friends to visit again and I did about 250+ jumps in the 3 months I was working there, good times.

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I’ve been in Australia for two months

Posted by on April 18, 2013 5 comments

Well, the title says it. I’ve now been here for two months. I’m working at Skydive Maitland, which is 40 minutes from the coast and 2+ hours from Sydney. So far, I’ve broke even on my Australian travel/living expenses AND I’m skydiving 3-4 days a week, what could be better? I did 99 jumps in March, normally I do 400 per year. Australia is pretty nice, it is easy to live here and there is plenty to see but it is hard to get places since the country is so big and I need a few days break to go someplace.

How did I end up here? I knew I would goto Australia at some point during my trip since I would be passing by and it is a long way from home. (Sidenote: Of all the travelers at hostels in Europe, about 40-50% that I met were Aussie). In December, I bought my right to work in Australia by getting a working holiday visa. That required $270 and 10 minutes to fill out a form on the internet, overnight I had my approval. So, that was settled, I could now work for 12 months in Australia and show up there within a year. I knew I would be working in Australia because it is a rather expensive country to live/travel in. I thought about picking fruit in an orchard since they always hire backpackers, but skydiving sounded more fun in the end (of course!). So, in January, I emailed a few dropzones stating that I would be in Australia in the near future and looking for work. Crickets… I didn’t hear back from anyone. Fair enough, most businesses will have adequate staffing in the middle of the busy season. But, one place did get back to me some weeks later. Then, it took one Skype convo to come to a friendly agreement and I was looking for flights after. Due to some insane price scheming, there was one flight in two days that was 1/2 price of the others (thank you skyscanner.net). That sealed my decision, and I was off…

Onward looking, full time instructor for March and April then become part time in May and June so I can see more of Australia. I have a few road trips in the works, I just need my own vehicle to make that happen. Working on it. After Australia, I’m probably going to Japan or SE Asia like I planned.

Since my sister already asked, Yes, I do see kangaroos nearly everyday..

Sri Lanka in February

Posted by on April 16, 2013 6 comments

I wrote about how I ended up in Sri Lanka in my last post, here. I ended up with a GI sickness during my second week, from the a bad meal or water and it spoiled the last week that I was there, but I had my own room, bathroom, a good book, and a resort on the beach. Overall, the first week was fun, teaching English, living in a small village and being immersed in the culture staying with a host family. Hats off to volunteers that can live there long term. I was craving “western culture” after a short time. I didn’t see as much as a wanted to, like the wild elephants, Buddhist temples or surf lessons. There will be other places or times to do that stuff though.

Sri Lanka pics

January in review: Istanbul, Dubai

Posted by on February 7, 2013 4 comments

Preface: It appears that I have fallen behind in my writings. It’s a shame really because I think of things that I should write in the moment and then forget. However, as I’m embracing slowish travel, sometimes I just don’t really do anything that is interesting to write about every day/week.

My last post was about my time in Greece. Since then I have been to Istanbul, Dubai, and (now) Sri Lanka. I was in Istanbul for about 10 days. My lasting impressions of Istanbul were:

  • +: Istanbul was the first Muslim country I’ve been to. This is is a positive because it opened up some thoughts of what to expect as I continue east. To see all the impressive mosques, to hear the azan (call to prayer) in the streets, to talk to some Turks about religion, really made it a new experience for me.
  • +: Istanbul receives many visitors per year, which makes it such that it is easy to converse, find stuff you need, etc
  • -: Istanbul receives many visitors per year, which makes it very touristy in some parts.
  • +: Istanbul is a huge city and there is much to see. I stepped on Asia for the first time. There are many old, old, buildings that leave you in awe. Oldest shopping area in the world, the Grand Bazaar, stuff like that.
  • -: Istanbul is a huge city and the public transit is not well connected, I thought.
  • –: Every shop owner harasses you to come in the store! The best defense that I can recommend is to walk with a purpose (like you are running an errand) but not in a hurry. This will bring the least amount of attention to yourself at risk of “missing” the finer details as you meander.

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Let’s not joke anyone, Dubai was a skydiving trip, for sure. I spent 15 days in Dubai and made 30 jumps. It was a blast. I was at the dropzone most everyday and on the weather days, my generous hosts showed me around the city. I didn’t feel the need to take any pictures of the sites because, while impressive, they seemed too “fake” to me (outrageous, silly, etc). I went to the largest mall in the world, ate brunch in the shadow of the largest building in the world, largest aquarium, indoor ski hill in a desert, eventually it was just…meh. However, I will never forget “The Palm”

When deciding where to go onwards, as I knew I shouldn’t stay in Dubai too long (money matters, of course, I would spend my whole lot on fun and there is so much more to see). I ended up in Sri Lanka, because skyscanner told me there was a direct flight there on a budget airline. I don’t see the point in accepting layovers in my flight details at my pace. Then I found someone on HelpX that wanted an English teacher in exchange for accommodation. While I’m not a teacher, I am a native speaker, and that was acceptable at this level of classes. I did a week stint of that in a small village and now I’m relaxing at the beach…I’ll write more about Sri Lanka later and post pics, a fun photo so far:

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My holidays in Greece were excellent

Posted by on January 7, 2013 4 comments

No, the country is not in flames or rioting everyday, bad media, bad.

I spent 12 days in Greece. The Greek hospitality is superb, I can not ask for better friends in Greece. I first arrived in Thessaloniki, stayed there for a few nights. Then went to Larissa, and stayed with my friend and his family. There was a small communication barrier with his parents in this smaller town, they don’t get too many tourists. However, I had a very nice Christmas there and it was nice to be with such great people over the holidays. I went to a namesday celebration. Even though I couldn’t understand most of the conversations, they still welcomed me, gave me food and wine, and exchanged culture information. Then I went to Athens, stayed in a hostel, and spent New Year’s watching the fireworks over the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Cool experience! It was so great to be walking around the birthplace of “western ideals” – not the oldest civilization, but close. Some takeaway thoughts: 1) Greek hospitality is unlike anything I’ve experienced, really. I made sure that a I told everyone that they have an open door with me whenever we meet in “my new home” (meaning, I don’t know when or where), 2) you cannot go hungry in Greece, especially when they are cooking for you! 3) the cafe culture is great, 4) I want to go back during the summer

Of course, you will always find the not so nice parts. I got fooled by the old man scam, as seen here. Luckily, they only got 30€ from me, compared to some of the stories I’ve heard. Looking back on it, I just laugh at myself. Maybe I’ll be jaded towards a genuine experience in the future but, lesson learned. I don’t judge Athens by this one mishap, however.

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I only have pictures of Athens since I had to buy a new camera.. Pics here

Budapest, Belgrade, Skopje, touring Central Europe

Posted by on December 20, 2012 5 comments

I was in Budapest for 11 days. I couchsurfed there and it is longer than I normally stay at someone’s house, by far. So, thanks Paul! Budapest was nice, reminded me much of Prague. While, I was there I visited a Turkish Bath, that was very interesting experience. Imagine, a social, public “hot tub & sauna” with water naturally hot. I found a newly minted Crossfit gym, RC Duna, that opened up it’s doors for a traveller, so gracious. Even though I didn’t get to see the Opera in Vienna, I went to the Opera house in Budapest. It was my first time seeing a ballet, The Nutcracker. There were Christmas markets in Budapest too. I actually liked the Budapest ones more so than the Viennese markets. I also helped to organize the first (known) Hungarian Gentoo Linux Beer Meeting :)

Then I took a train to Belgrade, Serbia. The train was 8+ hours. I couchsurfed again for 3 nights. Had some wonderful chats with my host, Ljubica. She learned about US things, I learned about Serbian things, just what you could hope for, a cultural exchange via couchsurfing. I was her first US guest. Later on, an Argentinian fellow stayed there too and we had conversations about worldly topics, like “why are borders so important and do we need them?” and “speculating why Belgium’s lack of government even worked.” Then perhaps, the best part, I got to try authentic mate. In my opinion, there wasn’t much to actually see in Belgrade during the winter, I did walk around and went to the fortress. Otherwise, nursed my head cold which I got on the train.

I took the bus to Skopje, FYROM. I stayed in Skopje for 3 nights at a nice independent hostel, Shanti Hostel (recommended). I walked around the center (not much to see), walked through the old bazaar, and ate some good food. The dishes in Central Europe include lots of meat. I embarked on a mission to find the semi-finalist entry for the next 7 wonders of the world, Vrelo Cave, but I got lost and took a 10km hike along the river, it was spectacular! And peaceful. Perfect really. I wanted to see what was at the end of the trail, but eventually turned around because it didn’t end. On the way back, I slipped and came within feet of going in the drink. As my legs straddled a tree and my feet went through the branches that were clearly meant to handle no weight, I used that split second to be thankful. I used the next second to watch something black go bounce, …, bounce, SPLASH. It is funny how you can go from thankful to cursing about your camera in the river so quickly. I got up, looked around and thought about how I got off the path, dang. Being the frugal man I am, I continued off the path and went searching for my camera. Well, that was bad because I slipped again. As I was sliding on my ass and grabbing branches, I eventually stopped. It was at this point, I knew my camera was gone since I could see the battery popped out and was in the water. Le sigh. C’est la vie.

So, no pictures, friends. I had a few hundred pictures that I didn’t upload and they are gone. I might buy a camera again but for now, you will just have to take my word for it. My Mom says she will send me a disposable camera :D ha.

I’m off to Greece at 6am…

November 2012 wrap up

Posted by on December 10, 2012 6 comments

To wrap up my November, I finished up my stay in Prague. The below were two-day trips, where I was embracing home-base travel – meaning I would go somewhere then come back.

Before I left the Czech Republic, I also went to Cesky Krumlov, an amazing medieval town, UNESCO town, castle, brewery, winding streets, very glad I went there. I’m thinking about how to get back there during the summer. Cesky Krumlov is the second most visited city in the Czech Republic. I took the train there and the bus back. The train was quite nice but there was a few connections, at one point I was following the herd as we went from train to bus to train and I was confused but it worked out in the end. I got to Krumlov, walked to the hostel Krumlov House (recommended), ate at the delicious Two Marys restaurant, hung out with the staff, and went to a local bar. Then I walked around the castle, went to a brewery tour, relaxed for a few days, and took it all in. I took the bus back to Prague because it was quicker and cheaper.

Czech Republic (Prague, Olomouc, Cesky Krumlov) Oct/Nov 2012-243
(The view of the city from the castle)
Cesky Krumlov Pics

Dresden, Germany for a few days. I carpooled here with 3 other Germans as they were going home for the weekend and then couchsurfed. The generosity of people is amazing in this world. I was only there for a few nights, the first night, I walked around then ate out with my host. The next day, I went to the Botanical gardens (many pictures for my Grandpa), the VW Factory (no pictures allowed) – I’d recommend the glass factory tour to those that are engineering types, it is quite nice, then I walked around the city some. Went into a church, climbed to the top viewing point, and went out to eat again and chatted worldly topics with my host. She never had a guest from the USA before. The very unique thing about Dresden, even though it looks old, it is not since it was rebuilt after the war. I also carpooled back, the Germans love to be efficient.

Dresden Pics

Then we can fast forward to December 1, when I got on the bus for Vienna. I lost my camera on November 30th, so there is only mental pictures of Vienna. I stayed there for 3 nights. It is an expensive city relative to Czech Republic and farther east, but I liked it. I stayed at an independent hostel, Hostel Ruthersteiner (recommended as well) I met with my friend Marijn and we walked around the city with his family and colleague. I tried to goto a Viennese Opera but there was only standing room and I didn’t feel like standing still for 2.5 hours so of course I went to the Viennese Christmas Markets instead and enjoyed many a glühwein (hot wine). I also toured the UN headquarters in Vienna and had lunch with my friend there. I could imagine myself going back there later in life to soak in the cultural activities that are more suited for older people or families.

Now, I am in Budapest. More on that later…

One month “in” – some sort of status report

Posted by on November 16, 2012 9 comments

I’d like to write some sort of public status report or brain dump of what’s going on. I’ve been on-the-road for one month of the planned 12 months and just “Living the Dream” as many of the fellow travelers would say. I’ve met so many people so far, some have been really inspiring, some are not. I’m embracing the idea of slow travel and/or home base travel. I really don’t care how you travel, but the Eurorail, every capital city for two days is not what I want to do. I’ve learned that already from talking to people and my preconceived values. So far, I’m on track by only visiting two countries so far, Netherlands and Czech. I’m really diving into Czech Republic – mind you, I didn’t really plan on that but it somehow happened and I’m very ok with that. However, the bad side of that is that I’m staying still while people are moving by every 2-5 days. Since the hostel gives a free beer token to every guest, I see new people everyday for just long enough to say the smalltalk – I haven’t been in that position before so it’s new for this computer guy from Minnesota his whole life… (Self-reflection, yay) Annnyway, I’m having fun, I’m enjoying myself, I don’t like to “not-work”, I am forcing myself to take the unbeaten path, I’m getting more comfortable with myself and my environment, I’m relaxed, I can go with the flow, I know “it” will work out, I drink tea daily, I started to enjoy coffee, I’m living life, I am balanced. Go me.

As of this writing, I was in Netherlands for 7 days and spent $55usd per day and Czech for 28 days and spent $28usd per day. With my pre-trip expenses, etc, I’ve spent $65usd per day.

I’m doing fine, read my posts about where I’ve been, look at my pictures on Flickr, interact with me on Twitter for what I am doing, and check back often for what I’ve been doing. Ciao.

(After thought: considering that I’ve been at (or lived at) a dropzone for nearly every weekend this past summer (and the past 6 years), I’m really missing skydiving. Not going to lie, I can’t wait to jump out of a plane, most places around me are closing for the winter and I’m not properly prepared to jump in the cold even if they were open :( poor planning on my part. I didn’t think it would be so bad, taking a hiatus, but that sport is such a part of my life. I miss it.)