tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123814302011-09-14T02:54:08.951-04:00This blog started with the adventures of three former Peace Corps Volunteers and their Toyota Landcruiser, La Puta Madre, as they travel the Pan-American highway through the countries of Central America on their journey home to the United States. Unfotunately two of the original three have sold out to the man and are slowly turning into suits. Now, it chronicles the travels of the last of the original three. This would be Colin (the funny one)Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.comBlogger4841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-75286854851070485212011-04-25T22:27:00.000-04:002011-09-13T22:33:50.722-04:00

Tokyo, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.so long Japan

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-3197322623334059912011-04-25T22:25:00.001-04:002011-09-13T22:35:11.108-04:00

the ominous crow, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.this in from the tower's observation deck

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-53327472646992614702011-04-25T22:24:00.000-04:002011-09-13T22:32:53.808-04:00

Tokyo Tower, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.its tall

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-59604354073261424982011-04-24T22:22:00.000-04:002011-09-13T22:32:03.894-04:00

my room, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.A bed, a radio a tv and a light. That's it

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-13203266824256243132011-04-24T22:21:00.000-04:002011-09-13T22:32:27.117-04:00

Capsule Hotel, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.first night in Tokyo, one of the cheaper ways to travel

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-57820089318408661062011-04-22T21:28:00.000-04:002011-09-13T22:19:05.805-04:00

So from Nara it was the high speed train to Tokyo. Pretty cool, not exactly sure but we were moving around 150 mph. Tokyo is an animal like I've never seen before. So many people, so dense and so expansive. I have never felt so safe throughout an entire city nor so easily understood an entire subway network. I was only there for four days or so and I was all over the place and was never

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-2810551722161900652011-04-21T21:23:00.000-04:002011-09-13T22:19:34.268-04:00

one big Buddha, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.kinda hard to tell but this guy is probably about 50 ft tall

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-54879448202900929912011-04-19T21:22:00.000-04:002011-09-13T21:26:56.070-04:00

Nara deer, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.these guys were everywhere and thoroughly unafraid of people. it was the same on Miyajima too

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-53694485063366545202011-04-19T21:19:00.002-04:002011-09-13T21:25:04.238-04:00

Nara, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.Apparently the world's largest wooden building, and it houses one of the largest Buddhas

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-31600955727523132962011-04-19T21:10:00.001-04:002011-09-13T21:25:37.125-04:00

So the way I heard it was that Nara was a good stop over and the place to catch the Shinkonsen (high speed bullet train) so that what I did. I did get to see Nara if only for a few hours but as it turned out that is not a place to catch the bullet train so the whole day was extremely rushed.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-37877203011881011922011-04-18T20:56:00.000-04:002011-09-13T21:04:56.126-04:00

On to Tokyo, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.back down the incline and on to Tokyo with a few quick stops on the way

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-23564295007812914722011-04-17T20:54:00.000-04:002011-09-13T21:04:13.700-04:00

Koyosan Temples, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.some individual pieces must have been a life's work

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-43145961922039457222011-04-16T20:52:00.000-04:002011-09-13T21:03:56.616-04:00

Okunoin Cemetary, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-14730933438504205032011-04-13T20:51:00.000-04:002011-09-13T21:00:11.527-04:00

worst toilets, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.Japan is home of the best and worst toilets in the world. The photo here is an example of the worst. The best have heated seats, a built in bidet with warm water and even provide a drying puff of air to finish off the experience.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-4164500978126361962011-04-13T20:48:00.000-04:002011-09-13T20:59:48.903-04:00

Okunoin, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.at the end of town is a huge cemetery planted among large cedars. The story goes that Kobo Daishi the founder of Shingon Buddhism went into meditation in the temple there xx years ago and waits there for Miroku Nyorai, the Buddha of the Future, when he will wake up.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-24281848715304997372011-04-12T20:36:00.000-04:002011-09-13T20:59:30.262-04:00

K Cars, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.the K Car program there is pretty fantastic. Pete had one actually. Its usually a very small 3 cylinder car that gets really good gas mileage. on top of that you qualify for low registration and insurance costs. I think we should do something similar here.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-1770030728946499892011-04-12T20:30:00.000-04:002011-09-13T20:58:48.291-04:00

my room in the Monastery, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.slept on the floor just about everywhere I stayed in Japan. The table in this photo was pretty cool, ithad a heating element under it so you tuck your legs in and it keeps you pretty toasty. Not too much heat in a monastery on top of a mountain so it came in handy.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-86529250882771947152011-04-11T20:24:00.000-04:002011-09-13T20:58:16.457-04:00

Temples in Koyosan, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.ust about every building in Koyasan is antique, really a beautiful town

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-78115817010094304562011-04-11T20:19:00.001-04:002011-09-13T21:17:07.735-04:00

Incline to Koyosan, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.after a long train ride you end up with the last connection being an incline track. Pretty cool final leg of a long long day

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-85726136590277519932011-04-11T20:15:00.002-04:002011-09-13T21:16:42.464-04:00

Wakayama Traditional Dance, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.my first night back on the mainland (can you refer to an island as the mainland?) I was in Wakayama and it lucked out to be the same night as the weekly dance exhibition.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-16699978500918193742011-04-10T19:43:00.000-04:002011-09-13T20:08:57.998-04:00

So I ferried back to Honshu and worked my way up to Koyasan. Besides the ferry trips the only other thing that I really planned for my time here was to spend a few nights in a Buddhist monastery. Koyasan is the small town I chose to do that in, it's the center of Shingon Buddhism and a really peaceful little town on the top of Mt. Koya. I stayed in Muryokoin, woke up at 6 every morning to

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-82041759929095674252011-04-09T22:57:00.000-04:002011-09-06T23:02:59.222-04:00

Naruto Bridge, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.not a ton of whirlpools the day that I was there but there was plenty for the civil engineer in me to geek out on

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-37181059959866003552011-04-09T22:53:00.000-04:002011-09-06T23:02:28.551-04:00

Naruto whirlpools, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.The Naruto Bridge between Shikoku and Awaji Island heading towards Honshu is apparently one of the best places to see naturally occurring whirlpools.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-89680256087442716492011-04-09T22:49:00.000-04:002011-09-06T23:01:58.153-04:00

manicured gardens, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.small lots with even smaller yards still had some of the best kept gardens I've ever seen

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-79429990220966040342011-04-09T22:48:00.000-04:002011-09-06T23:01:23.300-04:00

playing with the reflection, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-81260492064241613862011-04-09T22:44:00.000-04:002011-09-06T23:00:23.151-04:00

a little grub, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.normally i'd be completely game for a little fish on stick but still relatively queasy I was more than ok with just the picture

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-63628273959437192642011-04-09T22:41:00.000-04:002011-09-06T23:00:04.557-04:00

old stairs, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.local water access

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-57448644097111863752011-04-09T10:47:00.000-04:002011-09-06T22:59:27.385-04:00

vine bridge, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.apparently at one time these were all over the place. Bridges made of vines were made so that if pursued by enemies they could be cut down to slow them down.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-2878951304130696742011-04-08T22:35:00.000-04:002011-09-06T22:58:51.676-04:00

steep slopes, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.finally got the energy up to take a train out to the middle of nowhere, which offered up some pretty amazing views

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-68360127996498936262011-04-08T22:22:00.001-04:002011-09-06T22:37:24.788-04:00

so as I mentioned before, I got pretty ill my second day on Shikoku. Violently ill on a train platform actually. Luckily as I was on all fours losing my guts on the rails the polite Japanese peoples were doing there best to not notice me. When I turned around there wasn't a soul looking at me which was a real surprise when you imagine the lip curls you would get for performing this same stunt

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-84894577881385665902011-04-07T22:16:00.000-04:002011-09-06T22:18:52.537-04:00

thats me, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.this is what the sweet old lady called me for the few days I was there

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-37895259755930766342011-04-07T22:15:00.001-04:002011-09-06T22:20:52.296-04:00

sweet robes, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.they came with every room

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-60185480353684299302011-04-06T21:42:00.001-04:002011-09-06T21:45:08.013-04:00

Translation gems, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.there were a bunch of these all over the place. My brother actually has a better collection on his blog. He talks about a bunch of aspects of his life in Japan, it's pretty funny and worth checking out. www.livingandteachinginjapan.blogspot.com/

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-76654934180139476122011-04-05T21:36:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:43:22.606-04:00

view from the ferry, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-58313677370446146782011-04-05T21:22:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:43:01.774-04:00

So a few quick days in Hiroshima and Miyajima and it was time to move again. I was determined to get into the middle of nowhere a bit so the island of Shikoku was the goal. Just about the only part of the trip I had planned on prior to flying to Japan was this idea of hopping a Ferry through the small islands on the way over to the Shikoku. I asked quite a few people who all told me it was

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-34170340437110516032011-04-04T21:16:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:21:33.035-04:00

The haul, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.we got these muscles and oysters in about 20 minutes. Best I can figure, they are most likely the cause of me getting violently ill on a train platform about 48 hours later.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-19724576632580094762011-04-04T21:12:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:21:03.521-04:00

Decommisioned floating dock, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.one of the guys working at the hostel mentioned he knew a place that he collected his own shellfish and we ended up crawling around on this thing

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-37522942086260665752011-04-04T21:10:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:20:01.468-04:00

A Wedding, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.kinda got swept up in the moment but these guys came out and were posing for professional pics and every Japanese tourist ran over and started taking pics so I did too. The traditional garb is pretty cool. Apparently you're part of a pretty important family if you get married on the island.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-62238869284585491762011-04-04T21:08:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:18:56.189-04:00

Sun Bear, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.I never got the story on these guys but the statuettes were everywhere

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-21474268031950099692011-04-04T21:05:00.000-04:002011-09-06T21:18:20.776-04:00

Miyajima's Tori, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.this is one of Japan's biggest tourist attractions. You're supposed to wait for low tide and walk under it but I hit it at the wrong time. One of the crazy things about Japan was that domestic tourism is so big that entrance fees often actually costs more for a Japanese tourist than a foreign one

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-67116537280980639742011-04-04T20:51:00.000-04:002011-09-06T20:58:46.765-04:00

I stayed in the "Backpackers Miyajima" hostel just south of Hiroshima and right across from the island of Miyajima. They're really friendly and just about the only place I found other travelers right after the tsunami, I'd suggest it to anyone. I was nice being on the water and the island itself is definitely worth seeing. Good hiking, tons of temples.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-23517260040261828442011-04-03T20:48:00.000-04:002011-09-06T20:49:45.499-04:00

Atomic Bomb Dome, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.one of the very few buildings that was left standing

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-35576306364520528962011-04-03T20:47:00.000-04:002011-09-06T20:49:26.040-04:00

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.I've not been extremely proud of being American before but never truly embarrassed until I walked around the Peace Park. Everyone really should go if they get to Japan.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-4106987324208837512011-04-03T20:03:00.000-04:002011-09-06T20:42:01.722-04:00

Cherry Blosoms II, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.Temple in Hiroshima

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-47096600336969676252011-04-03T20:02:00.000-04:002011-09-06T20:41:40.244-04:00

Cherry Blosoms, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.I didn't plan it but I really lucked out being there during the Cherry Blossom Season

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-28669787747615747372011-04-03T11:50:00.000-04:002011-09-06T20:43:00.419-04:00

So after about 2 weeks with my brother Pete it was time for him to go back to work and me to start the backpacking part of my trip. When I left for Japan I really thought that all my time solo traveling around Latin America prepared me for this as well but even though I had learned a few phrases under my brother's tutelage (Ubinkyoku wa doku deska? = Where is the post office? really served its

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-50085948515609769392011-04-02T23:39:00.000-04:002011-09-06T20:41:11.797-04:00

the brother, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.in this picture of him looking out at the Adachi Garden you can really tell he's an intellectual just look how he crosses his legs

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-21769260670761870182011-04-02T00:03:00.002-04:002011-09-02T18:18:11.463-04:00

Garden of some name, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.this place was amazing, I've never seen such care taken in gardening. Noone was even allowed to walk on it.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-16537198398296880192011-04-01T23:59:00.001-04:002011-09-01T00:10:32.723-04:00

Onsen number 1, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.so this was my first Onsen or Public Bath. pretty go get naked with a bunch of Japanese men and soak in hot water or hang out in steam rooms. They even have a tub with electric shock panels embedded in the walls I really has some reservations about it while I walked there but after you get over the naked in public thing its fantastic. You walk

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-37375067476830289292011-03-31T23:51:00.000-04:002011-09-01T00:08:38.499-04:00

The Suave Pedro, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.pretty funny to think Pete is in a suit every day for work. Surprised me the first time he got ready for work.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-1085566986066410632011-03-30T23:47:00.001-04:002011-09-01T00:08:06.669-04:00

Japanese engineering, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.extra large jacks keep the beach in place. It's pretty crazy but just about every coast line is covered with some version of these and every water way has been channelized too. My theory is that between tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes and whatever else, that they've been shit on for so long they do there best to control nature

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-19314040368233534782011-03-29T23:34:00.001-04:002011-09-01T00:07:14.101-04:00

Big Boy alive and well, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.Apparently he's alive and well in some parts of the world. A serious relief

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-75331353259767043502011-03-28T23:29:00.001-04:002011-08-31T23:37:34.174-04:00

Mt Daison, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.gives you a bit of a view of Yonago as well.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-28025718214648231552011-03-28T22:48:00.000-04:002011-08-31T23:03:25.578-04:00

So after a quick visit to Osaka and Kyoto, I think it was 2 nights in each, we drove a back road for 4 hours to get to Sakaiminato, Pete's town and possibly the smallest apartment I've ever seen. We were only there one night and then we moved Peter to Yonago. Its just a little ways away but its a bigger town and since Pete signed a contract with a new company this is were he'll be for the next

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-9758452695196311382011-03-27T22:41:00.002-04:002011-08-31T23:06:57.566-04:00

Unreadable Monuments, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.really cool tablets and statues all over the place that i can never read about

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Golden Palace, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

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Kyoto Streets, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.couldn't help but analyze the urban form where ever I was. Been completely brainwashed

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Five Tiered Pagoda, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.Supposedly the tallest one in Japan

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So the first few day were spent in Osaka and Kyoto. I'm not sure if it was how the city was put together or the fact that I was definitely still in middle of the most serious jetlag I've ever had but Osaka was confusing as hell. None of those last pics show it but it is packed with people. Kyoto on the other hand was much more traditional and easier to navigate. Tons of temples and cool old

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Osaka Palace, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

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Osaka Parks, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.This is the main park in the Center of Osaka. Pretty cool the old backdropped by new.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-45931613150094321662011-03-26T22:17:00.000-04:002011-08-31T22:23:38.330-04:00

Japans Covered Walking Malls, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.So I quickly learned these are everywhere throughout Japan and least on Honshu and Shikoku. Cool elements that we have very few of.

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-41978045984916605342011-03-25T22:08:00.000-04:002011-08-31T22:09:47.135-04:00

Beijing Airport, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.Of course the flight out there I remember clearly. I was sick before I left so the extra hours in both LA and Beijing really stretched it out. Funny to look back at now but after Pete picked me up we got lost driving around in Osaka for another 3 hours. Made for an extremely long day

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-56199538865627044892011-03-24T20:54:00.000-04:002011-08-31T21:36:12.125-04:00

So the quake hit about 9 days before my planned trip to Japan. It was really up in the air whether I was still going or not when I spoke to my brother Peter. He's been teaching English in Japan for about a year and a half and was a large part of my reason for going. He was over 5 hours Southeast of Tokyo and assured me that he hadn't felt any ill affects of the disaster and hadn't even lost

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So its been a while since there was an update. This is mainly due to the fact that I've been a little more stationary than usual. A few months after my return from the South America trip I moved to Denver to start a Graduate program in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD). I've been here about a year and a half and have finished 3 of the 4 semesters needed

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San Cristobal and Rosario (La Mina) Originally uploaded by Road Tripthat small bit on the left is almost the whole town of Rosario, its a very small place

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So after Lima I spent a few days back in Tegucigalpa visiting friends. It was nice to be back but I was still ready to get home. Its amazing how much of central america is still so far behind the rest of latin america. I spent a day in National Park "La Tigra" about an hour out of Teguc, stayed in a small town called Rosario or La Mina, its an old silver and gold mining camp. Mos of the buildings

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So after a couple harrowing days of travel north, including another strike that I had to take a plane to get passed, I ended back in Lima. I had about a week in the city and it was nice to get back to Wayruros, the hostel my friends own, my second home south of the equator. Most of them work working outside of the city but Nacho was there as well as a few friends I'd made last time I went through

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Cerro San Cristobal Originally uploaded by Road Tripup top theres a big statue of the "Blessed Virgin Mary"

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-59089412749067988852008-06-24T14:34:00.001-04:002010-01-06T14:45:09.525-05:00

Santiago Originally uploaded by Road Triphard to tell from fotos but santiago is huge

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-49192982633032517702008-06-24T14:34:00.000-04:002010-01-06T14:44:38.321-05:00

up the hill by train Originally uploaded by Road Tripthere's a big hill in the middle of town called Cerro San Cristobal and from up top you get a good view of Santiago. I ended up taking a cable train up and the gondolas back down

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I was only able to get a few days in Santiago but with the help of all the good people I met in La Casa Roja it was a great time. Much bigger than I ever imagined and down in a bowl that traps all its smog Santiago has a great night life. I spent the days walking around or nursing hangovers and the nights out in Bella Vista in a variety of its tons of tiny bars and clubs. Both skiing and

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Puerto Montt Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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ship carcass Originally uploaded by Road Tripthis boat hit a sand bar roughly 20 years ago and its still there rusting away

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-23869722619323899902008-06-23T23:24:00.000-04:002009-12-22T00:05:21.541-05:00

our bow Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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big chess Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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the rest of the passengers Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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some fellow passengers Originally uploaded by Road Tripits hard to tell from a oicture but this was taken in some seriously high winds

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-38598045675954632802008-06-23T23:22:00.000-04:002009-12-22T00:04:23.033-05:00

some of the boat Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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NAVIMAG Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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NAVIMAG is a cargo business with shipping routes all along the coast of Chile. But its boats also have room for tourists travelling between the same points. The boat I was on carried a maximum of 170 people but at the time of year that I did it carries considerably less. Without counting a generous estimate would put it at a group of 15 not considering the crew. It took 4 days and 3 nights north

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-42246655961826942622008-06-21T23:17:00.000-04:002009-12-22T00:02:03.173-05:00

sky in Torres Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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our lodge Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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Torres II Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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view from up in Valle de France Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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some lonely footprints Originally uploaded by Road Tripwe got high enough up we were leaving the only footprints we could see. Meaning we were the only ones up that far since the last snowfall, but there were tons of animal tracks all over the place

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small suspension bridge Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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Torres Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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Torres del Paine Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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the locals Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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the hike out Originally uploaded by Road Tripthats the german mother daughter team

Colin (Brendan and Darren always welcome)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06985540340730773442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12381430.post-11055581401043217772008-06-20T17:49:00.001-04:002008-06-25T13:51:54.871-04:00

Puerto Natales is a really small town far down south in Chile that other than an amazing setting doesn´t seem like it has much going on. But to be fair the little bit I saw only while running around paying illegal substance fines, after that headache was over I found out that my boat north had been postponed a day for problems with the loading cranes. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise

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they never give up Originally uploaded by Road Tripso unfortunately this is the only foto from the border crossing I was detained at. But the sign is a great statement for Argentina they officially los the Faulkland Islands (they call them the Malvinas) to england a secong time in the 80`s but this brand new sign shows that they`re still not over it.

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So after leaving Calafate I turned west and planned to cross over into Chile to get a few hikes in over there in a hightly recommended national park before getting on a cargo boat that takes people north. Unfortunately what I didn´t realize is that coca leaves which are legal in most of the other countries in south america are considered an illegal substance in Chile. I had been carrying a small

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Perrito Moreno II Originally uploaded by Road Tripits friggin` huge

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300 yr old ice Originally uploaded by Road Tripa snack on the glacier including some whiskey with 300 yr old ice

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Glacier hike Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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Perrito Moreno Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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doll head Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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Flamingos Originally uploaded by Road Trip

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