Pics!

Well folks, sorry to say that this is it.....I have been here for almost an hour trying to upload pictures to no avail. This one of me on the plane where I got to sprawl out and sleep in my own row is all I was able to get posted. I'll keep trying each new place I go.

I'm in Santorini now and so far have just laid on the beach. The sand is black and hot like asphalt. We're pretty far out from the main town. We're staying only about a 5 minute walk to the beach. This has been my first experience in a hostel and so far so good. This one is clean and the people are great. There's a bunch of other women traveling alone. Since I'll be doing that quite soon I'm glad to have met them and gotten some inspiration, pointers, and good company.

Tommorow I'll be doing a tour of the volcano, sulfer springs, and the main town. I'm....I'll write more later once I've done more than just lay around and when I've planned where to go next.

Athens

Greetings from Greece! Athens is HOT! I've been sweating like crazy, but I love it. Sorry for the let down folks, but once again I haven't been able to find internet where I can post pics.



I got in on Friday and pretty much just settled in, ate dinner, and went to bed. Yesterday (8/9) Paul and I visited the Parthenon and ancient Agora. That was pretty spectacular, as was the view of the city. We walked all around the city. It's not as dirty as I was expecting and it's really quiet right now because there's a national holiday going on. That's actually been really nice. People have been really helpful and most everyone speaks English.


Sunday (8/10) was a lazy day....reading books and getting rested. We went to a few other landmarks like the Temple of Zeus and an Olympic Stadium built in the 1800s. Then we wandered other areas of the city.

This morning (8/11) we basically made preparations for the next few days. We'll be here until Wednesday, then we take a tour to Meteora and Delphi. We come back to Athens Thursday evening and take a sleeper boat to the island of Santorini.

Hopefully I'll be able to find a place to post pics soon!!

The Next Adventure

That's right, I'm unpacking and packing up again! I'm going to Europe baby! I leave August 7th to arrive on August 8th in Athens, Greece. 24 more days. Paul lands 2 hours after I do...then the adventure begins.

I've got the hotel reserved for Athens, but beyond that not much is planned other than going to the Greek islands, hugging the coastline until it cools off, then going inland to Eastern Europe where it's cheap until we finally make our way to Berlin.

Yes, it's a little scary. It's a big adventure with a lot of unknowns. It's got me all wound up and unable to sleep....but in a good way. It's exciting and no matter what happens I know I'll walk away with a lot of stories and a lot of life lessons.

So, stay tuned...you'll see more posting come August!

End of the Road....well sort of

6/13/08: We take a bus to Flores, Guatemala. This bus was a little cramped....and no ACThe country side was really lush and beautifulSome of the houses were pretty run downSome weren't so bad
We were on dirt road for a looooong timeOne more reason I don't eat beef
Guatamalen's love their beef. There were a ton of cows around.We get to Flores in the early afternoon. It was a cute little city...apparently lots of gangsters though Somehow I don't think this is the gangsta's rideThis restaurant wasn't that great. The food was alright, but we waited forever and the power went out! But....nice view, eh?For dinner Paul, Mindy, Peter and I went to a much nicer place Yes, another door ;-)

After dinner we did some shopping. Mindy modeled...she and Paul each bought one of these.
Don't worry....I didn't buy this! And I didn't really smoke this Cuban cigar...but I did drink a lot of Mezcal that night6/14/08: The next day we headed to Tikal. At this point I was pretty sick of looking at ruins. But I still took some pics for my fans.
A Tucan took a bite!After I got sick of picture taking Paul kept me company in the shade. I like this view.

We didn't get to see many monkeys cuz we're all a buncha loud mouthes and scared them away, but here's a little one....Then we all went and hung in the trees for a while. Fun!
Flores is actually and island on lake Lago Petén Itzágotta get the feet in there
6/14/08 we take an overnight bus (hell)
to Antigua (heaven). Antigua was one of my favorite places for sure. I wish I had more time there.

We arrive at 6am and our rooms weren't ready yet, so we go for a walk to get breakfast. This is our hotel's courtyard. Pretty.One of my favorite shotsSo this is me getting my first good cup of tea in weeks....and chai latte at that! Look at the happy princess!
Oh what a pretty fountain....
With naked ladiesHere's a fancy smancy hotel that wouldn't let us in the gate. Freakin' cool doorPaul, Catherine and I went out for an evening stroll.

This was destroyed in an earthquake. I forget what type of building it used to be, but they keep it lit up and it's purty.

Here it is from a different angle. One of my favorite shots.

Downtown

Another favorite

We all stopped for a cocktail. Another favorite picture. Awwwww...

6/16/08: We get up at 6am to drive to an active volcano, Pacaya, about an hour and a half from Antigua

Hauling my ass up that mountain I felt like one of these....mooooo

But it was worth it for the view

That's a big pile of lava rock behind us

Just me and my shadow.Psssssttt I'm on fi-ya baby
Hot molten lavaPaul...the Pied Piper of stray dogs. He had a close call with one of them nipping him while taking food from his hand (it's very dangerous to have an animal bite in a place like this). Luckily it was just a surface wound. What's that saying about don't bite the hand that feeds you? I guess that doesn't apply to a starving animal who nobody feeds.

Last Supper
And, of course, drinks afterwards

Th-th-th-that's all folks!

To be continued in Europe. Stay tuned.