Travelingbug.org

Bike ride across the country

Well hello there. The Journey of Hope is well on its way. We have now traveled through Nevada, and are almost through Utah. We have stayed in Park City, Utah yesterday and will be here tonight as well. We only have a few days where we dont bike at all but on those days we have friendship visits which consist of hanging out with various organizations that support people with disabilities. Some of the activities that we participate in with them are wheel chair basketball, wheel chair hockey, etc. It definitely puts the experience in perspective and makes us all realize that the biking aspect of the trip is not really what this is all about. We shall be in Colorado in two days and will be going through the Rockies. It should be quite the experience. The next day we have off is in Denver Colorado. Hopefully I will be able to post again there. Many of the towns we have been staying in so far do not have internet access.

Travel Flashlight

While I was traveling from hostel to hostel there seemed to be one thing that was constant.  I usually stayed in a room that had other people that were staying in the same room.  Most hostels put you in a random room with 4-8 other people that you have never met.  Some people are friendly and some people are not.  It seemed that some people would be cool and try to be quiet and respect if you were sleeping or some people would turn on all the lights and talk and not care. 

One thing that I did not have while I traveled the world was a flashlight!  I can't tell you how many times throughout my trip that I had wished I had brought one.  I would have probably had used a flashlight every day on my trip if I had one. 

While staying with 4-8 other people in one room it seems that somebody was always sleeping throughout the day or night.  It seemed that when I would need something out of my bag that somebody would be sleeping and would have the lights out in a room.  I always felt bad about turning on the light so I would crack the door and look through my bag with no lights.  Let me tell you...this doesn't really work.  Most of the time I would end up making a ton of noise, dropping things, and eventually turning on a light.

I would highly recommend bringing a small flashlight with you on any trip that you might be staying in a hostel.  It doesn't have to be expensive or big.  Just a simple flashlight that goes on a key chain works.  Tech Tools sells key chain flash lights for $4.99.  Something simple like this works anywhere at anytime.  To be honest with you, you can probably pick up a key chain flash light at any gas station.

Cemetario de Recoletta - Video of the week

There is a famous cemetary in the middle of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is called the Cemetario de Recoletta (Recoletta Cemetary).  It has all kinds of different people buried here including the famous Evita Peron.  All the graves are above ground and have most of them contain entire families.  They are all different shapes and sizes.  This place is huge and very easy to get lost in.  It is one of the main tourist spots in Buenos Aires.  There are tours given in English and Spanish...

Chiang Mai, Thailand - 1 day trek

When I was staying at Julie's Guest House I decided to do a 1 day trek that went around to surrounding areas by Chiang Mai.  Julie's Guest House makes it so easy to do things around Chiang Mai, because they have a travel agency located in the guest house.  They also tell you the truth on what is good to do and what you could possibly do without.  There was an option between a 1 day trek and a 3 day trek, and I can guarantee you that I made the right decision...I talked to people that returned from the 3 day trek and said they wished they only did the one day!  I honestly can't remember how much it cost to do the 1 day trek, but it was pretty inexpensive.

So the next day at about 8 am a van came to the guest house and picked me up along with a couple other travelers.  The guides spoke English very well and were pretty funny.  They put you in this little truck that they put seats and a cover in the back part.  We also had to stop by a couple other guest house's to pick up other travelers.  In all, there was 7 of us that were going on the trip together.  Everybody turned out to be pretty cool.  There were two people from Spain, 2 people from Germany, and then a guy from Italy.

After we had picked up everybody we headed about an hour outside of Chiang Mai.  We went to a refugee village called Ahay Village (I think).  This village was started because of people fleeing  Burma (also known as Myanmar).   I thought the village would have nothing...which it didn't have a lot of things, but as I was walking through the village I saw a couple of the homes with satellite dishes coming off of the houses.  I couldn't believe it.  Even though they don't have a lot of things they still have TV coming in their home.  After walking around the village for about 45 minutes they make you walk through an area that they sell their goods, and look at you and ask you to buy everything.  This is the only part of the whole day I didn't like.  It is hard for me to say no, and they take you to this village so that you see it and then buy things.  It was kind of messed up, but what can you do?

Ipod speakers

I use my Ipod everywhere I go.  I usually have my Ipod in my pocket when I head out of my apartment anytime of the day.  I usually have it when I walk/bike to meet up with friends, and there is nothing better than having my Ipod with me to pass the time.  I used my Ipod everyday of my trip!  My Ipod was basically my best friend, because it was always with me whether I was traveling by myself or with a group of people.  If I was by myself I would plug in my head phones and walk around a city while site seeing.  It made the time fly by, and I never really felt lonely while I was walking around by myself.

While traveling, you will have a lot of down time either by yourself or with friends that you are hanging out with.  There is nothing like a little bit of music that changes the mood of the people you are with.  It is surprising to me how many people travel without a mp3 player or a CD player (if people are still using them?) 

I bought Altec Lansing In Motion speakers about 3 years ago for $99.  I think it is possibly the best purchase I have ever made.  Speakers to an Ipod were an instant party during my travels.  I would bring it with me to the beach, on the train, or just play it at the hostel when I was just hanging out.  Not to mention that it charges your Ipod while it is playing.  I didn't bring an Ipod charger so this was the only way that I could charge it.  I have spilled drinks on it, had sand cover it, and dropped it many times and it is still playing!  These speakers are also very small so they hardly take up any space in your bag.

While traveling make sure you are careful about showing it off though.  Things do get stolen from your bags while in hostels or airports.  The speakers I bought were so small that most of the time I kept them in my small back pack instead of my bigger backpack.  You will also need a Currency Converter to use the plug in for electricity so that the plug fits the outlet depending on what country you are in.

 

Hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I met up with some friends in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil last year.  They ended up hang gliding over Rio De Janeiro.  In the video I am up where the hang gliders take off.  It was a pretty sick view of the city.  Enjoy!

Jason and Chris's Bike Ride Across the Country

This summer one of my best friends and I have decided to embark on a journey through our fraternities national philanthropy called PUSH America. The Journey is called the Journey of Hope. We have raised money throughout the school year to give to various organizations that support people with disabilities as we cross the country. Right now we are in San Francisco gearing up for our departure this Sunday. San Fransisco is a beautiful city with peculiar weather. In the morning it is rather chilly, then throughout the day it gets progressively warmer and then the ocean breeze cools things off by night time. On Sunday for our official departure back to Washington DC we will cross the Golden Gate Bridge as a symbol of the beginning of the event and from there on on we continue to trek through nomerous states and find our way back to Washington DC.

Festival de San Fermin - Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

My trip started in Ireland, where I met up with Gary, Jay, and Parker.  We went to Gary's sisters wedding in Northern Ireland, and from there the only thing we had booked was a trip to Barcelona, Spain.  We had talked about going to the Running of the bulls before I arrived in Ireland, but had not decided for sure.  So after 3 days in Barcelona (Thursday morning), we checked out of our hostel and decided that we were headed to Pamplona.  We had one big problem...we had no way to get there.  If you have ever traveled with me, you know that something always goes wrong or that I don't plan to far in advance!

So we first headed to Estacion Sants where the train (operated by www.renfe.es ) leaves Barcelona headed for different parts of Spain.  Gary, Jay, and Parker sent me to talk to the reservations desk to see if there were any tickets on the trains, because I knew how to talk a little bit of Spanish.  The employee told me there were no more tickets (which I thought before I got in line, but I had to ask), and also gave me a warning not to run with the bulls.  He was telling me that only extranjeros (tourists) run with the bulls and hardly and Spaniards because it is so dangerous.  I told him thanks for the help and the tip and left to tell my friends that option one was a no go!

Next we walked to two rental car company's that were located within two blocks of the train station.  They had no cars available for another 2 weeks.  There is also a bus station that is located right next to Estacion Sants.  All buses headed to Pamplona were sold out too!

How to get to the Running of the Bulls - Festival de San Fermin

Two summers ago I went to the Festival de San Fermin or more popularly known as the Running of the Bulls.  This festival is in Pamplona, Spain.  It is one of the most famous festival in all of Spain and possibly the world.  This festival takes place the beginning of July.  (The dates can change each year so please check to make sure).  The Festival starts at 12 pm on a Thursday, and runs for the next 9 days.  Don't miss the running of the bulls, because you are not sure how to get there!

5 ways to get to the Running of the Bulls (from Barcelona, Spain)

1. Train - Book a train ticket months in advance from Estacion Sants (Barcelona) to Plaza de la Estacion (Pamplona) through the train company RENFE or call +34 90 224 02 02.  If you have not booked your train ticket before June then I would not even bother with this option, because if you show up at the train station in June there will be no tickets available.  Tickets will general run between 30-55 Euros for a one way from Barcelona to Pamplona.
2. Bus - Ride a bus from Barcelona to Pamplona.  There are two bus stations in Barcelona.  One is located next to Estacion Sants (which is usually for all international bus travel). The other is called Estacion del Nord Bus Station, and is located by the Arc de Triomf.  This bus stop has more buses running to local cities in Spain including Pamplona.  A bus ticket will cost any where from 22-40 Euros one way.
3. Car - Rent a car through a local car company in Barcelona for a couple days or a week.
4. Travel Bar  -  There is a bar that is located right of La Rambla in the heart of Barcelona.  This bar provides a bus ride up to Pamplona, a meal, and a bus ride back down to Barcelona.  They take care of everything so that you don't have to worry about it.  You will get to Pamplona around 6pm and then the bus leaves in the morning around 10 am.  In reality, that is all the time you need in Pamplona to run with the Bulls and then leave town.  I believe the cost last summer (2007) was 55 Euros.  This is the best option for a budget traveler who plans last minute events!  www.travelbar.com
5. Plane -  Right now there are 6 direct daily flights from Barcelona to Pamplona through Iberia.  It is an easy hour or so flight. I would almost use this as the last resort if you have no other way to get to Pamplona, because a one way flight is going to cost you about $200 - $300 US Dollars.  You can't put a price on how much fun you are going to have compared with missing the festival.  So if it is your only option then it is definitely worth it!  When I went to the running of the bulls there was no other option so my friends and I booked a last minute flight to make the first day!  It was worth every penny

Cristo, Rio de Janeiro - Video of the Week

After hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro we all headed to take a tour of Cristo.  The huge statue over looks Rio.  The day we went to Cristo it was pretty overcast, but you can still see some of the city and also how big it actually is.  It takes awhile to get to the top of this mountain.  We actually paid the guys that took us hang gliding to drive us up here instead of taking a bus to the top!  It was very cool up there.  Peace