Still in Bahia Drake, Costa Rica -

We are coming up on finishing day two in Bahia Drake, and this is definitely the vacation getaway spot that you all should be jealous of. Perhaps. If you like small beach towns. Casa Horizantes, the B&B that we are staying in, is a real steal. The 5-bedroom wooden house sits high above Drake Bay, meaning that it is a bit of a hike to get up there (the path isn´t meant for vehicles), but the view and the quality of the house is worth it. Yami, the owner, has been cooking our two meals of the day (breakfast and dinner), and they have been well worth it. Yami and her family inhabit the entire B&B during the winter, but during the summer, they open it up to guests, while the family resides in the smaller side attachment. It is interesting to listen to how the residents of Bahia Drake deal with having the nearest bank/ATM located several hours away by car/bus. They all seem to operate on a debit/credit system, which seems to work fine for them, but for the sake of tourism if nothing else, it would be so much more helpful to have a bank or ATM in town. All in all though, I recommend staying at Casa Horizantes if you ever find yourself on this side of Costa Rica. Check out their website HERE.

One of the many yummy homemade dinners served at Casa Horizantes

Anyway, we have been sleeping in until about 8:30 every day, arising to eat Yami´s homemade breakfast (usually fruit, eggs, pintos--rice and beans, coffee, and juice), and then lazing about for the day. Yesterday, we walked two hours to Rio Claro, retracing the path that the speedboat took to bring us from La Sirena to Drake Bay. The River was nice and cool, in contrast to the warm sea that it empties into. Swimming in the portion where the river meets the sea is an interesting experience, with the water around you constantly changing from being chilly cool from the river to sunny warm from the sea. We met a European couple with a chatty, imaginative 6-year old boy on our walk to the river, and with them, we went on a $10 touristy canoe ride down the river. It was an hour and a half, and most of the ride seemed like a rip off, except for a short hike to several mini waterfalls that we got to swim under and do some cliff jumping from. All in all though, it was worth a maximum of half the price we paid.

We finished the canoe ride at 4:30PM, an hour before the sunset, and thus had to book it back to town to beat the incoming tides and use as much daylight as possible. Our 2 hour hike in turned into an hour and a half speedwalk back, and we made it with just enough daylight to find our way, but soaking wet hiking boots, unfortunately. The worst part about being here is the fact that things like socks and clothes don´t dry very quickly--my socks are going on 5 days of being damp, which probably means they are getting gross and moldy. Boo.

Today we spent nearly the entire day laying on a nearby beach, soaking up the sun and our books. I made it 100 pages into Maya Angelou´s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. For the first time since college, it looks like I´m starting the new year off right by finishing not one but two whole books. Hopefully keep the momentum up for the rest of the year.

The "dock" for boats leaving La Sirena

The Dutch family that dropped their drawers for the ride

Súzi´s Photos of the Day

Grand Canyon of West Yellowstone National Park, Sept 2009

First photo taken from the ground, second photo taken from the air. These are REAL waterfalls, stunning products of nature in comparison to the so-called stunning $10 waterfalls our guide at Rio Claro promised we´d see.

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Bahía Drake, Costa Rica

After a grueling 10 hour 25K hike through the Costa Rican rainforest from Los Patos to La Sirena, and two nights of camping at the ranger station of La Sirena, Sara and I exited Corcovado Parque Nacional made it to Bahia Drake via speedboat this afternoon. Bahía Drake (on the upper right corner of the map, just outside of Corcovado´s boundaries) is an incredibly small island town, with two restaurants, a bar, a pulperia, an Internet cafe, and various tourist offerings, but not much else (and no ATM or bank, meaning we are tight on cash). Fortunately, we do have rooms in a beautiful B&B that is clean and has hot water, electricity, FANS in the room, and nice people. We will plan to be here for the next couple of days (or until our cash runs out) before moving on. I am currently covered in mosquito bites (I counted over 40 on one leg alone), and dripping with sweat like a fat person, but I am so glad to be a little bit closer to the real world as I know it.

I have quite an entry to recap the last couple of days we spent in the rainforest. Last night, for New Year´s Eve, for example, I watched teh sun set at around 5:30PM, ate a simple dinner of couscous and lentils shortly after, and was hibernating in my tent by 8PM (I think...I didn´t keep track of time out there). My tent was the best place where I could minimize the amount of hungry mosquitoes I fed, but unforunately, the tent was also poorly ventilated. So....I rang in the new year drenched in sweat and still covered with mosquito bites...but I was in the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest, listening to macaws and howler monkeys not far away. It was a unique experience, one of many that were had in Corcovado.

Path to La Sirena ranger station.

The airfield's right in front of the campsite.

Corcovado was hot, humid, full of mosquitoes, but also very tranquil, beautiful, and full of wildlife that you can´t easily see elsewhere. Bats, spider monkeys, macaws, toucans, crocodiles, various birds and lizards, were all within yards of where we were sleeping. The rainforest portion of Costa Rica in general isn´t much unlike Hawaii or even parts of Washington state, apart from the unique plants and animals that are found here. When I was hiking, sometimes it felt like I was in the mountains of WA or the Manoa trails of HI. The beach even reminded me of scenes from the TV show Lost. It was an adventure that was both very difficult both physically and mentally, but it was a great experience. I will probably never do it again :P More on that later (with some pics too, hopefully!).

Beach - doesn't it look like a scene out of Lost?


Suzi´s Photo of the Day

Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA Sept 2009

Because I miss him.

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Parque Nacional Corcovado - recap

Corcovado National Park is located in southwest Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula. According to Wikipedia, it was established in 1975, and encompasses an area of 425 km² (263 mi²), and it has a stunning ecological variety. It is home to lots of wildlife including Baird's tapirs, Harpy eagles, American crocodiles, Spectacled Caiman, pumas, peccary, ocelots, white-faced monkeys, and bull sharks. I only had the pleasure of seeing a crocodile, monkeys, and birds, but it was still a wonder to behold. Read more about the park here.

Sara and I spent several days in Corcovado National Park, hiking in the day before New Years Eve, and speedboating out on New Years Day. I have to admit that the experience was unlike anything I have ever experienced, and I mean that it had its ups and downs. On December 29, we left the tourist/ex-pat haven of Puerto Jimenez and bussed into the border of the park, staying at the isolated house of our guide Eduardo and his family. They are campesinos, or country-dwellers whose first attempts at farming fizzled out due to wildlife consuming their cattle, so their new focus is on tourism and guiding through the park. Bright and early on December 30, we hauled our packs (mine was around 30lbs) onto our backs, and began our 25k (15 mile) trek to La Sirena ranger station.

Just outside of Los Patos with our guide, Eduardo.

 
A scarlet macaw.

When I was 17, I ran a 30k race in 2.5 hours. This journey took about 8 hours more than that. At first, it was a somewhat leisurely hike, albeit difficult given the weight of our packs and presence of sticky, slippery mud on the path. Occasional river crossings made us grateful for seeking out knee-high rubber boots (botas de hule) in Puerto Jimenez, although after a while, the lack of support within the boots caused a great deal of foot pain. I was also relieved to forget about the possible presence of crocodiles and bull sharks (they swim in both salt and fresh water) in the rivers. It was good to know that the river water was purported by our guide to be drinkable, and even though I was skeptical for a long while, thirst got the best of me and I downed two liters of untreated river water. Luckily no medical problems ensued. Yet :)

Lack of distance markers also made it difficult to tell just how far we had left to go, and the fast setting sun later in the day (at around 5PM), was a bit disheartening. All in all, I can't find the words to express my relief and joy upon finally crossing the clearing of La Sirena just after dusk that day. Covered in mud, sweat, and tears, I know that I looked like a mess, but I quickly learned that this is how most trekkers arrive at La Sirena. There is another station, La Leona, that is an approximately 6 hour hike away from La Sirena, and its path stays on the beach, while the Los Patos path that we did stays entirely in the rain forest. Most trekkers arrived to La Sirena from La Leona, and their stories and dramatic entrances imply that that path is much harder than the one we did. Either way, everyone luckily made it in one piece.

Large ants in Corcovado

An American crocodile in the river/ocean crossing

Hermit crabs

La Sirena is basically a big wooden structure with dorms and a full-service kitchen for those with reservations, and camping platforms and a "do it yourself" kitchen for budget travelers. We were lucky to arrange to have a rentable tent there for us, even though it didn't breathe well, and we were without sleeping pads the first night. With only a skimpy sleeping bag separating my back from the wooden floor, that's one way to build a backbone. Humidity was high and the mosquitoes were aplenty, but so were the travelers and the interesting stories they brought. There were Google employees, a Western Washington University professor, students, and unemployed folks traveling in pairs, groups, or families. Perhaps the most interesting story was a group of 5 backpackers coming from La Leona--two girls arrived first, followed by their lost friend the next day, and, on the day we left, the last two of their party made a dramatic entrance (flopping down on the ground out of joy and exhaustion upon arrival). As fun and pretty as it was, I have to admit that I couldn't have been happier than when I was on the crazy, splashy speedboat heading to Bahía Drake.

 
On the speedboat!

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Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

After a grueling 9 hour bus ride on a non-air conditioned bus, Sara and I left San Jose and made it to Puerto Jimenez yesterday night. We spent the night at The Palms hotel for a mere $10/head, since the AC in the room was broken. On the plus side, we were given a fan, and the room had both a mosquito net and hot water (my first warm water shower since arriving in Costa Rica! It was glorious). Puerto Jiminez is definitely more of a touristy beach town, with lots of Americans and ex-Pats who speak fluent Spanish with horrible American accents. We spied two huge red macaws this morning -- our first glimpse of wildlife, and just bought botas de hule (rubber boots) and are seeking out gas supply for our camping stove before we leave the comforts of Puerto Jiminez and officially embark on our journey into Corcovado Parque Nacional. Wish us luck!

Convenience store in Puerto Jimenez sells chain saws.

Suzi's Photo of the Day

Mount Rainier, Spring 2008

My first snowshoeing trip, and it was to Mount Rainier with the UPS (Univ of Puget Sound) outdoors club. I am craving the snow right now b/c it is sooooo hot out here!

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Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Bueno, pues fuimos a Puerto Viejo ayer y ahora estamos otra vez en Limon. (We went to Puerto Viejo yesterday, and I am currently in Limon again as I write this).

Christmas festivities here in Costa Rica are, as expected, a bit different than those in the U.S. Christmas eve, which is when we arrived in Limon, is more of a big deal than Christmas day. When Sara, Kumata and I arrived at the house on Christmas eve to meet la madre de Kumata (Mami), Kumata´s 10 year old brother Krishner, and several young cousins. Mami had been cooking all day, partially because she makes triple servings of a dish, which is then exchanged with the neighbors. The thing we were not aware of is that even though she began cooking at 7am, we don´t eat until late at night (10PM, in our case). Waiting was tortuous, but the meal of pasta, chicken, fish and rice was delicious and well worth the wait. Midnight is when the gift-opening occurs, so over glasses of rosé, small gifts of clothing and cellphones were opened.

Day after Christmas--congregating around the Nintendo Wii

On Christmas day, we along with la familia de Kumata and two neighborhood girls, Ashley and Rakea, spent the latter half of the afternoon at the "city beach" in Limon after a morning of getting up at 10am, spending several hours eating breakfast (fried cakes, yogurt, and coffee). The beach there was a bit cloudy, but it had moderate waves that made well for young boys and their six foot tall surfboards.

Monkeying around at Playa Bonita in Limón.

Yesterday was the day after Christmas, and the three women of the house, Mami, Sara and I spent most of the day lounging on the tranquil but beautiful beach at Puerto Viejo, which is an hour bus ride away from Limon. It was a small, lazy beach town with many hostels and the general feel of a surfer community. Perhaps my favorite part of the day was going to a bakery for lunch and getting a bocadillo de tortilla espanol, much like the sandwiches my host mom in Spain used to make us for lunch. That night, Mami also made us one of my favorite desserts from scratch--rice pudding. The only other thing I needed to make it an excellent day of food would be another empanada, which I am delighted to see here in Costa Rica, because they were also one of my favorite treats in Spain.

Pulpería at Puerto Viejo

This afternoon, Sara and I will leave Limon for San Jose, where we will re-pack our bags and prepare to head out to Corcovado early tomorrow. Hopefully our actual trip will be less of a headache than the preparations...as an example, to pay the entrance fee into the park, we have to deposit money into the park´s bank account, which we still have yet to do. Anyway, we will be spending the rest of our time in the Peninsula de Osa, hiking and camping through the national park. There will of course be tons of mosquitos and wildlife (including, according to Lonely Planet, peccary), so we are preparing ourselves with lots of DEET, rain boots, and other provisions for ¨roughing it¨in the Costa Rican ¨wilderness¨of sorts. Not to worry to much though, because we will have a guide throughout the entirety of our stay (much to my relief).

So, my closing thoughts on Limon and my first few days in Costa Rica: if there were two things I could have with me right now, it would be tons more DEET and a portable but functional fan. The humidty and mosquito population here are what I imagined Cambodia and Bali would be like, and if I hadn´t been staying in hotels in SE Asia, I probably would have encountered the same situation as aqui. The nice thing is that it cools down enough at night that I can fall asleep in the fan-less and AC-less room that I share with Sara. Citronella candles help keep the bugs away at night, and usually at around 8am, I the heat and buzzing mosquitoes make it uncomfortable to oversleep. Also, I am learning to appreciate the unheated water here--there´s nothing like a cold shower to cool you off for a few minutes, before the heat causes you to start sweating again. Slowly but surely, my Spanish is starting to come back again. It´s a nice sign when I start thinking in Spanish. If only it would flow a bit more frequently.... :-P

Suzi´s Photos of the Day


Dubrovnik, Croatia, June 2007

Since I´m kind of on a beach kick right now, these are from my brief trip Dubrovnik, Croatia during my European backpacking tour. I´m in love with the Adriatic Sea...in my memory, it had some of the warmest water ever, and was one of the most beautiful beaches I´ve seen.

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Limón, Costa Rica

Ahora, estamos en Limón, Costa Rica.
The link is in Spanish, but I am sure there is an easy way to reference it in English.

After a sleepless (but fun) night in Atlanta, I departed for San Jose, Costa Rica yesterday morning, after a brief layover in Houston. I stood in the longest immigration line ever (it took two hours to get a stamp on my passport), and was relieved to finally see a familiar face upon exiting the airport. Sara, her host sister Kumata and friend Jeff picked me up, and we spent the night in San Jose. Early this morning, all of us (sin Jeff) took a 3 hour bus ride to Limon, which is where we will spend the Christmas holiday before Sara and I depart for the Parque Nacional, tentatively on the 28th. From what it sounds like, from then on, it will be several days of pretty hardcore trekking, so I will probably be offline from then until the new year.

The streets of downtown Limón

Limón is much warmer than San Jose, so it is nice to once again trade in my jeans and winter jacket for board shorts and slippers. It is not as warm as Cambodia and Bali (it was in the 90s in both places), which is a blessing. Also, I hear that there is warm water in the house we are staying in tonight, so I don´t need to attempt and fail to take a cold water shower like I did last night.

Thus far, Costa Rica is unlike any other place I have been to. I thought SE Asia reminded me a lot of Hawaii, but Costa Rica is slightly different. It has the same tropical feel, but is still quite unique in a way I cannot quite describe. Also, I am suprised that there are many dark skinned people here. I suppose this goes along with every other American stereotype of Spanish-speaking countries. We always assume places like Spain and Costa Rica will have people who look like Mexicans, but that is almost never the case (especially not in Spain!). OH, and the salsa music! They like to play tons of salsa music on the street (with the exception of this Internet cafe, which is playing HAWAIIAN music! yes!).

Before I sign off, I´ll explain that this is yet another departure from my previous blog. At the Atlanta Couchsurfing party, I met some travel bloggers there who gave me recommendations for this blog, including neglecting to include my full name in it, hence why I am changing the domain. I will slowly move my other posts over to this blog, and include my post on Atlanta, which is on my laptop, which I left in San Jose for safe keeping.

Meanwhile, I enourage you to check out and bookmark this travel blog by my new friend in Atlanta, Zach. He will spend the upcoming year (beginning Dec 26) traveling through South America and Africa...I wish him all the best on this new adventure!
http://www.travelpod.com/members/zachsmith

Suzi´s Photo of the Day

Rome, Italy, December 25, 2006

Christmas dinner on Christmas day in Rome, three years ago. We were all studying abroad in Europe, and we met in Rome to be festive and merry together, bringing sweet treats from wherever we were coming from. Milka bars from Germany, shortbread from Scotland, Oregon chocolate, and random Toblerone that some couple gave to me on my flight to Europe. This was also the day after we attempted to see the Pope give his Christmas speech at the Vatican and failed miserably, having to walk halfway across Rome in the middle of the night because no taxis would stop and pick us up. It was a holiday to remember!

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Atlanta, Georgia

This is a recap of my few days in Atlanta, Georgia from Dec 20-22.

On Monday morning, I left Americus via a shuttle from Warner-Robbins that took me to the Atlanta (ATL) airport. I caught the ATL metro (MARTA) into Midtown, where my Couchsurfing (CS) host met me and took me out to his shared home in East ATL. Something important that CS teaches you is to trust your instincts, or gut reactions, about people, because most of the time, they´re right. In this case, mine were right on. My ATL host came highly recommended on CS, and as one of the city ambassadors who really got the ATL CS community started, I can safely say that he embodies CS ideals and is one of the best CS hosts I have stayed with.

I spent Monday afternoon in the touristy part of ATL, doing the CNN studio tour (CNN´s global headquarters are in ATL), and the World of Coca Cola tour (Coke got its start in ATL as well). Both were rather touristy and seemed geared toward families and younger audiences, but it was still cool to see a major TV network behind the scenes, and, perhaps best of all, sample some 60 different Coke flavors. Ok, it´s not just Sprite and Diet Coke, but it´s variations of Coke products from around the world--I recommend trying the Italian Beverly, and a Coke product in Africa that tastes like pina colada. I was overjoyed that Coke also had a special holiday flavor (gingerbread!) that I probably would have bought in bulk if I had the money and the space. Aside from those two tourist attractions, I didn´t bother to see any more, partially because there aren´t many more in ATL anyway.

CNN Studios in Atlanta

Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta

That night, my CS host, several of his friends and I went to Eddie´s Attic in Decatur to check out their weekly open mic night, where John Mayer supposedly got his start (see the website explanation below). The winner of the evening was King Richard´s Sunday Best...we´ll see if they win big at the Shootout or not! This is a highly recommended event for any music lovers out there.

For over 17 years, we've hosted Atlanta's premiere OPEN MIC for the performing songwriter. National and local acts perform 2 songs each, with 3 finalists returning for a third song at the end of the evening for a chance to win a cash prize and a spot in our bi-annual, nationally acclaimed Open Mic Shootout. These Open Mics are well attended and are once again being hosted by Attic founder Eddie Owen.

The next day, I walked about 6 miles (according to my iPhone) through East ATL and Inman Park until I made it to Little Five Points, a cute area full of coffee shops, second hand clothing stores, and other such things that reminded me of Seattle. After grabbing a gyro and coffee in Little Five Points, I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in a Barnes & Noble in Edgewood. That´s something I miss about Seattle--knowing exactly where all of the ¨loungey¨coffee shops with free WiFi are.

 Graffiti in East Atlanta

Inman Park in Atlanta

That night, I returned to my host´s house at 7Pm, and was awake until I had to leave for the airport 12 hours later, due to the biggest Couchsurfing party I had ever attended (yes, it beat the CS Seattle holiday party of last year). Since my host is one of the ambassadors, he is well-known among the CS ATL community, and it felt like the entire CS ATL community attended. Throughout the course of the evening, I met tons of CSers from all different backgrounds--those born and raised in ATL, and those who had moved there for work, and of course, other CSers stopping through ATL for a quick visit. There were even a few like myself, who had recently quit their jobs and were about to embark on a traveling adventure, except theirs were to last for a full year, unlike my mere month. They tried at length to convince me to do the same, but truthfully, I don´t know that I have the courage to go that far. Yet. ;)

Some of the many goodies at the Atlanta Couchsurfing Holiday Party

Perhaps the most interesting guy I met didn´t appear at face value to have an interesting story--he appeared to be born and raised in ATL, having never traveled in his entire life, but then he gradually revealed that he spent 8 years backpacking the world, including a crazy story about how he almost made it to Antarctica. I´d give the address to his blog, except it´s not public anymore.

After a majority of the folks I had made initial contact with left the party, and the house was filled with people I didn´t recognize, I tried several times to retire for the evening, but every time I got comfortable, someone would end up in my room, usually a guy complaining about the girl he had brought to the party. As the remaining party people started yelling rounds of drunken karaoke, I accepted the fact that sleeping would not happen that night, and I started talking at length to the stragglers, and was happy I did. I had a lot of good conversations, and really liked everyone who I met in Atlanta. This is a city I plan to return to again.

Suzi´s Photos of the Day

Piccadilly Circus, London, UK, February 2007

I spent a weekend in London with friends to see musicals. We saw Wicked our first evening there, and while my friends were at The Lion King, I wandered around the SoHo/Piccadilly Circus area of London, just happy as a clam to be hearing English everywhere after spending nearly two months in Spain. I happened to catch a huge anti-Bush and Blair protest going through the streets, and I followed it through its entirety, amused to see street cleaners following the protesters, picking up every bit of trash that was in their wake. Above are some of the photos I snapped.

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Americus, Georgia

This is part one of my new series, "Where in the World is Suzi?" Thanks to my fellow SSG writer Jodi for the title inspiration.

I just spent the past day and a half in Americus, Georgia. Never heard of it? I don't blame you. It's a small town about two and a half hours south of Atlanta, and it's actually where the international headquarters of Habitat for Humanity are located. See any connections? The purpose of this trip was to visit a Habitat friend I'd made on my trip to Cambodia. Of course, I got a quick tour of the Habitat headquarters, and even drove out to the town of Plains, GA where ex-president Jimmy Carter is from, and currently resides. He teaches Sunday school most weekends he is in town, and despite my agnosticism, I would have attended his service, had I the energy to wake up in time. Oh, and because I was too refreshed and relaxed to care, I neglected to bring my camera on any outings in Americus. So...thank you Google Images for the photos.

Plains, GA

It might be a considered by many as a small town full of "rednecks" and "hicks," but I actually did not encounter any directly. There were certainly signs of outward racism that you hear about in the news, but simply can't fathom. A sheriff's house with a huge confederate flag in the front window. A school teacher's car with a "Bush '04" bumper sticker. The fact that you can't buy beer or go to bars on Sundays. There were all sorts of little indicators that this was not an Obama-loving town and separation of church and state did not apply. I was lucky to hang out with three guys who obviously were not originally from Americus, and did not share the same views as the townspeople. We spent my first night in Americus drinking in the best of the town's only three bars in the historic Windsor Hotel. On the whole though, I rather enjoyed being out in the "middle of nowhere." It was quiet, peaceful, relaxing, refreshing, and a nice change of scenery. I am glad that I chose to begin my journey here.

Windsor Hotel in Americus, GA

Suzi's Photo of the Day

Rome, Italy, June 2007

This photo of me was taken by my parents at our hotel in Rome at the end of my 6 month European adventure. I sustained myself on all that I could carry on my back, and nothing else. I take a similar minimalist approach to nearly all other travels I go on, including this one.

This is my current backpack, which is actually quite a bit smaller than the one I took to Europe. It fits perfectly into the overhead stowbins on the airplanes, and is filled with half clothing, and half coffee/trailmix/host gifts. I like the minimalist approach to life, learning to live with only your basic necessities and minimal luxuries...it's part of traveling that I enjoy. I finally have an excuse to be offline and not attend to my phone at every beep and chirp it makes. This is the first time that I am traveling with my laptop, intending to make public online blog posts, in lieu of my usual handwritten diaries. This may defeat my purpose of being virtually disconnected from the world, so we'll see how the presence of technology changes my approach to traveling.

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Minneapolis, En Route to Atlanta

This was written on Saturday afternoon, December 19, 2009, on my Delta flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta.

James Cameron's epic new film Avatar has gotten enough press to raise my curiosity to the point of spending my last night in Seattle for the year 2009 at the premiere of Avatar. Having not seen any visual or written previews of the film, I knew only that it was about some alien who tries to save a race he was originally sent to destroy, and that it is two and a half hours long. Don't worry, I won't give any details away. I will only say that it reminded me of a mix of Disney's Pocahontas, and maybe a bit of Tarzan and District 9. I thought parts of the plot were cliched, and as always, I noticed some of the same sound effects being used. If you recall the movie Jurassic Park and the sound that the velociraptors made when they first burst into the kitchen to hunt the two kids, be on the lookout for that exact same sound when you see Avatar. Overall though, it was a unique story that had stunning visual effects that must have taken years to develop. When you have nearly three hours to spare, go see it. I don't think you will regret it.

Bright and early the next morning (today), I rushed to Sea-Tac airport just in time to grab my 6:45am flight to Atlanta, GA, via Minneapolis, MN. I have caught a lot of flights in my 23 years, the first when I was around 6 months old. This was the second flight ever that I probably should have missed, but somehow was allowed aboard. Upon arrival at Sea-Tac, I rushed through check-in, security, and the train to a connecting terminal, not even bothering to wait in line to check my extra bag in. With sweat seeping through every pore in my body and my muscles burning from racing up multiple staircases, I must have looked like a pathetic mess at the gate. It may have been an advantage, because even though boarding had "officially ceased," I fed the flight attendants a sob story and was allowed to board.

My absolutely miraculous story of last-minute airplane boarding adventures occurred in June 2007 in Berlin, Germany. I had spent two days in Germany's beautiful capital city, staying with a Couchsurfer in the center of town. I departed for Berlin Schönefeld three hours before my flight was to take off to Munich, thinking that my two days of getting around Berlin on the metro meant that I knew it well enough to make it to the airport with any hitches. Not so. First, I caught the metro going in the wrong direction, and when I finally got aboard the metro going in the correct direction, I happened to hop into the car where the "ticket master" was checking for purchased tickets. Throughout my entire six month stay in Europe, I had never had my transit ticket checked, even though I had faithfully purchased one every time it was required. Of all the days, I failed to do this, it had to be that day.

Sure enough, the gruff ticket master was most displeased at both my lack of ticket and inability to speak a lick of German (although really, what ticket master in a touristy region like central Berlin wouldn't understand more than 5 English words?!). Our inability to communicate frustrated us both, and finally grabbed my arm and escorted me off of the train at the next stop, about to take me to some unknown destination, when I conveniently spied an ATM and extracted enough to pay him to leave me alone. At this point, it was less than one hour until my flight departed, and I was far enough from Berlin Schönefeld that the metro would not get me there on time. Fortunately, I was able to hail a cab; I tipped the man well for getting me there 10 minutes sooner than expected. As I sprinted into the airport, I was certain that I was going to be turned away, since it was five minutes until take off, and I was supposed to have boarded over 30 minutes ago. Amazingly, I checked in without a hitch, was escorted aboard, with the plane shutting its doors right behind me. It was as if they had been waiting exclusively for me to show up. Now that is one travel adventure I don't care to repeat!

Suzi's Photos of the Day

At the Berlin apartment of my German Couchsurfer, Arnas.

Parliament in Berlin

Outside of Parliament in Berlin with fellow Couchsurfers Kirsten from Cologne, Germany, and Jen from Canada.

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Seattle, Predeparture

A lot has happened since my last post. Perhaps the biggest news was the successful first flight of the 787 Dreamliner on December 15, 2009, which was amazing to witness. The other big news (in my life, anyway) was getting the chance to officially photograph my first big concert: Visqueen at Deck the Hall Ball. Sure, I've been covering moderately big shows in the area, but this was a different animal--photo pit and all. It was exciting, not gonna lie. What made it even better was the fact that lead singer Rachel Flotard is preparing for (and currently, as I write) doing aid work in Laos, after a quick trip to Cambodia. I am intrigued that a local talent donates her time to doing aid work in Southeast Asia...you can follow the hyperlinks to read about her adventures in Laos last year at her blog, my photos from the show, and my review of the show, which includes the inspiring story behind her band, Visqueen.

Tomorrow is my last full day in Seattle before I embark on my big trip. It's a little daunting, since, as per usual, I am leaving packing to the very last minute. I think the only time this strategy failed me was back in middle school when I arrived at my destination only to discover that I hadn't packed any underwear. Luckily, mom was traveling with me, and she saved the day. In this case, I'm doing my best to remember that I almost always overpack, and I can usually purchase any items of necessity at my destination point. Still, packing is no easy task, thus why it waits until...tomorrow.

To close, I am going to post a photo of the day. This is something I want to try incorporating into my posts, just because I have thousands of photos and each has an unrecorded story behind it. When I'm old with dementia, it would be nice to remember some of these memories.

Suzi's Photo of the Day

A Coruña, Spain (España) in Spring 2007

I might have mentioned in earlier posts that I studied abroad in Granada, Spain for one semester in 2007. This photo was taken in the Northwestern region of Spain known as Galicia, in the town A Coruña. Pictured are myself (in the middle), my roommate, and two of our study abroad classmates. The four of us traveled to Galicia upon hearing rave reviews from our host families and classmates. This was one of my absolute favorite regions of Spain, partially because it was like the Pacific Northwest in that it was green and rainy, and thus the polar opposite of southern Spain, where it was warm, dry, and brown.

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