Although I have been back in KS for more than 6 weeks since the road trip out west, I finally realized today as I was posting a facebook photo and could not remember the name of "Monument Valley" that it is past due to write something about that short jaunt to San Francisco and back. I suppose driving more than 4,000 miles in roughly 11 days is not short, but it did pass by quickly.
Of course I have been west on I-70 before, but after leaving the hot springs behind in Glenwood Springs, CO it was new territory for me. However, being tired from spending the whole day in the car, I let Thomas take the wheel and woke up somewhere in Utah headed south towards Monument Valley. I was immediately confused by the two lane highway full of semi-trucks and animal crossing signs. Utah seemed like an eerie place for some reason, and I’m still not completely sure why. Maybe it was caused by a lack of sleep or the slight panic that we were going to run out of gas at one point.
Anyhow, that feeling followed me to the Grand Canyon and all the way to Las Vegas after that. I think it had something to do with being in the dry, still desert. I would definitely not be a good desert dweller. I did not enjoy the constant thirst or extreme temperatures, but the views are worth any inconveniences, of course. There is so much vast space that the sky seems to expand like never before, and the landscapes are sharp against the blue background and demand your attention. I especially found this to be the case in Monument Valley at sunrise.
After one night of driving and one night of camping, we arrived exhausted in Vegas on the third night. What an interesting place, easy to criticize for a thousand reasons, but that’s not the point of going, right? I’ll just mention that we spent a lot of time playing fifty cents chips on the roulette table at Slots A Fun, saw mind freak Criss Angel, and ate at a buffet, despite my general intolerance of buffets.
We left the oasis Saturday morning and made it to San Jose, CA that evening to stay with Thomas’s friend, Neli, which was a lovely way to spend our Saturday night. Then, we spent two nights in San Francisco before Thomas had to leave and before I had the long, lone drive home. Of course, there is something entertaining to say when it comes to lively San Francisco. For me, it’s a toss up between the break dancing that we watched by Navy Pier or the homeless guy we saw walking around Union Square at 10 pm with a backpack and headlamp singing about breaking into cars and stealing laptops.
So, now here I sit back in KS, still wondering if driving across the country had some impact on my perspective of the USA. Of course it did, after all our experiences shape our thoughts into our realities, or do our thoughts shape our experiences…? Ok, but really “Reality is in the eye of the beholder” (Michael Faraday). Tell me your version and I’ll tell you mine.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Cross country corn fields
Going on a road trip through the USA is something that I have always dreamed of doing; at the same time it has been a distant thought. I lacked the time, funds and company to undertake such an endeavor. When it's possible to travel for 2 weeks in exotic Guatemala for less than 300 USD, why would I want to spend the same amount for a weekend in NYC? Well, when I realized that I had the time, company and newly acquired skill of frugality it seemed feasible and full of adventure after all.
So, after some (inadequate) planning, Thomas and I started the East coast portion of the trip. The planned stops included: Chicago, IL; Saugatuck, MI; Niagara Falls, ON; Manchester, VT; Boston, MA; Goshen, NY; New York City, NY; Middletown, DE; Washington DC; somewhere is Smoky Mountain National Park and one last weekend in Nashville, TN. Currently we are in Middletown visiting Thomas's relatives.
Although it's always nice and neat to write something about each destination, or perhaps the highlights of the trip thus far, what I find more interesting is how my perception of the USA has changed, stayed the same and somehow grown more complex with every 100 miles of road traveled.
Being the eternal optimist that I am, I began this trip with high hopes of awakening feelings of pride and wonderment about my motherland that I knew were hiding somewhere in the crevices of my mind. However, as we crossed more state borders and filled up on gas a few more times, one of the only thoughts running through my seemingly inactive mind was: who is consuming all this corn? I thought KS was known for continuous corn fields, but now as I sit in a suburb of Delaware I can nearly see corn from the window.
Three weeks of long drives, happening city night life, beautiful vistas of Niagara falls and mountains in Vermont and I think the USA all boils down to farmlands and suburbs between fast-paced, diverse cities, really? It's obviously not that simple, and as much as I want to be able to clearly define my opinion of the USA or at least be able to describe why I have some of the sentiments that I do, I need some more time and maybe a few more thousand miles on my car before reaching that goal.
Until then, let me say something about all things east of KS. After visiting Chi-town, Boston, NYC and Philly; Chicago (in the summer) is still my favorite city. In my mind it has a little bit of everything...a beautiful lake, shopping downtown, great public transit, panoramic views from Sears Tower, fun night life and it holds it all together with Midwest hospitality. Of course, NYC outdoes Chicago when it comes to crowd watching (think Times Square), museums (think MET), Starbucks per capita, impressive skyscrapers and utter craziness in general. But Boston has Fenway Park, Harvard Square, fresh lobster, feeling like you're on the set of The Departed and of course the quaint bar/restaurant with good food and quirky decorations that Eddie and Staci didn't want us to miss out on.
Philadelphia is the freshest in my memory (we were just there yesterday) and it also has the freshest personality. It's somehow different and knows it. From the historical Old City to the famous cheese steaks, boutiques and art scene of South Street this welcoming city has something to offer every traveler, despite it's rough reputation.
Between all the cities has been a lot of time on the road, the famous "Maid of the Mist" boat tour of Niagara Falls, and camping/hiking in the "green mountains" of Vermont; which is where our lack of planning campsite was saved by a friendly retired couple who gave us a fire starter AND leftovers from the campsite owner's 75th birthday party. Only in America.
DC is coming up this weekend and I'm hoping that by being in the nation's capital I automatically understand the complexities of American politics. Unlikely, but dream big, right?
So, after some (inadequate) planning, Thomas and I started the East coast portion of the trip. The planned stops included: Chicago, IL; Saugatuck, MI; Niagara Falls, ON; Manchester, VT; Boston, MA; Goshen, NY; New York City, NY; Middletown, DE; Washington DC; somewhere is Smoky Mountain National Park and one last weekend in Nashville, TN. Currently we are in Middletown visiting Thomas's relatives.
Although it's always nice and neat to write something about each destination, or perhaps the highlights of the trip thus far, what I find more interesting is how my perception of the USA has changed, stayed the same and somehow grown more complex with every 100 miles of road traveled.
Being the eternal optimist that I am, I began this trip with high hopes of awakening feelings of pride and wonderment about my motherland that I knew were hiding somewhere in the crevices of my mind. However, as we crossed more state borders and filled up on gas a few more times, one of the only thoughts running through my seemingly inactive mind was: who is consuming all this corn? I thought KS was known for continuous corn fields, but now as I sit in a suburb of Delaware I can nearly see corn from the window.
Three weeks of long drives, happening city night life, beautiful vistas of Niagara falls and mountains in Vermont and I think the USA all boils down to farmlands and suburbs between fast-paced, diverse cities, really? It's obviously not that simple, and as much as I want to be able to clearly define my opinion of the USA or at least be able to describe why I have some of the sentiments that I do, I need some more time and maybe a few more thousand miles on my car before reaching that goal.
Until then, let me say something about all things east of KS. After visiting Chi-town, Boston, NYC and Philly; Chicago (in the summer) is still my favorite city. In my mind it has a little bit of everything...a beautiful lake, shopping downtown, great public transit, panoramic views from Sears Tower, fun night life and it holds it all together with Midwest hospitality. Of course, NYC outdoes Chicago when it comes to crowd watching (think Times Square), museums (think MET), Starbucks per capita, impressive skyscrapers and utter craziness in general. But Boston has Fenway Park, Harvard Square, fresh lobster, feeling like you're on the set of The Departed and of course the quaint bar/restaurant with good food and quirky decorations that Eddie and Staci didn't want us to miss out on.
Philadelphia is the freshest in my memory (we were just there yesterday) and it also has the freshest personality. It's somehow different and knows it. From the historical Old City to the famous cheese steaks, boutiques and art scene of South Street this welcoming city has something to offer every traveler, despite it's rough reputation.
Between all the cities has been a lot of time on the road, the famous "Maid of the Mist" boat tour of Niagara Falls, and camping/hiking in the "green mountains" of Vermont; which is where our lack of planning campsite was saved by a friendly retired couple who gave us a fire starter AND leftovers from the campsite owner's 75th birthday party. Only in America.
DC is coming up this weekend and I'm hoping that by being in the nation's capital I automatically understand the complexities of American politics. Unlikely, but dream big, right?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Last few days in Guatemala
Today I´m hanging out in Guatemala City, spending most of my time indoors. It´s been raining for at least a couple hours now. I arrived earlier this morning to find the city nearly deserted. It was strange, so I asked the taxi driver if it was always like this and he explained that today is a national holiday and most people leave the city. He continued to explain that because of this, it´s dangerous to be out walking around. That was of course exactly what I wanted to hear, another warning regarding the danger in Guatemala.
Regardless, I´m staying in Zone 10 of the city which strangely resembles Johnson County, maybe because it has one of the nicest malls I´ve ever seen. It is supposed to be the safest area. In contrast, I got off the bus in Zone 1, which is the most dangerous part of the city and looks similar to downtown San Jose. The difference is so big between one end of the city to the other it´s hard to believe.
Well, since I last wrote something I visited a few more places in Guatemala. Last Saturday, I took a six hour tour of Tikal, the most famous and accessible Mayan ruins in the country. It was really impressive to be in the middle of the jungle and then just see these huge pyramids and temples. Only 15 percent of the city of Tikal has been restored. So, you will just be walking along a path and see hills with trees and grass covering them but they are actually ruins still covered by vegetation. It makes sense considering the Maya abadoned Tikal sometime in the 9th century. We were able to climb a few of the temples and pyramids to get a panoramic view of the area, which is about 16 sq km. It´s hard to imagine what life there might have been like more than 2000 years ago.
We started the tour at 6 am, so by the end it was really hot and we were tired. We spent the rest of the day in Flores relaxing. Then on Sunday I left for Salamá, which is a small city close to Guatemala City. It was a long day of travel...somewhere around 3 or 4 different microbuses. I counted 30 people on one of them, that´s 30 people with 15 actual seats. Fun.
Monday I walked around Salamá, visited the market, watched the people there, etc. It´s a pretty city surrounded by mountains. I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and chatting with a few of the locals.
After all this moving around in Guatemala, I´m really looking forward to going to the beach in El Salvador and staying in one place for more than 2 nights. I´m going to leave here tomorrow morning. The bus to San Salvador takes about 6 hours, so I should be there tomorrow afternoon, patiently waiting for Thomas to meet me there tomorrow night.
Regardless, I´m staying in Zone 10 of the city which strangely resembles Johnson County, maybe because it has one of the nicest malls I´ve ever seen. It is supposed to be the safest area. In contrast, I got off the bus in Zone 1, which is the most dangerous part of the city and looks similar to downtown San Jose. The difference is so big between one end of the city to the other it´s hard to believe.
Well, since I last wrote something I visited a few more places in Guatemala. Last Saturday, I took a six hour tour of Tikal, the most famous and accessible Mayan ruins in the country. It was really impressive to be in the middle of the jungle and then just see these huge pyramids and temples. Only 15 percent of the city of Tikal has been restored. So, you will just be walking along a path and see hills with trees and grass covering them but they are actually ruins still covered by vegetation. It makes sense considering the Maya abadoned Tikal sometime in the 9th century. We were able to climb a few of the temples and pyramids to get a panoramic view of the area, which is about 16 sq km. It´s hard to imagine what life there might have been like more than 2000 years ago.
We started the tour at 6 am, so by the end it was really hot and we were tired. We spent the rest of the day in Flores relaxing. Then on Sunday I left for Salamá, which is a small city close to Guatemala City. It was a long day of travel...somewhere around 3 or 4 different microbuses. I counted 30 people on one of them, that´s 30 people with 15 actual seats. Fun.
Monday I walked around Salamá, visited the market, watched the people there, etc. It´s a pretty city surrounded by mountains. I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and chatting with a few of the locals.
After all this moving around in Guatemala, I´m really looking forward to going to the beach in El Salvador and staying in one place for more than 2 nights. I´m going to leave here tomorrow morning. The bus to San Salvador takes about 6 hours, so I should be there tomorrow afternoon, patiently waiting for Thomas to meet me there tomorrow night.
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