tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87162172956052338812024-03-07T19:25:02.338-08:00king among runaways"we are vagabonds. we travel without seatbelts on. we live this close to death."Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-9486507722495092422007-04-11T23:51:00.000-07:002007-04-12T00:14:13.980-07:00Public Displays of TransportationPublic Transportation seems to be a tricky beast. Some cities just get it right. The trains are clean, the buses have simple, yet comprehensive routes, and the price is right. Then there are the losers of this battle of the people-movers. Los Angeles actually has an interesting story behind its (lack of) public transportation. Apparently, there was a time when LA was a leader in mass transit.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-40635845606719476992007-04-09T21:29:00.000-07:002007-04-09T21:35:12.483-07:00LA, SC, and AZI woke up early to pick up a cargo van for a distribution run, up north. I called Enterprise to schedule my pickup, only to find out that my license had expired and that they wouldn’t rent me a cargo van without a valid ID – great start to a long morning. To be fair, I knew my license was expired. I had run into problems at bars with strict bouncers in the last few weeks. They would scan the Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-80375648766956610882007-03-17T15:56:00.000-07:002007-03-18T04:44:52.598-07:00probably the worst week of my lifeI could feel it in the tingle of my skin – like every hair on my arm was straining to uproot itself and escape this poisoned body. I was coming down with something terrible. I could feel it in my bones and in my lungs. The timing was all wrong. I was driving south on I-55 in a giant cargo van from Chicago to a small college town called Normal. Snow was falling lightly on the windshield and Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-24183089033725293512007-02-03T15:46:00.000-08:002007-02-03T16:16:39.824-08:00home sweet homelessMy flight back from Israel was long and uncomfortable. I had spent that morning riding horses, mountain biking, and four-wheeling in the Maktesh Ramon, and my back was not happy to be constrained to an El Al economy seat for sixteen hours. I was lucky to have an entire row to myself on the almost full flight, but it was still an uncomfortable ride. Three movies, two meals, and sixteen hours Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-87601359884364011632007-01-28T13:23:00.000-08:002007-01-28T13:57:12.287-08:00in the desertThe phone rang at 4:45AM and I shot out of bed and grabbed the receiver. The person on the line said something in Hebrew and hung up. It took me a minute to realize that I was in Israel, in the desert, and that the phone the phone call was my wakeup call. I rolled out of bed, washed my face, laced up my sneakers, and hit the door. I met my driver, Niso, in the hotel lobby and we were on the Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-89440870147622840822007-01-28T13:08:00.000-08:002007-01-28T13:21:58.728-08:00JerusalemThe city of Jerusalem is unlike any place I’ve ever been. The layers of history run deep in this city, and it’s hard to fully appreciate it all in just two days. It is a place where history and religious stories come alive, and it is a nexus of religions and cultures. There are Jews, Muslims, Christians, and representatives from many other religions and orders in this holy city. There was so Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-11047149951599502082007-01-27T12:21:00.000-08:002007-01-27T12:27:37.483-08:00jump.My flight landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at 4:30 AM. In a groggy haze, I made my way through the airport, not looking forward to the customs checkpoint. Before my flight, I had been singled out and searched excessively at Heathrow, and I expected a repeat of the strict Israeli security and too many questions at customs. To my surprise, I was greeted at the bottom of the escalator by aJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-66244030058304769092007-01-19T16:28:00.000-08:002007-01-19T16:31:58.958-08:00London Still..The last couple of days it has been nice to just chill out in London. I convinced Jocelyn to extend her stay and hang out for a couple days, intending to show her around the city. Somehow we both had some money issues (declined cards, overdrawn accounts, etc.) so that put a bit of a damper on the sightseeing. (I’m very broke.) With my financial situation somewhat sorted out, I met up with Zoe Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-29201387936332363222007-01-16T07:28:00.000-08:002007-01-16T07:32:16.375-08:00Back to London This Contiki fiasco is finally coming to an end, and the camaraderie is in full swing as people take group photos, exchange emails, and make plans to visit each other in the future. Some of us are already nostalgic for these days of cheap Italian wine, crowded Parisian cafes, and too little sleep. I certainly won’t miss the bus rides, but I will miss the people. We are currently in Paris, Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-32911802484154402992007-01-13T05:57:00.000-08:002007-01-16T07:33:14.150-08:00All roads lead to RomeYesterday I rediscovered a city that I had once written off as just another old, dirty tourist trap. I always understood the cultural and historical significance of Rome, but I never saw past it. I took my first trip to Rome when I was just 19 years old. I snapped pictures of the crumbling coliseum, wandered around the Vatican, and got drunk on the roof of some local hostel. I remember Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-12866153777416405952007-01-04T16:35:00.000-08:002007-01-05T03:50:04.172-08:00Location: LondonI arrived in London yesterday evening after a long and uneventful flight. Believe it or not, it’s not even that cold here –and that is coming from a person who wears winter coats and scarves in Los Angeles. I hate the cold. Anyway, I’ve spent the last day and a half wandering around the city and recovering from jetlag. London is an awesome place. Pubs and kebab vendors on every corner, Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-75590700269200745992007-01-01T21:38:00.000-08:002007-01-02T01:35:59.182-08:00NYEJust after 2am, my booze-clouded mind convinced me that it would be a good idea to walk home from the bar. It was New Years and I had somehow gotten separated from the pack and was sitting alone at a private booth in the Cabana Club on Sunset and Ivar. The table was strewn with empty bottles of beer, booze and chasers. It was beautiful. Amongst the empties I noticed an almost full bottle of Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8716217295605233881.post-5482151227113222732006-12-18T02:20:00.000-08:002006-12-19T05:44:48.266-08:00Inaugural postSo, I finally decided it was time to start a blog. I’ve kept a travel blog through travelpod.com for a while now, but it was time to switch to the real deal. So here I am. I’m going to be doing a lot of traveling in the coming months, so this will be a great way to keep the world posted on my progress. Currently, I’m in Castro Valley (norcal), hoping to e-hitch a ride to LA tomorrow via Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04441825776485063963noreply@blogger.com0