San Francisco to Cambridge, USA, Aug'08

We moved to Cambridge in August of 2008 for Ivy to pursue her MBA at Sloan. To make the trip interesting and to show her the middle of the US, where I grew up, we decided pull a Jack Karouac and hit the road.

Day 1
So, after watching our possessions cruise away in a moving truck, we packed the car with our cat and our favorite bonzai and we left San Francisco at 4 AM on a Friday morning.

Because we were aiming for the Ozarks as a our mid-point, we decided to power through to Salt Lake, UT the first day. Unfortunately, probably caused by the good time we were making through the Sierras and the Nevada Salt Flats, our car began to make the most horrendous squealing noise just over the boarding in Utah. Fortunately, thanks to our handy GPS, we were able to make it to the only open repair shop within 80 miles and we met Big John and his friends. They were very helpful and got us underway. Yes, underway on a flatbed to Provo. So, as is typical with epic journeys, it starts of with the Cat, Us, and a truck driver cruising 160 miles in a 114 degree heat with no AC. Speaking of Provo, may I recommend the Wasatch Brewery in Park City?

Day 2
Provo is a nice clean town with a lake, plenty of hiking, BYU, and an Audi dealer. Luckily, though we wanted to stay the weekend, it was just a PVC valve issue on the turbo and we were out of there the next afternoon and on our way through Eastern Utah and into Wyoming. Northeast Utah and Southern Wyoming contain some of the most breath taking and diverse landscapes in the US. The sun set behind us in Wyoming was especially breath taking. Unfortunately, my copilot was asleep and we have no picture to prove that statement.

We crapped out in Sidney (i think) at an underwhelming motel. What the hell, they take cats, sell 6 packs at the front desk, and had a bed.

Day 3
We made it to Omaha for lunch with Warren Buffett at the Upstream Brewing Company. The beer and snacks were very nice at this brewery in the middle of a well restored historic warehouse district. Unfortunately, Warren was a no-show. Guess we should have called ahead.

Oh well, off to Kansas City to stay with my brother Gregory and his family. While there, we made it to the Union Station in Kansas City and the BBQ at Jack Stack Barbecue. The Union Station was a great place to visit and worth stopping by with kids. The barbecue was also very good, but I would recommend hitting up a toothless dive place in the future. The bbq would be comparable and the price would be much more to your liking.

Day 4
Heading south now, we drove straight down to my childhood farm in West Plains, MO. Well, it was in South Fork. However, if you want to see it on a map, West Plains is the metropolis nearby. (by the way, the West Plains Cross-Country team is a power house. Seriously, check the record books.)



Sorry for not stopping by Laura. We were a day behind and your schedule and ours just did not jive.

While in the W.P. we went to my old farm and dropped in accidentally on the new owners. They were awesome. They shared a beer with me and gave us a guided tour of the place. They had a great respect for what the place was and could be. We shared stories about bugs, snakes, creeks, neighbors, and the initials that were put in the porch cement by my family. If you are ever near South Fork, please drop in on them at ______________.

After there we went back into W.P. for dinner (not much open there after 10 PM) and went to sleep.

Day 5
The next day I showed my wife the high school, country club, and the rest of town. We then went for a 5 mile run (it is very hot and humid there if you did not know) and still had time for lunch.

We left town around 1 PM and headed East to Silver Point, TN. We took the b roads through the Ozarks. Hey, please go visit the Ozarks. It is gorgeous country with some very friendly people who could use the tourist dollars. Honestly, you will not regret a long weekend there.

We cruised to Silver Point going and arrived late.

Day 6 and 7 were in Tennessee
Cookville has Center Lake, a great Thai food restaurant, my Parents and the makings of a good sized town. (they also have my cat, but that is a later event)

Day 8
We headed out from Tenn and ended up in Harrisburg, PA. Harrisburg makes a very nice place to stay on the way to Boston. You really want to rest up before heading into the Appalachian Mountains. On a future visit we found the Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg, which has comfort food and a worthy beer selection.

Day 9
Getting up relatively early for us, we headed into Cambridge through the Hartford route. It was a scenic and uneventful last leg and we arrived to our new home in the afternoon. Make a note to yourself to get into MA in the morning else face the wrath of the Mass Pike. Also note that our cat "Sprout" rocks . It is either ok with cars or just gives up easily if you ignore it. Either way, it still rocks.

Inca Trail, Peru, May 2008

After the Galapagos Islands and a quick stop in Quito, we headed to Lima, Peru. The capital of Peru bears no rain despite its coastal location. We visited a ruin site called 'Huaca Pucllanna' and took a city bus tour where we saw colonial architecture design throughout the city. An hour flight the next day took us to Cusco where many would board a train to Machu Picchu. As we got acclimatized to the high elevation, we tasted our first guinea pig.

Day 0 of our Inca hike happened to be my birthday. After visiting Pisac ruin, John and Menna surprised me with a traditional milk cake during lunch. We spent the night at Ollantaytambo where we walked around the village and handed out pens to the kids. They were very appreciative.

Day 1 - We woke up early to head to Km82 where we entered the checkpoint into the park and porters luggages are being weighed. Coca leaves chewing began. First day hike was rather easy and mostly flat. Ironically, just right before we arrived at campsite, someone was selling chica on the side. Of course we weren't going to miss that. We ended the night drinking beer sold by a little girl at the campsite.

Day 2 - It is a notorious tough day with an elevation change of 1100 meters upward and 350 meters downward with a 30% grade. The dead woman pass summit was steep to hike up to and cold and completely fogged in once we got there. Once we got to the top, we could not resist a good shot of Pisco to warm our soul. After about 2 hours of straight downhill, our knees were quite shocked and we could hardly walk to the toilet from the tent. Unlike the first night, this campsite is shared among all tour groups and therefore, it was quite crowded.

Day 3 - After a day of exhaustion, the last thing we wanted was hiking more uphill and we got more uphill to hike. : <>
When we paid our 5 soles to take that shower at the campsite, though the water wasn't really that hot nor abundant, it felt like a million dollar. That night, a rain storm came through, providing us a nice lullaby to sleep with.

Day 4 - We began the day at 3:45am as the first group to arrive at the checkpoint to start our 45 minutes hike to the sun gate. The feeling of being one of the first people arriving at the sun gate with a great view of Machu Picchu was surreal. It was a good time to reflect on the life of the Incas. The city is completely surrounded by much taller mountains, providing a perfect protection from invaders. Terraces of farming developed along the hillside. The buildings were seismically sound with boulders to hold down the rooftop. When we looked around from beautiful lawn of the city, we couldn't help but to imagine what life must have been like 500 years ago.

The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, May 2008

This May, we traveled to the Galapogos Islands 600 miles west of continental of Ecuador. We stayed on a sail boat along with 14 other travelers and a handful of crew for a few days, sailing from island to island. We saw some of the most incredible animals, visited the Charles Darwin research institute, ran on a beautiful white beach, snorkeled with sea lion pups, dropped off our postcard on the island of Florena, swam in a freezing cold lava cave on Santa Cruz island, and ate some delicious meals. And we can't forget the hawky-reproduction session we witnessed! Everyday was filled with activities and new things to see. Even the stars at night are brighter and closer. After a few days on the boat, not only did we drink up all the beer on the boat, John has officially become the bartender.

A fellow traveler and a poet, David Haskins, wrote us the following poem:


"Everything is so close. To be in the company of animals who don't fear us or feel threatened by us - this must have been what the world was once, and here we have perhaps the only opportunity to relive that experience, the only one that makes sense for the planet. Such a privilege we have fled from in our mad dash to conquer and acquire everything that insulates us from this.

Manuel, almost 7 years old, knows about it. He plays in the surf, sits on the sand among the sea-lions, runs barefoot along the water's edge with Walter, his father and our guide, in what must be an idyllic childhood.

And for a few days, we are like him, given the chance to get back what we have turned away from, a sense of ourselves under the stars that hang over these islands, these hemispheres, and all that exists equally in the universe, and for that we are grateful.

Tonight the stars cleared the clouds away. I looked for the Southern Cross, but I couldn't be sure. But Orion, Ursa Minor, many of the stars that hang over these islands shine on my home also. So may the possibility of Galapagos."

Washington DC, March 2008

In the midst of heated presidential debates, wars in the middle east, crumpling economy, and global warming, we decided to visit our country's capital, Washington DC. Well, our decision was much simpler than that. John was on his way back from business trip in Brazil via DC, and I work for the Federal Reserve Board the following week. The state is smaller than we expected, only 61 square mile. It is a very walkable town, with streets mostly ordered alphabetically and numerically. A few interesting things we found and encountered:

1. The cross street light is very long. We have seen a two-lane road with 62 seconds to cross. You could easily sprint back and forth a few times during each round.
2. Unusually few Asians and definitely not too many interracial couples.
3. Lots of runners during the day and not many locals in downtown during the week.
4. Adams Morgan is like Mission District in San Francisco.
5. People are incredibly friendly and helpful.
6. And best of all, there is a Federal Credit Union ATM right outside of the Department of Treasury....