allyson and bryan

2007-08-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

No More Posts For You! /

Okay, I'm calling it. It's well past time to start posting to my own blog again. Bryan and I hope you've enjoyed this tale of departure, travel and return. We'd like to try it again sometime.

Here's what's next.

2007-06-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

One Ton of Crap, On Its Way to NYC /

"Guess how much the stuff we moved to New York weighed?" I asked Mike in the car as we made our way back to the airport on Wednesday. "1,200 pounds?" he, who has seen the 16x9 storage space our stuff occupied for all of 2006, said. "Nope!" I proclaimed proudly. "2,450 pounds!"

"Wow," Mike answered. "You literally have a ton of crap."

Which is honestly pretty crazy when you take into consideration that after the movers came to pile our stuff onto a cross-country truck this past Sunday, we gave the following to The Salvation Army: our couch, a full-size bed, a file cabinet, a desk, rugs, end tables, and a framed Chagall print. (Oddly they wouldn't take the life-size Buffy cut-out we inherited from Sue and Mike many moons ago.) On top of that, Bryan and I made two Civic-sized dump runs prior to the Army arrival to put, among other things, our 1993 Ikea Ivar wall unit out to pasture. We bought that wall unit -- the cheapest Ikea had at the time -- right after college graduation and finished it ourselves, brought it to California and happily housed our TV and books inside it for 13 years. Dropping the various parts and pieces into a foul-smelling junk pile in South San Francisco felt like the end of something, for sure.

So yeah, we had a lot of crap. I guess that's what happens when you live together for 13 years without the space censorship of a 625-square-foot NYC loft.

Before the dump and the Army part of the story, we missed our connection from Logan to SFO by hours and ended up spending the first night of the trip in a Hyatt looking longingly across the harbor. Luckily American Airlines provided us with a luxe $10 per person meal voucher to compensate for our troubles. Once arriving (nearly a day late) in San Francisco, Bryan and I immediately set to work on the various moving-related tasks at hand. In four days we tipped the movers and the Salvation Army generously, closed our account with Self Storage 1, saw nearly all our friends and/or our friends' babies, celebrated one one-year birthday, went to our old neighborhood yoga studio, jumped John's car after killing its battery, ate at In-and-Out, got my hair cut for the low low price of $35, and managed to do a little bit of sleep repair on our under-eye circles. Oh I also found my Very First Gray Hair, for which I believe American Airlines and an exhausting past six months share the blame.

Now our 1.25 tons of crap is somewhere in motion across the country, scheduled to arrive between 3 and 14 days after June 3. We'll then turn our attention to the challenge of finding a place for everything that comes off that truck. We'll also throw ourselves into making our first independently owned and operated apartment a cool and comfortable place to live, with projects like built-in shelving and a new toilet on the horizon. We'll focus on falling in love with Manhattan the way we did San Francisco, and we'll figure out how to become New Yorkers.

And, clearly, I'll be dyeing my hair.

2007-05-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

15 Years Ago Today /

On May 3, 1992, a mutual friend at UMASS pulled a smooth maneuver and sent me and cute Bryan Campbell on an unexpected first date. That date was, oddly, at the Hinsdale New Hampshire racetrack -- and though it wasn't meant to be a date, it set off a chain of sometimes dramatic, sometimes dull but nearly always serendipitous events that brings us to where we are now: Married, moving back east, and eternally grateful to that special friend.

In the years since we flirted and giggled over trifectas and quinelas and really bad hot dogs, Bryan and I graduated college, carved our career paths, moved to Boston and then San Francisco, got engaged, got married, made some truly amazing friends, adopted cats, got skinny, got fat, took pictures, traveled around the world, and bought an apartment in New York City.

It's been an amazing decade-and-a-half and I can't wait to see what's next.

Happy anniversary Bryan, and rest in peace Jeff Burrell.

2007-02-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

100 Best and Worst Around-the-World /

As we came to the end of our life-changing journey, Bryan and I spent endless hours on trains and planes recapping in typical fashion -- discussing our favorite this-and-that, putting superlatives on an experience that can't really be quantified. The result is this list: 100 strong of what we loved and hated in 237 days of travel. If we agreed on a category, you'll see only one winner; if we had separate answers and felt the category was worth including, you'll see both an "A" and a "B" selection. Let us know if you have any questions.

Most Breathtaking Natural Wonder: Sunrise over Africa from 19,000 feet
Most Breathtaking Man-Made Wonder (A): The Petronas Towers, Malaysia
Most Breathtaking Man-Made Wonder (B): Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Best Pizza (A): Luno Autumno, Mui Ne, Vietnam
Best Pizza (B): GPK Restaurant, Auckland, New Zealand
Best Burger (A): Café Royale, Cape Town, South Africa (straight up with cheese, lettuce and tomato)
Best Burger (B): Café Mohito, Cape Town, South Africa (fancy style with baked brie, sweet chili sauce and arugula)
Best Coffee: Any small cafe, Auckland, New Zealand
Best Mexican: Enchilada’s Restaurant, Wurzburg, Germany
Favorite Beer: Montieth’s Golden Lager, New Zealand
Favorite Wine: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (various labels)
Favorite Meal, Overall (A): Fresh pasta with pesto and baked goat cheese, Comme a la Maison, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Favorite Meal, Overall (B): Sausage and beer, Braueri Mittenwald, Mittenwald, Germany
Scariest Snack: Roasted spiders, Cambodia
Scariest Beverage: Snake wine, Vietnam
Easiest City to Navigate: Munich, Germany
Most Difficult City to Navigate: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Friendliest People: Vietnam
Rudest Waiters: Slovenia
Smallest Shower in the World: Kurpfalz Hotel, Munich, Germany
Fastest Internet Connection: Kurpfalz Hotel, Munich, Germany
Slowest Internet Connection: The Beach House, Fiji
Best Beach, Snorkeling: Taveuni, Fiji
Best Beach, Sand: Zanzibar, Africa
Best Beach, Overall: Octopus Resort, Fiji
Most Creative Advertising: Tuk-Tuk drivers, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Best country for Contact Lens Wearers: Fiji
Best Market for Bargains: Greenpoint Market, Cape Town
Worst Market for Weak Stomachs: Phnom Pehn, Cambodia
Best Market for Art: Christchurch, New Zealand
Funkiest Fashion: Cape Town, South Africa
Best Massage: In Style Spa, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Worst Massage: Massage/Karaoke combo, Mui Ne, Vietnam
Cheapest Spa Treatments: In Style Spa, Phonm Penh, Cambodia ($120 for 9 treatments each, overnight accommodations and 3 meals)
Most Relaxing Vacation from our Vacation: The Spa at Koh Samui, Thailand
Most Entertaining Yoga: Moksha, Cape Town, South Africa
Favorite Musical Experience: Maasi traditional performance, Kikoti Camp, Tanzania
Favorite Dance Experience (A): 80s music at the Rock Club in Nelson, New Zealand
Favorite Dance Experience (B): The African booty shake, of course
Best Bargain Tour: Mui Ne Jeep Ride, $25 for three
Freakiest Performer: Frodo the Contortionist, Melbourne, Australia
Biggest Physical Accomplishment: Summitting Mt. Kilimanjaro
Biggest Emotional Accomplishment: Volunteering at -- and saying goodbye to -- Baphumelele Children's Home
Biggest Mental Accomplishment: Training llamas for the annual Malvern Agricultural Show in Sheffield, New Zealand
Best Single Location for Photography: Mui Ne, Vietnam
Best Packing Decision: Lappy
Favorite Foreign Phrase: Gool asseblief saneteriedokies in hierdie houer
Coolest Museum: Singapore Art Museum
Best Use of $2.50: Dropping in for the finale at Vienna's Opera House
Hottest Location: Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Coldest Location: Christchurch, New Zeland
Best Weather, Overall: Croatia (September)
Top Amazing Race Moment: Arriving at Bangkok International Airport to find we’d been dropped from our flights to Africa
Scariest Activity: Climbing the Fox Glacier in New Zealand

Favorite Guide Book Series: Rough Guides

Best Tourist Attraction, Historical: Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

Best Tourist Attraction, Non-Historical: Korean dancing waitresses, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Most Ubiquitous Fast Food Chain: KFC

Longest Immigration Line: Singapore

City In Which We Wish We'd Stayed Longer: Opatija, Croatia

Country In Which We Wish We'd Stayed Longer: Vietnam

Favorite Karaoke Experience: Parap Tavern in Darwin, Australia

Biggest Unscripted Adventure: Getting stranded in a Fijian shantytown when a storm washed out the roads

Best Hostel: YHA Eco Beach, Ocean Road, Australia

Worst Hostel: Catholic Welfare Center, Singapore

Favorite Splurge Accommodation: Kikoti Camp, Tanzania

Friendliest Celebrity Sighted: Jim Gray

Least Friendly Celebrity Sighted: Shania Twain

Worst Dressed Celebrity Sighted: Ashlee Simpson

Poshest Movie Theater: Dorothy Brown Theater, Arrowtown, New Zealand

Most Viewed Photograph: 'Wedding Photographer,' 1,082 views

Most Viewed Video: 'Bryan's Big Bad Booty Dance,' 11,326 and counting

Most Commented Blog Post: 'See Russell Crowe Dis Us,' 17 comments

Best Random Itinerary Decision: A two-night detour to Mui Ne, Vietnam

Worst Random Itinerary Decision: Adding a whole week in Kulala Lumpur

Buffest Personal Trainer: Steve at Equilibrium Gym, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Favorite Character: Francois Van Binsbergen

Best Wardrobe Acquisition (A): Purple fingerless gloves, since lost

Best Wardrobe Acquisition (B): Brown Africa t-shirt

Most WWE Coverage: Cambodia

Most Fun Game Night: James and Annie’s, Sydney, Australia

Most Fun Boat Ride: Ferry from North to South Island, New Zealand

Best Off-the-Beaten Path Attraction: Black Lady Mountain, Vietnam

Cheapest Cross-Country Ride in a Mercedes Minivan: Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, Cambodia ($60pp)

Greatest Concentration of Monkeys: Batu Caves, Malaysia

Best Tour Guide: Mr. Pessa, Tanzania

Dirtiest Pants: Mine, after seven days of consecutive wear atop Mt. Kilimanjaro

Longest Flight: LAX-Fiji (12 hours)

Shortest Flight: Zanzibar-Dar Es Salaam (15 minutes)

Worst Single Day: February 15, 2006

Wackiest Hosts: Robyn and Mike Robinson, Llama Lookout, New Zealand

Scariest Animal: Elephants -- when they roar

Prettiest Animal: My lovely Shirley Anne

Future Second Honeymoon Spot: Split, Croatia

Favorite Town: Queenstown, New Zealand

Favorite Small City: Salzburg, Austria

Favorite Large City: Budapest

Favorite Country, overall, 3nd Place:

Austria

Favorite Country, overall, 2nd Place:

Vietnam

Favorite Country, overall, 1st Place:

New Zealand

2007-01-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

I've Got a Job! With Howard /

It was December of 2005, and something miraculous happened. In an unforeseen and glorious twist of fate, I pitched an idea and was sent to New York by Yahoo! to spend my final days of employment stalking Howard Stern, meeting the show cast, and blogging about it as I went. The week culminated in a huge party thrown by Howard's new employer, Sirius Satellite Radio, where I got to meet the man himself. It was a manic and thrilling experience and one that, as a longtime Howard fan, I'd never forget.

It was December of 2006, and something else miraculous happened. A job posting appeared for a Managing Editor at Sirius, and the description read most literally like I'd written it myself. I immediately applied and within three hours had an interview scheduled in New York City. Last week I was offered and accepted the role. I start next Monday, February 5, 2007. To put things in perspective -- February 5, 2006 was the day Bryan and I lost, crossing the date line as we flew from LA to our first international destination: Fiji. What a difference a year makes.

I'm incredibly excited to start my new job at Sirius and to officially begin my working life here in NYC. In the meantime, I will savor my final days of unemployment; my to-do list looms large for next seven as I hope to find an apartment, purchase a makeshift work wardrobe (until we can ship our clothes from San Francisco), finish up a few projects, lunch with friends and family, and check out the remaining Best Picture nominees.

See you soon, Howard!

2007-01-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Obsessed With Menus /

New York City is a menu addict's nirvana. On every block, tiny eatery storefronts entice, silently beckoning with their folded paper food lists dangling suggestively from handy lucite bins. One need not speak to a waiter or fear a maitre d's hard sell; picking up a delivery menu for future reference is par for the course in this restaurant-ridden metropolis. Once collected, the newcomer is integrated into a tactile ritual of retrieving the pile from the kitchen and sorting through endless choices while the stomach patiently stands by.

My personal inability to stoically pass by an outdoor menu display is surely tied to my equally ardent loves for home delivery and interesting food. Who wouldn't be wooed by the ability to have a cobb salad, chicken tikki masala, or bagel-egg-and-cheese brought directly to their door? Especially when that door is predicated by sixty-four steep marble steps?

New York only furthers what initially started as merely a casual interest in menu-reviewing: while traveling around the world I often heard Bryan sigh as I stopped at each potential lunch or dinner spot to peruse the dishes. I like to see the way chefs describe their dishes; I like to compare prices; I even like the visual selections of paper and font.

I'm certainly not the first to ponder their menu collection habit. Like-minded folks have devised filing systems like this and this; even large Internet companies have noted the trend and commented. I've also learned that menuism runs in the family and that my dad, a frequenter of this fair city, also troubles his spouse with spasmodic stops along the streets to peer at written offerings in a window or to pick up yet another to-go tome.

Me, I'm thinking of laminating my growing collection and wallpapering the kitchen with the results. Or learning origami. Or eating really, really well for the next 365 days.

Stand by to place your order.

2007-01-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

A Year of Travel Comes Down to One Three-Day Weekend /

For Bryan, that is. Me, I'm still living the life of a loafer. My husband, however, is suddenly and delightfully employed in what appears to be our new place of residence: New York City. On Monday (Monday!) he starts his new gig at a financial-industry start-up based right in the heart of the monster. It's a slight fork in the career path and one we expect to be both challenging and fulfilling. Congratulations Bryan!

In other news, we celebrated New Year's Eve on the Upper West Side with Jen, Sly, and a bevy of their city pals. Discoveries included a new game called "Shut the Box" and the fact that NYC game-players are pretty much just like SF game-players, except maybe dressed a bit more fancy. We also celebrated the holidays with Drake and her man, went back to CT for Christmas, and hung out with highly artistic family members.

Today promises to be a record-breaking 72 degrees, which is both pleasant and horrifying. Tomorrow we'll watch the Jets in the playoffs, almost equally as surprising. New York is full of the unexpected, wouldn't you say?

2006-12-19T13:27:00.000-08:00

VIDEO: The Sweet Sound of Dial-Up /

We're very, very lucky to being staying at my dad's "pied a terre" in the West Village while interviewing for jobs in NYC. We're lucky to have our own space with a centrally located claw-foot tub, a Murphy bed that folds down from the wall, and a world-famous cheese shop right around the corner. We're also lucky that the apartment is steps away from both Jen and two major subway stations. So I guess I can't complain when the biggest drawback is the lack of broadband Internet access. In fact, while most would say, "how did we ever live like that?!" I'm kind of nostalgic about the comforting connection noises and the lax, lazy expectations upon each click. It's a charming throwback to less hectic, demanding times. I mean, what's the rush, really?

Since arriving back on the east coast, Bryan and I have had a handful of job interviews each, some seconds. We're both really excited about opportunities here and anxiously await the pivotal moment that will finally decide our next city of residence. In the meantime we're taking advantage of what NYC has to offer -- seeing live music, going to yoga almost every day, eating well and spending time with the best of friends and family.

This weekend a few of the UMASS galpals and I will revive our annual holiday reunion, albeit a couple of gals short. Then Bryan and I will hop back in the car for Round Three of family visits -- surely the last before settling into our new mystery home. We're coming back to NYC for New Year's Eve, though our PAT will be occupied so we'll be shacking up with Jen, just like old times. Hopefully my first post of 2007 will be titled, "My New Job!"

Or maybe, "VIDEO: The Sweet Silence of Broadband."

2006-12-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

How Much Can Change in 11 Months, Really? /

"Don't worry," they told us. "You'll be surprised how little happens while you're gone," they said, fluttering their hands in dismissal. "Think of how much has really changed between now and a year ago."

Well, if we didn't want to return to a hometown that's significantly different, we probably should have chosen another year to leave it than 2006. A lot has gone down since we pushed off from San Francisco on January 3 -- all things good, but still, different. Our first visit back to this beloved city has underscored that point, as we return to a old stomping ground that's comfortingly familiar -- but with a twist.

Here are 12 things that occurred in our absence:

1. Sadie arrived.
2. Amy got pregnant.
3. Heather got pregnant.*
4. Sue got pregnant.
5. Montine got pregnant.
6. Britney got trashier.*
7. The fancy organic supermarket opened two minutes from our old house in Glen Park.
8. A new breakfast place also opened in Glen Park.
9. The local library went fancy.
10. The price of a mani/pedi actually went down.
11. Yahoo! launched Talent Show, The 9, 60 Minutes, You Witness News, a redesigned TV site and a 329 other new things. Then yesterday, Lloyd Braun resigned.
12. Soap companies decided we shouldn't be trusted to foam on our own.

*Though these two ladies don't technically live in SF, they're still key parts of my experience here.

It's great to be back, even if things aren't exactly as we left them. We've spent the last few days catching up with everyone, including our most favorite foods. The weather has been amazing, and of course some things haven't changed at all. Today I have an interview down at Yahoo! so we'll see how that goes. Of course, it's a different campus from the one I'd worked at before. Prior to that I'll have lunch with a former coworker at URLs, site of the infamous rat salad incident. Hopefully at least that part of things has changed.

2006-12-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

Scenes From the Job Market /

The mall is empty, dim, poorly lit. After all, it's 2 p.m. on a Wednesday, and everyone else is at work. Except for The Girl, who's unemployed and thus shopping for an interview outfit. The Girl walks into Banana Republic. She's sweaty, frazzled, frustrated by the inability to piece together a presentable top-and-bottom that won't break her (unemployed) bank account. She sighs.

"What?!"

Her husband and patient shopping shadow hands her the shared and temporary cell phone, stating the name of an HR rep from Company A, at which she'd applied for a dreamy-sounding job just that very morning.

"Um, hello?" she asks, cradling the phone in one hand and an overpriced black dress turtleneck in the other. As it turns out, Company A wants The Girl to come in for an interview ASAP, before, that is, she flies out to the opposite coast that same Friday. "I'm, er, at the mall, can I call you back in 15?"

Flash forward 14.5 minutes, to where The Girl sits down on the pavement outside Macy's at the Danbury Fair Mall at 3:20 p.m. on a Wednesday in November and proceeds to give a 30-minute phone interview. This, after traveling through Asia and Africa and parts unknown to such things as malls and Macy's.

And so it goes for the rest of that week, a roller coaster of shopping heartbreaks and cell phone triumphs and three actual in-person interviews in less than 24 hours. It's all very different and exciting and oddly foreign.

At this very moment The Girl and The Patient Shopping Shadow sit in the JetBlue terminal of JFK airport where an 8:50 p.m. flight to San Francisco (oh dear, sweet San Francisco) is delayed to 10:30 and then 11:00 and then 11:30.

At least this gives them time to think about recent interviews and possible opportunities and where life may take them next.

And with free wireless, to boot.

2006-11-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Traditions /

While at my grandmother's in Long Island this week, I undertook the annual Post-Thanksgiving Perusing of Photos with gusto. There's nothing better when stuffed with turkey than losing yourself in a pile of ancient Polariods, I always say. Looking through old photographs is especially cathartic when there's a recurring theme to hunt for in the mass of uncategorized prints that fill the sideboard -- and in this case, it's a classic: Various family members standing in front of the same, fading, old-timey paper turkey on Thanksgiving day.

When I was seven, I thought that posing with turkey was cute and fun. When I was 17, it was hard to find the time in between painting my nails and teasing my bangs. At 23, my boyfriend and I posed with my adorable cousin and I bristled when people commented how we "made a nice little family" and when would we be getting married anyway? Nowadays I deeply appreciate the tradition of the turkey, which signifies warm comforting things like continuity and kindness and people who love you no matter what. Here are a few photos from the stash:

Me and Bryan, current day. No, that's not a velour sweater.

1994 -- me, Bryan, cousin Rebecca.

1988 -- me and Daniel with Uncle Arthur and Stephanie, parents of Rebecca (and Rachel, who came later.)

Daniel in 1984. Not yet Smooth.

Us with our beloved grandparents in 1977. The plaid, the plaid!

Sadly grandma was unable to locate an old rubber-banded group of pics she claims is marked "precious," so instead of an early-day turkey pic, I had to sub in a group shot from 1977. It's a great photo anyway, isn't it?

I'm thankful to be home for the holidays.

2006-11-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

We Traveled Around the World and All I Got Is This ... /

In addition to handling our taxes, filing our mail and fielding overdue water bills, Bryan's dad and step-mom were kind enough to receive and stockpile packages sent to us, by us, from various spots around the globe. The anticipation of opening these eight well-traveled packages was high as we arrived in Littleton, MA last Friday. Counting the boxes, we confirmed that two arrived from Australia; two from South Africa; one from Thailand; one from Malaysia; one from New Zealand; and one from Germany. Only one had been opened "for security purposes" by the U.S. Postal Service.

While we knew, of course, that much of the boxes' contents would be boring stuff we'd sent home for weight reduction, Bryan and I were most excited to reunite with the carefully selected souvenirs purchased over nine months of travel. We knew we hadn't bought too much because a) we had a strict daily budget, and b) we're trying to get a head-start on minimalist decor in our TBD house/apartment. Nonetheless we'd both talked up the fantasy of an overflowing, multinational pyramid of fabulously traveled packages containing a wealth of forgotten goodies from the farthest reaches of the planet.

Needless to say, the actual stash was a bit anticlimactic.

My favorite item at the moment is probably our oft-discussed monkey balls. In looking at the group photo, you might notice a few frogs -- something Bryan and I semi-collect after making our first joint purchase a "frog clock" in Northampton, MA back in 1993. This particular frog is a source of some amusement, as we picked it up in Vietnam for about $1 and then subsequently saw it for sale in almost every other country we visited, including Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and even many throughout Europe.

It makes a grrrribit noise when you run the dowel over the scales.

2006-11-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

VIDEO: Did You Miss This Meow? /

My reunion with Savannah went something like this:

Me: Saaaaaaa-vaaaa-nahhhh!
Her: Meoooooooooooow.
Me: Hi little cutie! We're back!
Her: Meow.
Me: Did you miss us?!
Her: [walks away]
Me: Hey! Savannah! I'm so happy to see you! [chases after]
Her: Meow, mow, mow.
Me: Hmph.

Then she ate a plant and threw up.

If you've been itching for an audio sample of that delightful yowl, click and rejoice:

But seriously, it was quite a lovely for me and Bryan to see that Savannah seemed happy, healthy, and relatively pleased to have us around for a few days. While I'm not sure that I would say she "remembered" us -- us, the brave people who put up with her for 12 years -- she definitely responded to my forced lap cuddling, chin scratching, and ball playing. On the second morning she came into our bedroom on her own accord and curled up on my legs. Just like old times.

Brookfield CT also saw an emotional reunion with my wedding rings, watch, jean jacket, and all-time favorite pants.

Today we're visiting with my dad's side of things, and tomorrow we head to Massachusetts where we'll start the job search for real. For now Savannah will stay behind at my mom's, biding her time until Bryan and I stop living out of our car. A VW Golf is no place for a wild beast like that.

She missed us. I'm sure of it! I think.

2006-11-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

'Oh My Gawd That's Awesome!' /

... Are five words that every Halloween enthusiast longs to hear on the eve of October 31. Those of us who spend weeks each fall toiling over the costume process, from idea inception to execution of the finest detail, await with bated breath the moment we step foot outside dressed as someone we hope everyone will recognize. We spend countless hours and dollars collecting wigs, wading through second-hand clothes, combing the Internet for photos, and practicing the perfect pose. When the big night comes along -- we're ready.

In recent years past I've coupled with Bryan as both Angelina/Billy Bob (remember those days?) and TomKat; gone solo a la HBO; and made a Britney-through-the-years trio with Sue and Sarah. This year was a feat of overseas coordination as Jen and I pooled international resources to recreate a classic 80s look. Bryan went retro too; living completely in the 80s for one night is always oh-so-dreamy for me. Sometimes I think if I could wear that much makeup and that big hair every day, I would. Luckily, I can't.

On Tuesday, Jen and I were thrilled early on when two guys passing us on the street yelled out, "HI SUSAN!" (It's a bit of an obscure a costume choice, we know.) Later that night we got a few more shout-outs at The Cutting Room, including a gal about our age who uttered the aforementioned "Desperately Seeking Susan?! Oh my gawd that's awesome!" Heartwarming.

Looking around on flickr, I have to give props to Amy and Patrick for incorporating 8 months of pregnancy into the act. Their photoset also reminds me why I love Halloween in San Francisco so much.

We had a blast hanging out with rasta Sly, my photographer brother and rocking Jayney. The Meatloaf cover band was 80s awesome too, and even if I only got a shot of Constantine Maroulis's head, all told it was an excellent Halloween.

What did you dress up as?

2006-10-31T12:19:00.000-08:00

9 Garments That Traveled Around the World /

My backpack has seen a lot of turnover in the last nine months. During the course of our travels, I've regularly discarded clothing in hostels and hotel rooms due to overuse, lack of use, and in some cases, gross misuse. I've also lost an item here or there, ruined a select few, and of course, simply had a falling out with certain things. In exchange our packing cubes have paid witness to an international array of skirts, sweaters, bikinis, and of course -- many, many multicultural t-shirts.

While I'm happy to be coming home with some new duds purchased in far-flung shops and markets, I'm almost equally pleased with the shortlist of precious items that have survived constant and ruthless pruning. Only a few lucky pieces of clothing made it through from Fiji to England -- and they should be proud. They are:

1. Black dress pants, Express
2. Black fleece sleeping pants, Aspire
3. Hawaiian beach skirt, Aaron Chang
4. Red nylon running shorts, Champion
5. Grey tank top, Gap
6. Brown t-shirt, Moon Girl
7. Black windbreaker, REI
8. White/grey "tissue tee," J. Crew
9. Coral long-sleeve "tissue tee," J. Crew

*Note that this list does not include socks and underwear.

Most of these things I pretty much hate by now but keep around since they're so versatile. And, in most cases, soft.

Here's everything that was in my backpack when we left:

And now.

You can see that my wardrobe is slightly better endowed for 2007. Luckily the weather in New York today is unbelievably (and unseasonably) gorgeous and I'm happily surprised to be sporting my cute Cape Town tank top for one last time this year. Quirky weather and clothes aside, it's weird being back -- when we arrived at Jen's yesterday I couldn't help but feel like it was just a few weeks ago we were saying our goodbyes in this very city with much longer hair.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

15 Traveler's Book Reviews /

As you can imagine, traveling light entails some creative book juggling. Many of the novels I read over the last nine months were picked up at free hostel exchanges or second-hand shops, meaning they wouldn't be my first choice under normal circumstances. Some were traded with friends, and some arrived in life-saving packages from home. Below is a tiny mini-reviews for each book I read while abroad -- from a traveler's perspective.

And if you have any reading suggestions for the unemployed, please let me know.

- - - - -

1. Middlesex / Jeffrey Eugenides
Amazing book, I loved it. It has a bit of history and science intertwined with a great human story. The author has a beautiful writing style. It's the perfect length for a long weekend. If you haven't read it yet, please do. A+

2. I Know This Much Is True / Wally Lamb
This is the first book I've ever read twice. I brought it along because I remember it so fondly, and it's a whopping 879 pages. I think I liked it a little less the second time -- still completely compelling, but also extraordinarily depressing. It's hard to believe that so many tragic things could really happen to one person. Good for the traveler because of size. A-

3. The Avengers / Rich Cohen
My dad gave us this book before we left: It tells the true story of a group of brave Jews during the Holocaust. I don't normally read this type of book, so I was glad to have learned something while traveling, especially knowing we'd be visiting a concentration camp later on. The book itself was well-done but slightly repetitive. B+

4. Lucky You / Carl Hiaasen
I picked this one up at a backpacker's book exchange. I have to disagree with the Chicago Tribune that the mystery is, "Hilariously subversive" and "wonderfully entertaining." While I needed something light after the above two reads, this was a pretty trashy throw-away paperback that only made me laugh twice. Admittedly, I did want to see what happened in the end -- but I didn't real enjoy getting there. C

5. The Lovely Bones / Alice Sebold
Not for me. Too cloying and emotional. I rushed through this one. Sorry Oprah. B-

6. Morocco / D.L. Flusfeder
This was another random book I picked up in an exchange in Fiji. It was also set during the Holocaust (but is fiction, unlike The Avengers.) It told a haunting, compelling story and was different than anything I'd read before. B+

7. Shopoholic and Sister / Sophie Kinsella
Pleasant, banal chick-lit from that same Fijian book exchange. Luckily I was reading this while at the rental house in Australia, because I'd be embarrassed to be seen with it in public. C

8. The Prince of Tides / Pat Conroy
I'd seen the movie but never read the book. This is obviously a good beach read -- nothing you don't already know. B

9. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay / Michael Chabon
I've had Adventures sitting on my bookshelves at home for at least two years. I brought it on the trip with the idea that it would be a slow but interesting read, which actually describes it well. I liked the story (the third I'd read with Holocaust themes) which is, essentially, a story about friendship. Very well-written but sometimes drags. B+

10. The Bride Stripped Bare / Anonymous
Trashy fiction disguised as a classy diary. Readable, but forgettable. C

11. My Sister's Keeper / Jodi Picoult
This was my first Jodi Picoult book, gifted by Jen. I found it well-written and engaging. The story revolves around an interesting medical ethical debate and is written from five different points of view. Picoult keeps you guessing until the end. B+

12. Dry / Augsten Burroughs
Oh. My. God. So literally laugh-out-loud funny, I think Bryan was worried about me a few times. Sue included it in a package from the USA, and I thank her. Augusten Burroughs writes with such a great wit -- I prefer this to Running With Scissors. And, yes, it's about alcoholism. The only knock I can give the memoir is as a traveler, because the book is finished in a few short hours. A

13. The Shadow of the Wind / Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Lucia Graves
It's funny because I had given this book to Drake without ever reading it, and then she brought it along on our trip to Africa. Picking it up in Germany, I couldn't put it down for a good three days. It's an enveloping gothic mystery with a perfect plot-driven story that you hate to see end. A

14. 100 Years of Solitude / Gabriel Marcella Marquez
I couldn't get into this at all. It was complicated (everyone has nearly the same name -- oy!), had odd timing and I just wasn't interested. I know it's a modern classic, but I only got about halfway before ditching it for The Power of One. D

15. The Power of One / Bryce Courteney
Bryan and Jen both read this book and loved it. (Though Jen didn't finish the whole thing but was kind enough to leave it behind for us in Cape Town.) It's set in south Africa, and shed some light on historical issues in a complicated country. The story was engaging, but also slightly simplistic and, especially by the end, repetitive. I wasn't sad for it to end. B

2006-10-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

And Now, For Our Next Adventure /

It's almost impossible to believe that, as I sit here and type this, our trip of a lifetime is less than 24 hours from its end. It's 3:00 p.m. in Dublin, and Bryan and I are making our final packing tweaks in preparation for an 8:50 a.m. flight to JFK tomorrow morning. We'll land in New York after a brief stop in Shannon, Ireland, and then we'll head directly to Jen's place for couch time, catching up, and Chinese food. We'll sleep late, surely, on Halloween day, and we'll spend our first night out in America dressed up as people not ourselves, watching a Meat Loaf cover band in one of our favorite NYC haunts that happens to be owned by a celebrity. My brother will meet us there and maybe, if we're lucky, so will Jayney. On Thursday we'll see the all-new Heather Moylan before picking up our car to start the Long Island-New Jersey-Connecticut-Massachusetts family loop.

I know it's predictable and cliche to say we have "mixed feelings" about our return to the U.S. -- but I'm at a loss for a better way to put it. We're at once sad, excited, nervous, relieved, emotional, and proud. We're very much looking forward to seeing everyone (a certain feline included) and we can't wait to start the next chapter of our lives, the one that has us finding new jobs and figuring out where to live, with the goal of at last buying our very own abode. No, we don't know exactly where that will be yet, but you can bet that it'll be decorated with an international flair.

There's still a lot to say about our experiences over the past nine months and I'm planning to keep this blog fresh, at least for the time being. Bryan and I have been working on a "best of" list from the whole trip, and I still have unused blog posts and photos and videos that need to find a home on the world wide web. So stay tuned and, if you're Howard Stern, let me know when I start.

Our next adventure may not be as exotic or bohemian or carefree, but still, we can't wait.

2006-10-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

VIDEO: Would You Eat Venison Pie With Lead Shot? /

It's rare that, while traveling, Bryan and I eat in the same place twice. But last night we made an exception: a repeat visit to Sweeney & Todd's pie house in Reading, England. ("Pies" in this country typically refer to a main course of pastry stuffed with meat, cheese, spices and the occasional rogue vegetable.) For one, the food is divine and unique to the British experience. For two, you are joined early on by the Sweeney & Todd's pie lady, she who runs the shop and reels off the available, often quirky menu items each night to each and every table in the labyrinthine collection of dining rooms. According to our sources, the pie lady has been in action since the dawn of time -- and she's terribly charming. See for yourself:

In addition to consistent feasting on (usually) fabulous food, we've thoroughly enjoyed our last few days of vagabond life. Andy and Clare have been wonderful hosts, taking us out on the town with their friends, organizing a fabulous trip to Scotland, and generally making us feel right at home. Today Bryan and I are heading into London while they're at work. We'll be meeting up with Paula for some pre-Halloween shopping and a trip on the London Eye, the one evening event I missed visiting the city last, with Yahoo! in 2004. Tomorrow is Clare's birthday, and also our penultimate night abroad.

!!!!

So would you eat venison pie with lead shot, anyway?

2006-10-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Living Like a Rock Star in Prague /

One of the highlights of our journey has been meeting up with friends from home at different points around the globe. We've been lucky to share experiences in countries as diverse as Fiji and New Zealand (Heather and Eugene), Vietnam (my brother), Africa (Jen, Drake, Sarah and Lynn), and now Prague (Kelly and Jerry). Each of these times and places has been incredibly unique and exciting, made all the more special by the collective memories we now have with important people in our lives.

We arrived in Prague on Saturday after another overnight train, having left Krakow at 10:25 p.m. the previous night. This time, we ended up in a sleeper car with six bunks and six-hundred degree heat. This time, the train decided just to stop, bewilderingly, at 12:30 a.m. somewhere over the Czech border -- and not start again until 4:30 a.m. for no reason we could determine. Suffice it to say that it wasn't the most pleasant night we'd spent.

So all the better to meet up with Kelly and Jerry later that morning. Kelly and Jerry both work for Bruce Springsteen and are on tour with him right now, traveling through Europe for two months as Bruce plays to crowds Italian, German, Spanish, Swedish, Irish. They had five days off in between shows and we decided to convene in Prague. Luckily for us, Kelly and Jerry travel in style while working, and for a few glorious days we got to shed our backpacker standards in lieu of hotels with slippers, fancy steak dinners, and 50" flat-screen plasma TVs. (They let us crash with them in their fully-stocked, fully-funky apartment hotel.)

In Prague itself (when we were able to tear ourselves away from Andel's), we toured the Jewish quarter, the castle and the communist museum. We spent a lot of time wandering around the old town square, navigating through the vast sea of tourists and seeking out the lane less traveled. It was a lovely time.

In addition to friends flying in from the U.S. to join us, we've also been the privileged guests of a few internationally located pals. As you know, Tim and Inka welcomed us into their Freiburg home last month, and tomorrow we fly to London where we'll stay with trip-made friends Andy and Clare. The four of us are going to Scotland for three days but otherwise we'll be chilling in Reading, England, meeting their sure-to-be super friends, reuniting with a long-lost orphanage volunteer, and reveling in English-language everything. On October 29 we have a one-day layover in Dublin -- and then we fly home.

I simply can't believe we'll be on U.S. soil in less than two weeks! Thanks to our friends and family who've made this once-in-a-lifetime all the more amazing -- including those who keep in touch by e-mail and flickr and this here blog. It means the world to us and we love you all.

2006-10-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

Facts About Auschwitz /

Bryan and I spent Friday at the former concentration camp of Auschwitz, located about one hour from Krakow. It was everything you’d expect: maddening, horrifying, heartbreaking, emotional, overwhelming. The museum has done an amazing job of keeping the complex preserved and adding moving, informative displays, complemented by thorough tours and a chilling movie, shot the day the camp was liberated. We spent about six hours there. I can’t really think of anything to write that does the experience of a visit justice, so instead I thought I’d share some of the harrowing facts I learned with you.

Auschwitz was a concentration camp originally established by the Nazis in 1940 for Polish political prisoners.
At its peak, “Auschwitz” was comprised of three major camps -- Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II: Birkenau, and Auschwitz III: Monowitz – along with 40 other smaller camps.
Auschwitz Birkenau was the largest of all “mass extermination” camps, holding at one point 100,000 prisoners.
Of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, 1.1 million died at Auschwitz.
A total of 1.5 million people died at Auschwitz.
Jews transported to Auschwitz were told they were being “resettled” elsewhere in Europe.
When arriving at Auschwitz, prisoners were split into two groups. One went immediately to their deaths in the gas chamber, while the other was chosen for work. The second category made up approximately 5% of intakes.
Death by gas chamber (via Cyclon B) occurred by suffocation, which took between 15 and 25 minutes.
As many as 700 people at once fit into a single gas chamber, told that they were heading into showers.
After their deaths, jewelry, gold fillings, and hair were removed for reuse or sale.
Death was also handed out by starvation, overwork, disease, beating, hanging, gunpoint, and suffocation.
The average number of calories consumed each day was 700.
The average number of manual work hours per day was 12.
The average life span of a prisoner was two months.
The majority of children sent to the camps were killed immediately, except for those chosen for scientific experiments, e.g. twins.
Those prisoners allowed to live at Birkenau slept 500 in a medium-sized barn structure, sharing with 50 horses. There were eight people to a bunk. There was no running water.
The camps were liberated by the Russian Army on January 27, 1945. Seventy-five thousand people were freed.
At the beginning of WWII, 3,500,000 Jews lived in Poland. Only 300,000 survived. Only about 100 Jews currently live in Krakow’s Jewish center, Kazimierz.

2006-10-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

How to Bathe Like a Hungarian /

Donning our swimsuits for the surely last time this year, Bryan and I consulted our trusty guidebook, hopped on the quirky Budapest subway (VIDEO), and headed to the city's famous Szechenyi Baths for some thermal relaxation. It was our only day in the city and the highlight, we hoped, would be our Hungarian bathing experience -- one I'd been looking forward to since the start of Europe planning. The weather was gorgeous and we had four hours to spare before our overnight train to Krakow.

As we neared the Szechenyi stop, I tried to commit to memory the guidebook's paragraph entitled "Procedure." It all seemed terribly complicated, much more so than the "upscale but touristy" Gellert baths, which we chose to forgo in favor of Szechenyi's alleged local flavor... "Budapest at its best."

We were not disappointed. The baths were a people-watching heaven, they were fun, and we were completely relaxed. Three hours spent at Szechenyi were unique and unlike any other experience on the trip so far.

So, should you ever find yourself in Budapest without helpful "Procedure" instructions, or if you're just curious what it's all about, here's how to bathe like a Hungarian.

---

Step 1: Enter the huge bath complex (it looks like a gorgeous palace) from the correct side, depending on the season. (During peak times, a long line of bathers queue up at the main entrances.) If there are such lines, try the door facing the Zoo.

Step 2: Review the complex English-language price list, as well as the complex map. Pay the cashier the proper amount. S/he hands you an electronic credit-card-like ticket. Show this to the gatekeeper and pass through the turnstile.

Step 3: Before you change, make any necessary (and I do mean necessary) massage or treatment appointments. There are various vendors within the bath complex from which to choose.

Step 4: If you need to rent a towel, robe, swimming cap or Speedo, do so now by going downstairs to the bottom level. Try to avert your eyes from naked grandmothers roaming the halls.

Step 5: Go back upstairs to change in your private cabin, if you've rented one. (It costs a few dollars more than a locker, but you can share with your companion.) Show your electronic ticket to the cabin attendant who looks like Russell Crowe's Hungarian cousin. He will take you to an available cabin while muttering in Hungarian and drawing maps for you on the wall with chalk.

Step 6: Take turns changing in the cabin. It's quite small.

Step 7: Once you emerge from the cabin, explore the baths' endless array of indoor and outdoor pools. Choose from indoor baths up to 40 degrees celcius, outdoor wave-pools, mineral-laden swimming holes, saunas, and steam rooms. Observe the tourists mixing in with the locals, the age range of 1 to 100, and every possible body type, shape, and size of swimwear. It's a scene.

Step 8: Once you're sufficiently waterlogged, repeat the cabin procedure in reverse.

Step 9: Proceed to your Thai massage appointment after changing into dry clothes. While upstairs, sneak in a few quick pics for the folks back home.

Step 10: After massage, meet your also-massaged husband by the cashier. Become confused by the third different currency conversion in one week, and unintentionally tip each masseuse 50 percent. Hyperventilate when you realize this.

Step 11: Head back downstairs to return your towel and retreive your deposit. It's not enough to make up for the tip mishap, but it helps. Hand your card-ticket to the attendant when leaving and receive a $1 discount for staying less than four hours.

Step 12: Hop back on the subway, take out notebook, and start writing blog post.

-----

As I type this up, Bryan and I occupy our own little sleeper car on the overnight train to Krakow. I couldn't be happier -- I just love cozy, small spaces with tiny everything, moving parts and free bottled water. We arrive in Krakow at 5:45 a.m., so I'd better get to sleep.

Besides blowing the budget in Budapest, we had a really great day. The baths were fabulous, as was walking across the famous chain bridge connecting Buda and Pest. Oh and I had my favorite meal to-date in Europe the night before: grilled fish with Camembert melted on top, surrounded by asaparagus puree. Mmmmmmm.

Five stars for one day in Budapest: No churches or museuems, just oodles of naked Hungarians and a two very happy Thais.

2006-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Too Much of a Church Thing /

We've been traveling in Europe for six weeks now. It's the perfect final continent for a journey that's been diverse in so many ways: scenically, financially, culturally, gastronomically. When initially planning our itinerary, ending in Europe made sense from the obvious, geographic standpoint. It also made sense from an experiential standpoint, as both Bryan and I figured we'd be ready for first-world comforts after three months in Asia and Africa. Having visited the western countries of France, Spain, Italy and Greece in the past, I was looking forward to reuniting with cafe culture, cobblestone streets and historic art museums -- all with an eastern Europe spin. Bryan was excited about visiting friend Tim, beer and sausage, and English-language sports TV.

For the most part, all of these things have proved both true and delightful. On the flip side, after six weeks, we're teetering dangerously close to church-and-museum burnout. In six weeks we've visited five different cities in Germany, two in Austria, three in Croatia and now three in Slovenia. All have been completely charming and interesting in their own right, but I have to admit that finding unique, non-church and non-musuem things to do is far more challenging than in the exotic otherworlds of Asia, or, say, outdoorsy, adventure-activity-oriented New Zealand. Yesterday, in fact, we ended up spending the second half of our only day in Ljubljana in head-to-foot beds watching The Rockford Files subtitled in Slovenian. We just needed some time off.

I know, I know: We're completely cogniscent of how lovely our lives are right now, as we spend our days sightseeing and touring pretty towns and reading books on trains. So does it make us bad people to admit that we've seen enough churches, cathedrals, religious triptychs and stained glass to hold us for at least 10 years? Perhaps we're subconsciously readying ourselves for our imminent return to real life...

Today we had a peaceful day in Bled, Slovenia. We hiked up to its picture-perfect cliffside castle, walked three and a half miles around its pristine lake, and ate its signature cream cake. I took one picture of its church.

Tomorrow we'll rise early for a nine-hour train to Budapest. (Unfortunately there's no night train connecting the two cities -- the only bearable way to spend a six-or-more-hour train ride is sleeping, IMHO.) We had planned to skip Budapest because of recent political unrest (it's difficult to ascertain from here how widespread the protests are) but couldn't figure out another affordable way through to Krakow. So we'll spend a day there with a few hours to see a few things. I'm looking forward to it, actually, since one of the top things to do in Budapest is partake in its famous baths -- which is neither religious nor artistic. Yay!

2006-10-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

VIDEO: Donna Summer and Our Croatian-Slovenian Road Trip /

With a nauseating five-hour coastal bus ride behind us and at least 20 hours of train travel ahead, Bryan and I decided to rent a car for five days to traverse Croatia and Slovenia. While in Split -- which we admit to loving more than tourist-filled Dubrovnik -- we found a local agency that offered an affordable one-way deal. After hitting a few city highlights (funky Split is built inside the walls of an ancient Roman temple), we left a set of keys for our never-seen landlord, threw our backpacks into the Renault Clio and hit the Croatian highway.

The first stop on our little road trip was Plitvice National Park, a set of bizarrely colored lakes and waterfalls in northern Croatia. On the way to Plitvice, Bryan got readjusted to the right side of the road while I reveled in a radio playlist comprised of Donna Summer, Men Without Hats, Madonna and The Police. [Overall trip sidenote: The comfort of hearing American music, specifically 80s American music, in every single country around the world is not to be underestimated.] See how homey it feels?

We arrived at our destination, a 35 euro-a-night pension outside the park, at about 4 p.m. that day.

After many a photo and one more night in Plitvice, we fueled the Clio up and headed to Slovenia. The border crossings proved fast and simple, which would have made the whole process a breeze had we not been pulled over at a seemingly random traffic stop right before leaving Croatia. It was 2 p.m. in the afternoon, but as the officer informed us after commanding "documents!" and reviewing our passports, drivers' licenses and rental car agreement:"lights on all day in Croatia!" Bryan quickly snapped them on only to be informed by the Croat in uniform that one of our headlights was out. After some helpless hand gestures and pointing at the rental papers, the officer eventually shrugged, sighed, and directed us on our way to Slovenia.

Once in Slovenia we we checked into a cute-as-can-be room at the Hudicevec Farm Stay with bunk beds, the biggest sink I've ever seen, and an included dinner served to farm stayers at 7 p.m sharp. The reason for our chosen location was today's tour of the Skocjan Caves, a massive underground display of stalagmite, stalactites, roaring water and sqwaking bats. The caves were pretty impressive, but photography was nearly impossible (and actually prohibited) so this one exit pic would have to suffice.

Tomorrow we cross back over into Croatia again to return the Clio before catching a train to Ljubjlana, Slovenia's captial and a place that fellow travelers call "the perfect little town." We're looking forward to it but will miss having our own set of wheels.

24 more days to go!

2006-10-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

A Love Letter to Our Laptop /

Dear Lappy,

You don't mind if I call you Lappy, do you? It's a term of affection we came upon somewhere in the midst of our whirlwind eight-month relationship. Lappy, I'm writing this letter because I want you to know just how much I appreciate you. Without you this journey of ours just wouldn't have been the same. Without you, there would be no photo organizing, cropping, or storing. I wouldn't be able to write my blog posts -- just like this one! -- offline, saving precious and costly international Internet minutes. Without you, I wouldn't have enjoyed countless nighttime hours of comforting, free TV shows like "24," "American Dreams," and of course, "The O.C." I wouldn't have witnessed firsthand the shocking kiss between Julie Cooper and Luke, huddled around you next Jen and Bryan on our black futon couch in Cape Town.

I'm also grateful, Lappy, for the peace of mind you've provided my husband and fellow traveler, Bryan. He relies on you day in and day out to keep the budget of our trip calculated and recorded in an increasingly complex Excel spreadsheet. Somewhere stored inside your bits and bytes is every dollar we've spent in the last eight months -- not something I need to know about, true, but important data that gives dear Bryan a great deal of comfort.

Oh Lappy, remember that time in Munich when we found FREE wireless Internet access at the Hotel Kurpfalz?! We spent countless latenight hours together, working on flickr and runonsentence.com and talking with our other friends over instant messenger. That was the best. You did great work then, letting me have six, sometimes seven windows open at once without even the slightest complaint.

Your keys always work properly, you always boot up (on rare occasion in your own due time) and your screen is ever-bright and crystal-clear. The programs you offer up to us run smoothly and without crashing. Your speakers, in a pinch, even let us listen to our favorite iTunes playlist aloud when the external ones' batteries have died. You're such a Renaissance machine!

Thank you, Lappy. Thank you for coming back to life every time we flip your switch, and for not feeling neglected when we decide to leave you in your case for a few days at a time. You've survived thousands of miles via dozens of flights and trains and buses and boats -- always right there with us, never more than a few feet away at every step.

You're the best laptop a girl could ever ask for. I mean it. I am grateful for your loyalty and upon our return will provide you with the best Internet connection, desk space, and bluetooth peripherals known to man.

Eternally, digitally yours,

Allyson

2006-09-28T23:51:00.000-07:00

Meet Dino, Our Croatian Landlord /

Over the last eight months, Bryan and I have shacked up in places that truly run the gamut of price, size, comfort and cleanliness. In Fiji, we stayed in small thatched huts set amidst a jungle just a few yards off the beach. In New Zealand our budget thrived as we booked low-cost, clean and well-equipped youth hostels, happily sharing bathrooms (sometimes with friends) while enjoying private sleeping quarters and a central downtown location. Of course, this was also the country of llamas, where free nights in a kitschy caravan were exchanged for animal grooming, training, and showing.

Deciding that a month-long sublet made sense in Australia, where we'd planned to spend seven weeks, we set up shop there in a suburb of Melbourne, enjoying the space and homey comfort of three bedrooms, a bathtub, a DVD player and a couch -- for less than $40 a night. In Asia we found our cheapest housing yet: Basic hotels that cost consistently between $12 and $18 for a private room with a/c, bathroom, and, on occasion, even a personalized airport pickup.

When we arrived in east Africa, we wept with joy over the unique beauty of our high-end (and pre-paid) safari lodges. The very next portion of our journey introduced yet another drastically different sleeping arrangement: six nights in two-person tents, huddled for warmth inside four-season sleeping bags with latrines outside and a twice-daily bowl of warm water for washing. After upgrading a week later to a pretty B&B on the beach in Zanzibar, we then moved on to South Africa where the prospect of sharing a dorm-like house with 20 college students sent us knocking on the door of a low-cost lodge with shared baths but big huge rooms and free Internet terminals.

The trip's South African leg also marks one of our favorite places to stay: the fun, cozy, energy-filled volunteer apartment at Baphumelele.

Since arriving in Europe, we've found accommodations to be the most expensive yet. Hostels generally offer only dorms (as opposed to the private doubles we frequented elsewhere) so we tend to spend more time (and eventually money) trying to find decent budget hotels. Of course, six nights chez Tim and Inka was both delightful and economical!

Which leads me, at last, to Dino. Croatia is one of those European countries in which locals approach you at the train station or bus depot asking "Room? Room?" We decided to arrive in Dubrovnik without a reservation, relying on Rick Steves' advice and hoping to meet up with our new landlord upon arrival. Not more than three minutes had passed before Dino came up to us at the old town square asking in decent broken English, "You need place to sleep?"

Another five minutes later we found ourselves seated around a table in Dino's home, drinking Croatian white wine and giggling at the neighborhood grandma who stopped by to discuss life with the family (and who kept touching Bryan's cheek while raving about a man named "Daniel" from San Francisco who wants to marry her.)

Sufficiently charmed, Bryan and I decided to rent Dino's one-bedroom "apartman" below his house for our stay in Dubrovink. For a few less dollars we could have stayed in a room in the family house itself, called a "soba" in Croatian, but opted to splurge for a bit more privacy. And a washing machine, and a TV that plays Fresh Prince and Roseanne in the late afternoon.

Dubrovnik is otherwise a romantic and beautiful tiny city by the sea. Part of the war just a decade ago, a walk around the city walls give you a glimpse at how the homes and the people were affected. Now, Dubrovnik is a serious vacation destination: Even nearly-off-season in late September, the main square is completely choked with tourists stopping over on bus tours or cruise ships. You know you're on the beaten path when the second morning finds you literally running into a friend from Yahoo! taking the same photo of midday pigeon madness. How small is this world, exactly?!

Tomorrow we leave for Split, a larger city with allegedly more "real" Croatian life. We'll miss Dino, but look forward to our next housing adventure.