Travel Log
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Hello everyone and welcome
This is the first post in what I hope will be an extensive journal documenting my travel experiences. As is typical with most large undertakings, my upcoming trip has taken far longer to organize than I ever would have imagined and I have gotten far less accomplished than I thought I would have by this point in the preparations. However, things are moving forward and I think I’m going to be at least semi-organized by the time I leave this Friday.
Here is a little background for those of you that I haven’t seen or chatted with recently. The bottom line is that I’ve decided to strike out on an around-the-world trip that is going to take me through Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, and South America during the course of almost a year of travel. I am leaving on Friday, June 9th and will return sometime in the Spring of 2007. No, I haven’t completely lost my mind (at least not yet) although you could probably call this a bit of a mid life crisis crusade. But to provide you with a little bit of a perspective, I’ll give you some background about how I decided to set out on such a huge adventure.
With only a few minor stutter-steps, I am off on the first leg of my trip even though my feet haven’t yet left the ground. It’s about 11:15am on Friday, June 9th and I am sitting in the US Airways departure area waiting for my flight to Boston that stops off in Charlotte.
I had a really busy day yesterday running all over Little Rock dealing with last minute items. I even had time to get over to Lens Crafters and, good to their word, I walked out with a new pair of prescription sunglasses about an hour later. Although my wallet was about $400 lighter, I decided that I really needed to replace my 10 year old sun glasses before I left so I was happy to get them. Stops at the library to return all of the travel books, a quick dash through Khol’s to get another pair of those really cool zip-off pants (that convert into shorts), and a visit to Walmart to stock up on soap and razors took up most of the afternoon.
Finding friends on the road
One of the things that I am looking forward to during my journey is meeting new people. I was lucky enough to start meeting wonderful people right from the start. As I mentioned in my previous post, I drove from Little Rock to Memphis to catch the flight to Boston (and save a few hundred dollars). On the Memphis to Charlotte portion of the trip I got acquainted with Kim who occupied the seat next to me. Kim is a real estate agent in Hilton Head and a super nice person. We chatted all the way to Charlotte and then spent a couple of hours in the airport bar striking up a friendship. In spite of the crowded bar and the frantic flow of passengers all around us we were able connect with Christa and others. For those few moments we were a family sharing experiences and plans as if we had known each other for ages. Although we eventually went our separate ways and returned to our own unique worlds. The companionship that we shared for that short stop in Charlotte is something that I will take with me. If the gods are kind and my luck holds true then this will only be the first of many such wonderful experiences.
The following is a summarized replay of what happened on my trip from Boston to Lisbon Portugal. This was really the first leg of my journey since flying to Boston doesn’t really count. As I am writing this on Thursday everything is fine, the weather is warm, the sun is shinning, the beer is cold, and Portugal is winning (Futebol isn’t a pastime here, it is the meaning of life from which all things are derived). By the way, it may be 9:30 am in the states but its already 15:30 here. I didn’t want anybody to think I’ve started drinking beer for breakfast.
Here is an interesting quiz question for you. Why do all of the parked cars have their side view mirrors tucked in? When you see what happens to those that aren’t you quickly understand why. The streets are so narrow here that if the side mirror is left extended it gets smashed to smithereens by a passing car in very short order.
Other things you notice about the cars is that they are tiny. I mean, two small children sized tiny in some cases. These matchbox-sized cars sound like undersized lawn mower engines power them. Yet they drive these things like they are competing in a Formula 1 Grand Prix. You also notice that there are very few cars that don’t have significant damage to both sides of the car. Causalities of narrow streets and unique parking I guess. Parking is something else that you must see to believe. Anyplace that is ALMOST big enough for a car definitely has one. Parking is a nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
On the plus side the mass transit system is awesome. Subways, buses, urban trains, trolleys, and cabs are everywhere and reasonably priced. The subway is 70 cents, buses are 1 Euro and 20 cents, and cabs will get you clear across town for less than 10 Euros. You couldn’t pay me to have a car here.
By the way, the seat belts in the cabs aren’t just for decoration. Even the locals wear them religiously and after your first ride you will understand why. I’ve never ridden in a Grad Prix race before my cab ride in Lisbon. Its pretty exciting.
