Materials used in this project:
iPhone on AT&T
Google Voice
Gizmo5 account

How about free in and outbound calls from the US while you’re traveling international? This setup will let you make and receive calls and text messages using your google voice number. If you’re not logged in with your VoIP client to receive the call, Google Voice will take the message transcribe it and text message you the transcript. (They also email you the transcription and include a link to listen to the message on the website.)

My AT&T accounts inbound text messages when I am international as if I was in the country. This means if I’m within my allocated messages there are no extra fees. If you want to reply to these messages without using the Google Voice website, it was most often an additional 50¢. (Great when you’re on the Swiss train and need to tell your friend where and when to meet in Berne. Turns out, you usually meet people at The Meeting Point.)

Setup:
1. Add your Gizmo5 account as a ‘phone’ that rings when people try to contact you on Google Voice.
2. Setup Gizmo5 mac client on your Mac.
3. Setup VoIP client like Nimbuzz or Fring on your iPhone to connect to Gizmo5. Test these by calling your Google Voice # and see if it rings on your mac and iPhone.
4. In Google Voice, turn on text message transcription SMS alerts to your iPhone AT&T number. Turn on text message forwarding as well.
5. Turn off call screening on Google Voice to make it easier to answer on a VoIP phone.

Before you leave the country:
1. On the iPhone, turn on call forwarding to your Google Voice #. Settings App-> Phone -> Call Forwarding.
2. On the iPhone, make sure you have data roaming turned OFF.
3. (Turn on airplane mode if the people on the intercom as you to.)

Once you are There.

To call/text someone:
1. Find wifi, and open your VoIP client on your mac or iPhone.
2. Navigate to google.com/voice and type in or choose a contact to call or text. (You cannot do this step by using an iPhone by itself from my tests, since no programs are running in the background when you have Safari open to google voice and click call you can’t launch your VOIP client fast enough to catch the call. Can someone please write a dialer for the iPhone that stalls the request to place the call for the 5 seconds I need to then launch the VoIP client.)

To receive a call:
1. Find wifi, and open your VoIP client on your mac or iPhone.
2. Wait for the call.
3. Profit.

Pro Tips:

• Note you can use your iPhone headphones as a headset, and the mic even works on new MacBooks and Macbook Pros.
• Use the mobile Google Voice site for speed: http://google.com/voice/m
  If you only have your iPhone and really want to make calls out buy outbound credits on Gizmo5, and use the dialer built into your VoIP client.
• Grab the business card from the desk on the way out of the hotel to remember your way back. I also take a picture of it with my phone, just in case. You can then later just hand this to a taxi driver to get home, or show this to the the old guys smoking cigars on the corner and hope they gesture what direction to walk.
• You MUST turn on call forwarding before leaving the AT&T network. If you do not, your calls get routed around the globe to follow you, and even if you let a call go to voice mail you will pay the international call rate as your friend leaves you a message.
• Family rest rooms make a great changing room when you’re stuck in an airport.
• International frequent flyer clubs often have day rates, and in Asia they are very affordable. Here you can grab food, drink, internet, and heck even a printer!
• Many frequent flier lounges have wifi without a password, feel free to walk near them to download your email.

Pro Mapping:

• Since your cell phone radio is on GPS abilities will work, as well as the compass. Pull up the Maps application while you are on wifi, and pull up a map of the area, and where you might go. The Maps application will cache the data. Once you’re on the road you can open up Maps and tap the locate me button twice and you’ll see your location and orientation on the map. This really saved me when a questionable taxi cab driver in Colombia started driving down some narrow streets in the wrong direction. Pointing the exact direction of my destination with a firm, but spanglish filled “Porta del Norte!” let him know I was on to his tomfoolery.
• Since your cell phone and GPS radio are on, your phones taken will be geo-tagged. This is super sexy with maps view on iPhoto and Flickr.
• Before you go wondering from your place of residence, open the maps app and drop a pin and save this location. Later in the night, when you’re trying to find your way home and realize the word you memorized for the street you live on is on every street sign and translates to the word street you’re not hosed. Use the compass in the maps app to know exactly what direction your bed is.

http://www.wireless.att.com/travelguide – Helps you find exact coverage and rates for each country you are visiting.

Earlier this week Google bought Gizmo5 and disabled registration. That’s bad news for you if you don’t already have an account. If you don’t have an account, and Google still has registration closed you could follow all of the same steps and forward to your Skype In # (not free) and use their iPhone and mac client.

Just getting around to posting some more pictures. Here is a set from my trip to Malaysia. Enjoy.

/bragging
Year to date:
14 Countries
9 States in the US
40 Flights

The smile South East Asia left on my face even survived my countless-hour-layover-filled travel back to Colorado. I can see myself traveling that part of the world again soon. While I haven’t created a collection of my photos for your viewing pleasure. Tyler has uploaded two sets of photos from all of our cameras to facebook of the last half our trip that provides a great brief view of our trip.

Photo Set: Laos – don’t pronounce the “s”

Photo Set: North Vietnam – Hanoi, Hoi An, Sapa

Last night I was comforted when I saw an email from Jason responding to my email about where we should meet up in Malaysia:

“We’ll meet up with you guys at the airport in KL cause you don’t have much time between flights.”

My comfort receded like the hair on my 29 year old friend. “Wait?” I thought, “I won’t have much time between what flights?” I had three different flights to make it to Malaysia, but Malaysia was my destination. Malaysia is where I was going to meet up with Jason and Tyler.

I saw the email as I was walking into my house, so I headed straight to my computer to see if I could catch Jason on Google Talk or Skype. “Hey!” Jason had answered the call. The quiet hissing on the call clued me in on their spotty internet connection. While the conversation sounded of smiles on both ends I was quick to learn they all had plane tickets to fly from Malaysia to Bangkok.

I’m happy to report AirAsia.com took care of me as I was able to quickly book a ticket on their flight for only 207 malaysian ringgits. (About $59.)

“It’s on!”

(While I’m not flying Frontier on any of the legs of my trip, I must join them in the cheer.)

Two magpies hoped from bush to bush, with long chirps. To my surprise, the birds took turns swooping down to pick on a coyote. The wet sucking noise hiker seemed like more nature than the bully birds.

I resumed running pace as I crested the hill pick-and-sludge trail lead me to. The green valley below looked out of place for the foothills of the Rocky Mountains; it’s never that green. As I ran down into the valley, back into the trees, a loud scream filled the air. It wasn’t a human cry or scream, but something was fearing its life. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a fawn at full speed in the field at the bottom of the valley with two coyotes biting at its legs. The deer was worn from it’s long scream and fleeting. I continued down the hill down the single track with a new energy in hopes to at least find a better perspective. Each step I was sure the scream would turn to a more pulsed final cry. My eye then is pulled from the action in the valley towards the crest of the opposing hill where mama doe enters the valley a pace scooter drivers often hope for. From a better view I watch the fawn get chased into the bushes by the two coyotes with the doe making up ground. The cry ended, now standing on the trail I wait for the resolution. Little fawn then left the bushes to the field, with mom close behind.

Casual Version:

I was running up Apex today and run into this guy making what I can suppose is a bird call. He’s watching two mag pies pick on a coyote across the way. Then, about a mile further in the next valley I hear this scream. It’s a baby deer running across the field with two coyotes chasing it down. Mama deer hears the call and comes running from over a mile away and saves the day.

The trip is with the Cherry Hills Community Church Choir, yes choir! We’re singing, serving and touring through the Czech Republic and Israel.

You can keep up by watching photos at this Flickr Page. Also, an amazing singer on the trip, Janet, is posting to a trip specific blog.

Next week will be spent in Israel, and I’ll be back in Golden by the 12th.

Wonderful 7 hours and 20 minutes on the mountain bike with 5 friends down the Colorado Trail.

I pulled out the camera while tooling in the dirt, hope you enjoy.

In the capital of the Dominican Republic we met up with all of the local Peace Corp volunteers, with the goal of saving a few pesos we found a taxi that would let us pack.