Antigua - Geography and History

The first base city of my six-month GVI tour is Antigua, Guatemala. This post provides a bit of background information about the city.

Geography
Antigua is surrounded by volcanoes. Three are frequently used as reference points when navigating around town: Volcan Agua to the southeast, Volcan Acantengo to the west, and Volcan Fuega -- an active volcano with a continuous plume of smoke -- to the southwest. Another is Volcan Pacaya, a popular tourist destination where visitors get close enough to light their cigarettes in the flowing lava.

Though the sun is quite strong during the day, due to the elevation Antigua gets quite cold after sunset and we all run around in caps, jackets and scarfs.

History
Founded in 1543, the city was Guatemala's colonial capital for 233 years. The capital moved to Guatemala City after much of the city was destroyed during a violent earthquake in 1773. The city is now protected as a UNESCO national heritage site, so any new development seems to fit into the existing style of architecture.

(From Lonely Planet) "Most of Antigua's building were constructed during thr 17th and 18th centuries when the city was a rich Spanish outpost and the Catholic church was ascending to power. Many handsome, sturdy colonial buildings remain, and several impressive ruins have been preserved and are open to the public."

Today in Antigua

Well developed for tourism, Antigua is an easy city to visit. The infrastructure is clearly a priority, with underground power lines, regularly maintained roads, and men with palm-leaf brooms out sweeping the sidewalks and parkways each morning. The city has fantastic restaurants, abundant internet cafes and coffeshops, and tourism services everywhere. According to the guidebooks Antigua has seen a significant decrease in crime due to recent introduction of the Tourism Police, a highly visible, approachable and friendly municipal corps who will gladly advise tourists on nearly any Antiguan subject, as well as lead organized walks to the more notoriously dangerous attractions.

Where to Stay

Hotel San Maco. GVI volunteers typically stay their first night at this tidy and simple hotel near the Candelaria district. It is clean and comfortable (enough), and fairly inexpensive because it is a few minutes' walk from the center of town.

Where to Eat/Drink
Antigua is filled with pubs, restaurants and coffee shops, and I've only had a week so far to explore. Some highlights passed on by the current volunteers are listed below. I'm sure to discover other spots in the next few weeks, and will post them 'mas tarde' (later).

* El Murro
* Cafe No Se
* Rainbow Cafe
* La Fuenta
* Bistro Cinq

About eating in Antigua
When I visited the Polyclinic travel medicine doc in Seattle, I was given the typical cautions about avoiding street food, not eating any fruits or vegetables that can't be peeled, and of course not to drink the water. I've chosen to follow the eating patterns of the other volunteers: I avoid tap water (and so do the locals), but I'll eat any food provided by my host family or in a restaurant, and I brush my teeth in tap water. So far, I haven't had any trouble adapting to the food and drink in Antigua. (Knock on wood...)

For more information about Antigua:

Lonely Planet - Antigua Guatemala
Google Maps - Antigua Guatemala

Mi Casa y La Escuela

The week has been all about studying Spanish and getting acclimated to Guatemala and Antigua. I can hardly imagine an easier transition. Antigua is tourist-friendly to begin with, and my volunteer organization (GVI) provides enough structure to smooth over any rough edges. As long as I show up where I'm supposed to each day and I'm not a jerk, I believe that everything else will fall into place.

Mi Casa (My Home)
Throughout my tour with GVI I will live with host families in each country. In Antigua I live with Angela and Duilio and one other volunteer in a residential area called the Candelaria. All the other volunteers are in the same neighborhood, generally 2 or more per house. The Candelaria was built around 45 years ago, mostly of 1-2 story concrete block homes with little front yards and open-air interior courtyards. My bedroom is small but comfortable, and we all share one bathroom. The sink has only cold water, and the shower is heated by this odd contraption at the shower head that heats water as it passes through. You can have either a trickle of warm water, or a stream of cold water.

I had been concerned about mosquitoes and bugs, but so far in Antigua there have been neither. I also thought it would be rather hot here, but so far it has been rather cold -- enough to need a jacket and scarf outside most of the time. Even though it is cold, the sun is very strong. Two of the new volunteers have been quite sunburned. I've been lucky so far, but will be buying a decent sun hat as soon as I can find one that I like.

In Guatemala, the host family provides meals Monday - Saturday, and we are on our own for Sunday food. Traditionally, all the volunteers get together for a potluck/BBQ on Friday nights, and often small groups of volunteers head out for weekend trips. Most nights groups of volunteers get together at pubs or cafes before or after dinner, as well.

La Escuela (The School)
(La Escuela Caboguil, tel 54 33 66 71, chelinsky10@yahoo.com)
This week my primary responsibility is to learn as much Spanish as possible. My tutor at Escuela Cabaguil is Miriam, and she's been great. We work from 8-3 each day at a little table in the school's courtyard alongside 5-10 other students. The weather has been chilly, but it keeps me awake and focused!

I started the week with no Spanish skills other than the few words and phrases recommended in the GVI field guide. This week I learned basic pleasantries, numbers and timekeeping, tons of vocabulary, conjugation of verbs in the present tense, and a bit of conjugation in the past tense. It's been a fire-hose approach to education, but I'm amazed at how much I comprehend after only a week. According to the other volunteers, with a bit of study and constant practice most people are able to get along well after a few weeks.

I will attend an additional 10 hours of classes before the end of December. Most volunteers go 5-6 PM each day for 2 weeks, after returning from their project work in the villages. I plan to skip a week and begin the next round of studies in early December.

Next week I begin working in Santa Maria de Jesus, an indigenous community about 20 minutes from Antigua. Hopefully I've picked up enough Spanish to be of use when I arrive!

Arrival in Antigua, Guatemala

Just a quick post to say that I've landed safely in Antigua. I'll be spending the next week in Spanish classes six hours per day, and will move out to the village schools as a teacher's aide the following week. I'll be working and traveling for the next six months with Maya, Aviv and Aaron (see photo). Tonight all the GVI volunteers meet at 7:30 for a group dinner and welcome/farewell for transitioning folks. More to come!

Williamsburg Redux

Colonial Williamsburg (CW) held such charm for me during my brief stop two months ago that I was compelled to return for another visit before beginning my tour of Latin America. CW combines many of my favorite things: a meticulously recreated "living history" museum and wonderfully costumed actor/interpretors portraying historical characters through staged re-enactments of famous moments in history.


CW owns most of the buildings in the historic area but only a few are open to the public; most of the rest are leased to CW employees as apartments. My friend Matt (CW sound technician) arranged for me to stay with two CW actor/interpreters at their home in the center of the CW historic district. Meg and Kevin (and their black lab puppy, India) live in the restored Hartwell Perry's Tavern, and I stayed in their very comfortable guest suite. We had two lovely dinner parties during my visit, including one prepared by Brent, a professional chef and friend of Matt's. Yummy!

My week in Virginia was fairly unstructured. I wandered through the historic trade shops (silversmith, gunsmith, blacksmith, wigmaker, bookbinder, etc.) and attended many CW programs, including a candlelight concert in the ballroom of the Governor's Palace featuring 18th century instruments. And even though I'd seen it during my last visit, I was again impressed with the Revolutionary City programs, enacted by costumed character/interpreters
throughout the day. I especially enjoyed George Washington's Farewell Address, which had inspired me to return for this follow-up visit to CW. If you're not familiar with it, I highly encourage you to read the text. It remains as relevant today as it was at the end of George Washington's Presidency in the 18th century. Powerful stuff.


I was surprisingly moved by the CW Veteran's Day activities. The Fife & Drum Corps led the parade, followed by veteran CW employees, then the local VFW, DAV and other established veterans' organizations carrying their colors (flags), then all the veterans in the audience were invited to join in the procession down the historic main street into the parade grounds for an assembly behind the courthouse. One of the senior CW leaders presided over the ceremony, and two of the character/interpreters spoke to the crowd. It seemed that the number of veterans in the march equaled those watching from the sidelines. Since CW is so close to several military bases I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I found it extremely moving nonetheless. I imagine CW is a good place to be during any of America's memorial holidays, considering all the "birth of a nation" stuff that happened here :)

(Photos)

Where to Eat
* Millie's Diner in Richmond. Great for breakfast. Get there early to order a "mess" and get a plate of eggs, meat, vegetables and cheese big enough to share. Coffee comes in bottomless mugs, and service is prompt and friendly.
* Aromas Coffeehouse & Bakeshop in Merchant Square. A favorite hangout while I was in CW, with free wireless and decent food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Expect to share tables with William & Mary college students.
* The Trellis Restaurant in Merchant Square. I only made it there for dessert, but would readily go back for dinner. Unpretentious service and killer chocolate desserts. Best known for "Death by Chocolate", a towering seven-layer confection with cake, ganache, mousse, and crunchy meringue. Enough to feed a party of four!
* King's Arms Tavern in the historic district. Try a sampling of 18th century fare in an authentically restored tavern while being occasionally visited by costumed characters who share insight into their lives.

What to Do
Explore Colonial Williamsburg!
* Ask questions in the trade shops.
* Explore the historic buildings.
* Take in some evening programs.
* Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.

I remain enchanted with the CW Foundation and their mission: "That the Future may Learn from the Past". I can easily see why so many people are so passionate about working here, and I could see myself involved with an organization like this in the future.

The Netherlands: Den Bosch

If you've ever tried to throw a pot on a spinning wheel, you'll likely agree that it's harder than it looks.

After a few days in Amsterdam Zach and I hopped a 60-minute train ride to 'S-Hertogenbosch (aka Den Bosch), where Zach and his brother Matt have been working at resident artists at the European Ceramics Work Center (EKWC) since early September. I squeezed my bags into their tiny apartment spent several days exploring this quaint historic town. Little-known outside of the Netherlands, Den Bosch is where the Dutch go on holiday. I don't think we encountered any other American tourists during my visit.

U.S. Election Day took place while I was in Den Bosch. American politics filled newspapers and was the primary topic of discussion around the dinner table and in the pubs. It seems that Europe overwhelmingly supports Obama, and the Dutch in Den Bosch were happy to discuss their hopes for our next President. Everyone wanted to know that I voted, and some said they would stay up all night to follow the election returns – which is more enthusiasm than I could muster! Wednesday morning at least half dozen EKWC staff and participants congratulated us on our new President, and we were able to watch Obama's victory speech on YouTube shortly after it aired. I certainly don't feel like I missed anything!

(Photos)

My visit to Den Bosch was mostly unstructured, which was great. While Zach and Matt worked in their studio I was free to watch them “create”, read, work online (when I could get online) or hang out in the big communal kitchen. We spent several hours each day out in town at one of the great little taverns, bakeries or restaurants, or just out exploring. At one point the guys set me up with some clay and a potter's wheel where I managed to make a few big sloppy piles of mud!

What to Do (for FREE!)

• Sint Jan Cathedral. Founded in 1185 AD, a Norman style tower built in 1220 AD and an intricate Gothic cathedral started in 1366 AD are open to visitors daily (outside of service hours) from 8 AM to 5 PM. A small donation is requested to help with the ongoing restoration projects. Don't miss the magnificent pipe organ over the entry doors dating from 1617 AD, colorful vault paintings, and glittering stained glass windows.
• The Citadel. One of the oldest structures in Den Bosch, the Citadel is now home to the Historical Information Centre of Brabant. Constructed in the northwest corner of the fortified city in 1637, the Citadel is a pentagonal entrenchment with bastions. The largest remaining structures at the Citadel were constructed in 1789 as a detention center for military criminals. The main building was drastically redesigned in 1848 for use as military barracks. In the 1980s the grounds and buildings were restored to their 1745 state for use by the Historical Information Centre.
• Open market in town square. Different days of the week bring out different vendors. I missed the weekend produce market but was there for the textiles market, offering bolts of cloth and sewing supplies to every kind of finished garment, shoes, handbags,etc.

Where to Eat/Drink

• Dinner was in the communal kitchen at the EKWC (not open for tourists -- sorry!) Residency participants took turns making dinner for the whole crew, with everyone helping out. We enjoyed a pasta dinner, trout en papillote, and a fantastic Indonesian meal during my three night visit.
• After dinner we went out to the Palm Tavern a few times. The proprietor is friendly, the beer selection extensive, and it is definitely a hangout for the locals. (Actually, I think the whole town is a hangout for locals...)
• For brunch each day we stopped for a koffie (coffee) and pastry at one of several different bakery/cafes. I think we visited three or four... each was lovely and comfortable to sit sip and savor.

Notes about dining out in the Netherlands: Expect the pastries to be fresh and “coffee” to be a espresso with bit of hot water. Chocolate (in some form) is available with every meal, including sprinkles for your toast. Eggs are not a typical breakfast food, except for tourists. Water is only available from a bottle and costs the same as other soft drinks. You won't be brought a bill until you ask for it, and tipping is not expected.

The Netherlands: A Parade in Amsterdam, and sightseeing

On Saturday night I walked three hours in the rain through the streets of Amsterdam two paces ahead of a marching band in a parade, carrying the remnants of a soggy cardboard costume and trying to avoid fresh cow manure. And I think it was a fantastic introduction to the city.

This week I'm in the Netherlands visiting Zach and his brother, who are artists-in-residence through early December at the European Ceramic Work Center (EKWC). My arrival coincided with Amsterdam's annual museumnacht (museum night) when dozens of museums stay open all night and host special events. Zach arranged for a room at Hotel Acro, only a block from the museumplein (museum square) so we could be in the middle of all the activity. Not only would we watch, but thank to Yasser Ballenaub, one of Zach's fellow EKWC artists, we could participate! Yasser constructed 20 fantastic cardboard costumes for the museumnacht parade sponsored by the W139 gallery, and Zach signed us up to march with him.

(Photos)

Where to Stay (time permitting I'll fill in more details later)

• Hotel Acro: clean, utilitarian, and in a great neighborhood near the museumplein. Private double ensuite E90/night, substantial continental breakfast included.
• Winston Hotel: quirky, funky hostel for a party crowd. Not especially clean and a horrible shower, but close to the Red Light District and walking distance from the underbelly of the city. E40/person/night for private room with ensuite. Not sure I'd stay again, but it was certainly a memorable experience.

Where to Eat and Drink

• Brasserie Maxie's
• Szmulewicz: a hidden gem tucked off of the Rembrantplein, none of the other tourists seemed ready to brave the extra 40 meters to find the entry door on the side street. We enjoyed an eclectic internationally-themed dinner with a french poulty pate, a smoked kangaroo salad, Moroccan fish and rice, and chocolate fondue with a large assortment of fresh fruit for dessert. Order the specials if you're adventurous. We did, and were glad.
• Restaurant Pantry
• CafePC
• Stacey's Pennywell: We had really good luck with restaurants off the Rembrantplein. Hoping for an early supper, we walked all through the Red Light District and everyplace we stopped was full of drunken tourists watching a football (soccer) match. A bit of a walk led us back to the Rembrandtplein, where we'd previously enjoyed Szmulewicz. This time we discovered Stacey's Pennywell. Once again, no other tourists came in while we were there – which I now believe is a sign of great food to come. With a nice Belgian witte (white) beer to get started, our leisurely dinner concluded three hours later after pumpkin soup, cod with fresh local vegetables and roasted peppers, and a chocolate nottentaart (nut pie) with rich vanilla ice cream for dessert. Uncharacteristically (for me) we also enjoyed a lush bottle of French red wine with dinner. It was yummy, appropriate to the meal and atmosphere, and didn't give me too much of a headache afterwards!

What to Do

• Van Gogh Museum. A great collection of his work displayed nicely alongsidie pieces by his contemporaries showing collaboration and influence. It was quite crowded when we were there; arrive early to get a bit more elbow room.
• RijksMuseum: Unless you go before December 15, you'll miss the Damien Hirst exhibit “For the Love of God” at the Rijksmuseum. Half the visitors would have preferred to miss it in the first place, I suspect. Most of the Rijksmuseum is under renovation, so only one wing is open for vistors. After wandering through half dozen rooms full of 17th century Dutch masterpieces (Rembrandt, Vermeer, etc.), visitors wait in line to be ushered into a blackened room with a single display case containing a glittering platinum skull covered with 8,601 small diamonds and a huge pear-shaped 52.4 carat diamond on the forehead. (The skull's teeth are real.) Why did the museum choose to combine these works? They would love for their visitors to guess and let them know through the interactive e-mail and video-response kiosks set up in the courtyard. My thoughts? The skull is an interesting gew-gaw worth a ton of money, but I don't think it will be remembered at great art by future generations. Perhaps the extravagance and excesses in this work are a reflection of the world today...? The juxtaposition with Dutch master works only highlights the insignificance, glitz and hype of the Hirsch piece, in my view.
• Anne Frank House. Because you should.

Hitch 'em up, move 'em out

After a very short month in Seattle, my apartment is cleared out, (mostly) everything I own is in storage, and I've headed out on the next stage of my journey.

Before leaving town I managed to squeeze in a few very important activities: a hike in Mt Rainier National park, lunch/coffee/cocktails with several friends (Judy, Denise, Janice, Robert, and others), a brisk and beautiful motorcycle ride with Steve on the Olympic Peninsula, dental work including a new crown (ugh!), and of course I turned in my mostly blue absentee ballot.

Most of my final weeks in Seattle centered on packing up and closing out my apartment and preparing bills and banking and etc. for an extended absence. No matter how long I allowed for such things, I could have used just one more day. My final week in Seattle didn't exactly go as planned...

THE WISH
I had arranged for delivery of storage crates on Monday and movers for two hours early Wednesday, expecting to be packed and locked up by noon and downtown at Ummelina day spa for massage and pedicure by 2 PM, then to join Keith and Sarah at her Redmond Jr High School choral concert on Wednesday evening, get to bed early on their comfy sofa to be well rested for my Thursday morning flight.

THE REALITY
Here's what actually happened: The wrong crates were delivered about 90 minutes late on Monday. I ordered shipping/storage crates "that could be delivered to anywhere in the world" and received local storage/delivery crates. The driver from Hansen Brothers Moving and Storage was awesome and helped to coordinate delivery of the more appropriate crates on Tuesday -- but this still put be a day behind plan. The Hansen Bros driver and dispatcher also talked me into taking two crates instead of three, to save a fortune on later trucking costs. Sounded like a good idea at the time...

I spent quite of bit of time Monday and Tuesday having one last lunch/coffee/cocktail with friends, and found myself staying up VERY late Tuesday night to finish packing.

On Wednesday morning two very nice young guys from F.A.S.T. Moving arrived to help pack up the containers. Even though they were extremely conscientious about padding the furniture and tightly packing the crates like a masterful Tetris game, after four (not two) hours of packing and re-packing it was clear that not everything would fit. The spa visit to Ummelina would have to be canceled so I could figure out how to dispose of the stuff that just wouldn't fit.

After not sleeping much on Tuesday I wasn't thinking very well, and my dear friend Keith managed to swoop in to save my day (YAY!) Keith "talked me off the ledge", helped to repack a bit to fit in a few more items, and agreed to take care of the remaining furniture (dining table/chairs, side chair, antique umbrella stand, and a variety of other items. Between Keith and Steve I'm hoping everything can either be stored or sold without too much inconvenience to either of them.

For anything not worth keeping or selling, I took advantage of the "Magical Disappearing Room" in my apartment building. Since I first moved into the building, tenants have left usable items in the basement laundry room for other tenants to take. I've found a great lamp, some kitchen gadgets, and a sweater through this system. I've left items there before and usually within a day or two things simply disappear. My last night at the building was no different. I started putting boxes of "good free stuff" in the magical disappearing room at around midnight, with additional loads dropped until around 3:30 AM. Even in the half-hour between loads, stuff simply disappeared. When I checked back in the morning before heading to the airport at 7 AM, well over half the stuff I'd left out was gone. Crazy, but true!

I managed to sleep fitfully on the floor of my apartment between 3:30 and 5 AM, then showered and did a bit more cleaning before heading downtown to catch the bus to the airport. And I'm on my way out to see the world!

Many thanks to Keith and Steve for all your help and support in my last week in Seattle. I couldn't have done it without you!

(Photos)

Next up: Amsterdam!

The next journey begins

This is just a quick post to say I've finally packed up and moved out and landed safely in Amsterdam. I'll compose photos and notes for a longer posting later today or early tomorrow...

One more week in Seattle

Seattle is an amazingly great place to live and I'm going to have a hard time leaving it behind. A week from tomorrow morning (10/30/08) I'll be getting on a plane that will take me, well, lots of different places -- all of which are far away from here.

Even as the days grow shorter, colder and wetter in Seattle's late autumn, it is still a delight to take a brisk walk up Queen Anne hill in the morning with a mug of hot tea to grab a view of the sun rising over the city. I imagine 90% of Seattle-ites would prefer to be outdoors any time of year, given the chance. Rain or shine, you'll find bicyclists, dog-walkers, stroller-joggers, and skateboarders out and about, and I really like that about this city (even though I was never any of those...)

I've enjoyed revisiting some of my favorite places in the past few weeks: Pinnacle Peak at Mt. Rainier, Deception Pass on Whidbey Island, Leavenworth, Bainbridge Island, Port Townsend, and just about every neighborhood in Seattle. The city is home to a guilty abundance of wonderful restaurants: Volterra, Moxie, Cafe Flora, Quinn's Pub, Library Bistro, Sazerac, SAM Taste, Purple, Tavolata, Peso's, 5-Spot, and (wonderful in it's own way) the Mecca Cafe -- just to mention a few.

I've also been able to catch up with many of my friends in the past few weeks. I don't know if I'll have time to see everyone before heading out of town, but I'll certainly try :)

If you're in Seattle and want to connect before Oct 30, feel free to drop me a line!

I'm not sure where I'll end up next May, but I suspect the amazing people and places in the Pacific Northwest will entice me back to visit fairly often.

Home -- for a little while

The border crossing line was long and slow, and when I arrived at the guard booth I discovered why. The border guard was cheery and chatty and before we finished he tried to convince me to take a detour to Mt Baker, and had several other suggestions for places to visit. Funny. At this point, of course, I was ready to head home.

I knew I was back in Washington State with my first sighting of a roadside espresso stand. I still remember my first visit to the state in 1995, when I marveled that all the old Fotomat booths had been converted into espresso stands and transported into remote parking lots in tiny towns all over Western Washington. I still don't know how they manage to stay in business. Then again, I happily paid nearly $3.50 for a "grande caramel-hazelnut latte" (the day's special). I don't even especially *like* lattes, but for some reason I just had to have one on this morning.

Before heading home to Seattle, I stopped in nearby Redmond for a nice breakfast of pumpkin pancakes at the Village Square restaurant with my dear friend Keith and his daughter Sarah. By mid-day I'd arrived at my apartment. The slide-show chronicles my arrival...

(Photos)

Banff and Trans-Canada 1

Driving Trans-Canada Highway 1 west from Calgary, the landscape quickly morphed from flat prairies into the Canadian Rockies. The change in scenery took my breath away. I was surprised by how much I'd missed the grand western mountains! The town of Banff is cute and touristy, filled with hotels, gift shops and overpriced restaurants. (It reminds me of Whistler BC.) I'm not especially fond of super-touristy places, so didn't spend much time in town.

The scenery in the area is spectacular. When I first arrived I stopped at the Cave and Basin, a historic site considered the birthplace of the Canadian National Park system. The site consists of a small cave with sulfur hot springs, a replica of the 1887 pool and bath house, and wooden boardwalks through the surrounding sulfur marsh -- with a great view of the surrounding mountains. It's a nice place to start a visit to Banff to learn the history of the area.

After settling into my Tunnel Mountain campsite I took a walk to the Bow River Valley to get some much-needed exercise and watch the sunset. In the morning I hitched a gondola ride to the top of Mt Sulphur, which hosts an abandoned weather observatory used in the 1920s -- and of course spectacular views. On my way out of Banff NP, I stopped at Johnston Canyon to hike a short path to a decent waterfall -- worth a stop if you're in the area.

By mid-afternoon I felt compelled to hit the road toward home in Seattle. Nonetheless, in the late afternoon I couldn't pass up a tour of the 3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town. An eccentric entrepreneur/collector has assembled dozens of abandoned buildings from the region into a little town complete with a saloon, school, hotel, Chinese laundry (etc.) and holds guided tours. The proprietor also collected trains and automobiles, so visitors to the ghost town are treated to a tour of a full-size railway roundhouse with several furnished rail cars, as well as a respectable collection of 14 fully-restored automobiles built from 1902 to 1929. This out-of-the-way roadside attraction has something for everyone.

Even without the roadside attractions, the drive along Trans-Canada 1 through Canada's national parks is truly spectacular and worth repeating. (I imagine it would be even nicer in the summertime on two wheels!)

(Photos)

A tour of the Eurovan

For anyone unfamiliar with the joy of Eurovan camping, I thought a little pictorial tour might be helpful. I'm traveling in a 1999 VW Eurovan Winnebago Camper. I bought it on E-Bay from a dealer in Atlanta, and drove it home in November 2007. It had 93K miles when I bought it and 98K miles when I started this 2008 road trip (and yesterday it turned over 105K).

Amenities
The interior is equipped with a sink, double-burner propane stove, 3-way refrigerator (AC, DC or propane), propane heater, 12-gallon fresh water tank, 8-gallon gray-water holding tank, two double beds, two folding tables, swivel bucket seats, and a surprising amount of interior storage. The van top pops up to provide plenty of head room to stand while cooking, plus screened windows that unzip for ventilation. Click here for a pictorial review. It is a fairly comfortable set-up, especially for one person. The only thing I don't have is a toilet, and fortunately they're not too hard to find. (I keep a jar handy for emergencies. Click here if you need more info...)

Parking
Mostly, I park at visitor centers, tourist information centers, and rest stops. They're free and quiet and generally have a restroom. Occasionally I'll stop at a truck stop or Wal-Mart; they're also free but tend to be noisy. Free overnight spots are pretty easy to find and easy to use, following a few basic guidelines. If I'm desperate for a shower or WiFi access, I'll pay for spot at a private campground (e.g., KOA, avg. $35/night). Public parks (state, national) are cheaper (avg. $15/night) but more difficult to find and don't have WiFi and sometimes not even showers.

(Photos)

Summary
I often feel like I'm traveling in a space shuttle. The shape and color are somewhat similar, sure, but the bigger reason is that I'm sealed inside this climate-controlled, screened-in, locked-up shuttle craft in which I can see the environment I'm passing through, but don't have to touch it if I don't want to, and nothing out there will be able to get at me. After talking with Dan and Danny (hitch-hikers from Medicine Hat to Calgary), I feel that my trip through Canada so far could just as well have been a movie: pretty pictures seen through my window, but not really experienced. For the last part of this trip, I'm determined to get away from the van and stomp around on the dirt a bit. And talk to more people!

Hitch-hikers in Canada

Yes, I picked up hitch-hikers -- and lived to tell about it. Dan and Danny (their real names) needed a lift from Medicine Hat to Calgary AB, and I was happy to oblige. They are nice guys just out of undergrad hitching from Toronto to Banff and looking for adventure. I won't go looking for more passengers, but today I was ready to talk and listen and their company was a welcome change.

Blasting through southern Canada

I've learned that it is possible to travel for two entire days without speaking to anyone. With pay-at-the-pump for gas, boondock camping, and eating whatever food I have in my camp pantry, I don't really *have* to talk to anyone. This a very different approach to travel than I've taken in earlier legs of this trip. It's not that I've turned completely anti-social, I just haven't been able to find anyone I wanted to talk to. (It doesn't help that I'm fighting a cold, I suppose.) Even when cruising intentionally 25 KM off route in search of a diner or tavern where the locals would go, all I can find are other travelers.

I've been back and forth from Seattle to the midwest at least a dozen times and I'm having a hard time getting excited about doing it again. For this trip, I decided to head north from Minneapolis to Winnipeg and cut across Trans-Canada 1 to Vancouver. Turns out there's really nothing between Winnipeg and Calgary except farmland... much like what you'd find along I-90 or US 2 just south of here.

Fortunately, I'll be in the Rockies near Banff NP tomorrow. Even if I can't find anyone to talk to, at least there will be something other than farm fields to look at!

A storm blows over North Dakota

It is 7:30 PM and I'm stopped at a visitor center/rest stop near Grand Forks North Dakota. Angry black clouds blew in fast from the west, with lightning on the horizon. The rain is coming down in sheets and the wind is howling. The van is shaking and bouncing in the wind; even with the emergency brake, it feels like it will jump over the curb and into the grass. Fortunately, there's free WiFi... I'll stop here and wait out the storm, perhaps stay the night. If the WiFi holds out, look for at least one more post by morning.

Sister's Family in Lakeville, MN

After a long lunch stop in Madison, WI, a leisurely drive along the scenic routes in southwest WI, and an overnight boondock at a rest stop along the way, I pulled in for a stay with my sister's family. I always enjoy seeing how much my nephews evolve between visits. Phil is now as tall as I am!

We drove about an hour from their home to the Minnesota River Valley state park for some muddy fishing. I think we end up fishing every time I visit :) Huge fish splashed in the river but none made it onto the fish hooks -- this time. A quick stop at a local farmstand meant a fresh, hot apple pie for dinner. After dinner, we cozied into the kid's study room to watch a movie on the computer (Hangman's Curse).

Again, this was a brief visit, but I'm starting to get anxious about returning to Seattle to prepare for my GVI trip.

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POST SCRIPT
Reflecting after the visit with my mother and sister's family, and after seeing my brother a few weeks earlier... My family isn't exactly close-knit. We don't say, "I love you," we rarely phone or email, and our physical contact is limited to an awkward A-frame pat-pat hug at the end of a rare, brief in-person encounter. I think it's always been like this for us (or maybe just for me). I have always admired and longed for the closeness I see in other families. I daydream about building closer ties not just with my immediate family, but also with cousins, aunts, nephews -- but at this point the chasm seems very wide.

Mom in Milwaukee

On the eastward-bound leg of this trip I could only stop for a quick dinner in Milwaukee before heading on to Columbus; heading west I made time to stay two nights and spent the day exploring the city with my Mom. A dozen years ago I used to visit fairly often when I lived in Chicago, but have only stopped in twice in the last dozen years. The city has changed!

We started our downtown trek seeking a book store, and found ourselves caught up in a charity walk/run. We continued our exploration at Milwaukee's Public Museum, which hosted a special community event for residents to show off their collections of... whatever. Stuffed animals, miniature tea sets, frogs, etc. I was delighted to chat for a bit with David, who proudly displayed his collection of early American photographs. He even made us a gift of a small tintype photo. (note -- Turns out David had attended a week-long Gettysburg seminar that my old school friend Joel recently attended. It's a small world!) My Mom is excited to participate in next year's show to display her massive collection of lions.

After the museum we hunted out lunch, and I was pleased to see the rejuvenation around the Historic Third Ward neighborhood. The area supports a vibrant public market, several small performance venues, art galleries, restaurants and bars, with condominiums or apartments on the upper floors of most buildings. It seemed like a very livable neighborhood.

We also visited my Mom's husband Okorie (aka Chief) at Bradford Beach, where he spent the sunny Saturday selling sunglasses from his push-cart. (His usual weekday for the last 20+ years is downtown at 3rd and Wisconsin. He's there consistently enough that you can see his portrait in Google Maps Street View if you enter 301 W Wisconsin Ave -- though you've have to mess with Street View a bit to find the right image. I needed to "walk" to 304 W Wisconsin before he came in clear. Look for the guy in a white outfit.) Bradford Beach was very busy for so late in the season. A live band entertained swarms of volleyball players and sunbathers at the tail-end of a sand castle contest. The sand was nice but the day was a bit hot, so we didn't stay too long.

After an evening of chillin' and laundry and cocktails it was nice to hit a real bed for a second night and then enjoy a second home-cooked breakfast. Though the stay was perhaps too brief for Chief's sensibilities, I really as eager to get back on the road with thoughts of hitting Seattle by the end of September.

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An alien in Berea, Kentucky

After treating the van to a 5,000-mile service at Deal Motors in Asheville, NC and then donking around on back roads for a few hours, I was ready to blow past some Interstate miles and head toward Milwaukee to visit my mother for a few days. Around 6:30 PM I pulled off the freeway into the tourist information center of Berea, KY, the self-proclaimed "folk arts and crafts capital of Kentucky." Lucky for me, Thursday night is the well-attended Berea Bluegrass Jam. How could I pass it up?

I parked the Eurovan along the edge of the town square and popped the top to make dinner as the musicians set up on stage and town folk set up folding chairs under the big tent in the grass. Mostly older farm couples and friendly dogs, I definitely stood out in the crowd. I could have been an alien with my shiny white Eurovan shuttle craft from a distant mother ship.

The Jam consisted of around 20 local musicians of all skill levels sitting in a circle on the porch of an old log cabin in the town square. Each musician took a turn leading a song, passing the mic to their left at the end. They continued around the circle several times for a 2-1/2 hour concert attended by ~80 spectators.

Mostly folks were curious about who I was and how I came to find the town. Three separate very nice older couples offered to let me camp at their farms 10 or 12 miles out of town. In the end, at the suggestion of the Jam festival coordinator, I just camped in the visitor center parking lot. I likely passed up an opportunity to share in a big local farm breakfast in the morning, but I hoped to get an early start the next day.

Instead, I shared my breakfast with a friendly black and white cat who had been introduced to me the night before. "City Kitty" lives in the town square primarily cared for by the visitor center manager, but I was told she truly belongs to the whole city. As I finished closing up my van to leave in the morning, City Kitty somehow convinced me to open up a can of kippered herring and dump half onto a small plate for her. I hadn't planned to stay for breakfast, but I swear, some cats exercise mind control :)

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On to Milwaukee next...

Roads Less Traveled

I've been using a TomTom ONE XL-S to help with navigation around the US. It has a nifty feature that allows me an option to avoid freeways. When I'm not in a hurry and I want a better feel for an area, I select this option. (Lately I haven't been in much of a hurry!) Often it seems that my TomTom leads me on a wild goose chase as it routes me through residential areas, frontage roads and rural routes. Sometimes it sends me several miles in one direction and suddenly "recalculates" and then directs me to turn around and retrace all or part of the route. I might find it irritating if it didn't lead me to such interesting places.

Unfortunately, my 6,000 lb VW Eurovan is not well designed for taking the steep twisty roads I've found myself on lately. I keep trying to glide through the curves the way I loved to in my sporty VW Jetta GLX or on my BMW R850 motorbike, but instead of hugging the road this van lumbers along with a high center of gravity and hesitant brakes. All my gear in storage bins, cupboards and duffel bags in the back of the van shifts around every time I turn, brake or accelerate.

Though the van is GREAT for camping, it simply isn't any fun on twisty roads!

Asheville, NC

I've left historic USA and entered progressive USA. Downtown Asheville, North Carolina is an amazing ultra-funky organic vegan-friendly homophilic hippy-dippy home of dread-locked, hemp-wearing lesbians and long-bearded hillbillies who seem to thrive on new music, 24-hour coffee shops, free wireless, microbrews, and a dozen varieties of yerba mate. This is a hotbed of yoga, homeopathy and massage therapy. The art scene is progressive, the restaurants are fresh and creative, and the environmental movement is in high gear. In short, downtown Asheville is a great deal like Fremont in Seattle, only more so. I feel right at home.

Outside of the downtown area, Asheville seems remarkably diverse. It is home of the venerable Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa and the fantastic Biltmore Estate. Funkiness may be isolated in the downtown area, but environmental awareness and a focus on health and well-being seem pervasive, even in the surrounding suburbs.

Restaurant recommendation: Over Easy Cafe
For breakfast some locals recommended Over Easy Cafe (32 Broadway, Asheville NC 28801, 828-236-3533). I had the omelet special of sundried tomatoes, shallots, spinach and Gorgonzola cheese sauce with whole wheat toast and side of fresh fruit -- $10. The food was amazing, and the friendly unobtrusive staff well suited the comfortable atmosphere of the place. I highly recommend it.

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