Back in San Doozy

03.20.2007 - 03.25.2007 0 °F
View The Big Trip on tommydavis's travel map.

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So I am back in San Diego now. The trip is over after about two months and I am alive and well, with little to show for it except for 10 pounds lost, an insane tan, and only minimal digestive problems. I bet some of you are wondering why I am back so soon, when I was supposed to take another two weeks or so. Well, there are a couple of reasons that I returned a bit early: I wanted to see Erin and my other friends, and I wanted to ensure I would have enough time to pull off my next adventure. In about a week I am going to ride my bike down the coast from San Francisco to San Diego. I am not in very good cycling shape, so it will probably take me about 10-15 days. If you live on the California Coast and would not mind taking me in for a night for a shower and laundry, let me know. Otherwise I will probably be sleeping in a tent somewhere.

After the bike ride, I go to South Carolina for ten days for my sister's wedding, and then start the next trip: Erin and I are travelling for 2.5 months in Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. After that she goes to Hawaii for medical school and I might go to India and Nepal and then a month in Japan. Anyone who knows anything about these countries, let me know, because I sure as hell don't.

Since the last update, I spent a bit more time in Guadalajara. The Lucha Libre was spectacularrrr! Imagine old school WWF, but much more fake and with wrestlers wearing masks. The crowd was ruthless too, yelling at people arriving late and leaving early, "Chinga tu madre!" and "Puta!" I got my mask, yelled at fans and wrestlers, and considered it a good night.

From Guadalajara, I planned on going to San Blas for a couple of days, but got to the bus station and they had a special (20% off) on tickets to Tijuana. That, coupled with the aforementioned reasons, was enough to sell me on the "32 hour" bus ride. Well, the bus ride was more like 42 hours, and three of the hours were spent broken down in the middle of nowhere and the middle of the night. When I woke up to see all electricity out on the bus and the bus rolling to a stop at 2:30 in the morning, I knew I was in for a long night. Sure, the driver tried to fix the bus, but eventually we just caught another one that stopped for us. I passed to time by eating "Marias" crackers with peanut butter and Nutella and brushing my teeth on the side of the highway. I thought my previous 10-12 hour bus trips would condition me for this one, but spending that much time in transit really sucks. It also sucks to be stopped five times by the Mexican Military to have my bag searched. I guess I just look too much like a coke mule. Instead of showing up at the border at 6:00 pm and taking public transportation to surprise Erin, I arrived at 2:00 am and called her to pick me up at the Jack-in-the-Box in San Ysidro. I chatted a bit with a guy from San Diego State who was out clubbing in TJ that night. He was a real smart ass.

Being back in the US is not as strange as I thought in would be. It feels like I was here just yesterday, but I do notice how luxurious this life is compared to what I have been living. I took a hot shower, drank cold water, and slept in a comfortable bed: an almost unimaginable combination of perks. I also forgot how fun it is to drive a car. Zipping around in Erin's 2006 Civic 5-speed beats the hell out of chicken buses and taxis.

This is my last entry in the trophycow blog. Thanks to David for hosting my stories and photos. I will continue the blog on some other DIY site, but I am not sure which one. Stand by for news from the bike ride and subsequent travels. Man, my life really kicks ass.

Tom

Fresh adobada pork on the rotisserie