tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64387023944927467242024-03-13T19:36:45.933-04:00Matt Visits Random Places In The WorldRead along as Matt does stupid things in interesting places around the world....or don't.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-28044388531680174062018-06-29T22:41:00.001-04:002018-06-29T22:41:23.647-04:00Korea + Japan = Koran?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As my Remote Year journey neared its end, I had the realization that I wanted to continue traveling (😱I know, I was shocked too). I somehow got it in my head that I wanted to go to exactly two other places; Japan and Colombia. Why these two places? Great question. How can you truly know why anyone wants to do anything? What actually motivates a man in life to take action? In this case, I'm pretty sure I just heard that these were some great places to visit. So, my company graciously decided to let me spend another two months working remotely (yes I was actually working during this trip) and I planned my months in Japan and Colombia (just to note, don't spell it Columbia because that is a university in New York).</div>
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Members of my Remote Year group had all kinds of plans following the trip, but most involved some sort of travel before heading back home to join the rest of you in normal life...ugh. My friend Melissa, who lived in Korea for several years, was taking a group of people to Seoul for one week (Seoul is in South Korea). As I went to book my flight to Tokyo (Tokyo is in Japan), I realized that because of the way the weeks lined up, I would actually have five weeks in Japan and not the four weeks that I had originally thought (and because I'm bad at numbers). The decision was obvious at this point....I was going to North Korea to see Kim Jong Un. No, forget I said that. I wasn't supposed to say anything about that. I meant, I was going to go to Seoul for a week.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A random tower in Seoul</td></tr>
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And I feel like that sums up my Remote Year experience, don't you? Decide to go to a different country in a week on a moment's notice.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A foggy day in Seoul</td></tr>
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What do you think of when you hear Korea? Sorry, you're not near me so I actually have no idea what you're saying, but I'm going to assume that you said Korean food.</div>
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I'm glad you said that. I love Korean food and there was plenty to be had....cause it was Korea.<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Family dinner at a Korean restaurant</span></td></tr>
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Bibimbap, Korean fried chicken, dog, lots and lots of kimchi, banchan galore, bulgogi...<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">An assortment of food items</span></td></tr>
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<span style="clear: both;">And Korean BBQ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I swear, Julianne is excited to be there</span></td></tr>
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<span style="clear: both;">What's the next thing that comes to mind when you think about Korea...after Korean food. That's right, K-pop. Well we saw some of that happening right on the streets of Seoul.</span><br />
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<br />I stepped in and broke it down for a while. The crowd went absolutely crazy when I started doing back flips. Unfortunately that video was lost so you'll just have to believe me.<br /><br />Us white people are a minority in most places in Asia, but we serve a very valuable purpose....helping people practice English. This lovely gentleman came up and recorded a conversation in English with me for school. I charged him $20.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning is fun</td></tr>
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The other notable interaction that Americans (yes I'm using white people and Americans interchangeably 😑) had with Korea was the Korean war. I enjoy history, especially around wars and so I took a trip to the Korean war museum. It was pretty pro America.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did it! We stopped Communism!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A soldier from the Korean war (prob an earlier Korean war than ours)</td></tr>
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Even more than the food and the k-pop and all the other things I just mentioned, my most favorite thing in Korea was the dog cafes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG! How cute!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one on the left was very flavorful....I'm kidding?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK, they had sheep cafes too</td></tr>
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And then I went to Japan.</div>
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And it turns out that Japan and Korea are quite similar because they both have animal cafes. So, naturally I had to start out my trip at the Hedgehog cafe.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG! That guy is so cute. And the hedgehog is good looking too 🙄</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the hedgehogs eat the humans. So goes the circle of life.</td></tr>
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I had always pictured Tokyo as this super modern, futuristic, flashy neon light city. And while it was quite amazing, it wasn't quite that. I think I had just built it up in my head so much that it could never match my expectations.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsyovCmVqzgbhcGeNk5DaVLmFa6PpXcgoCiZvBxSGp0wBG17WPgJ3Kn7gcfs36PzQzyAMTtWLlVSfY2BugWNKjXJIMBqsZYkLKUYDdskfo8FoGYOk1TlWcbIHWaWQS4bGZB_f7IajiQ/s1600/IMG_7317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsyovCmVqzgbhcGeNk5DaVLmFa6PpXcgoCiZvBxSGp0wBG17WPgJ3Kn7gcfs36PzQzyAMTtWLlVSfY2BugWNKjXJIMBqsZYkLKUYDdskfo8FoGYOk1TlWcbIHWaWQS4bGZB_f7IajiQ/s640/IMG_7317.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kind of neon light super city</td></tr>
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And looking out over the city at night, it really could have been any huge amazing city.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL2OWCWYoFqoYHIlmTxVQTKx2vu9wi8g-m6qu0mqrxXrYGaD1b-7P4wL2gl1XgiOnmBC3thmn-3G2fMPanvqQha8yQIwbYZ6AfjFdsO94kXSWeKbWcRerV_RTmQxHPQbDiulzRfnIQQ/s1600/IMG_7377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL2OWCWYoFqoYHIlmTxVQTKx2vu9wi8g-m6qu0mqrxXrYGaD1b-7P4wL2gl1XgiOnmBC3thmn-3G2fMPanvqQha8yQIwbYZ6AfjFdsO94kXSWeKbWcRerV_RTmQxHPQbDiulzRfnIQQ/s640/IMG_7377.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">View from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqOu5dX0rR-6sybqumqvrutWlcPlwmDwl7vGe1fO0GLKakSgoHND71LF78vqZO4sLOY0H5-tOJaBr9cwBETjIMzZnZ_Jbey8FgOC-RfQO4B1YYFktppKodapJ6_LRXpWP1AG5iJrt-Q/s1600/empire-state-building-observatory-uptown-shine-2000x3000__x_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqOu5dX0rR-6sybqumqvrutWlcPlwmDwl7vGe1fO0GLKakSgoHND71LF78vqZO4sLOY0H5-tOJaBr9cwBETjIMzZnZ_Jbey8FgOC-RfQO4B1YYFktppKodapJ6_LRXpWP1AG5iJrt-Q/s400/empire-state-building-observatory-uptown-shine-2000x3000__x_large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo by night</td></tr>
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See that second one wasn't actually Tokyo, it was a picture of New York City. Here's another Tokyo one...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSDqY0hlrs3y7WF2yYnOp1qUM6SWS2ST3sx58mS6M7GyRuuaE-DooKNrgyYQ8YkApfgXU7zA-BcnXtn-ENAj0t6ZDqo0zXIe7hszincGs2eCFAaaWrupXxtaIGOfCf5PJyFthZ0dOFw/s1600/IMG_7356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSDqY0hlrs3y7WF2yYnOp1qUM6SWS2ST3sx58mS6M7GyRuuaE-DooKNrgyYQ8YkApfgXU7zA-BcnXtn-ENAj0t6ZDqo0zXIe7hszincGs2eCFAaaWrupXxtaIGOfCf5PJyFthZ0dOFw/s640/IMG_7356.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Tokyo night camera skills are lacking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I'm definitely not hating on Tokyo, it was amazing and parts did match the picture I had in my head. Like Shibuya Crossing, known as the busiest intersection in the world<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzvI5PtQU4UqMBSb7jxQMXG2CLywMZgXmsnocPMLfjzkrE2MeWERQ60BmcYYPZpobrYVwyQFgDxSMpkTpR2OJuzMgKPqPA5RlywuO_njXu1_4rDElNFkFYRvctSRtHM9eFPPGU8g1DA/s1600/IMG_8415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzvI5PtQU4UqMBSb7jxQMXG2CLywMZgXmsnocPMLfjzkrE2MeWERQ60BmcYYPZpobrYVwyQFgDxSMpkTpR2OJuzMgKPqPA5RlywuO_njXu1_4rDElNFkFYRvctSRtHM9eFPPGU8g1DA/s640/IMG_8415.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hate people</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And one thing that did live up to the futuristic city vision was the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo. Although its pretty clear this is just done up for the tourists (that's me), it was quite a spectacle.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7Fx6pjXMLCfIXHIM97m3vFdvHxiKc8wshMn24mVSvVJbnbRrVRtIAImLxi5FCgrlShWjsCaYDOa5BLroh5hnEfSGLYedMOhULKhaElh5GlCmgGyUi1b1eC-8cMy84nItMiDiWh2ESQ/s1600/IMG_7432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7Fx6pjXMLCfIXHIM97m3vFdvHxiKc8wshMn24mVSvVJbnbRrVRtIAImLxi5FCgrlShWjsCaYDOa5BLroh5hnEfSGLYedMOhULKhaElh5GlCmgGyUi1b1eC-8cMy84nItMiDiWh2ESQ/s320/IMG_7432.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a lobster and a crab riding a boat with a giant sushi tray? Yes, duh. What else would it be?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZA9QTcKYeAKt7ueYzHXFhke8saugkoAwdq-A7Jd6GchKp2vWZG0P3dHEtVjr9SiW92c2H7RGk3vQXXKFGgQIIPZ8lCU1GILhoXekT3YGdbt4rtHdD_OUOVl9HcUSI7VkhGUXCYZVyA/s1600/IMG_7402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZA9QTcKYeAKt7ueYzHXFhke8saugkoAwdq-A7Jd6GchKp2vWZG0P3dHEtVjr9SiW92c2H7RGk3vQXXKFGgQIIPZ8lCU1GILhoXekT3YGdbt4rtHdD_OUOVl9HcUSI7VkhGUXCYZVyA/s320/IMG_7402.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some drummers on a crazy demon car....why not?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bNIHchtjkmCzfOeQ13oqNu4k66eT_KVQtYf5hZDYMWb55KHLpD5q8criowylmlVMD8gIb0A_pCNcLqOhBqxyqWW6rcaV-8UntP23ncYpVmBfqYoK4PT7dUvr61t41iFU6YHYiYagtw/s1600/IMG_7440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bNIHchtjkmCzfOeQ13oqNu4k66eT_KVQtYf5hZDYMWb55KHLpD5q8criowylmlVMD8gIb0A_pCNcLqOhBqxyqWW6rcaV-8UntP23ncYpVmBfqYoK4PT7dUvr61t41iFU6YHYiYagtw/s320/IMG_7440.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A giant karate panda riding a cow. What else would you expect from a robot show?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJ6xWa1p7Uii8NXdpzjV5GwIfZTzGz3rvWaTV0J8ijRicMg_qyn6Jzjh1HA7s7nky9YvszN-XT3t6Pk0Y68Sufwvy5aL2VF_K6n0get8O_q8tsnpA7rWlrmBkQsdIktxWIAKMYeDS8g/s1600/IMG_7469+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJ6xWa1p7Uii8NXdpzjV5GwIfZTzGz3rvWaTV0J8ijRicMg_qyn6Jzjh1HA7s7nky9YvszN-XT3t6Pk0Y68Sufwvy5aL2VF_K6n0get8O_q8tsnpA7rWlrmBkQsdIktxWIAKMYeDS8g/s320/IMG_7469+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your standard dinosaur ridden by Xena (or similar) eating a person</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTTuDnxh1bme2F0SbIPPXQ0ENY9HW4CJ1ffaIXI-lfPlrGjlNtwaSW4jGDQcpHkWzEuHPaNhhYthvH4vVJMHebrXHTI5ftNyadDMwanBHh30feODlxsJeW8RbreSCzwqw2sDG1bPOjA/s1600/IMG_7389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTTuDnxh1bme2F0SbIPPXQ0ENY9HW4CJ1ffaIXI-lfPlrGjlNtwaSW4jGDQcpHkWzEuHPaNhhYthvH4vVJMHebrXHTI5ftNyadDMwanBHh30feODlxsJeW8RbreSCzwqw2sDG1bPOjA/s640/IMG_7389.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't forget your snacks at the robot show</td></tr>
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The Robot Restaurant wasn't the only "interesting" thing that Tokyo had to offer. There is a neighborhood called Akihabara that is full of electronic shops, anime stores and maid cafes. Ya know, maid cafes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fKbq2cdPmJLNFn1mNp2tWUmsg0yCHZDqSbwqqKWYnJH0xWjKJKYh2xtrKtkeZYz-JRMRUIPcG90wgPr89mreWT0ciGBjhCHR5frVdT_FgWNgb0s2WpHQ0-vOIWcMy4yAg2h6m2fQKQ/s1600/maids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="794" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fKbq2cdPmJLNFn1mNp2tWUmsg0yCHZDqSbwqqKWYnJH0xWjKJKYh2xtrKtkeZYz-JRMRUIPcG90wgPr89mreWT0ciGBjhCHR5frVdT_FgWNgb0s2WpHQ0-vOIWcMy4yAg2h6m2fQKQ/s400/maids.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ya know, Maid Cafes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
"Waitresses dressed in maid costumes act as servants, and treat customers as masters (and mistresses) in a private home, rather than as café patrons". Apparently its supposed to be more catering to fantasies of anime watchers than a sexual thing? I dunno. I don't think they really know either.</div>
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And you can also see Mario Kart tours driving around the city.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMdeFMmIi8qgbIb6B5GiuM9a2zF3M57k4owcSaIhXxnkjMibb6yXIPslXiRzpwu1hfLV7gW3pvyBdUgqSwB6WlUz4bBxj-GA7twScmAIJ1hoMGL35O3BgSUUgKDRAew9ceP-xApZDzg/s1600/kart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMdeFMmIi8qgbIb6B5GiuM9a2zF3M57k4owcSaIhXxnkjMibb6yXIPslXiRzpwu1hfLV7gW3pvyBdUgqSwB6WlUz4bBxj-GA7twScmAIJ1hoMGL35O3BgSUUgKDRAew9ceP-xApZDzg/s320/kart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess that's cool?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But the most interesting and modern technology I found in Japan was by the far this device in the bathroom that just makes sounds for you so no one can hear you.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJlch1JM3Aq4oNufR8k2IjER7ltXmlkImK0kBe_vGib8AU9ghUVau3VfJwOyNKzu3LIHDaCeXCcsi6SkQp3cQp0wBTTbHUL-FJFJTPYa-pLx_QKd3cWwi7N6BazxbS9kf3MhK4rSIfQ/s1600/IMG_8412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJlch1JM3Aq4oNufR8k2IjER7ltXmlkImK0kBe_vGib8AU9ghUVau3VfJwOyNKzu3LIHDaCeXCcsi6SkQp3cQp0wBTTbHUL-FJFJTPYa-pLx_QKd3cWwi7N6BazxbS9kf3MhK4rSIfQ/s400/IMG_8412.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future is here everyone</td></tr>
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Another thing Japan had going for it were the parks in Tokyo and Kyoto. Let me tell you, the Japanese sure do know how to put together a Japanese garden (surprise!).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_CykXRPXNUiZYmBcSEIldjXqz0pCd94a-9Bl82A68roCx6iWfxO0kylfCmU3_mWo8sIEirYtBf1csA1vjay_du1oXixXTdRaa4pLQFBVxTVX7jC66sLOjppI8qVyxjhbGKkf9ajKrQ/s1600/IMG_7514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_CykXRPXNUiZYmBcSEIldjXqz0pCd94a-9Bl82A68roCx6iWfxO0kylfCmU3_mWo8sIEirYtBf1csA1vjay_du1oXixXTdRaa4pLQFBVxTVX7jC66sLOjppI8qVyxjhbGKkf9ajKrQ/s400/IMG_7514.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shinjuku Garden in Tokyo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8R9nvd8zX_oMfZvEciWYZEPAFK1g8cvTYg-IMg83tNBLorraMjpjqKlD4hnAT-H2WdWmNknizmwIYDJSjeUClXeJ9TNVXwnh8_TaFg6nT4m4jyA1AoeZchHOas6_3rYQGUfJxamXOw/s1600/IMG_7517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8R9nvd8zX_oMfZvEciWYZEPAFK1g8cvTYg-IMg83tNBLorraMjpjqKlD4hnAT-H2WdWmNknizmwIYDJSjeUClXeJ9TNVXwnh8_TaFg6nT4m4jyA1AoeZchHOas6_3rYQGUfJxamXOw/s640/IMG_7517.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKU6Yr5bnPSLpyMsQ1FhJR6Q9qp2bo6dUpDl4YgZTQ2nWPr4fbVwG8kjKVhri07k0Hx5RYr4FArR11u4QsjIlWbtErSZSLeOhxh0qLYnXUUlNODuP7ZWDNy1khOlsdq888C-O_x8zklw/s1600/IMG_8117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKU6Yr5bnPSLpyMsQ1FhJR6Q9qp2bo6dUpDl4YgZTQ2nWPr4fbVwG8kjKVhri07k0Hx5RYr4FArR11u4QsjIlWbtErSZSLeOhxh0qLYnXUUlNODuP7ZWDNy1khOlsdq888C-O_x8zklw/s400/IMG_8117.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Garden in Kyoto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w39Tz5q6eT07Rc92Y7xfvlYhQa7xH5CYJsMbApjEwVekgf_CFloELmN7clSj8OCw7nfwrJoLZkVQtBV_nIqJXYhzYzai43uW3nnjSukWtjpZ2DO-60ZFMm9ltiouxLt5IWzV7AfNIw/s1600/IMG_8149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1600" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w39Tz5q6eT07Rc92Y7xfvlYhQa7xH5CYJsMbApjEwVekgf_CFloELmN7clSj8OCw7nfwrJoLZkVQtBV_nIqJXYhzYzai43uW3nnjSukWtjpZ2DO-60ZFMm9ltiouxLt5IWzV7AfNIw/s640/IMG_8149.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyoto</td></tr>
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I was there in March which should be peak cherry blossom time late in the month. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way and they came late so we never got to see them in full bloom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo</td></tr>
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Another big part of Japan is obviously the food. I'm a huge Chicken Katsu fan (when I'm not being vegetarian) and I ate a lot of it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFE2hECSk9XdlCYfC8m5swB0YF8i5-pdi4CVS53phrCiB9m_ByFICGCKy_dgVQjvfk50Jz6xLJMdz7wK-KA6oW_Vsy2s8SIgWdNIz-q5t8mC_pHjvCPg1QyLJoNqN-t2plg48J3WnJQ/s1600/IMG_7680.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFE2hECSk9XdlCYfC8m5swB0YF8i5-pdi4CVS53phrCiB9m_ByFICGCKy_dgVQjvfk50Jz6xLJMdz7wK-KA6oW_Vsy2s8SIgWdNIz-q5t8mC_pHjvCPg1QyLJoNqN-t2plg48J3WnJQ/s320/IMG_7680.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmm Chicken Katsu</td></tr>
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And the sushi in Japan was ok, but not really that authentic....like the stuff you get at the mall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtdvZbbCunDlYK3ChyVGNFVRCqO8I9ElF9WtMRfOG2G_iBdIaxRbGyN6QLtdy0HQtpU8A_K1Jl4_Gwwog5Jmn3VNC7g3dW9J_roagQCdv-98HAmLu3ygY1mm5K2logRSiB1nT3B1lkw/s1600/IMG_7326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtdvZbbCunDlYK3ChyVGNFVRCqO8I9ElF9WtMRfOG2G_iBdIaxRbGyN6QLtdy0HQtpU8A_K1Jl4_Gwwog5Jmn3VNC7g3dW9J_roagQCdv-98HAmLu3ygY1mm5K2logRSiB1nT3B1lkw/s320/IMG_7326.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Non-authentic sushi in Japan</td></tr>
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But one of my favorite foods was the Okonomiyaki which is like a Japanese pancake cooked right in front of you. Its normally filled with cabbage, pickled ginger, seaweed flakes and a choice of meat, but Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki has a fried egg, udon noodles, corn, cheese, bacon and is covered in a heavy sauce. Like, holy shit. How has that not made it to America yet? Its basically the perfect fat person food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x3OcdcDKsVY4zyXElmYp0FFULL47-S5QS0ctyWXoOFeWp8_lwEiYqKHSWUSYFwgBXADwyFqZlyZTyoCNSI8s0XOlpabJqi03k9tME2CJjy0ZrJKf4D_rX8sXOhd-eRaCSKx8ulWJDQ/s1600/IMG_7723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x3OcdcDKsVY4zyXElmYp0FFULL47-S5QS0ctyWXoOFeWp8_lwEiYqKHSWUSYFwgBXADwyFqZlyZTyoCNSI8s0XOlpabJqi03k9tME2CJjy0ZrJKf4D_rX8sXOhd-eRaCSKx8ulWJDQ/s640/IMG_7723.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking up fat person pancakes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P2OLRqld5a5hyua7xT5U_zeRxRfZjmsHPu4azl4cppt-cPwyXI3UXVllJBJCH9gfUVorbMyjix28EfhRJUFjZqb2KwvHvncFolrkp30T-erH1LTXalELkYdJf4p8TOBFG3VJI_BfNg/s1600/IMG_7982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P2OLRqld5a5hyua7xT5U_zeRxRfZjmsHPu4azl4cppt-cPwyXI3UXVllJBJCH9gfUVorbMyjix28EfhRJUFjZqb2KwvHvncFolrkp30T-erH1LTXalELkYdJf4p8TOBFG3VJI_BfNg/s400/IMG_7982.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abe and I getting fat</td></tr>
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Another highlight of the trip was going skiing in Nagano. I had always heard great things about the skiing in Japan so it was a must for me. However, it was very late season and I went to the most southern ski resort in the country, so the conditions were pretty terrible. Next time I'm headed to Hokkaido! Obviously it was still a blast and I got to share the experience with some of my RY friends awww.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvudvSMi7uCqTqutpwpp7T_nb6lyREYE2XeUe5BXJZ7h2tocg7EC8mZDbl6Umlk9QpuV8QPzGegCoyQK6XIpJWTCvsxT01p7xmUKmNBxnEC1u0Y3ru454V6G6X_OBWnu5e1Fpuhr4l4A/s1600/IMG_7919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvudvSMi7uCqTqutpwpp7T_nb6lyREYE2XeUe5BXJZ7h2tocg7EC8mZDbl6Umlk9QpuV8QPzGegCoyQK6XIpJWTCvsxT01p7xmUKmNBxnEC1u0Y3ru454V6G6X_OBWnu5e1Fpuhr4l4A/s400/IMG_7919.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skiing with the RY crew</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU54f7A-HOmGShKVGqYFd8tWaoFCb5ugnLrVtTcdm7rECZvZ6B2TeaW3fnFQggrd06-4f4JuXxObei0fi-EBq223-5AHN37mmkH_BZzYADBZ0edxZ7wO04iIR60kfjgHYmlFvtFj22A/s1600/IMG_7956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU54f7A-HOmGShKVGqYFd8tWaoFCb5ugnLrVtTcdm7rECZvZ6B2TeaW3fnFQggrd06-4f4JuXxObei0fi-EBq223-5AHN37mmkH_BZzYADBZ0edxZ7wO04iIR60kfjgHYmlFvtFj22A/s640/IMG_7956.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No sleeves Matt lives on in the snow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGWOcZSbZHVys3Sev7TiYYrVx-_r0TtoOxOEANIeKHKqtQJC5bcxkj9N4JcR3UqL0zUjRUe1zwd1VHp4dUiJInXg1FeqHtAsEkK1NoC6dDIpxDHAlI_WXJV2fDhCAk-VfgK8JgmYlIw/s1600/IMG_7776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGWOcZSbZHVys3Sev7TiYYrVx-_r0TtoOxOEANIeKHKqtQJC5bcxkj9N4JcR3UqL0zUjRUe1zwd1VHp4dUiJInXg1FeqHtAsEkK1NoC6dDIpxDHAlI_WXJV2fDhCAk-VfgK8JgmYlIw/s400/IMG_7776.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah, the Olympics were held in Nagano. I skied the downhill course</td></tr>
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Another benefit of going to Nagano was that we got to see snow monkeys. Yeah I said snow monkeys. They live in the snow and hang out in natural hot springs. They are the pimps of the animal kingdom.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwNjpoTI6Hxyr2Irtb1QIFGyBSrsG3G45VsmJBcKoT6lvs0v4wTQGGB6W3NBZ3e29T3UMroLXnkpfeM0StiaQbE1SltjhbGkg0DTQF3BBujwFuTmymGTSN7N2P1AqN77-bzTZxzLhNg/s1600/IMG_7874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwNjpoTI6Hxyr2Irtb1QIFGyBSrsG3G45VsmJBcKoT6lvs0v4wTQGGB6W3NBZ3e29T3UMroLXnkpfeM0StiaQbE1SltjhbGkg0DTQF3BBujwFuTmymGTSN7N2P1AqN77-bzTZxzLhNg/s640/IMG_7874.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow monkeys chillin in the hot tub</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mother and child...in the snow</td></tr>
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One interesting and fun fact that I learned while in Japan was that we had a war with them back in the 1940s. I visited the Yukushun war museum in Tokyo and learned all about it. I had heard the museum was more right wing and nationalistic, but it was still very interesting hearing things from the Japanese side. It showed the letters of one Japanese general talking about how the US was starving the island of resources and they couldn't survive much longer. He claimed they had tried diplomatic means with the US, but the US had cut off communication so they assumed the US would attack soon. He felt the only play was to strike first at Pearl Harbor. Of course he left out the part about all the Japanese aggression in Asia leading up to this point, but it was still a point of view I had never thought of before. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese WW2 fighter plane</td></tr>
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In addition to the war museum in Tokyo, I visited Hiroshima where the first atomic bomb was dropped. It is an unexpectedly (from what I was picturing) normal bustling city. Like, you wouldn't even think an atomic bomb went off here (too soon?). However, they do have an area dedicated to the atomic bomb. It turns out the bomb missed its target (a bridge) by 800 ft and instead went off directly above the domed structure below. Because of science, this one building was able to maintain most of its structure and stands today as a memorial.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The A-bomb Dome</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hiroshima Peace Memorial</td></tr>
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There were a number of people hanging around protesting nuclear weapons and handing out literature and I learned some fun facts about nuclear annihilation close calls that I will share with you.</div>
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An America B-52 bomber flying a training exercise with live nuclear bombs broke up in the air over North Carolina in 1961. The bombs separated from the plane during the break up and "three of the four arming mechanisms on one of the bombs activated, causing it to execute many of the steps needed to arm itself,". Only one mechanism prevented the bomb from detonating which was 250 times the destructive power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. </div>
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During the Cuban missile crisis, a Russian sub lost communication with Moscow and the captain assumed the war had started. In this rare case, because of the type of sub, the three officers aboard all needed to vote in favor of launching a nuclear missile in order to initiate a strike. The second in command officer, Vasili Arkhipov, voted against the launch and eventually convinced the others to hold off until they could get in touch with Moscow. Thank you Vaisili for literally saving the world.</div>
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And there are other similar stories of how the human race came very close to potential extinction through nuclear war. But overall these nuclear weapons seem like a great thing to have lying around.</div>
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Wow, that was exciting. Now lets talk about small things in Japan. They have tiny bars...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJl57ZQV7PUKWpwWIuowLYJDB23FroY_OrJZKda5p2fUv_tSgD7FLw57CvmRzqQcq0zcxDFFIFzDLLYg5HBrLQRbLFk2P8sgPzkibkJO7rfToWD186k2Dma5HPx7ovzHJdbICwKrxDiA/s1600/IMG_7685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJl57ZQV7PUKWpwWIuowLYJDB23FroY_OrJZKda5p2fUv_tSgD7FLw57CvmRzqQcq0zcxDFFIFzDLLYg5HBrLQRbLFk2P8sgPzkibkJO7rfToWD186k2Dma5HPx7ovzHJdbICwKrxDiA/s400/IMG_7685.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the whole bar....literally</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tiny rooms...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_EUPW9l9DEkG8JX1UaZINPyoUyVf8g6kM98YBYgdzumEk59WzUcmIbielP21e6Uprdl338hezYdQz_tDMrHEax_yfhUIlCZ11wYrJIYIighpEB8KjNzUfdWHQrYYZ27mZ8vspxpfoQ/s1600/IMG_8104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_EUPW9l9DEkG8JX1UaZINPyoUyVf8g6kM98YBYgdzumEk59WzUcmIbielP21e6Uprdl338hezYdQz_tDMrHEax_yfhUIlCZ11wYrJIYIighpEB8KjNzUfdWHQrYYZ27mZ8vspxpfoQ/s320/IMG_8104.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pod hotel room in Tokyo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fwDoKUbHrJ3nQw0aowwUx9IWeZva8N9yG5fSl5aRGc1jD2BCjatd4H2ZwZN0rGxd38aS9buBsxmyilQrFOZhbL2hb6B93HqjQAv3PsfeOd2ZafH_eTylmCE4xyUPkkYDlYnmSsh1Zg/s1600/IMG_8103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fwDoKUbHrJ3nQw0aowwUx9IWeZva8N9yG5fSl5aRGc1jD2BCjatd4H2ZwZN0rGxd38aS9buBsxmyilQrFOZhbL2hb6B93HqjQAv3PsfeOd2ZafH_eTylmCE4xyUPkkYDlYnmSsh1Zg/s400/IMG_8103.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Row of pod hotel rooms</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And tiny fish...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbfLvp7QYnUzOFuf0I-fp8ire0B8fZoXs7cQt0NvDXB01tzUzBN7jfk7OARp2fiLPWZFH8Maluz5i26IxWq_NunfytCF-Sl5A4lXRgXGo9BY9dCnn4iHAb5e2AUNe7RflNGDYjvZb0w/s1600/IMG_8457.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbfLvp7QYnUzOFuf0I-fp8ire0B8fZoXs7cQt0NvDXB01tzUzBN7jfk7OARp2fiLPWZFH8Maluz5i26IxWq_NunfytCF-Sl5A4lXRgXGo9BY9dCnn4iHAb5e2AUNe7RflNGDYjvZb0w/s400/IMG_8457.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look how tiny those tuna are</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The tiny tuna were from the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkl76ugjSDJXGhC8UZAssrScuRNaQFr8UzSkuEh85atmeNCyBTGPnbGDrUIuYJ9gjZrikdTSg02tr_JtqRZdNRmx7hZ9YnLBt6YnqItgZbV9z1r-RXMXjQdN53ve658Rkn-Nb6krHIw/s1600/IMG_8463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkl76ugjSDJXGhC8UZAssrScuRNaQFr8UzSkuEh85atmeNCyBTGPnbGDrUIuYJ9gjZrikdTSg02tr_JtqRZdNRmx7hZ9YnLBt6YnqItgZbV9z1r-RXMXjQdN53ve658Rkn-Nb6krHIw/s640/IMG_8463.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish guts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And we'll finish things off by looking at some of the beauty of Japan (I'm so deep).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffY1tYNoTEQ0J8M9VYVI5u-U6M4vZGb4P5FhXnFkwcRZ4WCEsm7byl7EqdynG51nu5NOaLJXCIbvA7R-pqcEIqRsiwXjvfCrUNi74PJFmA1g8kJ1FJhvx2b7EWVC8-fiaoYZk31JUAw/s1600/IMG_8135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffY1tYNoTEQ0J8M9VYVI5u-U6M4vZGb4P5FhXnFkwcRZ4WCEsm7byl7EqdynG51nu5NOaLJXCIbvA7R-pqcEIqRsiwXjvfCrUNi74PJFmA1g8kJ1FJhvx2b7EWVC8-fiaoYZk31JUAw/s640/IMG_8135.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple in Kyoto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JfEn7XSBDkV0xzhBDy5tXP-Kk6tk_TVUJE9Ewgt2YEQkBC9XbKeBf2MZFXAXDS1kD2lTWQ-BmUdtIm5FbGXC9pLljgXGmVz9pPnOEWuKsf6KxhNeTLMYjBehl5AtSkwYpK5zqwbBNQ/s1600/IMG_8183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1116" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JfEn7XSBDkV0xzhBDy5tXP-Kk6tk_TVUJE9Ewgt2YEQkBC9XbKeBf2MZFXAXDS1kD2lTWQ-BmUdtIm5FbGXC9pLljgXGmVz9pPnOEWuKsf6KxhNeTLMYjBehl5AtSkwYpK5zqwbBNQ/s640/IMG_8183.jpg" width="446" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fushimi Inari Torii Gates</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ-tOK8Wdqs8fjczV2jZf3VIBSKndQ0I5omXvedUeNuuj0qqS7axwm4qatqHhzu1DxJsSPPD_DeEI4sVW6X8nwBS80URWylFluIH-T3F50wkQtvLJgWXxTGmMp2C0Vwonl8NrKPMSbw/s1600/IMG_8187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ-tOK8Wdqs8fjczV2jZf3VIBSKndQ0I5omXvedUeNuuj0qqS7axwm4qatqHhzu1DxJsSPPD_DeEI4sVW6X8nwBS80URWylFluIH-T3F50wkQtvLJgWXxTGmMp2C0Vwonl8NrKPMSbw/s320/IMG_8187.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful People</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YRc1Hz_-xcJ0zbn2DQtz4LjvC_PEwM6ERlXcYIPamJvdorB4YIVedi_5pR4et1K5GYhJQJ8u-oxoMS5H9HkTddjaIDkQapPs3UbfLatZFcaHQGFth_R2DTqzb805rbDfDEKs14u2Lw/s1600/IMG_8250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YRc1Hz_-xcJ0zbn2DQtz4LjvC_PEwM6ERlXcYIPamJvdorB4YIVedi_5pR4et1K5GYhJQJ8u-oxoMS5H9HkTddjaIDkQapPs3UbfLatZFcaHQGFth_R2DTqzb805rbDfDEKs14u2Lw/s640/IMG_8250.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bamboo Forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqHClwc-91n6o7xGtuwPPEUhA4MsHcr0FPUW5AuRwkcNGFlFhLK0AmkKydrGqRvN4HrF19ACEx9-FUS4jKNk7VIBSFimnlwVf42svY27ctJxOQVTi7gVf41UM1fJu1N0YZOcasnUYgQ/s1600/IMG_8279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqHClwc-91n6o7xGtuwPPEUhA4MsHcr0FPUW5AuRwkcNGFlFhLK0AmkKydrGqRvN4HrF19ACEx9-FUS4jKNk7VIBSFimnlwVf42svY27ctJxOQVTi7gVf41UM1fJu1N0YZOcasnUYgQ/s400/IMG_8279.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephen the Monkey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Lkq-15kbtDIYHoJlMwkf_h88PZ76F2WcDFN23rQibBb4zDtGy8oZHfVmHjqu4HJv1zbtCzKmMcNBxeX-sdTdoHgnl0zKA0pXgCvy1cLRGcf-q8hNXU4acwp6OFuorTL72maUeMppUA/s1600/IMG_8314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Lkq-15kbtDIYHoJlMwkf_h88PZ76F2WcDFN23rQibBb4zDtGy8oZHfVmHjqu4HJv1zbtCzKmMcNBxeX-sdTdoHgnl0zKA0pXgCvy1cLRGcf-q8hNXU4acwp6OFuorTL72maUeMppUA/s320/IMG_8314.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyoto Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjNK_g4Ffc9Z_QTP8MjNDgO6CU6CxqdN_NGMaq338qXvKOYPPA5q78tIHDfQOJHK0f8nXAC5l0WSqNAgymuKm3nJpRO8M2KL7qoXartV02lDYl0oP-uSmgy8UY2YUgukmkXkILHVT1A/s1600/IMG_8395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjNK_g4Ffc9Z_QTP8MjNDgO6CU6CxqdN_NGMaq338qXvKOYPPA5q78tIHDfQOJHK0f8nXAC5l0WSqNAgymuKm3nJpRO8M2KL7qoXartV02lDYl0oP-uSmgy8UY2YUgukmkXkILHVT1A/s400/IMG_8395.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sensoji Pagoda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWai6StNxnR0i6sXkFrWWrqMFJ5bU2pyuSFPc4F41zDLU0tj9Alehxl3kikKzMqg2ph31QCpB0Lz-S1i8boqlQJOFmhOLJlZCXAYm70PJImrbjzi6Q7C1PVty6NeYjOQzrCs15VMF3lQ/s1600/IMG_8390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWai6StNxnR0i6sXkFrWWrqMFJ5bU2pyuSFPc4F41zDLU0tj9Alehxl3kikKzMqg2ph31QCpB0Lz-S1i8boqlQJOFmhOLJlZCXAYm70PJImrbjzi6Q7C1PVty6NeYjOQzrCs15VMF3lQ/s640/IMG_8390.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sensoji Pagoda by night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IQB83SeL_9ctIGmI1Kgd3-li4eBAf3MjhoTwn-FwOA26m4ZgvnmGNjl1vPMeuCnAjWhBTv6bKCh6aqLbZcU4ABXWGNXp_Xao_aICgA6Vh4CILYxOCVNEZAU90vulIh200VefPd1scA/s1600/IMG_8049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IQB83SeL_9ctIGmI1Kgd3-li4eBAf3MjhoTwn-FwOA26m4ZgvnmGNjl1vPMeuCnAjWhBTv6bKCh6aqLbZcU4ABXWGNXp_Xao_aICgA6Vh4CILYxOCVNEZAU90vulIh200VefPd1scA/s640/IMG_8049.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torii</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Wasn't that nice?</div>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 26 - Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali), Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Korea, Japan</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-23322243215180996802018-02-28T19:53:00.001-05:002018-02-28T19:53:53.598-05:00Vietnamable<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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And just like that, it was the last month of my Remote Year journey ('that' in this case refers to eleven months of traveling the world). So many emotions. So many fears. Real life? 😱</div>
<div>
<br />
Throughout the trip, people referred to things (or people) that they had to take advantage of before the end of the trip as "Vietnamable". Well Vietnam knew we were coming because the first day there, I found this sign.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iN6U6_-UVeE69d4FdtDyiTmUCAZ7uq4oahZQ_U_O4ICl2K0b0qqhCNVMvDvePZr_B6KZ8XXb0hZuffEHH3y1zT4B-bV-gnrrV7g73bbOKiip-8nc6XlPrj6uHPr1uO64QT3fy-c3Iw/s1600/IMG_5668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1317" data-original-width="1600" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iN6U6_-UVeE69d4FdtDyiTmUCAZ7uq4oahZQ_U_O4ICl2K0b0qqhCNVMvDvePZr_B6KZ8XXb0hZuffEHH3y1zT4B-bV-gnrrV7g73bbOKiip-8nc6XlPrj6uHPr1uO64QT3fy-c3Iw/s400/IMG_5668.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So Vietnamable</td></tr>
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We actually arrived in Ho Chi Mihn City during the Vietnamese new year known as Tết (the ^ is silent). And this meant the city was absolutely deserted. This is normally an insanely populated city bursting at the seams with motobikes (lets all take a moment to picture something bursting at the seams with motorbikes), but during Tết, many a person leaves the city and so it was actually pretty calm.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8B59k1QVNcNbqltZvuV3V9awFAi6AuQMvflQOKt8ftrmUf8y6y90xUBc2XyWbhFZvY8zjQk3ypPX1fWYus6FikNGG7U9fUoYBruH-BGq4UbTcVvnNsJbegk3b-lPqbB4K8iDp5vOb3A/s1600/IMG_5734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="1600" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8B59k1QVNcNbqltZvuV3V9awFAi6AuQMvflQOKt8ftrmUf8y6y90xUBc2XyWbhFZvY8zjQk3ypPX1fWYus6FikNGG7U9fUoYBruH-BGq4UbTcVvnNsJbegk3b-lPqbB4K8iDp5vOb3A/s400/IMG_5734.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So tranquil during Tết</td></tr>
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And I'm not sure if it was the holiday or that they just discovered miracle grow, but there was an insane number of flowers in the city.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9FOrRL_zV2N54lyHkc449ohy_5nm6avrGv0f35i4-9JeDIY2hlgf5Bh5MQUSn6Mjg_lOnPxWCwee-KuIalsMgOKPd6h5S-J95pfTgmq6cv4yzGCaGgb4ZFw6GeGXBbQmo328JnM9_A/s1600/IMG_5699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9FOrRL_zV2N54lyHkc449ohy_5nm6avrGv0f35i4-9JeDIY2hlgf5Bh5MQUSn6Mjg_lOnPxWCwee-KuIalsMgOKPd6h5S-J95pfTgmq6cv4yzGCaGgb4ZFw6GeGXBbQmo328JnM9_A/s400/IMG_5699.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The streets are alive with the sound of flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_9KTUaDZ6a9OCEl0HreVL8jkIi12ZkvK0zJWP_rmoYrwOO-IIZN9diDdPdDIUTsXnVeCvPgQNHgF_4UB1lQJwYzO_MKI-rr_AS3sHOPrQ7V6LzSYpAQsIlbEOVaMivN_YzcYGBAiag/s1600/IMG_5700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_9KTUaDZ6a9OCEl0HreVL8jkIi12ZkvK0zJWP_rmoYrwOO-IIZN9diDdPdDIUTsXnVeCvPgQNHgF_4UB1lQJwYzO_MKI-rr_AS3sHOPrQ7V6LzSYpAQsIlbEOVaMivN_YzcYGBAiag/s640/IMG_5700.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We love flowers, yes we do</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The flowers are as tall as that building (yes they have tall buildings in Vietnam)</td></tr>
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Speaking of motorbikes (were we speaking of motorbikes? I thought we were speaking about flowers), they're existence really stood out in Vietnam. Obviously they are very popular all over Asia, but they are like Popular (capital P) in Vietnam. I think Ho Chi Minh had the craziest driving of all the countries we visited (but still does not compare to India). You would hit six way intersections where everyone was going through at the same time basically just weaving through each other. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Matt! Stop taking photos at night!</td></tr>
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If you are trying to cross the street and you wait for the motorbikes to pass, you will literally wait forever (no, really, we still have someone from the trip trying to get to the airport because they are waiting to cross the street). At the same time, however, you can close your eyes and walk across the street and never get hit (my lawyer tells me I'm not liable if you try this and die). Everyone is so used to just weaving around people and things.</div>
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And now a video of motorbikes:</div>
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But the best part about motorbikes is the UberMoto. It is much faster (and cheaper) to take Uber with a motorbike rather than a Car. You can get anywhere in the city for under a dollar. Plus, it's always exciting.</div>
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I dont understand why motorbikes aren't more popular in the US. They take up much less space, are cheaper and can get around much quicker in traffic. I'm taking a stand right now. We're bringing motorbikes to the US.</div>
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But enough about motorbikes. Ho Chi Minh city is more than motorbikes....it also had other things and stuff and such as well.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp3-2XqR3tB15zqJsUcXvlDQfHs5aYBmoI4EP3HwJX2Ow_J-18ktM28no7wgFdWIIJAZOHYgods_PT8NLO0fbsfizDXFbm77etna24XICpL7FEp6ZAftXpmNa4VdRR0wV3Gsz6_agNA/s1600/IMG_6969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp3-2XqR3tB15zqJsUcXvlDQfHs5aYBmoI4EP3HwJX2Ow_J-18ktM28no7wgFdWIIJAZOHYgods_PT8NLO0fbsfizDXFbm77etna24XICpL7FEp6ZAftXpmNa4VdRR0wV3Gsz6_agNA/s400/IMG_6969.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The famed Lunch Lady (as seen on Anthony Bourdain....so I'm told)</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zRKcxxneQ3rjbYaxoKBcqMOkQ88Ta_iIG9X4-7JKXc9d1XESpQAhQWK5NKtJhRhdZU_Gc9y3wBIhTZeE_wCkUCq1z5RI3Jbfo1CS6ZoYb9ZVwgbGqoqjai3d6qbcelGchdIi5ftuKg/s1600/IMG_7004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zRKcxxneQ3rjbYaxoKBcqMOkQ88Ta_iIG9X4-7JKXc9d1XESpQAhQWK5NKtJhRhdZU_Gc9y3wBIhTZeE_wCkUCq1z5RI3Jbfo1CS6ZoYb9ZVwgbGqoqjai3d6qbcelGchdIi5ftuKg/s640/IMG_7004.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A statue of Ho Chi Minh in a pink shirt</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A river</td></tr>
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Vietnam has more than just cities too, they have also have sand dunes?</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJkMkSP0dSgQeJxf7tEeyW5nzyxkdZkAkRfo6q2Pevx5FUenu0kfWI57CuKHu5eysfVdhGco2lriCXMJZx6d96XjGtzkNtJhsHeYpxxdEvE45UhSme6dOld_z9ZjA9qwQNxl4H32nCg/s1600/Chino_2017_DSC02953+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJkMkSP0dSgQeJxf7tEeyW5nzyxkdZkAkRfo6q2Pevx5FUenu0kfWI57CuKHu5eysfVdhGco2lriCXMJZx6d96XjGtzkNtJhsHeYpxxdEvE45UhSme6dOld_z9ZjA9qwQNxl4H32nCg/s400/Chino_2017_DSC02953+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We call him the mother fucking badass</td></tr>
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And whatever you call this...</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJkHAT8yDmrseYowy_mVq3yF3UE4lnbDPJvT6_ZYZ_WIKxz36XUCTvMS5JFuDDsA_An0_p_TrxgQLa9r7x0de-EAZuvSvN3bE7qiWcq1ViKsN2Ybuw01_9e0DQHVtn9IECbFAHmsj1Q/s1600/IMG_6939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJkHAT8yDmrseYowy_mVq3yF3UE4lnbDPJvT6_ZYZ_WIKxz36XUCTvMS5JFuDDsA_An0_p_TrxgQLa9r7x0de-EAZuvSvN3bE7qiWcq1ViKsN2Ybuw01_9e0DQHVtn9IECbFAHmsj1Q/s640/IMG_6939.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Name that landscape</td></tr>
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And of course coastline<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iT6mzmZtw4PwrT2BhzJcFBOPSzWMHuvvsZH20UK657FnKcheWURa0ukiLshwMVUzV1P4XvIlD9GrWM_xFvTm-udZvmSmTZUtIFdeb9gF-umQ4kVk4knylbbEWBGlS1ePbHuvnf5fyQ/s1600/IMG_6844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iT6mzmZtw4PwrT2BhzJcFBOPSzWMHuvvsZH20UK657FnKcheWURa0ukiLshwMVUzV1P4XvIlD9GrWM_xFvTm-udZvmSmTZUtIFdeb9gF-umQ4kVk4knylbbEWBGlS1ePbHuvnf5fyQ/s640/IMG_6844.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Fishing boats of sorts</td></tr>
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Now, as you may or may not have heard, the US fought a war in Vietnam. Why? I hear its complicated. Being raised in a leftist, socialist leaning family, I had obviously heard a certain version of this war and held certain beliefs. And obviously living in the US, I am pitched a certain narrative. So I was excited to see what I would find on the other side.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Way to get right to heart of things Matt....just go ahead and wear a communist tanktop in front of the Veitnam war museum in Ho Chi Minh City</td></tr>
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The Vietnam war museum was actually right down the street from the apartment building we were staying at, so I visited a couple times just to take it all in. While I obviously don't prescribe heavily to the US government's version of the story, the amount of blatant propaganda throughout the museum bordered on laughable at times. Every single opportunity was taken to insert a defamatory word before the US was discussed.<br />
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But the museum also shows the unspeakable acts committed by the US during the war. There is an entire section devoted to the deformities caused to future generation by agent orange. Intense stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwybkmN2Ks72bYKUT_3W3XU2-XpbhiWB4WAI21SQQycKwqj7w54l5j2LTzVnRfSacy2KsxLBHQzvDFfPKGMhmOSXqbyzw6u90CI84akKdSOVQaXfkafKKLtTkCht7d61AdFMaAs3PGjQ/s1600/IMG_5745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwybkmN2Ks72bYKUT_3W3XU2-XpbhiWB4WAI21SQQycKwqj7w54l5j2LTzVnRfSacy2KsxLBHQzvDFfPKGMhmOSXqbyzw6u90CI84akKdSOVQaXfkafKKLtTkCht7d61AdFMaAs3PGjQ/s640/IMG_5745.JPG" width="532" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's not nice</td></tr>
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I also got the chance to visit the Cu Chi tunnels right outside of the city. They are an immense underground network of tunnels used by the Vietcong throughout the war and the staging point for the Tet offensive. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Intense Cu Chi tunneling</td></tr>
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It was quite a bizarre experience as we had fun popping out of hidden tunnels and posing with tanks...but also realizing that this was a place where incomprehensible acts were committed.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsaYiXVu6ykJ9Ehp6TmYRgbcXK-gFQ6y2KM8YqIGFVIToFxcu9Mhd0pT3K6naN-IiqaBUHQCvPcWKpqehNKdzlP7I1KkJM2HM0afQ912YWeSdBVRuPmYfqzwZmIMEMHzxLBJNg6853Q/s1600/IMG_6040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsaYiXVu6ykJ9Ehp6TmYRgbcXK-gFQ6y2KM8YqIGFVIToFxcu9Mhd0pT3K6naN-IiqaBUHQCvPcWKpqehNKdzlP7I1KkJM2HM0afQ912YWeSdBVRuPmYfqzwZmIMEMHzxLBJNg6853Q/s320/IMG_6040.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">See, war can be fun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpudSZOLT0Xv2j_NiJXjnnZtE7JjPiD2eNocXeQMRnNMkiM0zqnnNUXxAFUYDexvpbcEaAN8sQnqhCbHYS0Kb7F1riVN2K3XdifkejNe3qDXIych1B1ThyphenhyphenSE17coIhC6RrlCGIdY9Dw/s1600/IMG_6078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1600" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpudSZOLT0Xv2j_NiJXjnnZtE7JjPiD2eNocXeQMRnNMkiM0zqnnNUXxAFUYDexvpbcEaAN8sQnqhCbHYS0Kb7F1riVN2K3XdifkejNe3qDXIych1B1ThyphenhyphenSE17coIhC6RrlCGIdY9Dw/s640/IMG_6078.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Remote Year Tank</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Our tour guide only made things more awkward as he was a very flamboyant story teller always smiling and laughing through his descriptions and explanations. At one point, he was telling us about the booby-traps that the Vietcong installed around the tunnel. He laughed about how they were very smart about killing Americans because when you stepped in one spot you would fall into a pit of spikes. And he couldn't contain his excitement telling us about the trap nick named the baby killer where a spike swings up between the Americans' legs. But when you stop for a second....that really happened to people.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01KCsm0NNsl_OicjHJ0ZbzrkYFXaBB7NjFgvh5ZFdoRtCiD6zVfuOYW9OGm3xocEWoE5dInvwirCD5wxr9Fk3Op_AmFHBizzl2vPp4HtGWQ0Lup3Q_jQ6j-lwypiiyklt8scLyWO8dA/s1600/IMG_6043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01KCsm0NNsl_OicjHJ0ZbzrkYFXaBB7NjFgvh5ZFdoRtCiD6zVfuOYW9OGm3xocEWoE5dInvwirCD5wxr9Fk3Op_AmFHBizzl2vPp4HtGWQ0Lup3Q_jQ6j-lwypiiyklt8scLyWO8dA/s400/IMG_6043.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pit of spikes....hilarious</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The tour also had a Vietnam propaganda video from the war telling the stories of the people of the Cu Chi tunnels and the number of Americans that they killed. There was one little girl in particular whose parents were killed by the Americans and so she trained and became "number one American killer".<br />
<br />
It is quite scary to think about being a soldier forced to crawl through the tiniest of tunnels not knowing what traps or people lay ahead of you. Of course, its also quite scary to think of the Vietcong who actually lived in these tunnels which is even more insane.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrG2IrM803VQ29TAHb0OPFreHEQxPPryVMOFWws_Q1Y5RCrOTL7QQA_3YIUc4Uptjt8vWo5zM1OH0Yfdf8Un7Qze1U2OoTKO-G8lLBHYMSOPSMUfJtTJWF5M9bg-ofTZYBHbA4EyZc2g/s1600/IMG_6066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrG2IrM803VQ29TAHb0OPFreHEQxPPryVMOFWws_Q1Y5RCrOTL7QQA_3YIUc4Uptjt8vWo5zM1OH0Yfdf8Un7Qze1U2OoTKO-G8lLBHYMSOPSMUfJtTJWF5M9bg-ofTZYBHbA4EyZc2g/s320/IMG_6066.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The tiniest of tunnels (or maybe Tom there is just a huge guy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Finally, I visited the famed Hanoi Hilton, a prison given its nick name by American POWs (it was not actually a Hilton). John McCain was held here during the war and they still even have his flight suit.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp3AXZkukACpkEnUaGwCpibBB1OS14G3wnfOMW6hIcgRw2JWAOEWIYWilXyMlkEMT5uaBxZ_nckXYRw8YROu9D5sqzSBQhYMkp6MEsuoLoupjEoqsumpOpAp8sBTeEzddbmF9WGgdeA/s1600/IMG_6802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp3AXZkukACpkEnUaGwCpibBB1OS14G3wnfOMW6hIcgRw2JWAOEWIYWilXyMlkEMT5uaBxZ_nckXYRw8YROu9D5sqzSBQhYMkp6MEsuoLoupjEoqsumpOpAp8sBTeEzddbmF9WGgdeA/s400/IMG_6802.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">John McCain was here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Again, a bizarre experience in propaganda. The first half of the museum was dedicated to the French's use of the prison during the Vietnamese revolution. The descriptions spoke of the horrendous conditions and unspeakable torture that the French put the Vietnamese through. The second half of the museum was about the Vietnamese use of the prison for the Americans during the Vietnam war. The descriptions spoke of the wonderful conditions of the prison and how well its inhabitants were treated. There was even a video running of prisoners singing Christmas carols and decorating a Christmas tree....riiiiiight.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mYcVron7v1jwmZaYk0-c0MI25DmP_JnoDmdcCG4wKYUPjA382_H2joFqSjI65bzAAWzAvwzEUnZgpiBrmwyETZcIOk6OE1hK-PTp5Tb0dmZbp7Ab4oYwbMAmJVhaW-5A-E5EMX2vkQ/s1600/IMG_6799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mYcVron7v1jwmZaYk0-c0MI25DmP_JnoDmdcCG4wKYUPjA382_H2joFqSjI65bzAAWzAvwzEUnZgpiBrmwyETZcIOk6OE1hK-PTp5Tb0dmZbp7Ab4oYwbMAmJVhaW-5A-E5EMX2vkQ/s640/IMG_6799.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Look how much fun war prison is in Vietnam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Enough about the war. Let's talk about.....Ha Long Bay.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdIQK4qixl2T0m9DZv1SKzGJTA7zeDOb7Q4s-_UxUmWTbrzmYa1FEFvRefIl3bNq3JG6Stt350AY-s3YX_Lx3ZRieWOf8-Nvr9hxZtMgs6do3rxV8S2n3cW34Aj24AUlSbsnSW3-nng/s1600/IMG_6255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdIQK4qixl2T0m9DZv1SKzGJTA7zeDOb7Q4s-_UxUmWTbrzmYa1FEFvRefIl3bNq3JG6Stt350AY-s3YX_Lx3ZRieWOf8-Nvr9hxZtMgs6do3rxV8S2n3cW34Aj24AUlSbsnSW3-nng/s640/IMG_6255.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ha Long Bay (I'm sure theres a pun to be made there)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Ha Long Bay features thousands of limestone karsts (I may have copied that word from Wikipedia) and isles in various shapes and sizes. I went on a 3 day cruise on a junk ship through the bay with a few people from my Remote Year group.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpp1MFnS3c70XPRIaOksbXn4eCb92gJ8BGiTMjRGAZlu62X1dAsyAFothF7Ee9jlpO-gn4ZtJ5G2J6T1bNLJ8T3xGyNQREHBhbQYFeu0B0n5IYgcu8fDu0MZ3OXUWHJmjZ02lPBm-fw/s1600/IMG_6371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpp1MFnS3c70XPRIaOksbXn4eCb92gJ8BGiTMjRGAZlu62X1dAsyAFothF7Ee9jlpO-gn4ZtJ5G2J6T1bNLJ8T3xGyNQREHBhbQYFeu0B0n5IYgcu8fDu0MZ3OXUWHJmjZ02lPBm-fw/s640/IMG_6371.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Dragon Pearl. She served us well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The days were filled with kayaking, eating Thai food, pearl diving and beach life.<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBEEp9O0tIcVj2yORo9W8Lpjc02cFmHxCv43XQI45Mx3eI1JGB38HfjCgdvfMY0NX3rqLerYCrFu3D_7kgFDLgWmukVGAtf60G9pcTPMnedUpf0FbEXQoAxfdByYBisucxhvdx-IGZg/s1600/IMG_6544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1600" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBEEp9O0tIcVj2yORo9W8Lpjc02cFmHxCv43XQI45Mx3eI1JGB38HfjCgdvfMY0NX3rqLerYCrFu3D_7kgFDLgWmukVGAtf60G9pcTPMnedUpf0FbEXQoAxfdByYBisucxhvdx-IGZg/s400/IMG_6544.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Beach Life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJu0tDtJd4PXD6RyQ7rem4dxYR6S28D2Afpmdq2EkbjHiVimwR-pOoJ2sbSnm6RM9QxQYv8UvAo15Y-0zSbJzDUrukdrz__iuAmhdu9mOQA2WaLdfaWn3t2Dq-XRFW5AQ9NJgheiz5A/s1600/IMG_6291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="1600" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJu0tDtJd4PXD6RyQ7rem4dxYR6S28D2Afpmdq2EkbjHiVimwR-pOoJ2sbSnm6RM9QxQYv8UvAo15Y-0zSbJzDUrukdrz__iuAmhdu9mOQA2WaLdfaWn3t2Dq-XRFW5AQ9NJgheiz5A/s640/IMG_6291.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Kayak Life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1CXusnl0DfgmAfv36D4GaCH8hGGnYAHSjFPM7_8WyHO5X75hV964Flsw5KdfoUa-Tx2l4dYtLVjeAy3Pd7dxYiV_OhAKhvJHzDw8lLW12OwDnmjIQb4teMsianMqMZ_1wPlziEz8mw/s1600/IMG_6785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1CXusnl0DfgmAfv36D4GaCH8hGGnYAHSjFPM7_8WyHO5X75hV964Flsw5KdfoUa-Tx2l4dYtLVjeAy3Pd7dxYiV_OhAKhvJHzDw8lLW12OwDnmjIQb4teMsianMqMZ_1wPlziEz8mw/s640/IMG_6785.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Oyster/Pearl life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVmllHiFBspBQ1R72FxyXxxwNahERKcf2_xrvyHZdRxV_2wbCSjyg7_d-ZCz2CQ4X0r2RAWPskyuE7EUFe2asfOmuLh73b39ASo6SEA1kWX4Y9S8cWQ85LAmIcmHg4KP6fa3GKwy4mg/s1600/IMG_6581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVmllHiFBspBQ1R72FxyXxxwNahERKcf2_xrvyHZdRxV_2wbCSjyg7_d-ZCz2CQ4X0r2RAWPskyuE7EUFe2asfOmuLh73b39ASo6SEA1kWX4Y9S8cWQ85LAmIcmHg4KP6fa3GKwy4mg/s640/IMG_6581.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Island Life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxNv5E_LhtUWeDM5kUlKGLBSapnBTil9DrU3Bqj5E45HPJr4fzh2RZ6LmWdwzk8HW1ZK_7egQ4Yp5HpYJHeAAff5Yp7VxdauCWeRWdmxTqeKAppmrGFtSU1iUqL7yYL5jgTd2LIUiSA/s1600/246x0w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="246" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxNv5E_LhtUWeDM5kUlKGLBSapnBTil9DrU3Bqj5E45HPJr4fzh2RZ6LmWdwzk8HW1ZK_7egQ4Yp5HpYJHeAAff5Yp7VxdauCWeRWdmxTqeKAppmrGFtSU1iUqL7yYL5jgTd2LIUiSA/s200/246x0w.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Thug life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Overall a great trip full of beautiful places and people.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUkF8CP8FQxM39ql0Ftj6Hgh2LScBHDMOZyGTLUozVnm-m-KxUn8Ic4BfC_SumviGFTBin5cugCmxMvZv2ItSwlm-spfBoJZYl775kXAktrob2BGh1Bv0t5TbhXzEvNAd-irSXpTM9Q/s1600/IMG_6573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUkF8CP8FQxM39ql0Ftj6Hgh2LScBHDMOZyGTLUozVnm-m-KxUn8Ic4BfC_SumviGFTBin5cugCmxMvZv2ItSwlm-spfBoJZYl775kXAktrob2BGh1Bv0t5TbhXzEvNAd-irSXpTM9Q/s400/IMG_6573.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Such beautiful people</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFds9jhE4Rb-NownbOFhyphenhyphenGo-OnZJ48ulZAAez4bJGxb6WBbDhaZbiqRaLHXeRYQZxjnGNexqPxTpHRKfaiIXcICVEbbI0oK-X_d2QfJi6bXF34XDM8LYilVg_BXam2ILbKaFx8OA3gOw/s1600/IMG_6586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFds9jhE4Rb-NownbOFhyphenhyphenGo-OnZJ48ulZAAez4bJGxb6WBbDhaZbiqRaLHXeRYQZxjnGNexqPxTpHRKfaiIXcICVEbbI0oK-X_d2QfJi6bXF34XDM8LYilVg_BXam2ILbKaFx8OA3gOw/s640/IMG_6586.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Same same</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lnRDkvt5t-kU-Swa-IYkxGj92YuDqR5AUQokO2WvxIV-evjnk8dlOigSNbWOzY8Wiy6SxHCuy3fPOIRLz8OIbAcsOGJU66vQU9J9wL7EjXYC25eEujdBm7NMy-aXLSK2UgLOWSTNNg/s1600/IMG_6594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lnRDkvt5t-kU-Swa-IYkxGj92YuDqR5AUQokO2WvxIV-evjnk8dlOigSNbWOzY8Wiy6SxHCuy3fPOIRLz8OIbAcsOGJU66vQU9J9wL7EjXYC25eEujdBm7NMy-aXLSK2UgLOWSTNNg/s640/IMG_6594.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">OK Matt, we get it. There were lots of karsts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DMyOzwzRXGC3kovpak5qj-aIiu8CbCd71CCfJPHiHxf1pOCUkRPjlc-NoJ-vg_9I0vdS9XAjI_a9zO0ND3sTnO7X7grCzU3KqT4RfOmNjHvGm4mMzektm0PDnghchyphenhyphenEQyttAvutePQ/s1600/IMG_6739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DMyOzwzRXGC3kovpak5qj-aIiu8CbCd71CCfJPHiHxf1pOCUkRPjlc-NoJ-vg_9I0vdS9XAjI_a9zO0ND3sTnO7X7grCzU3KqT4RfOmNjHvGm4mMzektm0PDnghchyphenhyphenEQyttAvutePQ/s640/IMG_6739.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pirates!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Ha Long Bay is quite near to Hanoi so we were able to stop in for few a days.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfspd_Qeg7BqdTvDBJy4iafVBGT6FjwmBAQNa1Lv_v2GMm2ZWmKsTh6IHLwWODSQaBMk9nMi4bl8o_FtbzjF0uO-_xnglwqwrUxyfw-GfWJqz8UgU3569zDL1bG7v2-MnQe_Pe_iDzKg/s1600/IMG_6098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfspd_Qeg7BqdTvDBJy4iafVBGT6FjwmBAQNa1Lv_v2GMm2ZWmKsTh6IHLwWODSQaBMk9nMi4bl8o_FtbzjF0uO-_xnglwqwrUxyfw-GfWJqz8UgU3569zDL1bG7v2-MnQe_Pe_iDzKg/s400/IMG_6098.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRN2mJV4EnazJnhi6OBya90JWndoU4xhwAlzf8Pu1SetinJZewSsWgjMA3uwYCENLWbzVEdJbmaN7AOLJqxruKAXHHnGN4zQUCf4ZIWLSR9uavbaFkNruhOXjF6twQbDWDGEEemdjtMg/s1600/IMG_6119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRN2mJV4EnazJnhi6OBya90JWndoU4xhwAlzf8Pu1SetinJZewSsWgjMA3uwYCENLWbzVEdJbmaN7AOLJqxruKAXHHnGN4zQUCf4ZIWLSR9uavbaFkNruhOXjF6twQbDWDGEEemdjtMg/s640/IMG_6119.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ho Chi Minh's old stomping grounds</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Lh8kbuA2maZrrRMMCs5yveEOzoWD00LO4HlPv_HnZMftDtUlSfM-8XIDe6GO2XAivHfj5kBp__Kk_21ehMqNOwM6wSIGS6st51VBlio4FaPq7OPEJLgHPLv9BwUspeKoo0C9inZ2yQ/s1600/IMG_6168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Lh8kbuA2maZrrRMMCs5yveEOzoWD00LO4HlPv_HnZMftDtUlSfM-8XIDe6GO2XAivHfj5kBp__Kk_21ehMqNOwM6wSIGS6st51VBlio4FaPq7OPEJLgHPLv9BwUspeKoo0C9inZ2yQ/s640/IMG_6168.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A river in Hanoi</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jnjPisES7iI5PpjAJ5ysFd8v77DCct07-6zbtrwzqfncbPQgURQ0hrympMeRektVoJoKRrXDlEefTBP7SrOQuP97lpSz185NoDL76aI1yO6L8wpnwrrqVhYLyVqGtrS6CRZ2XjpD3g/s1600/IMG_6172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jnjPisES7iI5PpjAJ5ysFd8v77DCct07-6zbtrwzqfncbPQgURQ0hrympMeRektVoJoKRrXDlEefTBP7SrOQuP97lpSz185NoDL76aI1yO6L8wpnwrrqVhYLyVqGtrS6CRZ2XjpD3g/s400/IMG_6172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Real Vietnamese people in Hanoi</td></tr>
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And along the way we found this special Vietnamese liquor with a giant cobra and scorpion inside.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BKxlAv-shpTw9lkJN2F_ZQbdV2X9oPaQTwEC8qY3Gj8ax22FockZYXBl7E0PzltHfGCzcKkVN6emNvSoxXXrX8Yc6ZWxdVd_lMY_5vYhQeW-lJSXr0Y_odRSEMzlFkxTfGMa1w1QLQ/s1600/IMG_6796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BKxlAv-shpTw9lkJN2F_ZQbdV2X9oPaQTwEC8qY3Gj8ax22FockZYXBl7E0PzltHfGCzcKkVN6emNvSoxXXrX8Yc6ZWxdVd_lMY_5vYhQeW-lJSXr0Y_odRSEMzlFkxTfGMa1w1QLQ/s640/IMG_6796.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ummmmmm ok</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And here's some other random pictures....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj-PkMbSj66dEF3SO2_DCZ-9oE-JBriVXmfoD5zI944S-YgqUXjcN7bYzdroMNOy_ZenIjKUqVHypCTETV-AUWWJ9WB_-qG7Xm81h639ue7p2R7vgR1rjdHG4g4bMUvT68jurNUwH3w/s1600/IMG_5879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj-PkMbSj66dEF3SO2_DCZ-9oE-JBriVXmfoD5zI944S-YgqUXjcN7bYzdroMNOy_ZenIjKUqVHypCTETV-AUWWJ9WB_-qG7Xm81h639ue7p2R7vgR1rjdHG4g4bMUvT68jurNUwH3w/s400/IMG_5879.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Vietnamable</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii42rAIPZhhFm00RLCScxEIVDmY-yrhuvBPthyphenhyphenwqPnFT0GLL9gwTKoYNJ88wLc485n590erq4cGbKFv4DEW_VyY-r81Gn4nDHg6HGTu8fUrbCrlA7v0OyDrAc6zKupJRf4TZUMVbxkjQ/s1600/IMG_5937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii42rAIPZhhFm00RLCScxEIVDmY-yrhuvBPthyphenhyphenwqPnFT0GLL9gwTKoYNJ88wLc485n590erq4cGbKFv4DEW_VyY-r81Gn4nDHg6HGTu8fUrbCrlA7v0OyDrAc6zKupJRf4TZUMVbxkjQ/s640/IMG_5937.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art baby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Good stuff.<br />
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Since this is the last post of my actual Remote Year trip, I thought you could get to know the members of my group....with one picture per person from Vietnam (because I'm lazy and didn't want to look back through all my picture). You'll totally feel like you were on the trip with us.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnnZxOfH6zalB0zOED0ylabp_4azGaA1HTcSqvriPhz_CD3v4Xd3q4SkSn5PferpUr-kRPQwNNo6B1OKtdwCPP9toLPAU0rHRbfyTLtW37q3RxhwAyiSZDZXqxN9fXW2TBPKCP-KfnQ/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1375" data-original-width="1600" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnnZxOfH6zalB0zOED0ylabp_4azGaA1HTcSqvriPhz_CD3v4Xd3q4SkSn5PferpUr-kRPQwNNo6B1OKtdwCPP9toLPAU0rHRbfyTLtW37q3RxhwAyiSZDZXqxN9fXW2TBPKCP-KfnQ/s640/IMG_5919.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My Remote Year group</td></tr>
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Jaja. Matt you are so funny.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz3erIztI8tkFGoLeAgBwkOxcsS6FY9dSv1rX9RwtMGOlREDkXbs67K5REHO_EFjEnhrGu2sOlnl1x8zARIVeuLLDtVamIiDC5-abPs3yZVwZjW5cKfZ5gPL1xN9LTMcqIxuPsGi3yQ/s1600/IMG_5903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz3erIztI8tkFGoLeAgBwkOxcsS6FY9dSv1rX9RwtMGOlREDkXbs67K5REHO_EFjEnhrGu2sOlnl1x8zARIVeuLLDtVamIiDC5-abPs3yZVwZjW5cKfZ5gPL1xN9LTMcqIxuPsGi3yQ/s320/IMG_5903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">One of three Adams on the trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2GYY9zMTEcEG7pq2OZBWp3fPEiAMOQRX1cJ5TPVVKcN1HZ8LVhJoeiYuapIFLpLjni-T91Q5DMpkptLoi0nFJCnqTax7EuM8uQH3olptXYokexiNkncCDMGpnt8pq4qHMsviUFT8xw/s1600/IMG_5913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2GYY9zMTEcEG7pq2OZBWp3fPEiAMOQRX1cJ5TPVVKcN1HZ8LVhJoeiYuapIFLpLjni-T91Q5DMpkptLoi0nFJCnqTax7EuM8uQH3olptXYokexiNkncCDMGpnt8pq4qHMsviUFT8xw/s320/IMG_5913.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TYyt7Yc1bgV8u2lO4CyuN1r4MgkxbzqX6twPFpXwde4qLba4F28hHHdyemsMoosPldzgd-Td1JR4TF9QTQqAO8M5nLF4kIoApzfA4-RCb7ytFp13YzRYy4zeSgcwGEL-DdvIXl8IWA/s1600/IMG_5923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TYyt7Yc1bgV8u2lO4CyuN1r4MgkxbzqX6twPFpXwde4qLba4F28hHHdyemsMoosPldzgd-Td1JR4TF9QTQqAO8M5nLF4kIoApzfA4-RCb7ytFp13YzRYy4zeSgcwGEL-DdvIXl8IWA/s320/IMG_5923.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Natalie (from Luxenbourg or some other made up country)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgb6FslSJ_ksMggwCPyxt8yjS75SQaN9OwLH3N2xgkbbb0mtWdnkq_d0p3hQ7AigMNH4P9aimuWYZEW3dbwsF4rQT7wmk-9DRut9F7XlRKdqmC-LLu2vGiM_dJhszJGyhH0iRBPfRsrA/s1600/IMG_5925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgb6FslSJ_ksMggwCPyxt8yjS75SQaN9OwLH3N2xgkbbb0mtWdnkq_d0p3hQ7AigMNH4P9aimuWYZEW3dbwsF4rQT7wmk-9DRut9F7XlRKdqmC-LLu2vGiM_dJhszJGyhH0iRBPfRsrA/s320/IMG_5925.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Heather and Darrin (got engaged on Machu Picchu)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SCaJFd_phyphenhypheni3HVw2njY7kkEqDvBxUjkBM1jr4x_2k0lXtMJRKFGwvZ2mCbWkV2446PD0T7p2fV9-2wcd8miag-BnS93gnOLCkcxzTwB6Hc8-E5qSvDunmuNuroAf_PwJ0rUFptFPIg/s1600/IMG_5926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SCaJFd_phyphenhypheni3HVw2njY7kkEqDvBxUjkBM1jr4x_2k0lXtMJRKFGwvZ2mCbWkV2446PD0T7p2fV9-2wcd8miag-BnS93gnOLCkcxzTwB6Hc8-E5qSvDunmuNuroAf_PwJ0rUFptFPIg/s320/IMG_5926.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Danielle, Brecht and Kelly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9mInKZsi6seQMRVcDxVywMp3tR_HEO9d3HwuFZJHHE3C4hUjQo31zqsJWDqvG4t8O2ikUJa4Z5CT4Uq0BZJ1N_8PoMoSA0DSMmpGjHSnVN-KU90OCcLXZP0LcmeOwbCNy2l-5Oa-eg/s1600/IMG_5930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9mInKZsi6seQMRVcDxVywMp3tR_HEO9d3HwuFZJHHE3C4hUjQo31zqsJWDqvG4t8O2ikUJa4Z5CT4Uq0BZJ1N_8PoMoSA0DSMmpGjHSnVN-KU90OCcLXZP0LcmeOwbCNy2l-5Oa-eg/s320/IMG_5930.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sarah, Tall Jeff and Jess (the photography isn't bad...its just what they look like)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLDvEdHZx41AamZYgtASOFAsOVp4-tn7easiTi4zUlqY-wKxRLmarqAFB8a9oEkUJtd8VLQQRFj9n3_ESaN_VAtsm61u2HM_o9ovdT5s8gXOZF97K6C3UqlI-rbnr2Xs_ReXMsxMkoA/s1600/IMG_5931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLDvEdHZx41AamZYgtASOFAsOVp4-tn7easiTi4zUlqY-wKxRLmarqAFB8a9oEkUJtd8VLQQRFj9n3_ESaN_VAtsm61u2HM_o9ovdT5s8gXOZF97K6C3UqlI-rbnr2Xs_ReXMsxMkoA/s320/IMG_5931.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Abe and Julianne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6kEkhIJowHevTvj1DEaB5SrHztqsZYZYHMfqKH2-LO9W1L1yCUWNT_7QKcexMx1p7IoLPBZDBlPmZWvCAZdf50_cp0l4oMvYv1XZV0Vgzl564NDkKwn-0FSCRKDK_l7R1MUYV2X95w/s1600/IMG_5932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6kEkhIJowHevTvj1DEaB5SrHztqsZYZYHMfqKH2-LO9W1L1yCUWNT_7QKcexMx1p7IoLPBZDBlPmZWvCAZdf50_cp0l4oMvYv1XZV0Vgzl564NDkKwn-0FSCRKDK_l7R1MUYV2X95w/s320/IMG_5932.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Carolyn and Laura</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqEdGwOnQJMV_dVfmbuwSUvtGLVJ9iHME8BPwSkDsuyQb55S0EAje6IHgOFsjshWEpCqIm0JpaH4c_etDTMxjOGBcZ8yxIvbdpOFWrF7q8ziuKVf_jehUatwrIDM92Rw5o-HIdIBLdg/s1600/IMG_5991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqEdGwOnQJMV_dVfmbuwSUvtGLVJ9iHME8BPwSkDsuyQb55S0EAje6IHgOFsjshWEpCqIm0JpaH4c_etDTMxjOGBcZ8yxIvbdpOFWrF7q8ziuKVf_jehUatwrIDM92Rw5o-HIdIBLdg/s320/IMG_5991.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Anabelle and our fearless leader Travis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QPJiCWhHugiDb2H3QNevNd1OJ0I-9IJsmP-_TPsYDRiVT7QCRhNmOoMNocOT4UEF4KWdCozzLlQU0vtGHVrV9WG_4ZeCKgolG92g-KtEyQi-ZKKuQXOCpC2dmtCWYvWIPse1n2ylFw/s1600/IMG_5997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QPJiCWhHugiDb2H3QNevNd1OJ0I-9IJsmP-_TPsYDRiVT7QCRhNmOoMNocOT4UEF4KWdCozzLlQU0vtGHVrV9WG_4ZeCKgolG92g-KtEyQi-ZKKuQXOCpC2dmtCWYvWIPse1n2ylFw/s320/IMG_5997.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Joao (impossible to pronounce his name)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zYxm9yNHCAFrQU7teWhEzK9GZ7_in7l0SI0GIqNUlCPz9F1rEjFJkJKBqGuNuUzcAsQyV9g58eyT7Yyab8DiuY3471HD1xoHr50Cw7lR2q1t9t2nmJW0HJKzIGFqzWWsIo4H0bAPXg/s1600/IMG_5994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zYxm9yNHCAFrQU7teWhEzK9GZ7_in7l0SI0GIqNUlCPz9F1rEjFJkJKBqGuNuUzcAsQyV9g58eyT7Yyab8DiuY3471HD1xoHr50Cw7lR2q1t9t2nmJW0HJKzIGFqzWWsIo4H0bAPXg/s320/IMG_5994.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Derrick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjUUy1edjgBOTYJDAFATW4O3Zmrb0jKpBE_vZzTqyjCzpygM6H3_8OYV9bfMF2yamfyNP_iRWXc7Uh8zbPqySE9CTS84VsUC9o-1q2zh1_9MOHETEPw9Ao_n22wSMcvi0a1XySZSSEQ/s1600/IMG_6002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjUUy1edjgBOTYJDAFATW4O3Zmrb0jKpBE_vZzTqyjCzpygM6H3_8OYV9bfMF2yamfyNP_iRWXc7Uh8zbPqySE9CTS84VsUC9o-1q2zh1_9MOHETEPw9Ao_n22wSMcvi0a1XySZSSEQ/s320/IMG_6002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Liz and Diane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaheQvEIe4xswBUEVcLcAxhGhOJwwADQ1_Zd6LJoLUwadQBThgKBv2So3JxQIAgroKMC8adYjJs58rxC3EJg0_WCwiqk-46eeI8AEmYaqnyYXUqy-mPCArccvBbdY0t-S2Cc4Me7WfQ/s1600/IMG_5938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaheQvEIe4xswBUEVcLcAxhGhOJwwADQ1_Zd6LJoLUwadQBThgKBv2So3JxQIAgroKMC8adYjJs58rxC3EJg0_WCwiqk-46eeI8AEmYaqnyYXUqy-mPCArccvBbdY0t-S2Cc4Me7WfQ/s320/IMG_5938.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Adam flipping off a drone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOOzNiB5zfAlY7DRD50iinHTf5D4R33vJ2DLs7oj3JwnQCxOHQt4tvqZL0S7csnUNvy_FXUCxkQNxbSUbyEoqsKWgc-D4rl73EQT8TaGh1OwOCnGt4kWZPHCWWsqt_BywMH2kce75sA/s1600/IMG_7079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOOzNiB5zfAlY7DRD50iinHTf5D4R33vJ2DLs7oj3JwnQCxOHQt4tvqZL0S7csnUNvy_FXUCxkQNxbSUbyEoqsKWgc-D4rl73EQT8TaGh1OwOCnGt4kWZPHCWWsqt_BywMH2kce75sA/s320/IMG_7079.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lauren (doing our scorpion dance)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXTdc4ZcunszdfMpgs-2FI6uEW7JbbsAjqxWSWgjuNxc3zxIaYaieP4zg19x2Ja_6fUmmua93Og9jNUejTujm0ghtVAn-Leq8X8H1NK8PGKgyNaPzzDq16GAPinnkPStpgjVskyLJsQ/s1600/IMG_7027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXTdc4ZcunszdfMpgs-2FI6uEW7JbbsAjqxWSWgjuNxc3zxIaYaieP4zg19x2Ja_6fUmmua93Og9jNUejTujm0ghtVAn-Leq8X8H1NK8PGKgyNaPzzDq16GAPinnkPStpgjVskyLJsQ/s320/IMG_7027.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Andy and Paige</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJm-zXm7tpM-qJEceV5wgySoA6OyS6ZQ1wsfEo2U85jQIxiOjMsx4k5zKpMrGkAUas4B0qh-TTAfUJrrnThcLKW9RshyOivHHP98qK19nnp7kmzuSIH9rTruidT9nsUdyuMFHBMYa9Q/s1600/IMG_7107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJm-zXm7tpM-qJEceV5wgySoA6OyS6ZQ1wsfEo2U85jQIxiOjMsx4k5zKpMrGkAUas4B0qh-TTAfUJrrnThcLKW9RshyOivHHP98qK19nnp7kmzuSIH9rTruidT9nsUdyuMFHBMYa9Q/s320/IMG_7107.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Abe, Derryl and Jacek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bXjbk1LZ9AeML-iG78w5pfypwoiU_Wz91ynO5hjQlC5_weZ3OJsSR245wl5UiRoD1XTOFnF3zzqQjxdlqMN4iL82e7jMayv5kR4XTLtAn086YfeU8CG-B0U6Ih7dR7R_An4ZD-3fJA/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2017-02-25+at+11.08.16+AM+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bXjbk1LZ9AeML-iG78w5pfypwoiU_Wz91ynO5hjQlC5_weZ3OJsSR245wl5UiRoD1XTOFnF3zzqQjxdlqMN4iL82e7jMayv5kR4XTLtAn086YfeU8CG-B0U6Ih7dR7R_An4ZD-3fJA/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2017-02-25+at+11.08.16+AM+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNu0kyNa4IDZaGp09_bhvercNxz1gALwOEcjxsxP5qa4aD4CtVTithDE9ihk2XnDbvyj0qNkpycnulzlQtpkiCsOOBbnP3YVb0bocx_maJxju9Sib4q5_WyM1QuDCf1AdeT5S3SrKopw/s1600/6fe241c7-b7f1-42b9-ab25-d987be7adf61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1270" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNu0kyNa4IDZaGp09_bhvercNxz1gALwOEcjxsxP5qa4aD4CtVTithDE9ihk2XnDbvyj0qNkpycnulzlQtpkiCsOOBbnP3YVb0bocx_maJxju9Sib4q5_WyM1QuDCf1AdeT5S3SrKopw/s320/6fe241c7-b7f1-42b9-ab25-d987be7adf61.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJcaf0uRtFr4ET2_hlgSU5UtgWQPd0qNOOpOuQRq4cf4GsgYlzErHfSdT7QpsBWIiwHq85S0A8qnzcULwBf5dSVs0H9EpO21kuVHCg78fLHdIcSgogVQ51lI31qieAfnpYU8pgyT1Aw/s1600/987bcc62-4402-4ec9-8291-5c4ceba53899+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1081" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJcaf0uRtFr4ET2_hlgSU5UtgWQPd0qNOOpOuQRq4cf4GsgYlzErHfSdT7QpsBWIiwHq85S0A8qnzcULwBf5dSVs0H9EpO21kuVHCg78fLHdIcSgogVQ51lI31qieAfnpYU8pgyT1Aw/s320/987bcc62-4402-4ec9-8291-5c4ceba53899+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura and Arestia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqKEXYpNvbQ_qwfi2YUlUdGzXoHCxye8bPg3Z6zdBPYlEorT8m_bNrMUBHx4A5-_e54Dirhbao23v3Pvv2x-ds64UMoAaDQiD1NnbsKttVgRTLQdwPshj7aZJ9_Xx9ckZ7k34LfVNmQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+10.31.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="858" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqKEXYpNvbQ_qwfi2YUlUdGzXoHCxye8bPg3Z6zdBPYlEorT8m_bNrMUBHx4A5-_e54Dirhbao23v3Pvv2x-ds64UMoAaDQiD1NnbsKttVgRTLQdwPshj7aZJ9_Xx9ckZ7k34LfVNmQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+10.31.35+PM.png" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other Matt</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC029MoOdWpBvp3L4TPBGusWUkGqpirALlcg57Mz4fLYr6xe7lIDA2MaWiYLK69Z3eG1iMFFiy6SxvIyWm7KUQgZNG48KtGlpPKw8QZBAvu_wIteBgf2SLwssa784a-caYmFhNyg_bnA/s1600/IMG_7138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC029MoOdWpBvp3L4TPBGusWUkGqpirALlcg57Mz4fLYr6xe7lIDA2MaWiYLK69Z3eG1iMFFiy6SxvIyWm7KUQgZNG48KtGlpPKw8QZBAvu_wIteBgf2SLwssa784a-caYmFhNyg_bnA/s320/IMG_7138.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Miranda, Adam Mann, JP</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOksdXQnGcfKx33hXStQGTn0tggMMzyQByKIdWj5oMy57HYbGgPwr5Gq16ctSTN55wpS82Fd8yrsaA507COdluFejTh-eDJEixbEFuM6O-gU0UrVJgWTrbLNvrPsurSRRTjgfCHA2Qg/s1600/IMG_6976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOksdXQnGcfKx33hXStQGTn0tggMMzyQByKIdWj5oMy57HYbGgPwr5Gq16ctSTN55wpS82Fd8yrsaA507COdluFejTh-eDJEixbEFuM6O-gU0UrVJgWTrbLNvrPsurSRRTjgfCHA2Qg/s320/IMG_6976.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Signe and Mike Chino</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSevpynP2xKHSAGAkyFYPpOlwOkb8J3itMeetbUpTXOorawBZQCFYm3xgPqZrbn5CZE5M0uwjNHL3ngjOVUnBi0iKvA6G656XS9MJm5V8YxzsTpfOWXATfq7mOWLF2bln7dOLbtgYkIg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-25+at+2.14.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1498" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSevpynP2xKHSAGAkyFYPpOlwOkb8J3itMeetbUpTXOorawBZQCFYm3xgPqZrbn5CZE5M0uwjNHL3ngjOVUnBi0iKvA6G656XS9MJm5V8YxzsTpfOWXATfq7mOWLF2bln7dOLbtgYkIg/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-02-25+at+2.14.27+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Anhton, Tom Tom and Lauren</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6b0sR5LP18yI5G3RRH-puOOh30ks2ZFI9n56W762yqFTJFhTjTLSKFsoTZ41-8pR5xgfP6Oo6Va-1YNkjSVF_0bMtCKlFUFXUZ23TxyzvrDPx9WQmVXcl52AtkxMKTk8ExbU88CP5ew/s1600/IMG_5998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6b0sR5LP18yI5G3RRH-puOOh30ks2ZFI9n56W762yqFTJFhTjTLSKFsoTZ41-8pR5xgfP6Oo6Va-1YNkjSVF_0bMtCKlFUFXUZ23TxyzvrDPx9WQmVXcl52AtkxMKTk8ExbU88CP5ew/s320/IMG_5998.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Johnson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4snxLJiq0pVliPDYODy4TvulocicEHnKhqX7v3ePhL3F6ycyJ1xWhFACybdvW1jZqGFxtYMeDXAGgKqadJNvT8mxRba53JUnEj4k0OvHizq3P3UhYA1eIae_6CXUa9xOtYe6T1qVow/s1600/IMG_5984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4snxLJiq0pVliPDYODy4TvulocicEHnKhqX7v3ePhL3F6ycyJ1xWhFACybdvW1jZqGFxtYMeDXAGgKqadJNvT8mxRba53JUnEj4k0OvHizq3P3UhYA1eIae_6CXUa9xOtYe6T1qVow/s320/IMG_5984.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our mother...SamTom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mike, JB and Miranda</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Max, Brecht and Zoe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Casey, Lindsay and Charles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Krista (showing off the amazing year book she made for the group)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sam and Sam</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Carolyn and Kate</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Melissa, Leah, Miranda, Adam</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick aka Patricia aka Patty Pat Pat</td></tr>
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Wow. Don't you feel like you're one of us now? One of us! One of us!</div>
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Note: those were the people that finished the trip. About 20 dropped along the way...they couldn't hack it. And I really hope I didn't forget anyone 😬</div>
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So how the hell do you wrap up a year traveling the world? Well we had many goodbye events. The entire group went on a trip to a town on the coast called Mui Ne and had a goodbye rager.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Goodbye camp fire</td></tr>
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Then on the very last day, Travis and Sam set up a special day and night full of laughter and hugs and nostalgia and tears and it all ended in the most American way possible.....we all went to McDonalds at 3AM.<br />
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And then it was time to say goodbye.</div>
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What can I possibly say to sum up the year? Well, I will quote the great Matt Levin from his Facebook post from one year ago.<br />
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Over the last 365 days I touched 4 continents, visited 24 countries, ice climbed a glacier in Patagonia, chugged beer at Oktoberfest, hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, lost 7 pairs of sun glasses, took a 3 day cruise in ha long bay Vietnam, stayed in a $400/night hotel with an infinity pool on the 50th floor in Singapore, saw the shell of the city that is Doha Qatar, surfed in Lima, played polo on a horse in Buenos Aires, ran half marathons on two continents, killed a man (jk), learned to tango in Argentia, saw one of the world's top 3 most intense soccer rivalries in Belgrade, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace, hunted anacondas in the Amazon, road a gondola through Venice, saw Kuala Lumpur from the top of the Petronas towers, skinny dipped on Thanksgiving in the ocean in Bali, drove a scooter 5 hours from Changmai to Pai thailand, had a laptop and passport stolen, took pictures with 34 monkeys, rang in the new year at a full moon party (the real one) in Thailand, survived biking death road in Bolivia, saw the inside of the Segrada Familia which I now consider the most impressive place I've ever been, watched Andy Murray win a semi finals match from the hill at Wimbledon, learned how to pour a proper beer at both the Stella factory in Belgium and the Guiness factory in Dublin, hiked a rainbow...mountain, went to a music festival inside a castle in Belgrade, added a tattoo, yoga'ed for the first time in Bali, licked salt from the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, went on a lot of Tinder dates, looked down on Grenada, Spain from the Alhambra, surfed in Bali, ate a guinea pig, ate a tarantula...leg, saw the sunrise at Angkor Wat, visited the Hanoi Hilton, drank wine on a vineyard in the south of France, purchased 10 tank tops and....did some work (I swear).<br />
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Overshadowing all of this was the unexpected level 3 fun adventures. And most importantly the 50+ people whom I experienced it all with and changed my life. Could not have been a better group of people!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Tramily 4eva</td></tr>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 24 - Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali), Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-89891646797797108592018-01-30T19:31:00.001-05:002018-01-30T19:31:06.589-05:00Even Communists Need to Relax on the Beach Sometimes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Remember that time I went on a trip around the world....like a year ago? Yeah, well I'm still not done writing about it. However, since I just went to Cuba, I've decided to take a break from the big trip and write about this one. Plus, I've had a huge number of requests to write about Cuba. I'm talking at least two or three people told me they'd like to read the Cuba post now. I feel I need to give the people what they want, so here's my trip to Cuba.</div>
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Viva La Revolucion</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Me and Che</td></tr>
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What year did the Cuban revolution begin? </div>
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If you were to guess based on the number of revolution monuments, signs and rhetoric in Cuba....you would think this year. Turns out, it took place between 1953 and 1959 (or if you ask a Cuban, it started in the 1890s when the Cubans fought for their independence from Spain...and the US).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Yeah, we get it Fidel...there was a revolution</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Fidel and Che in Revolution Plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">He looks good in those shades</td></tr>
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Long story short....they like to portray that there was a revolution and it was a good thing. But what do the people think about this revolution? Lets go to our man on the street, Matteo Levinstein.</div>
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Matteo, what are you hearing from the people there regarding their thoughts on the revolution?</div>
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Thanks Matt. I'm here on the streets of Havana where the average person in Cuba makes ~$25/month (yes per month). They have a bit of an inverted pyramid system here where more educated knowledge workers (doctors, lawyers, etc.) make much less than bar tenders and taxi drivers because of tips from foreigners (damn foreigners....can I say damn on air?). Apparently, doctors even expect tips because everyone understands that they have no money. I talked to one bike taxi driver for a while who was very well spoken, educated and spoke perfect English. I asked him why he drove a bike taxi (not that there's anything wrong with that) and he said that he could make more money this way. Back to you Matt.</div>
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Great work Matteo, but I have to as, "why does anyone become a doctor if they don't make money?". </div>
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Great question Matt. Literally every single person has asked me this question when I tell them the circumstances. The answer that the bike taxi driver gave was, its because they love doctoring. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The capital building in Havana is 12 feet taller than the US capital building.....but who's counting?</td></tr>
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<br />Well it's safe to say that a lot of the Cuban people are very frustrated by their government. It seems like they support the revolution that overthrew Batista. I guess this should be obvious given that he "suspended the 1940 Constitution and revoked most political liberties. He then aligned with the wealthiest landowners and began to systematically profit from the exploitation of Cuba's commercial interests, by negotiating lucrative relationships with both the American Mafia and with large U.S.-based multinational companies." Go America! But people feel Fidel and his associates quickly became corrupt after taking power, basically becoming the thing they had been fighting against 😱. Seems to happen a lot in Communist countries.</div>
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I'm getting word that Matteo is live with an interview of a real Cuban person.</div>
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That's right Matt. I just bought an ice cream from this very flamboyant gay man. He was very nice, but he is adamant that Communism is the worst word in the world. He pushed very hard that American liberals talk of their idealistic Communist society, but they have never lived the reality and just don't get it. He said that he was hoping to use all the money he was making and get out to country.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Santa Clause</td></tr>
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Harsh stuff. Thanks Matteo.</div>
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The people of Cuba do get a number of things subsidized, including some small amount of food, education through college and healthcare, but it doesn't quite seem like things even out. However, Cuba actually has some of the best healthcare in the world and people travel from all over to see specialists there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Food ration book for Cuban people</td></tr>
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The main reason it doesn't seem to be working out, is because the government doesn't keep up the infrastructure of the country. Everything is crumbling.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Crumbling</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Standard</td></tr>
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There is internet, but its only available if you buy a card and then use hot spots at various hotels which is incredibly slow and blocks many sites (i.e. American news sites). And cars are sooo old. I rode in cars from the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and probably nothing newer. Some of them are nice and are done up for the sake of vintage, but most are still in use because there are no new cars or they are too expensive.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">1950s</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">OK, that's a good one</td></tr>
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But can we take a step back for a moment and talk about the Cuban revolution itself? No? Well I'm going to do it anyways because I have the microphone. </div>
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So, lets start at the beginning. The Castro brothers, Raul and Fidel, created the Castro district in San Francisco in the late 1970s by setting up a series of gay and lesbian night clubs there. What's that? Oh, oh Really? OK, I'm being told that the Castro brothers are actually not related to the Castro district in San Francisco. My mistake (it's lucky I have someone reading this in real time and making corrections for me).</div>
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The Castro brothers, Raul and Fidel, started the revolution with an attack on several military installation on the 26th of July, 1953 (July 26th flags and signs are everywhere in Cuba). This attack failed and they were sent to prison. But our story doesn't end there. After they were let out, they went to Mexico and trained for round two, where they met a doctor by the name of.....Ernesto "Che" Guevara. They took a yacht named Granma (no relation to my Grandma) to Cuba on November 25, 1956, and soon after landing, all but 20 of them were killed. Not a good start. But through guerrilla warfare tactics and some ridiculously lopsided battles (in the Battle of La Plata, 500 military personnel were captured or killed to three from the rebels), the rebels gained power and the US pulled their support of Batista and in January 1958 the rebels took Havana. Batista fled to the Dominican Republic and eventual got asylum in Portugal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Train car from the battle of Santa Clara (Che's big victory)</td></tr>
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Soon after the victory, Castro nationalized basically everything. $25 billion of private property transferred ownership to the government. Worried about the spread of Communism through Latin America, the US relationship with Castro quickly dissolved and an embargo was put in place which has now become the longest-lasting single foreign policy in American history. Hooray! There was also incidents like the Bay of Pigs where the CIA trained a bunch of Cuban exiles to overthrow the government and tried to play it off like it was just a naturally spawning counter-revolution. It was unsuccessful.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Plane shot down during the Bay of Pigs invasion</td></tr>
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It's hard to read, but it says that the corpse of the pilot who was shot down during the Bay of Pigs invasion stayed in Cuba for 19 years because the US never admitted that they were involved in the invasion.</div>
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A large population of Batista supporters ended up in Florida and have a very significant voice in US policy (they support continuing the embargo). There have even been several incidents where they have flown over Cuba and dropped anti-Castro leaflets on the island. In 1996, the Cubans actually shot down two of these planes 😬.</div>
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After the US embargo, Cuba wasn't doing so well since its a small island and no one would trade with them. So, it started taking the help of the Soviet Union. Like a lot of help. Like $35 billion worth of help. And you better believe the Soviet Union kept track of every penny. However, back in 2014, Vladamir Putin, owner of Russia (thats the former Soviet Union), being the nice guy that he is, forgave all but $3.2 billion worth of the debt. Amazing! Sure, Cuba has $3 billion to pay back.</div>
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And the US-Cuba relationship has had all kinds of other fun events...like the Cuban missile crisis where the Cubans asked the Soviet Union to put a nuclear missile on the island to help prevent future invasions by the US similar to the Bay of Pigs. The US didn't like this and somehow worked it out with the Soviet Union.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">History is fun!</td></tr>
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But the good news is, I was able to broker a peace deal with the US, Cuba and Russia. I made friends with both a Russian and a Cuban guy and we took a picture together which I am sending to Donald Trump in the hopes of promoting world peace.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Bringing the world together</td></tr>
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Shortly after this picture was taken, they beat me up, robbed me and left me for dead. Thanks Obama.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidshQBvrj4Ja5mZGR2l1x7nR3p4Yby6sICbgC-EtyXY4aOr-clN8vGSvmayc9tx4y5LUp42GpgvD5I722PMBsGU82DxEKhYyd0vITcXVTqoQHXh-K7ELUpB_WrdNECGpeTLfVLGpdn3w/s1600/IMG_0740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidshQBvrj4Ja5mZGR2l1x7nR3p4Yby6sICbgC-EtyXY4aOr-clN8vGSvmayc9tx4y5LUp42GpgvD5I722PMBsGU82DxEKhYyd0vITcXVTqoQHXh-K7ELUpB_WrdNECGpeTLfVLGpdn3w/s640/IMG_0740.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the museum of the revolution</td></tr>
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But I know what you're asking yourself now. What happened to our story's protagonists? Well, Fidel was president of Cuba until 2011 when he relinquished power to his brother Raul. He died five years later in 2016. Word on the street is that Raul is retiring next year, but nobody knows who is going to replace him. There is much excitement on the streets of Cuba.</div>
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And as for our old friend Che, he wasn't going to stick around Cuba and enjoy the spoils of victory. Well, he stuck around a few years until 1965 and then he decided he wanted to spread the revolutionary gospel to oppressed people of all nations. He went over to Africa and had mixed results getting the people of Congo and Algeria to rise up against their tyrannical governments. Then he went to Bolivia to start a revolution, but was hunted down by the CIA and killed :( </div>
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In my extensive research on the subject, I have heard many versions of this story where Fidel and Che actually had a following out. Fidel wanted power and Che wanted revolution. Fidel was also more of a pragmatist and knew they needed to turn to the Soviet Union for help where as Che didn't want to be beholden to the Soviet Union. Some say Fidel sent Che away to these other countries just to get rid of him. The truth is....a secret which I will not tell you.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLLCipw6M2hu-la1xWLYZzgm8bkOk1fB_6zrh30TObAmXjfEwZD6rQ_gdkPqgXhsccsctnMeqQovIiYWsNFICtCFIfKi1a8XE_VFMBQAUtNp-_YzZmw6c-lX_n9WHLdiOcmDme6sSlQ/s1600/IMG_0755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1517" data-original-width="1600" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLLCipw6M2hu-la1xWLYZzgm8bkOk1fB_6zrh30TObAmXjfEwZD6rQ_gdkPqgXhsccsctnMeqQovIiYWsNFICtCFIfKi1a8XE_VFMBQAUtNp-_YzZmw6c-lX_n9WHLdiOcmDme6sSlQ/s400/IMG_0755.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Che Guevara in disguise with no beard!!!</td></tr>
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Che is the most revered person in Cuba and his picture is synonymous with revolution around the whole world. They even built him a big ol' statue at his mausoleum in Santa Clara, Cuba (should it be "big old"? "big ole"?).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSsVJBT1dArrohTqzGK8QWqfFi9PNFWnoPsgPmO0HkYJAdeCqxfOEo-dVpFvtu3qPfou0V9BzFupd1f1MJDgh2BjoNdJYLPJClWerv0_tOclmRvo4i3nGrSuJ8I-scmHB2NkzQHsBnA/s1600/IMG_0692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSsVJBT1dArrohTqzGK8QWqfFi9PNFWnoPsgPmO0HkYJAdeCqxfOEo-dVpFvtu3qPfou0V9BzFupd1f1MJDgh2BjoNdJYLPJClWerv0_tOclmRvo4i3nGrSuJ8I-scmHB2NkzQHsBnA/s640/IMG_0692.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love Che, yes we do</td></tr>
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Jesus Matt, are you done talking about history and politics yet?</div>
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Yes Matteo, I am. Sorry.</div>
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In Cuba, I also visited a tobacco plantation.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXS1Cc6mOPA22zTKzHijkXyNBECi3yvHpxH1uV7IjOHNHD4yV1b7XzOrStv5W4KK5LKXYTXhz3ThZkP3DLuhlqrld_9l1iLFglhuFg1ZywnM8-yRC4_yFX8P8ELiV11iPmN1gUIYkIQ/s1600/IMG_0264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXS1Cc6mOPA22zTKzHijkXyNBECi3yvHpxH1uV7IjOHNHD4yV1b7XzOrStv5W4KK5LKXYTXhz3ThZkP3DLuhlqrld_9l1iLFglhuFg1ZywnM8-yRC4_yFX8P8ELiV11iPmN1gUIYkIQ/s400/IMG_0264.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Killin it</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwcQd1TFmxdnCDOzgFAlrU3WmzzfltJVwbsV4iphIhhg1pN0C_EGItffHj6wyE6wxQ7PcW0-hd_g4Py4lFbUYR57B2FOhQI64U3NJYpaRuLSIzP22VSneJ0yAt8wLELIfU4sfvDEkTA/s1600/IMG_0257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwcQd1TFmxdnCDOzgFAlrU3WmzzfltJVwbsV4iphIhhg1pN0C_EGItffHj6wyE6wxQ7PcW0-hd_g4Py4lFbUYR57B2FOhQI64U3NJYpaRuLSIzP22VSneJ0yAt8wLELIfU4sfvDEkTA/s320/IMG_0257.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dried tobacco leaves...only the best</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwENywT8RC0yZThHpukax6cqol39kG3csJl0uaFDyieZZJ5FFMND2lwhoGLZPz87-i39X1MLWrsKlDWow6wnkRCrHz6WSoKpyDGu2-0winFMXCAOV9ciVrAW-9gSXeDhuZQ79aMgVJcQ/s1600/IMG_0390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwENywT8RC0yZThHpukax6cqol39kG3csJl0uaFDyieZZJ5FFMND2lwhoGLZPz87-i39X1MLWrsKlDWow6wnkRCrHz6WSoKpyDGu2-0winFMXCAOV9ciVrAW-9gSXeDhuZQ79aMgVJcQ/s400/IMG_0390.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Rollin Rollin Rollin</td></tr>
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I visited that plantation on a horse.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIv-paMOS7r9TWN75dT4A9ItdYJbsv5J-GeyuL8s0YBS0Ro2yEjczBhAX1TSe5WwP4gruiMb8BWrSf8F9ZhbRypeVtuZ6W1eKO3HMaES15QyBQz-imp8i-3ow6YSb3cSXNjeOZpoyow/s1600/IMG_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIv-paMOS7r9TWN75dT4A9ItdYJbsv5J-GeyuL8s0YBS0Ro2yEjczBhAX1TSe5WwP4gruiMb8BWrSf8F9ZhbRypeVtuZ6W1eKO3HMaES15QyBQz-imp8i-3ow6YSb3cSXNjeOZpoyow/s320/IMG_0422.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Thats what a horse looks like</td></tr>
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And I also visited La Floridita; the bar where Hemingway drank lots of daiquiris.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bdmWMKXO1dmukIBNB6iIi25AcGjmaCWSagxfRkGPBlnUr5vuKJAjC9hUmXjQlIMsNDunZekE-pMNKPwJnPEcdF-2mVthD9XjvM4g7TmiAugHVSZSRXGAKjP9Ial-zPBcgu8rbh2Ixg/s1600/IMG_0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bdmWMKXO1dmukIBNB6iIi25AcGjmaCWSagxfRkGPBlnUr5vuKJAjC9hUmXjQlIMsNDunZekE-pMNKPwJnPEcdF-2mVthD9XjvM4g7TmiAugHVSZSRXGAKjP9Ial-zPBcgu8rbh2Ixg/s400/IMG_0128.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hemingway is hangin in the corner (don't worry, he didn't see me take the photo)</td></tr>
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And there was lots of pretty scenery...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHawmOq9aBVE8Xbo9QMvQPhDIhwnBs9l-ZXuv4RdSfofvq3Bd1oUqdWu3Z0gBvG1ifDdjzKc3rB6yfCr7LK3d2afrNZZj-y7pGpn82CVWTCYVsVWTmHn4kzPwpIDBfRAr7S7ESW178kg/s1600/IMG_0666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHawmOq9aBVE8Xbo9QMvQPhDIhwnBs9l-ZXuv4RdSfofvq3Bd1oUqdWu3Z0gBvG1ifDdjzKc3rB6yfCr7LK3d2afrNZZj-y7pGpn82CVWTCYVsVWTmHn4kzPwpIDBfRAr7S7ESW178kg/s640/IMG_0666.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is he thinking about?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V5hXaXcUF-3ajV5slqlDzR3tcDxq_M_JNyq5DVLxu6nIXxtruGhwMRoRJH2sbHxZfWLprtR9W1Q0tMWDBMBwfNpxeTX6wpvt7FGxoHdRdSVEbwnD6f0praPlwrrzkviztRtJDuogJA/s1600/IMG_0324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V5hXaXcUF-3ajV5slqlDzR3tcDxq_M_JNyq5DVLxu6nIXxtruGhwMRoRJH2sbHxZfWLprtR9W1Q0tMWDBMBwfNpxeTX6wpvt7FGxoHdRdSVEbwnD6f0praPlwrrzkviztRtJDuogJA/s640/IMG_0324.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thats a good one</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXzcRakwaHwPOepY5byHKCP2N6Phnyb6WVvAM2mfMFzk4XNcuJD-QMuRqFkqnot-_UqsyiEUgwWx90nXGkYvUjO1cbwJeemz_HPGhdR5MyFkhAKdWwh109btFPc2gCq0PDfdSuPb3aw/s1600/IMG_0807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXzcRakwaHwPOepY5byHKCP2N6Phnyb6WVvAM2mfMFzk4XNcuJD-QMuRqFkqnot-_UqsyiEUgwWx90nXGkYvUjO1cbwJeemz_HPGhdR5MyFkhAKdWwh109btFPc2gCq0PDfdSuPb3aw/s640/IMG_0807.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuba is surrounded by water</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzl18GZgIE1AzDjkSVKq_QiQN5o15u8P1uRH5vTUZM6lpAAWRVGvItOtSunO4r9FHjh0ilN6M-HsnWkPhzlZU1dFQ8ZNtzwKrau9ACHZI8IUm5ddv290lkXX5Iw-ktcGCrUmO7V1BJjg/s1600/IMG_0817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzl18GZgIE1AzDjkSVKq_QiQN5o15u8P1uRH5vTUZM6lpAAWRVGvItOtSunO4r9FHjh0ilN6M-HsnWkPhzlZU1dFQ8ZNtzwKrau9ACHZI8IUm5ddv290lkXX5Iw-ktcGCrUmO7V1BJjg/s640/IMG_0817.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry. There's some nice expensive hotels if you're that type of person...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0To0sEkCn1G4hjUBEsF6cL0W4BihjLW2MO0rDTL_dFgzYuLWSV0f9m0mdZx6OiVreqhd4VjL6ag0UwDpiJ1JM-neRMTusAU4lz4_vKryqHJ5OVXw0fEXwutGnSczJSKDD_KAFcNZKrg/s1600/IMG_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0To0sEkCn1G4hjUBEsF6cL0W4BihjLW2MO0rDTL_dFgzYuLWSV0f9m0mdZx6OiVreqhd4VjL6ag0UwDpiJ1JM-neRMTusAU4lz4_vKryqHJ5OVXw0fEXwutGnSczJSKDD_KAFcNZKrg/s400/IMG_0543.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Communists need to relax on the beach sometimes (Ohhhhhhh he said the name of the post)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHK9hfXSe2Cpht8NB0nBM5hVX89tXnAT91ng4sghC5BvFlrdNI_JRJsx3a1i5KRR07oPheXsi-_4CpPwJZpAbWZpXZzXWaFadB7EZir3nLbe0v4S5f3A4dRA1_syn2i2S5R30Kj2aOw/s1600/IMG_0485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHK9hfXSe2Cpht8NB0nBM5hVX89tXnAT91ng4sghC5BvFlrdNI_JRJsx3a1i5KRR07oPheXsi-_4CpPwJZpAbWZpXZzXWaFadB7EZir3nLbe0v4S5f3A4dRA1_syn2i2S5R30Kj2aOw/s640/IMG_0485.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cienfuegos is full of Neoclassical architecture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTb6cFVDRB6nlWBigQ5QVGp7_eNTNWwQa50eUnf_iLe1TVaCrgIrC8EeYwJ62XUGMuD9QzasOBc84_yHwD9EyzfdB6C1G5n4oO_5vSCX8ViJZuliU9KTdFuECfXLbkRxppaYT_wg4Yw/s1600/IMG_0476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTb6cFVDRB6nlWBigQ5QVGp7_eNTNWwQa50eUnf_iLe1TVaCrgIrC8EeYwJ62XUGMuD9QzasOBc84_yHwD9EyzfdB6C1G5n4oO_5vSCX8ViJZuliU9KTdFuECfXLbkRxppaYT_wg4Yw/s640/IMG_0476.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unexpected</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think they have an arch in every country in the world</td></tr>
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One of the coolest places that I went was in Havana and it was straight out of something you find in hipster Brooklyn....or maybe Burning Man. It was this huge warehouse with about 20 rooms filled with really awesome trippy art, DJs, bands, bars and about 1000 awesome people. It's called Fábrica de Arte Cubano (the art factory).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So this is art...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yikes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damn hippies on their bongos</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some people just like to wear chicken outfits</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesomeness</td></tr>
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The best part of the trip, though, was the people. Both locals and other tourists. This was probably benefitted by the fact that I didn't run into another American the entire time....not a single one. I think most Americans believe that you are no longer allowed to travel to Cuba. It turns out that you are...but its complicated. There were twelve categories that you were allowed to travel under to Cuba (religious, educational, etc.). Under Obama, everyone travelled under....blah blah blah. Bottom line is, they didn't ask me a single question when I returned.</div>
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Oh yeah, but I was talking about the people. So, I stayed in local families' houses that would even cook for me (these are called casa particulares). You can grab these casas through AirBnb or just show up. Since the average salary is $25/month and they can rent a room out for $20/night, there are signs everyone for casas. I was even able to speak some Spanish in these homes (I'm taking classes in NYC...in level 4...NBD). I was also a really nice guy and brought a bunch a thumb drives down to Cuba to give to my casa hosts because they use thumb drives to share movies, music, etc since they have no internet.</div>
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And I met a ton of amazing foreigners travelling through Cuba as well. I originally booked buses between the cities, but the bus stations were such shit shows that I didn't end up taking any of them. Instead, I always took group taxis. And they were full of very international crowds. The first one I took had the Cuban driver, a Greek couple, a French, an Austrian, a Russian, two Germans and me (yes it was a large taxi, but the point is about all the countries represented).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of an international car</td></tr>
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And once we arrived at our destination, these were the people that I would explore, eat and party with.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party!</td></tr>
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And everywhere you go in Cuba has too many mojitos and salsa!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salsa!</td></tr>
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The good news is, I brought back a bunch of cigars. The bad news is, I found out a lot of them are fake. So, if you would like to smoke a fake (or real) Cuban cigar sometime, let me know.</div>
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And I will leave you with this parting thought...no matter where you go in the world, everyone is glued to their phones.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">🙄 Cubans and their cell phones...amirite?</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-2248104321573534842017-11-24T10:39:00.001-05:002018-02-25T19:59:21.254-05:00Wat is This Cambodian Place?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Going into my trip, if there was a place that I knew less about than Bolivia, it was Cambodia (but really I knew less about Bolivia). The other Asian countries which we visited all had something I knew about beforehand. Kuala Lumpur has those towers, Vietnam had that war and Thailand had those ping pong shows...I mean it had those beautiful beaches and nice people smiling all the time. But what did Cambodia have? (keep reading to find out).<br />
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I showed up in Phnom Penh (puh-nawm pen), the Cambodian capital, and went straight to a group lunch with an appetizer of tarantula.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKNSD7HzYqPE0MbzQXN3MKPGv8huX8AEGzauIzVZ27-M7pPX8FWSUumrelxh0qknx4ZpYAXuxtcm62c69Be1H57IvC5A4k7z4IOUWFDLreF-_xDI6ccfgldiPoUwzMWgAq136uRQvPA/s1600/IMG_4849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKNSD7HzYqPE0MbzQXN3MKPGv8huX8AEGzauIzVZ27-M7pPX8FWSUumrelxh0qknx4ZpYAXuxtcm62c69Be1H57IvC5A4k7z4IOUWFDLreF-_xDI6ccfgldiPoUwzMWgAq136uRQvPA/s400/IMG_4849.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The lime is really what brought out the tarantula flavor</td></tr>
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Due to the Khmer Rouge (more about that later) starving millions of people and forcing them into hiding in the Cambodian jungles in the 1970s, tarantulas became a standard meal in Cambodia and they still remain so today.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBmMdXv-pphl9VOWLjVgki1OCCuzuU73w1zi6B6SNsSMEFIe8NBhAwHQiYBKYW08MGYvJ1cPjr4s26kpfIT4z-hdYnduzPRAjWbw-F5M5aGeqv_a3lovrzJfG7Kfel_8sRXaVsBvFTg/s1600/IMG_4860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBmMdXv-pphl9VOWLjVgki1OCCuzuU73w1zi6B6SNsSMEFIe8NBhAwHQiYBKYW08MGYvJ1cPjr4s26kpfIT4z-hdYnduzPRAjWbw-F5M5aGeqv_a3lovrzJfG7Kfel_8sRXaVsBvFTg/s320/IMG_4860.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Is he gonna do it?</td></tr>
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And I ate one! Well I actually only ate the leg of one. It had the consistency of a crab leg, but was actually quite tasty with the pepper sauce provided. However, I could not bring myself to bite into the actual meatball part of the spider. These tarantulas weren't just reserved for fancy restaurants, you could find them piled high for sale at markets throughout the city. And tarantulas weren't the only food that wasn't normally in my everyday diet, I also found these being sold at a street cart vendor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pretty sure they're frogs with various pieces chopped off. Maybe Frog McNuggets?</td></tr>
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Here is a lovely fish market with the fish being prepared right in front of you...and then being left out in the sun.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNuek4W2ujFcoAluzanvGbPz5BYlxApNDhA90jOgKjIWnMw9SiDRY9ZhXgP61KTpa-8NJkLW3h7FeY7dAIH-o-gAJo3WCv7lVnNGvW0OgVcejS3C-rmn7bq5dOsHpYwvPRqwP2SbnHw/s1600/IMG_5056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNuek4W2ujFcoAluzanvGbPz5BYlxApNDhA90jOgKjIWnMw9SiDRY9ZhXgP61KTpa-8NJkLW3h7FeY7dAIH-o-gAJo3WCv7lVnNGvW0OgVcejS3C-rmn7bq5dOsHpYwvPRqwP2SbnHw/s640/IMG_5056.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mmmmmm sun fish (I am not referring to a sunfish here, but rather a fish left in the sun...just wanted to clarify)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Moving on from the Cambodian culinary scene, the country was full of beautiful palaces, monuments and nature.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YatrGSF3shhIRYx2i5VAbXLC_mieY0kPTtiV8w7QAX4QYfHjBe7hqIkzLm9Q_uoENMr0VoMukA1G0EeR6hzeFiQjdXv9PyQ6CClxxGOtroQD2EPoyJ9KURdRxD186agoF-IaRGYn_Q/s1600/IMG_4878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YatrGSF3shhIRYx2i5VAbXLC_mieY0kPTtiV8w7QAX4QYfHjBe7hqIkzLm9Q_uoENMr0VoMukA1G0EeR6hzeFiQjdXv9PyQ6CClxxGOtroQD2EPoyJ9KURdRxD186agoF-IaRGYn_Q/s400/IMG_4878.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The royal palace</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bCYBZKFINrnC6M4gPVJ6eQTPgFAIo5Z0Dk0N50xCXaPUJKeo_GMPSszAlT2QIFhihAsycT8X5gXwjrRxT2EyBGg46AZTGnERA4l-a1PlUYmJnHkR-OJkQK5o9ALeGy6vaDegS9YMWw/s1600/IMG_4897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bCYBZKFINrnC6M4gPVJ6eQTPgFAIo5Z0Dk0N50xCXaPUJKeo_GMPSszAlT2QIFhihAsycT8X5gXwjrRxT2EyBGg46AZTGnERA4l-a1PlUYmJnHkR-OJkQK5o9ALeGy6vaDegS9YMWw/s400/IMG_4897.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Something</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws8a5ZPjE6s1fcqA22yBjffpDatFtpxIvD8akpG2dj6zXUss9O60zItopOScmwPDGNe7jUEpeSALqLEAy3SE3wGc7HQcImmJMos4v4WpL5z6rh2FDwtTenljo30AAeTdez8-Ph90UGg/s1600/IMG_5008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1600" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws8a5ZPjE6s1fcqA22yBjffpDatFtpxIvD8akpG2dj6zXUss9O60zItopOScmwPDGNe7jUEpeSALqLEAy3SE3wGc7HQcImmJMos4v4WpL5z6rh2FDwtTenljo30AAeTdez8-Ph90UGg/s640/IMG_5008.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Wow. What a shot!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cpwhP3LRsFD6TLEY0HKNCuvEkNYUs20Hn-XgzrytbKrYC7ZfkN8ZRy4cyNGLSVqvTuoylfnCSYN7okZYicyiltoYA4oCPgT1FvGFv-qhvFzdqx0pOKxz_8ynSGn4cHRcQo75huwofA/s1600/IMG_5103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cpwhP3LRsFD6TLEY0HKNCuvEkNYUs20Hn-XgzrytbKrYC7ZfkN8ZRy4cyNGLSVqvTuoylfnCSYN7okZYicyiltoYA4oCPgT1FvGFv-qhvFzdqx0pOKxz_8ynSGn4cHRcQo75huwofA/s320/IMG_5103.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Wow, look at the way I made the color of the sky match the flower</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh887-vwSz9UlZl9ZV8UrOgAqRm_GcQuuz0flFaFYNOmDeDMz3vTn_K6SPkF9HYqgr6TCZ_tTFphMj9gMBjKMN6bxuSNCwjlemoazqujutM0SrzhuDFnyM3oxaeUZxBKp49rUJXSUr7Fg/s1600/IMG_4930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh887-vwSz9UlZl9ZV8UrOgAqRm_GcQuuz0flFaFYNOmDeDMz3vTn_K6SPkF9HYqgr6TCZ_tTFphMj9gMBjKMN6bxuSNCwjlemoazqujutM0SrzhuDFnyM3oxaeUZxBKp49rUJXSUr7Fg/s400/IMG_4930.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sunset on the Mekong</td></tr>
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That picture above is of the Mekong river. The very same Mekong river that flows in China (if you heard about that). And let me tell you, it's crystal clear waters make it perfect for swimming.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCk7254jJvHjJW51MA9yp6vOVv32PvEldVb0Joodnby9mo9nGK81J60u4sA8w_UxfUdoAeHEygRPloqd5FtnZL5Bj-XOVuhCyttp0L_lR0Zr3PFMJNRkdQ3UpZvNMjD7WLysU5lZ13g/s1600/IMG_4925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCk7254jJvHjJW51MA9yp6vOVv32PvEldVb0Joodnby9mo9nGK81J60u4sA8w_UxfUdoAeHEygRPloqd5FtnZL5Bj-XOVuhCyttp0L_lR0Zr3PFMJNRkdQ3UpZvNMjD7WLysU5lZ13g/s400/IMG_4925.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The crystal clear waters of the Mekong</td></tr>
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We weren't the only ones taking advantage of its beauty with a refreshing dip; families galore could be found swimming in all its glory.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hqkhlCiupU9gXYJDJ-CBCNg3LtzQU4xzKN5-JtenLVycXoufGEEIMPDJiKTfZ2zJYwV4ZzIG8nf72VO0IkPze3xvoJoGcQbBRnSd4eeubrzwt2IZ8idGOUl9rYQI-z1_jgquUIELEg/s1600/IMG_4947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hqkhlCiupU9gXYJDJ-CBCNg3LtzQU4xzKN5-JtenLVycXoufGEEIMPDJiKTfZ2zJYwV4ZzIG8nf72VO0IkPze3xvoJoGcQbBRnSd4eeubrzwt2IZ8idGOUl9rYQI-z1_jgquUIELEg/s640/IMG_4947.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cambodian children enjoying the Mekong (photo: Johnson Wang)</td></tr>
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Cambodia also has an age old silk weaving tradition. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUZwBWQZNAwOevczzHyNn6TElaFcqsh2tmBQzMT5Mf2_Jl471_F7_oWGbfe06IwvLZvuyNR8QXtFwfFqBCzJg1FlncXCVk5HeB7gEcB9kRw37fJ9zmLanI2wpJX_ky1knKSbcbMphZg/s1600/IMG_4916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUZwBWQZNAwOevczzHyNn6TElaFcqsh2tmBQzMT5Mf2_Jl471_F7_oWGbfe06IwvLZvuyNR8QXtFwfFqBCzJg1FlncXCVk5HeB7gEcB9kRw37fJ9zmLanI2wpJX_ky1knKSbcbMphZg/s400/IMG_4916.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mmmmmm silk worms</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dvTUqknTicLtUco3W2rj_jlfd50TIIt0MV30vpgjjg7-q2otflcEdpZegsRzsCMBmJJRFUbqLi3RLv3KwGkHOn7FHVs7LFd4BKgeh0ZFTvxnOcWnG_cKfbzgArG1NkIsu5dEFJo92Q/s1600/IMG_4919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dvTUqknTicLtUco3W2rj_jlfd50TIIt0MV30vpgjjg7-q2otflcEdpZegsRzsCMBmJJRFUbqLi3RLv3KwGkHOn7FHVs7LFd4BKgeh0ZFTvxnOcWnG_cKfbzgArG1NkIsu5dEFJo92Q/s320/IMG_4919.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mmmmmm silk weaving</td></tr>
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And who hasn't heard of the legendary Cambodian party scene?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVSvdbHmdlWdHeIwU8m15vlB4xL8WwJe2C1C52JNrg9YLzqcpO-uH-yUsPIsRMDATQLxoFQDYvkxR7Eq4-_AKpEuENHJYKebSQPAlKNNQF1qU5gP0WIWAK_SVitir4BwJcruo0Uxfrg/s1600/IMG_5017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVSvdbHmdlWdHeIwU8m15vlB4xL8WwJe2C1C52JNrg9YLzqcpO-uH-yUsPIsRMDATQLxoFQDYvkxR7Eq4-_AKpEuENHJYKebSQPAlKNNQF1qU5gP0WIWAK_SVitir4BwJcruo0Uxfrg/s640/IMG_5017.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Party street in Siem Reap</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj93_OqAJTUpk5kPuJA-pyhq2E3tN5YBn9378XfB34q_za5nUHH83TXnmCwKQZS0vAxAJsDrpATLukLpfagTIeWUCvCs6peVZz8AsmucxeaAKUZLQ1CUTnkRskxfqrGj06xHp0KyvT4g/s1600/42E6E13F-8952-450C-86E4-19A1E1C26442.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj93_OqAJTUpk5kPuJA-pyhq2E3tN5YBn9378XfB34q_za5nUHH83TXnmCwKQZS0vAxAJsDrpATLukLpfagTIeWUCvCs6peVZz8AsmucxeaAKUZLQ1CUTnkRskxfqrGj06xHp0KyvT4g/s640/42E6E13F-8952-450C-86E4-19A1E1C26442.gif" width="360" /></a></div>
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Looks at those Cambodians dance. Who knew?<br />
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Getting around Cambodia is always quite an adventure as your rickshaw driver does not care about the direction of traffic, sidewalks or really anything about traditional western driving rules.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwviTQuh2bVihldTD2vx9UoKWHOUW0TWvcie4fBae4QvFiT4vbf6wG9Ys22XEtvSVyyh6b0kuebWiUFJWB-5qzM0U5Ja9uoCNfkYYh7fz_-ZXsjOF5gg7i4EpHIswh8TTDP7I5XkBJA/s1600/IMG_4945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwviTQuh2bVihldTD2vx9UoKWHOUW0TWvcie4fBae4QvFiT4vbf6wG9Ys22XEtvSVyyh6b0kuebWiUFJWB-5qzM0U5Ja9uoCNfkYYh7fz_-ZXsjOF5gg7i4EpHIswh8TTDP7I5XkBJA/s640/IMG_4945.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our rickshaw couldn't make it up the entire hill so we just stopped in the middle of traffic on a bridge to cool the engine. People used the sidewalk to get around us.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-pP2d8z3U77YGjblY37ReoTJG6qeyBzdu4uFN2BvQiqxppG6KcArvporpnc6vK4672iiS17P3-VcHKBTXDkPuzDC3wrPaaA9VD2aQEC0CWZLBz3W-fX4q3wcZCID0uWsiE1cioE2lA/s1600/IMG_5010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-pP2d8z3U77YGjblY37ReoTJG6qeyBzdu4uFN2BvQiqxppG6KcArvporpnc6vK4672iiS17P3-VcHKBTXDkPuzDC3wrPaaA9VD2aQEC0CWZLBz3W-fX4q3wcZCID0uWsiE1cioE2lA/s320/IMG_5010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrin (you all know Darrin) won a TV in a NYE raffle. We used a rickshaw to drop it off at a charity</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But the thing for which Cambodia is most known (to the western world) is of course Angkor Wat (to my knowledge unrelated to the football player JJ Watt).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSM8VUz9wjDXAmPD8ZOOrCrgyfqSmFltuzClYX20mTn9Em6zxYkz8m-0-Dj-E9B_ffrdo4Pdij69D6QuQZW8Z_yNIXH8F854N9BZxjJHvFEu6zwElI-QPFA2cT_Ah_sjK3HyXlsCt8XA/s1600/IMG_5166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1335" data-original-width="1600" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSM8VUz9wjDXAmPD8ZOOrCrgyfqSmFltuzClYX20mTn9Em6zxYkz8m-0-Dj-E9B_ffrdo4Pdij69D6QuQZW8Z_yNIXH8F854N9BZxjJHvFEu6zwElI-QPFA2cT_Ah_sjK3HyXlsCt8XA/s640/IMG_5166.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Angkor Wat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As I'm sure you're all well aware, "Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres). It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century. Then 900ish years later <b>Matt Levin</b> came and visited it. Then almost an entire year later, he finally wrote a blog post about it because he's lazy and it takes him a really long time to get around to things unfortunately."</div>
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☝ totally real wikipedia entry.</div>
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Enough of the details, lets head inside.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF33fm1-6FfoTkfgcAn6F0Rxn6-H41iCX2thxIbLKH-_z7YN3ZXVTMFo0znVt-YmEMkgH7T1yTIPNMp94CkH2SdNcd1pEqg12DVxfsX-v_k5fRIAWM9uTyykM6ZwZdovx9a8YDAnIVBQ/s1600/IMG_5204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="1600" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF33fm1-6FfoTkfgcAn6F0Rxn6-H41iCX2thxIbLKH-_z7YN3ZXVTMFo0znVt-YmEMkgH7T1yTIPNMp94CkH2SdNcd1pEqg12DVxfsX-v_k5fRIAWM9uTyykM6ZwZdovx9a8YDAnIVBQ/s400/IMG_5204.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cool</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjMK0FuVn5v7vXP1qnBPfoiD4g88vESYQIynITDYiY6MWCf2yUdyw4EYJzyAVLzpfYNCMuC3-cyUhsw0qMbpRzB93Tcu_QrVY2Lo4g5zmJmVBrXlQ0Tfl3WG8j1ziip9tzRtxwlmVZw/s1600/IMG_5196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjMK0FuVn5v7vXP1qnBPfoiD4g88vESYQIynITDYiY6MWCf2yUdyw4EYJzyAVLzpfYNCMuC3-cyUhsw0qMbpRzB93Tcu_QrVY2Lo4g5zmJmVBrXlQ0Tfl3WG8j1ziip9tzRtxwlmVZw/s640/IMG_5196.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Also cool</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeAcVNocFEZj3_oFEJClXK-meglShUw1_j5TZdfdzD3GW65Q1vz2_x1EXjXFrZiauhLS8saae8qZwyUhp-42hz9ogJPCji70bzDP6f-gEf4rVHj2fIkWVZJVvudrqKhzLiCOJLnt_zg/s1600/IMG_5397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeAcVNocFEZj3_oFEJClXK-meglShUw1_j5TZdfdzD3GW65Q1vz2_x1EXjXFrZiauhLS8saae8qZwyUhp-42hz9ogJPCji70bzDP6f-gEf4rVHj2fIkWVZJVvudrqKhzLiCOJLnt_zg/s640/IMG_5397.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">OMG! How cute are we?</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAKFxu_6L2mmRkKYjGgz8-F2On8KD1nPvajK7sfKh9r0Ren2YZg8SydGm3Sc76hrM14UoAhmXPkdmJc3LCDG0tkdmbjAByF8hO9JYtHRZyYHjgTJoZc6SUojEfT_vGe2JiaFVhaW6dQ/s1600/jj.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAKFxu_6L2mmRkKYjGgz8-F2On8KD1nPvajK7sfKh9r0Ren2YZg8SydGm3Sc76hrM14UoAhmXPkdmJc3LCDG0tkdmbjAByF8hO9JYtHRZyYHjgTJoZc6SUojEfT_vGe2JiaFVhaW6dQ/s1600/jj.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I dunno why I think putting JJ Watt here is so funny.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSfR8aBJ4-2vqL4Zn84j7NbeGkcBBS9Hq26EdYdd0NGudjvkrnGATSzEsURren_GyKRhVmcwHsrNKgOZ2tVK26sJ38tVshrVVs4TpZSKgeHdSFuH-Y2KvSgyY7nXid0Jicj_YbJisug/s1600/IMG_5178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="1600" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSfR8aBJ4-2vqL4Zn84j7NbeGkcBBS9Hq26EdYdd0NGudjvkrnGATSzEsURren_GyKRhVmcwHsrNKgOZ2tVK26sJ38tVshrVVs4TpZSKgeHdSFuH-Y2KvSgyY7nXid0Jicj_YbJisug/s400/IMG_5178.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">How could I resist some monk blessings?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0nzAvJoPySjpxZ59MjtEEs0NetMCf6_J04-53rMN_mtXF6g4cBk7H5GwShbjJ4sU7uOzAdn9uCeoyhPTJzVje4sKavIZrbQr-5CwFhIeAl7RkHRBVHeapTZftFzv0X3haSlSCko9ng/s1600/IMG_8361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0nzAvJoPySjpxZ59MjtEEs0NetMCf6_J04-53rMN_mtXF6g4cBk7H5GwShbjJ4sU7uOzAdn9uCeoyhPTJzVje4sKavIZrbQr-5CwFhIeAl7RkHRBVHeapTZftFzv0X3haSlSCko9ng/s640/IMG_8361.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wat the hell is that?</td></tr>
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Angkor Wat isn't the only temple in the area of Siem Reap. If you've seen the movie Tomb Raider then you might recognize the next temple that we visited called Ta Prohm (but probably not because I assume no one has seen Tomb Raider).</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifYJtPK0t6TgB0kHCW1_oQuDgEXnQkCAydIgprhSpPjmgvdTcGDKHu6Xn7dLpyNxnpbXajyNnJKdx9Mfxnqmfg9RMNEBcbLfKb65VPM2wQ3sBeTjLk0UxPA84eutE0nkcuIHlM9izyA/s1600/IMG_5353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifYJtPK0t6TgB0kHCW1_oQuDgEXnQkCAydIgprhSpPjmgvdTcGDKHu6Xn7dLpyNxnpbXajyNnJKdx9Mfxnqmfg9RMNEBcbLfKb65VPM2wQ3sBeTjLk0UxPA84eutE0nkcuIHlM9izyA/s640/IMG_5353.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">As the saying goes...which came first, the building or the tree?</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPnp4vZI-PAwCXItXx7IERjHxgo2SXxwTuk56qrI0svknC1VZSPgAJHgaURGb3NbGA7w8VL3obsqyairbx3s7-lkyWWTDrJzHfNKgXGLrWK4saMaftHt_fvYQqy-4Hi6g2bhIFdvANw/s1600/IMG_5349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPnp4vZI-PAwCXItXx7IERjHxgo2SXxwTuk56qrI0svknC1VZSPgAJHgaURGb3NbGA7w8VL3obsqyairbx3s7-lkyWWTDrJzHfNKgXGLrWK4saMaftHt_fvYQqy-4Hi6g2bhIFdvANw/s400/IMG_5349.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Different building, different tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_b1FvHFE1xNt6wZ0jOBr24GlRIsti18LPruuEWZz1aS31Uq_bi1Z4fbMjBbXz4pHGfXxqb5wLgwZ8KUi9Ygzu1KMLgzessn7g2ktvneFUD6NXk0PzEozulZpqrBRGrMgUSBUC-tP-w/s1600/IMG_5396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_b1FvHFE1xNt6wZ0jOBr24GlRIsti18LPruuEWZz1aS31Uq_bi1Z4fbMjBbXz4pHGfXxqb5wLgwZ8KUi9Ygzu1KMLgzessn7g2ktvneFUD6NXk0PzEozulZpqrBRGrMgUSBUC-tP-w/s400/IMG_5396.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I wasn't allowed in this picture with the tree</td></tr>
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And then Angelina Jolie showed up and was like, these are my trees bitch.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iNi-Mm-hNkBcFqa4HHO5xSo1PfKW_XMHS32DDJ2z6nXC5ch0gBgT7p5PvXBV610EgKCNO4vMw57zPEKrpb01behE1ar6crELvoCkphkBWqUiHGRj9u-nF32bqk-aH4-6d_w7Nf6kVg/s1600/jolie_angkor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iNi-Mm-hNkBcFqa4HHO5xSo1PfKW_XMHS32DDJ2z6nXC5ch0gBgT7p5PvXBV610EgKCNO4vMw57zPEKrpb01behE1ar6crELvoCkphkBWqUiHGRj9u-nF32bqk-aH4-6d_w7Nf6kVg/s400/jolie_angkor.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a drama queen</td></tr>
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It didn't end there. The area around Siem Reap had even more awesome temples. This one I call the Temple of the Faces, but most people call it Angkor Thom (because thats its name).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxWEZhmkCxSraRbbDWA8dxoIOnv2Jsh5dlEcFSxMZpQzVe1rktFZ2EIVoIyuGqyGGylZDhxOP_DBdDdGkmokwgKXF7xhOh7zPSfYKXvuWvsIFvMDTMV0VM3kGMXc8z9svoEuGmztrpw/s1600/IMG_5285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxWEZhmkCxSraRbbDWA8dxoIOnv2Jsh5dlEcFSxMZpQzVe1rktFZ2EIVoIyuGqyGGylZDhxOP_DBdDdGkmokwgKXF7xhOh7zPSfYKXvuWvsIFvMDTMV0VM3kGMXc8z9svoEuGmztrpw/s640/IMG_5285.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of the Faces</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoRZYpJDjut6lhddIuSN0LreteRDkVmByp8rZCzXU6IwfCkXqQZaGw-kBCnVplg9P6dj-0NtigalCVlUODNsHqGzAdLAg_3weNuRTWZ1NW6Or7w_z4wGCIz44ZMs0MeHLWrsE25bgNA/s1600/IMG_5263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoRZYpJDjut6lhddIuSN0LreteRDkVmByp8rZCzXU6IwfCkXqQZaGw-kBCnVplg9P6dj-0NtigalCVlUODNsHqGzAdLAg_3weNuRTWZ1NW6Or7w_z4wGCIz44ZMs0MeHLWrsE25bgNA/s640/IMG_5263.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The face archway leading to Temple of the Faces</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0eONEnL2knZxYplG9YVnznyO6pkrBfO13jIKaufDDdfUEh5-sdtqyFGVdknVcveDvGZ2wqD4PDhMYRRMgML7ugPBjf6ZccnTGm7yVcJWqoaq9TVcHUA35s6SswGYJH6krOfG0tPgDQ/s1600/IMG_5323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0eONEnL2knZxYplG9YVnznyO6pkrBfO13jIKaufDDdfUEh5-sdtqyFGVdknVcveDvGZ2wqD4PDhMYRRMgML7ugPBjf6ZccnTGm7yVcJWqoaq9TVcHUA35s6SswGYJH6krOfG0tPgDQ/s400/IMG_5323.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ba Phuon Temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9aOw7aJZu_uEFmIFMtEO-eqoGpAtbw0sxrnHVwb4h3nU36WilAOosTT286n7OXb3meZyGleA-Be0FPsHEpeNyd_MtBqJmjCT1o1ZKTA9DhUKpJuQN0KtFO_dUNQyaMFSzbdnMNnIvw/s1600/IMG_8417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9aOw7aJZu_uEFmIFMtEO-eqoGpAtbw0sxrnHVwb4h3nU36WilAOosTT286n7OXb3meZyGleA-Be0FPsHEpeNyd_MtBqJmjCT1o1ZKTA9DhUKpJuQN0KtFO_dUNQyaMFSzbdnMNnIvw/s640/IMG_8417.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some reason the Ba Phuon Temple had a framed pictured of me in it....what are the chances?</td></tr>
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After all the excitement of Siem Reap and Angkor Wat (Siem Reap is the town), I needed some alone time to just be with myself and cry. I decided to go on the first solo trip of my remote year journey to a town called Kampot. You've probably heard of Kampot because of their pepper. I mean, you can't go a block in Kep, Cambodia without running into a shack selling crab with Kampot peppercorns, amirite?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZO75eCuqqgjy0DFJ6bLn2FSR4UFk_ShlDiXjIX75hAt6D-LwdqkrCrYGbSKVFThbESYLuHWBnxT7IOrSDJuOIhk1wRgT1gEbW6rGCOuZCL4b9Ev0ZDO1-379mU8oIKXKh-sAHazJsQ/s1600/IMG_5494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZO75eCuqqgjy0DFJ6bLn2FSR4UFk_ShlDiXjIX75hAt6D-LwdqkrCrYGbSKVFThbESYLuHWBnxT7IOrSDJuOIhk1wRgT1gEbW6rGCOuZCL4b9Ev0ZDO1-379mU8oIKXKh-sAHazJsQ/s400/IMG_5494.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how pepper is grown apparently</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Extreme pepper close up</td></tr>
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Kampot is in the southwest corner of Cambodia near the Vietnam border and is neighbored by the coastal town, Kep, known for its seafood....especially its crab. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8Kk02P2nnDJeGVUnUj6FD7FZ8eNHbeIh9f9ROnkUDzfwYprPmAIs-t8DfxyFCVKd832xcqkvnkYG3svSmR2nN3Hfw8TrVf1gVQoFQDiFR2cKL2nEMqwEGN8oC48kDsSbExIiGqdZg/s1600/IMG_5525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8Kk02P2nnDJeGVUnUj6FD7FZ8eNHbeIh9f9ROnkUDzfwYprPmAIs-t8DfxyFCVKd832xcqkvnkYG3svSmR2nN3Hfw8TrVf1gVQoFQDiFR2cKL2nEMqwEGN8oC48kDsSbExIiGqdZg/s400/IMG_5525.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Crab in Kep with Kampot peppercorns</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoJxpib2yneZasn_XOiCsDHy8ISf9IK8fIaZ3U4eASqC1w6yGeqDDgNHo-rkk2VZthf5sdCnwpZeQueCu7auEy6d1NAnu8tKpit929Gi-FK05FsZTXREuJIOBH9M2B-1AKQiI3tkk5g/s1600/IMG_5520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoJxpib2yneZasn_XOiCsDHy8ISf9IK8fIaZ3U4eASqC1w6yGeqDDgNHo-rkk2VZthf5sdCnwpZeQueCu7auEy6d1NAnu8tKpit929Gi-FK05FsZTXREuJIOBH9M2B-1AKQiI3tkk5g/s400/IMG_5520.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Catching crab in Kep</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQwLeqmZS1VZD9IXgu0bAdR5bDFCqe1CAH0KNQZiDZ5r1lIqYfn8gzfBAAfTZro7YZjofApqJZ52KSY-tkBiNGsor44LtqLwRE4-PuoKS2MW769f_e0EhaDnTTpaYb2ruQuIX1ysQ8A/s1600/IMG_5444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQwLeqmZS1VZD9IXgu0bAdR5bDFCqe1CAH0KNQZiDZ5r1lIqYfn8gzfBAAfTZro7YZjofApqJZ52KSY-tkBiNGsor44LtqLwRE4-PuoKS2MW769f_e0EhaDnTTpaYb2ruQuIX1ysQ8A/s640/IMG_5444.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the Kampot expressway</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, through all these amazing experiences in Cambodia, one cannot escape its dark past stemming from the genocide executed by the Khmer Rouge just 40 years ago. Coming into the trip, I had never even heard of the Khmer Rouge nor the 3,000,000 people that died as a result of their rule. My lack of knowledge on this subject (and most others from my trip) was even more disturbing to me as the Khmer Rouge's reign was at least partially caused by the US (as are many of the world's problems). During the Vietnam war, the Vietcong fled into Cambodia to avoid American bombings, so the Americans did the obvious thing; just bomb Cambodia. Apparently the Cambodians were not a fan of this which helped unite the country behind Pol Pot (the leader of the Khmer Rouge) against Lon Nol, the American backed prime minister whom the CIA helped put into power. In 1975, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh and began their rule. What followed was the Cambodian genocide.<br />
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"The Khmer Rouge carried out a radical program that included isolating the country from all foreign influences, closing schools, hospitals, and factories, abolishing banking, finance, and currency, outlawing all religions, confiscating all private property and relocating people from urban areas to collective farms where forced labour was widespread. The purpose of this policy was to turn Cambodians into 'Old People' through agricultural labour."</div>
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"In Phnom Penh and other cities, the Khmer Rouge told residents that they would be moved only about 'two or three kilometers' outside the city and would return in 'two or three days'. The evacuees were sent on long marches to the countryside, which killed thousands of children, elderly people, and sick people."<br />
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"The Khmer Rouge government arrested, tortured, and eventually executed any supposed 'enemies' of the regime including almost everyone with an education, people who understood a foreign language and even people who required glasses (which, according to the regime, meant that they spent too much time reading books instead of working). Ironically, Pol Pot himself was an educated man with a taste for French literature and spoke fluent French. Many artists, including musicians, writers, and filmmakers were executed."</div>
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"The Khmer Rouge established over 150 prisons for political opponents, of which Tuol Sleng is the best known. All but seven of the twenty thousand Tuol Sleng prisoners were executed. Estimates of the total death toll range from 1.7 to 3 million with perhaps half of those deaths being due to executions, and the rest from starvation and disease."</div>
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Most of this is quoted from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge#Life_under_the_Khmer_Rouge" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> and there is plenty more there to read.</div>
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We visited the aforementioned Tuol Sleng prison, known as S21 (Security Prison 21) where a genocide museum has been established.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhq0KTQLL3mSU_PRWDZMjxFCNsKwTBW6rf8Jtgdgxo0SlWOPbhF5xDz4mR75FU3LhYApI0otihbYibU8Pis_JyHQoeg-_pmN14llWg-4Ah2M7DbmV6rBtnkn96SSzdHotDFkgIR-T8xQ/s1600/IMG_5402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhq0KTQLL3mSU_PRWDZMjxFCNsKwTBW6rf8Jtgdgxo0SlWOPbhF5xDz4mR75FU3LhYApI0otihbYibU8Pis_JyHQoeg-_pmN14llWg-4Ah2M7DbmV6rBtnkn96SSzdHotDFkgIR-T8xQ/s400/IMG_5402.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">S21</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cells at S21where prisoners were held up to three months</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsozCbWX_PtuXeM6D04I0nxHQ0LuUMs2PRNp4xCHxumHrn8szrJ-KmH2lFKDfisEw8yfG3aVN-Yn3RmmmDAmLvqUyQ_s-aktkIFqzVzwb4E03J0-Qhk8fJ7DywXfGxk8PLphtskUU62Q/s1600/waterboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsozCbWX_PtuXeM6D04I0nxHQ0LuUMs2PRNp4xCHxumHrn8szrJ-KmH2lFKDfisEw8yfG3aVN-Yn3RmmmDAmLvqUyQ_s-aktkIFqzVzwb4E03J0-Qhk8fJ7DywXfGxk8PLphtskUU62Q/s320/waterboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterboarding torture device</td></tr>
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People were mostly interrogated on pure suspicion until they admitted "wrongdoing" and were forced into naming others. Then the process would repeat. They would then often times be taken to camps known as killing fields. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2bdloGC2AMXK5IXxW0hENi75PPePvTtn74TRmQ_uz4NN17_LlHvZIBYttfHg5V9Hq7DjR9-M3-w7Vnh4DRm6v0SPYD6qlih4YGvUKL-sr1sJHTFZ7yMaYqMlMT2-L8loaGuvfvLYcQ/s1600/IMG_5405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2bdloGC2AMXK5IXxW0hENi75PPePvTtn74TRmQ_uz4NN17_LlHvZIBYttfHg5V9Hq7DjR9-M3-w7Vnh4DRm6v0SPYD6qlih4YGvUKL-sr1sJHTFZ7yMaYqMlMT2-L8loaGuvfvLYcQ/s640/IMG_5405.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mass grave of 450 people at the Killing Fields</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCOLiEeahiAEuy4x-ujvXPbH9Q2KKvDcW_7VfHn4cIVhekbzeScwnJ6IUg2XKsnTdr06XVaNVtbSRWW9kGCPcYZPRybeN__HFtikmjcLwxpvTkhGKmr9cvDJIZKTHttEWiX083d7DbQ/s1600/IMG_5411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCOLiEeahiAEuy4x-ujvXPbH9Q2KKvDcW_7VfHn4cIVhekbzeScwnJ6IUg2XKsnTdr06XVaNVtbSRWW9kGCPcYZPRybeN__HFtikmjcLwxpvTkhGKmr9cvDJIZKTHttEWiX083d7DbQ/s400/IMG_5411.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even today, when it rains, bones from the depths of the Killing Fields will sift to the surface.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooRFMNwZkuxJ0EWg6Hx73mIHtr-EfcdqOKeCqOhXbe6s491s0XWjD7NClIhmBWKDS68h9jOnWbMh2IDBJKZm3mDjurGW0OzaqioLs_m9FoXjYlrdk1nVqbCkK58Lo8f_Ih5KUHbARLg/s1600/IMG_5412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooRFMNwZkuxJ0EWg6Hx73mIHtr-EfcdqOKeCqOhXbe6s491s0XWjD7NClIhmBWKDS68h9jOnWbMh2IDBJKZm3mDjurGW0OzaqioLs_m9FoXjYlrdk1nVqbCkK58Lo8f_Ih5KUHbARLg/s640/IMG_5412.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skulls of Killing Field victims with stickers identifying age, ethnicity and method of execution</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEVGjaSwEQagVdwkSzrG4yYwu9YD1aGrZDKNvQqU_corKwaYmjUUJy67xLo-7ANmj-S8rdu6XX_A04DRjkqVnwndXjUMajss0KAT8VjL4woXdcUPfU8cU48y-Jqf-JQZAYi2TV1NjxQ/s1600/IMG_5414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEVGjaSwEQagVdwkSzrG4yYwu9YD1aGrZDKNvQqU_corKwaYmjUUJy67xLo-7ANmj-S8rdu6XX_A04DRjkqVnwndXjUMajss0KAT8VjL4woXdcUPfU8cU48y-Jqf-JQZAYi2TV1NjxQ/s640/IMG_5414.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtxR_YOU80hpamSoYybolQwNyXZ9f96ZJSozvOsmhNrjIMHTWRk1f8kclIYMjRpGOmAxWQJ3IGOYlP6DIFbbJTxORfKx6FaheNzHmrtQUbg3RIRjIPvkhHb0pqd9W4DqYWI1mAUTziw/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtxR_YOU80hpamSoYybolQwNyXZ9f96ZJSozvOsmhNrjIMHTWRk1f8kclIYMjRpGOmAxWQJ3IGOYlP6DIFbbJTxORfKx6FaheNzHmrtQUbg3RIRjIPvkhHb0pqd9W4DqYWI1mAUTziw/s640/tree.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Killing Tree where executioners smashed the heads of babies</td></tr>
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Seeing the Killing Tree was perhaps the most impactful experience. "A tree in the Cambodian Killing Fields against which children and infants were smashed because their parents were accused of crimes against the Khmer Rouge. It was so the children wouldn't grow up and take revenge for their parents' deaths. Some of the soldiers laughed as they beat the children against the trees, as not laughing could have indicated sympathy, making oneself a target."</div>
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In 1979, the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia, due to border disputes (unrelated to the genocide), ended the rule of the Khmer Rouge and installed a Communist government. However, the Khmer Rouge still remained in power in parts of western Cambodia and the United Nations, knowing of the genocide, voted in favor of supporting the Khmer Rouge minority government over the Communist controlling government. Representatives of the Khmer Rouge were invited and visited the UN headquarters in NY.</div>
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After visiting countries like Vietnam, which suffered devastating conflicts in recent history as well (obviously not on the same scale), it is clear that Cambodia has had a harder time recovering. A major reason for this is that the Khmer Rouge specifically targeted the educated, leaving few with the ability to rebuild the country. Today the country has poor infrastructure and a lot of poverty.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmhh738nzLN8SGbAQb2S9bU3dh3vTftfPDaF0wjfOB6kFqZ-Sm6mgW2psgeAPnBqSfpXW_G3oNBtG3D0IgHC58t39PNV5cgP_pp2IAwPr4dRKPYWI0xdOjZzPO4B5k9jvKjGiiXZOMA/s1600/IMG_5628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1600" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmhh738nzLN8SGbAQb2S9bU3dh3vTftfPDaF0wjfOB6kFqZ-Sm6mgW2psgeAPnBqSfpXW_G3oNBtG3D0IgHC58t39PNV5cgP_pp2IAwPr4dRKPYWI0xdOjZzPO4B5k9jvKjGiiXZOMA/s640/IMG_5628.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A luxury hotel used by few, surrounded by shacks and boats used by many</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodMw-D3PYuoJVIfRBTvMzsoJYuI4euEb0NfGqeFDaHF_3syOaskWfDHO2GMF7IQUv2TKy-zW63IejpPOnlYbeAHJBqSTHWx8YuUqN3p_Pu0JeylRNsa8fV3PCqzpx7ooqECBsmI47vQ/s1600/IMG_5634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodMw-D3PYuoJVIfRBTvMzsoJYuI4euEb0NfGqeFDaHF_3syOaskWfDHO2GMF7IQUv2TKy-zW63IejpPOnlYbeAHJBqSTHWx8YuUqN3p_Pu0JeylRNsa8fV3PCqzpx7ooqECBsmI47vQ/s400/IMG_5634.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The White Building - A well known slum in Phnom Penh</td></tr>
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I obviously spent a lot of time talking about this experience. It was the most impactful experience of my entire year. I cannot believe that this is not taught in American schools and is not common knowledge given America's role and the extent of the genocide. It's also quite frustrating to see the devastation that America has caused around the world in the name of its interests. I also learned that during the Vietnam war, the US "dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions—equal to a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24-hours a day, for 9 years – making Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history." These bombings were mostly unknown to the public and the US never declared war on the Communists in Laos. More ordnance was dropped in Laos than in all of Europe during World War II! 20,000 Laos civilians have been killed since that time by unexploded bombs. Even today, fifty people a year still die from these (mostly children).</div>
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Despite what Cambodia has gone through, I felt that the people were some of the happiest of all the places I visited. We would see children playing naked in dirt, but smiling and waving when they saw us. Children and parents smiled at us as we went by and the kids would always run after our rickshaw's saying 'hi' to us. Perhaps we don't need all our material goods to be happy #deep. One of our city experts in Phnom Penh was this dude Rithy, who is one of the most positive, energetic, inspiring individuals I have ever met. He's helping to move Cambodia forward in technology, entrepreneurship and education. Plus he loves to sing Wonderwall (but doesn't really know the words).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ulxwwYnhipr8lLYb5yAeu0FSRakex-3Dcl_eT77CDbqerV00NWVQOMeOVLnda9S5VexXhrD7JUpcqy0K76-Hx117zY6b3t11bvVIJ50l864CjIRO3NWk_7uOONwHzAiut6gFVgDHbw/s1600/18278113_908452229295237_4138512263410760576_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ulxwwYnhipr8lLYb5yAeu0FSRakex-3Dcl_eT77CDbqerV00NWVQOMeOVLnda9S5VexXhrD7JUpcqy0K76-Hx117zY6b3t11bvVIJ50l864CjIRO3NWk_7uOONwHzAiut6gFVgDHbw/s320/18278113_908452229295237_4138512263410760576_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rithy</td></tr>
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And lets end on a happy note. Cambodia actually has some amazing beaches. A group of us went to the island of Koh Rong for a weekend getaway. In anticipation of everything going right, the phrase "what could Koh Rong" became popular (credit Lauren Gallagher).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life is good</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My crew rollin to the hood (the isolated white-sand beach)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One more for good measure</td></tr>
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And I leave you with a traditional Cambodian dance...boomerang style.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cambodian dance moves</td></tr>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 23 - Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali), Thailand, Cambodia<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-21756744449227982772017-09-05T19:26:00.000-04:002017-09-05T19:26:23.959-04:00A Pun About Ties (land)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Month ten of my journey brought me to Thailand. As I'm sure all my loyal readers (anybody? 👀 ) will remember, I already went to Thailand and wrote a whole <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.com/2015/06/thailand-or-how-i-learned-to-stop.html" target="_blank">post</a> about that amazing trip. Thailand had been my favorite pre Remote Year trip in my entire 32 year old life and so naturally I was pretty psyched to go back as a 33 year old. This trip, however, I was going to the north....to Winterfell (sorry, thats a Game of Throne reference, but you already knew that cause you watch Game of Thrones). </div>
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We rolled into the city of Chang Mai (Winterfell) on a Saturday (we roll into every new city on Saturday, so really this is completely irrelevant) and immediately got into the action with a Muy Thai fight. The members of the group fought each other in a Muy Thai match to the death.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think we know who won this fight....it was me.</td></tr>
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After I killed everyone in my group in the fight, I found a replacement group of people who all had the same names and looked exactly the same as my old group.</div>
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Along with my new group, I quickly followed up the violent damage and death with a meditation session for inner peace.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of us doesn't belong...</td></tr>
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Monk chats are available outside some of the temples in Chiang Mai so that the monks get a chance to practice English and the white heathens get a chance to ask questions about the monks. Then they try to convince you to become a monk, but I told them it would conflict with my strong Jewish beliefs. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many monks</td></tr>
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Chiang Mai has an abundance of two things; temples and coffee shops (sometimes coffee shops in temples....monkachinos...too soon?). The city is a huge digital nomad hub (which I assume is why the monks hang out there) and we met plenty of foreigns living in the city. Despite the abundance of white people, locals still like to laugh and take pictures with us whities. Like after we finished our half marathon.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xx9nib-lYolbZQuehWvPd8OuIL0ymqYpfu3X_O5f_KvicjFr36TIy7JaW-GPV6yWTcNIJXj5u7KmsCYzCoRDgpMmD1mrCEtR1CetN7lk0NGojSMEkzyhaSUOUu-WmXmVVjdx83wWtw/s1600/15492195_10211204888374992_4824378752992369881_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="960" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xx9nib-lYolbZQuehWvPd8OuIL0ymqYpfu3X_O5f_KvicjFr36TIy7JaW-GPV6yWTcNIJXj5u7KmsCYzCoRDgpMmD1mrCEtR1CetN7lk0NGojSMEkzyhaSUOUu-WmXmVVjdx83wWtw/s640/15492195_10211204888374992_4824378752992369881_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running brings people of all races together</td></tr>
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I ran the second half marathon of my trip in Chiang Mai. It gets pretty hot there during the day and the pollution becomes pretty bad from all the motorbikes, so we actually got started around 5AM. I ran, I finished, I took a group picture with some random Asian people.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just like home</td></tr>
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Other than the early start, the race was just like any race back home...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoVyDBsiMSw8q0VRDW9eK6I2_U8nT0vUsJ0cG-JSePnNNVWPAvEhL7JBLFYXMzT0NxxdFGq1Wt9xCuQxnQbNJcLrR8-uSdLaR13ytxEUEKJJXgm0x75OVyKEbNlF9FWSEaxo-mxb2sw/s1600/IMG_4530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoVyDBsiMSw8q0VRDW9eK6I2_U8nT0vUsJ0cG-JSePnNNVWPAvEhL7JBLFYXMzT0NxxdFGq1Wt9xCuQxnQbNJcLrR8-uSdLaR13ytxEUEKJJXgm0x75OVyKEbNlF9FWSEaxo-mxb2sw/s640/IMG_4530.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mush has long been my favorite post race food</td></tr>
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When I wasn't running in Thailand, my favorite mode of transportation was scooter. Everyone goes everywhere by scooter in Thailand, so I had to rent one for the month. We even took the bikes on a 3 hour road trip over to a hippie westernized town called Pai.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mess with this biker gang</td></tr>
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Was it dangerous? Yes, yes it was.</div>
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In Pai, they have a giant white buddha, which is something I can get behind because I'm very white.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thats my type of god</td></tr>
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The highlight of the month, though, was the ties. Great ties. The best. The best ties. You are not gonna believe the quality of these ties. I'm telling you, magnificent.</div>
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But other than the ties, the next highlight was the elephants.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1k0i5YQf3qdlYxJ9w8UBq17VURkvpkOMOk6AdgWP8-oIbqdMACG2YPv79uS085RcjvAa1mrzTxvYUPDIb2ODXbN-xcBudkZgBKR2XuGetL8RSvuwTx9xMLgDtd7YR8JWXMbd7tvLEw/s1600/IMG_4397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1k0i5YQf3qdlYxJ9w8UBq17VURkvpkOMOk6AdgWP8-oIbqdMACG2YPv79uS085RcjvAa1mrzTxvYUPDIb2ODXbN-xcBudkZgBKR2XuGetL8RSvuwTx9xMLgDtd7YR8JWXMbd7tvLEw/s320/IMG_4397.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An elephant's trunk is so bizarre</td></tr>
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We visited an elephant sanctuary where they save elephants and treat them well. And one thing I learned is that riding elephants is really bad for their spines, so if you go to an elephant place that lets you ride them....that's bad and you should open the gates and set the elephants free. Here's some more elephant photos for your enjoyment.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnWQukJ-IBsgefkN4tzbP8LWo1SIYBU2spykDw45FNxGoJVFiJa0BE7lSgBGRJA8fHokWddgpodDbVzXsqZVvR19CzODwFIRpNd3rPKFVmScGdFLAPLtaRGSCMYzYqXRKiryGiIHtyw/s1600/IMG_4386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnWQukJ-IBsgefkN4tzbP8LWo1SIYBU2spykDw45FNxGoJVFiJa0BE7lSgBGRJA8fHokWddgpodDbVzXsqZVvR19CzODwFIRpNd3rPKFVmScGdFLAPLtaRGSCMYzYqXRKiryGiIHtyw/s320/IMG_4386.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New girlfriend?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPc9YQrGGhZv-BbfsjYJVkqrMk5YSRyfL8jqvRbdQ2y5vjSOurgqh_Ruh6PpjASMp_U5zTdP53tBMnfKsR7rDkEttQ8ys5gHoadBzkQA4z3m2Ie7U4_xthWuaoK_5xm-1VKGe6zpY9Ow/s1600/IMG_4429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPc9YQrGGhZv-BbfsjYJVkqrMk5YSRyfL8jqvRbdQ2y5vjSOurgqh_Ruh6PpjASMp_U5zTdP53tBMnfKsR7rDkEttQ8ys5gHoadBzkQA4z3m2Ie7U4_xthWuaoK_5xm-1VKGe6zpY9Ow/s320/IMG_4429.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They eat a lot</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KRgBy8aC1jZ8l1hSiunFLfk2CMN73yL6SDlhiRj9NvD7VzevU-o6aDVCzZ5OywGg2nXbzKkVeWlYzVA_wAuzdHKN4jDq8jyCNsV7nnB9fEg7Lvm1no7Afww-KBBdVpX_iIcFFRtmrQ/s1600/IMG_4485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KRgBy8aC1jZ8l1hSiunFLfk2CMN73yL6SDlhiRj9NvD7VzevU-o6aDVCzZ5OywGg2nXbzKkVeWlYzVA_wAuzdHKN4jDq8jyCNsV7nnB9fEg7Lvm1no7Afww-KBBdVpX_iIcFFRtmrQ/s320/IMG_4485.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They sometimes try to climb hills</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qd1ulBDWag77hDJvXxpBgjL4kkPFm34GRJ9qpPJR3HQqQBlG-J__YmJ6ZAMgznibi9ShNNXrLYivu-SznYVXUS0m2UIc144FQQENaqrQJuguhNSevmKrI4cGolREm2NCY-_Usx_IUg/s1600/IMG_4529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qd1ulBDWag77hDJvXxpBgjL4kkPFm34GRJ9qpPJR3HQqQBlG-J__YmJ6ZAMgznibi9ShNNXrLYivu-SznYVXUS0m2UIc144FQQENaqrQJuguhNSevmKrI4cGolREm2NCY-_Usx_IUg/s320/IMG_4529.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I dunno why I picked this picture to be here</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsn0TejBb6QRJQqqGbiGPEbtcusRFocEC9JHx5gm-B_EACmyekPu7C-DZQiI3UVPR2gORuTbwzZ0i-zXJTKUHsJuBzHYPeMWUTEGjS2DGgElXn6bXfBfaAUo13EBl2ADk6dknQD2efQ/s1600/IMG_4550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1296" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsn0TejBb6QRJQqqGbiGPEbtcusRFocEC9JHx5gm-B_EACmyekPu7C-DZQiI3UVPR2gORuTbwzZ0i-zXJTKUHsJuBzHYPeMWUTEGjS2DGgElXn6bXfBfaAUo13EBl2ADk6dknQD2efQ/s640/IMG_4550.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants love me</td></tr>
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We were in Chiang Mai in December which meant we got to celebrate Christmas...Thailand style. Actually we just dressed up as Santa Clause and went to a bar.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvDj51wCjn2DtmyTWPxIybtx0mvnetyYSgdiUwmvzTl5qr_8AKRYD3oSPaoBAocrSXD8Gfx7DA4ZhOfu_QWF4obEanFjd6vbpOr3z2QKmGBFxWd761C0fACg-iQ1-UhDwLMc3oeECxQ/s1600/IMG_4570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvDj51wCjn2DtmyTWPxIybtx0mvnetyYSgdiUwmvzTl5qr_8AKRYD3oSPaoBAocrSXD8Gfx7DA4ZhOfu_QWF4obEanFjd6vbpOr3z2QKmGBFxWd761C0fACg-iQ1-UhDwLMc3oeECxQ/s320/IMG_4570.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stupid Americans (actually I'm the only American in the picture, he's from Belgium and she's from Singapore)...stupid American</td></tr>
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But being there in December also meant I had a whole week off to party in Thailand. And party we did. I went with a group of people to Bangkok and then another group to Koh Phagan (an island). And I got back to my Thailand roots....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIrtcnV9rrl_rc7nyOLkpk_sfa8Wafeo0H2f-29dY0GKoFYvZIYgzZdiLVKQ8Sb7s0yfp9ZBmbWi6Ti3tKgGVV6ECzog0zkq0oMgDCri5qeSL5fbgZVMbj5z1j0AgihyILjO5gFNxHw/s1600/IMG_4606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIrtcnV9rrl_rc7nyOLkpk_sfa8Wafeo0H2f-29dY0GKoFYvZIYgzZdiLVKQ8Sb7s0yfp9ZBmbWi6Ti3tKgGVV6ECzog0zkq0oMgDCri5qeSL5fbgZVMbj5z1j0AgihyILjO5gFNxHw/s400/IMG_4606.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soi Cowboy...one of the seediest places in Bangkok</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEnaqe2RWMcFJilyTE9pospLuj2uDc9WW5Dg3jPp9UZf0R3xjXJSidOzGAFGgjTfYMndiFXmkD1vB-q59bBi6u4cHDktwXGMT37HJ36DfpkIjkV01O55l7muDiaypOhS_gUxdCv66Wg/s1600/IMG_4636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEnaqe2RWMcFJilyTE9pospLuj2uDc9WW5Dg3jPp9UZf0R3xjXJSidOzGAFGgjTfYMndiFXmkD1vB-q59bBi6u4cHDktwXGMT37HJ36DfpkIjkV01O55l7muDiaypOhS_gUxdCv66Wg/s320/IMG_4636.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A condom restaurant...pretty random</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2eHzIVlHo7U4AhlvFnDBLT53M4KLabdBy8yxv9OiMB3eC4QyQip0ucmc-7M1Mph1y7APgcIwSfX88Ve0yC-1wuCBrVLkK3dDdTEkR-5b1Pttgb0ETQEKGlZ9z4m-vDyY_SAqsZd6mQ/s1600/IMG_4654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2eHzIVlHo7U4AhlvFnDBLT53M4KLabdBy8yxv9OiMB3eC4QyQip0ucmc-7M1Mph1y7APgcIwSfX88Ve0yC-1wuCBrVLkK3dDdTEkR-5b1Pttgb0ETQEKGlZ9z4m-vDyY_SAqsZd6mQ/s640/IMG_4654.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China town...in Thailand....why not?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RuAKq4vSDaIh6HVz5s-qc3Bgllj7bpPQHJuZhG-s5UIFVVgpl3wJP_f1TchZ04oNwNL9AE-7C8PoBoHNnD5FEPH36ExRQfr6G9loIta22OatLBMgPLQnzSiGkIthUj-EkOXuVNQPtQ/s1600/IMG_4663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RuAKq4vSDaIh6HVz5s-qc3Bgllj7bpPQHJuZhG-s5UIFVVgpl3wJP_f1TchZ04oNwNL9AE-7C8PoBoHNnD5FEPH36ExRQfr6G9loIta22OatLBMgPLQnzSiGkIthUj-EkOXuVNQPtQ/s400/IMG_4663.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drinking buckets and getting massages on Khao San road</td></tr>
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And then we went to Koh Phagan. There is one thing that Koh Phagan is known for and that is its full moon party. An all night party on the beach. And they just happened to be having one on new years eve (how convenient).</div>
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Actually now that so many drunk foreigners go there for the party, they have lots of other parties too. Like the half moon party and the jungle party and the quarter moon party and the Tuesday party. So we went to many a party.....and they were all very similar. They call that same-same in Thailand.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsP_bKpHd0wJIYTsV66rJQwuEJi7dkt-6-N9zsbIiq_BaULQYzeh2FHTjRopVryt2-D3ucn76aBpqywVA3FvAfmuK4AoxTnPYy8dKHu4bgrAEvogDpvydXj6MTwnm217WoRX4SOVDGQ/s1600/IMG_4673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsP_bKpHd0wJIYTsV66rJQwuEJi7dkt-6-N9zsbIiq_BaULQYzeh2FHTjRopVryt2-D3ucn76aBpqywVA3FvAfmuK4AoxTnPYy8dKHu4bgrAEvogDpvydXj6MTwnm217WoRX4SOVDGQ/s320/IMG_4673.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting painted for one of the many parties on the island</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dwShcbrVmoujiT-QHKq9SxwRS78rymqjFVyYcRfBlvMTaCNMiPmEmzmSxgWf04SRpC6BMeZO8EgRheU3Tjg0L1VUoy5vNrRViQgCLiSYFWyRx_WAjCDFRDBaKD0a39DqlyP280J74g/s1600/IMG_4718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dwShcbrVmoujiT-QHKq9SxwRS78rymqjFVyYcRfBlvMTaCNMiPmEmzmSxgWf04SRpC6BMeZO8EgRheU3Tjg0L1VUoy5vNrRViQgCLiSYFWyRx_WAjCDFRDBaKD0a39DqlyP280J74g/s320/IMG_4718.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different night...same-same</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn5L8tRnJBgg16ooyUfFdnqEKE7eyuHQiIMk3pODg9miSGwMuV_jRuor7su3D2-Py8xbiVY3AV0zQjL76oPeHF4IkcAw5cDJJQi0_ZhmgNi9KalbVPYTmHHArqPm4qxEfseH9-seVwQ/s1600/IMG_4763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn5L8tRnJBgg16ooyUfFdnqEKE7eyuHQiIMk3pODg9miSGwMuV_jRuor7su3D2-Py8xbiVY3AV0zQjL76oPeHF4IkcAw5cDJJQi0_ZhmgNi9KalbVPYTmHHArqPm4qxEfseH9-seVwQ/s320/IMG_4763.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh cool...no way. Black light paint</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wNxUTg8VMZFJNdZfUszh8iyyYjE3o2BNxgpLa3KOXHbJslAr-HCz_6eiLo4VdzMxTkqCufkN2kDonhKc12REHvuwWg6EaPa-RmuKvLsadKHybnhTvy2pp7BBodYPFdWJLjsduIy2Q/s1600/IMG_4715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wNxUTg8VMZFJNdZfUszh8iyyYjE3o2BNxgpLa3KOXHbJslAr-HCz_6eiLo4VdzMxTkqCufkN2kDonhKc12REHvuwWg6EaPa-RmuKvLsadKHybnhTvy2pp7BBodYPFdWJLjsduIy2Q/s400/IMG_4715.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hope they have black light paint here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2eFTuKgVJTM8H2BspjKC_AEo8s5eTjIvM6-YgwVY86F26QZOSLk928YeELXswjEX95nS0PYzmDNfCswRckkn55OjlcoQj_pQc8BNRW-FQ2yhOYLl3N91V_0Z11x1WyAohytyiO7rkQ/s1600/IMG_4779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2eFTuKgVJTM8H2BspjKC_AEo8s5eTjIvM6-YgwVY86F26QZOSLk928YeELXswjEX95nS0PYzmDNfCswRckkn55OjlcoQj_pQc8BNRW-FQ2yhOYLl3N91V_0Z11x1WyAohytyiO7rkQ/s320/IMG_4779.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this creepy photo...that's a random guy photo bombing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPLHyZbGa2gXshjQE3DDzQ5VbpitPvYrKg2WXQieVt49QFVjJzNnovnivSrj4K2kXEY_KfnDXeyZiftNOsoQzcEAbWd3BTN66M0gvceEU8zHgK7d6bT-OpqEX2-m7s2HRshkqp1kBQg/s1600/IMG_4702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPLHyZbGa2gXshjQE3DDzQ5VbpitPvYrKg2WXQieVt49QFVjJzNnovnivSrj4K2kXEY_KfnDXeyZiftNOsoQzcEAbWd3BTN66M0gvceEU8zHgK7d6bT-OpqEX2-m7s2HRshkqp1kBQg/s320/IMG_4702.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah, we did some stuff during the day too</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s4WDRpq4tnKSXOjN4klz91io0jwwuUPDuCNYhqeXsORt_vAWKc79otdOx9ySYdQNEMLrCljR8CqxpsNKyemxaqXQEPT8dIBhi-NC0sIaZeFHqUSHKt-EER9StBlTo3zPEzflBGIFfw/s1600/IMG_4781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s4WDRpq4tnKSXOjN4klz91io0jwwuUPDuCNYhqeXsORt_vAWKc79otdOx9ySYdQNEMLrCljR8CqxpsNKyemxaqXQEPT8dIBhi-NC0sIaZeFHqUSHKt-EER9StBlTo3zPEzflBGIFfw/s400/IMG_4781.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But we did a lot more stuff at night</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTUerEKaoueBoVBi-E2US6ybZ2aj7w3PdNaonqcIHLadofsYDxGQ_1OfO280wN27XRmdKWEIvLMT_BtRTcmAl0cXCxkUK-HGUgPziIltTPUaVdLJCbwZ7KaOxteGyAZbHhtWRAgRKUg/s1600/IMG_4813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTUerEKaoueBoVBi-E2US6ybZ2aj7w3PdNaonqcIHLadofsYDxGQ_1OfO280wN27XRmdKWEIvLMT_BtRTcmAl0cXCxkUK-HGUgPziIltTPUaVdLJCbwZ7KaOxteGyAZbHhtWRAgRKUg/s640/IMG_4813.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And New Years</td></tr>
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The NYE sign exploded at midnight with sparks flying everywhere seriously burning people #thailandParty.<br />
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Total countries visited on my trip: 22 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali), Thailand)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-71917369299777863802017-07-22T14:01:00.002-04:002017-07-22T14:01:57.025-04:00Bali and Singapore are NOT Same Same<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Drug trafficking is a serious offense in Singapore, punishable by death".</div>
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The words coming over the planes loudspeakers were like daggers. </div>
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Daggers poking holes in the bags strapped to my body containing the nearly 50 kilos of black tar Mexican heroin. This was a mistake. I had been so sure that Singapore was a drug friendly place. Javier, the man who paid me to smuggle the drugs, had assured me there would be no trouble. I was gonna kill Javier; that is if I didn't end up in a maximum security prison or shot by a firing squad. Did they still use firing squads in Singapore? God I hope so. I did not want to be hung, that sounds way more painful. </div>
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"....your seat back. Sir. Sir. Please raise your seat back to its full up right position".</div>
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I opened my eyes and nodded to the flight attendant as I depressed the seat back button, raising the seat to its incredibly uncomfortable upright position. Oh thank god, it had all been a dream. I'm not a complete idiot. I wasn't carrying any drugs into Singapore. </div>
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"Drug trafficking is a serious offense, punishable by death". The announcement over the loud speaker sent a wave a fear through me.</div>
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Was I sure I wasn't carrying any drugs? What if a bag of weed that I picked up many months ago had been hiding somewhere in my bag the whole time? This had actually just happened to one of the members of my Remote Year group (luckily he was the one who found it and not airport security).</div>
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Turns out, no drugs on me. So, that was a complete waste of an introduction to this post.</div>
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Upon arrival in Singapore, my brother Aaron (you may remember from the <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.com/2017/06/kuala-lumpur-bears.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>) and I went straight for the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, for some rooftop drinks.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXst-i48ujUf2JvAr7IDYrotrI_OC5kQBjchG6nMJiEsC4FIZE1TzhpBFtzRdroi_IY1JtkGjz26u_KJLOdKD1zdgypTrTFpKPTyefo92kGsEzlnQaZLOXa9mlCan3prwH2rWy5e-og/s1600/IMG_3116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXst-i48ujUf2JvAr7IDYrotrI_OC5kQBjchG6nMJiEsC4FIZE1TzhpBFtzRdroi_IY1JtkGjz26u_KJLOdKD1zdgypTrTFpKPTyefo92kGsEzlnQaZLOXa9mlCan3prwH2rWy5e-og/s400/IMG_3116.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drinks with a view</td></tr>
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The hotel is basically the epicenter of the city as far as tourists are concerned. It's pretty easy to see why.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBaVcYxMbqRBAhzf8hTO3NTg3NgTQ4wnnD4hfloxf3bz4AzCpIYfT_oSyPwI8KjnCJKMBcW93ppFd5TNnAibcsnWYMGkO1RkBG0k5EYVsOBJq4uOfECGdp4lT-GVJqo9JsmD912LpAg/s1600/IMG_3136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBaVcYxMbqRBAhzf8hTO3NTg3NgTQ4wnnD4hfloxf3bz4AzCpIYfT_oSyPwI8KjnCJKMBcW93ppFd5TNnAibcsnWYMGkO1RkBG0k5EYVsOBJq4uOfECGdp4lT-GVJqo9JsmD912LpAg/s640/IMG_3136.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dats a sweet hotel</td></tr>
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Rooms start at $400 a night and it has these ridiculous views.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KMgtHt6mwCWgxZw99p3gyHwwtbe70678ZxKovf1INvkh2ekO2a0eb6ye8q7OW1TweynF7NNLdd3rhgTJbL7_3U6UQJN7r4niiUXOLuQQCJFlgycx23zFI1UC1wBKrOkRITmln0mE8g/s1600/IMG_3100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KMgtHt6mwCWgxZw99p3gyHwwtbe70678ZxKovf1INvkh2ekO2a0eb6ye8q7OW1TweynF7NNLdd3rhgTJbL7_3U6UQJN7r4niiUXOLuQQCJFlgycx23zFI1UC1wBKrOkRITmln0mE8g/s400/IMG_3100.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singapore Marina</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8zGr_aeUCkBYnggGUgdjZhjymlb69Fg9ns4pNTocbANWeYE90M7WemNxtxGb8Nijuq8-NuRYNY9uvXdZhiWPJzd3ftpteTLtg-uCSyz0-YV41SBKSh_fU8W3v6-GwlrSJdBNPPq1YA/s1600/IMG_3125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8zGr_aeUCkBYnggGUgdjZhjymlb69Fg9ns4pNTocbANWeYE90M7WemNxtxGb8Nijuq8-NuRYNY9uvXdZhiWPJzd3ftpteTLtg-uCSyz0-YV41SBKSh_fU8W3v6-GwlrSJdBNPPq1YA/s640/IMG_3125.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gardens by the Bay</td></tr>
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Oh yeah, and it has this absolutely ridiculous 54th floor infinity swimming pool.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ4LA9YfV-EkVuTaOSEn6XYja1StIsxiqXf0QUU4IUnGkTwPpIob6C87SRE_cxZYLIDlb8Dc2O7Bd_h3R9aJLSBsZ6Nn1CtAntcVapaCQwvCP3P0MI7qE2uM2qq9bQKwCKe49TeEBCg/s1600/IMG_3114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1600" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ4LA9YfV-EkVuTaOSEn6XYja1StIsxiqXf0QUU4IUnGkTwPpIob6C87SRE_cxZYLIDlb8Dc2O7Bd_h3R9aJLSBsZ6Nn1CtAntcVapaCQwvCP3P0MI7qE2uM2qq9bQKwCKe49TeEBCg/s640/IMG_3114.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best pool in the world? Quite possibly!</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, you actually have to stay at the hotel to use it (drinks at the public bar aren't good enough). Well that sucks, I guess I'll never get to swim in it.....or will I?</div>
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The answer is yes, yes I will.</div>
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I had heard amazing things about the food in Singapore, especially about their hawker (food cart) stalls. They actually have two Michelin rated hawkers in the city. But we started out the first night eating at the hawkers by the marina. It was a row of amazing seafood and Asian options. Crabs are a big thing in Singapore and we went for the famed Singapore Chili Crab.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIqqxpy1jS_R3y1EABL3uCK-N0Pa0nf-eiQZ710joiU2x0jAF1JhI-bXyNdWF02auFKKKtxAnkvpbXOLx1Ufswxlh2BGVcAAK4u4omfvOrx1yMzTkLVxZNtiOLBh7eqfWFarp4eC-fQ/s1600/IMG_3252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIqqxpy1jS_R3y1EABL3uCK-N0Pa0nf-eiQZ710joiU2x0jAF1JhI-bXyNdWF02auFKKKtxAnkvpbXOLx1Ufswxlh2BGVcAAK4u4omfvOrx1yMzTkLVxZNtiOLBh7eqfWFarp4eC-fQ/s320/IMG_3252.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singapore Chili Crab</td></tr>
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Although it was good, it had smashed crab shell everywhere, which was impossible to pick around, so it was not that enjoyable a meal (hi I'm Matt, I complain about eating chili crab in Singapore).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlv7o0Y4fMOuvgQmo-sA5EF97GOfzl5US-d8P_ciZAyI2ZqvXl7uszR5BSAw75ByCHbZrClZvH-WMiq_hepzGV18zEsUgVq4CE_Y_wyQIZyYAZuZhrsP3t326DWm3vetXkwbdYsIkhg/s1600/IMG_3171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlv7o0Y4fMOuvgQmo-sA5EF97GOfzl5US-d8P_ciZAyI2ZqvXl7uszR5BSAw75ByCHbZrClZvH-WMiq_hepzGV18zEsUgVq4CE_Y_wyQIZyYAZuZhrsP3t326DWm3vetXkwbdYsIkhg/s640/IMG_3171.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hawkers at the marina</td></tr>
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The rest of the items we ate were pretty amazing though.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHet-WI_hc4oopRk3H4XJMaKcbOaUjgiAOVWoES-cI8r64lfUc5GlIJsZCid6z-H-p0sLJTBUX6m4Fo8I7NWwTVfTnadeWJXXRJXq09HlBzp9UyBq1xgeqU-ix6c5V7Wh4eBlVOfJwpg/s1600/IMG_3170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHet-WI_hc4oopRk3H4XJMaKcbOaUjgiAOVWoES-cI8r64lfUc5GlIJsZCid6z-H-p0sLJTBUX6m4Fo8I7NWwTVfTnadeWJXXRJXq09HlBzp9UyBq1xgeqU-ix6c5V7Wh4eBlVOfJwpg/s400/IMG_3170.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other food...can't remember what it was. Pad thai? Duck something? Hebrew National hot dogs?</td></tr>
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And the view of the marina was ok at night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xzC2S6rBX97p6Qb9TVomjK1k_joSGBb2Yf7R81_9zRqJFaCEoyI2uGQN-qQxR6I1lPC3gr0b2PJ5pFUnH_V-zv1mH1AegoMObKI6TIouo-zxS01MmP3LP2QUJ3Alhr55I_u7ZqDVTA/s1600/IMG_3165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xzC2S6rBX97p6Qb9TVomjK1k_joSGBb2Yf7R81_9zRqJFaCEoyI2uGQN-qQxR6I1lPC3gr0b2PJ5pFUnH_V-zv1mH1AegoMObKI6TIouo-zxS01MmP3LP2QUJ3Alhr55I_u7ZqDVTA/s400/IMG_3165.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm like really good at night photography</td></tr>
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The next day we went to the botanical gardens. The highlight was of course the extravagant orchid gardens.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEbIhQ_S59ZrvZw5HPr4mLjpg3cWu_t-j50mP0qBxm0sR-bitYa5kNzwn7x3d8uVADp7BzLkx-5OwuKMwCib2UeYChrmC53oW3CDAusnltKTKjZTYEV6fs6FKl4lDTFhG8HboQEBzfQ/s1600/IMG_3203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEbIhQ_S59ZrvZw5HPr4mLjpg3cWu_t-j50mP0qBxm0sR-bitYa5kNzwn7x3d8uVADp7BzLkx-5OwuKMwCib2UeYChrmC53oW3CDAusnltKTKjZTYEV6fs6FKl4lDTFhG8HboQEBzfQ/s400/IMG_3203.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord of the flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q2EXwL4zKr7_0yHgrfYYt59KBOCyIbjFTc5AhHHCWr0N7OUVa2vRGl3mBoi3_clzwOYeEpXcxzsaSKHaRn0NDYixUBW4IqZWFaekvhafNZo28Ca_OG21bDmnSiRNKyKGClyMclHvew/s1600/IMG_3218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q2EXwL4zKr7_0yHgrfYYt59KBOCyIbjFTc5AhHHCWr0N7OUVa2vRGl3mBoi3_clzwOYeEpXcxzsaSKHaRn0NDYixUBW4IqZWFaekvhafNZo28Ca_OG21bDmnSiRNKyKGClyMclHvew/s400/IMG_3218.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tunnel of color</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flower</td></tr>
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Next we tried the famed Hainanese chicken rice.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMNFfoZeTLFtW5fst4S7DV_2HUQ85aqHAYMZDH66EToa1OCKL7Zz34xF85BlFIOrUgZEunQU-_QV9IL2B5ccGnZ4tDoHSIQxul9WVXQDdLzPuPUAxND6iOdSju2JPT8LLlKAKaBum4Q/s1600/IMG_3228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMNFfoZeTLFtW5fst4S7DV_2HUQ85aqHAYMZDH66EToa1OCKL7Zz34xF85BlFIOrUgZEunQU-_QV9IL2B5ccGnZ4tDoHSIQxul9WVXQDdLzPuPUAxND6iOdSju2JPT8LLlKAKaBum4Q/s320/IMG_3228.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hainanese chicken rice - its just boiled chicken and rice</td></tr>
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Apparently this famous dish is just boiled chicken and rice. I dont get it. </div>
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That night we rode the ferris wheel in the city called the Singapore Flyer. Cause what kind of city would it be without a ferris wheel?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singapore Flyer</td></tr>
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The next day we decided to go big! That's right, you know what's coming. We littered and chewed gum on the streets of Singapore (both illegal). Also, we got a room at the Marina Bay Sands hotel. And you know what that means.....</div>
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I got to use the best pool in the world!!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZy4IjaCl1B1gLgmkQaewWResD4c6qaZDs_B15uVs9nQ8OFqDS1eSZoZ8duZHWfB9phryjII2BHW8YtLnbgAO5AG_74rnnnqJIGHJ2w2TogHMgHjm0eE8Qv-4vlJiq-hYSf3dkabBcnA/s1600/IMG_3276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZy4IjaCl1B1gLgmkQaewWResD4c6qaZDs_B15uVs9nQ8OFqDS1eSZoZ8duZHWfB9phryjII2BHW8YtLnbgAO5AG_74rnnnqJIGHJ2w2TogHMgHjm0eE8Qv-4vlJiq-hYSf3dkabBcnA/s640/IMG_3276.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me! In the best pool in the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me! Pointing to the best pool in the world.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL5FJ94Y9oSI5bcbYKRC_qmv6JleXDE0iImJ90jVnETkbc7PdUeaFfvVXfc9LA77uG-j31HGOmxn4Ks7hlwRlvyJepc3YAnpeZBtlM_xo8AAECE_wDGvLkOcooIIJju8huPmCFq9ECA/s1600/IMG_3325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL5FJ94Y9oSI5bcbYKRC_qmv6JleXDE0iImJ90jVnETkbc7PdUeaFfvVXfc9LA77uG-j31HGOmxn4Ks7hlwRlvyJepc3YAnpeZBtlM_xo8AAECE_wDGvLkOcooIIJju8huPmCFq9ECA/s400/IMG_3325.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron and me (or is it I)! Hanging in the best pool in the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of Aaron and I (or is it me)! Hanging in the best pool in the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4x5lmP0oCLiPVLIxckD0MA5qgGMK1NMiZWyigFyqjDWsJd28Vha9X3cKQKYBCN9vaEzpIWWrQS4MIBS1N3OZArW7tVKy-h3_rZosMwUCVNBnPWL-oflmhSTTnHcHOTe2p1nTLZ1_hw/s1600/IMG_3347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4x5lmP0oCLiPVLIxckD0MA5qgGMK1NMiZWyigFyqjDWsJd28Vha9X3cKQKYBCN9vaEzpIWWrQS4MIBS1N3OZArW7tVKy-h3_rZosMwUCVNBnPWL-oflmhSTTnHcHOTe2p1nTLZ1_hw/s400/IMG_3347.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron! In the best hot tub in the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsYDdi4CN6JOb2VSZydzaDtAaMmJVpL1xojQx4s-GwM_lEiapZJ5MuZkyX4bg9ctxWNgfKTW6QwkKl7cpm6OZ7Ny2y9tKpF0aLfYDUfDopqOcXozeMe3fQ2iwNEYIZnevWVLwNQkDJA/s1600/IMG_3334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1600" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsYDdi4CN6JOb2VSZydzaDtAaMmJVpL1xojQx4s-GwM_lEiapZJ5MuZkyX4bg9ctxWNgfKTW6QwkKl7cpm6OZ7Ny2y9tKpF0aLfYDUfDopqOcXozeMe3fQ2iwNEYIZnevWVLwNQkDJA/s640/IMG_3334.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me! In deep thought looking out from the best pool in the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1GUqL6fYGuihUJRo35wpX28Sg6g0cX3Jhh17uySsE_bIDdtK6GdsEou4JozySb5IgVEGIvxPfzPEJ2NfoAiuYG_DnqpcEJWT2O5XGnKblglBL8Hb0d0of4hgHiSB2Swnh6rntmJ1_Q/s1600/IMG_3357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1GUqL6fYGuihUJRo35wpX28Sg6g0cX3Jhh17uySsE_bIDdtK6GdsEou4JozySb5IgVEGIvxPfzPEJ2NfoAiuYG_DnqpcEJWT2O5XGnKblglBL8Hb0d0of4hgHiSB2Swnh6rntmJ1_Q/s640/IMG_3357.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me! Using my amazing night photography skills to take a picture of the best pool in the world</td></tr>
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Really, I have forgot everything else about the trip, other than this swimming pool.</div>
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There was something about some weird electric trees.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weird electric trees that I have forgot about cause I was in the best pool in the world</td></tr>
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The other side trip I took in the month of November was to Bali. Obviously! You knew I was going to say that since Thanksgiving is in November and Thanksgiving is the time that people flock to Bali.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanksgiving in Bali</td></tr>
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This Bali trip epitomizes how easy it is to forget what an amazing life I'm leading for the year traveling the world. </div>
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I had nothing to do over Thanksgiving and some people were going to Bali.....sure, I'll go. I'm not even going to get excited or do any research, thought. It's just another place in Asia. I mean, I'm already in Asia, what's the difference?</div>
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If this was normal life and I was taking a trip to Bali, it would be the biggest trip of 5 years. I would plan for months. I'm a bit of a spoiled nomad. </div>
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The good news is that Bali ended up being my favorite place that I went the entire year (I may know this because I'm writing this post six months later after my trip is over....but don't tell anyone).</div>
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We started off in Seminyak which is one of the more touristy areas. I enjoyed it because all the Airbnbs in Seminyak have an open 4th wall which looks out over a pool and a wall of hedges. I know all Airbnbs in Seminyak have this setup because I saw two of them. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out from the Airbnb - the same view as all the Airbnbs in Seminyak</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjme445L4O6oT4iuDP3AJQ3wPBvMjnK18nEJBb8agEom9BEutkPmkWOV4FcJ_ke_qa7rmUQ403k4Tf2Tq5JF-9jsNNS142prk1X3EDZxmycmVc6w3QPwZ36lVVMqRW58xjOuxYO5JFaGQ/s1600/IMG_3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjme445L4O6oT4iuDP3AJQ3wPBvMjnK18nEJBb8agEom9BEutkPmkWOV4FcJ_ke_qa7rmUQ403k4Tf2Tq5JF-9jsNNS142prk1X3EDZxmycmVc6w3QPwZ36lVVMqRW58xjOuxYO5JFaGQ/s320/IMG_3664.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out from another Airbnb in Seminyak - Same same</td></tr>
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Isn't Seminyak just a fun work to say. Seminyak. Sem-in-yak</div>
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I also enjoyed Seminyak because of the surfing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc614Imb6FhVDz7j_RamSBQeGb6UyEPHkoU0Q7CaXOuH5ajjVGHuEGHudGkmOQ_5VtzM9mgQqEDMV4tpkjM46Y8lx0IvzEDfncZMgo_8_ul6Oqo7CMaKPqKgn0A6_MOGr2fAKhUPW3Eg/s1600/IMG_5314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc614Imb6FhVDz7j_RamSBQeGb6UyEPHkoU0Q7CaXOuH5ajjVGHuEGHudGkmOQ_5VtzM9mgQqEDMV4tpkjM46Y8lx0IvzEDfncZMgo_8_ul6Oqo7CMaKPqKgn0A6_MOGr2fAKhUPW3Eg/s320/IMG_5314.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surfing in Seminyak</td></tr>
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I lied. I actually didn't enjoy the surfing that much in Seminyak because I'm not very good and the waves were big and strong and constant and I couldn't even swim out past them to catch a wave. But, I tell people I surfed in Bali. Now you know my secret.</div>
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Seminyak is also the location where I first lost my sleeves. From this point forward in my trip, you will pretty much only see me wear tank tops. I became known as the guy in the group who never wore sleeves. People would yell at me when I wore sleeves (they still yell at me if they see a picture of me wearing sleeves).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxQzOCqJq7_pY8goEz8DP594yaTzjMzDMVmTND2RQ6AHt6Hg1bouJz0Tj2CB5o3jxrLwAFc_TxhqIwnPfq6PO9Yqs9YZhvJBnvbx1c7HZCHWdVOxRsXL-Mrcyxv6A3JeHQqUHXmqyeQ/s1600/IMG_3675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1162" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxQzOCqJq7_pY8goEz8DP594yaTzjMzDMVmTND2RQ6AHt6Hg1bouJz0Tj2CB5o3jxrLwAFc_TxhqIwnPfq6PO9Yqs9YZhvJBnvbx1c7HZCHWdVOxRsXL-Mrcyxv6A3JeHQqUHXmqyeQ/s320/IMG_3675.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new Matt - no sleeves</td></tr>
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The picture above is one of my favorite pictures ever taken of me because I look so genuinely happy. The whole no sleeves thing became somewhat of a metaphor for the transformation I went through to become a happier Matt (with no sleeves).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just two bros, not wearing sleeves, hanging out at the Airbnb, in Seminyak, in Bali</td></tr>
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But the Bali trip didn't end there. We also went to Ubud (that one is fun to say too). Ubud. Oooooo-boo'ed</div>
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Ubud is kind of like this hippie paradise. Or that's what it has become since Eat Prey Love. It has lots of vegan places, yoga, dirty white people and monkeys. In fact they even have a monkey forest there.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHHjcR5dViu9iarabsEiRSbDbkgW5g09Oz62k-km2aTB9y9j7V2Njk4ACOgiNdTz6z5Hcz-TpdlTtwFLGIsNjerVYAs30dlNmfHhBMgbWdr0tqVjXiOQTaIjzLt8FV7ddR4VwFT49UA/s1600/IMG_3729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHHjcR5dViu9iarabsEiRSbDbkgW5g09Oz62k-km2aTB9y9j7V2Njk4ACOgiNdTz6z5Hcz-TpdlTtwFLGIsNjerVYAs30dlNmfHhBMgbWdr0tqVjXiOQTaIjzLt8FV7ddR4VwFT49UA/s400/IMG_3729.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a couple of bros, hanging out in their tank tops, with monkeys on their heads, in Ubud, in Bali</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8O8jQiDXsqQ3vR_DZrlhtoylhVo2umFwdTFrxSguF6cCCkvsiJy2koLZX3iUvkHgg3le4uZ_EgiyiJzKI084u2TkvVVOBg2j47PlrkAsa1TkpGzOCYU0qQO0g7yQ9JVtZUcN00za8g/s1600/IMG_3730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="1393" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8O8jQiDXsqQ3vR_DZrlhtoylhVo2umFwdTFrxSguF6cCCkvsiJy2koLZX3iUvkHgg3le4uZ_EgiyiJzKI084u2TkvVVOBg2j47PlrkAsa1TkpGzOCYU0qQO0g7yQ9JVtZUcN00za8g/s320/IMG_3730.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Carlos, claiming me as his bitch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-UTXxhF8PFRqv4tiEbm4kkzSa_RyLO6q2np3kfY_2HiogF7MiP0xFy7PNnTcdyFWR9WY5lIfvqguvBAlCatGduWeeWz2YqI8hfkqtM9YgBI_vHl5uU2nLue-76athKbXbG3LUQ2bnw/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-UTXxhF8PFRqv4tiEbm4kkzSa_RyLO6q2np3kfY_2HiogF7MiP0xFy7PNnTcdyFWR9WY5lIfvqguvBAlCatGduWeeWz2YqI8hfkqtM9YgBI_vHl5uU2nLue-76athKbXbG3LUQ2bnw/s320/IMG_3750.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey Forest had pretty trees</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu7j5ZrYpWukbyXQ-XvuZf-xfzAaoha6X3jb3prvsQf6FTzxGVzfhMKgJ4PqSuPa7quvx5b4z7Yi-QIYg8zNfPKud4lP5TDsKi1-ixCHnMOratD1uaZkXUMFbhh4fLznzeRsZIhRS2A/s1600/IMG_5454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu7j5ZrYpWukbyXQ-XvuZf-xfzAaoha6X3jb3prvsQf6FTzxGVzfhMKgJ4PqSuPa7quvx5b4z7Yi-QIYg8zNfPKud4lP5TDsKi1-ixCHnMOratD1uaZkXUMFbhh4fLznzeRsZIhRS2A/s640/IMG_5454.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road to Monkey Forest</td></tr>
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Ubud also has the world's first organic vegan cinema. What an honor.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damn hippies</td></tr>
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But the highlight of Ubud is the rice terraces. I don't have anything to say about them, so please enjoy the pictures (I wont take the time to remove the default caption text).</div>
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Pretty pretty, amirite? The invasion of western influence was pretty evident even here, as they were building hotels in the middle of this rice terrace. However, they did it the old fashion way. We watched women walk for 15 minutes carrying twenty bricks at a time on their heads to supply the construction.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's saying, don't take a picture of me white devil</td></tr>
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If the rice terraces weren't the highlight, then the people that I was with definitely were. I went with Darrin and Heather. You may know them as the Fritses. Or you may know them as the couple from my trip that got engaged at Machu Piccu. They took me in as their child for the weekend.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting a temple with my new parents</td></tr>
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No, I'm just kidding, how could the people be the highlight? Really, the highlight was the open air bamboo bungalow (through Airbnb) on a rice field that we stayed at.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out from our home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lounge chair in our Airbnb</td></tr>
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Oh, and did I mention it had an infinity pool?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damnnnn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind the man physically working the rice fields in the hot sun who is ruining the picture of me in my infinity pool</td></tr>
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OK yeah, I'm not gonna lie, it was a little awkward having people work manual labor in the fields for pennies while we watched from the pool. But, more terrifying than this was the plethora of insects and animals that we saw out there at night. We couldn't turn on the lights at night because so many moth like creatures would swarm us. However, it did provide entertainment watching the geckos sit under the lights and feast on a buffet of thousands of these insects.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat them all</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some sort of huge snail/slug</td></tr>
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And then there was the scorpion we saw. It was a tiny one. The tiny ones are the poisonous ones. But, I think I would rather see the small poisonous ones than the large terrifying "harmless" ones.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, hes so small and cute</td></tr>
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By far the scariest creature of all was the monster spider found in the bedroom. This spider was so big that it was eating a lizard. And not only that, but after we scared it away, it was so big that it actually picked up the lizard and ran off.</div>
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Warning: Graphic Image to Follow:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the size of that thing</td></tr>
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That was funny.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope, there it is</td></tr>
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AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!</div>
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH</div>
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And now for something less terrifying:</div>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 21 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali))</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-51649774836144391642017-06-20T21:32:00.001-04:002017-06-20T21:32:12.825-04:00Kuala Lumpur Bears<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Where are all the kuala bears? </span></div>
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This was the question that I asked myself as I walked through the super hot and humid streets of Kuala Lumpur. It was the first Asian city that I was calling home on my journey and I was super excited for the opportunity to see kuala bears. I would soon find out, to my extreme disappointment, that not only are there no kuala bears in Kuala Lumpur, but there's actually no koala bears either.</div>
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So what would Kuala Lumpur have to offer me then? I can confidently say it offered the worst weather of my trip and possibly my life. Every day the same 90+ degree temperatures, 80+% humidity and cloudy. Everyday it would rain...monsoon rain...for an hour or two and you did not want to be caught in that.</div>
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OK, so no koala bears and awful weather. Certainly this city must offer me something, right? </div>
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Just as I started to fall into a deep depression, I looked up into the sky and saw a beacon of hope....no no, it was two beacons of hope.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT-SrwgAhXh7VBT0ZptxYcnpAYzoGZ478tO9UlGsaiSmlx8LK0KONtJamNttHgG_PiLXcDlSu5Cxh6mT22XKHXcuJgo03HK6Y9PSmlN7lOryLYd3ZUS1K91W9wOmBRZMH7V9otm0gxw/s1600/IMG_3363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT-SrwgAhXh7VBT0ZptxYcnpAYzoGZ478tO9UlGsaiSmlx8LK0KONtJamNttHgG_PiLXcDlSu5Cxh6mT22XKHXcuJgo03HK6Y9PSmlN7lOryLYd3ZUS1K91W9wOmBRZMH7V9otm0gxw/s640/IMG_3363.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beacons of hope</td></tr>
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The Petronas towers. The tallest buildings in the world</div>
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from 1998 to 2004. Pretty cool, amirite?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMJmdhObJoGvjKi1xYNSJL6qWaxyo6-LWa75buboLmWSHcVwpYclfFCps8rS245hZ6TPdkDxeqhaMmTbRzT37WJyumdF_mLOTrvvfqeSuqIVqz8XYoQ3vqtOatoU9yYCASOObKJtmXQ/s1600/IMG_3062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMJmdhObJoGvjKi1xYNSJL6qWaxyo6-LWa75buboLmWSHcVwpYclfFCps8rS245hZ6TPdkDxeqhaMmTbRzT37WJyumdF_mLOTrvvfqeSuqIVqz8XYoQ3vqtOatoU9yYCASOObKJtmXQ/s400/IMG_3062.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture of the Petronas towers (sorry about the two people in the way)</td></tr>
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Now, I know what you're thinking. Who is that person in the picture with me? Half of him looks so much like me. Well, that is my brother Aaron....well my half-brother Aaron....brother from another mother if you will. He came all the way from western Massachusetts to visit me in Kuala Lumpur. He is obviously much smarter than me because he was not expecting koala bears.</div>
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Aaron had never been to Asia before, but he had tried Asian food, so he had a good foundation for the trip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhyphenhyphen3LuRE9DUpkwULqP22a3mQTavoWJ2KBSYvaW1A8g4E1E7gKsNstQ8ymJSmFc3md_Pkj8pYe6hLy_4FQgIFrBQdwaRm4VYZVQf1RB0qNV8TbeITO4L6PlBvZJevOveATHGh4dnUhbQ/s1600/IMG_3032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhyphenhyphen3LuRE9DUpkwULqP22a3mQTavoWJ2KBSYvaW1A8g4E1E7gKsNstQ8ymJSmFc3md_Pkj8pYe6hLy_4FQgIFrBQdwaRm4VYZVQf1RB0qNV8TbeITO4L6PlBvZJevOveATHGh4dnUhbQ/s400/IMG_3032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron eating Asian food...in Asia</td></tr>
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Aaron and I visited all the tallest buildings in the city. There was the Petronas towers:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDHSSlPKV9eBT8gsW2FeH5ujxL3Zx7vcuzVnzqJ06BRC2x5QiDso4ZjF1l_QEdGmQmxDZC2oINmSWK-EKHwFhJ0sukAk_WhjKOHfRVAnbOV77wvCAHPMQnMYytjVeKy0oCuCuMf7fVA/s1600/IMG_3527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="957" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDHSSlPKV9eBT8gsW2FeH5ujxL3Zx7vcuzVnzqJ06BRC2x5QiDso4ZjF1l_QEdGmQmxDZC2oINmSWK-EKHwFhJ0sukAk_WhjKOHfRVAnbOV77wvCAHPMQnMYytjVeKy0oCuCuMf7fVA/s640/IMG_3527.JPG" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magical</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg725YyNN0uY4sVhps_DnIs5ZiArj1sh9CmrHAtijEANkaeFyBXc3ULbKD-kpLebONak6cic7WE859OTxBnSAfD3xhTX0HG-bM-AFk4BFxpoZS9LZJTwL5BhlFRcIVd5QH61vyW_SiTfw/s1600/IMG_3391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg725YyNN0uY4sVhps_DnIs5ZiArj1sh9CmrHAtijEANkaeFyBXc3ULbKD-kpLebONak6cic7WE859OTxBnSAfD3xhTX0HG-bM-AFk4BFxpoZS9LZJTwL5BhlFRcIVd5QH61vyW_SiTfw/s320/IMG_3391.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What did one tower say to the other tower?</td></tr>
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And then there was the KL tower:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrLineO0jaz6hQ6gdXknaifzGk9MtbRaeY3q_WMRdokGmRbAERT2I4v1fKkxvmsIx2JCyqINVKhtOMUdj0qSZPQaiGiBv2SezSL476ZwxP374I5VmnCxJUWQXJ2iH7x0HeGHabjCK2Q/s1600/IMG_3055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrLineO0jaz6hQ6gdXknaifzGk9MtbRaeY3q_WMRdokGmRbAERT2I4v1fKkxvmsIx2JCyqINVKhtOMUdj0qSZPQaiGiBv2SezSL476ZwxP374I5VmnCxJUWQXJ2iH7x0HeGHabjCK2Q/s320/IMG_3055.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing. Towers can't talk. Duh.</td></tr>
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I'm actually standing on top of the KL tower in that picture, so its not very helpful.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlW0SelBM1FYJHHYzp7LXomIrr9KyUKA_juWOLERcP0KSYYFqPywdPfp0bgXvfTr2KlxGkVj6N0oN__McYPkLf9vW2G9IMKBTiB3cwwYMW1ekTqHmOivuZo5IO42QSH-SXvibiIoU9g/s1600/IMG_3033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlW0SelBM1FYJHHYzp7LXomIrr9KyUKA_juWOLERcP0KSYYFqPywdPfp0bgXvfTr2KlxGkVj6N0oN__McYPkLf9vW2G9IMKBTiB3cwwYMW1ekTqHmOivuZo5IO42QSH-SXvibiIoU9g/s640/IMG_3033.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KL Tower - pronounced kuh-le (not really)</td></tr>
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That's a better shot.</div>
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But we didn't stop at just going to towers. We also visited the Batu caves, home of the monkeys.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpY4WzSybmJJTSY8qtaO71CiN1Pmw_gR6pJtzsJfmZQEhcfWg9VI1OxzbGnj8WYo7j5g6M9262W08xitMr00wxUmEl5wgq3n88OawlHTnFDuZej8DQIGAOibuWQk3XU9xmBFDEuLjqvA/s1600/IMG_3479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpY4WzSybmJJTSY8qtaO71CiN1Pmw_gR6pJtzsJfmZQEhcfWg9VI1OxzbGnj8WYo7j5g6M9262W08xitMr00wxUmEl5wgq3n88OawlHTnFDuZej8DQIGAOibuWQk3XU9xmBFDEuLjqvA/s320/IMG_3479.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our hosts at the Batu caves</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiYY4HdTY-fnnFEN2FJffV7614V6MOEZL0zELtfsOkbqjMefJch0cGZpI09oKH2dZIukuN84RF-NtGk28263UHNxmnVhH8rlLluMhXXCjhPwlWK7SQJfvvasDVNjpegad8raCMzhaGg/s1600/IMG_3410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiYY4HdTY-fnnFEN2FJffV7614V6MOEZL0zELtfsOkbqjMefJch0cGZpI09oKH2dZIukuN84RF-NtGk28263UHNxmnVhH8rlLluMhXXCjhPwlWK7SQJfvvasDVNjpegad8raCMzhaGg/s320/IMG_3410.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many stairs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyD7qbIB1mhWtEmC7ecMLPqspFnqmUUgut2q2HoO5RwhxVbLIwZMPppYz1_r8ZgQ-VLltB_DGbtWi9TmK7pS3QU8QFBjBvIKwH7FDW3E0Gfpc2O5DSmxHWAEk4Sa49CXyzE_uBAq_I6A/s1600/IMG_3417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyD7qbIB1mhWtEmC7ecMLPqspFnqmUUgut2q2HoO5RwhxVbLIwZMPppYz1_r8ZgQ-VLltB_DGbtWi9TmK7pS3QU8QFBjBvIKwH7FDW3E0Gfpc2O5DSmxHWAEk4Sa49CXyzE_uBAq_I6A/s320/IMG_3417.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This host politely asked us to leave</td></tr>
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The caves are home to more than just monkeys, though, they also serve as one of the largest Hindu shrines outside of India.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4IDTDyyQuV-ggLCzcCYjmy0W5lufVDR77fBmplLoxcMOhXkqv1Y2wVAdhugIJ4Ea-fVYNHzydgqkVeSNqQ1cmOo6p_HPYpHxKQSfP_BCzMDHAQcCwapsUGcnEloW9HL1tAp_p4OV8g/s1600/IMG_3405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4IDTDyyQuV-ggLCzcCYjmy0W5lufVDR77fBmplLoxcMOhXkqv1Y2wVAdhugIJ4Ea-fVYNHzydgqkVeSNqQ1cmOo6p_HPYpHxKQSfP_BCzMDHAQcCwapsUGcnEloW9HL1tAp_p4OV8g/s640/IMG_3405.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Batu caves - Lord Murugan (under construction)</td></tr>
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And of course Kuala Lumpur is full of delicious Asian food. There is one street in particular called Jalan Alor (we just called it food street) that is open all night and is filled end to end with restaurants and food carts.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbqKTvGfl6QzUEdpV4Qh9RiytjkDpXvVDBrUKMn_S4gwwwmbwAyvUAMiPNyG79cv7qIm48gEhGn75v3up5R2l1-BVgs4uq5m7pPom7KxkfIAjUkWm_xTv_CNEKSfnuPDMKtdbpDUIWw/s1600/IMG_3028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbqKTvGfl6QzUEdpV4Qh9RiytjkDpXvVDBrUKMn_S4gwwwmbwAyvUAMiPNyG79cv7qIm48gEhGn75v3up5R2l1-BVgs4uq5m7pPom7KxkfIAjUkWm_xTv_CNEKSfnuPDMKtdbpDUIWw/s320/IMG_3028.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dumplings are a food street special</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEfeFl__deGfVqThAqjQa2qARsntHLUBCyRPijxSe86s3LMBEbxNxzyhnzoEdk4sZuDMm5X70U2RNoltKZMPVmEae874gZR4PMBRIe-C836nUIAnJMmOD6N8QWHb6BxSR1keurjl_tw/s1600/IMG_3029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEfeFl__deGfVqThAqjQa2qARsntHLUBCyRPijxSe86s3LMBEbxNxzyhnzoEdk4sZuDMm5X70U2RNoltKZMPVmEae874gZR4PMBRIe-C836nUIAnJMmOD6N8QWHb6BxSR1keurjl_tw/s400/IMG_3029.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durian lined food street </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW84jDtfBvxSpvYV8uzPxGY2I39Kpc3B8cv-nVl6FqFU44CRAIxrXf7JAccJw02-FFHKbNS0-4wibINSg7JI3Au3vtaSk682HXhKH72MQ0jkLb6vX_PSU7LyPqq73MBJhwEcri1ny1WQ/s1600/durian.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW84jDtfBvxSpvYV8uzPxGY2I39Kpc3B8cv-nVl6FqFU44CRAIxrXf7JAccJw02-FFHKbNS0-4wibINSg7JI3Au3vtaSk682HXhKH72MQ0jkLb6vX_PSU7LyPqq73MBJhwEcri1ny1WQ/s400/durian.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you dont know what durian is...you need to try it</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF5QF8eYsQ6Qb_r_Io579qVtZlNu9Xd9rMAHDZ6g4470MWGNWZX3_K3lJDtswoY-FJO3KqwFqgLMr9rEK5WsqNPQjHldDBtEI6twFbIEeqB18YB2KHQkjxmg_1n4yG41lcjaB3eqKog/s1600/IMG_3530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF5QF8eYsQ6Qb_r_Io579qVtZlNu9Xd9rMAHDZ6g4470MWGNWZX3_K3lJDtswoY-FJO3KqwFqgLMr9rEK5WsqNPQjHldDBtEI6twFbIEeqB18YB2KHQkjxmg_1n4yG41lcjaB3eqKog/s320/IMG_3530.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a durian, but a jackfruit</td></tr>
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Since there was a crew of us in the Remote Year group that worked nights (to match US east coast hours) we would often make trips down to food street at 2AM or 3AM. I split my days, working a few hours during the day and then 8PM - 2AM. Some people straight up did 10PM - 6AM. We called it the sucky hours crew. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij4xD5gYApBvokjG4n7x93Z0EB3UfEm0t8mRuWcTS7hOxs85X-7mcLZhrDxqAMJqdQCnLqXnMKSeNGVqoLF7o9tzvbsO8jvN8zR4PUzNqI9CYb9Wuc0AOceZ-KtMHy-CufIcaKWlEhg/s1600/IMG_3549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij4xD5gYApBvokjG4n7x93Z0EB3UfEm0t8mRuWcTS7hOxs85X-7mcLZhrDxqAMJqdQCnLqXnMKSeNGVqoLF7o9tzvbsO8jvN8zR4PUzNqI9CYb9Wuc0AOceZ-KtMHy-CufIcaKWlEhg/s320/IMG_3549.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roti canai - breakfast of champions</td></tr>
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Another great thing I got to do in KL was attend a wedding. One of the local experts who was helping out Remote Year had a brother who was getting married and he invited a bunch of us to go. First, we had to pick up some sweet traditional Malaysian wedding attire:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6xQl5IypwCe535zIcG2uZO0lV4UHIaXPeQZHLvBlxGXIPc7mfhQaYxqzfWhwG8-Ch_WO1NVEhgE6a4EjLe7hqQ3jEwQX8BttpXDqGRrQlWs-W7m7Bzf4YbmhliBmdr-JMQUJtsXpNQ/s1600/IMG_3604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6xQl5IypwCe535zIcG2uZO0lV4UHIaXPeQZHLvBlxGXIPc7mfhQaYxqzfWhwG8-Ch_WO1NVEhgE6a4EjLe7hqQ3jEwQX8BttpXDqGRrQlWs-W7m7Bzf4YbmhliBmdr-JMQUJtsXpNQ/s640/IMG_3604.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RY crew in Malaysian wedding attire</td></tr>
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That guy in the middle is Wan who invited us to the wedding. He's the man.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTCe2hRt2vXP9M53LJrEq5CWQ398MK1P3uWwypxlS1KyiJZymQ7HnQvUIPqR4JDFhzLmuEDPCZXt-GNYS1n2kMl5old1qJZn7iJ3cNZxeqy4MvFMD0b2CiKlyJNqqh4NoVQMghmxggQ/s1600/IMG_3562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1207" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTCe2hRt2vXP9M53LJrEq5CWQ398MK1P3uWwypxlS1KyiJZymQ7HnQvUIPqR4JDFhzLmuEDPCZXt-GNYS1n2kMl5old1qJZn7iJ3cNZxeqy4MvFMD0b2CiKlyJNqqh4NoVQMghmxggQ/s400/IMG_3562.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've got that dictator look</td></tr>
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Other random observations about KL:<br />
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It had sooooo many malls. And the biggest malls I have ever seen in my life. You could walk for miles indoors from mall to mall. It was mall central.<br />
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It also had a sweet birdpark:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnX7xEm4S4pwnn_vr6w0uER4V6LHciFXW_RWHzDMoweYvqcG7w2QTw3wmrVuCkJyRWFr1pQMaUaXwf1jxI7g3dNzdxu2VxQUnfEKjC4PI9UZFn2ql9yQ0LbxomgtWKw7pjTun_Lbakw/s1600/IMG_4119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnX7xEm4S4pwnn_vr6w0uER4V6LHciFXW_RWHzDMoweYvqcG7w2QTw3wmrVuCkJyRWFr1pQMaUaXwf1jxI7g3dNzdxu2VxQUnfEKjC4PI9UZFn2ql9yQ0LbxomgtWKw7pjTun_Lbakw/s320/IMG_4119.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am one with the animal</td></tr>
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It also had Koi competitions:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgDrJ19wscVelMb88_nJmONMKnJAXna9JvHen-ZEsVNhha5QSYCUOlkscQ7iojthHobqHwn3pmxArL1QG-KY9WXBGS6jqFWSvBlU9lBuVefVCwY-hJ2PSBvo84gsm4aQtJkyzjnAyHA/s1600/IMG_3556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgDrJ19wscVelMb88_nJmONMKnJAXna9JvHen-ZEsVNhha5QSYCUOlkscQ7iojthHobqHwn3pmxArL1QG-KY9WXBGS6jqFWSvBlU9lBuVefVCwY-hJ2PSBvo84gsm4aQtJkyzjnAyHA/s640/IMG_3556.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, this is how a koi competition is held.....don't worry they have plenty of space in there</td></tr>
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And lots of mosques:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht235u7SFfqWZlGAwcg660QP-grZZzL7TJ7CRQTK6jTif__bdwIAw1itz1NFRGjeWqkXQ6s3AgKhkKFx7BUqL4QKE6kCdI-BdoiiLc33svDWQR2KzMHAcr4Gi0uODc_xozpKWSH5oW-g/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1600" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht235u7SFfqWZlGAwcg660QP-grZZzL7TJ7CRQTK6jTif__bdwIAw1itz1NFRGjeWqkXQ6s3AgKhkKFx7BUqL4QKE6kCdI-BdoiiLc33svDWQR2KzMHAcr4Gi0uODc_xozpKWSH5oW-g/s640/IMG_3622.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little over the top</td></tr>
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Since Malaysia is a Muslim country, I took the opportunity to learn more about the religion.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlDwN7jt_D-LLK39Roagla_hnY8ZoZVgG_upYI1Yie3GCQQNAQhUL5o3DzwaWcJ05DLKm9GJDJvFZynmpcE4cbjwzi3CCuhCHN4olZT9-_DiqWTkksgt6BLWItb1R4OICUJq2a6PoAw/s1600/IMG_3612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlDwN7jt_D-LLK39Roagla_hnY8ZoZVgG_upYI1Yie3GCQQNAQhUL5o3DzwaWcJ05DLKm9GJDJvFZynmpcE4cbjwzi3CCuhCHN4olZT9-_DiqWTkksgt6BLWItb1R4OICUJq2a6PoAw/s400/IMG_3612.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red's not my color</td></tr>
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This was probably the most open, non-agressive, informative visit to a religious institution I've ever been privy to. The mosque is open to anyone (even during prayer) and they have English speaking volunteers who are there to answer any questions you have about the religion. I talked with them for several hours and even got to meet Brother Dan, an American who searched the world looking for meaning and found Islam as the answer. After being given my very own Quran, I gave in and converted. So, As-salāmu ʿalaykum my brothers and sisters.<br />
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Is he kidding?<br />
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The teachings of Quran weren't the only thing I learned about in KL, I also picked up information from the public service notices in the bathrooms:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP43y7aX8h9DsQH9R3fh381RBBYHvjE8orrxLVp2bwgd0nrrIIsD039p4mDRMulak2wRBGagHAijKFo5w0e63TEkoR6NA2CXXe9WXor4Brg3XPuMky5R44LYmG5zYDW2cw5p0S7Wesg/s1600/IMG_3359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP43y7aX8h9DsQH9R3fh381RBBYHvjE8orrxLVp2bwgd0nrrIIsD039p4mDRMulak2wRBGagHAijKFo5w0e63TEkoR6NA2CXXe9WXor4Brg3XPuMky5R44LYmG5zYDW2cw5p0S7Wesg/s320/IMG_3359.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most important thing I learned in KL</td></tr>
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And that was my month in Kuala Lumpur. Please enjoy these dances from the Malaysian wedding:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wIMbyWd2MNc8LV-CRd6rmqWIzx0ephDU-XkghQ6ue2niNY452c0iTnDnKsGcQvSVbvYioSYfDhsZpr-mbE8jlXIhlexWfIy1z0IJbp9gZxoPS1mw9_s_2e__WlWDuMRe4bk9fT72JA/s1600/236691BB-095F-4AB0-9A8C-42CF87770F3D.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wIMbyWd2MNc8LV-CRd6rmqWIzx0ephDU-XkghQ6ue2niNY452c0iTnDnKsGcQvSVbvYioSYfDhsZpr-mbE8jlXIhlexWfIy1z0IJbp9gZxoPS1mw9_s_2e__WlWDuMRe4bk9fT72JA/s400/236691BB-095F-4AB0-9A8C-42CF87770F3D.gif" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 19 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Qatar, Malaysia)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-67302683587103043972017-05-13T13:29:00.003-04:002017-05-13T13:29:54.994-04:00Qatar Rhymes With Butter (Not Guitar)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Everyone, say it with me: kut-er<br />
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Yes, it turns out you've been pronouncing it wrong this whole time. As in all the times you've talked about Qatar. Maybe not so many? Well, the amount you talk about this small middle eastern country will be rapidly increasing in the coming years because the 2022 World Cup is being held here (so learn how to pronounce it).<br />
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What was I doing in Qatar (did you say it right in your mind this time)? No, it was not a Remote Year location. It just happened to be where we had an 8 hour layover on our way from Croatia to Kuala Lumpur. With such a long layover, we were able to take some time and go out on the town to see the wonders of Doha, Qatar.<br />
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Prior to visiting, I pretty much knew nothing about Qatar (no, it rhymes with butter) other than the fact that its oil rich and its hot. Well, it turns out its not oil rich...its actually oil RICH! As in the richest country in the world oil RICH with a per capita GDP of $129,726. To put that in perspective, the US per capita GDP is $57, 293. Dammmmmmnnnnnn. That is oil RICH!!! And it's very apparent that they have no idea what to do with all their money. The city is basically just a shell with luxury high-rise hotels lining the river, but no buildings below filling in down below.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7FKTzXCCf_slo1mlClBjkHfIYm3qA89sWq4P-dJkfYIwzCH7TY7ZG3jNhwPuqy_uknXl4F7eiXzNAiwyp4T-w9E_QvDLvaZ5jdEh4ZCSTZUYQhWYJ4kSkedRUl-kIFgpzLnHY8xzNA/s1600/IMG_3007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7FKTzXCCf_slo1mlClBjkHfIYm3qA89sWq4P-dJkfYIwzCH7TY7ZG3jNhwPuqy_uknXl4F7eiXzNAiwyp4T-w9E_QvDLvaZ5jdEh4ZCSTZUYQhWYJ4kSkedRUl-kIFgpzLnHY8xzNA/s640/IMG_3007.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those are all the building in Doha. There is no city. Its all an illusion. </td></tr>
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The "markets" in Doha were built in the last few years, but were created to look as if they have been around for hundreds of years. Its fake. All fake! As in straight out of a movie set fake (trust me I hang out on a lot of movie sets).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet_atd555wZaDT94KorbEkWnGvREAnz27bnlEZvqCdtNnSAj4OCveXxwSmHciTCJnH7rms6qKxDyhoPEK3EXzlX8xcwFe-yqS8cR8a8XYeDVn1BRR6afD8eXugUHuKiGJPTIKOR7PTA/s1600/IMG_2949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet_atd555wZaDT94KorbEkWnGvREAnz27bnlEZvqCdtNnSAj4OCveXxwSmHciTCJnH7rms6qKxDyhoPEK3EXzlX8xcwFe-yqS8cR8a8XYeDVn1BRR6afD8eXugUHuKiGJPTIKOR7PTA/s640/IMG_2949.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new market. Same as the old market. Well, actually, there was no old market.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswKxHm8xHsxMC-1MqKR9xZ0G2VbNPZoiwFwQrhwSaCPtI78-D6ae8q4UqQGuaPLBLURHph1mKqIV_Dz1Mu42QhiJ5E2mb363YOYQbQVWwpuBEQcvTonVKQiCB5nZMiRJEOtumZOsINw/s1600/IMG_2946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswKxHm8xHsxMC-1MqKR9xZ0G2VbNPZoiwFwQrhwSaCPtI78-D6ae8q4UqQGuaPLBLURHph1mKqIV_Dz1Mu42QhiJ5E2mb363YOYQbQVWwpuBEQcvTonVKQiCB5nZMiRJEOtumZOsINw/s400/IMG_2946.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An ancient structure built five years ago</td></tr>
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Also during our eight hour visit, we were able to fit in a boat ride across the river. FUN!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the fake river</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat Crew (also fake)!</td></tr>
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That's it. That's my whole blog post about fake Qatar. I just needed to get this out because its been three months since my last post and I'm writing about events that happened six months ago. Next time, bring your chopsticks cause we're moving into my Asian adventures.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smokin the Qatar Hookah (not fake)</td></tr>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 18 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain, Qatar)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-81653160047096868062017-03-14T09:16:00.002-04:002017-03-14T11:36:06.919-04:00The Spanish Inquisitors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If there's one thing you know about Sid Levin, its that he's bald. But if there's two things you know about Sid Levin, its that he has a sweet mustache. But if there's three.....ok I'm just gonna skip ahead because somewhere on this list of things to know about Sid Levin is the fact that he has always wanted to go to Spain. And since I, his son, happened to be in Europe, what better opportunity would there be to take a nice father-son trip?<br />
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Actually, he didn't just want to see Spain, he also wanted to see the Adriatic sea and the south of France (he's quite greedy). In the end, he flew into Split (Croatia), we hung out there for a few days, then few to Nice (France) rented a car and drove for ten days through southern France (France) and Spain (Spain).<br />
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I already talked about Split in my last <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.jp/2017/01/cro-tia-thats-croatia-split-up-into-its.html" target="_blank">post</a> (which I'm sure you have read), so lets get right to France. We flew in on a Thursday. There was an electricity in the air that said, "Hi - I'm France". We rented a car at the airport and drove into the city of Nice (I know thats a super easy one to make puns with, but I'm not going to fall for that trap).<br />
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Nice is right on the coast and has some pretty Nice beach fro.....damn it, I couldn't even make it one sentence without a pun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pg0tW_yzrcc5kd7aBK-WW52IkAGFYZjWlNb43wItIl8rpf3_W3jEcwHbpNE3whwnlpz0Kd_mtP54Pqz99d516pgsE-v3SdTgHoRLBFjNp6boSrWQG0kuhJSVz3o_rzjeK5xcWK9q9w/s1600/IMG_2058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pg0tW_yzrcc5kd7aBK-WW52IkAGFYZjWlNb43wItIl8rpf3_W3jEcwHbpNE3whwnlpz0Kd_mtP54Pqz99d516pgsE-v3SdTgHoRLBFjNp6boSrWQG0kuhJSVz3o_rzjeK5xcWK9q9w/s400/IMG_2058.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damn, that's Nice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Sid in his element</td></tr>
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Outside of the coast, I don't really have much more to say about Nice, so we will move on to our next stop; Aix-en-Provence. Now, you probably know Aix-en-Provence from the multi-national store that originated here (I did not know it for this, but I'm sure one of you did).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A store (it has the name "en Povence" in it)</td></tr>
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But, it also happens to be the home town of none other than, Paul Cézanne (I like to call him Pauly C.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOknVvStqfk_TNgt9W39427uXI-h84k9FDZK3gklSKdVzJu0fwnCNJ_Jt4JbQmQxeUYXfX-JPzWnjPhzqozVmA6PxyHDXXHfcMuSdD2daEpjklxJMiFNQCkMRTpT_9SO1B1LOP1_lpw/s1600/IMG_2115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOknVvStqfk_TNgt9W39427uXI-h84k9FDZK3gklSKdVzJu0fwnCNJ_Jt4JbQmQxeUYXfX-JPzWnjPhzqozVmA6PxyHDXXHfcMuSdD2daEpjklxJMiFNQCkMRTpT_9SO1B1LOP1_lpw/s400/IMG_2115.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockin hats with Pauly C.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">A courtyard in Aix-en-Provence</td></tr>
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So Aix-en-Provence was Nice (ahhhh....why can't I stop myself from making this pun?), but the real attraction was the vineyard we went to.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxppjZOaum8iMntb4CB0iDYYIh21TwhXz5ytZQkN_qdcbUgx6DV_vyH2suxNVMGwCnSE9SOSIOUnZRnR7fwBMg2ksOCp4zNprDq9Tv-IbfWwP2U_VxPkCH_77_wnA-Qa7Cpyn2Cz2Fw/s1600/IMG_2096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxppjZOaum8iMntb4CB0iDYYIh21TwhXz5ytZQkN_qdcbUgx6DV_vyH2suxNVMGwCnSE9SOSIOUnZRnR7fwBMg2ksOCp4zNprDq9Tv-IbfWwP2U_VxPkCH_77_wnA-Qa7Cpyn2Cz2Fw/s400/IMG_2096.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vineyard in the south of France...NBD</td></tr>
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This vineyard was also significant on our trip because it was where I learned how to drive stick. Automatic transmission cars are way more expensive to rent in Europe so we rented a manual one which I had never driven before. I drove around the vineyard parking lot and surrounding roads for 30 minutes and then the very next day, I was driving on the highway. I don't want to brag or anything, but I do want to say things in a boastful manner; I'm pretty awesome.</div>
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After one night in Aix (pronounced 'x' which is pronounced 'ex'), we drove the six hours over to Barcelona (not sure if you heard, but I drove some of the way cause I know how to drive stick shift). I had been to Barcelona ten years before and had very fond memories and was quite excited to go back. The first stop was Gaudi's Sagrada Familia.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDin9JpydI03WmEYqLO0SSn9QLaAQrwWMhkhOgt7d113SMUl534SRxoFfmrxgTRmuytBdCrIjsniJgB5nllmBh8kOLo7ZkEeiIeeJgCswma40T0DjYTig5tcGToNzc7w1vYhyphenhyphen2yQf9g/s1600/IMG_0185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDin9JpydI03WmEYqLO0SSn9QLaAQrwWMhkhOgt7d113SMUl534SRxoFfmrxgTRmuytBdCrIjsniJgB5nllmBh8kOLo7ZkEeiIeeJgCswma40T0DjYTig5tcGToNzc7w1vYhyphenhyphen2yQf9g/s640/IMG_0185.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say whaaaaaat?</td></tr>
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I had visited the cathedral ten years prior, but had not gone inside. The outside is obviously absolutely ridiculous (in a good way), but then we went inside....<br />
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Now, I've been to Petra, Iceland, Acton Massachusetts, Machu Picchu, Taj Maha, Burning Man, the Swiss Alps and other amazing places, but I think the inside of the Sagrada Familia is the most impressive thing I have ever seen in my life. It is directly out of what I think the future alien world will look like when we find it. And this thing was designed 100 years ago. It's been slowly built over time and now the government has picked up the project (as you can see from cranes in the picture) and plans to complete the whole thing by 2026ish. There's actually something like eight more towers to build on top of the thing. Nothing I say or show in pictures can do much for you (and pictures inside don't really come out well), but here ya go:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a5__aG9fyL8moj5xPN70Nm6xcw3r_bxLK9yiUFrE1nKRZxZmIYbnyeM2GRmHHuUBSaJ9alpEj1JJyfiPPIqXYU_HcODDqhFJdXKzDZl3RI7la7BhM4gSrb44os9XCsoBMfMFciAu_A/s1600/IMG_0197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a5__aG9fyL8moj5xPN70Nm6xcw3r_bxLK9yiUFrE1nKRZxZmIYbnyeM2GRmHHuUBSaJ9alpEj1JJyfiPPIqXYU_HcODDqhFJdXKzDZl3RI7la7BhM4gSrb44os9XCsoBMfMFciAu_A/s640/IMG_0197.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT9wxqabETmZBqxBljTwAvHCkDAw4v8ZWKKhuTjdjL2ZX6nGW5NmsJ7vTZ3_M5Ag8VPtramoxswZpSQ5iz7yaf6ZhBwBWtfqFihrwQLpwfmSnWYn1bj0JWqWIiH_PsaeL6VtkWNEt8A/s1600/IMG_2262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT9wxqabETmZBqxBljTwAvHCkDAw4v8ZWKKhuTjdjL2ZX6nGW5NmsJ7vTZ3_M5Ag8VPtramoxswZpSQ5iz7yaf6ZhBwBWtfqFihrwQLpwfmSnWYn1bj0JWqWIiH_PsaeL6VtkWNEt8A/s640/IMG_2262.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's lovely</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrb6KvgjPse92zDj09VcHGBtY4qxjAw4608DTV2jCg_t66-cWi42_6I3zEYHSWOd7H9OgADco3uJHqzJV3SEo7MBGh70nOZKsd2rdYRM8pYkvjDahBauvsIwewlDahD_1Pc26E8kgkdQ/s1600/IMG_2240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrb6KvgjPse92zDj09VcHGBtY4qxjAw4608DTV2jCg_t66-cWi42_6I3zEYHSWOd7H9OgADco3uJHqzJV3SEo7MBGh70nOZKsd2rdYRM8pYkvjDahBauvsIwewlDahD_1Pc26E8kgkdQ/s640/IMG_2240.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow, I know how to capture the light perfectly</td></tr>
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Yeah, so you should go.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other (boring) side of the Cathedral...</td></tr>
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The rest of Barcelona was also pretty great. We had lots of tapas and sangria, got robbed, saw other Gaudi buildings, hung out on Las Ramblas and more...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAkSean2VB1qTv8VVWtoZt9NUp3PqI5U8aUW3qeyB7r4fyK2iml8XYoqcdHqinXaZdg53UUoc1Ts-5Tg4gn5SSci-ceqByBpY6yOK68Yc8KFOalI7SxzO3xsG5UOWLOBhoXRbgGADKA/s1600/IMG_2138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAkSean2VB1qTv8VVWtoZt9NUp3PqI5U8aUW3qeyB7r4fyK2iml8XYoqcdHqinXaZdg53UUoc1Ts-5Tg4gn5SSci-ceqByBpY6yOK68Yc8KFOalI7SxzO3xsG5UOWLOBhoXRbgGADKA/s400/IMG_2138.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapas and Sangria on Las Ramblas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztBpj52eZ9LfM71fU50USLtR70EkJyIxlc9y_Xxs5aPlW9J3DghHyam1aeHGhuWCKSz8Xj9g2YZ0dXXT3_DUe7-xUzU6Nisz_u4jTIxnyKn1Z2Xjd8__Wfh_BWMAlb-gVIWyZxvmlUw/s1600/IMG_0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztBpj52eZ9LfM71fU50USLtR70EkJyIxlc9y_Xxs5aPlW9J3DghHyam1aeHGhuWCKSz8Xj9g2YZ0dXXT3_DUe7-xUzU6Nisz_u4jTIxnyKn1Z2Xjd8__Wfh_BWMAlb-gVIWyZxvmlUw/s640/IMG_0210.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtyard off Las Ramblas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlZO5U-WWElGZ-tPK3HJK9MyZxPnIVDrwshH3zjI0IEJBK9TaFXux-VTvJnGv5PBDlH3NwYx-MiABgr2al5wW7JWEcYKJIUv8r-sFDpoivvZSpx7oZ9mitfXBJlb1DnWI_W5IOu333w/s1600/IMG_2161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlZO5U-WWElGZ-tPK3HJK9MyZxPnIVDrwshH3zjI0IEJBK9TaFXux-VTvJnGv5PBDlH3NwYx-MiABgr2al5wW7JWEcYKJIUv8r-sFDpoivvZSpx7oZ9mitfXBJlb1DnWI_W5IOu333w/s400/IMG_2161.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Gaudi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixR8DC1_-4oQr0eHU6GQMU1txcF2n_9ID1JxXtr8uW1Kt_KYhLAeW7wtCQQb0plEGLLiLdYK6g3CPXYLy-ux8g3-NRriTFUuvcJG6wn6xXzhJ0hlimtDElM9li4UFiI1AVaARCWS63Pw/s1600/IMG_2159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixR8DC1_-4oQr0eHU6GQMU1txcF2n_9ID1JxXtr8uW1Kt_KYhLAeW7wtCQQb0plEGLLiLdYK6g3CPXYLy-ux8g3-NRriTFUuvcJG6wn6xXzhJ0hlimtDElM9li4UFiI1AVaARCWS63Pw/s640/IMG_2159.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even more Gaudi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Gaudi park</td></tr>
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Wait, I'm sorry, did you mentioned something about being robbed? </div>
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Why yes I did!</div>
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Also, I have a problem with talking out loud to myself.</div>
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You should get that checked out.</div>
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Robbed! At gunpoint! I still have the experience ingrained in my memory. As the gun went off, I jumped in front of the bullet to save my father, realizing my true potential as a hero. </div>
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That's how it went down in my mind, but in reality we came back to our Airbnb to find our stuff thrown throughout the room and my bag missing with my laptop, passport, dad's iPad and numerous other small things, like my hat from Bolivia 😧</div>
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I've never had an experience like that before and its obviously pretty intense and emotional in the moment, but really, its not so bad in the end. When you think about losing your passport while traveling, it seems like you would be completely screwed, but it actually wasn't that big of a deal. I went to the US consulate, got an emergency passport on the spot, then ordered a new one when I got to Kuala Lumpur and had it in hand in two weeks. It's actually quicker to get a passport outside the US then in. Conspiracy!</div>
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So, a little shaken, but unharmed (other than my bullet wound), we moved on with our journey. The next stop was in Valencia for a night. </div>
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In case you were not aware, Sid Levin is the spry age of 78. But let me tell you, he has the energy of a......77 year old. He climbed 277 steps to the top of the Valencia bell tower. Wow.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0fYJaq_UgFFwG8XNKjNPSJYPId1FQWGGkATTLwURZNIBNaK3Ez0N0oML0rkIDlr5SXrSB6fZUVACGshv4jMYZtGCbigOb71_7yKbrlInoc2NrtNTXsjCaPQQPRLhsCYtfl6ZRExufA/s1600/IMG_2411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0fYJaq_UgFFwG8XNKjNPSJYPId1FQWGGkATTLwURZNIBNaK3Ez0N0oML0rkIDlr5SXrSB6fZUVACGshv4jMYZtGCbigOb71_7yKbrlInoc2NrtNTXsjCaPQQPRLhsCYtfl6ZRExufA/s320/IMG_2411.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sid Levin climbed to the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_p0ZOTRzcCvdTQASCJZkIma0cv1UIjXH60WI9zflY54TUnA6O4HYIEimiM_uLCgbp5lHJsN5TyqWLKSOstWkX0yKw4umjsFEhGypX7jC9AbFjXII8O-YpjAZ0N3so485saPeo5TYxQ/s1600/IMG_2379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_p0ZOTRzcCvdTQASCJZkIma0cv1UIjXH60WI9zflY54TUnA6O4HYIEimiM_uLCgbp5lHJsN5TyqWLKSOstWkX0yKw4umjsFEhGypX7jC9AbFjXII8O-YpjAZ0N3so485saPeo5TYxQ/s400/IMG_2379.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reward at the top of the tower....a bell</td></tr>
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After our quick bell tower visit, we were on our way to Granada. I was able to drive some of the way since I know how to drive stick.</div>
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Granada is known for two things; the Alhambra and free tapas with every drink. We took advantage of both of these. The drinking is plentiful as Granada is made up of small streets lined with restaurants with outdoor seating.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyyGOpcjdSfA9bVykd9JJUtuMAZ3CuXETToiNFlX_F71DalJBMzqAzm1kPktcOgHdXPEiBVkFMD8hA0WzruLrQRcgXW9b1ITWZpCmwjCi9tvmrwACI_-EFcBmCQn5KTqHNyrBRuBxfw/s1600/IMG_0257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyyGOpcjdSfA9bVykd9JJUtuMAZ3CuXETToiNFlX_F71DalJBMzqAzm1kPktcOgHdXPEiBVkFMD8hA0WzruLrQRcgXW9b1ITWZpCmwjCi9tvmrwACI_-EFcBmCQn5KTqHNyrBRuBxfw/s400/IMG_0257.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small streets full of tapas and sangria (sorry, this is apparently the best photo I took)</td></tr>
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And then there was the Alhambra:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEAfrA9evvNrsM3Hdf1JPH0OjuZKK6ZOvcOTEmHp6aJz2Yf0KInKonGospV9Ugxkp0wjNB0WZn65l31pQ3inNmrGlt1XFXYuo81Q8j8URgBynM3d9gCuHZyYspNtzG5JtoGY8EWiLfw/s1600/IMG_0261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEAfrA9evvNrsM3Hdf1JPH0OjuZKK6ZOvcOTEmHp6aJz2Yf0KInKonGospV9Ugxkp0wjNB0WZn65l31pQ3inNmrGlt1XFXYuo81Q8j8URgBynM3d9gCuHZyYspNtzG5JtoGY8EWiLfw/s400/IMG_0261.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alhambra by night</td></tr>
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As I'm sure you're all aware, the Alhambra has a long and storied history; from the moors to the christians to the you can just read about it <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra" target="_blank">here</a> on Wikipedia. Did you know, the Alhambra is where Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition to not quite America? Oh, you did know that? OK, sorry. But did you know that the Alhambra is the....oh you knew that too? OK, I'll just show you some pictures then.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM-gRaJKV962GawnEkdE2IsL988PQ2uggMuT8rS-OBD7sZYSg9RlHZjK1zX3OH94ZNENiYoHlFbqTyfWrZPQAX5dQWWAKxK-yqC3sWjub4csH44fuheH0I4PL7iMLAvNBB-dDAL1Rww/s1600/IMG_2457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM-gRaJKV962GawnEkdE2IsL988PQ2uggMuT8rS-OBD7sZYSg9RlHZjK1zX3OH94ZNENiYoHlFbqTyfWrZPQAX5dQWWAKxK-yqC3sWjub4csH44fuheH0I4PL7iMLAvNBB-dDAL1Rww/s640/IMG_2457.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A window</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlvcBdws-n7BiTS2-tj1bZWGdJyzGyptpuIRdiVUGbII6Lv6aopDAElCm0xYebe9bVK8t9-_DdjUSJnpMDo4fMNQase-FtjBEWyeFkTHrPK5X7rwk-TWNKr8QhY1W-Awja6h8LcBg4A/s1600/IMG_2465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlvcBdws-n7BiTS2-tj1bZWGdJyzGyptpuIRdiVUGbII6Lv6aopDAElCm0xYebe9bVK8t9-_DdjUSJnpMDo4fMNQase-FtjBEWyeFkTHrPK5X7rwk-TWNKr8QhY1W-Awja6h8LcBg4A/s400/IMG_2465.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslXa3KkO71iPlKn5Z4PKYgpKi5rY69Vi9OUezd8xRvHqjPlRXcJDJnpKH8lXBDqTsbvDVuZjokYTNizEQIwSvT5Le2w-D7tPjukk_ms7_fXI4BxxIOc9uIVSZ-Rim5P-BoM880Pyu5g/s1600/IMG_2474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslXa3KkO71iPlKn5Z4PKYgpKi5rY69Vi9OUezd8xRvHqjPlRXcJDJnpKH8lXBDqTsbvDVuZjokYTNizEQIwSvT5Le2w-D7tPjukk_ms7_fXI4BxxIOc9uIVSZ-Rim5P-BoM880Pyu5g/s640/IMG_2474.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great picture by Matt Levin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO2OJpOyo1I8ypfHdZ7uB3tbpdVrSB3KUHyDCgUDlR-oYWiATROr5f880rFVfQWYFbaBD9-bTHwhqyF_zAKDKmjy9OHYvuGAWw0mAOJi65C16_rOuOBHSn2yzQy5BuMdWunUOf16IQg/s1600/IMG_2500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO2OJpOyo1I8ypfHdZ7uB3tbpdVrSB3KUHyDCgUDlR-oYWiATROr5f880rFVfQWYFbaBD9-bTHwhqyF_zAKDKmjy9OHYvuGAWw0mAOJi65C16_rOuOBHSn2yzQy5BuMdWunUOf16IQg/s400/IMG_2500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tYfM5WmTwu9F7WxTC-qV941qvuimCdu8uxLQoV9ev4WjZvBLBC_n_PSFoMJioI51NeT7vCxIe8yMbhuICbanO2xTJvf_3CdSa11Rk2qHEyjq-C6x6mlRuvEdeHe8-4ubYLQ8_khNNg/s1600/IMG_2516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tYfM5WmTwu9F7WxTC-qV941qvuimCdu8uxLQoV9ev4WjZvBLBC_n_PSFoMJioI51NeT7vCxIe8yMbhuICbanO2xTJvf_3CdSa11Rk2qHEyjq-C6x6mlRuvEdeHe8-4ubYLQ8_khNNg/s640/IMG_2516.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pigeon</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3xwhjv5QDIPK7bJrgAUN6iIbsqKdPMijsSuajwiBsFPWD5NpknzEPxeKMLNFIbLC0xgmcqWIBhNjdCO5NW6H_CxmIhZpdMoadhgqPv71fHnUAMPF9hqngSmvObU6P0sZgaY6vsbmpA/s1600/IMG_2533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3xwhjv5QDIPK7bJrgAUN6iIbsqKdPMijsSuajwiBsFPWD5NpknzEPxeKMLNFIbLC0xgmcqWIBhNjdCO5NW6H_CxmIhZpdMoadhgqPv71fHnUAMPF9hqngSmvObU6P0sZgaY6vsbmpA/s400/IMG_2533.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">A...not sure what that is</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_bzo1rXyxH-H7MEGxXLfuNQQkNpq_zIFk9dlpqZ4SRUaWRYTP8zPCJJn6OAqySJ3TXZ1tnFItiXzvH_jHyBnyZAjo0DoJaLFBryKuMQpFdGFipC3VqKIfA0O4ko7cgeDFtotoEwCIg/s1600/IMG_2438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_bzo1rXyxH-H7MEGxXLfuNQQkNpq_zIFk9dlpqZ4SRUaWRYTP8zPCJJn6OAqySJ3TXZ1tnFItiXzvH_jHyBnyZAjo0DoJaLFBryKuMQpFdGFipC3VqKIfA0O4ko7cgeDFtotoEwCIg/s320/IMG_2438.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sid Levin....rarely captured in its natural habitat</td></tr>
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In addition to the Alhambra, Granada also has a big cathedral. I thought you should know, so I took a picture.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A big cathedral in Granada. You're welcome!</td></tr>
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And then it was time to move onto the last city of our trip; Madrid. I don't have much to say about Madrid. It was a city. However, now is a good time to discuss the theme running throughout the entirety of our trip; the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Civil War? Yes, the Spanish Civil War. Interesting, tell me more. OK, well for starters, in Spain, they just call it the Civil War.<br />
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My father likes to say that he grew up in the "old left". That means people were preaching "viva la revolution" and such. The Spanish Civil War is very significant for this leftist movement because for a brief period it was really the only time in history where true utopian communism actually got to play out. Of course, it didn't last very long because the Fascist general, Francisco Franco, defeated the Republicans (the leftist groups) in the civil ware and instilled a dictatorship for the next 40 years. This Franco character was so bad that Hitler famously said that he "would rather have three or four teeth pulled than go through another meeting with him." Damn, that Hitler is cold as ice, I have a feeling he's not going to be liked in the long run. Actually, I'm not sure if the fact that Hitler couldn't stand him makes Franco more or less likable.<br />
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The Spanish Civil War is also significant because most countries signed a non-intervention agreement (although many intervened including Germany and Italy testing out new bombing technology before WW2) and so many members of the leftist movement around the world came to volunteer on the side of the Republicans. Over 1000 people from the US volunteered and became known as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. The author, George Orwell, volunteered and wrote a book, Homage to Catalonia, about his experience.<br />
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We went on a four hour long Spanish Civil War tour in Barcelona which was hands down the best tour I have ever been on (and I've been on a lot of tours). Additionally, we did another Spanish Civil War tour in Madrid. Basically, if you have any questions, just ask. Or you could go visit Spain and go on this <a href="http://iberianature.com/barcelona/history-of-barcelona/spanish-civil-war-tour-in-barcelona/" target="_blank">tour</a>. It's actually very hard to find information on the Civil War within Spain as the government has suppressed the discussion of it since many people in power have direct ties to the brutal Franco times.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monument remembering the plaza where the Battle of Ciudad Universitaria took place in Madrid</td></tr>
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Pillbox used by the Nationalists during the war</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Monument to the 40,000+ members of the international Brigades who volunteered to fight for the Republicans (only mention of them in Spain)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxhFHz6ErGrYLEJZ4DdqrWOEoklsUEfhN7KLb8t-j18scbNg02bKXl8nfs2vCgoLRDVmYKSDmeYLOF-AH2HMrsUCZM9c42d8i1yzd3PCvAF2dka8eCd0JOzhFj4jAuWhBFKCZI59d1A/s1600/IMG_2585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxhFHz6ErGrYLEJZ4DdqrWOEoklsUEfhN7KLb8t-j18scbNg02bKXl8nfs2vCgoLRDVmYKSDmeYLOF-AH2HMrsUCZM9c42d8i1yzd3PCvAF2dka8eCd0JOzhFj4jAuWhBFKCZI59d1A/s400/IMG_2585.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory Arch - The arch was built to commemorate the victory of Franco in the Spanish Civil War in the Battle of University City. Yes an arch celebrating Franco (built by Franco)</td></tr>
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And this concludes my father-son trip to Spain as well as the European part of my Remote Year journey. Next, we'll make a quick stop in the middle east and then its on to Asia.<br />
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Total countries visited on my trip: 17 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, France, Spain)<br />
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Oh, and here's a video of an awesome Flamenco show we came across in Granada:<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-35185596127594326622017-01-23T07:32:00.002-05:002017-01-23T08:41:40.861-05:00Cro-a-tia (that's "Croatia" Split up into its syllables)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Jackets. Hats. Shivering. Cold!</div>
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These are the words that the average (and sightly below average) person thinks of when they imagine the beaches of Croatia. The problem is that I'm no average person (I hover around 1/6 average most of the time).</div>
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See, I thought it would be a tropical paradise with the most beautiful beaches in the world, but, instead, I was stuck wearing my jacket. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So cold! Hey, thats my dad. Who invited him into the picture?</td></tr>
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Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. Split, Croatia (yes, its called Split....and its quite easy to fit into puns) in October was a mixed bag (actually, now that I'm writing my thoughts out here, I've had an idea and I'm going to weave the Split pun into random places in this post). October is really just one month too late for consistent warm weather in Croatia (you will recognize these puns because the word 'Split' will be in them). Would it have been too much to ask to go here earlier in the trip? It was really the only place on our itinerary that was so weather dependent because of the.......BEACHES (actually now I'm going back to change the title and include this pun in it. It probably won't make sense until you read this sentence)!<br />
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Luckily, there were still a couple nice days in Split (see that wasn't a pun, I was just using the name of the city in a sentence)...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My office for the month</td></tr>
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That's more like the weather I expected.</div>
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And I suppose there was the occasional beautiful sunset...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">What I thought Croatia would be like (and obviously was...since that's a picture I took)</td></tr>
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And it ended up being a pretty awesome place to run. On warm days, we would run by the beach and then jump directly into the ocean.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Running one mile calls for a jump in the ocean</td></tr>
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The main attraction in Split is Diocletian's Palace, built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian at the turn of the 4th century AD as his vacation home. I personally would have gone with a slightly more sturdy material for my vacation home as the palace is already showing its age after just 1600 years. Pfft (thats the sound of me scoffing). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Parts of the "palace" in clear disarray and Split-ting apart (I have no idea why I took this picture)</td></tr>
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What's actually really cool about this palace is that half of the city of Split is built into it. You might say the city is Split between Diocletians palace and the surrounding area (no one would say this). I should probably back up and explain that this palace isn't just one lavish giant structure (like you have in your mind), but a huge area of many building enclosed by outer walls. More of what you would think of as a fortress. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Looking out from the bell tower. All of the buildings in the immediate foreground are inside the palace walls (longest caption ever)</td></tr>
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How did the city come to exist inside the palace? I'm glad you asked. In the 7th century, the nearby residents fled to the walled palace in an effort to escape the invading Croats (see <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.com/2017/01/did-serbia-make-belgrade.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> about confusing conflicts in the area). They setup homes and shops inside the walls and to this day, the area remains the main functioning part of the city. Apartments are for rent inside towers and fortified walls and banks sit upon stone streets built over a thousand years ago.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Shops are built into the thousand year old fortress walls</td></tr>
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The other cool thing about this fortress is that Game of Thrones filmed a number of scenes here. OMG FREAK OUT. GAME OF THRONES. Split was the setting for many of the shots of Meereen and I spoke to a number of locals who were extras in various scenes.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrk8AtPt2MBlIQaAjCp8iHgGuBhI63dmQTYq7EfPCp5WZR3ZttWYAvgCjcVJCSav_E6rXwztY7E199pQe9KacFjkHPuh3khqFXX_pR-V5MgTJo7HVmj6da0Aa9PuSmqQbycJgFpl7VuA/s1600/IMG_1988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrk8AtPt2MBlIQaAjCp8iHgGuBhI63dmQTYq7EfPCp5WZR3ZttWYAvgCjcVJCSav_E6rXwztY7E199pQe9KacFjkHPuh3khqFXX_pR-V5MgTJo7HVmj6da0Aa9PuSmqQbycJgFpl7VuA/s400/IMG_1988.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A scene from Game of Thrones was shot here</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZ6LZ4_TVyymVwliLjusLu4E1AqAMuR_FcLv2aOpL0-4Ef3T0sE3EhBz9o-moZZwL0MbvUbSSPe9US0RjO1F2Y3m9wX3nwE6OeZo6OXLeNJiBuEVjne-oW0zOnPKY0SnH55KLRKvDGw/s1600/kill+the+masters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZ6LZ4_TVyymVwliLjusLu4E1AqAMuR_FcLv2aOpL0-4Ef3T0sE3EhBz9o-moZZwL0MbvUbSSPe9US0RjO1F2Y3m9wX3nwE6OeZo6OXLeNJiBuEVjne-oW0zOnPKY0SnH55KLRKvDGw/s320/kill+the+masters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">It was apparently this scene ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4cRTym1nrHJVzDE8hc38V7keCrrR0Kh0-JP-3x29VvHdVMaiEVlMuP1iwwzkSj9dwLz0ES__0Iv31YU6J5-T9EdOCDXbHPwlGcRuUnM8Xbs5wZ6jibAWOK42oaerqXRMg9aGzXxDbw/s1600/IMG_1991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4cRTym1nrHJVzDE8hc38V7keCrrR0Kh0-JP-3x29VvHdVMaiEVlMuP1iwwzkSj9dwLz0ES__0Iv31YU6J5-T9EdOCDXbHPwlGcRuUnM8Xbs5wZ6jibAWOK42oaerqXRMg9aGzXxDbw/s320/IMG_1991.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is the entrance to the dungeon where Khaleesi keeps her dragons</td></tr>
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And here's some other random pics of the "palace"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcY0SPnhRxvkOEbzgE_KKJ1fgv46iyqKsSgfM71CQkmLQC-WtfqI_6obwUg5nSTkAKlmrllRZbEeMRdvwj6IBZFrnahe75N2SrWHKxni-7yuVVhC-OY_sYmJ8KfMqQC9dzUH6sM2yK3Q/s1600/IMG_0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcY0SPnhRxvkOEbzgE_KKJ1fgv46iyqKsSgfM71CQkmLQC-WtfqI_6obwUg5nSTkAKlmrllRZbEeMRdvwj6IBZFrnahe75N2SrWHKxni-7yuVVhC-OY_sYmJ8KfMqQC9dzUH6sM2yK3Q/s320/IMG_0066.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The local palace bell tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWKV4tMzX0IxVXBAAvcB1rZL-d7HwD1GtXAICNMVske284OedFtJhxWyYTRQM0nv6NrV0MYabzGB2EbydkHOVaadmG4ZS6-QYv88q3YiIbKEE23fTO-HQ99vWsA16EJiZO-dmxZeYew/s1600/IMG_1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWKV4tMzX0IxVXBAAvcB1rZL-d7HwD1GtXAICNMVske284OedFtJhxWyYTRQM0nv6NrV0MYabzGB2EbydkHOVaadmG4ZS6-QYv88q3YiIbKEE23fTO-HQ99vWsA16EJiZO-dmxZeYew/s400/IMG_1993.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A courtyard in the palace that my dad really enjoyed....its too bad that guy is blocking the shot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFUGIKDQ1GcqZ1zq9m7rPoi_Pc7554PoAPw-K89O-EXmWOm6gpTOW8TdZ88sM6UZISe1PkcIsoAZGfuYAXDUvXsHw_gOKqCcbuUFHmIdmUO5uv7pjf9bX1RHAesIDTRlw0-KrFsBhog/s1600/IMG_1982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFUGIKDQ1GcqZ1zq9m7rPoi_Pc7554PoAPw-K89O-EXmWOm6gpTOW8TdZ88sM6UZISe1PkcIsoAZGfuYAXDUvXsHw_gOKqCcbuUFHmIdmUO5uv7pjf9bX1RHAesIDTRlw0-KrFsBhog/s640/IMG_1982.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Statue of Gregory of Nin...its good luck to touch the foot. Also, why is that guy following me around and standing in all my pictures? (ok, now this is the longest caption)</td></tr>
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They call Croatia, "the land of of dudes walking into your pictures", well actually I just call it that. Most people call it "the land of 1000 islands" because they have over 1000 islands. I feel like they should probably do an exact count so they can call it "the land of 1106 islands" (1106 may be an incorrect number of islands, so once the count is complete, you can substitute the real number. You can say "the land of x islands for now"). In any event, you might say Croatia is Split into many pieces....I wouldn't say that, but you might. I had the opportunity to visit exactly one of these islands, Brač (pronounced Brač). It was nice. I took a picture.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9NXhD1nd2d9qPDs68KiapLsokzWXCVIFWlr0jgIXebRyqYd6gi8Qd-fj9AmoDy_gQL3dMonUECTExRNVh9je-QaGmyuuSrs-XAQTEzEylQPUXS3pSKNTuzs8WEVEQHPndEV6w6GKew/s1600/IMG_1903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9NXhD1nd2d9qPDs68KiapLsokzWXCVIFWlr0jgIXebRyqYd6gi8Qd-fj9AmoDy_gQL3dMonUECTExRNVh9je-QaGmyuuSrs-XAQTEzEylQPUXS3pSKNTuzs8WEVEQHPndEV6w6GKew/s640/IMG_1903.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A picture on Brač...one of x Croatian islands</td></tr>
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The last "big" trip I took within Croatia was to Plitviče Lake National Park. It was pretty. Not really sure what else to say about. It was a cold day. Enjoy the pictures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Matt Levin in front of a water fall at Plitviče Lake National Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPNEnt4LgC334KMxa3v4NMB30TGXlwgcMH8B9XFYOSq4J3FcBHR4zCpZ2hFp1hbByjMvSX3AD1m6trZoR99TcHEXl2LNIOmX2Rd_ozsX448lqYQO9lu3MVl3IG66I00exBQ3fWiwdFw/s1600/IMG_2847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPNEnt4LgC334KMxa3v4NMB30TGXlwgcMH8B9XFYOSq4J3FcBHR4zCpZ2hFp1hbByjMvSX3AD1m6trZoR99TcHEXl2LNIOmX2Rd_ozsX448lqYQO9lu3MVl3IG66I00exBQ3fWiwdFw/s640/IMG_2847.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The leaves are changing colors...reminds me of back home in the Boston suburbs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwANNmC8BNpCxLyh4u7WV8jxf8Ywwni-FhSeZeOjGD9tI-DgA2rsSgmx-mOAw_Z5_pmS3pqOozYLijPKAcun6GlJcotg8kF7jw9_WOB_KsGp8D0DL9bMpIR5w5XL029YsLxEDjQaFvA/s1600/IMG_2861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwANNmC8BNpCxLyh4u7WV8jxf8Ywwni-FhSeZeOjGD9tI-DgA2rsSgmx-mOAw_Z5_pmS3pqOozYLijPKAcun6GlJcotg8kF7jw9_WOB_KsGp8D0DL9bMpIR5w5XL029YsLxEDjQaFvA/s400/IMG_2861.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">They have caves in Plitviče</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpn5aG6sigssIUH8hG3bxLXlB7LB3qtIaq8sEZmYbBBLUytL-OjUlPb4OhYXI6g2Y85u4_8biW1C8r2ajgxNAfalENaxxkTqLmS1GDJNu27q4xsM0E7zdtcPI4a6Br4judUuwUp-8e5w/s1600/IMG_2884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpn5aG6sigssIUH8hG3bxLXlB7LB3qtIaq8sEZmYbBBLUytL-OjUlPb4OhYXI6g2Y85u4_8biW1C8r2ajgxNAfalENaxxkTqLmS1GDJNu27q4xsM0E7zdtcPI4a6Br4judUuwUp-8e5w/s640/IMG_2884.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's the money shot! Looking down on the boardwalk from above. Boom! It was all worth it!</td></tr>
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On the way back from Plitviče, we stopped at the famed sea organ in Zadar. It's an architected musical instrument with a series of pipes built into the steps on the water that make different sounds as the water fills the pipes (which doesn't sound anything like an organ). But its still pretty interesting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MmQy5_rxgoG1XNcmsT5wIwvb_DcsZwfXors6RyIqnoy1vii0-KZV4tYfmHvUi1W7wLiaYW7IRcnULrslPQAikb_WXqrXIxkAY07pZdShi3hAQuBaMUkVj4o9q6olU0LNGqMLURup7Q/s1600/IMG_2909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MmQy5_rxgoG1XNcmsT5wIwvb_DcsZwfXors6RyIqnoy1vii0-KZV4tYfmHvUi1W7wLiaYW7IRcnULrslPQAikb_WXqrXIxkAY07pZdShi3hAQuBaMUkVj4o9q6olU0LNGqMLURup7Q/s320/IMG_2909.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The sea organ. You can see the slits where the steps are Split and the water flows through</td></tr>
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Below, there's a video of me listening to the sounds of the sea organ. If you listen too many times, pretty sure you'll get a Split-ting headache. Annnnnnnnnnd scene.<br />
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Total countries visited on my trip: 15 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Croatia).
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-88357742191945071222017-01-10T07:32:00.001-05:002017-01-23T04:19:35.240-05:00Oktoberfestivus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A quick note to the readers: </div>
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<i>I am constantly receiving boat loads of feedback from my loyal fans (b</i><i>y loyal fans, I, of course, mean myself)</i><i>. Most of it is very positive, but there is occasionally a snarky remark and sometimes even a suggestion on how my blog could better improve someone's life. I take this responsibility very seriously. One piece of feedback I have received lately is that there is too much time between my posts and then the posts are actually too long and dense and filled with so much useful information that it's hard for any one person to digest in even several sittings. Well my loyal readers, I am listening and I am going to try to post smaller portions of my trip, but more often. </i></div>
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<i>And here is the first of said smaller posts...</i><br />
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Almost 4 months ago, I went to Oktoberfest. It was in September (because there is no month named Oktober...the spell check doesn't recognize it).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPgid7rnvR1Re3uCjOzdR_FvXjmaiDHSHaiAsYoOUs9W4aCmtHVtoPfbwtJXZkZS_SDNFfPdEj8zpB9asXqXVAIuOotgolCcK7TU4XVh4T97Ab6yxm7s0K_Y911q5EuoOlfAZij46xw/s1600/20119386-636A-4EC2-BC4B-522A40278AB6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPgid7rnvR1Re3uCjOzdR_FvXjmaiDHSHaiAsYoOUs9W4aCmtHVtoPfbwtJXZkZS_SDNFfPdEj8zpB9asXqXVAIuOotgolCcK7TU4XVh4T97Ab6yxm7s0K_Y911q5EuoOlfAZij46xw/s640/20119386-636A-4EC2-BC4B-522A40278AB6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm wearing the blue shirt 25th row from the front, 6th from the left side</td></tr>
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Something like 600,000 (pronounced 600,000 when you say it in German) people per day go through Oktoberfest. This means that lodging is really, really expensive and sells out way in advance. With the lack of foresight and planning that we put in, we were forced to stay in tents....tents in a park....tents in a park setup by a bunch of Belgian guys in their mid twenties looking to make some money from high prices and do a little partying themselves. Webster's dictionary defines this situation as: "shit show".</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjuiTOUxeEgtyeq7OlN54eiTuaKCrHXbTHkf_wKdcZ9ljkDhdbGWdN6QyG1P8xqLtUJngWLD-C-y2NFjPnQeghXOed1zLK0CbgPppbrDT_rO0ObOsO-GOBUOuVb6KjEN5MpMU7syHVA/s1600/IMG_1478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjuiTOUxeEgtyeq7OlN54eiTuaKCrHXbTHkf_wKdcZ9ljkDhdbGWdN6QyG1P8xqLtUJngWLD-C-y2NFjPnQeghXOed1zLK0CbgPppbrDT_rO0ObOsO-GOBUOuVb6KjEN5MpMU7syHVA/s400/IMG_1478.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our five-star hotel in Munich</td></tr>
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These lovely accommodations actually ended up feeling appropriate, though, given the scene and atmosphere of the festival. It was just complete, no holding back drunkenness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJTTEme4oYdtbxEu7JWY94bODUD2qgAE009IGhc-be6clpSeXiYNkf39ODhPG3YX0SMgpYm43Kd1UBDGj_EPaakQlYhr5fYDaLxzRg6PkHaqYD9KZWv6kYUoKF1bR3NvmNKHfu_f3DQ/s1600/IMG_1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJTTEme4oYdtbxEu7JWY94bODUD2qgAE009IGhc-be6clpSeXiYNkf39ODhPG3YX0SMgpYm43Kd1UBDGj_EPaakQlYhr5fYDaLxzRg6PkHaqYD9KZWv6kYUoKF1bR3NvmNKHfu_f3DQ/s320/IMG_1622.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Warning: Graphic image above (or was I suppose to warn you before the picture?)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPGUrhyX1h6xiiiPLY-P9-T2GzCrY-zt_WrAHjtProKTFEZ_O-q3gfR8QfRCT0Rf2pXXOyA8AS2tg44y7dHUrDytYjxyyIpPestjDOcUkxA3YvBx54aVkH6ZLFUJKtHVgt1RGur0Edw/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPGUrhyX1h6xiiiPLY-P9-T2GzCrY-zt_WrAHjtProKTFEZ_O-q3gfR8QfRCT0Rf2pXXOyA8AS2tg44y7dHUrDytYjxyyIpPestjDOcUkxA3YvBx54aVkH6ZLFUJKtHVgt1RGur0Edw/s400/IMG_1573.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hi Brecht and beers</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FAqpnzZ2v-4JGl_JaApR2TTvwI3nngp0b9-dTZbz2yCF3PBt3ztGkcftACsQuiD_nKkpUOrG0_B9TTD7E2dmg1GzUEp3tG9Dyj_eWvz0YI_x816vP1KoeM0RSct3149PH7y7yWguKg/s1600/IMG_1559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FAqpnzZ2v-4JGl_JaApR2TTvwI3nngp0b9-dTZbz2yCF3PBt3ztGkcftACsQuiD_nKkpUOrG0_B9TTD7E2dmg1GzUEp3tG9Dyj_eWvz0YI_x816vP1KoeM0RSct3149PH7y7yWguKg/s400/IMG_1559.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Good night Abe!</td></tr>
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The Oktoberfest grounds is 100 acres of carnival rides, food stalls and of course giant beer tents. There's about 15 of these beer tents on the grounds that are actually more like warehouse size open areas with picnic table style seating and up to 10,000 person capacities.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwPd15GtGph11b58sXFLghzHBhnGgMq0i2DyFOzbLHQ21BL-SGfrSTWWPKNlnA83r-omzig_FxDLg69M-HQ59pp3mCTybSm1XlvxHA4g582sDrhYx7iXF1ErKgAYrvXKrcPTgP3LosA/s1600/IMG_1561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwPd15GtGph11b58sXFLghzHBhnGgMq0i2DyFOzbLHQ21BL-SGfrSTWWPKNlnA83r-omzig_FxDLg69M-HQ59pp3mCTybSm1XlvxHA4g582sDrhYx7iXF1ErKgAYrvXKrcPTgP3LosA/s640/IMG_1561.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hard to get a feel of the scale...but its big</td></tr>
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There's a brass band at the center of each of these tents and they play such German hits as Sweet Caroline and The Time of my Life. Yes, you're basically at a giant super drunk wedding without having to remain in control because nobody's grandparents are watching. Every 10 minutes or so, the band plays this song (which everyone sings along to) "Ein Prosit, ein Prosit", and then a bunch of other words in German that I don't understand. I'm told it is to pay homage to the late great German Chancellor......<br />
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Helmut Schmidt.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpFLacGGfkckqyyA7ajJ_MgZPeDribMJ0fdXNDzNVoy3FKgHOk_DYlJqsM2bn5G6JffgpHisx-B5-QY3O0nms_iOL0MTK9ZvJZIyg1IjZPpFXK4N5CzJKg_UUSbSsOuCIh9-NVUB5Uw/s1600/IMG_1634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpFLacGGfkckqyyA7ajJ_MgZPeDribMJ0fdXNDzNVoy3FKgHOk_DYlJqsM2bn5G6JffgpHisx-B5-QY3O0nms_iOL0MTK9ZvJZIyg1IjZPpFXK4N5CzJKg_UUSbSsOuCIh9-NVUB5Uw/s400/IMG_1634.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I may have had a pint or two</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvdL8UdURArC8xCqQMGhR06f2HGFVDPmiPNpwp0oc_HZNl63JPDzuqBLymA2ssIIPPFbjkLmDpnTuwUnJrW9-32Sqj4WBiQTp9GpB1YJK8LILchuzGpaBvAXDYJT2JMI7XrfxAOX-HQ/s1600/32C08007-313F-4B49-BAC8-FE51AC2A1C31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvdL8UdURArC8xCqQMGhR06f2HGFVDPmiPNpwp0oc_HZNl63JPDzuqBLymA2ssIIPPFbjkLmDpnTuwUnJrW9-32Sqj4WBiQTp9GpB1YJK8LILchuzGpaBvAXDYJT2JMI7XrfxAOX-HQ/s400/32C08007-313F-4B49-BAC8-FE51AC2A1C31.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remote Year bonding time</td></tr>
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In between songs the general action in the tents is when someone stands up on the top of their table, pumps up the crowd and then chugs a full liter of beer. Everyone cheers and pounds on the table in support. This process moves around the room as different people stand up on their table for their ten seconds of glory. I saw one guy chug three liters in a row; OMG (I think he's dead now). And to answer your next question, no this activity is not sexist. I saw several women stand up and chug a whole liter, as well. I, of course, did not partake because I have a bad back (or something). But I can definitely chug a liter of beer....I swear.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZIPwQi9NlIlLEgbhaTHBrspbLh6eiYCvSb8mFT4RZB_Gdr04DVwskYMj_4fEt-1txhplf1LUHCQ_0THveHnLlt7QPXEIwiJn5O1merORZTEhe6BUL0dI5EctiOOwsk9pO4ypgTZEUQ/s1600/IMG_1626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZIPwQi9NlIlLEgbhaTHBrspbLh6eiYCvSb8mFT4RZB_Gdr04DVwskYMj_4fEt-1txhplf1LUHCQ_0THveHnLlt7QPXEIwiJn5O1merORZTEhe6BUL0dI5EctiOOwsk9pO4ypgTZEUQ/s640/IMG_1626.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Chug! Chug! Chug!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9akayhBXPtFDjLHXSSKKl0wEQPGklHWYIB8ECmKX5k1psQgGXepZVfRfIlMR371mkY30Hm10KR3yV5y20lESErsD-bepiEZY-ZbMvJnPtnHh8Xy_QHWTjCMPBhf-w2A9iOlYYvtKDww/s1600/IMG_1733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9akayhBXPtFDjLHXSSKKl0wEQPGklHWYIB8ECmKX5k1psQgGXepZVfRfIlMR371mkY30Hm10KR3yV5y20lESErsD-bepiEZY-ZbMvJnPtnHh8Xy_QHWTjCMPBhf-w2A9iOlYYvtKDww/s400/IMG_1733.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Daaaaammmmn Girl!</td></tr>
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Now let's discuss the lederhosen. It's translates to "leather trousers" (or "leather pants" if you pronounce it in American). Most everyone was wearing the outfit, but I'm pretty sure that I wore it best.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1KqDLHTCin4gTY0yxosQL-tMN0_Mbp3YWUj-DAbwCE6X8Y649Hkj6yn3ThRQNQ7S2E9xQ3GDfNyJkjkJ1Zr95GsohQheotyhzIS59k9tF2O3CnMzlh13FgiN3wvPaWgDl-5rtIqHxQ/s1600/IMG_1515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1KqDLHTCin4gTY0yxosQL-tMN0_Mbp3YWUj-DAbwCE6X8Y649Hkj6yn3ThRQNQ7S2E9xQ3GDfNyJkjkJ1Zr95GsohQheotyhzIS59k9tF2O3CnMzlh13FgiN3wvPaWgDl-5rtIqHxQ/s400/IMG_1515.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ich bein Deutsche</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And the female equivalent outfit is called the dirndl, which of course translate to "show off your boobs".<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXT-mDx5FgIpHSSrAtgGYBvIH0jV5nCFcJdM8Wmfs9pgcIZoadBcKZ8ErScjqkyoAh44tiuZnUYi8KhJKyWvbLdEbadPMIL0y80vgla25DOEbjdkVW8oSiMmxOpMbFbzf1ceO3Q2sQw/s1600/IMG_1512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXT-mDx5FgIpHSSrAtgGYBvIH0jV5nCFcJdM8Wmfs9pgcIZoadBcKZ8ErScjqkyoAh44tiuZnUYi8KhJKyWvbLdEbadPMIL0y80vgla25DOEbjdkVW8oSiMmxOpMbFbzf1ceO3Q2sQw/s400/IMG_1512.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lovely dresses ladies</td></tr>
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In closing, I'd just like to summarize by saying Oktoberfest was a great time, I'm glad I went and I would recommend it. However, I will not be going back any time soon (ever). I am now 25 years old and so too old for this.<br />
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Next month (which was actually almost three months ago now as I'm writing this), we head to Croatia and on a trip to Spain with Mr. Levin (my father...you can call him Sid).<br />
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Total countries visited on my trip: 14 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Germany).
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-75019491339965259752017-01-01T10:56:00.002-05:002017-01-01T11:34:24.366-05:00Did Serbia make the BelGrade?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What's a Serbia? </div>
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Going into month 7 of my Remote Year journey, I knew basically nothing about the place to which I was headed. Of course, this was probably even more true when I had gone to Bolivia, so I wasn't too concerned (and because I'm a badass). This whole year I've basically done zero research on upcoming places and I just show up and figure things out (so badass). It's definitely nice to not have to do any work planning things out and I guess that's why I'm paying Remote Year (or I'm just a badass). </div>
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My first impression of Belgrade was that everyone smokes. EVERYONE (old and young alike). And everywhere. I've never seen a society as smoke friendly as Serbia. The place is basically one giant cigarette. At customs they checked my passport and forced me to smoke a cigarette before I could enter the country.</div>
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My second impression of Belgrade was....two thumbs up (except for the smoking). It had a nice mix of both old and new. For example, it had a fortress....that held a music festival.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0J2z-oH382Wp64ieGCfrSnThB07yCUdAoRE_1nu_0h0fpkZ-MmQyK5webBKAm-LrFjUr1BTHPMIOeU1dXzVQ_ibYm5uoSS5cGaN1MP6w7E0ctn2BpjQEnfdTYth3mb-csDU-Zuuc2MA/s1600/IMG_1148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0J2z-oH382Wp64ieGCfrSnThB07yCUdAoRE_1nu_0h0fpkZ-MmQyK5webBKAm-LrFjUr1BTHPMIOeU1dXzVQ_ibYm5uoSS5cGaN1MP6w7E0ctn2BpjQEnfdTYth3mb-csDU-Zuuc2MA/s400/IMG_1148.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The famous music festival fortress of Belgrade</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHH4GaNtYOfn2jsGB0vYDLeM62lrbAaolyMkKovS7MMWmOuSA1jzOB9OuxE52R-2LzLWvXrFxSmY0_sgtCFebMhy47z0nTWKvjycbVxMIecIVAu1RP25qUMpThDoa4i5nEO1aycAikcQ/s1600/IMG_1183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHH4GaNtYOfn2jsGB0vYDLeM62lrbAaolyMkKovS7MMWmOuSA1jzOB9OuxE52R-2LzLWvXrFxSmY0_sgtCFebMhy47z0nTWKvjycbVxMIecIVAu1RP25qUMpThDoa4i5nEO1aycAikcQ/s640/IMG_1183.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We must protect this house...with a wall</td></tr>
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The third impression I had of Belgrade was that it's obsessed with Nikola Tesla. You know, that guy who invented that car....I think. He also invented a bunch of important products dealing with electricity in the early 1900s including harnessing alternating currents which I don't understand at all, so I'm just going to stop pretending like I know what I'm talking about. In any event, Tesla's parents (also Teslas) were Serbian, so he's like a big deal in Serbia and they even named their airport after him. They also have the Tesla museum in Belgrade which is full of magic tricks....or it might be science.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLS6nuOiglSA6BW47ze2Ic93YTTMW-LK5GmsKADo3HgvgggraZi_pTl9JSfA9hKePAsYEesJECu0F2MN_Rn5hvhczNmrwqS7id2O_NfiO6iZfCfm0fZh6m_o67f-mX1eScKi4dPqqtw/s1600/IMG_1155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLS6nuOiglSA6BW47ze2Ic93YTTMW-LK5GmsKADo3HgvgggraZi_pTl9JSfA9hKePAsYEesJECu0F2MN_Rn5hvhczNmrwqS7id2O_NfiO6iZfCfm0fZh6m_o67f-mX1eScKi4dPqqtw/s400/IMG_1155.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some sort of magic....or possibly science</td></tr>
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Of course the big draw at the museum is Tesla himself. He's there.<br />
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Seriously.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLHAk_SvmfGlB1WeO9wipnISUd42GerHOxOmAnBwsCKCGCwSwtVuJOhNMBHcuv-3WpZpCoF30Evodlwfj_yWDzU4BzJSH3owAocAGkFM1N7gPhZ71la_1cIEvthknTUe6tXnN6n1abw/s1600/IMG_1153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLHAk_SvmfGlB1WeO9wipnISUd42GerHOxOmAnBwsCKCGCwSwtVuJOhNMBHcuv-3WpZpCoF30Evodlwfj_yWDzU4BzJSH3owAocAGkFM1N7gPhZ71la_1cIEvthknTUe6tXnN6n1abw/s400/IMG_1153.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tesla himself....in ash form...in an urn.</td></tr>
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Was that too morbid?</div>
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Serbia had another important historical figure alive around the same time as Tesla whom I'm sure you know very well. That's right, none other than Gavrilo Princip. He's one of your favorites, isn't he?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFQOdmlkBbGR0bPNZyXR5BcVkG39Ui56khJZYsQep3pqrthcZi1IoLMOCQVYop4VqOmG8i8ZHiHjN4M30_g6eDVmk8t_kA9fFx_bVH7guK17zGZyaSBg2PTPJQeIXQ97dbo25ur8YfQ/s1600/IMG_1254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFQOdmlkBbGR0bPNZyXR5BcVkG39Ui56khJZYsQep3pqrthcZi1IoLMOCQVYop4VqOmG8i8ZHiHjN4M30_g6eDVmk8t_kA9fFx_bVH7guK17zGZyaSBg2PTPJQeIXQ97dbo25ur8YfQ/s320/IMG_1254.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mural of Gavrilo Princip in Belgrade</td></tr>
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Gavrilo is the guy who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 sparking the first world war #historyIsReal.<br />
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You may also remember Serbia from events back in the late 1990s. You actually probably don't remember since that was like 20 years ago....and also because the country was called Yugoslavia back then. But the point is that NATO bombed buildings in Belgrade and other targets in the area as a way to stop Slobodan Milosovich from occupying Kosovo. First, don't you just love the name Slobodan? Second, just so we're clear, Slobodan was trying to hold onto Kosovo despite the large Albanian population who wanted independence. This whole situation is not to be confused with the NATO involvement in the Bosnian War where NATO stepped in to defend Herzegovina (I know you wouldn't confuse those). And don't get me started on the Croatian Independence war where "A self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina, created as a nation state for ethnic Serbs living on Croatian territory, which was occupied by the remnants of the Yugoslav People's Army (from Serbia and Montenegro)."<br />
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I'm not trying to make light of the subject, but its clearly very complex and I wouldn't do it justice trying to explain it. At the end of the day, though, in the mid 90's, Yugoslavia was broken up into seven countries; Bosnia and Herzegovina (thats one), Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. And there's still definitely tension in the area, especially among the older population, and this tension was very visible at times with Croatian-Serbian relations (they like to say mean things about each other...sometimes jokingly...sometimes not). Since the NATO bombins happened in the 90s, pretty much everyone with whom we interacted actually lived through this. Memories range from being a child sent to live with foreign relatives for safety, to having school cancelled for three months, grabbing beers and watching bombs fall on the city from a nearby hill.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIlez-xf0tvFTPuGwo1Jz9HWmllClkZgya5jciKoZsU0ZHWzZh29OkD6oGHv_UvTgz7kpsAUvN_ZyBan1IKsbQYNfRbaCoBaLMfdHbOy2kye3MVk5TPd_cRQII3Bv_cIS4SDTPdZudQ/s1600/IMG_1208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIlez-xf0tvFTPuGwo1Jz9HWmllClkZgya5jciKoZsU0ZHWzZh29OkD6oGHv_UvTgz7kpsAUvN_ZyBan1IKsbQYNfRbaCoBaLMfdHbOy2kye3MVk5TPd_cRQII3Bv_cIS4SDTPdZudQ/s400/IMG_1208.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Memorial to NATO bombings in Belgrade</td></tr>
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And just one other name you should know from Yugoslavia history is Tito. He was the president of Yugoslavia, but really embodied the whole concept of the country. His death in 1980 was what started the whole unraveling of the different states. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMF0o132ohwj1KfX0g1n1qe9XoXE8mNZUmAHrnPzkYfmypiAGfVOQUNoplYJN5faHaWRI98OXCxtXTnVA883aZnfXz6mPIQIXNTdo6eeBYkbPCwkLjgFNaVMwqmpiDRWn7L_gbIHTUQ/s1600/IMG_1398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMF0o132ohwj1KfX0g1n1qe9XoXE8mNZUmAHrnPzkYfmypiAGfVOQUNoplYJN5faHaWRI98OXCxtXTnVA883aZnfXz6mPIQIXNTdo6eeBYkbPCwkLjgFNaVMwqmpiDRWn7L_gbIHTUQ/s400/IMG_1398.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tito's Tomb - very exciting picture</td></tr>
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That's it! No more history, I promise!</div>
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Moving on, as you probably know (because I talk it about it all the time...like all the time!), one of my life goals was to bike through the Serbian country side. And guess what? It finally happened! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYmH4z6QsKggVOveSHbKf-IocQowT-XtKCGQyIAa2bJ9UtWsj6CqW5RiEFq2oOdT8q-fzZURRYcng6343OkfA_FxeHu1ft6vWhx0twBGVRhSaJgQ9pLMIaWKmzKJgx6z1t2SOp84XSg/s1600/IMG_1223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYmH4z6QsKggVOveSHbKf-IocQowT-XtKCGQyIAa2bJ9UtWsj6CqW5RiEFq2oOdT8q-fzZURRYcng6343OkfA_FxeHu1ft6vWhx0twBGVRhSaJgQ9pLMIaWKmzKJgx6z1t2SOp84XSg/s400/IMG_1223.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I joined a biker gang</td></tr>
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A bunch of us rented bikes and rode across (part of) Serbia. We ended up at some river where we spent the night sleeping on boat houses.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0tjd8-YHWdkw46VHPas9AatDFQkeZ56dvk8PE1u_STV7jSHh7RES-nKbNBti1O_E8HR-P7_Q4hO87iJiP34JPOBGniLnX2-LJB2YL8_H_-z5QVbMXFdcUIfEQn6oJM0xCZfvvtUXzg/s1600/IMG_1246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0tjd8-YHWdkw46VHPas9AatDFQkeZ56dvk8PE1u_STV7jSHh7RES-nKbNBti1O_E8HR-P7_Q4hO87iJiP34JPOBGniLnX2-LJB2YL8_H_-z5QVbMXFdcUIfEQn6oJM0xCZfvvtUXzg/s400/IMG_1246.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is a boat house</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjFqzkQ0V_hD9JpJ47mTlmssPSHnjA9vAX6NFrhUY-BI3e7SU1firncG5mdsSvm1AfPJCpI1IaVOKV8eO_1Cw4G7fgq6OggVmxwoeGZHRJXw7gfDgXJD6PWsYigMyETMqTLL7f9ZYTg/s1600/IMG_1241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjFqzkQ0V_hD9JpJ47mTlmssPSHnjA9vAX6NFrhUY-BI3e7SU1firncG5mdsSvm1AfPJCpI1IaVOKV8eO_1Cw4G7fgq6OggVmxwoeGZHRJXw7gfDgXJD6PWsYigMyETMqTLL7f9ZYTg/s400/IMG_1241.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is me standing on my boat house</td></tr>
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One of my other dreams, which you all knew too well, was to go to Romania. And wouldn't you know it, I got to check this one off the list as well.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WSj8m5NihQ1hlP9SIqwRSpDCMjhwp5JoaUG9-fGcUOIB9eXxS42KtjGTfmJokvQuc_1eK07mJVzmBYYOnq9QY2BPUnE8YYB5nUcecBjI9sYrUMGER6dczJthzOya-ge-licN1Kpilw/s1600/IMG_1441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WSj8m5NihQ1hlP9SIqwRSpDCMjhwp5JoaUG9-fGcUOIB9eXxS42KtjGTfmJokvQuc_1eK07mJVzmBYYOnq9QY2BPUnE8YYB5nUcecBjI9sYrUMGER6dczJthzOya-ge-licN1Kpilw/s640/IMG_1441.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">One arm in Romania</td></tr>
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That's right, I had a whole arm in Romania. I actually rode a bike for miles (they call them kilometers in Serbia) through the mud from a co-working facility out in the country side and illegally snuck my arm across the border (I am now an international criminal). I'd still like to go back to Romania some day to put my whole body in the country (and see slightly more of it), but for now...mission accomplished.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAI2dfz9ALITF6bItOX2Kg9BzMt1jRR9Vs6-lThjSkc_hhtJ_FdJ33CTKXb-CQkTF7z_r-iqw_joExQm0TWikoMUBtoIXaFnaD8OUw15mKytaT8eklnFcEqKHjgkX-aL1TUlzQS4j7g/s1600/IMG_1453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAI2dfz9ALITF6bItOX2Kg9BzMt1jRR9Vs6-lThjSkc_hhtJ_FdJ33CTKXb-CQkTF7z_r-iqw_joExQm0TWikoMUBtoIXaFnaD8OUw15mKytaT8eklnFcEqKHjgkX-aL1TUlzQS4j7g/s320/IMG_1453.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Stuck in the mud on the way to Romania</td></tr>
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After retiring from the life of international crime, I went back to Belgrade for a football match (what you probably call soccer, or what you probably call Calcio if you are from Italy (just found that on Google)). This was no ordinary Calcio match. This was a derby match! THE derby match! (a derby is a match between two teams from the same city). This rivalry regularly results in rioting before the match even starts. We were given instructions such as "wear closed toes shoes so its easier to run" and "if anything happens stay low and follow me out". And although it ended up being a relatively calm match, it still looked pretty cool.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E6F0oq0h77XuGPLmbdhqtgX5jkN6l7zq6Fq4YEUFxM4eXel94M6IXFdiR7oySLEuYBjKsYAMfbFULmgSR1c09x4U_rpc1i5MfhJhanVBG760dIBMDyBGgR2ybROZNZLpM_OOpS6Zlw/s1600/IMG_1355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E6F0oq0h77XuGPLmbdhqtgX5jkN6l7zq6Fq4YEUFxM4eXel94M6IXFdiR7oySLEuYBjKsYAMfbFULmgSR1c09x4U_rpc1i5MfhJhanVBG760dIBMDyBGgR2ybROZNZLpM_OOpS6Zlw/s640/IMG_1355.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Burn it down</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay0-Gm3f8vuzrEq1doapS-6aGoHcEWzjboz9UyGqD7AAW9vs-uVdBTj1HQSSyV0pO_j_5gKjvSiWGAwMpZ4PIDH1WVPUzaf0Qi-e_7V2ujbt6HVpsP8RVcnnVCsSdtZ9rC1ID3P5PFA/s1600/IMG_1305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay0-Gm3f8vuzrEq1doapS-6aGoHcEWzjboz9UyGqD7AAW9vs-uVdBTj1HQSSyV0pO_j_5gKjvSiWGAwMpZ4PIDH1WVPUzaf0Qi-e_7V2ujbt6HVpsP8RVcnnVCsSdtZ9rC1ID3P5PFA/s640/IMG_1305.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Yes, this is a calm match</td></tr>
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That night, the whole city was lined with riot police, but they weren't just there for the derby riots. They were also there because some people in Serbia aren't, lets say, as culturally accepting as one would like. Basically, the Serbs know how to throw a good protest against gay pride and the next day happened to be the pride parade in Belgrade. Since 2010, Belgrade has hosted a pride parade with some sort of violence taking palace each year. In 2010, "Anti-gay rioters fought with about 5,000 armed police, throwing Molotov cocktails, bricks, stones, glass bottles and firecrackers; the police used tear gas and rubber bullets." Although things had been getting less extreme each year, the whole downtown area was completely barricaded and the area was basically void of people except for riot police.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaaMqhwhr4EqanfEIoY-NO4AFVvfFMBWUyl-8WAeu5lhfAWBtUdKg1zwdq2pQMQ2WPhvL5rwl3AH6IZH4fx7wx09NphL_Y2jzSAe4_FKlV3u_UBeNSCQQkndnqoIT0y-pRjyfrVOTPA/s1600/IMG_1409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaaMqhwhr4EqanfEIoY-NO4AFVvfFMBWUyl-8WAeu5lhfAWBtUdKg1zwdq2pQMQ2WPhvL5rwl3AH6IZH4fx7wx09NphL_Y2jzSAe4_FKlV3u_UBeNSCQQkndnqoIT0y-pRjyfrVOTPA/s400/IMG_1409.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Policija</td></tr>
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I happened to walk by the main pride rally area as they were cleaning up and there was a group of priests of various religions sprinkling holy water and such on the area to "cleanse" it. Oh religion, you're so silly.</div>
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One nice thing that happened for me in Belgrade was that I joined a running club. I made friends with a number of locals through the club and they might be reading this blog post about themselves right now. There was even a 10k race in the city when I first arrived and I met running groups visiting from Macedonia, Montenegro, Libya and even Israel. It was quite the multi-cultural experience </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG76FhUCiLBOt0Zrx14zKClqGw1ukkp7iNCn0ySR-upcg9cmElHrvSlbD1Q6z5-QkmHjVG0fQKIISVuzZZj8ezu3TMGzLacckaC8VqJehu50tvFpl4HUIBN5Vs-UuM8T6jZUCpVTbJw/s1600/IMG_1199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG76FhUCiLBOt0Zrx14zKClqGw1ukkp7iNCn0ySR-upcg9cmElHrvSlbD1Q6z5-QkmHjVG0fQKIISVuzZZj8ezu3TMGzLacckaC8VqJehu50tvFpl4HUIBN5Vs-UuM8T6jZUCpVTbJw/s400/IMG_1199.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">That guy in the white shirt is from Montenegro</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N9nVVilASesZq1PYq7GeG3ttqG6CEyNsqeEq6QSlB13-VvGyArKQ9f-iRzAdwSf0GrLHLpTCKWTHBcz2yTBVA18V9T8qSyYVA7QGceZ3_Bj-YyslHNmacAx-Ht8VwQNGsFGslvD1QQ/s1600/IMG_1207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N9nVVilASesZq1PYq7GeG3ttqG6CEyNsqeEq6QSlB13-VvGyArKQ9f-iRzAdwSf0GrLHLpTCKWTHBcz2yTBVA18V9T8qSyYVA7QGceZ3_Bj-YyslHNmacAx-Ht8VwQNGsFGslvD1QQ/s400/IMG_1207.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I win! No...I barely finished</td></tr>
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Belgrade also inspired my with another business idea (all my ideas are just bringing things from other countries to America). River boat clubs. As in clubs on river boats. As in a boat on a river with a club. As in a river with a club on a boat. As in a club on...shut up Matt! In Belgrade these clubs are called Splavs and they line the river with flashing lights and loud bass all night long. Why hasn't anyone put a boat club on the river in Manhattan? WHY?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpJuZuWAfzm-qOhFYp-EUqWksZ_fDnlHWl9gmkQPUIVmsbhoEFjVKzM-IY0sd7uumVEWU78bQURzXTwJSkXXXtFQUaw1wOXyV-PdGsgKBdRS0OmIZW5S2kpi0r7J0zl9XLqq7G98Asw/s1600/Splav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpJuZuWAfzm-qOhFYp-EUqWksZ_fDnlHWl9gmkQPUIVmsbhoEFjVKzM-IY0sd7uumVEWU78bQURzXTwJSkXXXtFQUaw1wOXyV-PdGsgKBdRS0OmIZW5S2kpi0r7J0zl9XLqq7G98Asw/s640/Splav.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Matt's river boat club...coming soon to an America near you</td></tr>
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And here's a couple other random pictures of Belgrade that don't really fit into any of my stories.,,<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgbQFN4uvZwSQC1PRPyuTjNKPcAskM8aeaMnoJAP41lR-04QK3rrJeGcitPc3JXfu_eJ33lsBFhqNMfrZLQsYBo4fUPOmB-2Ubn2olZY66-EFS9S2BKdhwZ6LBHxL9GGX-Z7vVgXk7g/s1600/IMG_1258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgbQFN4uvZwSQC1PRPyuTjNKPcAskM8aeaMnoJAP41lR-04QK3rrJeGcitPc3JXfu_eJ33lsBFhqNMfrZLQsYBo4fUPOmB-2Ubn2olZY66-EFS9S2BKdhwZ6LBHxL9GGX-Z7vVgXk7g/s400/IMG_1258.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Umbrellas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBSwtY5UldkU_G83K5ohcjJLDCr0q-x2Djq6oWzSF1tKilhzYlT8OvzJnHOWK-G87w8Tb4JjON_yk8YBlSVv2SbPshVbU2UFIY2ILNTlZ1iNKrpE3oURn4QbTAUeEXgmNPSCOYCb7dQ/s1600/IMG_1387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBSwtY5UldkU_G83K5ohcjJLDCr0q-x2Djq6oWzSF1tKilhzYlT8OvzJnHOWK-G87w8Tb4JjON_yk8YBlSVv2SbPshVbU2UFIY2ILNTlZ1iNKrpE3oURn4QbTAUeEXgmNPSCOYCb7dQ/s640/IMG_1387.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Parliament</td></tr>
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One final thing I did in Belgrade was to volunteer with a refugee aid organization. Serbia has a large number of refugees, mostly just passing through, who are in need of food, water and clothes during their time in the country. I was able to talk with a number of them while they waited in line for food. Most of them were 18 to 25 year old men with similar stories of coming from Afghanistan or Pakistan and passing through Serbia trying to reach the rest of their families in other parts of Europe. Some of them had stories of walking for five days to cross borders. It really does seem unimaginable to be 20 years old and leave your home and even your country to go to some unknown place by yourself. Although its terrible, I'm glad I was able to experience a tiny bit of this situation.<br />
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See, Matt isn't completely a bad guy.<br />
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I'm not sure if it came through in this post, but I really liked Belgrade and it was definitely one of my favorite months of this trip.<br />
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And now I will leave you with a traditional Serbian dance:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33IIDQx-hFaG8Mx67DBWQbFjp2guzIW7x8pGu97ppggIvENUUjvEg0uAQSNZhcTzqhfMVxfNUqdnNibucYX_9R2CboX3JpF8_kL5uN-Z58HpX_5esmnOlEsVKLp0MdD7_N2fNeEkaTw/s1600/ezgif.com-video-to-gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33IIDQx-hFaG8Mx67DBWQbFjp2guzIW7x8pGu97ppggIvENUUjvEg0uAQSNZhcTzqhfMVxfNUqdnNibucYX_9R2CboX3JpF8_kL5uN-Z58HpX_5esmnOlEsVKLp0MdD7_N2fNeEkaTw/s400/ezgif.com-video-to-gif.gif" width="223" /></a></div>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 13 (Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, England, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Serbia).</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-38896379982778259022016-11-08T14:08:00.001-05:002016-12-27T02:42:52.773-05:00Say it with me - DubLisBudaVien<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Even though Prague was pretty awesome (as I'm sure you read in <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.my/2016/10/praugust.html" target="_blank">my last post</a>), I ended up spending exactly 0 weekends during my month in the city. It's not my fault, I swear. There's just too much to see.</div>
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The first weekend I went to Dublin and ran my first half marathon (gasp). In preparation for the race, we hydrated hard....like really hard......like "out all night at the bars in Dublin" hard. We found this "traditional" little Irish pub where some guy was playing Irish songs (and some American songs) and the whole crowd was toasting and singing drunkenly (they must have been hydrating for the marathon as well). It was so Ireland.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So Ireland!</td></tr>
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We also made a stop in the Guinness factory, which was actually pretty great. A lot of beer factory tours suck, but this one I give two (Irish) thumbs up. And the big news coming out the Guinness factory? I'm now a certified Guinness pourer (pouree? bar tender? alcoholic?). Let me know if you need one poured (and you're standing next to me) (and we're at a bar with Guinness on tap) (and there's no bar tender so I can go behind the bar) (actually never mind, don't ask me). The factory also had a bar on the top floor with a 360 degree view of the city, but more importantly had a big stage where they played traditional Irish music and even put on an Irish jig show. So Ireland!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River Dance!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Guinnesses (Guinni?) at different stages of settling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzJMLzhf78f_ErpWEnGrry_iaE_Nkm_3k6YSYzTYNQjT74ICLHP5tZ9GLc40K9R5p2Kl3FQ4trNEoXf2fsdtN_ZLvH4buRoOM1DReuKlhyphenhyphenD8nkJ7L-dQByllMMETwK8GUe5EiPqcyWw/s1600/IMG_0660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzJMLzhf78f_ErpWEnGrry_iaE_Nkm_3k6YSYzTYNQjT74ICLHP5tZ9GLc40K9R5p2Kl3FQ4trNEoXf2fsdtN_ZLvH4buRoOM1DReuKlhyphenhyphenD8nkJ7L-dQByllMMETwK8GUe5EiPqcyWw/s320/IMG_0660.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hydrating for the marathon</td></tr>
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I had a lot of fun going out in Dublin, but I was there for a bigger reason...to win a half marathon. The farthest I have ever run in my life before this was around 9 miles, so odds were that I wouldn't win...or even finish (plus the signs marking the way were in kilometer, leading me to believe I was done around the halfway point). However, good prevailed over evil, dogs prevailed over cats, Derrick Zoolander prevailed over Mugatu, and I finished the race in a time of 1:56:56. Not too bad considering I am traveling around the world and not exactly concentrating on training.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">They said it couldn't be done</td></tr>
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A group of us have also signed up for the Chang Mai (Thailand) half marathon in December. Its going to be so hot there that they are starting the race around 4AM. So, really we have two groups going; the runners, and the people coming directly from the bar to cheer us on.</div>
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Moving south down the continent, weekend number two was spent in Lisbon (that's in Portugal for you geographically challenged people). Lisbon ended up being the first place this year with consistent warm weather and a beach. They talk about digital nomads always chasing summer around the globe, well, we really emphasized the chasing part. We always seem to be about one month behind the warm weather, so it was nice to bring out the guns for a beach day (by guns I mean my giant arms (and by my giant arms I mean my "slightly above average on a good day" arms)). Good thing there's an open carry law in Lisbon.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wCWZD0bM5ADzwdhdJev7YSgazjvQ73RtIXrjaEVKa3nVlBeyTNt1S7G9EP0fOR3EFBZs9Ttg6fXYWoREaOYo43fOxPEqhvJZ8-NPelVCc3pdNT8dPSFxXjtdD2VigiDUMqW9PmU_kQ/s1600/IMG_0773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wCWZD0bM5ADzwdhdJev7YSgazjvQ73RtIXrjaEVKa3nVlBeyTNt1S7G9EP0fOR3EFBZs9Ttg6fXYWoREaOYo43fOxPEqhvJZ8-NPelVCc3pdNT8dPSFxXjtdD2VigiDUMqW9PmU_kQ/s320/IMG_0773.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Finally a beach!</td></tr>
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In addition to the beach, Lisbon had some pretty great food as well. I went to this TimeOut market that was a huge cafeteria like setup with over 50 different Lisbon restaurants offering a limited menu. All kinds of good seafood was consumed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwVHyZzDIci6mUQ87a_xyOdBKclrpuds43flU4zKknzY0zFpg_xSE4qQ0i6gB60ZNRALYsjU1elTrtjjxT-eQeHz6Sd8vwyQhLqb0lO6qiTawCmFbi3O5w2bDvh7n6sbs2sJGgXw_Og/s1600/IMG_0762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwVHyZzDIci6mUQ87a_xyOdBKclrpuds43flU4zKknzY0zFpg_xSE4qQ0i6gB60ZNRALYsjU1elTrtjjxT-eQeHz6Sd8vwyQhLqb0lO6qiTawCmFbi3O5w2bDvh7n6sbs2sJGgXw_Og/s320/IMG_0762.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mmmmmm Lisbon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADmXQuJckAejAbemI_C8-M_EN4GAuhHnycNTpsSLQG00ZQsy9Zs_HsTy8oqQTfAcPQ1QrK5NTewjvE0YYpyIFOjlOwwbrMB1EG3Qk6vuO_cwQoZ2xgxan2OpyWIWdkknpmmDElnAsnA/s1600/IMG_0850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADmXQuJckAejAbemI_C8-M_EN4GAuhHnycNTpsSLQG00ZQsy9Zs_HsTy8oqQTfAcPQ1QrK5NTewjvE0YYpyIFOjlOwwbrMB1EG3Qk6vuO_cwQoZ2xgxan2OpyWIWdkknpmmDElnAsnA/s320/IMG_0850.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">That's a straight up whole octopus</td></tr>
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But Lisbon's most prized food offering is their egg tart. These things are really delicious. I'm not sure why we don't have them in the US (we steal everything good and unhealthy). Hmmmm, I think I see a business plan forming.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Look for these at Matt's Bakery in the near future (hopefully I have a better name for my bakery by then)</td></tr>
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I also had the pleasure of attending a Portuguese football match (thats soccer for you sports challenged people....and Americans). One of the best parts of the game was the setup outside the stadium on the street where hundreds of people partied pre and post game (cause you can drink in the street).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHqxVGmlcHi5d895Eps8hRw9xuHFKQNAqqKHow_I1h30Rj_MIpZHQm1IvsQM0VsXs0SPHfwICS6ploDVef65_PIvOEB8qnASQIjCFJ0SYEe6DRK5jQybsofcxXYbZmBems39ZHR2xqg/s1600/IMG_0780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHqxVGmlcHi5d895Eps8hRw9xuHFKQNAqqKHow_I1h30Rj_MIpZHQm1IvsQM0VsXs0SPHfwICS6ploDVef65_PIvOEB8qnASQIjCFJ0SYEe6DRK5jQybsofcxXYbZmBems39ZHR2xqg/s320/IMG_0780.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So Portugal!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QC2xMCu12ieV5K4zWuY5sKf1GT7C4y09_LhQJM_fetMobOW-rWOfFeFP2-ZdETebKYPk3jFI5p8BA5QTA0SIDxFS_6dS9QwpvzN5mTIydqNTcxLOYAsSzZjV0zQg4Y8kt4ZHjC6Ljg/s1600/IMG_0777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QC2xMCu12ieV5K4zWuY5sKf1GT7C4y09_LhQJM_fetMobOW-rWOfFeFP2-ZdETebKYPk3jFI5p8BA5QTA0SIDxFS_6dS9QwpvzN5mTIydqNTcxLOYAsSzZjV0zQg4Y8kt4ZHjC6Ljg/s320/IMG_0777.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Drinking in the street</td></tr>
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One odd thing I found about Lisbon was that it has some strange obsession with tiles. Everything (streets and buildings) are layered with tiles. There's probably a reason for it, but I'm not in the mood to Google, so I'll just call it weird.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tiles</td></tr>
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Regardless of these tiles, Lisbon was quite an attractive city</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm7s1qu-rRJvmvYoscCKFcaVT99oV4Ymkj59Fe5yI9GfcssBmiRDn6pAKDie9lrwxwrsuMPUvNeGWSL9GItLI4HUY7KjZkzZJu5myK992eEOEvB94nMxSmq3zEa2FoBvCD4_MVE7eIw/s1600/IMG_0791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm7s1qu-rRJvmvYoscCKFcaVT99oV4Ymkj59Fe5yI9GfcssBmiRDn6pAKDie9lrwxwrsuMPUvNeGWSL9GItLI4HUY7KjZkzZJu5myK992eEOEvB94nMxSmq3zEa2FoBvCD4_MVE7eIw/s320/IMG_0791.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">That's an arch (and some tiles)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnngbr_oNvJMM46QFlvkhbK7mkMWuTaPJxTyimaLs-qcdUBHoSaDfrR-urw6EgT8SOK6AU6LzUqchyMm5HbsPOsjdxXmbCtvzMAjk3nwg48uTdJoSTr82rQtu_rDL780_DomMZd3vahQ/s1600/IMG_0795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnngbr_oNvJMM46QFlvkhbK7mkMWuTaPJxTyimaLs-qcdUBHoSaDfrR-urw6EgT8SOK6AU6LzUqchyMm5HbsPOsjdxXmbCtvzMAjk3nwg48uTdJoSTr82rQtu_rDL780_DomMZd3vahQ/s320/IMG_0795.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">That's another arch (actually might be the same arch)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFI34NQBn_WHrMM4gjiFdEp84AMRoOyIIARH9jvwruZ4QKKk3QNkcDnAIRVM93YD3-0wot4J-0sLUq_CcR6uRb56QteOXZIjyKAvjKOKIpCXhn6C7udkT5GtSz7KQxnkCulj_6525HZA/s1600/IMG_0837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFI34NQBn_WHrMM4gjiFdEp84AMRoOyIIARH9jvwruZ4QKKk3QNkcDnAIRVM93YD3-0wot4J-0sLUq_CcR6uRb56QteOXZIjyKAvjKOKIpCXhn6C7udkT5GtSz7KQxnkCulj_6525HZA/s320/IMG_0837.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Looking out the castle wall (no arches in sight)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_OSFgmAtW0tRuJEVGC9wf3tKtja25YGxH3hpHsMZdKu22FG8s4BXw-wXnVHUQFDF60Y6jaCpSbOaKr-8DT9Q08qB3ja8ARrfQcQ7cuDmvUuBfnxArDJLiLwR31Ms43wU48jQRc35kA/s1600/IMG_0900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_OSFgmAtW0tRuJEVGC9wf3tKtja25YGxH3hpHsMZdKu22FG8s4BXw-wXnVHUQFDF60Y6jaCpSbOaKr-8DT9Q08qB3ja8ARrfQcQ7cuDmvUuBfnxArDJLiLwR31Ms43wU48jQRc35kA/s320/IMG_0900.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Guarding Lisbon and its arches</td></tr>
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Weekend number three was spent much closer to Prague, in the Austrian city of Vienna. There's a guy in my Remote Year group that we call Jacek (because that's his name) who is from Austria and was gracious enough to show us his home country.</div>
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So what does one think of when they hear Austria? For me, its wienerschnitzel and Hitler (in no particular order). And I got a taste of both on my trip.</div>
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First up is the wienerschnitzel. I ate it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bDDmz6K31LsI7ItPK4BbN9JdL_M8svPX6Qk0MCHns24R-EdfYZSP1A-OlAssfmKaiCjxu6o53Ph8nZNeQ9yWVsvNlwWacadgkRLFMgoalPxj9CXffnhm7dj2MP_A02OBm4TXTFeFXg/s1600/IMG_0964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bDDmz6K31LsI7ItPK4BbN9JdL_M8svPX6Qk0MCHns24R-EdfYZSP1A-OlAssfmKaiCjxu6o53Ph8nZNeQ9yWVsvNlwWacadgkRLFMgoalPxj9CXffnhm7dj2MP_A02OBm4TXTFeFXg/s320/IMG_0964.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So Austria!</td></tr>
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Next, we have Hitler. Jacek, being the gracious host that he is, lead us on a walking tour through Austria. He was such a great tour guide and knew everything about all the sites....kind of. He actually just brought a speaker and played a downloaded walking tour guide through his phone, but, I still learned things. One of the places we went was Heldenplatz (oh, of course, Heldenplatz). Hitler gave a famous speech here after the takeover of Austria.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO0Fc-Lg_d5MlFpobbQkgwgj9rVTfsDesF9CBBjIu-70woZb37ABqS7QJE2ngaHuTfj4iN11W1bm8btx0cCkuN0UHpukjnBrL2EIZcfkjNKrsDuidE72F8e-g5Bc6_sMq7_kt7JsarA/s1600/IMG_0950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO0Fc-Lg_d5MlFpobbQkgwgj9rVTfsDesF9CBBjIu-70woZb37ABqS7QJE2ngaHuTfj4iN11W1bm8btx0cCkuN0UHpukjnBrL2EIZcfkjNKrsDuidE72F8e-g5Bc6_sMq7_kt7JsarA/s640/IMG_0950.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Hitler!</td></tr>
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Actually, here's a video of that speech that Hitler gave on that very balcony.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v2iCc-Go9DY" width="560"></iframe></div>
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That guy seems like he's going places.</div>
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Even outside of Hitler speech venues, there's lots of neato old school buildings throughout Vienna similar to this one.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRtVfHzyNhhaYAI_q9N9SSYGOiaw7oiMrfLReSHjscVtJ3aqukVBdKMrJBL1tfKJ6bgaaQU3M0-HNfgo06OKnP5huklQZnKVxZPATrPoLztYGtkNCEe8ZsWk0g-3nPR17H_5imHlnCw/s1600/IMG_0947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRtVfHzyNhhaYAI_q9N9SSYGOiaw7oiMrfLReSHjscVtJ3aqukVBdKMrJBL1tfKJ6bgaaQU3M0-HNfgo06OKnP5huklQZnKVxZPATrPoLztYGtkNCEe8ZsWk0g-3nPR17H_5imHlnCw/s320/IMG_0947.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Neato</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fwZn4H2_Rwxb7CaJI7-IP7f8l7W8vGi25vyKztPLRUQ9ipU5rX8PYk8GIildwDfdGbawG0Fql1BGgF6JUopmCVPPrNRW_qJ1qyJ7GZXsMP0YOZvUqGptJVQZdfpmrf6eDNnjSNkq4w/s1600/IMG_1027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fwZn4H2_Rwxb7CaJI7-IP7f8l7W8vGi25vyKztPLRUQ9ipU5rX8PYk8GIildwDfdGbawG0Fql1BGgF6JUopmCVPPrNRW_qJ1qyJ7GZXsMP0YOZvUqGptJVQZdfpmrf6eDNnjSNkq4w/s320/IMG_1027.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Old School Palace</td></tr>
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We also went to an amusement park which has a famous ferris wheel for some reason. My dad went to Vienna like 50 years ago and he even asked me if I saw this ferris wheel on my trip. I'm guessing it must have been more impressive back then (but so was color TV).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7dvbDjCAWHSkhtIbjnmFGcWN-Tsi-24Ro4N-MhnctelkeikA9Vi9AEjqOm9ok3euyuyBgjNiJ0rZVfKgf1QFWZlC5Fn5BqW39zTDOGtOTf-ybpu3A5lZrMXnhirGzgVXMUdVeCHUmA/s1600/IMG_0962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7dvbDjCAWHSkhtIbjnmFGcWN-Tsi-24Ro4N-MhnctelkeikA9Vi9AEjqOm9ok3euyuyBgjNiJ0rZVfKgf1QFWZlC5Fn5BqW39zTDOGtOTf-ybpu3A5lZrMXnhirGzgVXMUdVeCHUmA/s320/IMG_0962.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A famous, non-impressive ferris wheel.</td></tr>
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I also saw the most depressing thing at this amusement park. I'm still crying from it, so I just want to share it with you as well. They had a merry-go-round with live donkeys/horses hooked up and walking around it. The lives of these animals consisted of just walking in tiny circles forever. Where's PETA when you need them?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYx3bHK5of8o55C5GFqJH86oNe4YIZCNIt2y5YpA1cfB0QA3wQh2M9XxAVGVqeNOC1WnqtW3Bg7MIkwbXH6flvG-LOrff4o87HlJeTt574bnRWBfbm70ZevM4WeO2V66aySl3IyxaKQ/s1600/IMG_0968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYx3bHK5of8o55C5GFqJH86oNe4YIZCNIt2y5YpA1cfB0QA3wQh2M9XxAVGVqeNOC1WnqtW3Bg7MIkwbXH6flvG-LOrff4o87HlJeTt574bnRWBfbm70ZevM4WeO2V66aySl3IyxaKQ/s320/IMG_0968.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I am crying inside</td></tr>
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And on that sad note, we will leave Vienna and move onto my last weekend of Prague month, which was actually our travel weekend to Belgrade. We were taking a bus in between the cities and made a stop in Budapest. A bunch of us decided we would just stay in Budapest for a few days and meet the group later in Belgrade.<br />
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I basically knew nothing about Budapest, other than it had a grand hotel (never heard that one before) and something called Hungarian Goulash. I found at least one of these things.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzGdDodDS1XQ0asJvg9CLUkYjZaZ6Qz0737P2lwbikVMWVYtu3SGyPn_GOuXNwwKOFH9LJpcdBd_a4p0yNRV0D7GkeAlm3OuaHRhyWBqiLgti0Q5yx21ESL6ASJwgFqrjjIO_HnzfIg/s1600/IMG_1089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzGdDodDS1XQ0asJvg9CLUkYjZaZ6Qz0737P2lwbikVMWVYtu3SGyPn_GOuXNwwKOFH9LJpcdBd_a4p0yNRV0D7GkeAlm3OuaHRhyWBqiLgti0Q5yx21ESL6ASJwgFqrjjIO_HnzfIg/s320/IMG_1089.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Legit Hungarian Goulash</td></tr>
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But Budapest actually ended up being one of the most beautiful cities I've seen on my whole trip. The Danube river runs through the city (as it had in Prague and Vienna and will in Belgrade) and the surrounding architecture is just awesome. At night everything is especially impressive.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzpuBP1lhvRWn-hvTtI88EhaydGAG6q2eC2VeKhMuaV8KURDdyZNV7uXNoeHNcWBiszFgMyXKS2SYRTceaiV2hI9qIHZt6Mj2V4Bsi-y86b50iCYxjwP7-jqkoLVIZ0-Pid3VDvUgSg/s1600/IMG_1100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzpuBP1lhvRWn-hvTtI88EhaydGAG6q2eC2VeKhMuaV8KURDdyZNV7uXNoeHNcWBiszFgMyXKS2SYRTceaiV2hI9qIHZt6Mj2V4Bsi-y86b50iCYxjwP7-jqkoLVIZ0-Pid3VDvUgSg/s320/IMG_1100.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">More of my great nighttime photography</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANK0OHWRwnALWG8HsfFjE4PGfnLAKB6vMtXj9wiYcyzEGpV4qn5GBs7k8XYywunp0Wezs69W9eiCkbjmfxTCQvnybhCecHRY5S-IT-yfxa8xfy0HiP4TNCuNZol34hN45Y7q2nwgGTw/s1600/IMG_1112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANK0OHWRwnALWG8HsfFjE4PGfnLAKB6vMtXj9wiYcyzEGpV4qn5GBs7k8XYywunp0Wezs69W9eiCkbjmfxTCQvnybhCecHRY5S-IT-yfxa8xfy0HiP4TNCuNZol34hN45Y7q2nwgGTw/s320/IMG_1112.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Budapest Parliament building. This one is unreal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhQnrcUcboi2pzcmIJRUxAeNPn9ecYbmT1UW1MSoWwzKHoL2GmmhfSvfRkRaWBKt3SDIH3I4Jx0O9Pfg65H8kLQXW0ZW4Mh8zSiVje6sUSCDOQBQrFiACaXkS_yQyWSRJnKe4AvTBpg/s1600/IMG_1128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhQnrcUcboi2pzcmIJRUxAeNPn9ecYbmT1UW1MSoWwzKHoL2GmmhfSvfRkRaWBKt3SDIH3I4Jx0O9Pfg65H8kLQXW0ZW4Mh8zSiVje6sUSCDOQBQrFiACaXkS_yQyWSRJnKe4AvTBpg/s320/IMG_1128.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Square of Heroes (thats why I was there)</td></tr>
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Like many eastern European countries, Budapest has a dark past with a reign of terror for many years by the Nazis and some Communists dictators. We visited the museum of terror in the city to see all the fun they had during these times.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-VHHuizVfxhC1nUGEBsm9SX_p1YSjEloyOFmiasuPDK5eDjsb1asWpOTeCLIkfekGUkpdGujOK-i2963EVD711fd85HYemtkZrcmG1AFlGRLLizfB8SUbYzBMtfiW0ULAv3cr3xCNw/s1600/IMG_1091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-VHHuizVfxhC1nUGEBsm9SX_p1YSjEloyOFmiasuPDK5eDjsb1asWpOTeCLIkfekGUkpdGujOK-i2963EVD711fd85HYemtkZrcmG1AFlGRLLizfB8SUbYzBMtfiW0ULAv3cr3xCNw/s320/IMG_1091.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Happy times at the museum of terror</td></tr>
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The museum wasn't the only thing that was terrifying in the city. They also had a statue of Ronald Regan. Can you get any more terrifying than that?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39Fe6X6UUw1IYLpOMJjmp8xhhOlMo4nUsQLXbtg56i443dGxoKNNf6Mfg3O08riqi9r8q9nG50pa10FoBuTjMWJrqLkk7vL0o5moZor93lhLhr6SyuFQqtN5_OFDM0uXnrFJQ3vuSzA/s1600/IMG_1122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39Fe6X6UUw1IYLpOMJjmp8xhhOlMo4nUsQLXbtg56i443dGxoKNNf6Mfg3O08riqi9r8q9nG50pa10FoBuTjMWJrqLkk7vL0o5moZor93lhLhr6SyuFQqtN5_OFDM0uXnrFJQ3vuSzA/s320/IMG_1122.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Really? Ronald Regan? Something about fighting Communism?</td></tr>
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Even more terrifying than Regan, though, was this guy lying on a bench that we found passed out during our bike tour. Sorry, I had to take a picture and post it here.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlppeNWlGRP8E-ZeQyn5uLOfGZ5PKZ9MVzbbsvXv-i1Zf8qEUBBodecLbc2cwkcDbY9FCcxqf8nHtMxdFUECYDXyyigOfKG1_nzf_Y-upgKigEetmgap434eF3T9suvnBgvjFZzazgww/s1600/IMG_1126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlppeNWlGRP8E-ZeQyn5uLOfGZ5PKZ9MVzbbsvXv-i1Zf8qEUBBodecLbc2cwkcDbY9FCcxqf8nHtMxdFUECYDXyyigOfKG1_nzf_Y-upgKigEetmgap434eF3T9suvnBgvjFZzazgww/s320/IMG_1126.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So Budapest!</td></tr>
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Fortunately, that wasn't the only skin I saw during my time in the city. Budapest is apparently known for its baths, so I felt obligated to check one out (even though it was 90 degrees outside). These baths really just ended up being some pools. Some hot pools.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQhyphenhyphenN2iz0y5Kw56sXTbk4SDxCKr0fsovnSJTAzOUPTQVMS57nO-P6SQwGXNm_elkGnpQzry6D7CivU5LIeisN8dz4V-Dto08gtALzTvBm40FLU-EbfrzHo6OsPCEGhx_hzVwNlHRjBQ/s1600/IMG_1134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQhyphenhyphenN2iz0y5Kw56sXTbk4SDxCKr0fsovnSJTAzOUPTQVMS57nO-P6SQwGXNm_elkGnpQzry6D7CivU5LIeisN8dz4V-Dto08gtALzTvBm40FLU-EbfrzHo6OsPCEGhx_hzVwNlHRjBQ/s320/IMG_1134.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Budapest baths (better known as a pools)</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1920999038"></span><span id="goog_1920999039"></span>The other thing Budapest is now know for is ruin bars. These are bars that have been established in the ruins of old buildings. They're basically large open air courtyards surrounded by dilapidated buildings. So obviously very fun.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMR7WpConxqZfaTdpqUKI4z8k_2K59f4drU3IZi2-s1B5UyxlW4IE5SA3-15Cn7DVo4hMO9XRAriTdORnQX0KZorjPSteugBggOzWyz6Pb8RatklwLCFmgNMN-8YJzXi9uo_36-Jj3A/s1600/ruin.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMR7WpConxqZfaTdpqUKI4z8k_2K59f4drU3IZi2-s1B5UyxlW4IE5SA3-15Cn7DVo4hMO9XRAriTdORnQX0KZorjPSteugBggOzWyz6Pb8RatklwLCFmgNMN-8YJzXi9uo_36-Jj3A/s400/ruin.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ruins</td></tr>
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And thats how I spent my four weekends in Prague (but not in Prague) in DubLisBudaVien. Together with London the previous month and Belgrade the next month, I visited 7 countries in about 30 days. That's so Remote Year!</div>
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Total countries visited on my trip: 12</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-11446196507210374542016-10-12T14:32:00.001-04:002016-10-12T14:32:09.585-04:00Praugust<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Everyone</b> loves Prague!<br />
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I used to say that my friend Dan and I were the only people who had been to Prague and spoke poorly of it. We visited 10 years ago on our post college trip around Europe. There was just a dark/sketchy vibe following us around the city and the things that we did there. Ten years later, I headed back to Prague with Remote Year and I was confident that I would feel different about the city....and I did. How could I hate a city that defines art as a statue of two guys peeing into a pool shaped like their country?<br />
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Warning: The video below is quite graphic.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SDlQlAumvzo" width="560"></iframe></div>
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In fact, there's "weird" art like this all over the city from artist David Černý.<br />
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Here's a statue of a guy hanging from a pipe at the top of a building:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0JOCvuo9H_dajKLsxrw8SHW4-Jy-YjrA-kD58Cf0zORKDsweuxVFYvQ1ABT4OXDK_dYfuKU_giwkEC3aA8ylVn9IOWUG9PSWFStFAfn34fidWo9DsCK8nMIhsPTDJpVg987XDaGMMg/s1600/IMG_0732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0JOCvuo9H_dajKLsxrw8SHW4-Jy-YjrA-kD58Cf0zORKDsweuxVFYvQ1ABT4OXDK_dYfuKU_giwkEC3aA8ylVn9IOWUG9PSWFStFAfn34fidWo9DsCK8nMIhsPTDJpVg987XDaGMMg/s640/IMG_0732.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Not a real person hanging from building)</td></tr>
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After this statue was installed, apparently a lot people started calling 911 (for obvious reasons). It's actually a statue of Sigmund Freud hanging up there and it's supposed to symbolize the societal nature of something something something. Really deep stuff.<br />
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There's also this crazy thing called Metalmorphosis:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f1V1MqhcAU4" width="560"></iframe></div>
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I could watch that all day....and I did.<br />
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And finally here we have the Žižkov Television Tower (known as one of the ugliest building in the world). Please notice the babies crawling up it... they were designed by Cerny.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Rq7BWl2CAd0ftRIXjsN0psgmB66h9ldEy0LDwVT0tqmymJH3Z3B7UQNLlmigKR60mNxtXq_UUdGSsDuy8Uqq863hXLiHYAQWNBstfkqh5JwoRN5m435Vrv9qoqYAln9o9r7tVB3ahQ/s1600/IMG_0919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Rq7BWl2CAd0ftRIXjsN0psgmB66h9ldEy0LDwVT0tqmymJH3Z3B7UQNLlmigKR60mNxtXq_UUdGSsDuy8Uqq863hXLiHYAQWNBstfkqh5JwoRN5m435Vrv9qoqYAln9o9r7tVB3ahQ/s640/IMG_0919.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go baby! Go!</td></tr>
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They have a set of those baby statues in a park nearby and they are quite creepy up close.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXK6sq__j5I66-qjtRCr9iaNTDswrPNO7y00afkMd_zCATTko5H_DXPV4zilDKeoYD3BzdT5b_cJph4PVEiqEy6vOxFFqGVyqVIjqUlbMKKSDg_IZ8e1vLrhQoE__3jyHgMvDaX7N2g/s1600/IMG_0747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXK6sq__j5I66-qjtRCr9iaNTDswrPNO7y00afkMd_zCATTko5H_DXPV4zilDKeoYD3BzdT5b_cJph4PVEiqEy6vOxFFqGVyqVIjqUlbMKKSDg_IZ8e1vLrhQoE__3jyHgMvDaX7N2g/s400/IMG_0747.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why would someone make this?</td></tr>
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And Cerny's work isn't the only "interesting" art in the city. There's a building called the Dancing House. However, it is neither a house nor is it dancing. It actually appears to be some sort of office building that does not move at all. I have written to the mayor of Prague to start a ballot measure to change the name of this building.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJJz6RQn8PtKqyunhpqLqPp_nqnlmcq_SwH_rNzA6nBSMUW8rPMpZS4ZXou8hF6Bzyblo-GoOGydVITzD9XZcTAAhnlf-08FtwouqDASmQ8_G-HwZpIFt_oiwK6oJJCEfIjt8TpzeAw/s1600/IMG_0699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJJz6RQn8PtKqyunhpqLqPp_nqnlmcq_SwH_rNzA6nBSMUW8rPMpZS4ZXou8hF6Bzyblo-GoOGydVITzD9XZcTAAhnlf-08FtwouqDASmQ8_G-HwZpIFt_oiwK6oJJCEfIjt8TpzeAw/s400/IMG_0699.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dance I say! Dance!</td></tr>
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And then there's the Lennon Wall (John, not Vladamir...although that would be spelled Lenin....but I just wanted to clear up any confusion). This wall has represented love and peace over the years, especially through the Communist era. Even today, anyone can paint anything they want on the wall. In fact, some of the more creative ones from our Remote Year group added their mark to the wall (I am not creative and so added nothing).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqL-RvuwtUXM1on58uIsBJnf3txuCC3rdLNjvSo3oMro400qWcm3oPfjs1wOuPk2FuKo4smnxAmf8g6rLODD4ZwyGZI3X-1ixCAopcKE9RhrCD90HrcMetUQKpbc6HBJ19Q_M6neENpQ/s1600/IMG_0754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqL-RvuwtUXM1on58uIsBJnf3txuCC3rdLNjvSo3oMro400qWcm3oPfjs1wOuPk2FuKo4smnxAmf8g6rLODD4ZwyGZI3X-1ixCAopcKE9RhrCD90HrcMetUQKpbc6HBJ19Q_M6neENpQ/s640/IMG_0754.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot me among the wall's graffiti? Camouflage</td></tr>
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In addition to (or in spite of) Cerny's work, the city is quite beautiful. The highlight of the city being Prague Castle overlooking the river.<br />
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As you may or may not know, I consider myself an expert photographer. So, when it comes to capturing Prague's beauty, I rely on my skills to do the talking.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDohxDxq1wpOdN7mOPv8IRf-BrfB7pM3-OWyeOMo2m1lInGcWGX8iN8Huo-Ld7A-XZ9StYtGxd9NYVynA8dgybOddL4-T8_4m5hl2337zrD16_g88ahRuVve-1vn2K_bNsBP7vNtFVg/s1600/IMG_0702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDohxDxq1wpOdN7mOPv8IRf-BrfB7pM3-OWyeOMo2m1lInGcWGX8iN8Huo-Ld7A-XZ9StYtGxd9NYVynA8dgybOddL4-T8_4m5hl2337zrD16_g88ahRuVve-1vn2K_bNsBP7vNtFVg/s400/IMG_0702.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow, what a great shot</td></tr>
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Sometimes I let guest photographers include a picture on my blog (just so they can get some exposure from my giant readership base). I decided to let the exquisite Mr. Matt Sherwood include a picture in my blog (or I asked him if I could include one of his pictures since he's an amazing photographer).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCV0IayEqHWk0FhOS3ER6H9nCq8VJsF0PHg4oE6CXRKiEDIe6EFV1Ay35ww5ZVcVnDV-8wpN56EMbv8dbtb_gPo9kmcdHAiA9wX5eIHYsvm0hxU11fr81LLU8geyScln1TeA119pYWg/s1600/prauge_castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCV0IayEqHWk0FhOS3ER6H9nCq8VJsF0PHg4oE6CXRKiEDIe6EFV1Ay35ww5ZVcVnDV-8wpN56EMbv8dbtb_gPo9kmcdHAiA9wX5eIHYsvm0hxU11fr81LLU8geyScln1TeA119pYWg/s640/prauge_castle.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/itsmattsherwood/">Matt Sherwood</a></td></tr>
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Fine he's better than me.<br />
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Here's another one of my crappy photos at night.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xCJB4PVvCB5xydiSurofc-bRg75F4SagfAopiRp3IIljYwmO-M5Ztocbm4u2oy0I-UZmfFrBXdd8PdYiO6_IXteJuZrVwZG7sI-hy1RK9TvXMRwvXjXuTcQmWZWrlFijxcBda_Io-g/s1600/IMG_0522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xCJB4PVvCB5xydiSurofc-bRg75F4SagfAopiRp3IIljYwmO-M5Ztocbm4u2oy0I-UZmfFrBXdd8PdYiO6_IXteJuZrVwZG7sI-hy1RK9TvXMRwvXjXuTcQmWZWrlFijxcBda_Io-g/s640/IMG_0522.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect light exposure (or something)</td></tr>
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And here's one of Charles Bridge taken by the fastidious Mike Chino.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek53W6Mxi4K-mW1lOf1mHRQJFOpnysIjnbYe95NJkSqnMpS04z92IqniAVK1rn1WNPrFId-L5g3xyLyhIkD4W4eYONxUAHNTxmzFYMtf2w_BdHxpFU1qHoBy3AjajxnSSlmDca7kkhw/s1600/Chino_2016_DSC00831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek53W6Mxi4K-mW1lOf1mHRQJFOpnysIjnbYe95NJkSqnMpS04z92IqniAVK1rn1WNPrFId-L5g3xyLyhIkD4W4eYONxUAHNTxmzFYMtf2w_BdHxpFU1qHoBy3AjajxnSSlmDca7kkhw/s640/Chino_2016_DSC00831.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Photo by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mikekchino/">Mike Chino</a></span></td></tr>
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In addition to its beauty, Prague has a lot of history. They say this land existed when earth was formed. But more recently, it had a big role in World War 2. Most of Czechoslovakia was just handed over to the Nazi's before the war even started, as part of the Munich agreement. I always found it interesting that a country could be given away, especially without even inviting that country's people to take part in the negotiations. Churchill came out of these negotiations telling the British people, "My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Go home and get a nice quiet sleep."<br />
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Whoops.</div>
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Hitler loved Prague and spent a lot of time there. It was also the home of Reinhard Heydrich, designer of the final solution. Heydrich was assassinated in Prague and they still have the hideout of the assassins marked today (with a bar dedicated to them across the street). </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweULA5GYR171qFcSsTDYNZK1ShQ2dJ4LUpBLeKVTZ2mCn9L4av7rOkVz9hUM3MNPWDKbqlhS8ZoOQCXd2D1nqDdGMYNB3IFVtU-M0xi2nkA4GPq0owBn_1WD57npiv_iTVFrzD6gqVg/s1600/Hitler_at_the_Charles_Bridge%252C_Prague.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweULA5GYR171qFcSsTDYNZK1ShQ2dJ4LUpBLeKVTZ2mCn9L4av7rOkVz9hUM3MNPWDKbqlhS8ZoOQCXd2D1nqDdGMYNB3IFVtU-M0xi2nkA4GPq0owBn_1WD57npiv_iTVFrzD6gqVg/s400/Hitler_at_the_Charles_Bridge%252C_Prague.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitler's motorcade crosses the Charles bridge (yes the same one from above)</td></tr>
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Speaking of World War 2, I visited the Terezín concentration camp right outside of Prague. Terezin was a fortress constructed several hundred years earlier, but the Nazi's took it over and turned it into a camp upon occupying Czechoslavakia.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Terezin</td></tr>
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As expected, there were a number of intense areas preserved in the camp, but a couple really stood out to me. The first was the tunnels of the fortress that run under it's fortifying outer walls. While in operation as a camp during WW2, prisoners marched a quarter of a mile through these tunnels to an execution field on the other side.</div>
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The SS guards of the camp actually lived in the fortress with their families during this period which is just mind boggling to me. Their families had completely "normal" lives and they even built a swimming pool on the grounds. </div>
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The town around the fortress was made into a Jewish ghetto where Jews were promised that they could live a "normal" life. Today, the town basically just stand as a historical site as no one wants to live there.</div>
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Moving outside of World War 2, there's lots and lots of history in this city. They say the city was formed during the big bang. But more recently, the Commonists controlled the country after World War 2. The mark of this era can still be felt very strongly throughout the city today. The Žižkov Television Tower (with creepy babies added later) was actually originally built to block signals from the west.<br />
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Prague's history is pretty clearly shown through its historical architecture and layout. It seems like a large amount of cities throughout Europe are still dominated by buildings from long ago. It's quite different than back in the USA. Everywhere in America, cities are constantly being torn down and built higher, but in Europe, cities are historical so can't be torn down. I don't understand how cities expand in Europe? They can't just expand out instead of up. I feel like they would be ginormous by now if that was the case. So, where do they expand?<br />
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The previous rant was brought to you by Budweiser. The Czech Budweiser, not the American Budweiser. The Czech and American Budweiser companies have actually been in a brand dispute since the 1800s. Because of this, Czech Budweiser is sold in North America under the label Czechvar and American Budweiser is labelled as Bud in all European Union markets, except for Ireland and the United Kingdom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not American Budweiser</td></tr>
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That about sums up Prague for me. There is much more that I could have been explored and talked about, but I actually didn't spend a single weekend in Prague. I visited Dublin, Lisbon, Vienna and finally Budapest. But I'm going to save those experiences for my next post, so get excited!<br />
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Total countries visited on my trip: 8</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-18915262866892347202016-09-05T16:44:00.001-04:002016-09-06T08:16:16.536-04:00London calling. Sorry I'm busy at the moment could you please call back later.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Many moons ago, when I signed up for this Remote Year program (was there a time before Remote Year?), our July itinerary was listed as Istanbul, Turkey. Then some bombs went off and Remote Year decided to change the itinerary and send us to the country that I can only assume was created in America's image. No I'm not talking about Canada, I'm talking about England. The land of people who speak English wrong. The land of people who worship a king and queen instead of the almighty Sun god like the rest of us.</div>
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Although, I'm sure nothing would have happened, I understand the choice to not send us to Istanbul. But London? Why not just send us to do a month in rural Idaho (no offense to anyone in Idaho)? Alright, it wasn't that bad and I did have a great time in London for the month, it just wasn't the most exotic place I've ever been (that's Idaho).</div>
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As fate would have it, we arrived in London just in time to celebrate the 4th of July, the holiday where we celebrate something about independence from England....similar to how England is celebrating independence from the EU. We spent our 4th of July on a double decker tour bus listening to the Beatles, drinking champagne, and wearing masks that look like English royalty.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">May not be real British royalty</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This picture really doesn't show anything interesting</td></tr>
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We also found an "American" bar which had a hotdog eating contest and so it really felt like we were back home. Actually it was back home for me in a way since the area of London that we lived in was called Acton (Acton is the town in which I grew up in Massachusetts).</div>
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The highlight of my month was by far going to Wimbledon. I do enjoy me some tennis and as I understand it, Wimbledon is a big deal in the tennis world. We arrived in London somewhat late in the tournament with only the important matches left, so I wasn't sure if we would actually be able to get a ticket. The online ticketing system for Wimbledon is incredibly confusing and even being the tech savvy person that I am, I couldn't figure it out. Luckily, though, they have this thing called the queue (that means 'line' for you non-British speakers). Everyday you can wait in this "queue" to buy tickets, but it can obviously take many hours since others also know about this "queue". So, one day, I decide to roll over to Wimbledon with Sam and Travis (do you remember them? they are our leaders...in the cult sense...and in the Remote Year parental supervision sense).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sam & Travis - Cult leaders (this picture ruins the suspense of whether we actually got into Wimbledon or not)</td></tr>
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The three of us took the tube down to the Wimbledon stop, which turns out to be the wrong stop if you are trying to go to the Wimbledon tennis tournament (cause that would make it too easy). It was the day that Andy Murray (from the UK) had his semi-final match, so I assumed there was no way we would be able to actually get a ticket and we would end up just watching the matches from a bar in the town. But instead, to my surprise and delight, we were met with a queue of....0 people!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's a picture of no one waiting in a line</td></tr>
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Apparently, in the morning there's a queue of 4-5 hours, but if you come at noon, there is queue of 0 hours and 0 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not waiting in line at Wimbledon</td></tr>
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I guess the point is that I made it into Wimbledon. And let me tell you, it was well worth that wait in the queue. I spent the day drinking Pimms (which I had never heard of) and sitting on The Hill watching two semi finals matches, including Andy Murray.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I basically went to Wimbledon and watched tennis on TV</td></tr>
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Wow, that story was a lot of build up, but not much pay off. It's kind of similar to visiting all of the touristy stuff in London. Take Buckingham Palace. So majestic!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Like really majestic</td></tr>
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I actually just pulled that picture off of the internet. This one, though, was taken by Travis when we visited the palace that day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJsMU7PgcONVzZsn3ApFJNoXR7jZovxWBNaQffMfvZ2pHpkQ1I_rWrxg9F9uAXBy-dgTdIyqBtouc2MI7_aNo1sGfkj_JzznayyjqAF6EUAQKD8_pqp9ZtllYQjYCw6csPwNlkuCsbA/s1600/IMG_0187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJsMU7PgcONVzZsn3ApFJNoXR7jZovxWBNaQffMfvZ2pHpkQ1I_rWrxg9F9uAXBy-dgTdIyqBtouc2MI7_aNo1sGfkj_JzznayyjqAF6EUAQKD8_pqp9ZtllYQjYCw6csPwNlkuCsbA/s640/IMG_0187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Still so fucking majestic</td></tr>
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We honestly have no idea how he managed to pull off this perfect shot. If you turn in any direction from where that shot was taken, it looks more like this:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznqnnDy1spQCZSyP79L5IdiZlnMINSLWSIAjMGd-bx9l35gX0vxYp5tBDB3JdBj8MrmvLRxMj4Wk76i__DvkYym62vsf-xvGl7m-vrcV9QHk8F0S_TPhNNxGrdViz0wvRbWxJft4SIg/s1600/IMG_0161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznqnnDy1spQCZSyP79L5IdiZlnMINSLWSIAjMGd-bx9l35gX0vxYp5tBDB3JdBj8MrmvLRxMj4Wk76i__DvkYym62vsf-xvGl7m-vrcV9QHk8F0S_TPhNNxGrdViz0wvRbWxJft4SIg/s640/IMG_0161.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not so fucking majestic</td></tr>
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Wow! This is great, because I love selfie sticks and crowds. I actually felt like London had a larger, denser downtown pocket than New York does. So, while its definitely impressive to see this stuff, compared to some of the most epic views I've ever seen in my life in South America, sightseeing in London felt more like:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx-jW-_vgPQlFk-CeVnQbrOrqpcEPExtNXax_XeH5nqAxjN1pxDEc2KSJb6YvF7UXDH1mKzYLe4cxS7bySf-tSKhrjZCOaU09DxmPkh-sFNhyphenhyphenx2VHvxIKqHp5HQY_FU3nBSM2Fv2qjA/s1600/IMG_0172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx-jW-_vgPQlFk-CeVnQbrOrqpcEPExtNXax_XeH5nqAxjN1pxDEc2KSJb6YvF7UXDH1mKzYLe4cxS7bySf-tSKhrjZCOaU09DxmPkh-sFNhyphenhyphenx2VHvxIKqHp5HQY_FU3nBSM2Fv2qjA/s400/IMG_0172.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I may be slightly spoiled</td></tr>
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In summary, although there was Big Ben..<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-x42inzbzZ69EDSnTSIpTeCeXGyTKSW_QPTRylfcQbIM_2pDApsy9HZRRoYfaWbBOECchi2RMjW2lKlr2ckMukI-Bew5e4HhGs8aUxdyeeqOog7TEq67V80tHeer7VRyqh93scn1Kw/s1600/IMG_0186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-x42inzbzZ69EDSnTSIpTeCeXGyTKSW_QPTRylfcQbIM_2pDApsy9HZRRoYfaWbBOECchi2RMjW2lKlr2ckMukI-Bew5e4HhGs8aUxdyeeqOog7TEq67V80tHeer7VRyqh93scn1Kw/s640/IMG_0186.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The largest Ben I've ever seen</td></tr>
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And we went to Brighton beach where it was cold and rainy....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vq10NlgQO9iUgVox5W0xbXdpQuMUHOiUidKcNUGRfmIscn-mq5tFvPiQzyJVAO3XDgtIp1VV2VGFJpLDjh1XXRvtG-oQM11dkUynYLCE2nRs2mkHKnhKEaSO6scNQ8mF6mwMcED8Gg/s1600/IMG_0196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vq10NlgQO9iUgVox5W0xbXdpQuMUHOiUidKcNUGRfmIscn-mq5tFvPiQzyJVAO3XDgtIp1VV2VGFJpLDjh1XXRvtG-oQM11dkUynYLCE2nRs2mkHKnhKEaSO6scNQ8mF6mwMcED8Gg/s400/IMG_0196.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We took our shirts off and played frisbee for the photo op only (soo cold and windy)</td></tr>
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And there was lots of fish & chips....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6fq4HN6ViDNZkcYEMuvkEBuc5onkN_zKH99EkwN-DgjL5SMZZDTH0k775MWQa1A0bRhWWMO_iw7-4MndTeSIArOCaX6u4y1W7Mtvx1QHmU7UarTRALAktlcO2feWso7x7oXIVm9ZeQ/s1600/IMG_0201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6fq4HN6ViDNZkcYEMuvkEBuc5onkN_zKH99EkwN-DgjL5SMZZDTH0k775MWQa1A0bRhWWMO_iw7-4MndTeSIArOCaX6u4y1W7Mtvx1QHmU7UarTRALAktlcO2feWso7x7oXIVm9ZeQ/s320/IMG_0201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I don't like fish, so I didn't eat this</td></tr>
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That's about all I have to say about London.<br />
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Well, actually I will note about one other thing. The city mostly shuts down at 11pm. Almost all pubs and restaurants close at 11pm SHARP and the tube stops running at midnight. I was in downtown London at 11:30pm on one of my final nights and couldn't find any place to get a drink except a club and couldn't find any place to get food except McDonalds. Sigh.<br />
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But if we aren't talking about London, I did take a week long trip to Belgium and Venice.<br />
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A guy from my trip named Brecht (which I apparently still cant pronounce properly) is from Belgium. Being the nice guy that he is, he decided to take a group of annoying Americans to his home town for a weekend.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyhkN6qO1W3vJIbiu1JJ3wsoSLQldfcEqDHRhULkMJjZMg40YQ0rRjeCGNnZmE-_HMEfjddU_LQsTzu6j75viMZ9oYfrh92AER5ekNaVQ_sCQEBnEpKPYygo5A7w5QHQHV7JwcxiB_w/s1600/IMG_8137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyhkN6qO1W3vJIbiu1JJ3wsoSLQldfcEqDHRhULkMJjZMg40YQ0rRjeCGNnZmE-_HMEfjddU_LQsTzu6j75viMZ9oYfrh92AER5ekNaVQ_sCQEBnEpKPYygo5A7w5QHQHV7JwcxiB_w/s400/IMG_8137.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's a picture of Brecht when he had food poisoning but still went ATVing with me in Bolivia</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtpJz5dI9yRnA7TN7P-CRynw0Nshi6AnBw8Xu2gP06aRJ3OY3ZoTO6jO9MzW70jo4XCJckSYhvt_uqQRy4NvBWXVJcMbUfvQd4USuqz8pwqBEdrP13-3y94sHKD0Mxhuyp3HEKkTHsw/s1600/IMG_8212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtpJz5dI9yRnA7TN7P-CRynw0Nshi6AnBw8Xu2gP06aRJ3OY3ZoTO6jO9MzW70jo4XCJckSYhvt_uqQRy4NvBWXVJcMbUfvQd4USuqz8pwqBEdrP13-3y94sHKD0Mxhuyp3HEKkTHsw/s320/IMG_8212.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's Brecht giving a pretty face</td></tr>
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We went to Brecht's home town of Leuven (it almost looks like Levin) and many puns ensued about Leuven it up. The first thing I had to do when I got there was try all things Belgian.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ38qMLiCmv2Z1YgvAm7bKgHYq4Ii-t78t76sYBq3IXfbkOUNKWt-UbYTEB-j8L9kY2wz3JYDS6tbUqG3-c7m6hhntm9353yOb-LkhMVPy-IEop3HXpU1vpLkbqe2J7onkbaGXKSVXGg/s1600/IMG_0218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ38qMLiCmv2Z1YgvAm7bKgHYq4Ii-t78t76sYBq3IXfbkOUNKWt-UbYTEB-j8L9kY2wz3JYDS6tbUqG3-c7m6hhntm9353yOb-LkhMVPy-IEop3HXpU1vpLkbqe2J7onkbaGXKSVXGg/s400/IMG_0218.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Belgian beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72IVH_c9B0bLbvWShCBcNzwEv-V-BU_WrNs8e1YNLsChcWQmVqcR69Nn3dFrXMsmGrRI-PqINhNKxNlh5tqj8NwIfmKj5gp6IHLxg93qJNAoYIp6MIMVukoM_D2o_10xAgJ_Ji0Xw5g/s1600/IMG_0225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72IVH_c9B0bLbvWShCBcNzwEv-V-BU_WrNs8e1YNLsChcWQmVqcR69Nn3dFrXMsmGrRI-PqINhNKxNlh5tqj8NwIfmKj5gp6IHLxg93qJNAoYIp6MIMVukoM_D2o_10xAgJ_Ji0Xw5g/s320/IMG_0225.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Belgian waffles</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpALsai0Gvsfmi13z8QUOPz012LyxzWQU0cr1R_bUCPmhG11nTrruaGHeedtNq8kEHbL1rqm7VvXRXaQhi4Ih__b9qEY-lGJT3q-0mACHXbTrZl8M9OYHGPYTn-D5tXLiecKkU-lH-Hw/s1600/IMG_0226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpALsai0Gvsfmi13z8QUOPz012LyxzWQU0cr1R_bUCPmhG11nTrruaGHeedtNq8kEHbL1rqm7VvXRXaQhi4Ih__b9qEY-lGJT3q-0mACHXbTrZl8M9OYHGPYTn-D5tXLiecKkU-lH-Hw/s320/IMG_0226.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">No more Belgian waffles</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvP307ck760xhuC-Wl3nhMFLv24w2hP35crxfjbP0nm2cm3Q208SvnQtq2-PmKCbTRcmjnKTYMn3VunWxcXWNfEjxY4-UE9OR72rc-pZO9IypVxfSwK_P4bvxTR9H2b5Te7813tibyQ/s1600/IMG_0265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvP307ck760xhuC-Wl3nhMFLv24w2hP35crxfjbP0nm2cm3Q208SvnQtq2-PmKCbTRcmjnKTYMn3VunWxcXWNfEjxY4-UE9OR72rc-pZO9IypVxfSwK_P4bvxTR9H2b5Te7813tibyQ/s400/IMG_0265.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lots more Belgian waffles</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iroxQQmk7BO27YbwSZ1BBofqKGkY6ufBqwDU90XhSjpfrCJJPsXB8vKvhRrq9PzHOi3m0ZILgeTaydIL2NTiZwuROCRP1yP55NMtxBHsCV6eAe6XdpB-IleA2Bui_vtAVcUOtd4zUQ/s1600/IMG_0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iroxQQmk7BO27YbwSZ1BBofqKGkY6ufBqwDU90XhSjpfrCJJPsXB8vKvhRrq9PzHOi3m0ZILgeTaydIL2NTiZwuROCRP1yP55NMtxBHsCV6eAe6XdpB-IleA2Bui_vtAVcUOtd4zUQ/s640/IMG_0230.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">More Belgian beer</td></tr>
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There was also Belgian fries and Belgian mussels (muscles?), but those pictures aren't as exciting. Belgians like to focus on their beer.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWavnEcwttNsivowAB4tm-KVn0Og4MnbOsV5NkQWk5nj6Ic64mcM7Bphy5tcJGSyzMT8zYx1IMsSurFq8auWnuaWdvTkUOR0UU3M0C8ZuhtF0IMv9Nh9pueWQQlvz9QEkLZBdrW4L69A/s1600/IMG_0227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWavnEcwttNsivowAB4tm-KVn0Og4MnbOsV5NkQWk5nj6Ic64mcM7Bphy5tcJGSyzMT8zYx1IMsSurFq8auWnuaWdvTkUOR0UU3M0C8ZuhtF0IMv9Nh9pueWQQlvz9QEkLZBdrW4L69A/s320/IMG_0227.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The bar with the largest beer selection in the world (over 2000 types) (in Leuven) #LeuvenItUp</td></tr>
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Next, I had to visit the Stella factory (conveniently in Leuven) for what some may say is the ultimate Belgian beer (most would not say this).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHObrOdy36py_b7m6EzlvdGr-JUae1OkYltVGjBLu-BvCl93DsQectwTQjA2LbFudvY25DuApbZVmIbSaZA3KCN5Mx2zGtsRKMyJE-CaXIyBYu4wwohYW6qE0lJVeE_hOaxlFgceP-A/s1600/IMG_0257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHObrOdy36py_b7m6EzlvdGr-JUae1OkYltVGjBLu-BvCl93DsQectwTQjA2LbFudvY25DuApbZVmIbSaZA3KCN5Mx2zGtsRKMyJE-CaXIyBYu4wwohYW6qE0lJVeE_hOaxlFgceP-A/s400/IMG_0257.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not sure what I'm pointing at</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgE0odzqdWOBf-xKxSEL8NItS5QJJlprZwXsH45c-uhvcWt3w0zl0YwhbUZ2qnCHW8uy1VX7sveeIxVGOygF-o4qA5hlL_RX1h55XefOZkmujbacJwbJQIEnrxW_691GM7XXXXMe1_Q/s1600/IMG_0253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgE0odzqdWOBf-xKxSEL8NItS5QJJlprZwXsH45c-uhvcWt3w0zl0YwhbUZ2qnCHW8uy1VX7sveeIxVGOygF-o4qA5hlL_RX1h55XefOZkmujbacJwbJQIEnrxW_691GM7XXXXMe1_Q/s320/IMG_0253.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I am now a certified Stella pour master</td></tr>
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Finally, I had to take in the architecture of this historic place.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9bwqtZG5mO5QJVDlzLWJ4XjKcCtEy4vQ2tx8hfwpWFaJUwWaeFlJ1nLnPTM4mSHDLTFBYZRvvsaMYKoK6yzT0UNDFI4R7K7_y62Tfi7PezL38vRk9TM6Fvl_pIIIZ7wQNdRV4z6qQQ/s1600/IMG_0235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9bwqtZG5mO5QJVDlzLWJ4XjKcCtEy4vQ2tx8hfwpWFaJUwWaeFlJ1nLnPTM4mSHDLTFBYZRvvsaMYKoK6yzT0UNDFI4R7K7_y62Tfi7PezL38vRk9TM6Fvl_pIIIZ7wQNdRV4z6qQQ/s640/IMG_0235.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Leuven town hall....not sure why it needed so much detail on the exterior</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Really...too much detail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is actually Brussels (so no longer Leuven it up)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This statue of a boy peeing is apparently famous (cause the world is a weird place)</td></tr>
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Don't worry, I also left some time for partying. Leuven's downtown is made up a few giant squares surrounded entirely by bars. They say that its the longest counter in Europe since there are so many consecutive bars. They also say that there is always a bar open in Leuven 24 hours a day. They also say 'No free tap water'.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTpAdLJRwg1Zhjb7bP0vBqvCE8RA1Ie_obaJGFGE6rp9boEP_C0XlaotPN9D2gJ4YZ0RdHE5UyfYOfp9UjFQGZGIF-dZoLu0QASBn6ArxXkzgOrHTRLRhmKwAA1X_UsiSdnU9Kvxi3Q/s1600/IMG_1168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTpAdLJRwg1Zhjb7bP0vBqvCE8RA1Ie_obaJGFGE6rp9boEP_C0XlaotPN9D2gJ4YZ0RdHE5UyfYOfp9UjFQGZGIF-dZoLu0QASBn6ArxXkzgOrHTRLRhmKwAA1X_UsiSdnU9Kvxi3Q/s640/IMG_1168.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The result of the longest counter in Europe running 24 hours a day where you can drink in the street and cant get free water</td></tr>
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Sometime after I committed to the trip to Belgium, I found out someone else from my Remote Year family (aww), we'll call her Kirsten, was going to be in Venice that very next week. A bunch of people from the larger group had gone to a Beyonce concert in Milan (cause thats they type of stuff people do on a trip like this), and Kirsten was going to spend a few days in Venice afterwards. So, along with this other girl from my trip, we'll call her Paige, I decided to fly from Belgium to Venice to spend a few days on the Canal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Matt, Kirsten and Paige are Venice'n it up</td></tr>
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Venice is quite a sight. Its a big island of old beautiful buildings, narrow winding passageways and of course canals. If you like having a meal on the water, then this is the place for you. Basically every restaurant sits on a waterway and it's chillness cannot be overstated.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuYsWp17e27wxgpmIIGGob7Lp5Vzm4aI8Gc_oaMvlBfkLnGX_q9vmeeUE73TqSlSmExpx241FYtjHWKK0WdeklrYbTG87XC7lVnYNkc4kv873PbWs_esnQiCopVg1ka-VqSaRzpcndw/s1600/IMG_0336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuYsWp17e27wxgpmIIGGob7Lp5Vzm4aI8Gc_oaMvlBfkLnGX_q9vmeeUE73TqSlSmExpx241FYtjHWKK0WdeklrYbTG87XC7lVnYNkc4kv873PbWs_esnQiCopVg1ka-VqSaRzpcndw/s640/IMG_0336.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A restaurant on the water...check out that chilness</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTlIbVKJo5V_eakkkea7NwKmzwjGUv2b4XvXGvf5OqQrBcHcFWQE4-i3eleJEz8XWdAg4Axh4Whcz1Ixhn_tdI1d6oeBy77cRG3f-9Np08TZhW-emxG7lUndKs8hOOGuNF7l0L-k4_Q/s1600/IMG_0327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTlIbVKJo5V_eakkkea7NwKmzwjGUv2b4XvXGvf5OqQrBcHcFWQE4-i3eleJEz8XWdAg4Axh4Whcz1Ixhn_tdI1d6oeBy77cRG3f-9Np08TZhW-emxG7lUndKs8hOOGuNF7l0L-k4_Q/s400/IMG_0327.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Having a sangria on the water...total chillness</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZopHoQEyfSETrXD36oB7FAmFZp1iDQ2x9fQza7pX_-4rDCWGoecY9UZZa1Wx_nt-JzFD_kiURCoLjb9s7trQsW7ags_0b6Lgp4_bz9m0Fmr7FFXCMQIy-FiHlJxdAmFV7F5y84Suqw/s1600/IMG_0301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZopHoQEyfSETrXD36oB7FAmFZp1iDQ2x9fQza7pX_-4rDCWGoecY9UZZa1Wx_nt-JzFD_kiURCoLjb9s7trQsW7ags_0b6Lgp4_bz9m0Fmr7FFXCMQIy-FiHlJxdAmFV7F5y84Suqw/s400/IMG_0301.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Eating Pizza and drinking wine (I swear the water is like 10 feet away and its total chillness)</td></tr>
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The city is cool to see and great to eat through (mmmm Venice), but tthere's really no night life to speak of and most things close by 10 or 11. This is certainly not the city to come to if you are looking to "get lucky" (as they say in my old generation) since everyone already comes here with their partner. Also, as to be expected, everything is very touristy and overpriced. The Gondola ride we took was $85 for what came out to about 25 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hIvpsle3BoHnimkJAjtdTewSpXS1Ulb5u_dRw4Wms6FoQzBjX8z5TzbgFOpN9EGCVTOJtVvbynqntAg8UiNPJP0Y7kS96kQgeqfLOTjYb-pEFMT4WTLgWuXUNfQcxhoJN9hpbtiqeg/s1600/IMG_0411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hIvpsle3BoHnimkJAjtdTewSpXS1Ulb5u_dRw4Wms6FoQzBjX8z5TzbgFOpN9EGCVTOJtVvbynqntAg8UiNPJP0Y7kS96kQgeqfLOTjYb-pEFMT4WTLgWuXUNfQcxhoJN9hpbtiqeg/s640/IMG_0411.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The time it took to take this picture cost about $3</td></tr>
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining (I never complain), and I would definitely recommend checking out this city. It's just that my life is quite tough this year, so I don't want you to have to endure any of the same hardships that I have had to go through.<br />
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Another piece of advice that I have for you is to try this fish pedicure thing if you ever see it (I guess its illegal in a lot of states, but not in Europe). It's quite an unusual experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamh-5kiJ514CT40HHtoAYUUxmzMgHeUdCjrO0W5zuNUKtqGWhBGpvT_CB8NeSV-pwk-QSkiFcf3EZitMNA7N7m47fmiex5NgOU35Qf88M88JFDyYwwSlYmGpMA2NK5nzX-iP8pRbtAQ/s1600/IMG_0431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamh-5kiJ514CT40HHtoAYUUxmzMgHeUdCjrO0W5zuNUKtqGWhBGpvT_CB8NeSV-pwk-QSkiFcf3EZitMNA7N7m47fmiex5NgOU35Qf88M88JFDyYwwSlYmGpMA2NK5nzX-iP8pRbtAQ/s400/IMG_0431.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Thank you fish for eating my dead skin</td></tr>
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Good news! In the time it took you to read about my trip to Belgium and Venice, I managed to find some other interesting things that I did in London (yes, I write this blog in realtime). Here's some pictures of said things...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_-HDRlNB1GAeJfC8OQl4Z0-14m0C1NAu-0GdezdDXO8HPFLyonZNua4Wampo5OZ6nkDorp77TSrHQ0zEOFXhMpopA1zieleDGj991bbHbqv4AoZJ47O3-Xao1KXzgO2Z3KOCIDp_yg/s1600/IMG_0472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_-HDRlNB1GAeJfC8OQl4Z0-14m0C1NAu-0GdezdDXO8HPFLyonZNua4Wampo5OZ6nkDorp77TSrHQ0zEOFXhMpopA1zieleDGj991bbHbqv4AoZJ47O3-Xao1KXzgO2Z3KOCIDp_yg/s400/IMG_0472.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's the grave of Karl Marx....he had quite a beard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's the back of the Rosetta stone. You can see there's lots of people in front, so I decided to take a picture of the back with nothing on it</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's the map room inside the Churchill Bunker where Churchill and his people ran things during WW2 (they forgot to tell that guy that the war is over and he can go home)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's Churchill's bedroom in the bunker where he gave his infamous radio addresses</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkinjB0UnJ_urixBT37zxgWXlqT2ZVeC4AQB5UMyGgVrF4REFsetXnKZgxwl6wZhGLV2bt-nmaHqxl-ej6zJf24ASeq4hMqvCY9OcwW9_GknpUFsCTMnXQJtVQWWcgj7bLXNRSdvpWA/s1600/IMG_0440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkinjB0UnJ_urixBT37zxgWXlqT2ZVeC4AQB5UMyGgVrF4REFsetXnKZgxwl6wZhGLV2bt-nmaHqxl-ej6zJf24ASeq4hMqvCY9OcwW9_GknpUFsCTMnXQJtVQWWcgj7bLXNRSdvpWA/s640/IMG_0440.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's Arundel castle! You may remember Kirsten from Venice or previous picturesque engagement photos </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLH8J8SQzOpvFEAaUQTvVPQrQYV_DJUank09oVpnYWPQlZecmlAFXk0mIwJs8WEF8EgNdZApwhc9ANXTL7DZscmzP4Qk2Anho1wukp9X6pKCSFz1rulUCf418YnLRlcsjtst8zhMKfvQ/s1600/IMG_0451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLH8J8SQzOpvFEAaUQTvVPQrQYV_DJUank09oVpnYWPQlZecmlAFXk0mIwJs8WEF8EgNdZApwhc9ANXTL7DZscmzP4Qk2Anho1wukp9X6pKCSFz1rulUCf418YnLRlcsjtst8zhMKfvQ/s640/IMG_0451.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Here's an unnecessarily large room in the castle</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmKrjUvwZxz9eqCpXTRcn_FDB2eFomJbmEnhSN_r6axBoRl4oJhGKC7h8ggllHibr_KweDS_MVYVTtGfhHqL0nJr_whCSXutdbyi533tFy2HhOh0nh_LC1WNDa6_MFiWMqmvZnIyQRg/s1600/IMG_0478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmKrjUvwZxz9eqCpXTRcn_FDB2eFomJbmEnhSN_r6axBoRl4oJhGKC7h8ggllHibr_KweDS_MVYVTtGfhHqL0nJr_whCSXutdbyi533tFy2HhOh0nh_LC1WNDa6_MFiWMqmvZnIyQRg/s640/IMG_0478.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">And Here's the London Eye on the river Thames</td></tr>
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Finally, here's a time lapse that Travis took riding the London Eye on our final night.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g0EMc2ekQhQ" width="560"></iframe></div>
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Everything considered, London was a month full of things that weren't South America!<br />
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Total countries visited on my trip: 7 (next month this number goes way up...I can see into the future)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-34753896584980241682016-08-07T16:39:00.003-04:002016-08-07T16:39:57.596-04:00PerExit & BrEntry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lets all say good bye to South America. </div>
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Fine, lets bring it in for a hug!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmY6Hqe60GJeaeSR4no9EIGUVc9TtdD-FpCNgPi-ec-Kj9GbYG4MTWF9-WOEbHBZfQgoFPJF5C5CI8ebWnskrbgqrVvLMO5NxvbNv5vdGbrjoEctUyx6sbS_Gt_zlAOAQ3PcheaMYrQ/s1600/IMG_9735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmY6Hqe60GJeaeSR4no9EIGUVc9TtdD-FpCNgPi-ec-Kj9GbYG4MTWF9-WOEbHBZfQgoFPJF5C5CI8ebWnskrbgqrVvLMO5NxvbNv5vdGbrjoEctUyx6sbS_Gt_zlAOAQ3PcheaMYrQ/s640/IMG_9735.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Don't act like you don't want to</td></tr>
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I'm really gonna miss you.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHUfpRgDytNVi1SyscHVHMvdI72ibNH2wBTXzCZWd6GK1UULPn3z2XUhot4ZCyqjeofAjCA69CeK6IUtqAzOZhJxax-FQVZXx3YhYE6C-YGcFaByK4CkjctHrMfJRNGk0oqWgJV8vmg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-01+at+4.42.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHUfpRgDytNVi1SyscHVHMvdI72ibNH2wBTXzCZWd6GK1UULPn3z2XUhot4ZCyqjeofAjCA69CeK6IUtqAzOZhJxax-FQVZXx3YhYE6C-YGcFaByK4CkjctHrMfJRNGk0oqWgJV8vmg/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-07-01+at+4.42.41+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Good bye South America (may not actually be South America)<br />
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After my month in Cusco, Peru, I have said ciao to South America and bonjour to Europe. London specifically. You know, that country that just voted to leave the EU. There's plenty to talk about my new adventures on this new continent, but I know you're dying to hear about Peru, so we should talk about that.<br />
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As I may have mentioned before, this place is full of the cutest animals ever. Since I'm such a nice guy, I'm gonna throw in pictures of alpacas and goats and maybe even a puppy throughout this post. Here's your first:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZdLSHmFryS5Mrw93YUfWyQvTrbT6Dak4W0NiW8D8UfGWDPfMxfcuZ7BKaQF6G7HL9gXweHuCQiZSWdhcDwjSNOgA4_xJoFL_KRSqxnGBKsO_tRXywcMLa7GKMs3vbBvkPw-nbC-XVQ/s1600/IMG_8676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZdLSHmFryS5Mrw93YUfWyQvTrbT6Dak4W0NiW8D8UfGWDPfMxfcuZ7BKaQF6G7HL9gXweHuCQiZSWdhcDwjSNOgA4_xJoFL_KRSqxnGBKsO_tRXywcMLa7GKMs3vbBvkPw-nbC-XVQ/s400/IMG_8676.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">It's like he's looking right at the camera</td></tr>
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Cusco is basically a tourist town as it acts as the staging point to go to Machu Picchu. Even though there was someone trying to sell me something on every block, I actually really enjoyed it. It was a city built by the Inca's and was full of one way narrow stone streets (that served bi-direction traffic somehow) with the occasional Inca wall still standing (the Incas knew how to build a wall).<br />
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Jeff Gaughan from RY2 (Remote Year 2...the group we are trailing by one month), made this cool video of our walk from hotel to office space.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjeffgaughan%2Fvideos%2F10205510173387897%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Cusco, like La Paz the previous month, is at an elevation around 13,000 ft and as you might have noticed there's like over 100 stairs to get up to the hotel room (plus hills up the whole walk)....so that sucked. I also tried to run a few times during the month, but it was impossible due to altitude and consistent up hills. I basically had to stop every hundred feet to catch my breath. Thankfully, though, I didn't have to do any hiking up mountains this months.<br />
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That was a joke. I actually had to hike up lots of mountains this month. It's funny because I said the opposite of the truth.<br />
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The weather in Cusco was quite cold. At night it would get below freezing and most of the buildings don't have heat. It's like they built the city without considering the fact that its cold for part of the year. Lots of places had heat lamps or space heaters (like my bedroom), but they didn't really cut it. So, on this year long trip where I'm supposedly "chasing summer", I had to wear a jacket every day<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL42-VgySYw1ewklMiZxPHdEdGdhpCQrMe6otzRhczanO0kLQLeO7gNCo1l2YJHpzIy5F6h8SUCy29n3RRy7DbuEh01C8ODPrG11lvv1thuGLbQVj5mvbTAxw-GbPXv_nwZ_LuvHoOBA/s1600/IMG_8656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL42-VgySYw1ewklMiZxPHdEdGdhpCQrMe6otzRhczanO0kLQLeO7gNCo1l2YJHpzIy5F6h8SUCy29n3RRy7DbuEh01C8ODPrG11lvv1thuGLbQVj5mvbTAxw-GbPXv_nwZ_LuvHoOBA/s400/IMG_8656.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This doubles as an example of me wearing a jacket and a cute animal picture (and a Cholita picture)</td></tr>
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July is apparently festival month in Cusco and there are literally, literally (not a typo), parades every single day.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkUTapBJDlgVyv10590Nt-HbLILqHL-4jv5_-tvVOfSnBAuq8_FLv3YOg8s7De1P2tyTY45NcLZXG9gzBEQJlrzskKh0G3HD5MuXrJiVVYKWBdXhJ9f31i6MAkq-s1zdtr5Fy3ekabA/s1600/IMG_9019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkUTapBJDlgVyv10590Nt-HbLILqHL-4jv5_-tvVOfSnBAuq8_FLv3YOg8s7De1P2tyTY45NcLZXG9gzBEQJlrzskKh0G3HD5MuXrJiVVYKWBdXhJ9f31i6MAkq-s1zdtr5Fy3ekabA/s640/IMG_9019.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Every day</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXWBvIZozJY96Ee599vWm2rHJKzBHcQncxXihD1AHjxoH5HCj-YTqraooG6EC_nOifB07sIku9uLhcQMQ8ApJ3n8JOMAkMdkR4qj7bdB-s9F98vcvI8YadbABKuPQMCqzBXDb_3Xs8g/s1600/IMG_8801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXWBvIZozJY96Ee599vWm2rHJKzBHcQncxXihD1AHjxoH5HCj-YTqraooG6EC_nOifB07sIku9uLhcQMQ8ApJ3n8JOMAkMdkR4qj7bdB-s9F98vcvI8YadbABKuPQMCqzBXDb_3Xs8g/s640/IMG_8801.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Like every day</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6hxZUnWgqvX4WDCh6_qS0yRvJuTl4_YidV2kw19ojzKjOje2gmyxbRGx558_H9MZAKDCRLaDR31P-IfATssXKdbHpaVmIBNtsTTffucLQx3_qeoNw6nVDjRAEQnDG220xXEaKvTVTg/s1600/IMG_9150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6hxZUnWgqvX4WDCh6_qS0yRvJuTl4_YidV2kw19ojzKjOje2gmyxbRGx558_H9MZAKDCRLaDR31P-IfATssXKdbHpaVmIBNtsTTffucLQx3_qeoNw6nVDjRAEQnDG220xXEaKvTVTg/s400/IMG_9150.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">No, really...every day</td></tr>
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So that rainbow flag is the flag of Cusco. You may think its the gay pride flag, but if you look closely, you'll notice its actually upside down. I guess you can't really tell from this picture b/c its flat and there is no upside down....but if you hang it, then you can totally tell the difference.<br />
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OK, time for an extreme alpaca close up..<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ml7NG1SQLbz7gWhYT8l35JpwUfL3Sq8bvvzx717WtLrAxSU8M02w2PQVmm_9xgZk69HpdKgEKQK85lCcy12zHVRepHbAI6jleRNkB9ADX7vAaswCfd7tblCCt_aXlI52XGmman4lrQ/s1600/IMG_8709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ml7NG1SQLbz7gWhYT8l35JpwUfL3Sq8bvvzx717WtLrAxSU8M02w2PQVmm_9xgZk69HpdKgEKQK85lCcy12zHVRepHbAI6jleRNkB9ADX7vAaswCfd7tblCCt_aXlI52XGmman4lrQ/s320/IMG_8709.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Extreme alpaca close up</td></tr>
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I mentioned earlier that there's lots of Inca stuff in Cusco. In fact, they say they built the town in the shape of a Puma because it was one of the Inca's sacred animals.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK78jmJoLszYceMZbNty-o5j64SNcERktmWdC-j_OCQRIKAgc0v3C_ClghgvqjR7XyNGA9BOuJ9vrCLWp0spXk8v3MYRPTFLoski2ekEER7VbZpcRd7bk-6sDzeYTVbR0Q8bUDTCjjg/s1600/puma1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK78jmJoLszYceMZbNty-o5j64SNcERktmWdC-j_OCQRIKAgc0v3C_ClghgvqjR7XyNGA9BOuJ9vrCLWp0spXk8v3MYRPTFLoski2ekEER7VbZpcRd7bk-6sDzeYTVbR0Q8bUDTCjjg/s400/puma1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cusco in the shape of a Puma....kinda of</td></tr>
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It seems more like if you just randomly draw lines through the city that looks like a Puma, then yeah, its in the shape of a Puma.</div>
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That head part of the Puma is an Inca Ruin called Sacsayhuaman. If you sound it out (at least the way the Peruvians do) it sounds exactly like Sexy Woman. So, when you walk around Cusco you are often asked if you want to go to Sexy Woman. And of course, every time I say yes, and then I'm disappointed. I get up there and there's no sexy woman, just some ruins and this telephone pole...</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgWITGFf0eZzZ-Z_PyfBx8zJRA8-kIJCCdaOv8JykVBoOVc7hgeqQIouQSD5-TP6S4eC0ZYktAXyqLnf9zibFC_VrwN5R1s-W4ucW4bTKhTqAV-zS_xnVM3AZ2M4V4fgVCeDbfhPA0g/s1600/IMG_8826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgWITGFf0eZzZ-Z_PyfBx8zJRA8-kIJCCdaOv8JykVBoOVc7hgeqQIouQSD5-TP6S4eC0ZYktAXyqLnf9zibFC_VrwN5R1s-W4ucW4bTKhTqAV-zS_xnVM3AZ2M4V4fgVCeDbfhPA0g/s640/IMG_8826.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The great Sexy Woman telephone poll</td></tr>
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<div>
I suppose it's a pretty sweet view at least.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YPeFGwEcL06jYBZ2_Bdq3UBDp5PB4S4hjg7uE1YDkfkmZC4mIKqaTJEW1KSosrp0v730ePuDbQiWVAlT56cjdY7QQFfOFT-__wGsNTzlcNtcwmAyDsSgUoeCf92NjmBlI8NLV0BUGg/s1600/IMG_8722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YPeFGwEcL06jYBZ2_Bdq3UBDp5PB4S4hjg7uE1YDkfkmZC4mIKqaTJEW1KSosrp0v730ePuDbQiWVAlT56cjdY7QQFfOFT-__wGsNTzlcNtcwmAyDsSgUoeCf92NjmBlI8NLV0BUGg/s400/IMG_8722.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Oh my god, how cute is that?</td></tr>
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One observation I will make about Cusco is that people seem to work crazy hours. Like 14 hour days, 6 days a week. I met multiple people in this situation. Not sure how that is possible.<br />
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Moving on....for my first big side trip of the month, I went to Rainbow Mountain. I'm not sure why people don't know about this place cause it's ridiculous.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kaXcKaRAfw0lcBCMrTvWIZckSHv7I5uqhl2LWQFknJpzxKWznbm9muV9vLNYuDZknrj3edq0m7hHQC5frLhe13i_EXUS5Q96oBEIN8r3VJtl_SJ9oMtxitJMK1oyx2cGvaTRi9pxlg/s1600/IMG_8946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kaXcKaRAfw0lcBCMrTvWIZckSHv7I5uqhl2LWQFknJpzxKWznbm9muV9vLNYuDZknrj3edq0m7hHQC5frLhe13i_EXUS5Q96oBEIN8r3VJtl_SJ9oMtxitJMK1oyx2cGvaTRi9pxlg/s640/IMG_8946.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Rainbow Mountain....where Skittles come from</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Like, how have you never seen a picture of that before in your life? Everyone knows Machu Piccu, but this is like just around the corner (so to speak). They really need some better marketing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstFPJEltky5jHRdPsVgBnNe5fXsTBMW6SNqo8axFK9kzR6mr4f3SEdZmfPAmJCIYz3mvFM8u-GQSJ79l6zAlQeSzO-5-Jll80yMYkHtRM0Zdgfz4ENVDrpBlSMa_mt42kQ6Zu3KSTMA/s1600/IMG_8972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstFPJEltky5jHRdPsVgBnNe5fXsTBMW6SNqo8axFK9kzR6mr4f3SEdZmfPAmJCIYz3mvFM8u-GQSJ79l6zAlQeSzO-5-Jll80yMYkHtRM0Zdgfz4ENVDrpBlSMa_mt42kQ6Zu3KSTMA/s640/IMG_8972.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The backside of Rainbow Mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b64JJqFkDv6wX4AW5Vnw8fJaO2plMR6Xo7xpgwd9a5oWK-uB8FIwtwEhZnwuMHpubPggdetPSq4Kb5-5sqwoEecGZrzQ1v9WflwCwN80OAv5Lj9-sCGz1Zazh2q-lWzPsxXmlU8jyA/s1600/IMG_8960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b64JJqFkDv6wX4AW5Vnw8fJaO2plMR6Xo7xpgwd9a5oWK-uB8FIwtwEhZnwuMHpubPggdetPSq4Kb5-5sqwoEecGZrzQ1v9WflwCwN80OAv5Lj9-sCGz1Zazh2q-lWzPsxXmlU8jyA/s640/IMG_8960.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much rainbow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was prob the toughest hike, IMHO, that I have done on this trip. It's not that the actual hike was tough, long or rigorous...its that you are ascending to 15,000 feet. No Oxygen! No bueno! The only thing that really got me through this madness was the constant stream of cute llamas on the hill side.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEsNUbg2kSGyQeNf7ovlQc6hi5CrV0z2MLFXPHAF320QC7Gb77jTK8-SMT12VCSilNNzfivHwE8O86ltvW0AJhMLpJmCJsF5kcDXHjeIjnaccw0sQcufLNnyLtfxImlFRmkvWedozhw/s1600/IMG_8861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEsNUbg2kSGyQeNf7ovlQc6hi5CrV0z2MLFXPHAF320QC7Gb77jTK8-SMT12VCSilNNzfivHwE8O86ltvW0AJhMLpJmCJsF5kcDXHjeIjnaccw0sQcufLNnyLtfxImlFRmkvWedozhw/s640/IMG_8861.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So many llamas (or alpacas)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One of the most important things I learned this month was the difference between a llama and an alpaca.<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Ears - Llama ears are larger</li>
<li>Size - Llamas are bigger</li>
<li>Face - Llama have longer faces</li>
<li>Attitude - Llamas are assholes</li>
</ol>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtrWX4qnkbkz-vB8KrhY2rmCSh6HphnuazIaNVh5zzsU5dY7EIlIqx_rjGi48usHn61rbfTVyQ4GiPdaGJVARs_B1R1Na9CosQ0WEOYRmvPQ9JGLPnuu7GAc86M4dOTXoXRcgkldP3g/s1600/IMG_9908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtrWX4qnkbkz-vB8KrhY2rmCSh6HphnuazIaNVh5zzsU5dY7EIlIqx_rjGi48usHn61rbfTVyQ4GiPdaGJVARs_B1R1Na9CosQ0WEOYRmvPQ9JGLPnuu7GAc86M4dOTXoXRcgkldP3g/s640/IMG_9908.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Which one do you think this is?<br />
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Nope, you're wrong! It's my girlfriend. She's human.</td></tr>
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The next trip I took was an all day ATV tour of the area surrounding Cusco, known as Sacred Valley (when pronounced sounds like "seductive mistress"). This trip had all your usual, expected ATV elements...<br />
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Matt as a badass on his ATV with an amazing mountainous background<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fG7f_Lij13JLyXvFsttVhrOfuGiT7qdUw6dnbk9Ywn_2yMiBwxRQPenm_sPbqMHE2nFq5DVfLdwK0XZFah9ChhNmcNCAR-OBBxUbsNi_7oo3UMUUUD2tMXfz1Xvq0j6S_U9ZW6xkOQ/s1600/IMG_9112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fG7f_Lij13JLyXvFsttVhrOfuGiT7qdUw6dnbk9Ywn_2yMiBwxRQPenm_sPbqMHE2nFq5DVfLdwK0XZFah9ChhNmcNCAR-OBBxUbsNi_7oo3UMUUUD2tMXfz1Xvq0j6S_U9ZW6xkOQ/s400/IMG_9112.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Never in my life have I seen such a badass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Quinoa (took me 5 times to spell that right)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAokItBte3yN68fAMseCxo_AYjXbUkAgyXWomL7y44iOhR8w627M_iL7zi89qzXVja_uWYRDAIHyUHm7LXJdCMHBvQsD-D_fO4LZy4k0X-_Z7cUvq_IcxtGT-UeY9WLqQsN1lkcDccqA/s1600/IMG_9133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAokItBte3yN68fAMseCxo_AYjXbUkAgyXWomL7y44iOhR8w627M_iL7zi89qzXVja_uWYRDAIHyUHm7LXJdCMHBvQsD-D_fO4LZy4k0X-_Z7cUvq_IcxtGT-UeY9WLqQsN1lkcDccqA/s400/IMG_9133.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">They love their quinoa in South America</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Salt. So much salt!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2c3LZnxzIKtCRm-Uw_SoRv2oo72BjLgwgGA6FhDU9dqRNibdX12Nuq9irH6FVQg9RaC5t1zF25cABVIVXLTWKTIuwKQs3VUVQWTMKhDAxCej3Kp_wuSDTV9Mwumn6oaCJ3PNmoR4IQ/s1600/IMG_9083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2c3LZnxzIKtCRm-Uw_SoRv2oo72BjLgwgGA6FhDU9dqRNibdX12Nuq9irH6FVQg9RaC5t1zF25cABVIVXLTWKTIuwKQs3VUVQWTMKhDAxCej3Kp_wuSDTV9Mwumn6oaCJ3PNmoR4IQ/s640/IMG_9083.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We visited a salt mine. It was delicious.</td></tr>
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The back of my head...as usual</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23lswmXcMaTyhF-qt77UjE-wCQ6H4Hotd3mVMZijm-YOU1lDMdhy_yaYyzL5t4CTUiYcj6yMHUou1VoizmLBMGTJfqfIvOgK-C7pLiehBj9xkhWXPuQVb3NU3tPGa3HueRsR3m-1qJQ/s1600/IMG_9079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23lswmXcMaTyhF-qt77UjE-wCQ6H4Hotd3mVMZijm-YOU1lDMdhy_yaYyzL5t4CTUiYcj6yMHUou1VoizmLBMGTJfqfIvOgK-C7pLiehBj9xkhWXPuQVb3NU3tPGa3HueRsR3m-1qJQ/s400/IMG_9079.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">You recognize me now</td></tr>
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Nazi storm trooper helmets</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bukTTdldNNe3ciQXjamuJnDckvvi1x8Ue_a5Bj5IWFABNsc0Ydi0Cqlv6rUt0H9Wrm8vr8jAgImje3MfW9D8FrpDYEbPg_iJMDcujrqGkPPV2OPOn3Nr_ig2a8cOt_ncNYSw7xn6qA/s1600/IMG_9064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bukTTdldNNe3ciQXjamuJnDckvvi1x8Ue_a5Bj5IWFABNsc0Ydi0Cqlv6rUt0H9Wrm8vr8jAgImje3MfW9D8FrpDYEbPg_iJMDcujrqGkPPV2OPOn3Nr_ig2a8cOt_ncNYSw7xn6qA/s640/IMG_9064.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">[Insert German here]</td></tr>
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And finally, me licking the salt</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0wesepTjmemTtJE7Sap7n9gtJfgiLl7pjfnZmGhqNoursNWwIwyBBcrFNGR-FzpICxZqnmSIKQkBQuJyVC90bN0MsfKO3yGi6KhN0jtWgNAHZX6ZxVQf2rplgKVc4C_JkeN60mveug/s1600/IMG_9089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0wesepTjmemTtJE7Sap7n9gtJfgiLl7pjfnZmGhqNoursNWwIwyBBcrFNGR-FzpICxZqnmSIKQkBQuJyVC90bN0MsfKO3yGi6KhN0jtWgNAHZX6ZxVQf2rplgKVc4C_JkeN60mveug/s400/IMG_9089.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">What is wrong with me?</td></tr>
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List Over!</div>
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Before we get to my final adventure of the month, here's a cute puppy to keep you occupied.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSCgB89RK_fJQwe-uRjJ73cLeoJmT8DhqsFkqsYFavUs__C9xwoaRCh3RjXOBaCojg3On6Oc7MMjSs_Gm9xTLKMQ0IP9EAZnBkBAYcEIG1wuvaw2Spncy1ZxSJ4uZQ1uo3752xiopWQ/s1600/IMG_9178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSCgB89RK_fJQwe-uRjJ73cLeoJmT8DhqsFkqsYFavUs__C9xwoaRCh3RjXOBaCojg3On6Oc7MMjSs_Gm9xTLKMQ0IP9EAZnBkBAYcEIG1wuvaw2Spncy1ZxSJ4uZQ1uo3752xiopWQ/s320/IMG_9178.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Actually a llama</td></tr>
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My final adventure of the month was the big one. The whole enchilada. The whole Machu Piccu as they say. That's right, Machu Picchu (pronounced MAH-choo-PEEK-choo which of course means "Old Mountain" in Quechua (the native language). If you pronounce it MAH-choo-PEE-choo, it means "Old Penis". But that may be what you actually wanted to say).</div>
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Now you can just take a train and a bus to Machu Picchu and walk around, but I wanted to go big. So, I booked a trip with 14 other people from my Remote Year trip for a 4 day hike of the Inca Trail. Only 500 people a day are allowed to enter the Inca Trail (including guides and sherpas), so I felt really special (and also I booked the trip back in January to ensure we had spots). For the 15 of us on the trip, how many sherpas do you think we had? 10? No really, guess. Eleventeen? Thats not even a number. The answer is 21. We had 21 sherpas (including a chef) and 2 guides.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIWB6qpO8hW2j_gEwaJGA1_e862BQVuLxUqPSL0WbtDymnUgHt5eR9cdOVYU2Vda3V7w017UFixIOwYyx1tEjWfUJXIpl7vXNcb7HLt8kedkl9LNhT-nWQ2NVSjIA6r54YilaX1Kvug/s1600/IMG_0078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIWB6qpO8hW2j_gEwaJGA1_e862BQVuLxUqPSL0WbtDymnUgHt5eR9cdOVYU2Vda3V7w017UFixIOwYyx1tEjWfUJXIpl7vXNcb7HLt8kedkl9LNhT-nWQ2NVSjIA6r54YilaX1Kvug/s640/IMG_0078.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So many sherpas</td></tr>
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This was more like luxury hiking than hiking. Every meal was amazing. He even made a pizza and a cake without an oven (not sure how thats possible). It is just the best when you roll into camp after hiking all day and everything is all setup for you.</div>
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The hike itself was not that tough, but it had some pretty amazing views along the way.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ijPYn0avaNU7juVVuDXZe5izXPw955UJb484MyR1Rg84k2rOum4-jVb24p-brhucE1ZlaXNVw9cfIt_xaYY8FE0LfExvAT42OdiFFcBrcE4okKtDtayRHluKW4ex8obEfyUNDF_7ZA/s1600/IMG_9297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ijPYn0avaNU7juVVuDXZe5izXPw955UJb484MyR1Rg84k2rOum4-jVb24p-brhucE1ZlaXNVw9cfIt_xaYY8FE0LfExvAT42OdiFFcBrcE4okKtDtayRHluKW4ex8obEfyUNDF_7ZA/s640/IMG_9297.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Day 2 of the Inca Trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofK2jNISd7QXEPc4X_Ec2ohyphenhyphen6w66ndgYkirOV7XfceQJT9FpXAL1Sjm6PeDoGTURHnPAE9uqaeY7nwJPw0dFKg01CA7htXVbvq7tDP2DM6k4HdZw5ug8WCmuuGEI4o3vVBlFOaj9fBA/s1600/IMG_9419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofK2jNISd7QXEPc4X_Ec2ohyphenhyphen6w66ndgYkirOV7XfceQJT9FpXAL1Sjm6PeDoGTURHnPAE9uqaeY7nwJPw0dFKg01CA7htXVbvq7tDP2DM6k4HdZw5ug8WCmuuGEI4o3vVBlFOaj9fBA/s640/IMG_9419.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Day 3 of the Inca Trail...what a pose</td></tr>
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Machu Picchu (PEEK-choo) was not actually the highlight of the trip. In fact, it kinda sucked. I mean the actual place was amazing, but there were soooo many tourists. Like an out of control number of tourists. Like enough tourists so that I didn't even think this was the most amazing thing ever...</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBP-rG0oUwKy5LNE1L0NJlOjQ0dCBAf0qRnXbrU5wjRhyphenhyphen6M2tIYBoNS9eNqa-yRPT7sWn_HzLhT9ZpNA_sw7Tuzh7-QhJ7XmFB86aPBQ5tYrGZRji35T3GGQZm4LjIZo6gfP4z89jEw/s1600/IMG_0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBP-rG0oUwKy5LNE1L0NJlOjQ0dCBAf0qRnXbrU5wjRhyphenhyphen6M2tIYBoNS9eNqa-yRPT7sWn_HzLhT9ZpNA_sw7Tuzh7-QhJ7XmFB86aPBQ5tYrGZRji35T3GGQZm4LjIZo6gfP4z89jEw/s640/IMG_0039.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not the most amazing thing ever...cause of the tourists</td></tr>
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What <b>was</b> the most amazing thing ever, and possibly my favorite day on Remote Year (it's a tough call between this and biking Death Road in La Paz) was Day 3 of the Inca Trail. Lots of Inca ruins, some of the best views of my life....and no tourists.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1toSQWT48Prok45_SPmArw_k96dWsqFbbJg_-sBs2FaJoTo_z6JtT8o7yKbywYTUd1XLRNc0KOqwCH9RIY_XUeS0ycIcziWiQ7SXzwWKQkicVVrAuO0VCaxyFzg5dx0iZCLx2e-ZqA/s1600/IMG_9587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1toSQWT48Prok45_SPmArw_k96dWsqFbbJg_-sBs2FaJoTo_z6JtT8o7yKbywYTUd1XLRNc0KOqwCH9RIY_XUeS0ycIcziWiQ7SXzwWKQkicVVrAuO0VCaxyFzg5dx0iZCLx2e-ZqA/s320/IMG_9587.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Decent</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzOLJzLvvsiSMh4JcOBZr8BTxJmkZ2bzWIGyGdrRYvY5O_XjIdEeJmimQTP-L7-Y_tlBgw_mem1OeDZbFFkZxvdyoYTWTUTp91PB69mdNZYZL7_XhT5coRfckwYwmYjhp4E3epQcTDQ/s1600/IMG_9525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzOLJzLvvsiSMh4JcOBZr8BTxJmkZ2bzWIGyGdrRYvY5O_XjIdEeJmimQTP-L7-Y_tlBgw_mem1OeDZbFFkZxvdyoYTWTUTp91PB69mdNZYZL7_XhT5coRfckwYwmYjhp4E3epQcTDQ/s320/IMG_9525.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Above average</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMSI3ali3E8FDgpeOpKgywSQBZXKIX4wODUx_czP6Nr0yCOv8YpG7FsgIllLeBXoBG2F9mXo88CWTcCRDoify0yGeltBo1p-uviiGP061CY0IUgH1NB8zjHKcQSLyN4_7qRHOhpHgLg/s1600/IMG_9589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMSI3ali3E8FDgpeOpKgywSQBZXKIX4wODUx_czP6Nr0yCOv8YpG7FsgIllLeBXoBG2F9mXo88CWTcCRDoify0yGeltBo1p-uviiGP061CY0IUgH1NB8zjHKcQSLyN4_7qRHOhpHgLg/s320/IMG_9589.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A little cheesy</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXni1gd99Ue55nYU-bCJh1EdTI1bK86Q_ErO-CbjyCYbCP3ALmdtkvuiEGx0UuqE5WpAw5nlD9s8QGLgbD3HfVS38nOas1QIUVnFFkdl4m9u8fbkgLl8v7oe6T3X6nDYs5FjeEVz6BBQ/s1600/IMG_9636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXni1gd99Ue55nYU-bCJh1EdTI1bK86Q_ErO-CbjyCYbCP3ALmdtkvuiEGx0UuqE5WpAw5nlD9s8QGLgbD3HfVS38nOas1QIUVnFFkdl4m9u8fbkgLl8v7oe6T3X6nDYs5FjeEVz6BBQ/s320/IMG_9636.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Kinda cool</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">But don't get me wrong, day 4 was an amazing day too. We woke up at 3:00AM in order to get to the Sun Gate at sunrise and maybe beat some of the crowds to the main event. The Sun Gate is just like this other ruin with a good view of Machu Picchu (PEEK-choo) (I'm sure it has some other significance as well). So after hiking all morning we finally made it.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6IPsr8y9_FrtsEKBpQB_dCVFDMkZsKiRBU2Bq3Gn-SI7uNCNC07rVwHA4alT24CoZcDsAby9ngm2uXcfELckmgeQTmfsHxqRM8LRtVD1E-SnYDU7o2_J-5MO2f90LYntWwVZAioyew/s1600/IMG_0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6IPsr8y9_FrtsEKBpQB_dCVFDMkZsKiRBU2Bq3Gn-SI7uNCNC07rVwHA4alT24CoZcDsAby9ngm2uXcfELckmgeQTmfsHxqRM8LRtVD1E-SnYDU7o2_J-5MO2f90LYntWwVZAioyew/s320/IMG_0090.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The cloudy Sun Gate</td></tr>
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Oh look, a bunch of clouds...</div>
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Alright, I guess I got some other good ones.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1OG8gKT4urk95SYtTfsHUu8a0i9wpfsbfZe3YidLMEu5lf6Ee9O-ZZIJdaF-88E1xMG_ai1xWZ2TvGv9xCTqnzSGVP4vMHxdyTUHhHwqx7562gY1zYzqwmLpcmpbzIjyT9E7HaslkA/s1600/IMG_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1OG8gKT4urk95SYtTfsHUu8a0i9wpfsbfZe3YidLMEu5lf6Ee9O-ZZIJdaF-88E1xMG_ai1xWZ2TvGv9xCTqnzSGVP4vMHxdyTUHhHwqx7562gY1zYzqwmLpcmpbzIjyT9E7HaslkA/s320/IMG_0048.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Don't wear the shirt of the band to their concert</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj-6HIFdRLYdxKuskai1wStI6ldgZrbXShzOe2VSJ1g2_bDAslIw4kH1HNIXS-p4bjUqkR7KGV9h1SoOkIwlWK01LMZHscQCFKIZy1tw1YGrYI3DLsF9bloUxvQTvlilM_IqfqcUaGw/s1600/IMG_9978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj-6HIFdRLYdxKuskai1wStI6ldgZrbXShzOe2VSJ1g2_bDAslIw4kH1HNIXS-p4bjUqkR7KGV9h1SoOkIwlWK01LMZHscQCFKIZy1tw1YGrYI3DLsF9bloUxvQTvlilM_IqfqcUaGw/s320/IMG_9978.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I'm tired of writing captions</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrq1XFM10ucPr6Jlgz9TZD4prhr2avZHD8c-CCMbb_SMpgVwukajztC_rus9WDcnnxtCrLhE68sgPOekEpCKaWMZ75v6n3t3dxO0Xi0A-vI4iyIMFkdHBIbu3T5XP-4MUF7HKld_rAQ/s1600/IMG_9991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrq1XFM10ucPr6Jlgz9TZD4prhr2avZHD8c-CCMbb_SMpgVwukajztC_rus9WDcnnxtCrLhE68sgPOekEpCKaWMZ75v6n3t3dxO0Xi0A-vI4iyIMFkdHBIbu3T5XP-4MUF7HKld_rAQ/s320/IMG_9991.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Extreme selfie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Yj2wYKhD-LmBOhLIzdB6DTwjteBO8Hwk475u6Z_tBinCPNqzIHOWKNKrwfr3hPlPTwwR31AAdkwXhewF92cyivkMXr1BH_EPrjw9Ocj8lyCCJjmKEydLJfYwhxnMAHIRddpmApaP6A/s1600/IMG_9948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Yj2wYKhD-LmBOhLIzdB6DTwjteBO8Hwk475u6Z_tBinCPNqzIHOWKNKrwfr3hPlPTwwR31AAdkwXhewF92cyivkMXr1BH_EPrjw9Ocj8lyCCJjmKEydLJfYwhxnMAHIRddpmApaP6A/s640/IMG_9948.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alright, its pretty impressive</td></tr>
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All that Machu Picchu-ing calls for another cute animal</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UwUSELR7XBu4t8frmA0spF-Pt-521l_8lBeIx42xcjtZnwSnQa7xJ_gECU11Q9xxLkuUW1c90VNUkJ2lVTir-DOs84SNV8iFvy62PLE4TLPTNrGjfVy7IpfzTFUBvZWBeJqf_9f7ng/s1600/IMG_8754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UwUSELR7XBu4t8frmA0spF-Pt-521l_8lBeIx42xcjtZnwSnQa7xJ_gECU11Q9xxLkuUW1c90VNUkJ2lVTir-DOs84SNV8iFvy62PLE4TLPTNrGjfVy7IpfzTFUBvZWBeJqf_9f7ng/s320/IMG_8754.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Baby goats....why not</td></tr>
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One other unique things I did in Cusco was eat Guinea Pig (yeah thats a thing there). However, it was definitely not worth it. Its expensive, there's no meat and it doesn't taste good....the three things you look for in a meal. But it makes a nice picture I guess.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqc6-j4GTerHgu_JV-Zs5hcuON4ItH7wbcM-n-81_xhEDCBbpYXeoDPb834Kb78a-4eJ_1d8QBRdEcgsw_rdK_sW7YInOsa_9uEPHI45yZYdC9uZtml0u7DllFrxkJSYnajKHp4UHxg/s1600/IMG_9164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqc6-j4GTerHgu_JV-Zs5hcuON4ItH7wbcM-n-81_xhEDCBbpYXeoDPb834Kb78a-4eJ_1d8QBRdEcgsw_rdK_sW7YInOsa_9uEPHI45yZYdC9uZtml0u7DllFrxkJSYnajKHp4UHxg/s320/IMG_9164.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">You're childhood pet</td></tr>
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And that about wraps up my month in Cusco, Peru. But before we move on, I'll give you one more picture of an alpaca.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBMh1_nkTvk5NOlXpEjBHREcWnIIqbV4R6UqO-XXDsqRHbtv8eJgQ8ZMheLVbbLNfXZ7KkI3iYIcNsdU4-gokBgAdDGQ7cyBbct0DBrOnm0BjIJ0DO9VTP4yvx8TZBq6XgyrheUAs9g/s1600/IMG_8668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBMh1_nkTvk5NOlXpEjBHREcWnIIqbV4R6UqO-XXDsqRHbtv8eJgQ8ZMheLVbbLNfXZ7KkI3iYIcNsdU4-gokBgAdDGQ7cyBbct0DBrOnm0BjIJ0DO9VTP4yvx8TZBq6XgyrheUAs9g/s320/IMG_8668.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Too soon? I promise it wasn't the cute white one.</td></tr>
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Then, I went to London for a month.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-20395330749902173292016-06-17T11:59:00.002-04:002016-06-17T12:14:50.333-04:00A Monkey, a Crocodile and a Llama Walk into a Bar...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lets get right to it:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EFrftbi5nWqoW2fck1gNekhhZ4aT7vLHjBKnGnRd8ioAnv5aXHqlEihz11GNL_icAMKO7mWvY7TEBEbIXLkggDIDQWC652LRVEMxvnpJUtUsTDgyyz2NFnO5pKGKwX1Vu3WGI3bx7g/s1600/IMG_8626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EFrftbi5nWqoW2fck1gNekhhZ4aT7vLHjBKnGnRd8ioAnv5aXHqlEihz11GNL_icAMKO7mWvY7TEBEbIXLkggDIDQWC652LRVEMxvnpJUtUsTDgyyz2NFnO5pKGKwX1Vu3WGI3bx7g/s400/IMG_8626.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad Monkey</td></tr>
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I went to the Bolivian Jungle<br />
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The Jungle</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshIRDQrYgB5WqSER72_xrGaRU6Ex3IeMbLvbMoJQM1RiirT0GZzXLgIjlUoQkUY8aGJJFOflvf0Am24sJF_lnwdZNPhpIrnKuvEb_5PUbsUFKxFump65lIkbots8mDbUprupYu0Tsvw/s1600/IMG_8730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshIRDQrYgB5WqSER72_xrGaRU6Ex3IeMbLvbMoJQM1RiirT0GZzXLgIjlUoQkUY8aGJJFOflvf0Am24sJF_lnwdZNPhpIrnKuvEb_5PUbsUFKxFump65lIkbots8mDbUprupYu0Tsvw/s400/IMG_8730.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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THE JUNGLE</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ED1Z2Y9RPYrv400W8-UhLMMSEIO4Nk_hFgg1e3VzJ_7Ec64GbwAnOjZRxuZdpb6DQTFhnu3P0bD8f3yXA6cRT0cT4ZPTC7sLKcOa9RX60q9HSEZB2xhbDxlYDHT5CaMTjzfo28-V2w/s1600/IMG_8492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ED1Z2Y9RPYrv400W8-UhLMMSEIO4Nk_hFgg1e3VzJ_7Ec64GbwAnOjZRxuZdpb6DQTFhnu3P0bD8f3yXA6cRT0cT4ZPTC7sLKcOa9RX60q9HSEZB2xhbDxlYDHT5CaMTjzfo28-V2w/s640/IMG_8492.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">THE JUNGLE</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKBYnpW10UBNG8FHZbAXsBPtkLrINt3KBpy4RTNLwYFBIekn2oZto2Zu7qTPYjJyspnREj63GxXvp_iyOqRS_Q7mQJgFRc6xRQJJV6_7GiYKE9VgsAzfUZnwk2DZHuSaXi5S5ypRR8A/s1600/IMG_8738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKBYnpW10UBNG8FHZbAXsBPtkLrINt3KBpy4RTNLwYFBIekn2oZto2Zu7qTPYjJyspnREj63GxXvp_iyOqRS_Q7mQJgFRc6xRQJJV6_7GiYKE9VgsAzfUZnwk2DZHuSaXi5S5ypRR8A/s400/IMG_8738.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE JUNGLE</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6tkuvk7H2fWKZyW1aL0Dj4hcK_zGTLLuh6paaQHUU1AIIqRYCWwMK75y0_Hxem_II4bewdDlZ4A-0U_-0diWhZkVwM8C-jirXHEx-ZECBvOZUhSw2Moqo21ArbFupFnID95HeoZW9w/s1600/IMG_8741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6tkuvk7H2fWKZyW1aL0Dj4hcK_zGTLLuh6paaQHUU1AIIqRYCWwMK75y0_Hxem_II4bewdDlZ4A-0U_-0diWhZkVwM8C-jirXHEx-ZECBvOZUhSw2Moqo21ArbFupFnID95HeoZW9w/s400/IMG_8741.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fiercest of all creatures</td></tr>
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Did I mention I went to the Bolivian Jungle? And guess who I ran into right in the middle of the Bolivia Jungle. This die-hard Wisconsin fan:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xfBr3JbE9ckyWJ8vHqKwB6h5A0PKXORnaLauJRJKPMGzG1upMWj2O9I0m8T96CpRFpt_n51tWIL2yFLXd6jhyphenhyphen0OOrXdcCNpiurNZN8F8wwKxNAI5Y9TIG94nwRJI3U0sr4CSUA0prw/s1600/IMG_8502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xfBr3JbE9ckyWJ8vHqKwB6h5A0PKXORnaLauJRJKPMGzG1upMWj2O9I0m8T96CpRFpt_n51tWIL2yFLXd6jhyphenhyphen0OOrXdcCNpiurNZN8F8wwKxNAI5Y9TIG94nwRJI3U0sr4CSUA0prw/s400/IMG_8502.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our tour guide, the Bolivian Jungle Wisconsin fan</td></tr>
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Well actually he didn't know what the 'W' stood for and he couldn't even pronounce Wisconsin, but I think I turned him into a believer. He's definitely going to be watching the next game (if he can find a TV in the jungle....a TV thats playing a Wisconsin game..in Bolivia).</div>
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So, now you're prob wondering, did I get Zika? Did I get Malaria? Did I get Herpes?<br />
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I guess we'll never know.</div>
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But I did go Anaconda hunting, which is way more dangerous than those "diseases". The good news is I didn't get attacked by an Anaconda (should that be capitalized?). The bad news is I didn't see any Anacondas. We did see a couple of snakes though, which the guides called a Cobra (that seems like it should be capitalized) and a Rattlesnake (although they did not resemble a Cobra and did not have a rattle...so perhaps they were just making that up). But this one was pretty big (insert thats what she said joke here):</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XzZuFOfwY1JCMAGlV2Sp2AokkUYzrqi9BPd1SQ7xydwhPMMiIrU3pkF9-Hu_CI6O3tft52PdS9QdXfz8e1e13JjlUIock0MYCPdNFyTRw_2QSTmTl0ad7WeR1jV6yJGhoAGSEmHdbw/s1600/IMG_8497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XzZuFOfwY1JCMAGlV2Sp2AokkUYzrqi9BPd1SQ7xydwhPMMiIrU3pkF9-Hu_CI6O3tft52PdS9QdXfz8e1e13JjlUIock0MYCPdNFyTRw_2QSTmTl0ad7WeR1jV6yJGhoAGSEmHdbw/s640/IMG_8497.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thats what she said!</td></tr>
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For two hours we were hiking through knee high grass and ankle high water completely unable to see our feet or the potential snakes that we were about to step on. But I wasn't scared...as this picture clearly shows:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwE0qdP5Y1vJg6ZS3il4fV1S6lZlm2CbdMTvdh-QgsiC9MTMjdiWJ4cSVLOgoCd4ruooQdXHXOz7ymfreIpI_ZO1f0bmMJ3rRY5IN3sL8itMR_eYJ1rs9k38ZVwquTaTD3fDDThMu3w/s1600/IMG_8518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwE0qdP5Y1vJg6ZS3il4fV1S6lZlm2CbdMTvdh-QgsiC9MTMjdiWJ4cSVLOgoCd4ruooQdXHXOz7ymfreIpI_ZO1f0bmMJ3rRY5IN3sL8itMR_eYJ1rs9k38ZVwquTaTD3fDDThMu3w/s640/IMG_8518.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun </td></tr>
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And snakes weren't the only animals we saw out there (clearly, because I posted pictures of other animals above). We saw the elusive Capybara...or as I like to call them, the mutated-rabbit-guinea-pig (similar to man-bear-pig).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKbQ4Ekubilj4h3fSsM3kjosRwZ05JXIoMRnY0dT7eM_GHqVroWnC9DzNIotVc52cgbKAUDVFpObXZXbTd1zaU9CYHSb42ma-MM2diaD9p1xPo1fERgOcfUfi9p8_gLz_ABSrEH0ZpQ/s1600/IMG_8724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKbQ4Ekubilj4h3fSsM3kjosRwZ05JXIoMRnY0dT7eM_GHqVroWnC9DzNIotVc52cgbKAUDVFpObXZXbTd1zaU9CYHSb42ma-MM2diaD9p1xPo1fERgOcfUfi9p8_gLz_ABSrEH0ZpQ/s400/IMG_8724.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rarely seen mutated-rabbit-guinea-pig</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbtBMrc34zKvzk_Mgw0m0KqojesO9wxPnhy3dgKGz8E5cTh7SixWaXk_qa_9tqFEDLnsmTS-Vbp6SPvL2nRVeLzn-6aARXoOX4XKwiAMtJtFaGdpnAIrAy7Sd0wr1DRDhoJ1DgFAFoQ/s1600/IMG_8325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbtBMrc34zKvzk_Mgw0m0KqojesO9wxPnhy3dgKGz8E5cTh7SixWaXk_qa_9tqFEDLnsmTS-Vbp6SPvL2nRVeLzn-6aARXoOX4XKwiAMtJtFaGdpnAIrAy7Sd0wr1DRDhoJ1DgFAFoQ/s640/IMG_8325.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A mutated-rabbit-guinea-pig about to get eaten</span></td></tr>
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And as is clear by now, there were crocodiles. We went out at night to see them when they are more active and aggressive (cause we're bad ass). When you shine a flashlight at them, their eyes light up yellow and orange. That night, I was attacked by a crocodile (seen below), but I think I got the best of him:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YQycq2RNhDqLMqrtntmLAX34NxwvQTHBmRfm5rKWFDICEjsTRgjkpJ4tWmFgjbzs5GGa4WsPFweg4UKW3u_XParpf_GBX-Nx__znQBt6TOQD10r5fT0-byPPyG_OE8u6npujBviHoQ/s1600/IMG_8447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YQycq2RNhDqLMqrtntmLAX34NxwvQTHBmRfm5rKWFDICEjsTRgjkpJ4tWmFgjbzs5GGa4WsPFweg4UKW3u_XParpf_GBX-Nx__znQBt6TOQD10r5fT0-byPPyG_OE8u6npujBviHoQ/s400/IMG_8447.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I win this round (although its a terrible picture of me...so I guess we're even)</td></tr>
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And of course there was the obligatory Piranha hunting (seriously, who would go to the Bolivian jungle and not fish for some Piranhas?)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9gQzr6rDj2K-dLzh1a2kZFhO0JwOcqfukG6xPS6rfsWWWGAmdCRsLAi41J6RiutHJA-xHWPvwMco867xuc2nw0QHYZe3u7u4qSEWJDWXigEtweDruDsEnamqB1GsNRdMVdPJAiksxg/s1600/IMG_8728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9gQzr6rDj2K-dLzh1a2kZFhO0JwOcqfukG6xPS6rfsWWWGAmdCRsLAi41J6RiutHJA-xHWPvwMco867xuc2nw0QHYZe3u7u4qSEWJDWXigEtweDruDsEnamqB1GsNRdMVdPJAiksxg/s400/IMG_8728.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I def won this one</td></tr>
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I don't actually eat fish, but I am told that they were delicious....but boney.</div>
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And here's what they looked like cooked. I have been having nightmares of this guy for weeks.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsW4nwpt4xkUPv5C7CjmZYjKLYWz1bv53EpwsqdlkFPtQbofFIIEUYgIu438AHFo6mo3HBR6YiwzrTO7anvJwqOi5qIYLKi14hdm_h0UofVuW5SVNOr-o7KsjLghw_8S586keeRP4AQ/s1600/IMG_8732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsW4nwpt4xkUPv5C7CjmZYjKLYWz1bv53EpwsqdlkFPtQbofFIIEUYgIu438AHFo6mo3HBR6YiwzrTO7anvJwqOi5qIYLKi14hdm_h0UofVuW5SVNOr-o7KsjLghw_8S586keeRP4AQ/s640/IMG_8732.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharp teeth</td></tr>
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Other than that there was lots of monkeys, riding boats down the river, jumping off a rope swing into the water with crocodiles on the river bank literally 50 feet away and sitting in hammocks drinking beer.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTQhAElxxLyNnbfgtSNRmoA13hjm3cRIVfSUxvhfMbnAiwpm5z0FM3ugfdU8LyCSRpifwAzAx9MxlfH-edB9uBD-GDdChbaJNq7ooRPp2hqq_7RM_UBt9t041v4XMf6OLWcOQPHEsaA/s1600/IMG_8519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTQhAElxxLyNnbfgtSNRmoA13hjm3cRIVfSUxvhfMbnAiwpm5z0FM3ugfdU8LyCSRpifwAzAx9MxlfH-edB9uBD-GDdChbaJNq7ooRPp2hqq_7RM_UBt9t041v4XMf6OLWcOQPHEsaA/s640/IMG_8519.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey hungry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1CKBUM9YDhyphenhyphen4qPFAdhsP0rgZyiiSpp5P5WPgjMIZz0Lt0K6BfEmHW0AbnWl9TMpUBIMZgKc8IhkNRDjPYkc2ZAESNkxGbIu_lOPe1eKfq0DQc5nmLOqiskc-2eordDBx9KYAalkH_Q/s1600/IMG_8357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1CKBUM9YDhyphenhyphen4qPFAdhsP0rgZyiiSpp5P5WPgjMIZz0Lt0K6BfEmHW0AbnWl9TMpUBIMZgKc8IhkNRDjPYkc2ZAESNkxGbIu_lOPe1eKfq0DQc5nmLOqiskc-2eordDBx9KYAalkH_Q/s400/IMG_8357.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many monkeys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexMy947UeZ9P85Tq0pgUYlEm2jb7qWsd9W7X7A7KW-RGeADpBVpSOVgavRH2tYvxyTEspTA3IzGMZ3wxHWoFz0w07r3Dn5qOGzqnpk02eSGkV4KJiAu9l6BR8Uq9zxHfw3gl4YUsHNw/s1600/IMG_8733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexMy947UeZ9P85Tq0pgUYlEm2jb7qWsd9W7X7A7KW-RGeADpBVpSOVgavRH2tYvxyTEspTA3IzGMZ3wxHWoFz0w07r3Dn5qOGzqnpk02eSGkV4KJiAu9l6BR8Uq9zxHfw3gl4YUsHNw/s400/IMG_8733.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't see color</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlAzmof0V530ZS7Y6Pi7u6uXvruPiz2TdLJ461rNMNMGkBwjh9WMiw09f1cnXKiKtyrcbfl4UNBC8VGB8p8DPMuA7tCnJqsNVNcZDGGsPybQsE9GjsMNvy0sM_bgU-QJnwuoC1YDcCA/s1600/IMG_8726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlAzmof0V530ZS7Y6Pi7u6uXvruPiz2TdLJ461rNMNMGkBwjh9WMiw09f1cnXKiKtyrcbfl4UNBC8VGB8p8DPMuA7tCnJqsNVNcZDGGsPybQsE9GjsMNvy0sM_bgU-QJnwuoC1YDcCA/s400/IMG_8726.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look close enough, you can probably see some hungry crocodiles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pj_vZ39AsmyBrUt2C-_1PIUBDvcMdBArYQ8rMO1tsygaCGV3wYrZwX5BN2Y1kwqN-rDLHtwDRoqmaKo-SATAVF2qlPnT1RRlMc2MjeIhM60I4munr26n6hPY5_CpWtyUAvKRwkw8SA/s1600/IMG_8555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pj_vZ39AsmyBrUt2C-_1PIUBDvcMdBArYQ8rMO1tsygaCGV3wYrZwX5BN2Y1kwqN-rDLHtwDRoqmaKo-SATAVF2qlPnT1RRlMc2MjeIhM60I4munr26n6hPY5_CpWtyUAvKRwkw8SA/s320/IMG_8555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straight chillin</td></tr>
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But the highlight of the trip was eating at the highest burger joint in the world (at the airport).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ldX2CuHYPiYCIgp1bPUDCJLsmY4ttgb95EdtjMBY70_YYYy04tmnyQkPa9sXpHVx8Qi34CV1Vf15kGdAa6EtKBSqPAcWn5KQ0zpMw0EVBWMqXMtN4gSPnhQbN6st8YzZ-1QSsjH17Q/s1600/IMG_8253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ldX2CuHYPiYCIgp1bPUDCJLsmY4ttgb95EdtjMBY70_YYYy04tmnyQkPa9sXpHVx8Qi34CV1Vf15kGdAa6EtKBSqPAcWn5KQ0zpMw0EVBWMqXMtN4gSPnhQbN6st8YzZ-1QSsjH17Q/s640/IMG_8253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How could the Bolivian jungle compete with this?</td></tr>
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Before we move on to our next country, I wanted to share one more thing that happened in La Paz. There is an area known as the Witches' Market that sells all kinds of potions and herbs and witch-ey things (like flying broom sticks). The most interesting thing they sell (in my humble opinion) would have to be Llama fetuses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcbj1qD4eG1hmuOfDwBrIlJEIqEAH7kPCh5q2ceuaO-7h2dvuPc908d31yrFdkytMusGERKiRUfjA_f0-Ow2UhjqPK7Qcqt8ph5k6gVpAoemFB6FKC4RotowIwBwm8q2x14WvZwv4-g/s1600/IMG_8251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcbj1qD4eG1hmuOfDwBrIlJEIqEAH7kPCh5q2ceuaO-7h2dvuPc908d31yrFdkytMusGERKiRUfjA_f0-Ow2UhjqPK7Qcqt8ph5k6gVpAoemFB6FKC4RotowIwBwm8q2x14WvZwv4-g/s640/IMG_8251.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ummmm what?</td></tr>
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Those are not stuffed llama animals...those are real llama fetuses.....and they're delicious. No, I'm kidding. That would be ridiculous to eat them. Instead you're supposed to bury them in the place where you are constructing a building as like a sacrifice to something and then that building is gonna turn out a-ok. And you thought I ate them...pssssh.<br />
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Sorry, one more thing before we move on; Q&A:<br />
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<b>Q.</b> Matt Levin writes: I heard there's lots of cocaine in Peru/Bolivia.<br />
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<b>A. </b>Well Matt, thats not actually a question, but yes you're right. But there's just a lot of coca production in general in these countries and its not all for illicit purposes. Coca leaves are great for altitude sickness, so you can find all kinds of coca products here; leaves, candy, tea, cake, etc. This is not cocaine. But yes, a lot of coca that is produced goes to making cocaine (and there's even a cocaine bar in La Paz). While traveling through the remote areas of Bolivia/Peru you will see many coca fields and you have to wonder....is this where coca-cola was invented?. There's an interesting book about the Bolivian cocaine trade (or really more about the Bolivian prison system), called Marching Powder.<br />
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And now lets move on to Peru!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHz-aYswqHP5EsutPQ1Bn7_YWkJbgUEDh_FZ_Flf3NBCFRJgOPLRxlK2B5_8wnMCz1dZSjpDQ5ryogNkcua-KgnzDpwwkeCJ6sFJ5gd42Mdaq3d00uEXZl_BMexxyZMdgOi0ckiXECQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-13+at+7.41.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHz-aYswqHP5EsutPQ1Bn7_YWkJbgUEDh_FZ_Flf3NBCFRJgOPLRxlK2B5_8wnMCz1dZSjpDQ5ryogNkcua-KgnzDpwwkeCJ6sFJ5gd42Mdaq3d00uEXZl_BMexxyZMdgOi0ckiXECQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-06-13+at+7.41.44+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peru</td></tr>
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A couple quick observations to start with:</div>
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<li>This is more for all Spanish speaking countries, but the bathroom door signs are really confusing. They have the letters H & M on them. Naturally, being a man, I would think to go for the M door. But nope, whomever invented Spanish decided to make the word for woman as Mujer. What an asshole. So I need to go for the H which stands for Hombres.</li>
<li>The Peru presidential election happened to be going on while I was here, so some interesting things came out of that. First, there's mandatory voting participation. Not sure if this would be good or bad for the US. But thats not that uncommon in the world, but also, Peru is a dry country the day before and the day of the election. Say what? Yeah you can't buy any alcohol (even in bars) for two days. Ya know, so you can spend your time reflecting on who you want to vote for.</li>
<li>Quinoa is everywhere. This is really true for Bolivia and Peru. I believe that Boliva was the originator for Quinoa (I could just open a new tab and confirm that in wikipedia, but I'll just keep it as an assertion). There's so many vegetarian, vegan and organic options in both countries. Its like I went from meat central in Argentina, to....non-meat central. I went to this amazing Vegan restaurant in La Paz called Ali Pacha. Had a 5 course vegan meal with JUICE pairing (genius idea). </li>
<li>June is the festival month in Cusco. There's a parade in the main square literally every day. I pass by marching bands, military peoples, dancers and fireworks on my way to work every day.</li>
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For the month of June, I am staying in Cusco Peru, but for two weekends I stayed in Lima. Did you know "During the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, lima beans were exported to the rest of the Americas and Europe, and since the boxes of such goods had their place of origin labeled "Lima, Peru", the beans got named as such". So really we should be calling them Lima beans and not lima beans #funFactsWithMatt</div>
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The first time I went to Lima, it was for Remote Nation. As you may be aware, I am on this program called Remote Year. I am actually on the third trip they setup. The first trip started last June (and finished at the end of May) and the second trip started a month before me in February. Since all three groups were in South America, a meet up was held in Lima and bore the name Remote Nation. The actual Remote Nation part wasn't that great or interesting, but the Lima part was cool. Oh, I guess it was interesting that Remote Year 1 was on their last week of the year and it really just became a total mind f*ck thinking about going back to "normal" life....with all you "normies".</div>
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Lima has ridiculously good restaurants. There is sooo much ceviche. I don't normally eat fish (see piranha reference above), but I found I really like ceviche (cause it doesn't taste or smell like fish). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQyWxBzSJ_WmPR-RDtBWK71i6i4sLZELbVRdqw4NDY_PdNULU2-zfSU4DqF6Z9bzwZdx5LJHZfUQQbpPpLr2JQdjd-tlqSd2YNZ8OROD9gxTUdQQvFD758c7HQiffwiKbhMM7stz5QA/s1600/IMG_8598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQyWxBzSJ_WmPR-RDtBWK71i6i4sLZELbVRdqw4NDY_PdNULU2-zfSU4DqF6Z9bzwZdx5LJHZfUQQbpPpLr2JQdjd-tlqSd2YNZ8OROD9gxTUdQQvFD758c7HQiffwiKbhMM7stz5QA/s640/IMG_8598.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceviche</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkf7aOV683Vee06CQs-EcF5AOn6RFBuLhBgvxzyasMqPiczy99kUcSNTPyJ7E1RI8hrMupuytfLklodAvuYRQzlxPI-E-cgoFBFY9RmWiy0-zWt8hhaM1X-5rMmXBN0rsthbXv_nYNw/s1600/IMG_8228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkf7aOV683Vee06CQs-EcF5AOn6RFBuLhBgvxzyasMqPiczy99kUcSNTPyJ7E1RI8hrMupuytfLklodAvuYRQzlxPI-E-cgoFBFY9RmWiy0-zWt8hhaM1X-5rMmXBN0rsthbXv_nYNw/s400/IMG_8228.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really liked the Octopus</td></tr>
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I went on a food tour while I was there and now I'm fat. Here's a picture of some chef preparing some ceviche that made me fat:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57jGzCz1IpU3jmUcVpBGZks5KU4bcYyTcjhpejlVRZixO17r7-GlIW3AKf0k25kmEEKtSAky7McEspOV1LPeqSH5FXlC4Y2B8gu6YA7FsMVpi-OSYh_VJPfVad7pi2jF7cAnoIO6ozQ/s1600/IMG_8229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57jGzCz1IpU3jmUcVpBGZks5KU4bcYyTcjhpejlVRZixO17r7-GlIW3AKf0k25kmEEKtSAky7McEspOV1LPeqSH5FXlC4Y2B8gu6YA7FsMVpi-OSYh_VJPfVad7pi2jF7cAnoIO6ozQ/s400/IMG_8229.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You son of a bitch...you made me fat...look at him mocking me</td></tr>
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So good food. But also the ocean, or as they say in Spanish, "the ocean"...since I'm clearly a gringo and don't speak Spanish so they speak to me in English. Here's a picture of a mall I spent a lot of time at on the coast:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD3I45R7gTVn9AP1cnLAvrwoizj2rt-0T3CS7nYkphXKkRKOYY1DYs5F4OGSxHOLc6ywuyo5ge5T3smITUJb12aKajhpjwyN0HO0o9t_WK4lj7P6uaepzq5z3JqB-qrYCJFox-p4aXw/s1600/IMG_8583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD3I45R7gTVn9AP1cnLAvrwoizj2rt-0T3CS7nYkphXKkRKOYY1DYs5F4OGSxHOLc6ywuyo5ge5T3smITUJb12aKajhpjwyN0HO0o9t_WK4lj7P6uaepzq5z3JqB-qrYCJFox-p4aXw/s640/IMG_8583.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great place to work</td></tr>
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And because, why not, a bunch of us decided to get a sweet Airbnb on the ocean outside of Lima for the night.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrWu1Y6gtAcFE6WihF1AgBnpdbxVocjnCsx8X7Pcv57_I1saOCG8PTRYTDz3J1kNzBEkuFHQDWdRF0J4zk7ngdW4VctnbOEEZznChTBz6WhMR7KVdzHdWS_CntsViKqSYuyXSMfe0bg/s1600/IMG_8209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrWu1Y6gtAcFE6WihF1AgBnpdbxVocjnCsx8X7Pcv57_I1saOCG8PTRYTDz3J1kNzBEkuFHQDWdRF0J4zk7ngdW4VctnbOEEZznChTBz6WhMR7KVdzHdWS_CntsViKqSYuyXSMfe0bg/s400/IMG_8209.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not bad</td></tr>
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The other weekend I spent in lima started on June 2. Do you recognize this date? You should, cause its the day Babe Ruth announced his retirement in 1953 (apparently). It also happens to be my birthday. I had originally wanted to go to Colombia for my birthday but it was complicated so I ended up in Lima #RoughLife. And guess what I did in Lima for my birthday...I ate more food and got even fatter.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHGuqZ6jvA7Zx4lEBvhyQDG3bv2CeGjX_97sLJG4mpbC4FWjEL5Ga9i_Z7RB5Msv86f5B5mQycYz59AyhgS_xzPjnlqzA4uhHYZXCLW81ljIzloYXfAm2Zw6WE7W3KHAqpSgDrdbI_Q/s1600/IMG_8599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHGuqZ6jvA7Zx4lEBvhyQDG3bv2CeGjX_97sLJG4mpbC4FWjEL5Ga9i_Z7RB5Msv86f5B5mQycYz59AyhgS_xzPjnlqzA4uhHYZXCLW81ljIzloYXfAm2Zw6WE7W3KHAqpSgDrdbI_Q/s640/IMG_8599.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting sooo fat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2Mr0ChQz7SsaxCOian3LWqaOMkhcsqeM4v_DjtwlkqTdc-pjsFWJc-atufR9wTOrBylT8rMIKSfGZtzH8Cgi9sxyDcasBZxvhxW0UHZZMJLGLzE2eN6jW6zyxUaSN5amyAOR-bncbg/s1600/IMG_8616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2Mr0ChQz7SsaxCOian3LWqaOMkhcsqeM4v_DjtwlkqTdc-pjsFWJc-atufR9wTOrBylT8rMIKSfGZtzH8Cgi9sxyDcasBZxvhxW0UHZZMJLGLzE2eN6jW6zyxUaSN5amyAOR-bncbg/s640/IMG_8616.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm obese</td></tr>
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I dunno how this blog post turned into food porn, but here's a cute picture of my cake that some people got me:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXrdmUzff_DPjlRoeQaQaxHInfQsuD-QD4uihsqHLI6FdWEUwlQ2XXANffoKIOsPybWDuFqTWjrwka7AzHopFyEUPG7SZs8j7oo5UbwW5mHY0WNTFFR2KouUIsV050zYI05y3NERT1Q/s1600/IMG_8610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXrdmUzff_DPjlRoeQaQaxHInfQsuD-QD4uihsqHLI6FdWEUwlQ2XXANffoKIOsPybWDuFqTWjrwka7AzHopFyEUPG7SZs8j7oo5UbwW5mHY0WNTFFR2KouUIsV050zYI05y3NERT1Q/s640/IMG_8610.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why is there a thumb in this picture?</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, I can't speak any Spanish so I'm not sure what it says. I'm guessing something like "Happy Babe Ruth Retirement Day Matt". I really do have the best friends here.<br />
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For dinner, we went to this bomb Amazonian fusion restaurant called Amaz. I recommend it when you're in Lima.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTrJOUcMw5ATOLo6ikIGkVm94VXt0nCp7IqFMl1vPufSHXW30VgxWRurRAfV4Y8DUFtpk7Dn8wqGdEeEv8uUq4w0b2ooyRyj04XV29FFfiE2HkdwyzBF5hhSHlUEQnlv0mzX_W6mWMQ/s1600/IMG_8617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTrJOUcMw5ATOLo6ikIGkVm94VXt0nCp7IqFMl1vPufSHXW30VgxWRurRAfV4Y8DUFtpk7Dn8wqGdEeEv8uUq4w0b2ooyRyj04XV29FFfiE2HkdwyzBF5hhSHlUEQnlv0mzX_W6mWMQ/s400/IMG_8617.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go here!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72KZQaeehTOXjYJVn3cB571cJ8YQtCoqRKitjozjV5IxPTLDY9Ou0FFzmuk8ZnL1vqeiAqFhZUQW0dSFnHwktw_ofvm8-88BlGijbuwTa-POfFP1dVzWtNki18Vd1gEZyzRgoaWi4TA/s1600/IMG_8612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72KZQaeehTOXjYJVn3cB571cJ8YQtCoqRKitjozjV5IxPTLDY9Ou0FFzmuk8ZnL1vqeiAqFhZUQW0dSFnHwktw_ofvm8-88BlGijbuwTa-POfFP1dVzWtNki18Vd1gEZyzRgoaWi4TA/s640/IMG_8612.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The rest of my birthday weekend was spent bar hopping, clubbing, chillin, getting fat and surfing.</div>
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Ahhh there goes a monkey...</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfV8S8c20K-A2SxMqwOjK9Ff_7bBW96goe1wJm-oSOLtUwWMEhyphenhyphenNnWDVvdEksWxginCc2aWnmCAq-MWRRCIYLFRvZfYo8AhjlDEeKFJQV8J5Xunw13c8pvv9RIft6p6PUEz0vSkA05w/s1600/IMG_8735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfV8S8c20K-A2SxMqwOjK9Ff_7bBW96goe1wJm-oSOLtUwWMEhyphenhyphenNnWDVvdEksWxginCc2aWnmCAq-MWRRCIYLFRvZfYo8AhjlDEeKFJQV8J5Xunw13c8pvv9RIft6p6PUEz0vSkA05w/s400/IMG_8735.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A monkey....not in Lima</td></tr>
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What was that monkey doing here?</div>
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Sorry for the monkey distraction. Another weird thing that they have in Lima is a cat park (Aaron Levin this is for you). As in gato park (sorry, gato is Spanish for cat). There are just hundreds of cats chillin in this park.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XWalEW4ttvTNJj5xAMYIAhig0dKg0osV_enUsFjpJUBDNybx7RbTKpn2-C7xaviQSskr7xn07WoCIEQVuiWL1gFjPqG34RB7jVP590mjkvAtPWoFdXwnMFT92rSVicM19eIrmyYN2A/s1600/IMG_8603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XWalEW4ttvTNJj5xAMYIAhig0dKg0osV_enUsFjpJUBDNybx7RbTKpn2-C7xaviQSskr7xn07WoCIEQVuiWL1gFjPqG34RB7jVP590mjkvAtPWoFdXwnMFT92rSVicM19eIrmyYN2A/s640/IMG_8603.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many gatos</td></tr>
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And now lets move on from Lima to Cusco. They call it the land where it rains llamas, alpacas and baby goats.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3KOL9n9d30TOUrtziDoDvOhHk5qr8UiF3kDswly-hQ9pQGSkcUiH2CjfdiiR_W6D5M1IHeP_6vwNSSCCM_Cy0uVhZVghSNPI3z1eJhp0tG26EQj8VQ9i38bI5u29_qjIz9TXoVH7Qw/s1600/IMG_8683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3KOL9n9d30TOUrtziDoDvOhHk5qr8UiF3kDswly-hQ9pQGSkcUiH2CjfdiiR_W6D5M1IHeP_6vwNSSCCM_Cy0uVhZVghSNPI3z1eJhp0tG26EQj8VQ9i38bI5u29_qjIz9TXoVH7Qw/s400/IMG_8683.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpaca selfie</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjVUkX_CPYaiOWF-SyD50tJaVuXC-DkDJlUzJMU7GC4NV7fcP8-_zWIZmeY23YAK_3rx5I7BUeXmM6kVCnrBwnRIF99AdCG1jdV3fNzbr0IOTpbW5f6SZtObKblpcFPFWIRUh_ZEWkA/s1600/IMG_8709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjVUkX_CPYaiOWF-SyD50tJaVuXC-DkDJlUzJMU7GC4NV7fcP8-_zWIZmeY23YAK_3rx5I7BUeXmM6kVCnrBwnRIF99AdCG1jdV3fNzbr0IOTpbW5f6SZtObKblpcFPFWIRUh_ZEWkA/s320/IMG_8709.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extreme alpaca closeup</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme3eCyPws2R9efXiOqv0izxMCCsuv7H26VuaQ-TdSheqL0JeJE9t3IFNC92sgXDtwyz_DMvnOPKl_Pd3HTufQNDHVK3JcsjJdcYZ14nl9XMeWyJh4T1vXPuWb1-8nZh_9U-RVvSiAyw/s1600/IMG_8755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme3eCyPws2R9efXiOqv0izxMCCsuv7H26VuaQ-TdSheqL0JeJE9t3IFNC92sgXDtwyz_DMvnOPKl_Pd3HTufQNDHVK3JcsjJdcYZ14nl9XMeWyJh4T1vXPuWb1-8nZh_9U-RVvSiAyw/s640/IMG_8755.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby goats wearing hats</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtoBU34U5SAThf1LYzp3ueeTAGNtR1UK8gp5R83DRKgCuU_m4EcL17mTF94bgZ55XuWdjxmDNr9hbXdjAb0_PnltJIFMFiPFr_G8_vOseIR96Yeh6vDCJZCH5HOZru5JM4tFRohyhxg/s1600/IMG_8861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtoBU34U5SAThf1LYzp3ueeTAGNtR1UK8gp5R83DRKgCuU_m4EcL17mTF94bgZ55XuWdjxmDNr9hbXdjAb0_PnltJIFMFiPFr_G8_vOseIR96Yeh6vDCJZCH5HOZru5JM4tFRohyhxg/s640/IMG_8861.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Llamas and alpacas galore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And thats all I'll say about Cusco for now. I'll save the rest for next time...</div>
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Oh did you even notice that the map I posted was of Mexico and not Peru. God, I hope so. I leave it to you to look up what a map of Peru really looks like.</div>
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But I will show you a slow motion video of me jumping into the crocodile infested Bolivian jungle river:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6sqtkhbCb9E" width="560"></iframe>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-73484002743952534632016-05-25T11:38:00.000-04:002016-05-25T11:50:47.414-04:00No jokes here: Bolivia is legit!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Welcome back! I apologize for staying away for so long, I've been a busy man. Basically every weekend I do something that would be the coolest thing most people ever do in their lives (not to brag or anything). In the last few weeks I've done the following:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Day trip to Uruguay</li>
<li>Biked Death Road</li>
<li>Hiked through a river to a waterfall in the Bolivian jungle</li>
<li>Spent a day on the Salt Flats</li>
<li>Road an ATV through Sun and Moon valley</li>
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Yeah, I know....theres a lot to talk about. But lets start with where I am now, La Paz, Bolivia. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UHyTbYdCbnB0nxfl-ijNjGERJkQLt8U7ce-Fa2jWYWk6FBwV1pIE9cADwVq_6_-7MUn3-97OKc7JA7kgFNcsXNQKnV8Xax6upkSN1bEbca78kTSM9HYH1AtU43XX7Gdy0Zch9DPT6w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-17+at+3.36.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UHyTbYdCbnB0nxfl-ijNjGERJkQLt8U7ce-Fa2jWYWk6FBwV1pIE9cADwVq_6_-7MUn3-97OKc7JA7kgFNcsXNQKnV8Xax6upkSN1bEbca78kTSM9HYH1AtU43XX7Gdy0Zch9DPT6w/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-17+at+3.36.29+PM.png" width="220" /></a></div>
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This place has been a huge surprise, in a good way. The Remote Year staff pushed hard to lower our expectations talking about how it was one of the poorest countries in South America, how it was dangerous and we should never walk by ourselves, and how it had crumbling infrastructure. I guess I also just had a negative impression of the country as the only context in which I would ever hear/think about Bolivia would be as a third world country. Seriously, do you know a single person who has been to Boliva? The answer is yes...you know me. But outside of me, the answer is no. So I am hear to tell you that you need to go to Bolivia. This is seriously one of my favorite places I've ever been. If you like doing outdoorsy stuff, then you need to come here.</div>
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Here are some random pictures of Bolivia:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sSaQz6ztnZ6_hEJ1qjOPZm8FabEx2EyjlCwHq_tG1QBosdZ1FyFd6b5EQhSCYHCg6diVKYgmQPbivR5qesRZym2AsS2TEIv55UJhQWL_LSShX86180ejAB24hrb04PiXtjKzLbL75w/s1600/IMG_7338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sSaQz6ztnZ6_hEJ1qjOPZm8FabEx2EyjlCwHq_tG1QBosdZ1FyFd6b5EQhSCYHCg6diVKYgmQPbivR5qesRZym2AsS2TEIv55UJhQWL_LSShX86180ejAB24hrb04PiXtjKzLbL75w/s640/IMG_7338.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz has cable cars</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNo1IarYhcBeZwo59LCKRyHyYyBLA-55KJsCrxM6LM2q0Zi3sqXBjlTazNlLpXWdwL5AO1magTHLW-Lkp_3_AJebQyBygs804lrRd-LB-iLzE0ago5AA45QF5KGEbhHXDuE2UYrQ21Q/s1600/IMG_7355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNo1IarYhcBeZwo59LCKRyHyYyBLA-55KJsCrxM6LM2q0Zi3sqXBjlTazNlLpXWdwL5AO1magTHLW-Lkp_3_AJebQyBygs804lrRd-LB-iLzE0ago5AA45QF5KGEbhHXDuE2UYrQ21Q/s400/IMG_7355.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You missed the back of my head didn't you?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_Kx1lfaxIwvj_BY-ypIdUoJMXMdnX-d8HozToEaGJcpVzcfHVJqBYorFU-28d9FxjBo2FcE3fg5c_e8_MK3wQvE4GpkzopsGMCgn9TV-YwA3mgetgeTH1Dr4nbqNBVsoozN-9BZfBg/s1600/IMG_7479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_Kx1lfaxIwvj_BY-ypIdUoJMXMdnX-d8HozToEaGJcpVzcfHVJqBYorFU-28d9FxjBo2FcE3fg5c_e8_MK3wQvE4GpkzopsGMCgn9TV-YwA3mgetgeTH1Dr4nbqNBVsoozN-9BZfBg/s320/IMG_7479.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cholita Wrestling (more on this below)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PGRlAGUXnNefJ9VwW3XffH01_pyb82a6tISCoAP7yBnjaGEoNLugtJwgwzrtCz_aMXzdVu40kqdYuseywlbgXpHxY9yyG_z_labOcsglNrjHH_Ft3mYu4iWDw8jh1Q7rxYHboYE6BA/s1600/IMG_7658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PGRlAGUXnNefJ9VwW3XffH01_pyb82a6tISCoAP7yBnjaGEoNLugtJwgwzrtCz_aMXzdVu40kqdYuseywlbgXpHxY9yyG_z_labOcsglNrjHH_Ft3mYu4iWDw8jh1Q7rxYHboYE6BA/s640/IMG_7658.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No caption needed here</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIJtulIZtNa8GZ5a7BvWwSR3eiVZxXLQdSmO7VGUCGrNVLCpwmRZpR8AL3M3OSoIuy1Rwpt5xHIIaySVvwbS91CudWUV0EMDR0g_7lKIrnSrHfALmhsgGOmJLMwiIxPgMMfZVStjP9w/s1600/IMG_7739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIJtulIZtNa8GZ5a7BvWwSR3eiVZxXLQdSmO7VGUCGrNVLCpwmRZpR8AL3M3OSoIuy1Rwpt5xHIIaySVvwbS91CudWUV0EMDR0g_7lKIrnSrHfALmhsgGOmJLMwiIxPgMMfZVStjP9w/s400/IMG_7739.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5GTyxH3_mkHbQSM17URGO6ndOE8KNi_pOsDMVGjSVtcuoBVlrZBa-57OYKlUawoCOBVv96TPN0Zkw-KgYw0OFqhkK2oNk8aYMOF8CPPg7qpARWhXjllWvKOg_IteYXdCQJlfagjqyA/s1600/IMG_7785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5GTyxH3_mkHbQSM17URGO6ndOE8KNi_pOsDMVGjSVtcuoBVlrZBa-57OYKlUawoCOBVv96TPN0Zkw-KgYw0OFqhkK2oNk8aYMOF8CPPg7qpARWhXjllWvKOg_IteYXdCQJlfagjqyA/s320/IMG_7785.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turns out they love meat here as well (that's cow heart)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U2okp5-SKQpV4RYFFhs7VKw6NaU54195hroELZVSfw5NYeYju6UHSZ0LYawzWGYkMVdKN9ZPc1V6qIRBs4CzH1xnAFCS2x_uVGqXcMFcED8KLB9WKp3j3Lazfrc6eVceDz4lZV_fSg/s1600/IMG_8043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U2okp5-SKQpV4RYFFhs7VKw6NaU54195hroELZVSfw5NYeYju6UHSZ0LYawzWGYkMVdKN9ZPc1V6qIRBs4CzH1xnAFCS2x_uVGqXcMFcED8KLB9WKp3j3Lazfrc6eVceDz4lZV_fSg/s640/IMG_8043.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why does their flag have the same colors as the Jamaican flag? We'll probably never know</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhiwVEL-hJ213kQuVRPEKjM031Z6BwoFtJZN9XmGFS7izf3FTRFa9Eejb8C0dKJZnoqflSqborEmM7MnWwf-742SQIREFdVkUeQ_Kwoy77jwJVfWhrAtVyZRQkNC1UR05XiE-xfn8UTg/s1600/IMG_8180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhiwVEL-hJ213kQuVRPEKjM031Z6BwoFtJZN9XmGFS7izf3FTRFa9Eejb8C0dKJZnoqflSqborEmM7MnWwf-742SQIREFdVkUeQ_Kwoy77jwJVfWhrAtVyZRQkNC1UR05XiE-xfn8UTg/s640/IMG_8180.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WeKjp61zbXhViOL6Z3TR1dQQdtj1h5C7eDb4V4WE0ngSahr1omN3nArAt8auETMMFDBdoOXo3b4TStdlZ74tUPesAr_k6iIBHFd9zGpHIzh6l7RWIf6nFFRHgVslAsE7Z2QkTGZjAg/s1600/IMG_7395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WeKjp61zbXhViOL6Z3TR1dQQdtj1h5C7eDb4V4WE0ngSahr1omN3nArAt8auETMMFDBdoOXo3b4TStdlZ74tUPesAr_k6iIBHFd9zGpHIzh6l7RWIf6nFFRHgVslAsE7Z2QkTGZjAg/s320/IMG_7395.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just your neighborhood drag queens</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gEgY8-Ain17sKS5eu9hd6PqgJXIMWQhBcceeWjZkJAS8lbDfrDTDuGZBvQoqr1wLEtT5uabTAH052A1OM-zGB6tal-KdxU32CdhPp-QSXXJLCWvZf3XrLWMiQECXHKHiM520Ip4UCw/s1600/IMG_8181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gEgY8-Ain17sKS5eu9hd6PqgJXIMWQhBcceeWjZkJAS8lbDfrDTDuGZBvQoqr1wLEtT5uabTAH052A1OM-zGB6tal-KdxU32CdhPp-QSXXJLCWvZf3XrLWMiQECXHKHiM520Ip4UCw/s640/IMG_8181.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon Valley<br />
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Wow, thats some good stuff. Let's get to my observations on this place...</div>
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<li>They love power lines. I feel like if something goes wrong on a line, they just add a new one instead of fixing it</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHw8KJrGIRt1kPB0QWebZWbnMTZ662xlhQb-7rYkYhHco98bbeejaF4mt_b36JblG7W5pJc1ebYfvmX0sYVh1lA0X9_Fm1UWciqO6Tq98QcwwLCxA47bX0lZPtKqEdOnveBzpUnFdAg/s1600/IMG_7780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHw8KJrGIRt1kPB0QWebZWbnMTZ662xlhQb-7rYkYhHco98bbeejaF4mt_b36JblG7W5pJc1ebYfvmX0sYVh1lA0X9_Fm1UWciqO6Tq98QcwwLCxA47bX0lZPtKqEdOnveBzpUnFdAg/s400/IMG_7780.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">They love their power lines here<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>I don't understand why they built a city here. The center of La Paz is in a valley and the city continues up all the mountains around it. Every street is either up hill or down hill. It's ridiculous to walk or drive around this place. I've had a taxi ride of just switchback up a mountain for 30 min. They did recently build cable cars that take you all around the city which is helpful and they even have different cable car line/routes.</li>
<li>Running is impossible here. Between the altitude of ~13,000 feet and half the streets running up hill, I have to stop every minute or so. Just generally watch out for altitude sickness at first when you visit.</li>
<li>You shouldn't drink the water....or eat the food. Actually, I've been totally fine, but Bolivia has made a number of people in the group its bitch this month.</li>
<li>They def don't have environmental regulation on their cars. I'm constantly overwhelmed by the smell of car exhaust.</li>
<li>The indigenous women here wear some awesome clothing. They are called Cholitas and I want their hats.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCQLJtPhiNs57qD290YngjpM2MxNrhglb4kryWbVXz-0gpDFwuN9xiDfarP3TpCYhjQyVIXrNWfFvkZIYCHImr6hcmWujwEEjlZOsLIRgL8nQIISQ12gC79f82mOw20_HbgIE0pUfow/s1600/_73045960_lapaz_624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCQLJtPhiNs57qD290YngjpM2MxNrhglb4kryWbVXz-0gpDFwuN9xiDfarP3TpCYhjQyVIXrNWfFvkZIYCHImr6hcmWujwEEjlZOsLIRgL8nQIISQ12gC79f82mOw20_HbgIE0pUfow/s400/_73045960_lapaz_624.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet hat brah</td></tr>
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I also feel obligated to have a Q&A section here b/c some people actually wrote to ask questions.....</div>
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<b>Q.</b> Michael Lauenger writes: "do any of your remote year colleagues have jobs in sales? What types of jobs do people have? Mostly programmers? Just curious and also wanted to make the blog..."</div>
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<b>A.</b> Thanks for writing in Michael, it's always good to hear from an avid reader. And you made the blog. You are now a star. And to answer your question, I don't think we have any sales people. We really have a wide variety of jobs overall. Before coming, I figured everyone would be a software engineer, but there's actually only a small handful of them and most people on the trip fall under the creative bucket. You can find a full breakdown of the types of jobs people have in my group in this Remote Year <a href="http://www.remoteyear.com/blog/2016/3/7/gettin-to-know-cousteau" target="_blank">blog post.</a> </div>
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<b>Q. </b>Ethan Lippman writes: "Matt, [in an earlier post], you mention you only packed one button down shirt. How did you choose which one? Which one did you choose?</div>
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<b>A. </b>Thanks Ethan, I get this question a lot. I chose the one I thought I looked best in. It's black.</div>
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<b>Q.</b> Is that really Bolivia on the map you posted above?</div>
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<b>A. </b>Wow, that's really impressive that you were able to write in this question about the post before it was even published. But you are correct, it was not Bolivia. That was Paraguay...duh. Start learning about Bolivia people. Here's Bolivia:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwYpA7WG1CumHpe4vNPz9VrhT-NymmWlkUXTu6-zSdy4CwksdIWUfRk7DqaUkauJgVowDpWfqR7_G3qcIwJWUMizOimPNJ9fy4PvFjx1sVWUFB6Ezuq0XPXGVvxMnfhk3RkdKDXYEJg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-22+at+7.57.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwYpA7WG1CumHpe4vNPz9VrhT-NymmWlkUXTu6-zSdy4CwksdIWUfRk7DqaUkauJgVowDpWfqR7_G3qcIwJWUMizOimPNJ9fy4PvFjx1sVWUFB6Ezuq0XPXGVvxMnfhk3RkdKDXYEJg/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-22+at+7.57.00+PM.png" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actual Bolivia</td></tr>
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So remember those nice Cholita women I just wrote about 1 min ago? Well apparently there is also a tradition of them wrestling. Yeah like middle to late aged women getting in the ring and throwing down.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBr9_eSPdCKZHGkLKCoHTklCwCeDUQxtr94VSSWuoPJlqm7WOyWOJWot3ghafnzuawI5dSvHyZr62WZ6ftYVag4KKy2olVZ66QdRY6jFZD4CooGrHzYFPXqxipUvdqDu5idiJDAjrAQ/s1600/IMG_7457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBr9_eSPdCKZHGkLKCoHTklCwCeDUQxtr94VSSWuoPJlqm7WOyWOJWot3ghafnzuawI5dSvHyZr62WZ6ftYVag4KKy2olVZ66QdRY6jFZD4CooGrHzYFPXqxipUvdqDu5idiJDAjrAQ/s640/IMG_7457.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hulk Hogan of Bolivia</td></tr>
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So, like, thats a thing.</div>
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Moving on....as I mentioned before, I took a day trip to Uruguay. Here's prob what you know about Uruguay:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a0sqoPeWXEONe5ZEsMCJhu6ymTiafdGKELojbgv-30yNBfdv5LURvuuYhKu5UIicuc47uFl44SVzatJQGlHzOcOmiOKauyyZivJ2nkRhEY1uMpT7PskSVV5KMZWoPWs8-6irHJ7ZAw/s1600/b10a165fb61764605d6b6c179ae030f869bc4a5cfa13f471e32357e74f40dbec_1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a0sqoPeWXEONe5ZEsMCJhu6ymTiafdGKELojbgv-30yNBfdv5LURvuuYhKu5UIicuc47uFl44SVzatJQGlHzOcOmiOKauyyZivJ2nkRhEY1uMpT7PskSVV5KMZWoPWs8-6irHJ7ZAw/s320/b10a165fb61764605d6b6c179ae030f869bc4a5cfa13f471e32357e74f40dbec_1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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Colonia, Uruguay is only about a one hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires, so I wanted to pop over quickly to get the new stamp on my Passport. That's really about all I can say about that trip. It was a tiny tourist town with nothing remarkable about it and I took no pictures. So, yeah, Uruguay.</div>
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On the extreme opposite end of the awesomeness spectrum, the first weekend in Bolivia, I biked something call Death Road. Why is it called Death Road? Cause lots of people die on it. Its the most dangerous road in the world. Well, actually somewhat recently they built another road through the mountains for cars, and this one is mainly used to just bike on, so now only a few people die on it each year. But, you are still definitely riding on the edge of a huge cliff the whole time.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7j8T2sIsKsUvhWYcnE5kx_MKCzLp2GQ_YyRPAzv79l8tN_C5zOnILtqqkCvQhBE0yTTscb6K9oaAEb8Qx9Eazpht1S5tRR3K4PejTdFsV2EdQFafk0YnbgyNKWTqR_aLql0mWgoiy6A/s1600/IMG_7605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7j8T2sIsKsUvhWYcnE5kx_MKCzLp2GQ_YyRPAzv79l8tN_C5zOnILtqqkCvQhBE0yTTscb6K9oaAEb8Qx9Eazpht1S5tRR3K4PejTdFsV2EdQFafk0YnbgyNKWTqR_aLql0mWgoiy6A/s640/IMG_7605.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cliff from which you fall and die on death road</td></tr>
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Yeah you could def die. </div>
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I'm not sure if it was the view or the adrenaline or what, but this became my favorite day so far of Remote Year. </div>
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If things weren't already scary enough, they put crosses along the road to mark where people have died in the past.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86yemHuhOkVFjMHvzb17kAon07H_U1g7U29eymzVQNrKJG2edVgQcCzFN-7UTkyuybR6mVtionMGK1YcdzW6AO-nNYKPgmC2SzQC6DJimWSvpkU2kkSq4CgGsSUNG27s6pdf4xO33Gw/s1600/IMG_7619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86yemHuhOkVFjMHvzb17kAon07H_U1g7U29eymzVQNrKJG2edVgQcCzFN-7UTkyuybR6mVtionMGK1YcdzW6AO-nNYKPgmC2SzQC6DJimWSvpkU2kkSq4CgGsSUNG27s6pdf4xO33Gw/s320/IMG_7619.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marking someone's death....is this a tasteless photo?</td></tr>
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Overall, I think I just looked like a total badass</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nJIqLsXctFes_dZ-BnVTUrVJT_ZkdHPmaQNClZ9SXsnT08it2b6L0V7tFfzrQjy7CsRFwTHyGYFM_GriJJpBJHluJHejkibTgNLtCO4HDREeJMkxQvRhSAQyH3VKWiihryCrqAZ0Ug/s1600/IMG_7761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nJIqLsXctFes_dZ-BnVTUrVJT_ZkdHPmaQNClZ9SXsnT08it2b6L0V7tFfzrQjy7CsRFwTHyGYFM_GriJJpBJHluJHejkibTgNLtCO4HDREeJMkxQvRhSAQyH3VKWiihryCrqAZ0Ug/s320/IMG_7761.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new tinder profile pic</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnqmIfos4BiEm8Lu9ge-qqfg0ua5Zi-dIPb7tgH1EYSEIvMvUTmiRyTRlM4KkCoFo_ubsbCcHXaOxgvLu1428AqtqJyI3iLuTL2A47pO57MPKnMVxN6QD1HyL1fqDCKTvZqj1j3uryg/s1600/P5070122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnqmIfos4BiEm8Lu9ge-qqfg0ua5Zi-dIPb7tgH1EYSEIvMvUTmiRyTRlM4KkCoFo_ubsbCcHXaOxgvLu1428AqtqJyI3iLuTL2A47pO57MPKnMVxN6QD1HyL1fqDCKTvZqj1j3uryg/s640/P5070122.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're a tough guy, huh?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_zlX5aE0c1L_mEUKrV3Dy8a9TqOlUS_BR2d9a5RW4BYetveKA2EA05PTVx55H7QxfhCjODkdFmkWoJoHiL9tBnLEd8Mehwdl7v1s7rmXwX1ragZ6sb-acIC9r8rQcKZMusjyOU8Pww/s1600/P5070195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_zlX5aE0c1L_mEUKrV3Dy8a9TqOlUS_BR2d9a5RW4BYetveKA2EA05PTVx55H7QxfhCjODkdFmkWoJoHiL9tBnLEd8Mehwdl7v1s7rmXwX1ragZ6sb-acIC9r8rQcKZMusjyOU8Pww/s400/P5070195.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhApWnveUGts21rmb9hfcy2lJ5OxbqMpDcxcjjTIShuMymHpFajZ-vM34alMFjKI2R1Cr7ALmQV0f1G9gngHJwtVDPVzfT-AIVrXd7LDDD4JR10xMg9yKhvd6IR0KtOYe6RJIQTXfC9g/s1600/IMG_7663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhApWnveUGts21rmb9hfcy2lJ5OxbqMpDcxcjjTIShuMymHpFajZ-vM34alMFjKI2R1Cr7ALmQV0f1G9gngHJwtVDPVzfT-AIVrXd7LDDD4JR10xMg9yKhvd6IR0KtOYe6RJIQTXfC9g/s640/IMG_7663.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're super badasses</td></tr>
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Oh and one girl from the group broke her collar bone and another broke her face.</div>
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That night we stayed at this ridiculous hotel on top of a mountain.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyuQFOv_eYoxNd5wkC5-ox4IjQz4RgKU3B33gUUPNDGS9IBljqY_aSaE1TA1Zr9TGpQ7cQgllriKjY1tVE9TK7vmcTQ8wDw8_matY1-rJsF8lYxH7ES_lLokRgvyJZjZrGiC39igXLFA/s1600/DSC01823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyuQFOv_eYoxNd5wkC5-ox4IjQz4RgKU3B33gUUPNDGS9IBljqY_aSaE1TA1Zr9TGpQ7cQgllriKjY1tVE9TK7vmcTQ8wDw8_matY1-rJsF8lYxH7ES_lLokRgvyJZjZrGiC39igXLFA/s640/DSC01823.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ridiculous hotel on top of a mountain</td></tr>
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And the next day we spent zip lining, rafting and hiking through a river in the Bolivian Jungle to reach a waterfall. Typical Sunday.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thats deep stuff</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my most flattering photo, so I made it really small</td></tr>
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Let's see, whats up next. Oh yeah, I went to the Salt Flats as well. Now I've been to some pretty amazing places before; Petra in Jordan, Iceland, Zion national park, and the Denny's at 14th & A in NYC, but the Salt Flats was pretty epic. I seriously don't even know where to begin, but I'll start here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtbm22VCRq9Ctl3W-J0v9As_InghjS_zUUmvJPuSD2XeFWByinf4VtH1IIIMTvVhV2UZFQuflJtsgm5Vq6TA8qMnPh9SZv_BvBPxA9_ed-BLp2wPRc8oVC54hoikNeelYfITo03P2vA/s1600/Salt_shaker_on_white_background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtbm22VCRq9Ctl3W-J0v9As_InghjS_zUUmvJPuSD2XeFWByinf4VtH1IIIMTvVhV2UZFQuflJtsgm5Vq6TA8qMnPh9SZv_BvBPxA9_ed-BLp2wPRc8oVC54hoikNeelYfITo03P2vA/s320/Salt_shaker_on_white_background.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So first we got picked up at 3:30AM for a sunrise tour. They gave us boots and took us out to an area that has standing water the whole year. It was probably the most impressive stargazing I've ever seen and if that wasn't cool enough the stars were reflecting off the water. We only had iPhone cameras so we couldn't really capture this, but once the sun came up, shit got ridiculous.</div>
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The rest of the day consisted of a tour of the area starting with a train graveyard where trains go to die....I saw Tommy the Tank in there.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't even lift it with my amazing form</td></tr>
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Next we went out on the Salt Flats. Now I don't normally like to do cliche things, except when I do. And this was one of the cases where I did. I took the standard perspective photos. But c'mon, they're pretty sweet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ_jugDVqGcJkKSyuR50Yec9OLRGnWzKLONOAzZjqd4I-_unWCtAQ-4q4-ROp9MBn7AoJZPACPNWkU7pR9eerr157nnEaadrpRYPvh5RuneAI7czJbA_8DdnJezf_SU4-pjYE9m2rcQ/s1600/IMG_7996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ_jugDVqGcJkKSyuR50Yec9OLRGnWzKLONOAzZjqd4I-_unWCtAQ-4q4-ROp9MBn7AoJZPACPNWkU7pR9eerr157nnEaadrpRYPvh5RuneAI7czJbA_8DdnJezf_SU4-pjYE9m2rcQ/s400/IMG_7996.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We ate lunch at the salt hotel. The setting was nice, but the food could have used something.....maybe pepper? No, something else. Can't think of it right now.</div>
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In any event, the entire building was made out of salt. Yes everything you see below is made out of salt (except the people).</div>
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There's also an island in the middle of all this full of fun cacti. The Salt Flats used to be a lake, so that's why an island makes sense.</div>
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And then we took lots more reflective shots at sunset<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Human centipede jokes here</td></tr>
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Well that was amacin.</div>
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That was all a one day trip. So since I still had Sunday free, I had to spend my time doing something. I decided to go with a 5 hour ATV tour through several ridiculous valleys and up a mountain.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxwOXkAbr311efMzZSFInG-hla_G1RAa_ANVYY0ZTghq2MzfxSlu2RWNSc0ekcyBmOLOphs1iLufnAQmHXeYIrVxAfMas6WtLrRavvWk6hVEnNtjehsXMnpjWjwv7ekiMN7puLBsDjg/s1600/IMG_8174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxwOXkAbr311efMzZSFInG-hla_G1RAa_ANVYY0ZTghq2MzfxSlu2RWNSc0ekcyBmOLOphs1iLufnAQmHXeYIrVxAfMas6WtLrRavvWk6hVEnNtjehsXMnpjWjwv7ekiMN7puLBsDjg/s320/IMG_8174.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That's it. Thats everything I want to talk about. </div>
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So, in summary. Go to Boliva. </div>
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And here's a sweet video from the Salt Flats (which way is up?):</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dztX6MdrqAjkp90_a6q41oyd8fODRJYed0GDUF2aVcPWzzM4PVwhYOOVz2EGbD-K7RILFa5S_K--ZdPFweQiA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-88879118195983811742016-05-05T22:28:00.002-04:002016-05-05T22:28:37.106-04:00Patagonia? More like AmazingPictureOpportunityAgonia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's either cause there's too much going on, cause the pictures are too awesome or cause I'm lazy....this post will be all pictures from Patagonia. Sure, I could tell you about arriving in Patagonia and having the cab driver blasting Celine Dion in the car, but you didn't come here for that. I could reminisce about the dance party we had at the top of the mountain, but you hate dancing. So, instead, here's some pictures of Patagonia</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Bc_wkGZGt9cP6AdLbdt7Dtaq04N2IOfoS7FMgH80ByC_m8mrLV14z3Haz7_MDIwAPfLI57Ro6WfJ8_Mvglo7AvwaKMscus3U_ji-jZm9TS2mKuiyQ8JhSLF4GdUW8BdcTLyfj_siiw/s1600/IMG_6636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Bc_wkGZGt9cP6AdLbdt7Dtaq04N2IOfoS7FMgH80ByC_m8mrLV14z3Haz7_MDIwAPfLI57Ro6WfJ8_Mvglo7AvwaKMscus3U_ji-jZm9TS2mKuiyQ8JhSLF4GdUW8BdcTLyfj_siiw/s640/IMG_6636.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty colors</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White man CAN jump</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She said no</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But I got to do a Titanic scene with her first</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAkscJ6WYOMYVmNKIRyzig5KTF8Vt_DPTvLSWN5Yvdrm-r0GhuLW3IobtpJA39oDN8hrk1TM1gG4ULNnU_cJZWPwBpHbaA4jU62GwW8By2yOQC6PUBeHf81_lrzSager6NYVLRzT52Q/s1600/IMG_6936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAkscJ6WYOMYVmNKIRyzig5KTF8Vt_DPTvLSWN5Yvdrm-r0GhuLW3IobtpJA39oDN8hrk1TM1gG4ULNnU_cJZWPwBpHbaA4jU62GwW8By2yOQC6PUBeHf81_lrzSager6NYVLRzT52Q/s640/IMG_6936.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsJSBEbwW3TsJUFjj0Z71Uq10Ia1dhBgprlHU3Km7Nv1JVuv3ZhZTtByE_dszEAa8a7yvCd3BXotKa_KDJrlvzuyO0lfCv7ipgSTUNxBzpTxT8hTs6zqHbD126Izcz0cFY2USOWMtTg/s1600/IMG_6949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsJSBEbwW3TsJUFjj0Z71Uq10Ia1dhBgprlHU3Km7Nv1JVuv3ZhZTtByE_dszEAa8a7yvCd3BXotKa_KDJrlvzuyO0lfCv7ipgSTUNxBzpTxT8hTs6zqHbD126Izcz0cFY2USOWMtTg/s640/IMG_6949.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You love the back of my head</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BKyjaERo5KmAHRj99uEsZbcaIH21S4EPehQVzIgcxX3qWjmzHk2cmu038i6hkgYJ1h6ebeOnUCaZLosqhM2UCvLFJDfxc4FgwQtztned-t4fu1Q3dUPtwwgRba_Msy-wqWv2yHdRqQ/s1600/IMG_6954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BKyjaERo5KmAHRj99uEsZbcaIH21S4EPehQVzIgcxX3qWjmzHk2cmu038i6hkgYJ1h6ebeOnUCaZLosqhM2UCvLFJDfxc4FgwQtztned-t4fu1Q3dUPtwwgRba_Msy-wqWv2yHdRqQ/s640/IMG_6954.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#FallColors</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSZzbWBT6-_fRd23pu2fvskt_PiMREFGXM4OpQoj2tHTZ9wYVDJqOH-daqE65j5MvvPpjQAJ1D7QkTEgbfxFSBwKtVtMi5j-yBj6DjoWoIDpzFggaLzHy95Bt_yBQq0MklxCHH6yaxw/s1600/IMG_6957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSZzbWBT6-_fRd23pu2fvskt_PiMREFGXM4OpQoj2tHTZ9wYVDJqOH-daqE65j5MvvPpjQAJ1D7QkTEgbfxFSBwKtVtMi5j-yBj6DjoWoIDpzFggaLzHy95Bt_yBQq0MklxCHH6yaxw/s640/IMG_6957.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floating</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QHtyLxFFTieIUGVHnfP9pyQifD70p9IwSYzSjOB0lodVco6ZhpeJiAomvcUPObSlNrb13-akHovSILBHyKej8SRmKjFkjhqw4XSldAKvXdsbFYSATQV6Txt0HEnkPmx4_IB6p6jV6g/s1600/IMG_7033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QHtyLxFFTieIUGVHnfP9pyQifD70p9IwSYzSjOB0lodVco6ZhpeJiAomvcUPObSlNrb13-akHovSILBHyKej8SRmKjFkjhqw4XSldAKvXdsbFYSATQV6Txt0HEnkPmx4_IB6p6jV6g/s640/IMG_7033.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iceberg right ahead (that was a titanic reference)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCG91p0dHZA5YkGX-co9_PQ6AgwKaGSUeOLXFCzJor0w-uNe0IwH1aKNB3QZfbiSZ1_LT37V8H9F6-jzNebW1Lh_54xAy4g9lU15ugHBEI3YxNhehC1QWVjSQCz27JAHdCJ2VSLkJuOw/s1600/IMG_7174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCG91p0dHZA5YkGX-co9_PQ6AgwKaGSUeOLXFCzJor0w-uNe0IwH1aKNB3QZfbiSZ1_LT37V8H9F6-jzNebW1Lh_54xAy4g9lU15ugHBEI3YxNhehC1QWVjSQCz27JAHdCJ2VSLkJuOw/s640/IMG_7174.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You really love the back of my head</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgh-Tixv-kkWLGXXwFaOPBgr1YmxvnsfLSMcekDEnlKK6GtcVr1pDqq36YKlOoTBk1Lqwq-Ei0dD7OYypZ0AtZXLB2xk80ro4DOUXttxsZsVeC0op321JnTdF9VOrAxyxKAcEylm4B_A/s1600/IMG_6830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgh-Tixv-kkWLGXXwFaOPBgr1YmxvnsfLSMcekDEnlKK6GtcVr1pDqq36YKlOoTBk1Lqwq-Ei0dD7OYypZ0AtZXLB2xk80ro4DOUXttxsZsVeC0op321JnTdF9VOrAxyxKAcEylm4B_A/s640/IMG_6830.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coolest picture ever taken of me</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCElf5ndXGegrgNvl8pB6Z-NXGl3sgU_jSvyq6b8gbD7kQGwK0GhoovTaAmhOxrl1wemr1gkal2vA8K-rtlaY-4-wWEOMD2Uq7qzC8uSEucaUqYvxIkIxiCzeNd3wQ5B9wfOslCFY_Q/s1600/IMG_6720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCElf5ndXGegrgNvl8pB6Z-NXGl3sgU_jSvyq6b8gbD7kQGwK0GhoovTaAmhOxrl1wemr1gkal2vA8K-rtlaY-4-wWEOMD2Uq7qzC8uSEucaUqYvxIkIxiCzeNd3wQ5B9wfOslCFY_Q/s640/IMG_6720.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the bottom of the ice climb</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_WQwxzDXStGAWk9iwv_ktWn-Ueuwj1BfVS9t5Z_bXJV3WIbTtrtqJziuClxoag6jq8yiHQz6tfutp6NW8ifVMokM0XxL1Mc38IKpi6lzxOro-b7_z0Am_01SMqbqk2bH-0q1TAupjQ/s1600/IMG_6723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_WQwxzDXStGAWk9iwv_ktWn-Ueuwj1BfVS9t5Z_bXJV3WIbTtrtqJziuClxoag6jq8yiHQz6tfutp6NW8ifVMokM0XxL1Mc38IKpi6lzxOro-b7_z0Am_01SMqbqk2bH-0q1TAupjQ/s640/IMG_6723.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just gettin sum work done</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKQTvffV0Dg2hd4DjaCtJNip4VD6_fxlfZSqbmcyMVKZD_VvPEfvkNm9wEA1jVG1GOPAhmGm5o8ZXsT02q8jSsORldTD0zKAUYttkfp2CQ5OfEIcrpR1pZIyo_EU835helrbjzGnMfA/s1600/IMG_6752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKQTvffV0Dg2hd4DjaCtJNip4VD6_fxlfZSqbmcyMVKZD_VvPEfvkNm9wEA1jVG1GOPAhmGm5o8ZXsT02q8jSsORldTD0zKAUYttkfp2CQ5OfEIcrpR1pZIyo_EU835helrbjzGnMfA/s640/IMG_6752.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't always drink Bailey like liqueurs, but when I do, it's on a glacier</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXr7OKbJmc4fZLaxAWfT4NqJSm45eoo2VGRmDvyImvLsm1s6uDIDwzb2EIE5KTPr1Pw_qDImk0G1rdcMB48gWQSxUzP1fIasWcZ5YNwJqZqrq3hWrFdA3FKEwN1-SDevRpSIMDjrpKQ/s1600/IMG_6961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXr7OKbJmc4fZLaxAWfT4NqJSm45eoo2VGRmDvyImvLsm1s6uDIDwzb2EIE5KTPr1Pw_qDImk0G1rdcMB48gWQSxUzP1fIasWcZ5YNwJqZqrq3hWrFdA3FKEwN1-SDevRpSIMDjrpKQ/s640/IMG_6961.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to hit the Korean massage chair after all that hiking</td></tr>
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OK, fine I'll show you the video of the dance party on top of the mountain.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzbC29KBjUiIIzSKPKxaBDUEjht2aFxmomo23WKb7a3kn4I-6EiSoo1_vIAW9PRaHoeawC82XmWZvmZOqz9pg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />
And now I have moved to Bolivia. La Paz, Boliva. It's built into the mountains. Its at an elevation of 11,982 ft. Its hard to walk around. This is what it looks like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR3_O2huelNaICSjbFXqvw9kf5iH-rfAndxtdlE6Eva02VfvDZHm0y-jm0gkOFOyllKUXBTKzQJenr6uyf3RFZh9AoKvIXbWpWVxNY_pVguRkMPuy1p63K_dDF5daNkNF0pTVHBWvOQ/s1600/IMG_7348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR3_O2huelNaICSjbFXqvw9kf5iH-rfAndxtdlE6Eva02VfvDZHm0y-jm0gkOFOyllKUXBTKzQJenr6uyf3RFZh9AoKvIXbWpWVxNY_pVguRkMPuy1p63K_dDF5daNkNF0pTVHBWvOQ/s640/IMG_7348.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And lets just address the elephant in the room. The plumbing is so bad here that you can't throw the toilet paper in the toilet.</div>
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Ok see you next time.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-33630187467525189662016-04-18T22:19:00.000-04:002016-04-18T22:32:18.167-04:00FOMO is real<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In case you missed it, I had a life event:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPwjHCtDSlzUqaXEYn4muDrGjvXrXcJ1iueChbDbDupDx2Wlwgq8fQ7AWYGUWDvLOeXhRwoULdMsbUsggbXWouZb_Y2WKDwkqdNzOhEmK3dkRraFr5XVMSLLhRayYWQVew3UO8zWSjA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-13+at+10.22.50+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPwjHCtDSlzUqaXEYn4muDrGjvXrXcJ1iueChbDbDupDx2Wlwgq8fQ7AWYGUWDvLOeXhRwoULdMsbUsggbXWouZb_Y2WKDwkqdNzOhEmK3dkRraFr5XVMSLLhRayYWQVew3UO8zWSjA/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-04-13+at+10.22.50+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
FB Official. I live in Buenos Aires.....for like another two weeks now.<br />
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But first, it's time for our post-ly (once per post) Q&A time, where I answer the most common questions that no one actually sent to me.<br />
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<b>Q: </b>Have you had any good steak in Argentina?<br />
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<b>A: </b>I get this question a lot. Everyone has heard about the steak in Argentina. I've definitely had some steak in Argentina, but I wouldn't say its been like a steak orgy. There's been no cow holocaust. The beef hasn't flowed like wine. I haven't been swimming in a sea of calf blood.<br />
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But, yeah I ate some steak.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmvw0BCIQwwwgo0JlbW2F0y1BMkNIZH7LjkU2d477YzGPPb6-ssK6LS563K9MSYlyp5Xd_3EBwVrXPZxaYEzCC5d3FR9vkkEsN_vepXqEYWLesqNIju2xu7hfqAAdxazP2SsJFfcvnA/s1600/IMG_6322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmvw0BCIQwwwgo0JlbW2F0y1BMkNIZH7LjkU2d477YzGPPb6-ssK6LS563K9MSYlyp5Xd_3EBwVrXPZxaYEzCC5d3FR9vkkEsN_vepXqEYWLesqNIju2xu7hfqAAdxazP2SsJFfcvnA/s640/IMG_6322.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Q: </b>Have you seen any Breaking Bad themed restaurants<br />
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<b>A: </b>Yes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikheqd_IqDRMoUUm4uk5mDQ0KRI86HCmRQ26JUXNpWHmzR7YwG1ALBVS-vq3F_olBwW3KmulG4SZMZYJnii6-dLn7KDvLSzOjTeJnwrSdiTKXo1PiAOX4x22ruZo_REF-NctPD6UAw2A/s1600/IMG_6328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikheqd_IqDRMoUUm4uk5mDQ0KRI86HCmRQ26JUXNpWHmzR7YwG1ALBVS-vq3F_olBwW3KmulG4SZMZYJnii6-dLn7KDvLSzOjTeJnwrSdiTKXo1PiAOX4x22ruZo_REF-NctPD6UAw2A/s400/IMG_6328.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<b>Q: </b>Is Limp Bizkit still a band?<br />
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<b>A: </b>Funny you should ask that. I happen to just have seen a sign for them coming to Buenos Aires.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oz6vzgMijzvEImOUr36-eJDBq-Mce2z-yogQQuqxnZG0Uz8GUdCZ-vbRGtS7TkLsQn40u_HMie3hx8mU86qZ3Bf0yVCI3xl6NqWVI8HUANN1dVdRj6Pn8ki76cnyGOnkbGW4w9jfnw/s1600/IMG_6427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oz6vzgMijzvEImOUr36-eJDBq-Mce2z-yogQQuqxnZG0Uz8GUdCZ-vbRGtS7TkLsQn40u_HMie3hx8mU86qZ3Bf0yVCI3xl6NqWVI8HUANN1dVdRj6Pn8ki76cnyGOnkbGW4w9jfnw/s320/IMG_6427.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Q: </b>How can I become a digital nomad?<br />
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<b>A: </b>Well my current roommate Charles (seen above holding up a dead cow with me), paid me money to pitch the course he's working on that helps people become digital nomads. He paid me top dollar specifically because I have so many readers of this blog. Here's the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/32601047/become-a-successful-digital-nomad-the-complete-gui" target="_blank">link</a>.<br />
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Wow. That was great. Keep sending in those questions and I will continue to give you answers (cause that's how Q&A works).<br />
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Now let's move on to what has become your next favorite section of my blog....my very accurate and representative observations on culture and people in the places I go. Since I'm still in Argentina you get a whole other list from here:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Doors of buildings are locked from the inside. As in you need a key to get out of the building. This is ridiculously annoying. Just picture this: Its 5am. You just kicked a girl out of your apartment. But then you remember, she can't get out of the building without you unlocking the door for her downstairs. Do you get out of bed to go let her out? Or do you hope she doesn't remember your apartment number so she can't come back and knock? Also, you know....it seems dangerous....like what if there's a fire?</li>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>There's a lot of street performers that juggle in front of cars parked at red lights and then ask for money. A lot of them really suck. There was there one guy who stood at the intersection outside the Starbucks in Cordoba with a clown nose and clown hair and he just tossed two balls between his hands. Like c'mon man. At least learn how to juggle. Oh look there he is now.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdhQ-F2bZqw9b0P36vU0xiNHZhp5pmJ5rQ93_JZFIuc9RA_R8UYQr0dVf5WihJMrexqSMpb9B3xf3yq7YGjm6_mOxijSaxV2RinU2o9Ji06N0jjTZQkjOsC6sRSqnskuguioNYlDUJg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-18+at+10.57.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdhQ-F2bZqw9b0P36vU0xiNHZhp5pmJ5rQ93_JZFIuc9RA_R8UYQr0dVf5WihJMrexqSMpb9B3xf3yq7YGjm6_mOxijSaxV2RinU2o9Ji06N0jjTZQkjOsC6sRSqnskuguioNYlDUJg/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-04-18+at+10.57.10+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li>Instead of texting 'haha', they use 'jaja' here. Here's an example from Tinder (yes they tinder everywhere)</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_Lo49-tZIHb7PJpHHhnCfg9qanecXGEfOFighrgjID6dYVoGWxmgkl-d_kL3hBlHJDjpZWkA2c3FnPFwhMYbITcOzqsujqkc8bqVoBfKFJYunrXZ5TtRPH4IrLNiItpnEnS7y07zzw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-18+at+10.58.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_Lo49-tZIHb7PJpHHhnCfg9qanecXGEfOFighrgjID6dYVoGWxmgkl-d_kL3hBlHJDjpZWkA2c3FnPFwhMYbITcOzqsujqkc8bqVoBfKFJYunrXZ5TtRPH4IrLNiItpnEnS7y07zzw/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-18+at+10.58.24+PM.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow that was funny. Jaja.</td></tr>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The song "Don't Cry for me Argentina" is actually about Argentina (just realized that)</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Mail has like a 50% chance of actual arrival here. It just disappears apparently. Its like a thing that no on does anything about. My dad sent my absentee ballot for the NYC primary and it never got it. Sorry Bernie.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>People like meat here</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
Now, a little more on Buenos Aires (btw it's rained almost every day we've been here....wtf is that?) It's def bigger than Cordoba (duh!). And a lot more to see. I feel like I really haven't seen anything despite having gone on a walking, bike and bus tour. But here's some stuff that tourists look at.</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJcVTYJxyoDEGWbRBQZUE4Qqwu-ksQE8V7-PZqy495DN9h8gbnbt2WCVC4W9RsqVUw-YGZ0jwk4ca12u2EsRIwj0D8FnMgdhj5lvS_a_Pgq4qWQmHeF4alweU1azfHNw2xhT0vbAEgw/s1600/IMG_6291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJcVTYJxyoDEGWbRBQZUE4Qqwu-ksQE8V7-PZqy495DN9h8gbnbt2WCVC4W9RsqVUw-YGZ0jwk4ca12u2EsRIwj0D8FnMgdhj5lvS_a_Pgq4qWQmHeF4alweU1azfHNw2xhT0vbAEgw/s640/IMG_6291.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural of Evita (more on Madonna below)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZrIbnowizOCXF6qsl-R4MdU4tfbaWvW9gSi82__Hg_8P2H2rjtovDvCMBorTTA4KAKTUxii4mFohoiE9-zO6nVqm6__EfwWR-PVca-UiGubjw3eeLyvlCJYytOqiG3z-kDs0ecUvmg/s1600/IMG_6297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZrIbnowizOCXF6qsl-R4MdU4tfbaWvW9gSi82__Hg_8P2H2rjtovDvCMBorTTA4KAKTUxii4mFohoiE9-zO6nVqm6__EfwWR-PVca-UiGubjw3eeLyvlCJYytOqiG3z-kDs0ecUvmg/s320/IMG_6297.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pink House (where the president lives). Yes, its like our <br />
White House, only Pink. It's cause they put cow blood in <br />
their paint to make it last longer or something. True story.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5ZchRkACc4cpjsIJM_-iFkhUsTLLNYYX77GTkXBZTAt8c8LUnnVRmULIn7yHKBPo6sDIalVHtJc5NiPj8kWMMsroUMfKiWdCoshobfD02OQpU6KsU8X-8HAVaWpusOxUe6zacI7B1g/s1600/IMG_6409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5ZchRkACc4cpjsIJM_-iFkhUsTLLNYYX77GTkXBZTAt8c8LUnnVRmULIn7yHKBPo6sDIalVHtJc5NiPj8kWMMsroUMfKiWdCoshobfD02OQpU6KsU8X-8HAVaWpusOxUe6zacI7B1g/s400/IMG_6409.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza de Mayo (see <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.com/2016/04/olah-desde-el-otro-lado.html" target="_blank">other post </a>for info on these symbols)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdlGa_Www-61Yf1xbMnvq7RWeQX-hWtNBHMxLyh1yr7VamZbS_5EZ7RGiA1Avv5L-YSCTK6DoRP4EV9pYxSd30POT5tkHH6zwLD0q1r5GdQCgnztwY6dIe45erh5JUTUocaANQSLKZA/s1600/IMG_6420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdlGa_Www-61Yf1xbMnvq7RWeQX-hWtNBHMxLyh1yr7VamZbS_5EZ7RGiA1Avv5L-YSCTK6DoRP4EV9pYxSd30POT5tkHH6zwLD0q1r5GdQCgnztwY6dIe45erh5JUTUocaANQSLKZA/s320/IMG_6420.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Recoleta Cemetery (yeah thats a street sign in a cemetery)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhpx8ffGGlSNKf4GvLDQntl_oGnTK_kyoraXTvObbz8zepUnvms30iIQP8pvjsRoiuP2HDFTQsBGpvUkH2gQHA7KJkvFYthuFuVL9ElnQ3MF3366flc9Ixc2SAxplhKmykVAGWXkNfg/s1600/IMG_6423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhpx8ffGGlSNKf4GvLDQntl_oGnTK_kyoraXTvObbz8zepUnvms30iIQP8pvjsRoiuP2HDFTQsBGpvUkH2gQHA7KJkvFYthuFuVL9ElnQ3MF3366flc9Ixc2SAxplhKmykVAGWXkNfg/s320/IMG_6423.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yea those are all giant tombstones/<br />
mausoleums/things<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzGjRkVgQEG9sG8sQwD059ZxUh6gx1WmeU0Z-AcjooVJU87d_qY2rd4YJ7dUuFLYEKF8Yh18pCaucy9UAGmlzCzaduvvc8EM5De78Hks4M5RmcJG11mOohsqqMgTL9lfNvtJDClfQHg/s1600/IMG_6287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzGjRkVgQEG9sG8sQwD059ZxUh6gx1WmeU0Z-AcjooVJU87d_qY2rd4YJ7dUuFLYEKF8Yh18pCaucy9UAGmlzCzaduvvc8EM5De78Hks4M5RmcJG11mOohsqqMgTL9lfNvtJDClfQHg/s640/IMG_6287.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Thinker in front of the Congress building (their Congress building, not ours)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Since you brought up Madonna, lets talk about Evita. I didn't really know the backstory because I had never seen the movie. But, through several walking tours I have learned the deets. Here's a summary:<br />
<br />
Married Juan Peron who became president. She championed workers right and feminists rights and other hippie causes. Working class people loved her, rich people hated her. People wanted her to become vice president and gathered in front of the building with her mural painted above. She came out and spoke from that building and said "no thanks", then disappeared for a while. People were like wtf Evita? Then she scheduled this speech from the Casa Rosado (the pink house) and all the peoples came and it was like the first speech televised in Argentina or something. She came out and said....<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Don't cry for me Argentina</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
Well she actually she said she was dying, but those lyrics are supposed to represent that speech. Then she died three months later at the age of 33 (only one year older than me). Then Madonna made a move about it 50 years later.<br />
<br />
Bummer.<br />
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Speaking of street art (great topic transition Matt), Beunos Aires has a ton of it. Like every street is tagged in someway, but there's some pretty awesome stuff too. We actually went on a street art (grafitti) tour of the city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTA-MTKWf7WmVKcmChyxK4ZHG_uLLiNaW9BOS4DTSbyVDg5GDF8R_GpRB5RhckDWN8aTVoug9xU6RCtm8I_6mAznr2M9qfzWWGmm03L4zHLw97USERApick_WOAEbOPD0R54qLmTmiAQ/s1600/IMG_6304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTA-MTKWf7WmVKcmChyxK4ZHG_uLLiNaW9BOS4DTSbyVDg5GDF8R_GpRB5RhckDWN8aTVoug9xU6RCtm8I_6mAznr2M9qfzWWGmm03L4zHLw97USERApick_WOAEbOPD0R54qLmTmiAQ/s400/IMG_6304.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv63n01V2Qdr6xgNGdq2haFSQ18YFmYw4dbSCNJQ-MfbBOMA45ESrCr_wXK144aY_PAlGu-NY0rswAhUYtOhddkRZG37nJQseQ5OvzWLa517vQmxr3zdALyjn2KgMDfwCQQlgCdPEVug/s1600/IMG_6313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv63n01V2Qdr6xgNGdq2haFSQ18YFmYw4dbSCNJQ-MfbBOMA45ESrCr_wXK144aY_PAlGu-NY0rswAhUYtOhddkRZG37nJQseQ5OvzWLa517vQmxr3zdALyjn2KgMDfwCQQlgCdPEVug/s640/IMG_6313.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />
And in other news, I played polo. As in I got on a horse with a mallet, rode around and hit things.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhiqZWx7uVPhugDS0vQmEOdtvRBEdHIPsQsZRro-L8fc_kl5-5QPp1iq81D9KJkOUCtoSf10Vga_Al5x-2lN9zJEqz5_t4OIO5OItloZJ-wNDb7aH9ck1UvTIrkIl_27kTVHXOekZOw/s1600/IMG_6507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhiqZWx7uVPhugDS0vQmEOdtvRBEdHIPsQsZRro-L8fc_kl5-5QPp1iq81D9KJkOUCtoSf10Vga_Al5x-2lN9zJEqz5_t4OIO5OItloZJ-wNDb7aH9ck1UvTIrkIl_27kTVHXOekZOw/s400/IMG_6507.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like this type of polo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
It was a full day trip organized out to a polo ranch. Now I had never ridden a horse before and much wine was consumed beforehand, but this place decided it was still OK to let us do this. And it was amazing! I mean I was terrible at polo (and riding the horse), but I feel like I made a lot of new friends...Mr. Mustang, and Britney Spurs and Charlie Horse (I looked those puns up). I even got my horse to gallop which was a new, unique and pretty awesome sensation.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKn90h9sU9FPU5EWmzfbYzdv_Zjf7kSbg6adVpyY4vzsp2g76wkk3T53T5zsYkZCAKIAV4SxK2Y4lIUsP6eUb0HJCsOEauILM34OtKGPJ50LcTluKtoUU0Iy4bS_7wsoSd6PSxAuaACg/s1600/IMG_6543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKn90h9sU9FPU5EWmzfbYzdv_Zjf7kSbg6adVpyY4vzsp2g76wkk3T53T5zsYkZCAKIAV4SxK2Y4lIUsP6eUb0HJCsOEauILM34OtKGPJ50LcTluKtoUU0Iy4bS_7wsoSd6PSxAuaACg/s640/IMG_6543.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ballers (as in Polo Ballers)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtld927qLvN-paYvvRn3yfPW5Q_DBMkYXxJ8gVxofwvzLyQEr4ndfPaNdm-VboGc4Jh46Oh1F1bc2Yheg21LjZaFAT9yAOmVV314d4u6O2tpH1RQhRcclh2ytdEcTBMIf647ZE-TTLw/s1600/543284E7-D7A1-4492-A4E6-AAC53E52F745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtld927qLvN-paYvvRn3yfPW5Q_DBMkYXxJ8gVxofwvzLyQEr4ndfPaNdm-VboGc4Jh46Oh1F1bc2Yheg21LjZaFAT9yAOmVV314d4u6O2tpH1RQhRcclh2ytdEcTBMIf647ZE-TTLw/s400/543284E7-D7A1-4492-A4E6-AAC53E52F745.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Me and Mr. Mustang</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfFiyj8JuowzZwPL_uWg9DxYAw2Iuvij_vkC94rumQAd28qpsmw77VJVs3oCIbV5OVn75PY2LQO9avLEDjOdGTroYnTuEvt24LfMJh3ifuO3lu_mj5L_y5PT3yOdogTzrSdHVgJ0kRg/s1600/IMG_6502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfFiyj8JuowzZwPL_uWg9DxYAw2Iuvij_vkC94rumQAd28qpsmw77VJVs3oCIbV5OVn75PY2LQO9avLEDjOdGTroYnTuEvt24LfMJh3ifuO3lu_mj5L_y5PT3yOdogTzrSdHVgJ0kRg/s320/IMG_6502.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its a sophisticated game</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj9jk344OyYc2PnG2-rqrVGHmzTyMdQcNZjWtcCYoG6vWrUlxgeUq2ZuUJHK4YCI-0l1IWJoBa9YsW_nmL4eeLXaMIpQXu1Fq6Klgp0zAi3y02NrTgMH4ITy6FAMuR9X-6r13v9F6mQ/s1600/IMG_6540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj9jk344OyYc2PnG2-rqrVGHmzTyMdQcNZjWtcCYoG6vWrUlxgeUq2ZuUJHK4YCI-0l1IWJoBa9YsW_nmL4eeLXaMIpQXu1Fq6Klgp0zAi3y02NrTgMH4ITy6FAMuR9X-6r13v9F6mQ/s400/IMG_6540.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Me and Mrs. Mustang</span></td></tr>
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<br />
So that about sums up my average life for the past few weeks. Tomorrow, I continue in typical fashion by heading to Patagonia for almost a week. So, in case you're looking for me, I'll be here:<br />
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Oh and here I am wearing some platform shoes<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-19964286153811259472016-04-04T14:05:00.001-04:002016-04-18T22:07:33.962-04:00Hola desde el otro lado<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="text-align: left;">Como se puede ver , soy fluido en español ahora, para que todo este post va a ser en español!</span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Que?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>Here's the translation of the above sentence: <a href="http://bfy.tw/56Up" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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I will let you translate the post title on your own (its worth it).<br />
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<br />
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<br />
OK, no more of that.<br />
<br />
This past weekend, I wineried (WINE-or-ied).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUG24-BRytcA6YmQ4kAXi78OlY-elFmYewWBA1_bbZlUauA2hM9lVaGfED0Mv0i0d11r63JseVYbJ7wKN_8UI9CsK4twxKfDZ2fCs5EjvwXRbwbI2SxebWlod_VRhoCIyTENJBQCKaw/s1600/IMG_5724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUG24-BRytcA6YmQ4kAXi78OlY-elFmYewWBA1_bbZlUauA2hM9lVaGfED0Mv0i0d11r63JseVYbJ7wKN_8UI9CsK4twxKfDZ2fCs5EjvwXRbwbI2SxebWlod_VRhoCIyTENJBQCKaw/s640/IMG_5724.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is how I winery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_1535813978"></span><span id="goog_1535813979"></span>Wow, I am sophisticated as F**k (BTW the first * there is for 'r' and the second * is for 'an', so I am really saying I'm sophisticated as Frank....he's this guy I know who's really sophisticated).<br />
<br />
More about that later. But first, I wanna deal with some questions that a lot of you have been asking me (actually no one has asked me anything, but I want to feel like I have fans writing in).<br />
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<br />
<b>Q:</b> How do you pack for a year long trip like this?<br />
<br />
<b>A:</b> Funny you should ask. I actually have a picture of everything I packed (it seems everyone on these trips has a picture like this, so I wanted to be trendy)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lH_twCRdp-zdJEjbsnYxHNxhRgPoL4b3G7aHC_TecKGbHmlEyamSDQrYrwHvCCWH8SuNZn7gNtw3rTLssSGWH6lp1Kkf4NCeGaax1dhBD0wO6KOrPdbCry0yUvq4HDVF1Xu0NoNvYA/s1600/IMG_5293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lH_twCRdp-zdJEjbsnYxHNxhRgPoL4b3G7aHC_TecKGbHmlEyamSDQrYrwHvCCWH8SuNZn7gNtw3rTLssSGWH6lp1Kkf4NCeGaax1dhBD0wO6KOrPdbCry0yUvq4HDVF1Xu0NoNvYA/s400/IMG_5293.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />
To be clear, thats the following....<br />
<b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Toiletries</b><br />
1 Toothbrush<br />
1 Toothbrush charger<br />
365 condoms<br />
2 Extra toothbrush heads<br />
1 Toothpaste<br />
1 deodorant<br />
1 Year supply contacts<br />
1 Year supply medications<br />
1 Nail clippers<br />
1 Floss<br />
1 Facewash<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Clothes</b><br />
2 Jeans<br />
3 Running shorts<br />
3 Short sleeve running shirts<br />
3 Long sleeve running shirts<br />
1 Bathing Suit<br />
3 Shorts<br />
1 Hoodie<br />
1 Hiking boots<br />
1 Running shoes<br />
1 Sandals<br />
5 Short sleeve shirts<br />
1 Button down shirt<br />
1 Rain jacket<br />
1 Heavy running shirt thing<br />
<br />
<b>Travel Stuff</b><br />
1 Backpack<br />
1 Quickdry towel<br />
1 Clothesline<br />
1 Travel wallet<br />
1 Water bottle<br />
1 Power converter set<br />
1 Travel surge protector<br />
1 Sleeping bag liner<br />
1 Eye mask<br />
1 Travel safe<br />
3 Locks<br />
2 Resistance bands<br />
1 Sunglasses<br />
1 Leatherman<br />
1 Travel pillow<br />
1 USB fan<br />
1 Electronics organizer<br />
X Zip lock bags<br />
<br />
<b>Electronics</b><br />
1 Macbook<br />
1 Earbuds<br />
1 Retractable USB cable<br />
1 Kindle<br />
1 Phone<br />
1 Run watch<br />
1 Tablet<br />
2 Thumb drives<br />
1 iPhone charger<br />
1 Tablet charger<br />
1 Battery pack<br />
1 Watch charger<br />
1 Dongle<br />
1 Mouse<br />
1 Keyboard<br />
1 Monitor<br />
<br />
Somehow that all fit in my bag. Actually it didn't. I had planned to only bring my travel backpack and side satchel thing, but at the very very last minute (the first time I tried packing) I found that it definitely all could not fit, so I brought along another backpack).<br />
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<br />
<b>Q: </b>Where do you work?<br />
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<b>A:</b> Here (for now):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9p02r5exM0NbRF319IUte21m_zTRZiQGAufjSsEFD5PSf_eGq5n1FgvuVS96iv_fj4QjNvrhaZw2OZCMyVPU69yrAVfZBVCtafUW40gE2z_ekPxfM4c5tcS71f8sba44mrBxKoOH9EQ/s1600/IMG_6195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9p02r5exM0NbRF319IUte21m_zTRZiQGAufjSsEFD5PSf_eGq5n1FgvuVS96iv_fj4QjNvrhaZw2OZCMyVPU69yrAVfZBVCtafUW40gE2z_ekPxfM4c5tcS71f8sba44mrBxKoOH9EQ/s400/IMG_6195.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>Q: </b>Who are your personal heroes?<br />
<br />
<b>A: </b>Wow, what a tough question. I feel so unprepared to answer this. But I just turned my head to the right and our two "leaders" or "chaperones" or "camp counselors" of our trip were sitting there, so I'm pretty sure its them. So here they - Travis and Sam (Or as they like to say...Tramantha):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XG8z-FBjBsNHKlHB_3oRneBLbK8wuqT2Qbr9cURqgXL8QgB3CNQyx_gvZcDxy13JRvDLLvgwwHHlKrShLFK5aaYG1hGMeIoxb1Kfi0EPM9QiYVx07j58SLRPOSTQFG21M6N5w7fq0w/s1600/12063812_10103781958336980_869358651358393790_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XG8z-FBjBsNHKlHB_3oRneBLbK8wuqT2Qbr9cURqgXL8QgB3CNQyx_gvZcDxy13JRvDLLvgwwHHlKrShLFK5aaYG1hGMeIoxb1Kfi0EPM9QiYVx07j58SLRPOSTQFG21M6N5w7fq0w/s320/12063812_10103781958336980_869358651358393790_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Not a real picture frame)</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdONkUoRW1mQ4VB7vZW9yKy0g8Lb2NxG_Zrdb-KJEMYoO_JJ5zOZ492XZucB9r65GZ98hZ6z6GSjqDFMjhms8y9YYggCUAnJB1uwIqxNfvfbUPvRs8bMyLhcMXOoCFSOVibT47NntvaA/s1600/IMG_5611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdONkUoRW1mQ4VB7vZW9yKy0g8Lb2NxG_Zrdb-KJEMYoO_JJ5zOZ492XZucB9r65GZ98hZ6z6GSjqDFMjhms8y9YYggCUAnJB1uwIqxNfvfbUPvRs8bMyLhcMXOoCFSOVibT47NntvaA/s320/IMG_5611.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sam in a sweet? hat on her birthday</td></tr>
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You prob feel like you really know them now. They are super cool and are making this trip awesome.<br />
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<br />
<b>Q: </b>Have you ever been to Thailand?<br />
<br />
<b>A: </b>That's a weird question, I'm in Argentina right now. Why are you asking about Thailand? But if you really want to know, yes, I have been to Thailand and you can read about it <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2015/06/thailand-or-how-i-learned-to-stop.html" target="_blank">here</a> (you can also learn about Burning Man <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/11/hello-911yes-there-is-giant-man-burning.html" target="_blank">here</a>....really you should just read all my blog posts).<br />
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And this concludes our Q&A session for this post. I want to thank everyone who participated this week and please keep on sending those questions and I will answer them in future posts (or start sending questions really).<br />
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<br />
Last time I told you about some interesting observations I had made here in Cordoba. I have a few more for you today....<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>On the day that college students take their final exam, their friends "kidnap" them, strip them down to little more than underwear, cover them in paint and drive around with them sitting out the trunk of the car while they yell and honk at everyone. Then (in this same outfit), they go out to a meal with all their friends and family. Makes sense.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfNqlZwIshxL5QSdMdq5qY3B54ZhmqUYkY0W1kM8uPScjmkoHo9bMIqB7DgHAk5OFfgcLD6GnUK9oHFErctv8iPIlexAYSPrXbL2lXHk-C1dhLVb6olhb8UekOQPw_U32UXydVqxXxg/s1600/tumblr_nzffkjfLE21uxsd61o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfNqlZwIshxL5QSdMdq5qY3B54ZhmqUYkY0W1kM8uPScjmkoHo9bMIqB7DgHAk5OFfgcLD6GnUK9oHFErctv8iPIlexAYSPrXbL2lXHk-C1dhLVb6olhb8UekOQPw_U32UXydVqxXxg/s320/tumblr_nzffkjfLE21uxsd61o1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Not really an observation.....but everyone here drinks Mate. Ya know Mate (Matte, Mat<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">é)</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Mate</span></b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3W2JLirMLuZ7IpRlnvP2Pi5YsJtpwNGygOccpuoKC4cgIYIIpwUpGlT6fBKY6SDsk7dJXFfjracksbAammyWT22B3ICVJ-eFsA0Q_6QHt0n5u6r75PGiAt73SyoOzsDY5fO-SbFW0aQ/s1600/Barack-Argentina-Mauricio-Macri-Twitter_CLAIMA20160325_0089_28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3W2JLirMLuZ7IpRlnvP2Pi5YsJtpwNGygOccpuoKC4cgIYIIpwUpGlT6fBKY6SDsk7dJXFfjracksbAammyWT22B3ICVJ-eFsA0Q_6QHt0n5u6r75PGiAt73SyoOzsDY5fO-SbFW0aQ/s400/Barack-Argentina-Mauricio-Macri-Twitter_CLAIMA20160325_0089_28.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is not a picture of me</td></tr>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Not sure if I mentioned it in my last <a href="http://mattvisitsrandomplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2016/03/hello-from-other-side.html" target="_blank">post</a>, but they like meat here (I really know I mentioned it in my last post ) (I am actually referencing a joke I made in my last post about remembering whether I mentioned they like meat) (this is getting too meta)</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Cordoba has like one of the only <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernet" target="_blank">Fernet</a> manufacturing plants in the world, so Fernet and coke is the drink of choice here....not my favorite</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Argentina had this military dictatorship through the 70s and 80s that made a lot of people "disappear". They also had a habit of taking babies away from families which they gave to military families to raise instead. This whole period is called the 'dirty war' and its memory is very much part of the culture in Argentina today. There is a group called, <i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;">Madres de Plaza de Mayo, </i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">which is like mothers of the missing. So their mission is to try to identify children (adults today) who were taken from their real families and given to military families. They have a lot of political power and their symbol (a handkerchief) seems to be in the central plaza of most Argentinian cities (or the two that I have seen)</span></span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_XYoBsWL3BDOcmqqsg5SemW0apuVeZdAIT8NClLkjscJVw9INHhmPgwonIl0SXez0pmppTlUvqmLvjAtsbN_frFYnATz7hXEoyQc8fgwcdxEaopGTvqjw66Yddht5mszDlovHQkE5A/s1600/Madres_de_Plaza_de_Mayo_%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_XYoBsWL3BDOcmqqsg5SemW0apuVeZdAIT8NClLkjscJVw9INHhmPgwonIl0SXez0pmppTlUvqmLvjAtsbN_frFYnATz7hXEoyQc8fgwcdxEaopGTvqjw66Yddht5mszDlovHQkE5A/s320/Madres_de_Plaza_de_Mayo_%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Madres de Plaza de Mayo</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Last week was actually the 40th anniversary of the start of the dirty war and they had a large march through the city. Of course the US was involved in supporting the dictatorship here (as we tend to do (and continue to do (sorry for getting political(not really sorry)))) and so there is a lot of animosity towards what the US represents. Obama (seen above drinking a Mate) was in Buenos Aires the day of the 40th anniversary to help mend the relationship between the countries and actually agreed to demands to open up the CIA files on the US' support of the dictatorship in order to help find some of the missing. Coincidentally, that same day, Argentina dropped the reciprocity fee for US citizens traveling to Argentina (previously Americans had to pay them $160...just kind of as a fuck you). </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiMQTPmwI1Md_n3NYl2zgm4BkWphGBAhdU4IKTmCaBeM7rKh24pLCEZzZNv6KW280UThyDOte3OTQp5-VRckMdgUgrbKK_rab17qdDRxJRJv7525U2-QnzdyNpO9ZrekqKzGPnUwpzg/s1600/IMG_6082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiMQTPmwI1Md_n3NYl2zgm4BkWphGBAhdU4IKTmCaBeM7rKh24pLCEZzZNv6KW280UThyDOte3OTQp5-VRckMdgUgrbKK_rab17qdDRxJRJv7525U2-QnzdyNpO9ZrekqKzGPnUwpzg/s640/IMG_6082.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">There are also grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsHErDYnaZN72ugiADvezk8dfa58gekk0UiUj_IZNMsH3GgKdo1EXC9F9mgiwp2DgjPTd2kEBCss3Ln3CPoWVwBt8___LtUVjwiHMyOsXe2EHTiEEyqtYilxY-hhCBY8BC9nJVg7LKw/s1600/IMG_6024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsHErDYnaZN72ugiADvezk8dfa58gekk0UiUj_IZNMsH3GgKdo1EXC9F9mgiwp2DgjPTd2kEBCss3Ln3CPoWVwBt8___LtUVjwiHMyOsXe2EHTiEEyqtYilxY-hhCBY8BC9nJVg7LKw/s400/IMG_6024.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Someone's being naughty</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTLhSIG_It8c2yNRDteP-kdc4uym3uBYGrUHansWyrEB8eJrxsf31RZNuLvX1tQedJde_3Ykeb0JcJiWPTla98daOqtjcAVplfOcjgnNff-bt0zQTM1YSypwKIXvLuL-0Y_0yxBGc1Q/s1600/IMG_6038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTLhSIG_It8c2yNRDteP-kdc4uym3uBYGrUHansWyrEB8eJrxsf31RZNuLvX1tQedJde_3Ykeb0JcJiWPTla98daOqtjcAVplfOcjgnNff-bt0zQTM1YSypwKIXvLuL-0Y_0yxBGc1Q/s640/IMG_6038.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Translates to: "I come to sweep the backyard". Yeah, take that Obama</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxxVrdHszTEivCnLrE4_D6RmViT0jpNsqdMdJjZtKT1sGYOKtXr15yukGp0OcenfZ3HJv14DUyk021X2c83HvaiK0-PeoUqYonKrV0dFx5L04G2urJDaAMILu3NYJz0s6pp4tHdJWcA/s1600/IMG_6087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxxVrdHszTEivCnLrE4_D6RmViT0jpNsqdMdJjZtKT1sGYOKtXr15yukGp0OcenfZ3HJv14DUyk021X2c83HvaiK0-PeoUqYonKrV0dFx5L04G2urJDaAMILu3NYJz0s6pp4tHdJWcA/s320/IMG_6087.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: left;">Viva la revolucion!!!! #FeelTheBern</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Now, lets talk about my big trip of the last couple weeks....Mendoza. When you think of Mendoza, you should think of this:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Me, passed out in the grass on the lawn of a winery!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">But first, I need to tell you about the bus ride. We took an overnight sleeper bus from Cordoba to Mendoza (about 9 hours). This bus was first class. I'm not sure why we don't have these in the US, but in the words of Borat, "I like".</span></span></div>
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No, sorry, that was Air Force One. Here's the bus I rode on:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoG6R-eWxrwtW_DqnCYrKCMNNKtKEwqOCYv8j8Lkw_qBGTkohyphenhyphen02vdIOmPbPFxaaToAlgRe0Yv8GrP4CZ-KSqZem8oLqvviFnjL_Txz9KZVrjcvFpEa26x9lJhgkL_zNw7ZRBbloMJg/s1600/IMG_5940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIkdZ6cx5H1-WubkbYAKyOXguUzovjMltQXkCHJLLcdfClZllrldLFX_4x_t-uSuRnYrg1Z4b-277DCVg0Ih3GSVjvVSmafMe7X2sQUmbNjf15pJ9PEJzzVrQ4_UhKiEAK64csDEHig/s1600/IMG_5974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIkdZ6cx5H1-WubkbYAKyOXguUzovjMltQXkCHJLLcdfClZllrldLFX_4x_t-uSuRnYrg1Z4b-277DCVg0Ih3GSVjvVSmafMe7X2sQUmbNjf15pJ9PEJzzVrQ4_UhKiEAK64csDEHig/s320/IMG_5974.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAo1iJh234OGY3X86zUwIuRsIPq_IokEwiokYASX-1DrX5Bnd9NzkcCh-qfEb-kHvatRMw4K7swccrXeC41Ac8wYh_MFsnzfMIe8N5Ohc58fFL9WBBBEoJUy5jmi0t4n7bgez49IwNg/s1600/IMG_5632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAo1iJh234OGY3X86zUwIuRsIPq_IokEwiokYASX-1DrX5Bnd9NzkcCh-qfEb-kHvatRMw4K7swccrXeC41Ac8wYh_MFsnzfMIe8N5Ohc58fFL9WBBBEoJUy5jmi0t4n7bgez49IwNg/s320/IMG_5632.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Andy and Diane...so cute (one of two married couples on the trip)</td></tr>
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Your seat could go totally flat, there were TVs in every seat with a selection of movies (in English even), and a bus stewardess (not sure of the correct terminology here...bus attendant? bus servant?) who served you two meals and wine. </div>
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And that was my trip to Mendoza.</div>
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Sorry, no, there was more than the bus ride. We visited three wineries. The first was the oldest winery in Mendoza, the second was one of the newest wineries with a backdrop of the Andes mountains (unrelated to Andy in the picture above) and the third just gave us a bangin meal (a winery term) with four different types of unlimited wine (hence why everyone passed out in the grass after).</div>
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Winery #1:</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4yu7clLLSre1D1mysEQtb9ADvBd_nQGw50TSeB9KY3YJfb7epYBFTVmctHt8DESAEI6WgjMAhFGswEcQjcU-15JyCthY3ZHslgtAesFaHrDhimjs4hNBCfvdoxf8v14390g27l1MLQ/s1600/IMG_5675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4yu7clLLSre1D1mysEQtb9ADvBd_nQGw50TSeB9KY3YJfb7epYBFTVmctHt8DESAEI6WgjMAhFGswEcQjcU-15JyCthY3ZHslgtAesFaHrDhimjs4hNBCfvdoxf8v14390g27l1MLQ/s400/IMG_5675.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The wine I am bringing back for gifts for all of you</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO2kYeiXw_dBJSzVTEXi6W1qjRJV4r1Ks-MLuDCuaXzJ_cvgA5X8CP8H-eeKfoJ3pCP7z7hPqDpb71pfyRyiUGjZ6Fba4r4zm4aeuSQtdushMpXEHJVmkWxoEzl6iIKpDq7K88jsptg/s1600/IMG_5681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO2kYeiXw_dBJSzVTEXi6W1qjRJV4r1Ks-MLuDCuaXzJ_cvgA5X8CP8H-eeKfoJ3pCP7z7hPqDpb71pfyRyiUGjZ6Fba4r4zm4aeuSQtdushMpXEHJVmkWxoEzl6iIKpDq7K88jsptg/s640/IMG_5681.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Welcome to my home</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hUISUO_H4-I2_H8YiWay48n4w5DJQmrGgq9K4X97DSFzG3WfND6npgMWq0kqqp99t1veZt2-_NXMjcS4C7TkZkdJfBmDiIOdyLvxn7Ks4_7xugUB_Xc-vgR66ToXUlBZk5gbIFDN_A/s1600/IMG_5920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hUISUO_H4-I2_H8YiWay48n4w5DJQmrGgq9K4X97DSFzG3WfND6npgMWq0kqqp99t1veZt2-_NXMjcS4C7TkZkdJfBmDiIOdyLvxn7Ks4_7xugUB_Xc-vgR66ToXUlBZk5gbIFDN_A/s320/IMG_5920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pancho</td></tr>
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Winery #2:</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgqqpVkfySZVok2ilm4_IVCE56ag7zfGkDXCWpKHiGSHJ_U2g_m3IbB3gp_CXzxlCJTVL4i4VHA-bnjqueiwbr_wghQ62kdbkqyaqhZ6JNl9hie-37fagTMNxn1I2hPo1GzGtsdoV1A/s1600/IMG_5702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgqqpVkfySZVok2ilm4_IVCE56ag7zfGkDXCWpKHiGSHJ_U2g_m3IbB3gp_CXzxlCJTVL4i4VHA-bnjqueiwbr_wghQ62kdbkqyaqhZ6JNl9hie-37fagTMNxn1I2hPo1GzGtsdoV1A/s640/IMG_5702.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The grapes smell of fear</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnGzolgCBU_YDuyWIhd22r81nbNDzTL19ku5P4k5nq1OSYEd-o2-tppkwau4RwV8YMQgq3tCmwx0Fxvn2PeNoFFUDCUEWIyzaFHLFQV4HognE_LoM9JL556Zk94QnPPp1jkOc65GgTw/s1600/IMG_5845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnGzolgCBU_YDuyWIhd22r81nbNDzTL19ku5P4k5nq1OSYEd-o2-tppkwau4RwV8YMQgq3tCmwx0Fxvn2PeNoFFUDCUEWIyzaFHLFQV4HognE_LoM9JL556Zk94QnPPp1jkOc65GgTw/s320/IMG_5845.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Yep!</td></tr>
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Winery #3:</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha50p4l3NPT_8jK6XZNnT0AN4pAcRVl7MX8TFVcSdqO5TeAN-sR2CBdIKmMORfQTQnTTBp05cjXXKOsOILSDDdjknZmYercVjEqMo3hHviaPI6igQDUBYTIzuzLdw3C-0TbFzPOpOrXA/s1600/IMG_5753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha50p4l3NPT_8jK6XZNnT0AN4pAcRVl7MX8TFVcSdqO5TeAN-sR2CBdIKmMORfQTQnTTBp05cjXXKOsOILSDDdjknZmYercVjEqMo3hHviaPI6igQDUBYTIzuzLdw3C-0TbFzPOpOrXA/s320/IMG_5753.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Different grapes, I swear</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Part of the bangin meal</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Pbrfjm0an7UAyrvWC1I_kK8RYJCRF64rc4192yB8pVURhNTNKfyRPxHHE4-6uUwIoGmfBEb9XVrc4rveVtCE148z6z0kvlPnoHeEBScYFfn9jIlgX_5BJaxV5AV4HMCT9huNsEBFuA/s1600/IMG_5947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Pbrfjm0an7UAyrvWC1I_kK8RYJCRF64rc4192yB8pVURhNTNKfyRPxHHE4-6uUwIoGmfBEb9XVrc4rveVtCE148z6z0kvlPnoHeEBScYFfn9jIlgX_5BJaxV5AV4HMCT9huNsEBFuA/s400/IMG_5947.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Oh and somewhere in between, we took this gem:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not feeling the wine at all</td></tr>
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And in case you were wondering (as I certainly was), this is what an Argentinian rap battle looks like:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxF3wsfuZSjblfo2yz1-Qv_dzVFVGij3Qp0Z55Cr6eEXLH3YH7Rn5dhF90xkhh_7w-cVf3Ef2BVdOJ2ufyH2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Another major highlight of the last couple weeks was going to the Argentina vs. Bolivia futbol match (no not soccer you Americans). This was a qualifier for the Russia 2018 world cup.....and I got to see Messi score a goal on a penalty kick, NBD. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AI2fGi-Sy2XPD9G_nz_e8wOqX2IqI39d224kblpKzbJTC5g-SY6tKp-GJTUuF10oUgeT8UU9G4KwwcA8goYEeE6Ccaeq8sOiIg6kGzE7sgp6O-CtLv3fuClRgLpDlzF2Cjk-z9sUqg/s1600/12909569_711345406712_702910892174884340_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AI2fGi-Sy2XPD9G_nz_e8wOqX2IqI39d224kblpKzbJTC5g-SY6tKp-GJTUuF10oUgeT8UU9G4KwwcA8goYEeE6Ccaeq8sOiIg6kGzE7sgp6O-CtLv3fuClRgLpDlzF2Cjk-z9sUqg/s320/12909569_711345406712_702910892174884340_o.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgDl4fycjqUbpGIG_m8jVC6celXKbfHUtq56A8deRGu2LPr2c1weuS6JycuW5Tpl6eijkS1B2I9RjsGPIl7rfTqchHuKlULMKSUJ1XUMxkw57hnog_sWG3ketDVEFlytg2b5nc7i1yw/s1600/12909570_711345391742_8267333385382901043_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgDl4fycjqUbpGIG_m8jVC6celXKbfHUtq56A8deRGu2LPr2c1weuS6JycuW5Tpl6eijkS1B2I9RjsGPIl7rfTqchHuKlULMKSUJ1XUMxkw57hnog_sWG3ketDVEFlytg2b5nc7i1yw/s320/12909570_711345391742_8267333385382901043_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This being my first time at a professional futbol match, I didn't know what to expect, but I did expect your standard riots. As much as I tried, though, I couldn't get the riot going. But I suppose even if it happened they were prepared with with a moat around the the actual field.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The moat keeping fans (and the black night) at bay</td></tr>
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The stadium was setup as first come first serve with no assigned seating which was was unfortunate since we got there right before the game started and were forced to stand on the steps by the exits. The stadium seemed pretty unpolished overall with no scoreboards, time clock or other game related indicators of any kind. Just two jumbotrons (sp?) playing random videos unrelated to the game. There were also no speakers built into the stadium and they just kinda threw some speakers around the field for sound #DiscountStadium. Overall, great experience though. I recommend it to you the next time you're in Argentina during a world cup qualifying match.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroDWiSSmGSdLx57GM4d-L66rDNI5bDDwKLde86PmtDrWlE0NW6fHqPVaSDE95JTI_VaisFaKd0Ca5Lkyq4Kct7f5_kwHOulclEUT48ae_SvPbt6M8M0IFgMqVL2YW6rLPWe-kJfc7-g/s1600/12916222_711345331862_943653355105981894_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroDWiSSmGSdLx57GM4d-L66rDNI5bDDwKLde86PmtDrWlE0NW6fHqPVaSDE95JTI_VaisFaKd0Ca5Lkyq4Kct7f5_kwHOulclEUT48ae_SvPbt6M8M0IFgMqVL2YW6rLPWe-kJfc7-g/s640/12916222_711345331862_943653355105981894_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So much stuff happens here that I can't keep up with my blog. So much time has passed since my last post (and starting this post), that I'm not even in Cordoba anymore (say what?). Yeah, I arrived in Buenos Aires last night for the next stop on my trip. Thats right, its already been five weeks. How f***ing crazy is that? (the first * is for 'u', then the next * is for 'c' and the third * is for 'k'....the word is 'fucking'). I bet you thought I wrote this post all in one sitting...nope. It takes place over days of slaving away over a hot fire.<br />
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So on that note, we will say good bye to Cordoba and hello to Buenos Aires (I said, say hello!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Good bye Cordoba</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hello Buenos Aires</td></tr>
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Oh, btw, why has no one come to visit me yet?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-20040175453394108552016-03-16T19:35:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:26:44.934-04:00Hello from the Other Side<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here I am</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXLu2HIy0NWcwxkemjvogng6Ge8wMllGnSih_8fDVJcD_CLEmQU0zLlKEY7eX5fuDN0m_f6YwUkhM8XePlAPRC6lEPhaasu1EY3i6BBqHvSQTDNpu2rS8IyRyfW9L-Ja1RMuE8DhTKw/s1600/Untitled+presentation+%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXLu2HIy0NWcwxkemjvogng6Ge8wMllGnSih_8fDVJcD_CLEmQU0zLlKEY7eX5fuDN0m_f6YwUkhM8XePlAPRC6lEPhaasu1EY3i6BBqHvSQTDNpu2rS8IyRyfW9L-Ja1RMuE8DhTKw/s640/Untitled+presentation+%25285%2529.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Too close.....a little too close</span></td></tr>
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For those of you who hoped I was dead, you're gonna be disappointed......cause I'm not dead. Boom!<br />
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I am in Cordoba, Argentina mid way through my third week with <a href="http://www.remoteyear.com/" target="_blank">Remote Year</a> (that itinerary is for a different group, my itinerary is <a href="http://www.remoteyear.com/itinerary-march" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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This whole thing is so hard to wrap my mind around. I've been here over two week now which seems insane, but at the same time it feels like I've been living this life forever. I can't even remember anything from my past life (sorry everyone). I'm sorry I haven't written sooner, but there's just non-stop things to do, so I'll try to do something more frequently and not let lots of so much cool stuff build up. </div>
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Here's a pictures of a horse parade coming by the office:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvMZe6kcvOArK798hgnwf9Et2YFx0upJ_-lHZCAR-p_T4uo6MybHfSKB_s-Nv09UPgYI1fbJmwKQWBxJ85XQtZHXkL7PmoOPAE2f8er4QjHsr6PJBecAwtZfPdDlwGIYBuw8IZSsrNg/s1600/IMG_5490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvMZe6kcvOArK798hgnwf9Et2YFx0upJ_-lHZCAR-p_T4uo6MybHfSKB_s-Nv09UPgYI1fbJmwKQWBxJ85XQtZHXkL7PmoOPAE2f8er4QjHsr6PJBecAwtZfPdDlwGIYBuw8IZSsrNg/s640/IMG_5490.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Since I'm in a new strange land, I thought I would use an Adele lyric as my title. But I also thought I would put together a list of differing things that happen here in Cordoba (and Argentina in general (maybe...I haven't been anywhere else in Argentina yet so its hard to say)):</div>
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<li>Everything is sooooo slow here. You can't go to a meal and have it take less than 2 hours. Sometimes one person's meal will come out literally 30+ minutes after everyone elses and they dont seems to think thats a big deal. So much frustration! So many inefficiencies.</li>
<li>Time is shifted here several hours. No one eats dinner till like 11pm (even for families). Bars start getting crowded around 1am and go till like 7am. But people still seem to wake up in the morning....they just take siestas.</li>
<li>Literally (I don't take <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally" target="_blank">literally lightly</a>) every girl here wears platform shoes...I dont get it</li>
<li>ATMs often will have no money. They don't refill on the weekends or holidays and apparently haven't figured out how to determine when they will run out of money so that they can refill them, so theres often lines down the street for working ATMs</li>
<li>Everything has meat in it...especially ham. Theres ham on burgers, theres ham in lasagne, theres hame in ham. Theres just so much unhealthy food here. I don't understand why everyone here isn't super fat (like Americans)</li>
<li>People are crazy about working out (perhaps I answered the above mystery)...I see people with barbell sets in the park doing olympic lifts in the morning</li>
<li>This city is such an outdoor city...every bar and restaurant seems to be outdoors friendly. They have these things called gallerias which are like long alleyways filled with bars and restaurants and shops</li>
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Thats it. Thats everything I learned about this place. Oh and theres very few English speakers. Oh and my Spanish is terrible. But I am taking a Spanish class and using this app Duolingo. But my Spanish is terrible.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToEGtxkY-GsRGxNBBwapO_7n6Q9V6KECNyNwzrU_qA68sJQ5lEMT3FipN2c8aaf11OV8U48j58LyZ6uB7ynUxhOPxQeG89jxUtJdFsLVd54kOYpVikyfP__0ZdFd6stNyueZC4fAvSA/s1600/IMG_5473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToEGtxkY-GsRGxNBBwapO_7n6Q9V6KECNyNwzrU_qA68sJQ5lEMT3FipN2c8aaf11OV8U48j58LyZ6uB7ynUxhOPxQeG89jxUtJdFsLVd54kOYpVikyfP__0ZdFd6stNyueZC4fAvSA/s640/IMG_5473.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is how I tango in Argentina</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH-W034idEWlIz6qYn3dSQp-B9jW6CzZHppdzOLGJibeBe6QiqdVaF06WyIckQ2R3bLh0JKSk2HpFqFuaoznad1wRQeM-veN9I5V6tTQI8TkTR4zrIXJGiuD2GbEFRZSFmfFcYeV5Tg/s1600/IMG_5350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH-W034idEWlIz6qYn3dSQp-B9jW6CzZHppdzOLGJibeBe6QiqdVaF06WyIckQ2R3bLh0JKSk2HpFqFuaoznad1wRQeM-veN9I5V6tTQI8TkTR4zrIXJGiuD2GbEFRZSFmfFcYeV5Tg/s400/IMG_5350.jpg" width="223" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is how I running group in Argentina</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2D1q-w-Wm_SS_YzOop9rd_oEIR0gzsACXcwpJHmiQCyrGdVTNX8n5PLd-kU5QoYUi2OZnzHjYi3MYJjy4kaR0czFKKZ-43vm295aC4rdIsVc8eDg4IzX9KpvOjiLdZVvGm3Pk3ahkw/s1600/IMG_5459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2D1q-w-Wm_SS_YzOop9rd_oEIR0gzsACXcwpJHmiQCyrGdVTNX8n5PLd-kU5QoYUi2OZnzHjYi3MYJjy4kaR0czFKKZ-43vm295aC4rdIsVc8eDg4IzX9KpvOjiLdZVvGm3Pk3ahkw/s320/IMG_5459.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is how I foam fight with kids in Argentina</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQPoutXJBqhoxLrz84_Nr-40HCVO2poJuhVIgP3aq2ndllRAZ020d0MlnD3dKJxJPxTmT22TdLr0b_W4X8pnTrZrL2xmGO-mxHnYXS0uhstc5562aM_8ApNQobeG4niswe9Sv83Aj1A/s1600/IMG_5426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQPoutXJBqhoxLrz84_Nr-40HCVO2poJuhVIgP3aq2ndllRAZ020d0MlnD3dKJxJPxTmT22TdLr0b_W4X8pnTrZrL2xmGO-mxHnYXS0uhstc5562aM_8ApNQobeG4niswe9Sv83Aj1A/s400/IMG_5426.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how I pose next to a giant head in Argentina (although I'm not in the picture)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsES9MCJXTPNUxcev9UKnzKlvxTASrN0dDjxqvG5cH_2oBpOLAK889RiNxdYN8TCHMVx2LtiHrqqyj6uJ83SpUpsevI766j5LQ7fpDuaLv_7lyAhh5BmBko6P0u4ZfSGLak1koT2uuNA/s1600/IMG_5500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsES9MCJXTPNUxcev9UKnzKlvxTASrN0dDjxqvG5cH_2oBpOLAK889RiNxdYN8TCHMVx2LtiHrqqyj6uJ83SpUpsevI766j5LQ7fpDuaLv_7lyAhh5BmBko6P0u4ZfSGLak1koT2uuNA/s400/IMG_5500.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how I eat a seven course meal with wine parings in Argentina</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuh67y61-z__Z0gQ2NAMijzckZ6gcGh39feKmubJki415UXa1_NOiUbpASSgdnIgvIFqP562g70hWhQlpraplbEyGGfxmB0d8e8UzrQaGetGXGrfXit4GKNXBdBECsQWpZpzQjQROOyA/s1600/IMG_5514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuh67y61-z__Z0gQ2NAMijzckZ6gcGh39feKmubJki415UXa1_NOiUbpASSgdnIgvIFqP562g70hWhQlpraplbEyGGfxmB0d8e8UzrQaGetGXGrfXit4GKNXBdBECsQWpZpzQjQROOyA/s320/IMG_5514.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how I look at one of seven <br />
courses in a seven course meal with<br />
wine pairings in Argentina</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmjTZn5rbN8IsFaqqOu93T_4xJRWhwq4DmeFHI671vCcAAyaRu2w4l2JXYfQtJ-VkDjt4lcRD8DpBnNTySgKdYRRqU0rx8CbwhSEKrEBVnH5i5RMrwyomZcfp7Jin-c6et0JQwhsdqw/s1600/IMG_5464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmjTZn5rbN8IsFaqqOu93T_4xJRWhwq4DmeFHI671vCcAAyaRu2w4l2JXYfQtJ-VkDjt4lcRD8DpBnNTySgKdYRRqU0rx8CbwhSEKrEBVnH5i5RMrwyomZcfp7Jin-c6et0JQwhsdqw/s200/IMG_5464.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is how I nap in Argentina</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSbi0CmwAXpWg9ck34E21B7O574oowBSddKtI71edcPkSkitJ25m2WQkASJ_e684eqPR6TYNNZ97vHKoNvKRjQXKrgVigQUt99UkK-dwg6DTK29FKbzKR61rUMmuYT8qASGVqd-DmDA/s1600/IMG_5515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSbi0CmwAXpWg9ck34E21B7O574oowBSddKtI71edcPkSkitJ25m2WQkASJ_e684eqPR6TYNNZ97vHKoNvKRjQXKrgVigQUt99UkK-dwg6DTK29FKbzKR61rUMmuYT8qASGVqd-DmDA/s320/IMG_5515.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is also how I nap in Argentina</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExLdaf6g-PX5HZhEI1BCBhyphenhyphenCHhOd-RwiCTqMhIruXJFphc1j0I4d7NrK1766ft0W9YD9tH6NFEnt306sM6apo2dYhHxXMJ8JzyJUUDJrpedEmk4mQn-KT71h0zyK4kAX7e41f5RUkpw/s1600/IMG_5528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExLdaf6g-PX5HZhEI1BCBhyphenhyphenCHhOd-RwiCTqMhIruXJFphc1j0I4d7NrK1766ft0W9YD9tH6NFEnt306sM6apo2dYhHxXMJ8JzyJUUDJrpedEmk4mQn-KT71h0zyK4kAX7e41f5RUkpw/s400/IMG_5528.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is how I think (and work) in Argentina (sometimes)</span></td></tr>
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At this point, you're probably wondering, "how much did that seven course meal with wine pairing cost in Argentina". The answer is: "Like $60. Thanks for your question". </div>
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So stuff is pretty cheap here. Definitely cheaper than New York, but I hear this will be one of the more expensive places we will visit. I will be rich by the end of my year traveling around the world. Who knew?</div>
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There's like 75 other people traveling with me as well. Here they are:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1OHt46DejavpGyGben45bqD43olVB1tovWwQPjaJTKtKFS_OWtYWPIqhMJs7v9R59AiYylcd4t-rwcl2UezdCTY9akNn3c6j_cT5FVoJo4-ZnTG56JLwzr14PnXmqZxfT-9T-B2-Yw/s1600/10296426_10103897377765545_1562172287459857874_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1OHt46DejavpGyGben45bqD43olVB1tovWwQPjaJTKtKFS_OWtYWPIqhMJs7v9R59AiYylcd4t-rwcl2UezdCTY9akNn3c6j_cT5FVoJo4-ZnTG56JLwzr14PnXmqZxfT-9T-B2-Yw/s640/10296426_10103897377765545_1562172287459857874_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I can name exactly seven at this point. They're pretty cool though.</div>
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One of those seven is this guy, Abe:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGUa6W3XbNr9geaZf7RSGO6xO6O4Nm5OQfd60xnNI1wgTUGnJhqgM_GJpwC1lPJflYftNakk60gwq_FcPq8GaV8OVwz8w3laJcy4ihZjr_pW-YAuiXM1uJMDEYuD46HcSs64V6v7pHA/s1600/IMG_5353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGUa6W3XbNr9geaZf7RSGO6xO6O4Nm5OQfd60xnNI1wgTUGnJhqgM_GJpwC1lPJflYftNakk60gwq_FcPq8GaV8OVwz8w3laJcy4ihZjr_pW-YAuiXM1uJMDEYuD46HcSs64V6v7pHA/s320/IMG_5353.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">People say we're married cause of this picture...but really, we're just roommates</span></td></tr>
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At the beginning of the trip we were always traveling in groups of 30-40. Now we're down to something more manageable like groups of 15-20 as we start forming our cliques. This is what dinner looks like with 40 people (double-sided).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJhdhimXFzOOwbrKqdLNRBD1QygYR6J2ylmhy1OUBeWpIgNxaGpD1USm28wJUvhjZsbcem20QKP21M8NRQeMwe6xxGKrCWfs0mp_7Upz2lm6k7jTpMjobxhf-v094QKDYSMd0FAS9uw/s1600/IMG_5337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJhdhimXFzOOwbrKqdLNRBD1QygYR6J2ylmhy1OUBeWpIgNxaGpD1USm28wJUvhjZsbcem20QKP21M8NRQeMwe6xxGKrCWfs0mp_7Upz2lm6k7jTpMjobxhf-v094QKDYSMd0FAS9uw/s640/IMG_5337.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That guy in the middle is Mike. He's our token......Canadien</span></td></tr>
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Oh I forgot to mention that they like their meat here. Like really like their meat (I know I really already mentioned this, but I thought I would emphasize it. Then I decided I would act like I didn't remember telling you, but really I do).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1Ny8wujW2UmayRj5uzJ_8kH4FxHvc4sagceRJkIdEkQ2wfd2j-CDTumpFEOC044XUvtjQBY-n2-k9-Sv2-h79D1DQhY4P8tADiUybLO_ZG1VN4uxxi5AZk5v5fMbpCW-ZksWkRyymw/s1600/IMG_5381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1Ny8wujW2UmayRj5uzJ_8kH4FxHvc4sagceRJkIdEkQ2wfd2j-CDTumpFEOC044XUvtjQBY-n2-k9-Sv2-h79D1DQhY4P8tADiUybLO_ZG1VN4uxxi5AZk5v5fMbpCW-ZksWkRyymw/s640/IMG_5381.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">How do you feel about that picture Sam Levin?</span></span></td></tr>
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And finally (for this week), we went on a hike in a national park this weekend. So I took some pictures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was like a Condor trek and we saw Condors....so I'm supposed to be a Condor here</span></td></tr>
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There's infinity (literally infinity) more that I could write about and show pictures of, but I would never complete an actual blog post. So I am gonna cap it there for the first entry. But I will fill in more details about my Remote Year peoples and happenings and plans and Argentina stuff and everything else you could possibly think of later. This weekend I head to Mendoza which is a region known for their wine. Get excited. Oh no, I mean I should get excited. You aren't going. Unless you're a Remote Year member reading my blog...then you can get excited. But everyone else...sorry, you can't be excited.<br />
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And if you like my blog...share it with everyone you know. Even if they don't know/like me...so I can be a positive influence in those people's lives. Trust me, they need it!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-84536824211842028022015-12-31T16:19:00.000-05:002016-01-06T17:59:17.764-05:00Iceland: the most average scenery possible<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preface: Apparently I have this random obsession with taking pictures with my arms spread out in a Christ like-pose, so I will be peppering some in through this post.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp8SMc-M1raJgWqZIFcJDvt9Q-ujCEobJBpeExzEN4KVCq3TtBYVyC9S6Oq91YXT9VRheTzm78HwzQ7-LGRk6TknFXKCPABvLfAM5ewuedXQs_I5NPricThezMvHcK-3bv37ApfIjbg/s1600/IMG_4674.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp8SMc-M1raJgWqZIFcJDvt9Q-ujCEobJBpeExzEN4KVCq3TtBYVyC9S6Oq91YXT9VRheTzm78HwzQ7-LGRk6TknFXKCPABvLfAM5ewuedXQs_I5NPricThezMvHcK-3bv37ApfIjbg/s320/IMG_4674.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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I'm going to tell you a story. And you will listen to my story. Or you will just scroll down to the cool pictures below. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still here?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingólfr Arnarson (yes that Ingólfr) was a slave trading Norwegian chieftain. Like many of the medieval Norseman who settled in Iceland, he raped, pillaged and took slaves in Europe. You might call these people.....</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vikings</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XiDkT-dKs8DKRvJq4CHS96Tvyb9qCgFTlAsUtWnUkxTCoJ0XGX9QcyaR0pzvpmGsmcQPxO7Y2Lb2DYx4B7FSAbTBkPOJmPwU1PUJtYdsAE9Y7UcELw77LzQtSaPEN2c9PvGIhNyNKg/s1600/AP.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XiDkT-dKs8DKRvJq4CHS96Tvyb9qCgFTlAsUtWnUkxTCoJ0XGX9QcyaR0pzvpmGsmcQPxO7Y2Lb2DYx4B7FSAbTBkPOJmPwU1PUJtYdsAE9Y7UcELw77LzQtSaPEN2c9PvGIhNyNKg/s320/AP.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Representative of a true viking?</span></div>
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Note: from here on out I will refer to Vikings as "Adrian Petersons".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />So ole Ingólfr being the classy guy that he was...he throws two carved pillars into the Ocean and told his slaves to go find them and wherever they are found is where he will build his home. So his slaves go and search for these pillars for three years (great use of time), </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Is that Jesus?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and they find those pillars and Ingólfr names the place Reykjavík, translating to "Cove of Smoke", named for the geothermal stream rising from the earth there. Some time goes by. More Adrian Petersons arrive with their slaves and women they rape. Yada yada yada (eða eða eða in Icelandic). A financial crisis happens. And then Matt Levin arrives!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He conquers their waterfalls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He hikes their glaciers</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He takes a lot of pictures with their waterfalls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTF06DQmp9Kq3Ba85ZpeDAK-03Zhx0WyrR_QW6x3q0iZl2oCiNt6mQ9fhDDY6HG3lg9kGFmGb88sXkzWTwT5nXh0m1G8hzzDyv1CN2XUVjJROGLFYAVSvC45sqdE2NwEvldgCfaEr9qA/s1600/IMG_4715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTF06DQmp9Kq3Ba85ZpeDAK-03Zhx0WyrR_QW6x3q0iZl2oCiNt6mQ9fhDDY6HG3lg9kGFmGb88sXkzWTwT5nXh0m1G8hzzDyv1CN2XUVjJROGLFYAVSvC45sqdE2NwEvldgCfaEr9qA/s400/IMG_4715.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He mates with their horses</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He even selfies by their waterfalls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDqiyzD7AIgp79XrUXeh_cOzOohaP3gZW-H4Jmw6TS55fFFEAUjSUFLVCVEt5RCDuPanLJZ_iu3Flubb0KuqWyJ9ynI_vT-G2g2gRh2xkpnfOcJnTtxABxBOuG-noauexisUpJd5IyQ/s1600/IMG_4490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDqiyzD7AIgp79XrUXeh_cOzOohaP3gZW-H4Jmw6TS55fFFEAUjSUFLVCVEt5RCDuPanLJZ_iu3Flubb0KuqWyJ9ynI_vT-G2g2gRh2xkpnfOcJnTtxABxBOuG-noauexisUpJd5IyQ/s320/IMG_4490.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I mean like a lot of pictures with their waterfalls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUQ96mbmJREkyx2keoY1nFX3jF85ZHYWxDi1D4SGOBBC20FTrSiMOEDyqCZ-ezVnTvvn4J5jqeCjYj1S6Y1IO_BodYDjcOBR5JpEdJ_O8fzL_Y4pKNZTZKKIhFFE-pS0y-9nT3IyNVA/s1600/IMG_4528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; line-height: 22.4px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUQ96mbmJREkyx2keoY1nFX3jF85ZHYWxDi1D4SGOBBC20FTrSiMOEDyqCZ-ezVnTvvn4J5jqeCjYj1S6Y1IO_BodYDjcOBR5JpEdJ_O8fzL_Y4pKNZTZKKIhFFE-pS0y-9nT3IyNVA/s400/IMG_4528.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He drinks all their water</span></td></tr>
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Then Matt Levin leaves. The End.<br /><br /><br /> <br /> <br />I'm not actually sure of the historical accuracy of all that so don't quote me. But in a totally unrelated matter, I recently visited Iceland for five days with a group organized by <a href="http://mapandmove.me/">Map And Move</a>.<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2nRUPMG7tjmenxAbtXGA1hVBO3k9PRYg7BFlpqR-oGrwJUeWbMhmc9uw6lReRub3um447AJ_M0stZDAwtye7kS3mmlKbmpwPw5Ne9lwH_YQMRjjCnPZahkHzXk2eO57bmy92roXplA/s200/IMG_5001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Christ with a hat</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2nRUPMG7tjmenxAbtXGA1hVBO3k9PRYg7BFlpqR-oGrwJUeWbMhmc9uw6lReRub3um447AJ_M0stZDAwtye7kS3mmlKbmpwPw5Ne9lwH_YQMRjjCnPZahkHzXk2eO57bmy92roXplA/s1600/IMG_5001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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Day 1: The Arrival<br /><br /><br /> It was quite early in the morning when we arrived, so our Hostel wasn't open yet. So we did what you do at 6AM in Iceland....we went to a geothermal pool. Reykjavík has 17 geothermal pool spots. Basically outdoor hot tubs filled with geothermal heated water. It was lovely. Then the sun came up four hours later. Yeah the sun rose at 10:30AM and set around 4PM. It has something to do with El Nina I believe. The rest of the day was spent being tired, checking out the one touristy thing in Reykjavík.
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsdQV9_D8bag4NbuMIH0Z2abfRjA2JOD6o5MgnikkF4xU_mhQYp4zMNgj_YGogFRl8F7_5lZxN07YP-r-uE99K1w9LnUc0AHJznyvRKObJwEDARtqtPN2EtBWQW3KODTgVgG8f1B5Jg/s1600/IMG_4389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsdQV9_D8bag4NbuMIH0Z2abfRjA2JOD6o5MgnikkF4xU_mhQYp4zMNgj_YGogFRl8F7_5lZxN07YP-r-uE99K1w9LnUc0AHJznyvRKObJwEDARtqtPN2EtBWQW3KODTgVgG8f1B5Jg/s400/IMG_4389.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A church</span></td></tr>
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And taking a walking tour of the city. Here are the things I learned on said walking tour....</span><br />
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1) Iceland only has like 300,000 people</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Iceland has less than 1,000 prisoners</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) Reykjavík police don't do much. In fact they do so little that they have a following on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/logreglan/">Instagram</a> showing how little they do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) Iceland has real live Unicorns</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) Icelanders give their children last names based on the father's first name. So my sons' (I will have many) last name will be Mattson and my daughters' (I will have few) last name will be Mattsdóttir (sound it out....I'll wait. We good?). And its tradition that the first born son take the grandfather's first name so since my father's name is Sid, <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPsLtP8hc_KkHSCNAbRRS7kuk4o3kYYAYOjGTg0mmCLCPBoGwiYfSuJ_O4UejUqT8nA_KEn0Bogyj_wG7iSZljSd0AWCvbtj0Ms6g6AzLnmGh8oGOjV5IR-oN41H7RLQXHKqss13m5A/s1600/Sid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPsLtP8hc_KkHSCNAbRRS7kuk4o3kYYAYOjGTg0mmCLCPBoGwiYfSuJ_O4UejUqT8nA_KEn0Bogyj_wG7iSZljSd0AWCvbtj0Ms6g6AzLnmGh8oGOjV5IR-oN41H7RLQXHKqss13m5A/s320/Sid.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My father Sid and a bald guy with glasses...see what I did there?</span></td></tr>
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my son's name would be Sid Mattson and his first son's name would be Matt Sidson and back and forth they go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) Its cold</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7) This is a valid sentence in Icelandic: Ái á Á, á á í á.</span><br />
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By the way, one of the above facts is a lie. Its up to you to determine which one, otherwise you will be spreading terrible false rumors. Here's another picture from Reykjavík.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95_ySMWEpk0imgUW7hkRvkdScdfvxwOt4rxeZMq7O2LDpn61zIZpqAbfnkdtwAES3NYL_pONS2uWZB7bRGLTNGY4VFhl2mThJI74mIUwPITaiKLEg019vTL_YeEVLZ6fexFZ6c93jNw/s1600/IMG_4382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95_ySMWEpk0imgUW7hkRvkdScdfvxwOt4rxeZMq7O2LDpn61zIZpqAbfnkdtwAES3NYL_pONS2uWZB7bRGLTNGY4VFhl2mThJI74mIUwPITaiKLEg019vTL_YeEVLZ6fexFZ6c93jNw/s320/IMG_4382.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Something</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also had a thanksgiving dinner with some rando Americans complete with the traditional Iceland Thanksgiving horse meat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLweebdzK9Ayk9-QuaFvmY0sdJCG7W3PmdKNmt1DynOp469yC7a_O-PONrSYte2jFpfpscovZpIIF4F2joMW5jxxCZUcAdraTgKfFPeHdenT649ofnhCo8Ko5Z3OZjG-CWcHE5OFhU8w/s1600/IMG_4404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLweebdzK9Ayk9-QuaFvmY0sdJCG7W3PmdKNmt1DynOp469yC7a_O-PONrSYte2jFpfpscovZpIIF4F2joMW5jxxCZUcAdraTgKfFPeHdenT649ofnhCo8Ko5Z3OZjG-CWcHE5OFhU8w/s320/IMG_4404.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rando Americans</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgABM0qvUKO2RRTcKm_tMXEeMBWdnshGINL9enPQNN_1Qn8EFsNr9lC8A77ZLPcKKQNyoALKvWPdhfcvn3qXgPoRVFFuiOy6WB4uISshsux33fGlUewX2ThuruRhY7ozaEzfajBRLfQA/s1600/IMG_4400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgABM0qvUKO2RRTcKm_tMXEeMBWdnshGINL9enPQNN_1Qn8EFsNr9lC8A77ZLPcKKQNyoALKvWPdhfcvn3qXgPoRVFFuiOy6WB4uISshsux33fGlUewX2ThuruRhY7ozaEzfajBRLfQA/s200/IMG_4400.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dried Fish Fillets</span></td></tr>
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Day 2: Doin stuff</span><br />
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We rented a car and headed out to our first destination: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. I quickly learned that foreigners can't pronounce any of the Icelandic words so people refer to the different tourist spots by their first letter as in 'The one that begins with a S' .</span><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0q3byjfaVntuVit8T6WYUlEuBTeiQzgOm7gKShmXlwaLsaYWajJkST820_2S3WHIgJqtCEu35r2EgJUjNKGUQFvcNgK_Ouv8FE5ZjoA55xuRZGx3UBf_qxYfAZZopXjMyTBLr4PatA/s320/IMG_4524.JPG" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHw7qOFstbFpMTnArNsoK9WPeyiukiHYfjSEBS0ZBcxDik97YQmBQ7b12vaXatwSGeccRGtHryH-1pdzG-dxkqP7Uyhf27IvPHQBqkR5x-J9T8I5O66wI7ZehvKI5ggxLOmsnntXGoA/s320/IMG_4527.JPG" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdFwK_OBnXrJ72_7QMfPyAf1Y5NqhgyKOZfj8nX26QCl2olOWoGMvJqpOER8pfXWiMiWpteVNyL3j_ZMtytscNLgD_TGO0vSq4fh_QDUD3Ctc59QshYli6g9eZGp5HENo0xy1bTOHDA/s1600/IMG_4525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdFwK_OBnXrJ72_7QMfPyAf1Y5NqhgyKOZfj8nX26QCl2olOWoGMvJqpOER8pfXWiMiWpteVNyL3j_ZMtytscNLgD_TGO0vSq4fh_QDUD3Ctc59QshYli6g9eZGp5HENo0xy1bTOHDA/s400/IMG_4525.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHw7qOFstbFpMTnArNsoK9WPeyiukiHYfjSEBS0ZBcxDik97YQmBQ7b12vaXatwSGeccRGtHryH-1pdzG-dxkqP7Uyhf27IvPHQBqkR5x-J9T8I5O66wI7ZehvKI5ggxLOmsnntXGoA/s1600/IMG_4527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemYzXxSwChZMIYrFaBGvbEIZjhulK0qEY0xe8vgv45v3fG95MlFV5DrR4nWGCE9rrWigXHu25T7Aqv-bcIhTYoyxPrbukrcvMrFJIK6QI2d70gFvPaYERYlhUbSGyo1XLIJlyhwq1Xg/s1600/IMG_4611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemYzXxSwChZMIYrFaBGvbEIZjhulK0qEY0xe8vgv45v3fG95MlFV5DrR4nWGCE9rrWigXHu25T7Aqv-bcIhTYoyxPrbukrcvMrFJIK6QI2d70gFvPaYERYlhUbSGyo1XLIJlyhwq1Xg/s200/IMG_4611.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Almost sticking my arms out in a cross</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then we went to the Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced AY-yah-fyad-layer-kuh-tel obviously) volcano. It was that volcano that erupted a few years back and the ash in the air cancelled a bunch of flights in Europe. The volcano is actually on the south side of the island so flights in and out of Iceland weren't even affected (effected?). I couldn't actually take a picture of the volcano because it was behind some mountains....so I took a picture of a picture of the volcano erupting roughly where the volcano is....pretty cool amirite?<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span>
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Picture of picture of Eyjafjallajökull erupting in roughly the spot where Eyjafjallajökull is</div>
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Next up was Skógafoss Waterfall (the other waterfall starting with s). <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span>
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And then we decided to go on an off road adventure. As we were driving around through the fields of random Iceland we spotted a crazy looking rock off in the distance. At first I thought it was Plymouth Rock. Then I thought it was Fraggle Rock. Then I thought it was the actor the Rock. Turns out it was Dyrhólaey rock the whole time.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Not Duane Johnson (The Rock)</span></td></tr>
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We drove up a mini mountain to get a good look at this rock. And the full view from the top was really the highlight of the trip. It was just a good climax to the day of seeing so many awesome sights. Looking one way, there was black sand beaches, looking another was Dyrhólaey rock and back inland were endless mountains.</span></div>
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That night we stayed in an Air B&B out in the middle of nowhere Iceland (Kirkjubæjarklaustur). It was the only place around for miles and miles. But of course it had a hot tub and TV and other modern amenities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day had been a little too awesome, so naturally we got a flat tire that night. Oh Vishnu (or Allah) (or Jesus) (or Queztalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent) (or Zeus) (or Spaghetti Monster).....couldn't you just let me have that one complete nice day?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 3: Glaciers (or glass-E-ors as the brits pronounce it).</span><br />
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We woke up early and headed towards our Glacier hike. It was apparently the spot where parts of Batman Begins, Interstellar and Game of Thrones were filmed. It was called Skaftafell (the one that begins with a 'S').<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Remember this from Interstellar? I don't really care</span></td></tr>
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Here's some pictures I took while filming my major motion picture there.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Daddy likes</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's our guide (who was pregnant) who would have had to save us if we feel in an ice hole (official term). She's showing off her crampons.<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A famous saying in Iceland is: "the only thing to do after hiking a glacier, is go see another glacier" (may not actually be famous. Or a saying). So we headed on over to Jokusarlon (the one that begins with a 'J'). This one was melting into a lake and forming icebergs....so it had that going for it.<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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Really nothing interesting to see here. So moving on....</span><br />
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Just across the street from the one that starts with a 'J' was this black sand beach with the ocean forming ice blocks on land as the waves hit the beach.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24SfG_7t_KXWKkfBlqeDYJZ6ArBPsmVgddt11ICY9LhHMfoeReSBQrdafpa_yXnD1okyCPpKzmTXygZgOTEZHMzsX7NhqhdLoG3jCWbgKEoPEFe_y_B96tHYcn3RSvJMCOym5VGI-Og/s1600/IMG_4876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24SfG_7t_KXWKkfBlqeDYJZ6ArBPsmVgddt11ICY9LhHMfoeReSBQrdafpa_yXnD1okyCPpKzmTXygZgOTEZHMzsX7NhqhdLoG3jCWbgKEoPEFe_y_B96tHYcn3RSvJMCOym5VGI-Og/s640/IMG_4876.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s320/IMG_4877.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Its mine</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHIOaxahyZCd8bGDeiT7yCOShwNl85Kz2oYXtUmZaBrPacWdRtBcnw5FH5oJo1bF2zCzScydLqM_e-4NS6O4w9Y0T5X2TCsZel6wipIwKc_ICnoPZzRXF1dksSbdwS207M6KAaV-aWg/s1600/IMG_4884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHIOaxahyZCd8bGDeiT7yCOShwNl85Kz2oYXtUmZaBrPacWdRtBcnw5FH5oJo1bF2zCzScydLqM_e-4NS6O4w9Y0T5X2TCsZel6wipIwKc_ICnoPZzRXF1dksSbdwS207M6KAaV-aWg/s320/IMG_4884.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Black Sand, Clear Ice, Can't Lose</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVeSJdOG6G3HkfMg7X04ACIt9JjwQHwPfLpKsn5sWHAjoZKdCDyRU1Kh1PMo9uGMoi2jEqfabI2n9MGIVf6QS1wdV5dQ8XYi0ehjqtjYsKdk-C9Zht4tlFbJaMBkejArI2ioTftzBkw/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JwtOCUuqPv4hbfu3zCvDq1fMUwEi1GJjRyGOXi_S2cykFyq_oZJC9OxpKlNRA_qcSRC3O98eDCBE9_OeMOhZknrCcXEU3mWTvbAogvQnhS9RFfbyP8-5tIFdauzQpkd8BSNxDCFcEg/s1600/IMG_4789.JPG"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a></div>
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That night we stayed back in Reykjavík and learned that the Icelanders have a dark side. See we basically only saw one cop the entire time we were there. I thought this is because there was no crime in Iceland (which seems true actually for more serious crimes), but turns out they like to get their drink on. The peak of the weekend night (when most people are out) in Reykjavík is around 4AM and many stay out till 7AM (which is not actually staying out till sunrise cause the sun doesn't come up until 10:30AM this time of year). The Reykjavíkians drink heavy and fight. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Christ in front of water</span></td></tr>
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And these are people descending from the Adrian Peterson's so they are big mother f*ckers. And oh yes, there is blood. And there are people slinging dope (as the kids say) on the street and just general mayhem. As the saying goes, "don't go out in Reykjavík on payday cause people be spending their paycheck on drinkin" (I made up that saying but its based on the advice of a travel guide).</span><br />
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Day 4: The Golden Circle</span><br />
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I still don't exactly know what the Golden Circle is....apparently its just a small area with a lot of stuff to see? I wish there was some way to lookup the answer to questions I had like this.</span><br />
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We hit 4 things in the Golden Circle. I will call them Fault line, Geyser, Crater and Waterfall.</span><br />
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First up was Fault line:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzYvv9qcDLAt0KKX2qR5y4I6MORq5ClfJwNmM23xsqYZf2B0PBA9Kn4yrzI5E-iQ2g8NwSSdEZgehnMxzMZy7qHK_YH_supm1eOtfxKNJra_-KBAMw10wAtxwNQhLqYAOSHQrYyeTdw/s1600/IMG_4919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 22.4px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzYvv9qcDLAt0KKX2qR5y4I6MORq5ClfJwNmM23xsqYZf2B0PBA9Kn4yrzI5E-iQ2g8NwSSdEZgehnMxzMZy7qHK_YH_supm1eOtfxKNJra_-KBAMw10wAtxwNQhLqYAOSHQrYyeTdw/s640/IMG_4919.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fault line between two tectonic plates</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCln3lWeCLZ3AJLV02wifaMKwEGZTHqIxB8i2Vd5hlxuaJAnLR8qYxRiLIpAnrzkUSYMREDcn_JcyYGgrmG2GUGD88Ntc6ekzKWDjCC2Xpe-iMqeXzJC7BqqEnM3w7OAZ5ol4ukXLLdg/s1600/IMG_4923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 22.4px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCln3lWeCLZ3AJLV02wifaMKwEGZTHqIxB8i2Vd5hlxuaJAnLR8qYxRiLIpAnrzkUSYMREDcn_JcyYGgrmG2GUGD88Ntc6ekzKWDjCC2Xpe-iMqeXzJC7BqqEnM3w7OAZ5ol4ukXLLdg/s640/IMG_4923.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The same picture slightly zoomed in</span></td></tr>
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<br />
Then came Geyser:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtU7FXDkqlWN0-f4Oi3yJSCtQaH2KNa9X-FPkIUhFBhdA3Oze2Apy6kUnPg8eavzWWV6iVBuIrHQCwXjtiaXQAu1l8ygQ5N8DohfGv_swnXH8vD1j6oZ2RUzUanZ96mMmjsgpyNlGPA/s1600/IMG_4957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtU7FXDkqlWN0-f4Oi3yJSCtQaH2KNa9X-FPkIUhFBhdA3Oze2Apy6kUnPg8eavzWWV6iVBuIrHQCwXjtiaXQAu1l8ygQ5N8DohfGv_swnXH8vD1j6oZ2RUzUanZ96mMmjsgpyNlGPA/s400/IMG_4957.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Whoosh. Whoosh.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdQCf68bToYSaZS02SEzv8ANX3svEFuiZedNbEaqw-EqQQrzxx9Rdfaulb1r4yWf6GQoW5Hzu8gV3kG1xHZYRx2iQH_M6B4gchGxdIc619UBoFOadHyY_uxw1BJ-WfNP72bi1k6QDkw/s1600/IMG_4931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdQCf68bToYSaZS02SEzv8ANX3svEFuiZedNbEaqw-EqQQrzxx9Rdfaulb1r4yWf6GQoW5Hzu8gV3kG1xHZYRx2iQH_M6B4gchGxdIc619UBoFOadHyY_uxw1BJ-WfNP72bi1k6QDkw/s400/IMG_4931.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Just a picture of a building with the word Geysir on it</span></td></tr>
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<br />
Next we saw Crater:</span><br />
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Actually the Crater was pretty boring, so I didn't take any pictures of it. It was actually the only place we went that we were supposed to pay to get in and it was the only place I didn't take a picture of. Instead, here is a picture of some other random things...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxqsy-RTQvBiNifiN6VAkFaBozQvSGVZ3OkIQiytkDQ-8ra9u4dSVR21XU2etfQJF3nHvj6YYItUaW7KBYoJgIOp24fkKo-ju1ra7buowIs7DqlTTzHFKv3njaTYlfrVTDQj4v4Nskw/s1600/IMG_4399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxqsy-RTQvBiNifiN6VAkFaBozQvSGVZ3OkIQiytkDQ-8ra9u4dSVR21XU2etfQJF3nHvj6YYItUaW7KBYoJgIOp24fkKo-ju1ra7buowIs7DqlTTzHFKv3njaTYlfrVTDQj4v4Nskw/s320/IMG_4399.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Apparently America has cool flavors</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s1600/IMG_4403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s1600/IMG_4403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s320/IMG_4403.JPG" width="278" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I dunno what to say</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdcgCreid8JtaXSgH-11RdODO-_tDi1YcEVnW2YYLHM3U2V_4y38x9vK1xDtlJjKoIQpQSYTKZAAs8tu2cUqL_oJJBJM-2WfeXGC34iQshKvfKyLN1dXDggvO2SQCiTgKqxSJQekl9Q/s1600/IMG_4978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdcgCreid8JtaXSgH-11RdODO-_tDi1YcEVnW2YYLHM3U2V_4y38x9vK1xDtlJjKoIQpQSYTKZAAs8tu2cUqL_oJJBJM-2WfeXGC34iQshKvfKyLN1dXDggvO2SQCiTgKqxSJQekl9Q/s320/IMG_4978.JPG" width="320" /></a> </span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Badass mobiles</span></td></tr>
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Finally we saw Waterfall:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr49tXd8OPtn_QEWzwm-qGVz6qxgr_goE1EAxRmUSvJxfFi63sowSwJyfeYgbaCmQzQ1M_hUlYFtjAxEZX01NqCAri91X646Y4z_cPcN4zsyAw9Fvyu2eKzKxihgrRBQHmjAMVrNvUw/s1600/IMG_4999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr49tXd8OPtn_QEWzwm-qGVz6qxgr_goE1EAxRmUSvJxfFi63sowSwJyfeYgbaCmQzQ1M_hUlYFtjAxEZX01NqCAri91X646Y4z_cPcN4zsyAw9Fvyu2eKzKxihgrRBQHmjAMVrNvUw/s640/IMG_4999.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxqsy-RTQvBiNifiN6VAkFaBozQvSGVZ3OkIQiytkDQ-8ra9u4dSVR21XU2etfQJF3nHvj6YYItUaW7KBYoJgIOp24fkKo-ju1ra7buowIs7DqlTTzHFKv3njaTYlfrVTDQj4v4Nskw/s1600/IMG_4399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s1600/IMG_4403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s1600/IMG_4403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s1600/IMG_4403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftY46I0itq0MrVOZ3ufD3lz8K0tRIvkzPD20VZqogf7UxBvsAlQgvVcDRsNi8Ct1cclFH_0GGckEof7fW3ZQ8Lgg_n_NjIJ3Si0g1TF7PFlderVwGve9_Y2_dwtLGQOfJ667cfjtmwA/s1600/IMG_4996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftY46I0itq0MrVOZ3ufD3lz8K0tRIvkzPD20VZqogf7UxBvsAlQgvVcDRsNi8Ct1cclFH_0GGckEof7fW3ZQ8Lgg_n_NjIJ3Si0g1TF7PFlderVwGve9_Y2_dwtLGQOfJ667cfjtmwA/s640/IMG_4996.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And thus completed the Golden Circle.</span><br />
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Later that night we went hunting for the Northern Lights. You may know them as....'Aurora Borealis'.... or perhaps...'something else'. There are two indicators that go into the Northern Lights forecast; particle activity and cloud cover. Here is a helpful site that is used to know when the lights will be out: <a href="http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/">http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/</a>.</span><br />
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That night, the forecast was at a 3. Here is the picture of the Northern Lights I took that night:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPj-MZStxRaUsUNga1b-RlaUkJUHRqVMPhPcmfLkMTFV7PMVs2vadU6DJJv5xBetseB08r7yWdWQXhwyq2dqOo8eg7-X3H4N2gQJve-XCiSFeS1zBmvwDaXpzqxAuhw5S5_x2lFTdplQ/s1600/IMG_5027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPj-MZStxRaUsUNga1b-RlaUkJUHRqVMPhPcmfLkMTFV7PMVs2vadU6DJJv5xBetseB08r7yWdWQXhwyq2dqOo8eg7-X3H4N2gQJve-XCiSFeS1zBmvwDaXpzqxAuhw5S5_x2lFTdplQ/s320/IMG_5027.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taken with the iPhone 6 camera</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPj-MZStxRaUsUNga1b-RlaUkJUHRqVMPhPcmfLkMTFV7PMVs2vadU6DJJv5xBetseB08r7yWdWQXhwyq2dqOo8eg7-X3H4N2gQJve-XCiSFeS1zBmvwDaXpzqxAuhw5S5_x2lFTdplQ/s1600/IMG_5027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s1600/IMG_4403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_wSw5SkhMuA4IWOv6nfTxxDIcC4UHts3wfZ9MKBPz0Tix7KY-W5ABS8dnHV8pnavtcXY1PhiM_1REp3Yg80j3eL4mwtzwRRYxLfHkbjf-PDgALs144E9F6Hx9Np6O6anMYEaiiFI2A/s1600/IMG_4403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty magical. With the naked eye, it basically just looked like a cloud across the sky. The night after we left it was supposed to be at a level 5 which is pretty awesome. Oh, but a better camera captured this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYP7RLCp58HV5wQE07PKSIFoIJsU57ETRl2t4CRhyolRufYMGP74-aq7Jv4IMuQ1sSgEvfTtiWrB7ewWatOCZ5YShKLzE6tdzbOIhe57Qa1FBZF3U-2Bg4v4XKS_-ff2OIuVEZSz3MQ/s1600/12309467_10154691447112619_7554422904045911452_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYP7RLCp58HV5wQE07PKSIFoIJsU57ETRl2t4CRhyolRufYMGP74-aq7Jv4IMuQ1sSgEvfTtiWrB7ewWatOCZ5YShKLzE6tdzbOIhe57Qa1FBZF3U-2Bg4v4XKS_-ff2OIuVEZSz3MQ/s320/12309467_10154691447112619_7554422904045911452_o.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And an even better camera captured this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmlbIuyC7Umb-EhdUR0C2Gdhuse8oke3HVWZuc3m3dsrPQOskP5uN9BwQEKEkrxyOW6mjq5ezclE4p6XyFyCySIoBj56JoG1eZPe7Vf8N4XF5aE67pZgUJRDsSmiAzCuiNh9BSYE8cA/s1600/northern-lights-over-water.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmlbIuyC7Umb-EhdUR0C2Gdhuse8oke3HVWZuc3m3dsrPQOskP5uN9BwQEKEkrxyOW6mjq5ezclE4p6XyFyCySIoBj56JoG1eZPe7Vf8N4XF5aE67pZgUJRDsSmiAzCuiNh9BSYE8cA/s640/northern-lights-over-water.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but I just took that picture off the internet.</span><br />
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Day 5: The Lagoon of Blue</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rawwwrrrrrrrr! That is all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that was Iceland. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The jumping Christ</span></td></tr>
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Oh, one more thing: I will be traveling the world for a year starting in March with <a href="http://www.remoteyear.com/">RemoteYear</a> (did your head just explode from awesomeness?), so expect a lot more blog entries soon. Lucky you! Here's my itinerary:</span><br />
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South America</span><br />
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1) Córdoba, Argentina</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Buenos Aires, Argentina</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) La Paz, Bolivia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) Cusco, Peru</span><br />
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Europe</span><br />
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5) Istanbul, Turkey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) Prague, Czech Republic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7) Belgrade, Serbia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8) Cavtat, Croatia</span><br />
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Asia</span><br />
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9) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10) Chiang Mai, Thailand</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11) Phnom Penh, Cambodia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam</span><br />
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This is the last thing, I promise....here's a cool timelapse we took when driving....</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-51405163550375581432015-06-30T22:28:00.004-04:002018-07-05T12:14:30.480-04:00Thailand or: how I learned to stop worrying and embrace awesome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You know those vacations where you have ups and downs. There are more fun times. There are less fun times. There are boring times. Times of not awesomeness.....Now I think those vacations are bullshit. You heard me. They're not Thailand. Thailand is non-stop amazing. All day - every day. Before I went, there were all these other places I wanted to visit: China, Japan, South America (I know that that one is a continent), other stupid places. Now, they all sound inferior. Inferior to the great Thailand. If I one day find a nice girl and settle down, I'm definitely not taking her to Thailand, but until then, Thailand has this.....<br />
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And that was just the first day.<br />
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Imagine a place where every single girl (and half girl) chases after you. I know......you're saying, "Matt. I'm not a great looking guy. Why would every girl be interested in me?" Well, you're white and rich (in comparison at least). And pretty much every girl would marry you on the spot. The gender roles are completely reversed (from any place I have been) and the girls chase after the guys (at least the young decent looking white guys....which I apparently meet the criteria for).<br />
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And yes, many girls are for "sale". This seems pretty ingrained in their culture actually. And its important to remember that I am not saying that I engaged in any seedy activities in Thailand. Nor am I saying that I enjoy or endorse them. I am but a simple observer.......other than the things that I engaged in, endorse and enjoyed the hell out of (but I'm not telling you which things).<br />
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Here's an important glossary of terms to remember for your Thailand adventures<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Bar fine - Money one pays to a bar/club/establishment in order to take an employee with them from the bar. This is usually around $10.</li>
<li>Mama-san - An older woman acting as somewhat of a pimp for a bar/club/establishment. She'll collect the bar fine and sometimes negotiates prices for additional services for the girls</li>
<li>Go-Go Bars - An establishment where 6-8 girls stand around on stage in bikinis or similar with numbers pinned on them waiting to be selected. There's no stripping, no show, just....that. There are seats setup around the stage where people drink. These bars were EVERYWHERE</li>
<li>Hotel Check - I made this phrase up....but when 'one' brings a Thai girl back to their hotel, the girl needs to leave their id at the front desk. If the girl tries to leave without their 'host', the front desk will call up to their room and ask if its ok for the girl to leave.....what a country.</li>
<li>Ping Pong Show - Use your imagination</li>
</ul>
Here are some of the people encountered in my travels and others I heard stories about from locals...<br />
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Girls working at Go-Go bars (or other girls openly/directly/obviously looking for money for sex) usually they are on stage and at seedy rooms where taxi drivers will take one. Even though this is a more obvious/direct transaction, these girls will go party with a purchaser for the night....not just a straight sex exchange.<br />
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Bar employees....apparently almost all employees at bars can be 'bar fined' to leave with someone. This includes waitresses and bar tenders, but usually a bar will have a number of 'normal' girls hanging out that technically work there and are waiting to be paid to leave with someone. Careful with this or else that connection you made with someone may end up being all a ploy for money 😱<br />
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There are other girls hanging out and having fun, but don't work at the bar and still ask for money to go with someone.<br />
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Many other non-working girls apparently will expect some money at some point if they are taken home. This seems to be almost a custom? It's not paying for sex. It really just seems to come down to the fact that you are rich and they are not, and they have no choice but to collect money like this. It doesn't feel like they are out to get money, but if they meet a nice rich guy who can afford to take care of them, then they expect him to pay for things and give them some cash.<br />
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Nice girls to bring home to mom can be found on Thai dating sites (<a href="http://www.thaicupid.com/?&ovchn=GGL&ovcpn=English+USA&ovcrn=thaicupid&ovtac=PPC&mkwid=slwY0DtU4_dc&pcrid=45656558516&pkw=thaicupid&pmt=e&plc=&gclid=CjwKEAjw_MisBRCTuNPfoMqU4ngSJACrJv1VSsIIDALq1pgGEanUTXTGlODiQzPQ19oUvZupzzs6YRoCSp7w_wcB" target="_blank">ThaiCupid</a>). They're looking for a real relationship and marriage. Apparently they still have the dowery system in place and you have throw their family a one time fee of $15000. Also, the classic story goes, they will ask you to bring their poor brother to America with them. Turns out, he's really her husband and they both disappear once you pay for them to get here.<br />
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I realize I sound like an asshole and this can be degrading and sad. I'm in no way endorsing it, these are just observations and what I was told.<br />
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Now, lets talk about LadyBoys for a hot second. They are quite prevalent in Thailand. Its just engrained in the culture. Apparently families often encourage their children to take on this lifestyle. Often, they will take hormones from a very young age and get that magical operation and essentially retain very little physical evidence of being a man. There are certain tell signs to recognize a ladyboy, but even by the end of our trip, there was still no way we could be sure. Many of the ladyboys are actually some of the most beautiful people you have ever seen in your life, so to help you out, here are a couple tells for recognizing your ladyboys....<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Tall(er) and skinny (Thai women are very short in general)</li>
<li>Solo (or in a group of 2) away from the main action (usually waiting for you by their motorbike at the end of a street)</li>
<li>Aggressive (Both in terms of offering sex and following you and getting angry at you) (if you are gonna get robbed in Thailand....its gonna be a ladyboy)</li>
</ul>
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But I offer this thought to you.....if they're one of the most beautiful people you have ever seen....and they talk, act, and perform like a woman.....whats the difference? Does it matter at this point? As the old story goes....if a man has a sex change operation in the woods, was she really ever a man? What?<br />
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Now that we got the sex out of the way, lets cuddle up and I will tell you about how the other 5% of my time was spent (I kid...it was at least 10%).<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Thailand</span></div>
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A country you think about so little, you didn't realize that that's not Thailand (credit: John Oliver)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Thailand</span></div>
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I went with my brother (half brother if you're counting) (brother from another mother if you're into rhyming)<br />
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<-- Sam<br />
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Sam --></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SAM</span></div>
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We had 10 days (not nearly long enough) broken down like so...</div>
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3 days - Bangkok</div>
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4 days - Ko Samui</div>
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2 days - Pattaya Beach</div>
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1 day - Bangkok</div>
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We left New York City at 1:00PM on a Thursday. After a 13 hour flight to Beijing and a then a 5 hour flight from there to Bangkok, we somehow got there at 2 AM on Friday night. Clearly, we needed a drink immediately. So we ran to the nearest watering hole which happened to be some fancy club that made us wear pants. PANTS! It was like 100 degrees and they're gonna make us wear pants? But it turned out alright, cause within 5 minutes (and <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally" target="_blank">literally</a> the first girl I talked to), I had found me a nice little Thai girlfriend.</div>
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Awwwww</div>
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Now, I bet you're wondering which category she fits into, aren't you? Don't worry, she was one of the good ones (and I'm like 75% sure, not a lady boy).<br />
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We spent the next 3 days doing all sorts of touristy and drunken activities.</div>
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We got lost in the weekend market (where you could pretty much buy anything you would ever need...or not need)<br />
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Visited Soi Cowboy. A street full of bright lights, Go-Go Bars, Ping Pong Shows and other family friendly activities<br />
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(technically this last one was not on Soi Cowboy, but on Patpong....but its equally as seedy obviously and its a great picture)</div>
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A boat trip down the <span style="text-align: center;">Chao Phraya River</span><br />
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We got some sweet hats (they're actually Vietnamese....but don't tell anyone)</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">A trip to the Skybar at the top of Lebua tower. Do you recognize it? Do you? It's the building from Hangover 2. It basically exists now for the purpose of saying it was in the Hangover 2 and charging $20 a drink.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Over to Khao San road where the backpacking foreigners hang out.....and they eat scorpions and tarantulas (did not partake).</span><br />
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And our favorite mode of transportation was of course, the tuk-tuk.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">And after all that.....we came away with only minor injuries and mostly non-permanent diseases. We knew we had to double down on our party efforts if we were going to make America proud. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>With a quick 1 hour plane ride we arrived in Ko Samui. An island in the Gulf of Thailand.<br />
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Sam was quick to copy my efforts and find himself a Thai girlfriend here within 5 minutes of arriving (she was a masseuse working by the hotel).<br />
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Awwww</div>
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Now, I've done some partying in my day. And I've done it in some pretty cool places.....Amsterdam, Ibiza, Acton Massachusetts, Burning Man, Bangkok, NYC, Las Vegas, and a number of really great Bar Mitzvahs. Other than Burning Man (and possibly a couple Bar Mitzvahs), Ko Samui has the most partying per square foot (in the main area called Chaweng) that I have seen.<br />
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There's the beach which had its parties.....although mostly white people (or caucasians as Sam prefers me to say).<br />
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Oh yeah.....They had these bucket drinks. Pick an alcohol. Pick a mixer. Get a whole fucking bucket of them mixed together</div>
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Then there is this semi-circle road coming off the beach that is just non-stop huge outdoor, multi floor night clubs holding thousands of people each. Of course you can drink on the street so its like one huge party. Consistent great music too.<br />
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Those are the names of shots...you sicko</div>
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Every night around 11pm (after quality nap time), we would put on our best suit and thai and hit the town.<br />
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We actually mostly hung out with Thai's. It could have been the abundance of Thai women, but the Thai people are just friendlier. It is known as the land of smiles.........because people smile a lot. And man did it suck coming back to America after, which we've named the land of frowns.<br />
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And in Ko Samui, the lady boys were quite aggressive. They'd basically be lined up at the end of the main streets just waiting for you to walk by on your way home. I would get propositioned by at least ten of them on my walks home at night. Sometimes they would follow me on their motorcycles, continually stopping to grab me and offer all kinds of interesting things. But I stayed strong and only took home four or five a night....kidding.<br />
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But let me tell you, Ko Samui was more than just the night life....<br />
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They also had some motherfuckin tigers, yo<br />
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Ohhhhhhh look at how cute he is (and the tiger isn't bad either.....ba-zing). Aw look, he's got his tongue sticking out. It's cause he's thinking about eating us.</div>
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This is the only animal park we went to, but they had one for elephants and crocodiles and snakes and humans and monkeys. It seems to be a very common perception that the tourist animals are treated very poorly and its probably true unfortunately. The only reason this monster of an eating machine didn't devour us is cause it was drugged up. I feel bad...I do, but its so hard to find a tiger to take a picture with in New York. Usually, the tiger sanctuary actually has a baby tiger that you can feed a bottle to, but he was sleeping apparently, so we had to go with the one that could destroy us.<br />
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The one thing that was very, very disappointing about Ko Samui was its complete lack of picturesque views. Absolutely nothing!<br />
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We rented motorbikes and drove around the island (they are quite aggressive drivers and drive on the left.....so I feel lucky I didn't die). We went to a pool on top of a mountain.<br />
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We took a ferry to a a national park island<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I am the captain now</span></div>
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Sam got his Bungee on</div>
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And of course we had to get two massages every single day. They're ten dollars. TEN DOLLARS. And they'll even do aloe massages on your sunburned back! If you know how white I am (which you do cause there's pictures of me here), this was one of the highlights of my life.</div>
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For me, Ko Samui was the highlight of the trip, so it was tough to say good bye. But it made it a little easier knowing that Pattaya Beach was up next, which is considered the seedy place in Thailand (unlike these other tame destinations). People referred to it as the Vegas of Thailand. Be afraid.<br />
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The main street in Pattaya, Walking Street, is just go-go bar after go-go bar after ping pong show with an occasional bar and night club thrown in. You can't walk five feet on this street without bumping into a girl trying to proposition you.<br />
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Does that look like a guy having fun?</div>
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The other big news out of Pattaya is that I bungee jumped. This is not something that I can recommend. It's as scary as it looks. I still have the image seared into my mind of standing up on top of the tower and looking off the edge and my brain being like, "This makes no sense. Does not compute". But.....here we go.<br />
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After Pattaya, we had a day back in Bangkok and then flew out at 1AM and somehow arrived back in New York at 10AM the same day.<br />
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I think I covered all the topics I wanted to, but if you have questions, comments or criticisms please leave them in the comments section.<br />
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Like I said, I previously had a whole bunch of places that I wanted to visit. Now....I just want to go back to Thailand every single time.<br />
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Oh...I also ate some pad thai<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438702394492746724.post-36154801819736320242014-06-04T20:03:00.000-04:002018-07-05T12:15:10.905-04:00Don't Drink the Water....There's Local Bacteria In It<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Frankie Botero!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; text-align: right;">< ------this guy------ ><!--------this--><!--------this--><!--------this--></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-9EN__rE12WZSgCwwcQi_CorbDL-EbEIAdRCZib_xJCIktNvKTgNXpNyMh2I2kLoknxGpEaaYOVuuef9_VOqc_3Eo18vXh9F7eLoSkFcWbUxFkMbn89nYBFmY6tlbEarWLNFlN6jVw/s1600/304905_10100446848309364_701667187_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-9EN__rE12WZSgCwwcQi_CorbDL-EbEIAdRCZib_xJCIktNvKTgNXpNyMh2I2kLoknxGpEaaYOVuuef9_VOqc_3Eo18vXh9F7eLoSkFcWbUxFkMbn89nYBFmY6tlbEarWLNFlN6jVw/s1600/304905_10100446848309364_701667187_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJqJ2X3RJLwYsXlEo6oRvJJIs_dmNv3QlSwVhg4iL9HHlK1pzkLD90PrJ72sXTutAWUIhfnCMgqd05qrmLRqwiYlFrDA9CczpP0oel7SUdpbAS4VdeqQZ2fAhyb14z_Izwts2iKwHwA/s1600/2014-02-28+18.54.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJqJ2X3RJLwYsXlEo6oRvJJIs_dmNv3QlSwVhg4iL9HHlK1pzkLD90PrJ72sXTutAWUIhfnCMgqd05qrmLRqwiYlFrDA9CczpP0oel7SUdpbAS4VdeqQZ2fAhyb14z_Izwts2iKwHwA/s1600/2014-02-28+18.54.51.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Well he decided to get hitched. Take the plunge. Tie the knot. Get married. Hook up the ball and chain. Put his sex life in a locked box. </div>
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So, he needed to have a bachelor party. Since they don't allow Google Glass in strip clubs, we headed to Isla de Mujeres. An island off of Cancun, known for two of the following three things: scuba diving, sea food and loose women. And Mexicans. </div>
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Look at that beautiful fucking color. Isn't it the shit?</div>
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Isn't it?</div>
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Well we were only there for a weekend, but we managed to pack in at least a long weekend's worth of activities in. And on the very first activity, I was already burned (and drunk). We had to take a boat over from the main land (since an island is surrounded by water) and we sat on top. Done. Burned. Red. Ouch. But in my defense, I'm really white. That's not really a defense.<br />
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The rest of the day was spent eating, drinking, swimming and drinking. Also curling up with my fellow bachelor partiers to enjoy the sunset. Awww.<br />
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You can't see it, but I'm being embraced by a drunk groomsman</div>
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We finished the night with drinking and a good ole game of Cards Against Humanity. The next day, we're up early for taco's and scuba diving.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DIUMTKwc04BpNiexVbp4sNmPpERewsWH7f5une2vq8grYD2lK7cJDV69aEoL7OV8OALmDlxn9k2nRo_mMEEx0EyOgMlcsjcbBiuWbIzCIs4lEGzPlY7Gaa_ecyK9YF47oBCqk9UoEA/s1600/2014-03-01+09.52.53-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DIUMTKwc04BpNiexVbp4sNmPpERewsWH7f5une2vq8grYD2lK7cJDV69aEoL7OV8OALmDlxn9k2nRo_mMEEx0EyOgMlcsjcbBiuWbIzCIs4lEGzPlY7Gaa_ecyK9YF47oBCqk9UoEA/s1600/2014-03-01+09.52.53-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm a little bit sexy and I know it</div>
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There were fish. There were sea turtles. There were people puking off the side of the boat. There were near death experiences. There were death experiences. Most of us made it back to shore in one piece.</div>
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And then we got back to drinking....and eating. I seriously put on 37 pounds while I was there. This is what I looked like after. This is not an exaggeration at all.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueEb5fSvdag6sKUlGMubgase3AqxMyNLLBVNZ9ngzcFA80xvzQm4tlV1TH_t44QU1XnMPuC-AyRdeGA4MzrUg-nMobc1fRzpDO7Kydl96WLfm_I3Eq6TFWvhrwweHASzkirltAz6t0Q/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueEb5fSvdag6sKUlGMubgase3AqxMyNLLBVNZ9ngzcFA80xvzQm4tlV1TH_t44QU1XnMPuC-AyRdeGA4MzrUg-nMobc1fRzpDO7Kydl96WLfm_I3Eq6TFWvhrwweHASzkirltAz6t0Q/s1600/unnamed.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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I'm hideous and I know it</div>
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I ate so much fucking food. I ate giant sticks of meat. Giant tacos of meat. Giant Burritos of meat. Giant vegetarian meats. And fried bread with sugar on it. And Churros. And this was all the real deal Mexican shit cooked on the street in front of you. So you know it low grade shit you're eating.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUwwZJKTDkyHfd7R8quVmXLYvxuNAiNt-zEU8Tj0tBFQ8lkRuvI7UU6e9KpG4aGXQLf3yt_ZUbeliE9aqrlKP4P24ePnkEfBxNxFLUumO4acWV6nhnNqWHJo_tJnI5JAFBMkHfPZ37Q/s1600/2014-03-01+20.02.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUwwZJKTDkyHfd7R8quVmXLYvxuNAiNt-zEU8Tj0tBFQ8lkRuvI7UU6e9KpG4aGXQLf3yt_ZUbeliE9aqrlKP4P24ePnkEfBxNxFLUumO4acWV6nhnNqWHJo_tJnI5JAFBMkHfPZ37Q/s1600/2014-03-01+20.02.16.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqM-ZX2QW9T6lIKTw4RZOrGr9N-mspjeskM_20JzmOemy_MXAfkWm-g-CYNi0RE_5AUYIaW1RUGodKUlrWQlbpN_hVbaT7qeBAePqu7b15KfaPyyZIUYnJrNk4lU2OSbfBYP06eHBLuw/s1600/2014-03-01+20.02.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqM-ZX2QW9T6lIKTw4RZOrGr9N-mspjeskM_20JzmOemy_MXAfkWm-g-CYNi0RE_5AUYIaW1RUGodKUlrWQlbpN_hVbaT7qeBAePqu7b15KfaPyyZIUYnJrNk4lU2OSbfBYP06eHBLuw/s1600/2014-03-01+20.02.52.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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But the one thing that I couldn't find...until the very end was Tortas. And when I did finally find and have one, it wasn't even good. It was just a ton of meat on bread. Those Mexicans need to take a lesson from the NYC street vendors and learn how to make Mexican food. Who's with me?</div>
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In general, there seems to be a lot of Mexican beers in Mexico....except Corona. It's like the Mexicans got together and decided to ostracize Corona cause its the most popular in America. Dos Equis....no problem. Pacifico....everywhere. Negra Modelo....have another. Corona....oh there's one shop on the other side of the island that has that. But who's gives a shit right? I already have what I need for my picture...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibyxq7UGiT-ZiHbZxXw8atNKObtEabsaIYR6t1wzh21021j-ipv4pyGhCNIikTsVwYNI5IQCV8lGaOZWzo1E7jkZNu7pIvluN8IV0fqF7Gl2Bq-c1_9vz3ZZipL3IMzg6uvmqsSIHIQ/s1600/2014-03-02+10.17.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibyxq7UGiT-ZiHbZxXw8atNKObtEabsaIYR6t1wzh21021j-ipv4pyGhCNIikTsVwYNI5IQCV8lGaOZWzo1E7jkZNu7pIvluN8IV0fqF7Gl2Bq-c1_9vz3ZZipL3IMzg6uvmqsSIHIQ/s1600/2014-03-02+10.17.07.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I don't always take pictures on vacation, but when I do, I try to pose so that I can make a cliche caption.</div>
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Sunday! The last day of our 2.5 day trip! We rented golf carts and rode around the tiny island. As this was Mexico, and I have problems, I felt obligated to drink and drive. Don't worry, it's just a golf cart. And I couldn't even knock that guy over when I hit him going full speed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdhudQOjN-WJ_qTw4_Jkbld7hd54UoX2Q2KpqKvB2vRayGkACQ7UqZfvfxSMoeoNAufYyC4J6LnEiZ-gEqpJnMEuIHaOeFYi3FeMyGuvNv5rkSMZI34Gikg5by1ZP-3lpsWEFgQIspQ/s1600/P1000232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdhudQOjN-WJ_qTw4_Jkbld7hd54UoX2Q2KpqKvB2vRayGkACQ7UqZfvfxSMoeoNAufYyC4J6LnEiZ-gEqpJnMEuIHaOeFYi3FeMyGuvNv5rkSMZI34Gikg5by1ZP-3lpsWEFgQIspQ/s1600/P1000232.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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But I did get to pose for some beautiful shots in the beautiful landscape. I am sending these to a modeling agency that appeals to albinos getting over their fear of the sun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHriEDFOlIoujLzvPjVp62BGs_3VA2kU2TwbbzJZb73TtB9yISXicWGx55g0XJeWSkda8T77UBJbqx18xphG2KAw2Y2nLGiPXuB9-rAz9ndXElkZVIgz09hpsaGznSLTC4kgSdiftMw/s1600/2014-03-02+10.11.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHriEDFOlIoujLzvPjVp62BGs_3VA2kU2TwbbzJZb73TtB9yISXicWGx55g0XJeWSkda8T77UBJbqx18xphG2KAw2Y2nLGiPXuB9-rAz9ndXElkZVIgz09hpsaGznSLTC4kgSdiftMw/s1600/2014-03-02+10.11.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0JUX4FTMzZQ6JOj3abd1YIi5CWjwJWqtVdJTqnCPl99IT8mfXZwb6UgjHlqm0SuOZoH3vQSthHiOcEfBsf7_zTcMnas3T9UX_jtxDub2LrmjY6h-Zs7UpEps3yNJ9DmjiwTtRll0Hw/s1600/2014-03-02+10.11.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0JUX4FTMzZQ6JOj3abd1YIi5CWjwJWqtVdJTqnCPl99IT8mfXZwb6UgjHlqm0SuOZoH3vQSthHiOcEfBsf7_zTcMnas3T9UX_jtxDub2LrmjY6h-Zs7UpEps3yNJ9DmjiwTtRll0Hw/s1600/2014-03-02+10.11.11.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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After all that somewhat fun in the sun, it unfortunately had to come to an end. Just like Frankie's single life came to an end. And so, being the good hosts that they are, the Mexicans simultaneously reminded us not to take liquids on the plane and become alcoholics.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3QUw8sr9O38wWgUJBQ0LWm7oLGDoibRuTff8RMYGY0oNrGRTptS55CJPcHksBHfUov85DAdqopAtdtRx1UlEx4uU7xidGfiCJjfVFo6TfSQwt3tsnzbuhsI8zyZ0BmyKq87gvwyA_w/s1600/2014-03-02+13.54.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3QUw8sr9O38wWgUJBQ0LWm7oLGDoibRuTff8RMYGY0oNrGRTptS55CJPcHksBHfUov85DAdqopAtdtRx1UlEx4uU7xidGfiCJjfVFo6TfSQwt3tsnzbuhsI8zyZ0BmyKq87gvwyA_w/s1600/2014-03-02+13.54.43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelB-kXBk68PYvTmjIm7iXv5e3O7rvjqUL9f-HigVjqe7484ZqEJxaT25wW6-aI8ftH9BXDfRAc7H3It3Mn9HhgCEDAa41m7wKFSGSIMpjHz1cMVnSiUMjqvLAxopq2c-5Lx8gKxOXaw/s1600/2014-03-02+13.54.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelB-kXBk68PYvTmjIm7iXv5e3O7rvjqUL9f-HigVjqe7484ZqEJxaT25wW6-aI8ftH9BXDfRAc7H3It3Mn9HhgCEDAa41m7wKFSGSIMpjHz1cMVnSiUMjqvLAxopq2c-5Lx8gKxOXaw/s1600/2014-03-02+13.54.52.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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What?</div>
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And finally, whats wrong with this picture?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlSx23SjPJ4Sl2aUOO-pq1q9wIM7q-hwuunI70JhoobUt4JxchSWN8gie-GdnJXnkBbYoGBL2TUuCeD5QNaiIu1_P5mWkfIYCKM1mSN3HBEoTBcm7aPTjT8JgKm7ULKtP1UMGQgYRGw/s1600/1981805_10152262100651718_202872844_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlSx23SjPJ4Sl2aUOO-pq1q9wIM7q-hwuunI70JhoobUt4JxchSWN8gie-GdnJXnkBbYoGBL2TUuCeD5QNaiIu1_P5mWkfIYCKM1mSN3HBEoTBcm7aPTjT8JgKm7ULKtP1UMGQgYRGw/s1600/1981805_10152262100651718_202872844_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you would like to find out how you too can create a picture like this using just your iphone, email me at itsreallynotthatcool@gmail.com and allow 6-8 months for processing.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193282031508390592noreply@blogger.com0North America21.022982546427436 -97.64648437520.074940046427436 -98.937377875 21.971025046427435 -96.355590875