tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316058862011-07-28T16:48:39.600-07:00Vague and Inane Chatter on a Quasi-Regular Basis.BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.comBlogger361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-71375698838500641942010-07-30T11:59:00.000-07:002010-08-08T14:30:11.335-07:00

I like puns, sue me. Take your "wit" and your "satire" and your "biting social commentary." I like plays on words.Last week in China. It actually didn't rain on Tuesday so we seized the opportunity to visit the "Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding." This is the largest single location for giant pandas and their picky and particular procreative habits in the world. I will be the

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-70087853908244906062010-07-25T11:56:00.000-07:002010-08-08T14:12:14.576-07:00

It all started with a surprisingly (and mercifully) delay free bus ride from Chengdu (more of a Chengdon't as far as Chinese vacation destinations are concerned) to Emei town. We were leaving for a three day hike up, over, and down China's most sacred Buddhist mountain, Mt. Emei Shan. Along the way we hoped to sleep at monasteries, summit a 10,000 foot peak, and, if we were lucky, get an up close

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-91686379479584696412010-07-20T11:55:00.000-07:002010-08-08T13:52:28.674-07:00

Hi Everyone!I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but airlines in China bring it. Full meals, weird ginseng pills, drink, after drink, after drink, and I'm talking about full bottles and cans, not little four oz. cups like you find on American airlines. The staff are friendly and dedicated, and most of them are at the very least bilingual. China Air and China East? Two thumbs way up.I really

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-21998115388005673262010-07-17T11:53:00.000-07:002010-08-07T04:24:37.502-07:00

Rain seemed to paralyze everything in the Yunnan Province except for wireless Internet, but we eventually were able to break free of the lethargic black hole that is Shangri-La. Spent several hours in the bus station fending off adorably tiny feral dogs (no prayer bells now that we're back in China proper) and watching groups of men play unfathomable card games that involved decks of waaaaay

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-49275945919119959602010-07-13T11:52:00.000-07:002010-08-05T02:30:14.467-07:00

Hi Readers! Today I'd like to tell you a story about Zhongdian, a tiny little town in the western Yunan province of China. For many years Zhongdian looked enviously toward the south at its neighbors Dali and Lijiang and all of the coveted tourist dollars the two towns brought in every year. How can we get in on this calvacade of foreig money? Zhongdia wondered. There is't much to speak of here

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-76835798025896240642010-07-12T11:19:00.000-07:002010-08-04T16:10:41.230-07:00

It takes about two solid days of driving to get to Everest (Qomolangma in Tibetan) basecamp from lhasa, so we saw a lot of Tibet over the last couple of days, but most of it was through the windows of our minibus. We left Lhasa on Friday morning accompanied by "Jesse," our guide (whom i believe everyone met in a previous email) and our driver, Tawa. Tawa certainly deserves more of a mention,

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-14606239903125218402010-07-07T11:15:00.000-07:002010-08-03T06:14:50.075-07:00

Hello again everybody. Lhasa has pretty decent internet service (excluding all of the Chinese firewalls of course) so I'll try to take advantage of it as much as possible before we push off into the hinterlands.Lhasa has been a pleasant surprise since we landed, despite the altitude, the weather is usually sunny and in the 70s, and if anything, it's too hot as the sun at this altitude is

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-84624966086146440012010-07-05T11:13:00.000-07:002010-08-03T05:29:24.881-07:00

OK Ok I know you all are all like "whoah Ben. 'Hero?' Isn't that a bit much?" To which I reply a resounding NO! According to my 18 year old tour guide from the Great Wall, once you have hiked it you become "A Great Hero, and a True man." So there, incontrovertible proof of my heroism. So there.If my first day in Beijing left me tired, hot, jet lagged, and cranky, then my second left my

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-55709981156319139862010-07-03T11:09:00.000-07:002010-08-02T12:13:23.846-07:00

Well it took 20 actual hours, innumerable (well, 12) time zones, and the crossing of the international date line (a first for me!), but I finally made it to China, Beijing to be precise. First of all, big ups to Gina who once again (see Nicaragua '08) took one for the team and got me to Logan safely and on time. From there is was six long hours to San Francisco. In Frisco (I don't care, I love

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-69228901874328596502008-08-08T16:05:00.000-07:002008-08-08T17:18:23.776-07:00

And so it ends, my latest Central American escapade. True to form, the final leg proved to be the most arduous, time-consuming, and soul-shattering travel day yet...August 7th began bright and early on gorgeous Little Corn island. My east-facing cabana afforded me one last magnificent sunrise over the Caribbean, although I had to be up at five to take it in. One last bucket shower (have I

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-27712209057682160452008-08-06T12:04:00.000-07:002008-08-09T12:21:00.715-07:00

Sorry about the delayed posting, the title of this post seems to apply to more than just people's ideas of appropriate clothing, but to the internets as well. While I have been able to check emails over the past few days, I have not been able to access any blogspot sites, including mine own.I've been sequestered on the ridiculously beautiful Little Corn Island for the last four days honing my

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-79915439214404100032008-08-02T14:26:00.000-07:002008-08-02T15:14:03.380-07:00

The other night I couldn´t take the heat (plus avoid some of my charmless hostel mates) and decided to take in a movie. On the one hand, not exactly the best use of my increasingly limited time in Nicaragua, but on the other, an authentic cultural experience, the chance to do what everyday Leonians do on a weekday night. The cinema is just around the corner from my hostel, housed in a complex

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-59768277695527975422008-08-01T15:33:00.000-07:002008-08-09T12:45:55.678-07:00

OK, you all prepped from yesterday´s history lesson? Good, because the fit is going to hit the shan so to speak. I´m in Leon right now, and am hoping to leave for the Corn Islands on Sunday. Remember how Somoza I was assassinated here back in ´57? Well, the ruling elite never forgot it, and as a result, Leon suffered terribly during the Civil War. As a result, moreso than any other place I´

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-73618049944885256202008-07-31T14:02:00.000-07:002008-07-31T14:37:30.513-07:00

Ok, to fully understand the next post, you need to read this post. Sorry, maybe it´s just the teacher in me. Here goes...Nicaragua gains independence from Spain in 1821. For a while things are okay, but then the U.S. steps in looking to build a camnal. Panama becomes the canal location, but then the U.S. sticks arund looking to maintain its interests- supremecy in the region- By the turn of

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-28201285617712317072008-07-25T08:06:00.000-07:002008-08-09T16:20:26.658-07:00

La Isla de Ometepe (see map) is a dumbbell shaped volcanic island in the Lago de Nicaragua (Colibolca, or ¨The Sweet Sea¨ in the original Nauhautl)bookended by to volcanos: Concepcion -larger and active- and Maderas- smaller and inactive. I had heard nothing but great things about it, but I neglected to initially make much of a oplan for getting there, as it was barely 70 km away from Granada.

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-1398424479805537752008-07-24T15:55:00.001-07:002008-08-09T15:55:51.402-07:00

I know, I know. If you´re going to do a ____________? More like ________! post title, then it should be a pun. Trust me, I worked through all of the possibilities for puns on Monos (Monkeys in Spanish). Phonos (phonies) Homos (homophobic and not at all indicative of the actual behavior of the monos) Mopos (not even really a word) etc... Leave a better Pun Title in the comments if you´re so

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-32341195990965072872008-07-23T15:30:00.000-07:002008-08-09T13:10:50.115-07:00

Soy El Americano Feo. If you don´t know what that means, then click on the link. But if you don´t...seriously? In 2008? As some nobody once said "You don´t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." That check is in the mail, so to speak. Start learning Spanish.Got into Nicaragua yesterday. By all accounts I should avoid Managua as much as possible (the least damning praise

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-21401791670444841792008-06-26T14:30:00.000-07:002008-07-12T07:36:45.284-07:00

Just got back from a brief 3 day excursion into New Hampshire's White Mountains. Waking up this morning, I felt like I had been thrown down several flights of stairs, a humbling sensation for someone such as myself who considers himself to be a quasi competent hiker and woodsman. Turns out that the White Mountains aren't the Andes, but that doesn't mean that they aren't demanding.Day 1 Crawford

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-65397787423739893232007-09-09T14:57:00.000-07:002007-09-09T15:19:37.629-07:00

Now that my decrepitude has begun in earnest (I'm many months north of 30 these days...) I don't get out to the shows like I used to. The rock and or roll just takes it out of me too much, especially on a school night, especially up in Boston. Now, Wednesday was the first day of school, and only a few bands can lure me out after such an important day. Animal Collective is one of them.Hungout

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-6979565915834738002007-08-16T17:16:00.001-07:002007-08-16T17:43:01.216-07:00

Okfirst off, did I spell "Halle-fucking-lujah" fight? It's tough work inserting profanity in the middle of words usually considered sacred. Anyway, as all 0-3 of my readers know, I spent most of the summer backpacking around Peru and Bolivia. While that was great for seeing and doing amazing things, it was very ineffective for my summer blockbuster going. While I'm slowly but surely catching

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-10093738223844724152007-08-06T08:18:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:19:48.428-07:00

The train station at Ollantaytanbo resembles nothing so much as the concentration camp at the end of Children of Men, only instead of ethnic minorities being forcibly rounded up and deported from the UK, the station is full of gringos clamoring to get on a train to Aguas Calientes, a town notable for little more than being located at the base of Maccu Piccu. It´s after dark when we arrive having

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-14783642175225709222007-08-03T08:17:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:18:40.088-07:00

Made it back safely from Choquequirao, a literal lost city of the Incas. Though it´s whereabouts have been known by the locals for centuries, it has only been recently that it has been excavated and accessible to tourists. Known as Maccu Piccu´s sister city, it can still be visited in relative isolation. Alas, a new road is being built, and within a few years the allure of visiting a ruin

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-89823440360177164952007-07-29T08:15:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:17:16.383-07:00

We´ve made it safely to Cuzco, no demonstrations or road blocks or any other obstacles that we noticed. Train from Puno was fantastic. Even though we were traveling ¨backpacker class¨we still enjoyed seats to ourselves with a table (complete with white, linenesque tablecloth) in the middle for our scrabble playing pleasure. There was even a functioning bathroom that was actually open to the

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-44704240666188308862007-07-27T08:14:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:15:52.944-07:00

Well, the good news is I have not contracted Dengue Fever, Malaria, Jungle Rot, Jaguar-induced bodily trauma, trench foot, annaconda bruises, caiman ingestion, candiru infestation (I dare you to click on the last one and read the entire entry.), or any of the other myriad misfortunes that can befall the intrepid rain forest traveler. The bad news is, of course, we never made it to Rurranabaque

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-55723119933371617122007-07-24T08:05:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:12:48.458-07:00

I'm back in La Paz again as our flight to Rurranabaque (the jungle) got canceled due to inclement weather. Apparently it rains in the rain forest. Who would have thunk it? We'll try to leave again tomorrow, but if the flight gets canceled again we'll just head back up towards Peru. We cannot possibly fill another idle day in La Paz. The only reason we made it through today is that they kept

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-74730747256077413312007-07-20T07:57:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:05:23.068-07:00

Where to even begin about the salt flats? Well, I should first preface this lengthy (you've been warned) email with the fact that we didn't even arrive in the salt flats proper until the last day of our four day trip. As I believe I mentioned last email, we began our tour in Tupiza. Now usually these tours are run from Uyuni in a giant loop. We arranged ours to start in Tupiza and end in

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-58891242142786687222007-07-15T07:50:00.000-07:002007-08-15T07:56:56.770-07:00

Finally got out of La Paz. Due to some festival or another going on, three consecutive buses to Potosi sold out, se we had an extra day to kill. Still smarting from the loss of my camera (all that trying to really "see" nonsense was really just my attempt to smother my explosive rage over whoever took my camera) we decided to visit the ruins of Tihuanacu, about an hour outside of La Paz. They

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-31313963250265324002007-07-12T08:12:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:14:15.246-07:00

Still in La Paz, although we´re heading out tonight on an all night bus to Potosi to begin our conquest of Southern Bolivia. Yesterday signed up to do a mountain bike tour of the ¨world´s Most Dangerous Road¨from La Paz to Coroico. I know it sounds terrorfying, but the uniqueness of the venture is called into question when every agency in town (of which there are many) offers some sort of

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-16366165072099351982007-07-10T07:47:00.000-07:002007-08-15T07:50:50.474-07:00

First of all, Im disappointed in you all. Youre all fine people whom I love dearly, but your cultural literacy leaves a lot to be desired. Last emails subject line came from an episode of the Simpsons where Bart sells his soul for five dollars. After doing so, he can no longer venture the breath to write something obscene on the ice cream cooler door at the kwik-e-mart. The line comes from a

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-7724359990277925132007-07-06T07:44:00.000-07:002007-08-15T07:47:52.566-07:00

After a seemingly interminable showcase, Chris and I are finally ready to push on from Arequipa. I´m going to miss this place, today I bought Sunshine, a movie that, to the best of my knowledge, isn´t even out in the states, for one dollar. You can´t really beat that can you? To top off our trip, Chris and I signed up to climb the mountain that leers over all of Arequipa like that one uncle

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-37902405824911699302007-07-03T07:36:00.000-07:002007-08-15T07:43:31.714-07:00

I'd be remiss if I didn't write some things about Arequipa before we push on from Peru's "White City" so named, depending on who you ask, for the white volcanic rocks that many of the colonial buildings are made of, or for the white people (The Spanish) who built it into to the semi-metropolis it is today. Traffic: At least 7 out of every 10 cars on the road is a tiny little yellow taxi.

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-8100528977977604102007-07-01T07:32:00.000-07:002007-08-15T07:36:03.285-07:00

Just got back from a weekend excursion to Colca Canyon, the world¢¥s second deepest canyon. After it took our tour group a good hour and a half to round up everyone at their various hotels we were well on our way. The terrain outside of Arequipa reminded me a lot of the less actractive parts of the American southwest. Barren mountains, dusty, occasional splashes of green. The main difference

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-10567219432337686892007-06-28T07:27:00.000-07:002007-08-15T07:31:56.986-07:00

To recap any first timers, I´m currently taking spanish classes in Arequipa Peru, the country´s second largest city. At first glance, it´s your typical latin american urban center, crowded streets, and diesel fumes, but as you get to know the place it really grows on you.. We´re at about 2300 m here, for those of you less metrically inclined suffice to say we´re higher than Demver. Altitude isn

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-80014168925089839212007-06-26T14:38:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:20:39.188-07:00

It´s only been a year, but here are some new posts from a trip to Peru and Bolivia I took with ChrisAfter 29 consecutive travel hours Chris and I finally arrived in Arequipa. Every flight we took was delayed by an average of 2.5 hrs. Apparently we can not fly in the rain, and if it is raining in Atlanta, then the entire eastern seaboard gets shut down. Will not bore you all with the tedium and

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-1153867760212619192006-07-25T15:31:00.000-07:002006-07-25T15:49:20.213-07:00

When I was living in Washington, about seven years ago, I had the horrible misfortune to have two entire books of CDs stolen from my car. (A bitchin '86 Volkswagen Vannegan named Xt'opolopoquetl). Some would say it was karmic rettribution for a lifetime of indiscriminate shoplifting and general theft from friends and acquaintences; others would say I had it coming, essentially the same

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31605886.post-1153790294647388822006-07-24T18:08:00.000-07:002006-07-24T18:18:14.656-07:00

I've finally relented. I'm not neccesarily tired of the blogs I read, but to paraphrase Homer Simpson, I saw an already glutted market and said "me too." Who knows if I'll ever have anything interesting/funny/relevant/juicy/etc to say, but until I tell people about this or link it to other things, noone will really know. Except, maybe the odd Clash fan doing a google search. I'm going back to

BenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07215848499908667704noreply@blogger.com0