TravelStream™ news feed for member mikerbh on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mikerbh en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:03:57 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1224067080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1224067080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1224067080/tpod.html Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:03:57 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Its been a loooooooong time.  I know, but then again, living in LA doesn't necessarily require a blog update.  To give everyone the update, I think the last time I wrote, I was just coming back from my trip in Africa last August!  Since then, I finished my first year of my MBA at Pepperdine and have since been working at Skechers USA but in Madrid.  I am currently working/studying in Madrid until January, then I'll be back in LALA Land.  
I left to come here in July and visited Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Italy, Slovenia and Spain.  I've been so bad at updating my blog that I think I will leave this to more of a picture blog rather than a retelling of the stories.  Let's just say a lot has happened!
From now until I return in January, I'll be in Madrid until mid-December then to Morocco!  I mention this because I'm currently accepting applications for a travel companion.  :)
Love,Michael
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1187989920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1187989920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1187989920/tpod.html Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:51:37 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Seattle, Washington, United States

The question isn't necessarily "who" is Julio. By now, we all know he is a 3.75 inch, red, furry finger puppet that only fits on 3 of 5 fingers.

It's not...."where is Julio," as he is currently in my desk drawer on Bundy Drive.

The real question is "What is Julio?" Julio's full name is Julio Rothenbergenlopezsteinman. Julio is bigger than just a person or a puppet, Julio is a concept. A concept that represents all that we hope to be.

He is a rock star who loves to party. A lady's man who always has something to say. Does he like a cocktail? Sure. Has he killed a lion and a python? Yes, but ate everything. Has he been arrested? Only twice.

On his most recent adventure, Julio went bungee jumping, hunting, white water rafting, paragliding and took Samba lessons. He's got his pilot's licence and always carries a Swiss Army knife (which accounts for the lion and python). He is a jack of all trades.

Julio has been on five continents and has most literally rocked our world. Whether we know it or not, we have all been effected by Julio and his ability to touch children's lives and bring people together regardless of age, sex, religion or race. Julio loves everyone equally.

As he has guided me through my adventures, I deemed it necessary to have an entry dedicated to the little guy.......TO JULIO!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1186393680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1186393680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1186393680/tpod.html Mon, 06 Aug 2007 07:09:12 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Cape Town, South Africa

Greetings from Cape Town!

A much overdue update after many attempts at some of the slowest Internet cafes on Earth.

75,480 Kilometers, 186 Nights and 19 countries later, I'm coming home!

From the Amazon to Carnival in Salvador,
From the beaches in Southern Brazil to Buenos Aires,
From the coast of Uruguay to the vineyards of Mendoza,
From the home of Pablo Neruda to the Salt Flats of Bolivia,
From the mystery of Machu Pichu to the coast of Ecuador,
From the wedding of my sister to Nairobi,
From the animals of the game reserves to the coast of Zanzibar,
From the shores of Lake Malawi to the rivers in Botswana,
From the history of Johannesburg to the southernmost point in Africa.......

I've made it to Cape Town and loving it. I couldn't ask for a better city to end such an epic trip in. Offering both a beautiful backdrop and an extremely recent history, Cape Town is an impressive city.

Through my travels, I feel like I've experienced history creep up on me to an almost uncomfortable degree. When I lived in Italy and traveled through Europe afterward, I visited concentration camps and experienced my family history in regards to the Holocaust in the 1940's, first hand. Then my travels took me to Asia where I saw the after effects of the Vietnam War or the American War, depending on who you speak to, the 1960's. Cambodia brought the history into my own lifetime with the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge in the early 1980's. Now, I've come to see the effects of Apartheid in South Africa, which is all too present and really hasn't faded to a degree where you can come even close to forgeting about it. Through this trip, I've been reading "A Long Walk to Freedom," the autobiography of Nelson Mandela. On multiple occasions, people with clearly defined beliefs have come up to me and said "Don't believe what you read."

I realize this to be a heavy note to bring about as I culminate my trip, but it's too in-your-face not to mention this history lesson I've learned both from speaking to both sides and then visiting the famed Robben Island.

Africa has been quite a different trip than the first part in South America. Much more of a lesson in very recent history as well as origins going back further than any place on Earth. After seeing the "Big Five", bungee jumping and tasting, seeing and doing everything I could, I'm ready to come home.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this incredible experience in my life, as it is one I will never forget. See you soon!

Michael
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1183552920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1183552920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1183552920/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:18:13 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Kande Beach, Malawi

Finally, some pictures!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1182950460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1182950460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1182950460/tpod.html Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:11:03 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Zanzibar, Tanzania, Tanzania

what a difference a week makes.

last, i was in nairobi, and ready to leave. now on zanzibar, having learned a lesson.

after moving hotels, to spend my last night in nairobi at the hotel my tour was departing from, i met the people i am spending 30 nights with. a motley crew of me, 4 canadians, 2 mexicans, 2 aussies, 2 welsch, 1 finish and 3 briths. the next morning, we headed off to the Masi Mara, one of the best and biggest game reserves in Africa. when in bolivia, i mountained biked down the world's most dangerous road, and complained about the poor quality of the roads. here, i have experienced the world's worst roads, so bad in fact that at last count, it took almost 4 hours to go 108 KM. not exactly ideal. for the next two days, we went on game drives, seeing lions, gazelles, elephants, hippos, hyenas, buffalos, vulchers etc. all the big five less the rhino which are few and far between.

after the game drive, we stopped at a masi village to visit the locals. this was the real deal. ears with holes you could put a bar of soap through, blankets to cover themselves and spears to kill. as most of the males have their heads shaved, i asked how they did it. the leader then responded, asking me if i wanted to have my head shaved. of course, i answer. now, in the states, i shave my head with a 'buzzer' no pain, simple clean up and it works everytime. i guess i didn't calculate that in addition to not having electricity or water, they probably didn't have a head shaving machine. rather, a dull, single edge razor. with a little soap and water, the shaking matriarch of the village began the ritulal shaving. painful would have been an understatement, as tears poured down my face. after sometime, she realized it WAS dull, and switched razors, making it slightly less painful, but nonetheless, terrible. i was given the stamp of approval, and for the first time in my life, a skinned head.

that's all well and good......that is where the adventure began.

when i returned from the safari on the second day, i ran into Olga, one of the girls on the trip in tears. as it turns out, she had had all her cash stolen. gulp. upon learing this, i went to my tent only to find myself with all my worldly possessions, minus ALL of my cash. the amount is irrelevant, but the effects long lasting, as that was all the money i had for two months. to put things in perspective, the Masi Mara is about a 9 hour drive from nairobi, our camp was about an hour from there.

what to do as an american, robbed in nairobi? well of course, you go to the police 'station.' station is a strong word for this villages' police headquarters. so after dinner, me, olga, the guide, two drivers, the police chief and another officer left for the headquarters. arriving at a shack, with white walls and a huge poster stating "please report all curroption", i knew we were in good hands. after asking me the requisite questions of personal information, we had to state our addresses, the amount stolen and what suspects we had, listing witnesses and all. quite amusing, minus the fact that all my money had been swipped.

while giving the chief the information, something developed on my side of the room. in africa, it is not unusual for men to hold hands while walking down the streets....that said, it's not standard for me. so, not knowing one of the drivers was super drunk, he started talking to me as the chief filled out the paper work. but, he had his hand on my thigh, a little too close for comfort, as i started laughing, the chief looked at me questioning what sparked my laughing. awkward.

after two hours of back and forth, i was granted a white piece of official police paper stating "michael roth had money stolen, please help him. case still under investigation." this was of no help, so it was on the the police station in next town of narock. well, this was of no help either, because the ran out of receipts. so we were asked to relax in your vehicle temporarily. an hour later, the same statement, on a yellow piece of paper. after all this hard work, only to find out my travel insurance doesn't cover cash replacement. damn!

from there, we visited the serengetti and ngorongoro crater. incredibly animal filled and beautiful. if anyone is curious what these places look like, the best place for reference is the Lion King, yes, i know, but it is totally accurate. i find myself on zanzibar today. just beautiful.

to recap africa in short, everything is what you would expect, completely different from everything and anything i know as 'normal.'

next it's off to malawi, zambia, botswana, s africa, swaziland and the lesotho.

it takes way too long to upload pictures here! sorry!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1181972940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1181972940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1181972940/tpod.html Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:46:14 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Nairobi, Kenya

Jambo! (Hello in Swahili)

So far so good in Africa. To begin with the obvious, there's really no way to avoid the contrast of the western world to Africa......Nairobi, Kenya

Whether it be the shrieking readings from the Koran at 545am on a PA system,

or having a conversation in perfect English with a woman seeing nothing but white of her eyes due to the full body burka covering everything, including hands,

or having a bus drive by and all 50 pairs of eyes staring,

or the fact that catalytic converters are not required on cars, hence not being able to breath properly due to the blackened smoke coming out of every vehicle passing,

or exchanging a smile with a Nairobian and having their face transform from a grim face where the past is all too present in their eyes, to an ear to ear smile, making me laugh at the warmth,

or the fact that I feel like the only white person in Nairobi

or noticing all security guards wearing Houston Astra plastic helmets for protection....

everything is different.

I feel like every 30 seconds for the past three days and three nights, the same thought has come through my head...."I can't believe I'm in Africa."

The coolest experience I've had in these three days occurred yesterday at a forex (foreign exchange) office. As I sat in the office, waiting my turn, a young man from Sudan turned to me and introduced himself to me in flawless English. We discussed the difficulties of adjusting to the jet lag, as he arrived the same day I did from Calgary, Canada. Puzzled, I inquired further as to how the Canada, Sudan, Kenya connection worked out. Vaguely, John explained to me that he was from Sudan, lived in Canada, but was here in Nairobi visiting friends. Something didn't add up.

As I finished, I returned to the waiting area where we met, and he had gone in for his turn. Now, there were two Canadians, one with a video camera, the other asking around where his 'friend' was. I assumed he was looking for another gringo, and when John walked out from the kiosk, one of the white Canadians said "oh, there he is!"

Again, not understanding what was going on, I asked for some clarification. As it turns out, John, was one of the original "Lost Boys from Sudan" featured in the 2003 film "Lost Boys from Sudan" featuring the journey of a group of boys from Sudan, first to a refugee camp in Kenya, then to various western cities across the world, including Los Angeles, Calgary, Philadelphia and New York City. John was one of those boys. I couldn't believe it, and I've got the photo to prove it.

Tomorrow morning, I start my 31 day overland safari from Nairobi, to Johannesburg.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1180045020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1180045020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1180045020/tpod.html Thu, 24 May 2007 18:45:16 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Quito, Ecuador

As my trip in South America comes to an end, I look back and reflect on what I´ve learned. Short and sweet.

The 10 Things I Learned In South America (in no particular order)

1. Yes, everyone is looking at you.
2. When in Buenos Aires, vegetarian or not, you eat steak, period.
3. When asking a price, never ask "Is this for one or both?"....You just doubled the price, stupid gringo.
4. ETA (estimated time of arrival) or departure for that matter, means absolutly nothing.
5. No one is ever in a rush do do anything, for any reason, no matter the urgency.
6. No one has any idea what is going on.
7. Blaring ABBA or Steven Segal movies on a bus, is totally acceptable, if not heavily encouraged.
8. George Bush isn´t winning any polls down here.
9. Football (soccer) is a religion respected and followed by all.
10. Todo posible, nada seguro. (Everything is possible, nothing is for sure)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1178329980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1178329980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1178329980/tpod.html Fri, 04 May 2007 23:01:56 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Cusco, Peru

The conversion rate between USD and Bolivianos is about 8 to 1. 100 Bolivianos is about 12 USD. That´s how much it costs to pee in La Paz. After a day of biking on the ¨Worlds Most Dangerous Road,¨ my lips were parched and I needed Chapstick in a major way. After getting off the bus, I started walking straight to the farmacia. Not a half a block from where I got dropped off, I had the brilliant idea of taking a leak on the side of a gas station, where every other person in La Paz pees. As I was relieving myself, I felt a presence behind me, that of a police officer. I heard a sharp whistle and with that, I was sitting on the sidewalk, in police custody. I decided to plead ignorance and speak no Spanish, as to not engage with him. After he explained to me that the wall wasn´t a bathroom, we prepared to go to the police station. At this point, I turned on a little more Spanish as to not spend a night in jail. Knowing he wanted a bribe, the bidding began. We started at 250, do I hear 200? Sold, 100 Bolivianos, paid by the stupid gringo peeing on the gas station.

After my last entry in La Paz, we continued north to Copacabana, Bolivia to see Lake Titicaca (that still makes me laugh). An unbelievable sight, as Lake Titicaca appears to be part of the ocean, but is a totally landlocked lake. After a seven hour hike, covering 17kms, we returned to the mainland, and took one of the worst bus rides to Cusco where I am writing from now. Cusco is the main hub people visit to go to Machu Pichu, as well as a great place to go out on the town. We took a 3 night 4 day trek to get to Machu Pichu. The first day was a 74km bike ride down a road rivaling the World´s Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia we had biked days before. The second and third days were each 20km hikes through some pretty serious terrain. On the fourth day, we woke up at 4am and hike straight up hill for two hours to reach Machu Pichu for sunrise. Nothing short of visiting can put into perspective how impressive a feat the ruins are and how beautiful the area is. At the base of the Sacred Valley (where I´m going on Sunday) Machu Pichu is surrounded by towering mountains, adding to the dramatic back drop.

I will be spending the weekend here in Cusco, then it´s off to Pisac, in the Sacred Valley and then to central Peru, a city called Huaraz. From there, it´s onto the south of Ecuador, then May 26th to Los Angeles!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1177365120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1177365120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1177365120/tpod.html Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:05:53 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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La Paz, Bolivia

I updated my blog last when I was in Santiago, Chile. Since then we´ve trekked quite the distance in order to maintain our schedule of reaching Cuzco, Peru by April 27th. I have seen so much it´s hard to know where to start from. Our trip has taken us from one of the richest cities in South America (Santiago) to Bolivia, one of the poorest countries.

From Santiago, we flew to Iquique, the northernmost city in Chile. Upon getting off the plane, I was totally taken back, as I truly felt I had just landed on Mars. Iquique is surrounded by thousand kilometer tall, red mountains looming over a city coming right up to bright blue waters. The most bizarre part was the lack of vegetation. Zero, as part of the world´s driest desert, the land is barren, raining almost never.

It was here we went paragliding for the first time. With very little guidance and even less preparation, Miguel(my guide) and I literally jumped off a cliff, for a 25 minute float down to the sand dunes (see the pictures).

From Iquique, we went south to San Pedro de Atacama, the Chilean boarder town we stopped in before beginning a two night, three day journey through the most unbelievable landscape I´ve ever seen. As we gathered in the early hours of the morning, it was me, Joe and three Frenchies, along with a guide. After piling into the LandCruiser, we proceeded through the desert, seeing unbelievable rock formations, Mars-like landscapes, the Valle de la Luna, a lake with 45,000 flamingo´s balancing on it and at the end, the best for last, the largest salt flat in the world. 12000 sq km, Solar de Uyuni.

The nature we saw in these three days was truly breathtaking both at it´s vastness as well as it´s unmatched beauty of anything I´ve seen. After the tour, we went to Potosi, which has been a mining town for over three hundred years. The purpose of this out of the way journey was to do a day tour of the mines. We had been told by others along our trip that this was not to be missed. We arrived, and with minimal sleep, we suited up for a day I will never forget. At 4070 (about 14000 feet) meters, Potosi is one of the highest altitudes I´ve ever experienced. This, combined with 4 foot ceilings, arsenic in the air, minimal salaries and temperatures that range from freezing to 114 degrees Fahrenheit, the workers die at the average age of 40-45, with pensions only kicking in at 45 years old. The mind yields silver, lead, zinc and other minerals. It was an eye opening experience that made me appreciate my life, including 8 hour days. This in comparison to the miner´s 12, 15, 20 and 24 hours shifts.

We are now in La Paz, Bolivia and tomorrow we will go mountain biking down ¨The world´s most dangerous road¨. But not to worry, we are going with the only company in town that can claim no deaths in the last year!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1176420840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1176420840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikerbh/che2007/1176420840/tpod.html Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:44:16 -0400 What do you mean "WHY" am I going to South America?

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Santiago, Chile

Today is my 40th anniversary!!!!

That is, Chile is the 40th country I´ve graced with my presence. I realize it may seem a bit cliche to try and quantify in any way, shape or form, the pleasure I derive from traveling, but there is a story behind this number I´ve kept track of over the years. When I was 21 years-old, I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Florence, Italy through NYU. Upon arriving, my eyes were widely opened by the culture, food and architecture, just some of the influences that continue to propel me through my travels to this day.

Today I´m writing from Santiago, Chile, which from my sources is the only first world country in South America. I¨m not sure if that is true, but I´ll go with it. My last entry was from Montevideo, Uruguay. From Montevideo, we rented a car and took a couple of days to visit Punta del Este. As Joe and I were planning this trip, we came up with five places each that we ¨couldn´t miss,¨ these included carnival in Salvador, Iguazu Falls, Rio, Machu Pichu amongst others. One of mine was Punta (as the locals call it). Commonly referred to as the St Tropez of South America, it for sure lived up to it´s name. From Punta, we drove up the coast to a beach called Jose Ignacio, where money truly isn´t an issue. The houses we saw were incredible with views to match them. At the end of this area, there is a famous restaurant called ¨La Huella¨ which in English means footprint. In the back of the restaurant there is a Lacoste store, which matches the vibe of the restaurant. Extremely Hamptons. People arriving on horseback, no joke. Punta was also the location of my refresher course on how to drive stick shift, by Joe Shamash. I can officially say I can sort of drive shift with out putting too many people in danger.

After a hellish journey from Uruguay back to BA, we had the opportunity to have a Passover Sedar with a friend´s family who gladly welcomed two nice Jewish boys into their home. My kind of Sedar, no prayers and the first thing we were offered was salami on white bread. Not Kosher by any means. Following a couple last days and fantastic meals in BA, we headed on an overnight bus to Cordoba, Argentina. We spent a relatively dead Easter weekend there, visiting Che Guevara´s house he grew up in. Born in Rosario, he and his family moved to Alta Gracia, just outside of Cordoba due to his asthma. I can appreciate that.

From Cordoba, we headed SW to Mendoza, the wine capital of South America. There is nothing like the experience we had while wine tasting, on bikes from winery to winery. The logo for the company www.bikesandwine.com is a guy cycling, downing a glass of wine. Of course I immediately thought what my Mom would think of this business idea.

Going forward, we are basically going from the easiest of traveling, with super cheap accommodations and excellent cheap food, facilitated by comfortable transportation in Argentina, to the worst in conditions in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Being a 6´3´´ gringo get´s more and more exciting as you go to countries with shorter and darker people. Apparently the buses in Bolivia are nothing short of terrible with leg space suitable for midgets.

I don´t mean to bombard you with photos of anti-Bush propaganda, but it´s really unavoidable here. People love him! Along with these photos, I´ve included some photos to demonstrate the randomness South America has supplied us with.

I hope all is well! Much Love, Michael
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