Post 44: 3 day weekend and some good news

(Thursday)

Fellow Adventurers, 

I will start with the good news...June got a part time position with another family, which secures her financially for the most part until we leave. A few people have come to look at my room so far, and though we have not decided on anyone, it makes me feel better about it all.

Also, we have just about figured out our plans for Venezuela. I will be booking some more plane tickets this week. We may have to end up staying a night in Caracas by the airport, to catch a flight the next day out to the Canaima area. We have not settled on how we are leaving Venezuela, but I think we will most likely be flying from capital to capital as that seems to be the cheapest way outside of busing it, which we are not to keen on the thought of.

I have been doing further research on cities in Colombia and Ecaudor and have come up with some good finds. I will be adding more of that information in the next few days when I become less distracted by my current Star Wars kick.

G

Post 43: Loose Lips Sink Ships

Fellow Adventurers,

As the days get shorter, they grow more interesting, and the journey has yet to really even begin.

I chatted with a coworker of mine this morning as I waited for an elevator up to the 20th floor. Apparently she had seen my posting regarding my room on Craigslist and figured out my plan. I had to blatantly lie to her then and there, passing it off as being posted for my "room-mate". She then brought up the fact that she had heard from the freight operator in our building (the only soul at my job I have told!) that I was going on a long vacation. I passed this off as a misunderstanding and we chatted about other things until we arrived at our floor.

An hour or so later I e-mailed her to apologize that I had so boldly lied to her and explained I had not yet inform my boss and management regarding my future departure. I wanted to be honest because she is going to find out in a months time regardless, but also needed to air on the side of caution because I want to keep my job for the time being. Her response was positive and understanding of my situation, so I will try to assure myself that I am safe there. Fingers crossed.

The lesson I have learned from this...needless conversation about the plan to anyone in the work environment can get me into some troubled waters which I would be smart to avoid treading into. I have 35 days or so until I give my two weeks notice, and its vital that I hang onto my position or I will not meet my monetary goals. This morning was certainly a wake up call regarding that. I will however admit, that my excitement is hard to contain sometimes.

I have a 3 day weekend and I should really spend that time studying up on our future destinations, but I am afraid I will be distracted by 6 epic episodes of intergalactic drama. Regardless, I will be getting my Yellow Fever vaccination on Monday.

G

p.s.: comments are now open

Post 42: Calendar

I will be adding this to the panel on the right for reference. I am sure this will be a handy tool as far as planning goes. More updates soon!

G

Post 41: Ushuaia to Buenos Aires flight booked

Fellow Adventurers,

We just randomly booked our flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires for February 6th on LAN after finding a good deal on a set of tickets. These same tickets just a few weeks ago were running upwards of $300 dollars, but we got a good mid-day Monday flight that lands us in B.A. around 8pm for 75 bucks cheaper. Our original plan was to arrive there around the 1st or 2nd of the month, but we decided to add a few days to keep us flexible.

Now that we have that settled we are trying to arrange a meeting with Junes' sister Gabby and her roommate Sara in Santiago on January 6th or 7th. The plan is for them to spend 10 days with us in Santiago and Mendoza before we head south through Patagonia towards Ushuaia at the very bottom of the continent. This will be about the half way point of our trip, so it will be refreshing to see familiar faces I am sure.

Most of our flights are booked and it feels good to have some concrete dates set down. We are still considering our options for Venezuela, more on that soon.

58 Days!

G

Post 40: 9/11 and empathy.

Fellow Adventurers, 

On the 10th year anniversary of 9/11, I would like to recount what lessons I have learned in the time since that tragic day which I will long remember.

Fear is the only thing that divides us in this world, and empathy is the best tool to fight that mentality. This is a lesson I have learned from travel. I have learned that those outside of my familiar surroundings, those who look and speak differently than me, are no different than myself, my family, or my neighbors.

We must not value ourselves higher than the lives of Afghans, Iraqis, North Koreans, Iranians, Libyans, Syrians, Pakistani, Chinese, Palestinian, Israeli or any other person based on imaginary geographic boundaries. I have learned this from the Italians, Peruvians, Germans, and Jamaicans I met on the road, in their homelands.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

G