A Tale of 2 Monkeys

Travel tip: the versatile contact case

2013-01-01T19:30:00.001-08:00

Blah blah blah. No posts for a while. Life gets in the way! Anyway, as I prepare for yet another adventure, I have a super awesome travel tip for you. Say you have just a little bit of something for a trip that you need to squeeze into your carry-on 3-1-1 bag. Like, for instance a hair product you use sparingly. I bought a multi-pack of contact lens cases to transport the stuff! At $1 apiece and water-tight, they can't be beat! Just don't use them for contacts later.

Enjoy! Hope the holidays were wonderful!

Organizing Nail Polish!

2012-10-25T08:08:00.001-07:00

I'm just so happy to have finished a project that I have to brag a little. I successfully organized my mess of a nail polish drawer. Woohoo!

I got the idea from this Beaty Department post. They have great step-by-step instructions so I will just tell you what I did a bit differently. First off, I used a box I had that was already pretty and needed a purpose.

I also changed the box halfway so some of these pics are misleading.... Anyway, I painted nail polish colors around the borders of sticker paper (because I had no label paper and a ton of sticker paper). Be careful to keep your polish lined up in order and keep similar colors in separate batches.

After the polish dried, I punched out a hole for each color with a plain hole punch.

Then, stick the color designators on top so you know which color is which! That second box contains the spillover colors, topcoats, and accessories.

Bonus craft: when I was done, Mike and I were talking about how pretty the strips of color were, so I made them into bookmarks.

I peeled off the back of the sticker paper, stuck them on card stock and cut them out. They are kind of messy and abstract and I love them.

It feels good to finish something lately, even if it is small.

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I was just here. Where did I go?

2012-10-18T08:35:00.001-07:00

Answer: over to Chocolate and Cream Cake.

I'm guesting over at my geeky friend Mandy's blog about geeky T's! Make sure to check it out!

Fall Things

2012-10-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Autumn is my favorite season, especially here in Colorado. My house is so charming with its porch and leaves scattered in the yard from the big yellow tree. I would show you a picture, but there is a construction crew rebuilding the sidewalk where they had to fix the sewer system a couple of weeks ago. It's not looking so pretty at the moment.

So, it seems like everyone in the blogosphere is in love with fall, but I'm throwing my two cents in anyway. Here are the things I love about it:

Pumpkin. I know it is cliche, but pumpkin beer and cookies and bread and pie are so fantastic and they just taste wrong in any other season. I'm also a fan of pumpkin soap and lotion. I just think pumpkins themselves are so pretty, too.

Fall premieres. I like my TV, and Fall is when the TV comes back! I haven't had time to watch, well, any until this weekend, so I'm enjoying catching up on stuff. Particularly, my comedies like Parks & Recreation, Up all Night and ~~All about Schmidt~~ New Girl.

My classic fall stand-bys. There is something about the change in the weather that makes me want to watch Gilmore Girls and read Sarah Addision Allen books. Stars Hollow always makes me think of Fall, and then curling up with a book about cakes that are also magic? Love it.

Changing leaves. Especially aspens. Enough said.

The colors. Especially orange and jewel tones.

So, what are your favorite things about Fall?

Books to Read or Re-Read by the End of the Year

2012-10-04T11:39:00.001-07:00

(I've seen the musical a bunch of times. Does that count?)

(this last one is a re-read for the fourth or fifth time)

Is anyone else with me on this? We could call it the Movie Book Club 2012 or something.

When did Groupon become the best thing ever?

2012-10-02T16:33:00.002-07:00

I have had a Groupon account for a while, but there was never much that interested me on there. Lately, however, it's like Groupon started reading my mind.

Your tenant just moved out? You must need amazing deals on carpet cleaning and full house detailing available from Phoenix Groupon! How do they know?!

You are in a wedding next weekend? Well, obviously you need a really cheap professional teeth whitening kit. Why, yes I do!

Did you need motivation to start exercising? Here's an amazing deal on fitness boot camp! Yay!

Seriously! How do they know? Is Groupon stalking me?

Making Sun Tea in Jars

2012-09-25T07:37:00.001-07:00

I love sun tea. We have a big pitcher for it, but it tends to leak in the fridge and I tend to get sick of one flavor of tea before it's empty. Enter the most versatile item in my kitchen: the ball jar! Now, I may have seen this idea somewhere else (like Pinterest) and then completely forgotten it, but I would prefer to say I came up with it on my own.

Did I mention it is also the easiest thing ever? Just add 2 tea bags to a clean jar, fill with water up to the neck, cap, and then let it sit in the sun for 4-5 hours, depending on how strong you like your iced tea. Make sure the spot will stay sunny for a while. I set it up on the west side of my yard so it would get sun all afternoon. After it has brewed, remove bags and place jars in your fridge and let cool. When you're thirsty, pour over ice and add sugar if you like that kind of thing. I recommend storing your tea unsweetened. Drink it within a week of brewing.

When I was surfing around posts on sun tea, I discovered that some people have concerns about sun tea since you don't boil the water. If you follow these guidelines, you should be fine, but if you're worried, I would brew it overnight in the fridge instead.

Enjoy!

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It's 30 lists time again! Days 1-5 #30lists

2012-09-20T07:19:00.002-07:00

http://30daysoflists.com/

Ideas, Goals, and Pledges

2012-09-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

I have some good ideas. Well, I think they're good, anyway. Maybe if I put them out there I might abide by them for once. Once, like a million years ago, I made a pledge to not buy any tchotchkes for a year. Now it has been more than 4 years. No tchotchkes. Maybe it's because my best friend laughed at me in the comments to that post. IN YOUR FACE! (Love you)

Anyone want to make some pledges with me?

1. Clean out my closet. For reals. I actually clear out my closet quite frequently, but it never seems quite clear enough. I need to really get down to it.

2. Photos! I can't believe I still haven't gotten my photos from Comic-Con off of my camera. I planned on this being the year I blogged about it super early, but instead it's super late. I blame my back. It totally seized up after all the traveling I did this summer and I could barely move. I did get a lot of Vampire Diaries watched, though, so really it's a win.

3. Books. If I have a shopping addiction, it is probably to buying books. As a result, I have many books on my shelves that I have yet to read. For those not on my shelf (or on my desk, or stacked in the living room), I am embracing the library more. With the Colorado Springs Library (pretty extensive actually), several college libraries, and the DMNS library at my disposal, there's really no excuse. Especially with things like hold shelves and interlibrary loans. I just need to also embrace the "renew books" and the "return books on time" philosophies as well.

4. That Pesky GRE. I have taken this test once before, but my knowledge of Geometry deteriorates a little more each year, so I guess I need to study. I'm dedicating Friday as GRE study day! I'm hoping to take it in about a month. After the CPA exam, standardized tests don't really scare me anymore.

5. Make contacts and join societies. This is good for students and professionals. I've started going to office hours more, even if I don't really have questions. I talked with one professor about Harry Potter for about half an hour. As for joining societies, I recommend that for everyone! Joining a society looks good on a resume, and you might learn something, too!

6. Volunteer. Since moving to Colorado, I haven't been that involved. Since this is basically the only time since 7th grade that I haven't been volunteering for something, I am jonesing to give back to the community! It just feels good, you know?

7. Blogs. Not necessarily a pledge to get back to blogging (though, that is something to think about), but to get back into the community. I am planning a comment spree on all my favorites that I haven't visited in a while.

8. Facebook. How many people, in a list of goals, make one to spend MORE TIME on Facebook? This might be the first. I really need to promote Nerdified Shirts more on social networks.

9. New Shirt Designs! These have been in my head for a while, but they are going to be on shirts soon! Look for new designs by the end of September. There, I've made a deadline!

10. There is no ten, because I just looked up and realized I have to leave for class in 20 minutes and I'm still in my PJs. OOPS!

Anyone have any other good ones?

Ancient Mayan Cities - Xunantunich & Cahal Pech

2012-08-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Xunantunich (Soo-nan-TOO-neech) and Cahal Pech (Petch) were some of the smaller (but still beautiful) places we visited in Belize. It was actually pretty zen because there were a lot fewer tourists there. At Cahal Pech, there was basically no one. We even laid down on top of the highest temple and had a nice relaxing moment before a busy day of taking a bus back to Belize City and then a water taxi to Caye Caulker.

First up, Xunantunich. We stayed at a place called the Trek Stop, which caters to backpackers. It was very hippie-ish with rainwater showers and compost toilets, but it was actually pretty nice. We had a fan in our room (and electricity!) and everything. We had chosen it because if its proximity to the ruins, inexpensiveness, and potential to meet other backpackers. Unfortunately, we ended up being the only ones staying there! Just kind of a freak thing, being the rainy season in the middle of the week. It was sort of cool, having the place to ourselves. The only problem was that rainwater showers have zilch water pressure so we didn't take showers for a couple of days.

We walked the half mile to the river and got on the ferry. There the sign said 1 mile to the ruins, but there were a lot of tourists taking cabs. Scoffing at them, we took the one mile hike. Straight uphill. All the way. Super steep. Now, I don't know about you, but when I'm backpacking across country, doing tons of manual labor, hiking up temples, and scuba diving on my "relaxing vacation," a whole bunch of extra walking uphill isn't really what I'm looking for. Especially in the crazy humidity. But, as was the case with pretty much everything on this trip, I feel like I really earned the pretty pictures.

Xunantunich's most notable feature is its Western Frieze. It is so beautiful. What you see here is actually an artist's replica set in front of the real frieze to protect it.

See how those stairs line up? What do you want to bet that's a direct North-South line? The Mayans were so cool.

Canopy view from the top of the highest temple. We sat up there for a while, chatting with a tourist from Chicago, originally from Latvia. We traded stories of temples and recommendations of places to visit. We forgot to ask his name, so we called him Latvia Chicago for the rest of our trip.

Current excavations.

Next up, Cahal Pech! This one was at the top of a hill, too, but we had taken a cab from our hotel as it was about 10 miles away. So, we just had to hike down the hill, which was very fortunate, as we had our backpacks with us.

Give it scale, Liz!

Big stairs! For reference, Liz is about 6 feet tall.

Hey, we were both here! All gross and sweaty!

Zen moment. She also has a very similar picture of me from when I wasn't looking.

The very last installment of Ancient Mayan Cities will be about Tikal, the really spectacular one. You know the thing about saving the best for last!

Ancient Mayan Cities - Lamanai

2012-08-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lamanai means "submerged crocodile" in an Ancient Mayan dialect. Actually, it doesn't. It means "submerged insect" because the Spaniards kept pronouncing the Mayan wrong. But, let's pretend it means "submerged crocodile," shall we? Lamanai was unique in that it is located along a river, and it thrived much longer than any of the other cities we visited.

The first time I went, it was by road, but the second time we had a very pleasant river cruise. It was really cool and there were plenty of animals to shoot (with a camera).

A brown sugar factory.

My monkey muses.

Bats.

The first time I visited Lamanai, it was rainy, and that beautiful green moss basically has the friction coefficient of ice after a sprinkle. Long story short, I fell. Ouch. The second time, it was nice and dry and we were able to climb temples without fear of slipping off.

The Jaguar Temple.

The tall column is a stelae, upon which the history of the area and its rulers is inscribed. The stelae that you see here are replicas as exposure damages the carvings. The real ones are in the museum on the property.

The Mask Temple. These masks are also replicas, protecting the real carvings behind them.

The view from the top.

Here is the aptly named High Temple that I mentioned before in my Climbing Temples post.

I love seeing the top of the canopy. It almost seems like an escape from the jungle.

Ancient Mayan Cities - Caracol

2012-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Caracol is an amazing Ancient Mayan city in Belize, one that requires traveling on a very bumpy and twisty road. Take your motion sickness meds! I thought I could tough it out to avoid feeling drowsy all day, but it made things very uncomfortable. Despite the road, the ruins were awesome. Totally worth it. The biggest temple at Caracol is the highest building in Belize. Not just the highest ruin. It was also one of the first big temples I climbed on my journey.

This is where the archaeologists live. MRP accommodations looked super fancy in comparison. Like, way fancy. We had running water.

Water Reservoir

A tunnel dug into a temple in this plaza. I believe there was a tomb that was recovered.

Here's Liz, giving everything scale for me.

Ball courts are my favorite. Though archaeology can never be an exact science without a time machine, it is believed that the ball game was played ritually, and sometimes to resolve conflicts between rulers. A rubber ball was bounced with the hips and shot through hoops (not visible here, they are long gone). It is also believed that the winner or team of winners of the match were sacrificed at the end. In addition, they most likely wore protective gear made out of limestone. Mayan ballplayers make our modern day football and hockey players look like slackers.

This is a larger plaza of temples, including the Temple of the Last Lintel.

Look, we were really there!

These wood beams are original. The top of these doorways are called lintels. This original lintel is the only one that hadn't rotted away. It's amazing they lasted so long.

Ceiba trees were sacred to the Ancient Maya. They believed that a spirit took a journey along the ceiba to reach the afterlife. There is/was always one planted next to a Mayan city.

Howler Monkeys. A whole family, including a baby that freaked out and had to be rescued by his daddy.

Here's a terrible picture of me powering up the really big temple and everyone else I was with giving up (except for Liz, who was behind me with my camera).

Unfortunately, there is big courtyard at the top, so it looks like I climbed a tiny temple. Trust me, it's huge.

Got tiny, steep steps?

The view from the top.

Amazing carvings.

Caracol was kind of a badass. For a long time, it was thought that Tikal (the largest Mayan city in the area) defeated Caracol when they went to war, but archaeologists have actually discovered that the opposite was true. The smaller city, Caracol, was the victor in the conflict. Go, underdog!

Caves, Caves, and Did I Mention Caves?

2012-08-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Right off the bat (no pun intended), I'd just like to point out that I'm claustrophobic so cave adventures normally hold little to no appeal for me. As much as I'm a "face your fears" kind of person, freaking out in the middle of a dark close-in cave tunnel isn't something I want to do. With that said, all the caves that I went to in Belize were HUGE, and therefore there was no claustrophobia issue. The enormous caves were more like big, shady caverns, and I enjoyed them more than I thought I would.

First off, cave tubing! If you have ever tubed on a river, you know that you basically float down on an inner tube and it is enormous fun. Cave tubing is like that, except there are big caverns to float through, so it is also shady! Basically, the fun factor triples. Our guide was also super cool, and had us hike a ways through the jungle so we would have maximum floating time. We also got to explore caverns that most tours don't take you to because they require getting out of the water and hiking a bit. By the way, this part of our trip solidified my little dry bag's status as the most useful and versatile item to have brought to Belize. Absolutely essential.

Me, preparing to tube!

My friend, Anna, from the dig (left) and my cousin and travel companion, Liz (right).

My adorable dig friend, Cassie.

And there's me again, eddying out.

It was surprisingly fun, and my cousin, Liz, and I talked about how we thought it would be super touristy and lame but it was a great way to spend the day. We went with a group of people from my dig and had a blast. I didn't even mind that they served beans and rice for lunch, the same meal that I had been eating for two weeks in the field!

Next, Liz and I traveled to Caracol, ruins which were amazing, accessed by a road which was absolutely terrible. Before we went to the ruins, we stopped by the Rio Frio Cave, an enormous cavern that reminded me of the Tonto Natural Bridge in Arizona (if you haven't been there, it's awesome).

Thanks random person, for giving my photo scale!

Beautiful, no? What these photos don't show you is our military escort. Caracol is close to the border with Guatemala, and they are afraid American tourists will be kidnapped so every tour group has to be escorted. The crazy thing is that no one has been kidnapped for 25 years, so the military patrols at Caracol have basically the most boring job ever, especially now that it is safe for Americans to travel to Guatemala (which I did).

Damn, it feels good to be at Comic-Con

2012-07-12T07:00:00.001-07:00

Catch you on the flip side!

Shark! Everybody INTO the water!

2012-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share these photos. They are my first and only successful pictures of sharks. Usually, I see the shark just as it is darting away, or I get so excited that my camera waves around wildly and the shark becomes a whitish blur. This time, however, I had some pretty good success.

These guys are (quite friendly) Caribbean Reef Sharks. These were all taken in or near The Great Blue Hole, off the coast of Belize.

Climbing Temples

2012-07-09T09:18:00.001-07:00

One cool thing about the Mayan sites we visited is that, not only do you learn about the Mayan history and archaeological theories, but you also get to climb on stuff. Archaeologists believe that the steps of Mayan temples are so steep and large so that the Maya would crawl up and be prostrate before the king. I did quite a bit of crawling myself, and I'm pretty sure I'm taller than the average Ancient Maya.

Above is the aptly named High Temple at Lamanai.

Here is me climbing it. I swear that the pictures don't adequately depict just how steep those steps are. It was scary. At one point, I stupidly looked down and froze. I was this close to saying "screw it" and just going back, but I pushed on and I'm glad I did. I'm a "face your fears" kind of person, as uncomfortable as that can be sometimes.

This is Liz going descending. This shows more accurately the steepness of the stairs. We have perfected our sideways temple walk technique for going down the stairs. It works pretty well, and if you fall, you fall on the stairs instead of down the stairs.

And, in an abrupt lack of segue, here is us on top of a completely different temple at Caracol, just because it was a much better picture than us at Lamanai.

I'm actually blogging from the airport now, as my flight home is much later than Liz's. I'm in my home away from home, the airport lounge, in which I have spent way too much time this trip, waiting for other people's flights to come in. Back in the US soon! I'm in the very comfortable place of having thoroughly enjoyed my trip, but I've also been gone so long that I'm excited to be home, even though it is just for a day.

Welcome to the Jungle

2012-06-28T18:54:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, my dig is over but the memories live on. How about a site tour of Nojol Nah, the site that I've been working away at for the last two weeks?

Here is the jungle road, back of pickup truck view. We go through a pasture each day on a dirt road in the back of a 4 wheel drive pickup (yes, Top Gear fans, it's a toyota hilux). We have to make two trips on the last leg of the trip because only one of the trucks can make the journey without getting mired in the mud.

Then, it's a twenty minute trek through the jungle, with howler monkeys screaming at us and mosquitos taking their blood sacrifice. If you have never heard a howler monkey scream, it's terrifying, like a T Rex. They actually used recordings of howlers for sound effects in Jurassic Park.

Here is the large hole in the ground that I helped excavate for part of my first week. There is a lot of work to be done on this building, which will mostly be done next summer. It didn't help that we discovered a wall that keeps on going into the uncleared jungle...yikes. We think this building is residential, most likely the residence of someone with status as it is so large.

But man, look how beautiful that curved wall is.

Rain protection!

Here is the big find of my session, a termination deposit with broken pottery (clustered together so it looked like entire pots had been broken), obsidian blades, and beautiful intact bifaces (flintknapped knives that have been worked on both sides, or faces).

Here is some Nojol Nah pottery, all cleaned up. The crew chief feels it is unlikely that these sherds piece together to form whole pots, based on finds elsewhere.

Here is pottery cleaning in action. We also got to clean bones, but personal photos would have been disrespectful.

Here is a very unsexy photo of me helping to map the termination deposit.

And here is a very sexy photo of my roommate using a machete.

We affectionately started calling Nojol Nah by a new name when a couple of crew members quit the program (through no fault of our crew chief) and others started getting sick. My chief suggested "Nojol? Nah." But we ended up going with "No. Hell no."

And, although I will never be one of those kool-aid drinkers who claims that this dig was the best thing that ever happened to her, I will say that it was a great experience, and that I learned a lot about the operations of a real archaeological dig and how to shovel dirt and love it. For reals.

Guest Post! What I Brought: A Packing List by Jeff

2012-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Another awesome guest post from my brother! He put all the tips from last week's post into a great comprehensive sample list of what to pack. He has inspired me to do a similar list for a tropical trip upon my return! Most of these items can be worked for both sexes. For example, the wicking t-shirts, underwear, and light-weight hiking apparel are definitely available for the ladies as well. I recommend checking out Under Armour, REI, and Athleta for good options.

Pack less, experience more! (Great Wall, China)

With increasing baggage fees for air travel, more and more people are looking to pack more efficiently. I recently took a 10 week trip to East Asia (India, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, and Japan) and it taught me a lot about what to pack and how to pack it.

What I Did:

The best tip I can give for traveling light is to make sure you research the climate and seasonal weather conditions for the place you are traveling to. For my trip I had to pack for a wide range of weather and climate conditions from Malaysia’s hot tropics to Harbin’s frozen tundra. This forced me to pack clothes that could be layered easily. I couldn’t realistically drag a heavy, down parka across India, Vietnam and Malaysia just so I could use it in China and Japan.

You also have to take into account that laundry facilities are most likely scarce and you will be wearing your clothes multiple days and washing them in the sink. In this respect, synthetic clothing is your friend. They are generally lighter, dry faster and are more wrinkle resistant than their natural counterparts.

One of the things I looked for when I was doing research on packing light was packing lists people had actually used on similar trips. It gives you a basic idea of what you'll need and you can alter it to fit your needs. Here is my list with some commentary!

1 Ebags Combo Packing Cubes (Kept everything compressed and organized)
1 Ebags Pack-It-Flat Toiletry Bag (Great for backpacking. Really does pack flat!)
3 Fruit of the Loom Cotton T-Shirts (If I had more $$$ these would all be polyester!)
1 Wicking Polyester Workout T-Shirt (Great for hiking and warm temps)*
1 Roundtree-Yorke Cotton Chinos (Too light coloring. Stained easily!)*
1 Pair IZOD Travel Pants (Amazing pants! Versatile and good looking!)
1 Pair Basketball Shorts*
3 Pairs Exofficio Boxer-Briefs (Awesome! Dry fast and are extremely comfortable!)
3 Pairs Minus33 Merino Wool Socks (Great in high and low temps. Dry a little slower but are worth the wait!)
1 Pair Smartwool Sock Liners (Got these for extra low temperatures. Ripped the 2nd time I wore them... Also good to use as dress socks)
1 Terramar Medium Weight Long Underwear Bottoms (Comfortable and warm!)
1 Wicker's Medium Weight Long Underwear Top (Good moisture control)
1 Columbia Bugaboo Convertable Parka (Versatile and tough. Survived motorcycle crash!)
1 Colapsable Wide Rimmed Hat*
1 REI Balaclava (Essential for ultra-cold temps)*
1 Pair Polyester Lightweight Gloves (Wear alone on cool days or inside snowboarding gloves in super low temps)*
1 Pair Bodyglove Snowboarding Gloves (Bulky. Would consider thinner gloves)*
1 Pair New Balance 900 Boots
1 Campmor Nylon Travel Shirt
1 Rick Steves Clothesline (Essential when packing light. You end up doing laundry much more often!)
1 Travelon Laundry Soap Sheets** (Only use with dry hands. Made that mistake and ruined my pack)
1 Jansport Daypack (Straps were comfortable but bulky. Would go with a collapsible bag in the future)*
1 HTC EVO 3D Cellphone (Brought it to use with WiFi. Not worth it. I ended up breaking it!)
1 Amazon Kindle (Keyboard) with Global 3G (Invaluable! Saved my butt countless times. 3G everywhere but Vietnam. Also great for storing guide books!
1 Canon SD1300 IS Camera (With Extra Battery)
1 Leica Dlux 3 Camera (With Extra Battery)
1 USB Wall/Car Charger and 2 USB Cords
2 4 GB SD Cards
1 8 GB SD Card
1 Notebook and Pen
5 Ziplock Freezer Bags (You never know when you'll need an extra bag! Great for keeping things dry)

*I've owned some of the items on this list for a long time so I linked the closest equivalent I could find online.
**Jen's note - you can also buy woolite in tiny packs, but they have to go in your 3-1-1 bag if you carry on.

What I Would Do Differently:

When I do another trip like this one I will definitely go all synthetic fibers in my clothing. I would ditch the cotton shirts and khakis and go with wicking t-shirts and another pair of the polyester travel pants.

Why you should always bring a backup camera!

The main thing I missed on this trip was a way to back-up my photos. A netbook would have been nice but I didn't want to add the extra weight and my bag was soft-sided so I would have been nervous about breaking it! An external hard drive with an SD card reader seems like a good alternative for backing up photos but I've never talked to anybody who's actually used one. I would also suggest bringing extra SD cards because I ran out of space. This caused me to buy a couple extra cards in China which turned out to be bad and I lost a week's worth of pictures!

I brought along a ton of cash but I should have brought even more. It's a risk but since my bank (Wells Fargo) charges five dollars every time you use an international ATM, I ended up spending roughly one hundred dollars in ATM fees over course of the trip.

Final Tip:

Remember when making a packing list that you'll be wearing one complete outfit all the time. So you won't be packing everything into your bag at one time***. For some reason this is hard to remember when you are planning and test-packing.

Happy Travels!

***Jen's note - wear your bulkiest clothes on the plane, like jeans. Also, don't bring jeans if you can help it :)

Life at Blue Creek

2012-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Note: This was written a few days ago. Things are better now.

This is the best ice cream I have ever had. It's magical Mennonite ice cream and they will never reveal their secret. I am sitting at the wonderful cafe across the street from the camp, which has amazing sweets and American food. I have heard rumors that they have pizza, which would be amazing. So far, I've just had ice cream and fries.

It is hard to talk about life here because 1) I'm right in the middle of it 2) it isn't all puppies and rainbows and 3) any situation with me and a bunch of people and manual labor is bound to be hard, and I'm feeling bleh at the moment.

So, better to show pictures! I'm at the Internet cafe across the street from camp and uploads are slooooow. So, here are all the pics that I can upload and still get sleep tonight.

This is camp. It is gorgeous there. I pictured a place in the middle of the jungle, but it's surrounded by pasture. Much fewer bugs. More cows.

This is the palapa. It is the center of life for chilling out, having a beer, reading, or having our evening lectures.

Here is my ~~tin can~~ cabana. I would show you the inside, but it's sort of gross. Picture 2 beds and super nasty clothing hanging everywhere. Also, mosquito netting. You get the picture.

Here are the cows that moo in the night. All night.

Catch you guys later! I have limited bandwidth (mostly that means very few pictures).

Guest Blog: Top 5 Tips for Packing Light by Jeff

2012-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

My brother, Jeff, went on a 2-month trip across Asia this year, visiting China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. While I'm on my trip, he volunteered to share his travel tips. First up, his five tips for packing light. So incredibly useful, people. I'm using the same bag he did to go to Belize for a month and I managed to do pretty well with these tips. I am bringing enough clothing for an archaeological dig, a touring vacation (ruins, nature preserves), and a beach/diving* vacation, all in a carry-on and small camera backpack. I find that when you go on a trip, everyone starts yelling packing advice at you. Here's some stuff that's actually worthwhile.

While I was trying on backpacks in REI prior to my 10 week, 5 country East Asia trip, the woman assisting me told me her secret for traveling light: “When packing for a trip, lay out all the clothes and money you plan on bringing. Then, remove half the clothes and double the money. That is what you should pack”. With that advice, along with what I learned on my own adventure, here are my top 5 tips for packing light.

1) Be Organized

You can’t pack the same way in a smaller bag that you did when you were using a larger suitcase. If you are like me and end up just throwing things in the bag when moving from one location to the next, you will find out quickly that things don’t always fit that way in a smaller bag. For this reason I recommend buying a set of packing cubes to keep your items neat and easy to find. The help compress your load and allow you to pack what you need without getting overwhelmed every time you need to find something in your bag.

A collapsible bag is worth its weight (or lack thereof) in gold!

I also recommend bringing a smaller, collapsible bag to put your clothing and non-essentials in so you can use your main backpack while you are out exploring without carrying everything with you. If you are staying in guest houses or hostels ask the front desk if they will keep your stuff in a luggage room or just behind the desk. 99% of the time they will be more than happy to help you out.

2) Pack Flexible Clothing

Flexible in this case has multiple meanings. The first deals with the physical flexibility of your clothing. Pack light, flexible clothing because they are space saving and easier on your back. Stick with synthetic fabrics. They are lighter, dry faster, handle sweat better, and are considerably more wrinkle resistant.

The second deals with flexibility of use. Pick clothes that can be used in many different environments and social scenarios. On my trip I brought some polyester travel pants that were appropriate for both long hikes in the Vietnamese countryside and clubbing in Shanghai. Also, chose clothing that layer well. If your trips include many different climate types, you want versatile clothes that can be worn alone in hot environments and layered with others in colder environments.

3) Pack For Regional Deficiencies

Certain countries and regions will not have certain products you need or are used to using. For example: China doesn’t sell deodorant in their domestic stores because they just don’t really use it there. On the other hand, you can buy toothpaste in any corner store. In this instance you could pack extra deodorant and less toothpaste and just plan on buying more while you travel. This way you have everything you need without sacrificing space. This leads me into my next tip:

Bring extra cash for unforeseen expenses!

4) Create A "Destination Fund"

This one I stole from Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Workweek. In his post he recommends that you pack as little as you possibly can and then buy most of what you need when you get there. I agree with this to a point. I don’t think it’s the most sustainable way to travel because you end up throwing away things you don’t have room for once you are done using them. If you rely on this method too much, you will end up blowing your budget pretty quickly. My advice: pack all the things you know you WILL need and set a little money and space aside for unexpected weather conditions or regional deficiencies.

Travel the world with what you can carry on your back!

5) Avoid Wheeled Luggage

People will definitely disagree with me on this but I consider this a very practical tip. The wheels and the handle add extra weight and a lot of countries aren’t very wheeled luggage friendly**. Sidewalks and roads are often in disrepair (if they exist at all) and it is much easier to steal a bag you are dragging behind you versus one that is strapped to your back.

The psychological aspect comes into play when you are test packing before your trip. When you have to physically carry everything you bring with you, you tend to pack less to make it easier on your body. Pack your bag and put it on. Then, think ahead to your trip and picture how much walking you will do with that bag on your back. I guarantee you will start removing lower priority gear to lighten the load.

Happy travels!

*My dives include equipment, but I am bringing a dive computer, underwater cameras, a skin, and a full set of snorkel gear with mini fins.

**One of my destinations in Belize requires a trek along the beach from a water taxi stop. I'm going to be glad to be backpacking it at that point, I think.

Catch you on the Flip Side

2012-06-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Note: this post was supposed to go live yesterday! Sorry, Jeff!

Me: Dad, how did you get through security with your toiletries like this?

Dad: I guess they were too busy confiscating my pocket knife!

By the time you read this, I should be on my way to Belize. I may be hanging at the Charlotte airport during my absurdly long layover, drinking massive amounts of coffee, and just trying to stay awake! My goal is to blog on the road, using the Blogsy app for iPad, which seems to work really well. In addition to this, I've scheduled some great guest blog posts, written by my brother, about traveling smart and light. By the way, it is his birthday today, so make sure to wish him a happy one!! Happy Birthday, Jeff!

I know I told you I wouldn't post this picture on the Internet. I lied.

This past week, I've been warming up my excavating muscles (trust me, you discover muscles not used in everyday life) with a dig sponsored by my school. It has been quite warm (I'm from Arizona, I refuse to say it's been hot) and sunny, but I managed to not get burned at all, except for a tiny strip on my back where my shirt rode up one day. So close! I learned a lot, and my dig partner and I bonded over a shared love of British television, but I just wish we had actually found some artifacts before I had to leave.

This weekend, I've been running around, doing random things like last-minute packing, dyeing a jacket for a SDCC costume (it did not turn out so well, the thick stretchy areas of the fabric took no dye, but it's workable), going to see Prometheus (loved it), washing my excavation clothes, and loading my e-reader up with library books. I read a lot on vacation, no matter how busy it is, and my e-reader has become my favorite minimalist packing accessory. My only complaint (aside from the fact that I miss the feel of a real book in my hands) is that I have to turn it off for takeoff. Lame.

I hope you all have a really great month! Barring any weird problems with the Internet, you should be hearing from me soon.

The Shins at Red Rocks (and it's my Anniversary!)

2012-05-31T08:58:00.001-07:00

Woohoo! Four year wedding anniversary! I'm celebrating by cleaning, laundry, and packing! Woo-... hoo? Don't worry, we went to The Shins concert on Tuesday and we are having a "Jen and Mike's Day of Fun!" (to be said in your best Janice accent) on Saturday which will include, but is not limited to: a movie, a delicious breakfast, and much time spent at our local arcade - a nostalgia fiend's treasure trove. Plus, since my Dad and I discovered the horse racing game that I am so good at (suck it, Dad!), I've been itching to go back. This is our first Anniversary without a little mini-break (usually camping) but with my trip coming up and my local dig* starting Friday, we are planning to take the trip at the end of the summer.

On to pictures from The Shins! This was a great concert, and it was my first time at Red Rocks, arguably the most beautiful concert venue in the world. Next time, we might want to find a campground in Morrison, as the schlep back to Colorado Springs after the concert was loooooong.

I have discovered several things as my taste in music has generally shifted over the years. Most of them involve the increased pleasantness with regard to the concert-going (you know, for old people like me). Here are my top five things I like better:

5. I can hear the next day.

4. I can function the next day.

3. The bands are so nice, and they really appreciate that you showed up for them.

2. I don't have to "dress up" - I used to change from "professional Jen" to "Punk Jen" on concert nights and it just felt weird. It mostly involved black t-shirts and lots of eyeliner. Now, "student Jen" and "Indie concert-goer Jen" pretty much dress the same way.

1. No mosh pit, meaning no getting knocked down, or hit in the throat, or elbowed in the stomach. I once asked my then-roommate Josh 'what do people do at Indie concerts, just sway?' And he said something like "yeah, pretty much..."** and they do, and it is glorious.

Well, I'm off to pack for Belize and Comic-Con because my travel schedule looks a bit like this:

I don't think putting my costume and makeup and everything together on July 10th is a feasible option so I'm doing it now!

*My professors convinced me that I should take part in the local dig for one week before going to Belize. I can learn basic techniques (what my professor referred to as "the right way" of excavating) and get additional school credit. I'm hoping it isn't completely exhausting before I fly out!

**Hope that was you, Josh, now I'm doubting myself...

A Nice Day

2012-05-25T06:57:00.001-07:00

Have you played with your pet on some grass lately?

Have a great weekend! I'll be hanging with my Dad.

Wear Your PJs to the Beach - Cute, Easy, and Functional Beach Wear

2012-05-21T10:32:00.002-07:00

I've been seeing some really fun and functional beach wear lately. I guess it's that time of year!

I spotted a creative use of floral silk PJ pants as a substitute for linen pants (which I don't like because they are wrinkly looking) in the latest Lucky Magazine. I love the idea of rolling out of bed and going straight to the beach, actually looking decent and being comfortable while doing it, and having at least one piece of beachwear that protects my uberwhite legs from the sun. Unfortunately, the pants they showcased were these, for $325. No thanks.

I have found a possible alternative in these:

I like the different patterns available in the Victoria Secret PJs, and that they come in different inseams.

Victoria's Secret also makes similar PJs in cotton, which would probably be a better alternative for travel to a hot, potentially muggy climate, especially if I plan to actually sleep in them as well (dual-duty clothing! It's a "packing light" staple!).

These also come in several different styles and colors, as well as inseam lengths. Score! I'm tempted to get ones with polka dots but lately I feel like all my clothing has polka dots on it. I might be in a rut.

I also spotted these Roxy bottoms which might do the trick and double-function as PJs. For me, I'm worried they might be too short, but they look comfortable!

Mike's graduation was yesterday (more on that later) and some very random small areas of my body that I missed with the sunscreen got burned. It got me thinking about my trip and how I am going to spend essentially an entire month outside, and I needed to invest in some extra sun protection because I'm pale and prone to burning. This got me thinking about hats. This post led me to the big floppy sun hat, particularly to this one, which is packable. I might look ridiculous (I don't often wear hats), but at least I won't be burned!

I found some other alternatives, including this one for a more safari-ish look (which would probably actually work better for my dig). It skirts the line between functional and attractive, and doesn't look too dorky. Plus there's an absolutely useless pocket! I guess you could put hair ties in it...

There is also this Roxy one which is really cute and has great reviews.

Anyone else have any favorite beach wear?

Our Little House - Outside

2012-05-16T07:56:00.001-07:00

We haven't visited my charming little house in a while and, let me tell you, it is looking particularly charming in the Spring. Flowers are popping up, the grass is green, the hammock is swinging, all that jazz. Plus, it gives me incentive to do some good cleaning.

I am using the blogsy app for iPad to do this post so hopefully everything comes out ok. I am trying to get used to using it for Belize and Comic-Con as I want to do some blogging while traveling. Should be fun!

Anyway, let's start with the outside of our little house, especially since we haven't done the cleaning part yet.

It's probably time to put the snow shovel away.

Our neighbors put up a wooden fence for their dogs which adds privacy for us too. It is also nice that they turned the falling-down dump next door into a really cool little house. It's much more pleasant to look at!

We were also lucky to have previous tenants who were into gardening. They planted all the flowers, herbs, and such that we have been admiring as they pop up.

We are really enjoying being outside. I felt pretty cooped up during the winter. Mike has been mowing the lawn. He loves it. I think it makes him feel manly.

*A Tale of 2 Monkeys*