Adventure Travel - The Sojourner

Roei, Frode, & Dodo (Dodo's Homestay - Tbilisi, Georgia)

2012-02-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

June 1st, 2010 – Time to mutilate yet another language. Russian is my new target. I figure it would help to know a few words before I start fumbling my way through the countryside. Can't wait to unleash 'I am eating soup' at just the right moment (only slightly more useful than 'My foot is caught in the blender'). Trust me when I tell you I will dazzle. I would learn a bit of Georgian but it

Independence Day (Tbilisi, Georgia)

2012-02-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

May 28th, 2010 - There is a legend in Georgia that goes a something like this: After God created the world he then began doling out land to his folks. Well, as it happened the Georgians were so busy feasting and celebrating they missed the lottery. When they finally did show up they were displeased to discover that there was nowhere left for them to settle. Upon taking their grievance to God

Scenes From Tbilisi (Tbilisi, Georgia)

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 25th, 2010 - I have been in Georgia's capital for about nine days. Thus far I walked about a total of fifty miles, ate a poop ton of pork and cheese pie, had a few alcoholic dalliances, been denied entry to a casino for wearing 'sporting clothes and slippers', inadvertently instigated a rather heated altercation (again), was mesmerized by the Georgian National Ballet and met a hostel

Georgia Facts - NationalGeographic.com

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fast Facts Population: 4,501,000 Capital: T'bilisi; 1,064,000 Area: 69,700 square kilometers (26,911 square miles) Language: Georgian, Russian, Armenian, Azeri Religion: Georgian Orthodox, Muslim, Russian Orthodox Currency: Lari Life Expectancy: 77 GDP per Capita: U.S. $3,200 Literacy Percent: 99 Georgia Facts Flag Map Georgia, on the Black Sea, is geographically in Asia—the

Foothills of the Caucasus - Part III (Near Zaqatala, Azerbaijan)

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 21st 2010 - So we spent a night on the riverbed crossing our fingers that on the morrow the amphibious vehicle that brought us in would take us out. You know what they say: Wish in one hand, shit in the other. At around 11:30 pm I awoke to a light shining from the distance. I cracked the tent flap to see headlights approaching from the direction of the mountain village from whence we

Foothills of the Caucasus - Part II (Near Zaqatala, Azerbaijan)

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 20th 2010 - After the picnic a la montagne our new friends escorted us to the top of the hill and pointed us in the right direction, a route that was to take us on a loop to another riverbed that would then lead back to the one from which we entered. From there we would be able to follow the river back to Zaqatala hopefully hitching a ride on the same vehicle we came in with……

Be Yourself Unless

2012-02-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else. About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you.

Foothills of the Caucasus - Part I (Near Zaqatala, Azerbaijan)

2012-02-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 19th, 2010 - My friend Amy (Peace Corps Muskateer) had an idea to head to a mountain village not far from Zaqatala and do a little camping. The only public transport is an Amphibious Assault Vehicle (minus the assault, I like the way it sounds) over a riverbed that departs every other day….or not. Once there her plan became a bit nebulous as she was not entirely sure where we would camp,

Personality Cult and Donkey Bloggers (Balakan, Azerbaijan)

2012-02-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 18th, 2010 - My gracious Peace Corping Zaqatalan host and I hopped on a marshrutka and made our way to the town of Balakan not far from the Georgian border. This city's most dominant feature is the rather grandiose park dedicated to Azerbaijan's late president, Heydar Aliyev. This dude continues to be a phenomenon in a creepy Heaven's Gate cult sort of way. You cannot escape him. There

Hilly Dead Folk (Above Zaqatala, Azerbaijan)

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 17th, 2010 - When someone tells you there is an ancient graveyard perched atop a hill overlooking the valley around Zaqatala you give yourself a pat on the ass and get cracking. I was given directions but, like always, I missed the mark and bypassed the trail head. That's just what I do. Luckily, I could see the hill leading to my destination so I only needed to cut across a river,

Chicken Head Kissing Corner (Qakh, Azerbaijan)

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 16th, 2010 – Southeast of Zaqatala in Northwest Azerbaijan is the city of Qax/Qakh (pronounced Gakh). Every year in the spring a ceremony is held at a small dilapidated Georgian Orthodox church/Albanian temple perched on a nearby hilltop overlooking the area. Although I never got specifics the idea is to remove a cross from a cistern of water symbolically ushering in dryer weather and bid

No Country For Young Women (Zaqatala, Azerbaijan)

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 15th, 2010 - Where the hell am I and what the hell have I been doing? Well, I've just landed in Tbilisi, Georgia and as far as my activities go I hardly know where to start. Before I backtrack allow me to share a short tale. I came close to landing myself in a pickle while crossing one of the land borders from Azerbaijan to Georgia. My visa clearly stated that it was valid until May

Ye Old Church (Near Zaqatala, Azerbaijan)

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 5th, 2010 - Rain. Rain. More rain. That constitutes Azerbaijan's weather pattern for the past week and a half. Lovely. Most of my time has been spent shadowing a Peace Corps volunteer. Some of her fellow volunteers started a monthly series where a guest speaker is invited to talk at a local village, the idea being to foster community interaction and involvement. Unfortunately, the Russian

On to Zaqatala (Azerbaijan)

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

May 3rd, 2010 - I finally left the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and headed to a city in the northwest known as Zaqatala. An eight hour bus ride was made easier by my new guide, a Peace Corps volunteer stationed in the area. I met her through my Couchsurfing host in Baku who had also been a volunteer. She invited me to 'surf' at her place in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in the north of

Mud Volcanoes & Dead Guy On A Camel (Gobustan, Azerbaijan)

2012-01-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

April 27th, 2010 - Smiling is out. Stoic melancholy is in. You know what they say, when in Rome. I've read that this general lack of enthusiasm is cultural in nature. People do not generally smile at strangers on the street and woman rarely make eye contact with males in public. I've even read that random bouts of smiling might be interpreted as a consequence of mental retardation, although I

Beguiled by Baku (Baku, Azerbaijan)

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

April 23rd, 2010 - Azerbaijan has a history so complex you almost have to read five or six books to get a handle on the last 30 years, let alone that last few centuries. You won't find many people recommending Azerbaijan in general and Baku in particular as a tourist destination. In fact most will probably tell you to avoid it entirely, often advocating a stop in Georgia instead. I am not one

Strolling Baku & The Hash House Harriers (Baku, Azerbaijan)

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

April 19th, 2010 - Discount airlines, catch the fever. I purchased a ticket on Fly Dubai for $85 one way to Baku, Azerbaijan. I neglected to prepay for my checked bag online. I erroneously believed this to be of little consequence and was summarily punished for my insolence. When I arrived at the counter I was slapped with a $50 excess baggage fee (more than double the online fee). It was

How To Plan A Revolution (Baku, Azerbaijan)

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Azerbaijan Facts - NationalGeographic.com

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fast Facts Population: 8,388,000 Capital: Baku; 1,816,000 Area: 86,600 square kilometers (33,436 square miles) Language: Azerbaijani, Russian, Armenian Religion: Muslim, Russian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox Currency: Azerbaijani manat Life Expectancy: 72 GDP per Capita: U.S. $3,700 Literacy Percent: 97 Azerbaijan Facts Flag Map South of Russia, Azerbaijan is on the

"I Am The Burj Khalifa" (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

April 14th, 2010 - The truth is I could fill volumes with all I do not know about Dubai and UAE. I should have spent a bit more time here as it is an interesting place, albeit a bit expensive (Good luck finding cheap holidays in Dubai). My Couch Surfing experience has been, in the words of Borat, a 'greeeeat success'. Mustafa (my host) has been nothing short of exceptional. As far as I can

Put The 'Grrrrrrr' in Swinger (Last Resort, Nepal)

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

April 10th, 2010 - I cannot think of a better way to conclude my Nepali extravaganza than by flinging myself off a bridge.....twice. First was a bungy followed by a canyon swing, brought to you by the Last Resort. It was radical, bra. You can see by the video that I really crushed that s#$t!! After my adrenaline rush I passed my time relaxing at the resort......which was lovely. I even made

Flashback - Gorillas In My Midst (Uganda & DR Congo)

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

April 6th, 2010 - So I've been sitting in Thamel, Kathmandu attempting to steer my fate. My whimsical nature and complete lack of foresight inevitably leads to geographic stagnation. I've been wandering these streets for about three weeks. That is absurd. Absolutely absurd. What the hell have I been doing? Besides updating my blog and sorting through a poop ton of photos? Not a whole lot.

Gokyo to Lukla via Renjo La (Three Passes Trek, Nepal) Part VII

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

April 1st, 2010 - I mentioned that it was beginning to snow as I crossed the glacier and made my way to Gokyo. Well, it did not stop for a while and I estimate that by the time it was over last least six inches (fifteen centimeters) was dumped upon the region. I love snow as much as the next guy but I still had another mountain pass to cross so I found the weather developments decidedly

Cho La - Dzongla to Gokyo (Three Passes Trek, Nepal) Part VII

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

March 30th, 2010 – Me and my Doppelganger. Just to insure my trip across the Cho La wasn't entirely too easy Mother Nature decided to poop out a couple of inches of snow on the path. Muchas gracias, senorita! Luckily, for this portion of The Three Passes Trek I would have a compadre, a German gentleman named Richard. Two Richards are better than one…..probably. We did have the benefit of

Tipping Point - Cheapskate Avoidance Manual

2012-01-19T18:21:00.000-05:00

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