11 Feb 98

This latest update comes to you from Flores, Guatemala. In most Internet cafes you pay by the minute, but here the guy stands next to you with a stop watch. When the computer is going too slow, he stops the watch until things are happening again.

I did not mean to give the impression with my last update that I was bored. I only meant that the ratio of new things and exciting hikes to repeat experiences was not quite as high as I would like. At that point I had driven 5000 miles in three weeks and only five hours of it was new. Now that whole weeks of my trip are new, life, again, couldn't be better.

After I left San Cristobal de las Casas, we spent two enjoyable days on a macadamia nut ranch in the highlands of Chiapas. Then we drove all day long and visited Cenote Azul for a little swimming. The next three days were spent at my favorite beach, Xcacel. We looked at the ruins of Tulum, went snorkeling in caves and in an area where the ocean meets fresh water, scuba diving, went out on the town in Playa del Carmen and hung out on the beach.

Xcacel, I am sorry to announce, has been closed down. Someone bought it and plans to build a resort. It was very sad. People who came to the beachfront camping area 10 to 16 years ago and never left were forced out. My group and I were the last people ever to camp there. Oh well.

That trip ended in Cancun and I had a day to wash the van and do paperwork. Then I started a new trip. This one is called the Ruta de Maya.

We left Cancun and headed for Chichen Itza. This was my fourth time at the ruins, but it was like being there for the first time. We got a guide who took us to all sorts of places I had never seen before. Then we went to Merida, saw the flamingos, and bought hammocks. We also found this night show at a place called Tulipanes. You go down the steps into a cave and sit next to the underground lake. Then there is a nice show with lights, drums, fire, dancing, and a ritual sacrifice.

Then we continued on to Uxmal and saw the sound and light show. At this point this trip diverged from all my previous trips and became very exciting. We wandered around the old town of Santa Elena and climbed up the church. Then we drove. It got close to lunch time and I began looking for a place to stop. I found the perfect place. It was across the street from a gas station, which meant toilets. It was next to a very impressive cemetery, which meant some interesting sight seeing. There was a large airy building, which meant shade. There was even a long low table, which meant long low table.

We ate our lunch on the table and then I had a wander around the cemetery and looked at all the little buildings and gravestones. When I returned to our lunch spot I realized the the little building could be used for funeral services. I then noticed that the long low table was about coffin size. I did not mention my observations to anyone until every one was done eating.

Then, to make the day stand out even more, we found a blue bucket of bones next to a skull. It was great. A whole bucket of bones sitting right there in the middle of the cemetery. I took my first picture in two months.

Then we finished the drive of the day and prepared to cross into Belize. This proved to be quite an ordeal. The people took about ten minutes to get through, but the van took six hours. None of us were amused. After six hours the van was cleared through, but then they wanted us to take the luggage off the roof and bring it in for inspection. We unloaded and carried into the office. Inside they waved us through without even a glance. Then we reloaded the van and arrived in Belize city at five o'clock. We hopped onto a water taxi and hit the water.

We took a 45 minute boat ride to Caye Caulker. Caye is pronounced 'key' and means a small island with mangroves, palm trees, and sand. We got there, checked into a small hotel and went for dinner. The next day we took a most excellent snorkel trip.

At our first stop, the guide caught a three foot shark. I don't mean with a hook or a harpoon. I mean he jumped into the water and grabbed the nurse shark. I followed him in and had a chance to hold the shark. That was great. We also got to pet some sting rays and snorkel around the coral. Then we had lunch on another little island and went out snorkeling again. This time we went to the Hol Chan Marine Preserve and looked at the colorful fish and coral. We also saw a few spotted-eagle rays swimming by. I swam down about 20 feet into a cave that was guarded by a moray eel. The cave turned out to be a tunnel so I swam on through. It was the best snorkeling trip of my life so far.

The next day was a free day to wander around the small island and relax. Belize is a wonderful country. The people on the coast speak a Creole, which very occasionally sounds a bit like English. There are also lots of Rastafarians wandering around. We were there for Bob Marley's birthday. I think it was a national holiday. Now I want to go to Jamaica and see more of the Caribbean.

When almost everybody was nice and sunburned, we returned to Belize city and set out to cross the country from east to west. We made a few stops, so it took almost four hours. We stopped in the capital, Belmopan. I took a wrong turn and in five minutes we had circled the city of 6000 twice. Then we went to a small national park to look at nature and then continued west to Cayo. In Cayo we made a nice dinner and prepared to enter Guatemala.

Tuesday morning, after being two hours late, our ride came to pick us up and take us to Tikal. We left Belize with no problems. The border guard even shook my hand when we were finished. Then we entered Guatemala and went to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. There we found that the hotels were all full. We looked at ruins for two hours and then drove a little over an hour to Flores.

We spent the night at a nice little hotel and this morning riding in a boat around the lake and looking at jaguars, monkeys and other animals in a small zoo. It is amazing, the number of rather large mammals in the world that we never hear of in the States.

This morning I had a most amazing breakfast, for four dollars. My bread was toasted and buttered. There was cheese and cream to pour over my tasty eggs. My orange juice was freshly squoze and there was a bowl of ice next to it to cool it off. I even enjoyed, for the first time in my memory, the plantains. Following the meal, they gave me a mint. I can't remember the last time I got a mint after a meal.

I know I have only seen a small and touristy section of Guatemala, but I think it is a great country. People say 'Hola' in the streets.

I am now ready to put a trip through Central and South America high on my list of places to go, right after Nepal, India, Southeast Asia, Turkey, the middle east, west Africa and south Africa.

I also enjoyed Belize quite a bit. Everybody is very laid back. In a restaurant, the waiter was busy giving water to the dog next to me, so when he told us what the dessert choices were, he asked us to pass it down to those who could not hear him.

Well, that is about it for now.

24 Jan 98

Buenos Noches from San Cristobal de las Casas.

I flew back to L.A. and spent three days in the office. I got all my gear together, planned a few trips and hung out with the other tour leaders.

Then on a Saturday, bright and not too early, I started driving. I spent a night in Tucson, AZ, one in Fort Stockton, TX, one in Brownsville, Texas and then crossed into Mexico. I drove all day, slept in the van on the side of the road, drove the next day and again slept in the van off of a really long dirt road. The next day I had some spare time. I passed a sign for the ruins of Dzibanche. These ruins were not mentioned in any of my guide books, so I drove the one hour on dirt roads necessary to check them out. It was fun the have the ruins all to myself and my guide, Sergio. Even though Sergio only spoke Spanish, I was able to get quite a bit from his tour.

After Dzibanche, I returned to my favorite beach. At Xcacel I hung out with a bunch of tour leaders, some of whom were working and some of whom were on vacation there for the winter. The next day I sat on the beach and recovered from my 3200 mile-6 day solo drive halfway across the U.S. and most of the way across Mexico.

Last Saturday, I drove up to Cancun and met my new group. The next day we went to Chichen Itza and then on to Merida. We spent two nights there buying hammocks, looking at flamingos at the Celestun Nature Reserve, and eating at a Mayan BBQ in the town of Tixkokob.

From Merida we headed south to the ruins at Uxmal and then on to Palenque. After a day in the hot jungle we played in the 35 meter tall waterfall named Misol-Ha. I brought my flashlight and explored the cave behind the waterfall. There is a waterfall and a large pool in the cave. I think it would be a great place to bring a group and a bunch of candles and hang out for a few hours one night.

Friday we drove to Agua Azul, hiked along the river and waterfalls for a few hours and then came here to San Cristobal de las Casas. Today we went on a tour of San Juan Chamula and Zincatecas. These are two small Indian villages. Our guide was a mestizo woman named Mercedes. She gave a most excellent tour and touched on Indians, history, women's rights, politics, religion, and any thing else we had questions about. If any of you get here, it would be a shame not to go on her tour.

Now I am in the Cyber-cafe, waiting until it is time to go meet my group at the bar for a night out on the town. More likely though, I will just make a short appearance and head back to my room for a good night sleep in a bed.

In one of my college anthropology courses I learned that when you go to study a new culture, it is very important to write down your impressions for the first month or so. I now see why that is so important. What seemed so alien and unique during my first visit to Mexico now seems normal and ordinary. I am having a pretty good time, but I don't feel like I am seeing too many new things. Now that the novelty of working in Mexico has worn off, I realize that there are too many cities and too much shopping on my tours and not enough hiking and adventure. Of course, the trip I am on now is a short two week trip to places I have been before. For my next three trips down here I have planned a few new things to see, including a trip to Guatamala, a climb up a volcano near Mexico City and a drive up Baja Califorina with a stop to pet the whales. Hopefully, Trek will send me to the Canadian Rockies this summer.

Other than that, for a job it really is enjoyable most of the time and even down right fun often enough.

6 JAN 98

I spent the middle of December continuing my strict regimen of sleeping, reading, and watching movies. I was in fine form, the form of a slug. One weekend I became a bit more active and drove up to Gainesville to visit Karla. We went to a couple Christmas type parties and visited Tom and his family. Tom, I was sorry to learn, has given up his Saab and entered the world of the mini-van. At least he got one with a big sun roof.

Karla and I rented a canoe and took a little trip down the Santa Fe River. I saw an otter and a bunch of turtles. We also saw Ed. Ed is a man who has gone looking for a more rustic lifestyle. He lives at one of the springs that feed the river. He lives in a grass hut and wears a loin cloth. We stopped at Ed’s for lunch and he spoke to us continuously. I think he is a bit lonely after 15 years out there. We were on the river for about five or six hours and never once went swimming. I am still getting used to the idea of canoeing all day and not playing in the water. But, it is the middle of winter and even if we were wearing shorts and T-shirts, it was too cold for a swim.

While in Gainesville, we were able to rent my favorite movie of all time - The Big Meat Eater. I was again able to see Big Abdullah, the wind-up aliens, and all my other old friends in Berquithlam, Canada. Of course, the movie is also a musical. I was able to hear “From the bonny, bonny banks of Berquithlam” and “I’m a heat seeking missile, and your my target tonight”. I don’t think a poorer grade-B science fiction movie has ever been made. It was great.

Then I returned to South Florida and the familial onslaught began. I hung out with Milo (my brother), David and Ann (my cousin and his girlfriend), my mother (mama), Dori and Uri (my cousin and her husband), Aunt Anne, Uncles Jim and Gary, cousins Rafaella, Hillary, Yitzchak and Josh, my father and Elizabeth (his wife), their daughter and my sister Emily, Great Aunts Shirley and Francis, my three remaining grandparents (Grandma, Grandma, and Grandpa) and many others.

Of course, a big family gathering means lots of food. I am now thoroughly sick of food. I have eaten kangaroo, lobster, bagels and lox, my mother’s rice pudding and zucchini bread, a million different kinds of dessert, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, pizza, Japanese food, Thai food, kosher food, brisket, and a couple of tons of other assorted food stuffs. I am looking forward to getting back to three normal meals per day. Every single day for the past two weeks has revolved around one large meal and usually tapered off into another meal a few hours later.

Dori and Uri have a very nice group of friends. We hung out a few times, went to the arcade, played football, and went out for pizza. Uri is a great guy and Dori is lucky to have found him. He has the good looks of Beavis and the brains of Butthead, all rolled into one.

Their wedding was last Sunday and they went all out. They had a bunch of friends and family, a rabbi, a chupah, a light bulb, a couple of rings, a cake topper, a band, a videographer, a photographer, a caterer and not one, but two guys to make omelets. They also had lots of food and great desserts. It was a very good wedding.

Just to make a great month off from work even better, I received a big pile of season’s greetings from former passengers and a few phone calls from Gillian. I had never before received a phone call from over seas. It was nice to shout into the phone at my end and hear her posh-Australian voice from the other.

While home, I also did a major re-stocking of my wardrobe. I head back to Los Angeles with a new T-shirt, a new pair of shorts, and a new hat.

In the last week I have shaved three times. Twice for practice and once for the wedding. Now that is over, I can begin work on a new beard. I also had a few inches trimmed off of my hair. Dori said I clean up real well. That may be the case, but I am now actively re-cultivating my grubby travelers look. I think it suits me better.

Trek America called and asked if I was well rested. I said I was and they invited me back to work early. I leave for L.A. today. I will be headed down to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala to lead four trips. I will get back to L.A. on the 9th of April, just in time for a nice Passover dinner.

I have had a great month off and am now ready for another few months of work.

10 Dec 97

I think maybe it is easier to find Internet access in Mexico than in the American Southwest. I have received many requests for an update, so here goes.

Well, to continue where I left off, that night we went and soaked in the very hot springs. The next day was clear so we went on an all day hike up above the tree line and saw marmots and deer. Then, on through Durango ( I drove, they took the scenic narrow-gauge steam train) and east to my favorite place in the world, Great Sand Dunes National Monument. We spent a great few hours rolling around in the sand and then drove north to go rafting through the Royal Gorge near Canon City. Not all of my passengers rafted, so I drove the rest up to a few viewpoints of the canyon and then we went to Dairy Queen for ice cream. That night we went to the movies and then hung out in a bar playing loud heavy metal music. The next day we took a dirt road over the mountains, did a little hike at over 12,000 feet and then went to the Coors brewery so they could all enjoy the free beer at the end of the tour.

That trip was finished and I had a week until my next trip left from Denver. It was time to head back to Telluride and visit my five cousins there. I took the scenic route and made a nice day of the drive. I went through Leadville and then took some nice dirt roads over the mountains. In Telluride, I went for a great hike with Susan and we also went out for Sushi and saw a movie. I read a good Tony Hillerman book, did a little paperwork and basically just enjoyed a little mini-vacation in the Colorado Rockies.

Then it was back to Denver to do a Southwest Trail, a quick ten day trip to Los Angeles. I took them over the mountains on a dirt road and we stopped at the top for a little high altitude hike. Those who had been at sea level the day before quickly realized how tiring hiking with no oxygen can be. Then it was on to the Royal Gorge for another ride down the river. This time it was amazing.

Right at the top of the biggest rapid of the day my raft got stuck. The boat just filled up with water and started spinning in circles, and one of my passengers fell out. I bounced around the boat for about two rotations and then I was washed out. The rapids are so much more fun without that big rubber boat between you and the water. I swam the rest of the rapid. I bounced off rocks (feet first) and also got sucked under a few times. It was great.

The next day we headed back to the Telluride area and went on a hike up past the dead deer and abandoned mining equipment. During our second day in Telluride, we went on a most amazing 18 mile, mostly downhill, bike ride down the mountain, across streams and around lakes. That afternoon I went and visited Susan again and then took my group to those really nice hot springs near Ridgway.

On the fourth day of the trip we drove to Mesa Verde and climbed around the ancient Puebloan ruins. That night, my two passengers from Singapore cooked an amazing Chinese meal. They cooked one of the best meals I have eaten on a trip while standing in the mud under a leaky rain tarp. The next day we went on a jeep tour of Monument Valley and then spent the night at Slim and Kody’s cowboy camp. We went on the nice horse ride, ate the food cooked over the fire, learned to throw the ropes around the metal cow, did some line dancing and had another cowboy party. The next day they let us shoot the .22 rifle and pistols. As you can imagine, a .22 is not powerful enough for a modern cowboy, so they broke out the 9mm semi-automatic Ingram. It is just like an Uzi sub-machine gun and is very loud when you shoot it. So we chased the horses out of the way, set up some cans, and proceeded to impress the many foreign guests with the amount of destructive fire power that Americans feel is necessary in order to feel safe at home.

When we ran out of ammo, we headed to Lake Powell for the afternoon and then on to the Grand Canyon the following day. On the way we stopped in Seligman, Arizona for ice cream. In Seligman there is a very interesting old man who turns buying an ice cream into a five minute comedy show. The next morning I started at about 7:30 and made the eight miles down to the river by 10:30. It was my first time going all the way to the bottom. I hiked back up to the rim and was out of the canyon by 1:30 pm. I ate lunch and then waited in the van for my passengers to show up so we could go watch the sunset. Before everyone showed up, the snow started. It was the first week of October and it was cold. That night three inches of snow fell and covered the tents, the van, the trees, the ground, pretty much everything. There was no sunset that day. The next morning was very cold and we had to shovel the snow off the roof of the van before we could load the frozen tents.

We took our nice flight over the Grand Canyon and then headed for Las Vegas. Then we took our limo ride down the strip, watched some free shows, rode the new roller coaster at the New York, New York casino and then I called it a night. The next day we drove to Los Angeles and that was it for that trip.

In Los Angeles, I looked up an old friend and hung out with her for the day. Stephanie and I went to some art galleries in Beverly Hills, went to the strangest museum I have ever been to (The Museum of Jurassic Technology) and saw two very unique French movies (unique because they were French, yet there was no sex). I had a good five days or so in L.A. and then left on my next trip around the Southwest.

In super secret Trek America lingo it was called a Westerner 2 - a two week trip around the west. We took the coastal road up to San Francisco and then took a sunset sailboat cruise on the Bay. We went around Alcatraz and then saw some seals playing in the water. The next day I gave a quick tour of the city and then we went to Alcatraz to look at the old jail. Then we headed east to Yosemite National Park and I took a few of them on a 17 mile hike, almost to the top of Half Dome. That night we saw a bear wandering around the parking lot, so they all got some bear pictures.

After a slow start the next day, we headed over to Death Valley. The night was cold, but the next day it was nice to finally be able to wear shorts again. I took them for a half day drive through Titus Canyon. We stopped a ghost town and then had lunch in a narrow part of the canyon. Then it was on to Las Vegas for two nights - the limo ride, the free shows, the roller coaster, the usual. The next day I took three of my passengers out to Red Rocks State Park and we did a few short hikes in canyons and looked at the red rocks. Following our two nights in L.V., I took a few of them skydiving and then we headed over to the Grand Canyon.

It was still bitterly cold at the Grand Canyon and half of my group went across the street to the hotel. I did not feel like hiking so, after dropping everyone off at the rim, I went for a drive in the woods. I bounced my van way off the paved roads and explored a bit of the Kaibab National Forest. About a mile past the road closed signs the road got really rough. Eventually, I left the woods and went back to my passengers hotel room for a nice shower and some relaxation. Later, I picked them up and we went over to Yavapai Point to watch the sun set. It was another extremely cold night, so I was forced to ask A.J., another tour leader, to join me in my van. I should have invited a few more people because A.J. was just too small and did not really do much to help me warm up the van. At least I had someone to talk to whenever I woke up shivering.

The next day we headed south to a cowboy camp near Phoenix, Arizona. Rusty and Betty’s camp is at the end of 30 minute drive over some very rough roads. We got there in time to set up the tents and take the canoes out onto their small pond. There was two other Trek vans full of people there so it became a big party night. I got tired before the party ended, but they were using the radio from my van to dance to so I could not sleep in my usual place - the back seat of the van. I took my sleeping bag and headed off into the night. I walked until I could no longer hear the music and slept in the middle of the desert.

To get us off to a good start the next day, Betty cooked some eggs, biscuits and gravy over the fire. Then I took two of my passengers on a couple hour hike. We followed the horse trails through the desert and looked at all the Saguaro cacti. Then I tried to find a short cut back to camp and we found out that every bush in the area had sharp thorns. We survived the hike, had lunch and spent the rest of the day and early evening driving to San Diego.

In San Diego, I dropped people off at Sea World and at Horton Plaza (for shopping) and then took the rest down to Tiajuana, Mexico. They shopped, we ate lunch, explored a bit of the area off of the tourist strip and then came back up to the U.S. That was Halloween night, so I put on my skydiving jumpsuit and we headed down town. There were thousands of people wandering around in some very imaginative costumes. The line for the haunted house was too long, so we just people watched and then called it a night.

On the last day of the trip, I took them up to Disneyland and then went to the library and checked out some books. I spent the day reading while they chased Mickey. Then I picked them up, we went out to eat and that was the end of my worst trip ever. Some of the passengers were a bit childish and I made a few mistakes in running the trip, so by the end tensions were a bit high. For some reason, at the last night party, everybody relaxed and we had a great time - finally. I spent three days in the office getting over my poor performance and then it was back out on the road with a whole new group of people.

On 6 November, I took my twelve passengers, from nine different countries, on a brief tour of Hollywood and Santa Barbara. The next day we went up to San Francisco and picked up a thirteenth passenger. I gave my best tour of the city ever and then we met A.J., still with her group from the Grand Canyon, for a sunset cruise on San Francisco Bay. There was no fog and we had picture perfect views of the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, Sausolito and downtown. That night we went out dancing and I got to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes on my trips.

Naturally, when I walk into a bar with about ten young foreign women we (they) get a lot of attention. So, at a bar, since I don’t drink alcohol, I need some other entertainment and my passengers provide it. They are all dressed up for the evening and spend the night fending off advances from their many instant admirers. My entertainment is watching them shoot down one pick-up artist after another. Then when they are having trouble getting rid of the bar scene men I go and ask four of five of them to dance. I guess they think I am safe and all agree to leave their new found men and head out to the dance floor with me. Then two o’clock comes, the bar closes, and we head back to the hotel.

On the fourth day of the trip, the two Korean men told me that their visas expired the next day and they had to fly home. So then there was eleven. I sent my remaining passengers off to Alcatraz and to see the city for the day and I went back to Hayward to visit my Aunt Charlene, Uncle Lenny, and cousins Isaac (6), David (4), and Josh (2). We went to the Oakland Zoo, rode the rides and looked at the animals. Then we played with my cousins toys for a while before we went out for some good Mexican food.

The next day we headed out to Yosemite. This trip was from the winter brochure, which meant that only three of the first 13 days were camping. So after three days in San Francisco hotel, we moved on to two nights in cabins in Yosemite Valley. I was a bit sick, so while they hiked in the rain, I read the new John Grisham book, The Runaway Jury. After they finished hiking, we drove up to the giant Sequoia trees and took a walk. I wore all of my winter clothes, except shoes and socks. I learned that if you hike in snow with sandals your feet will turn red and hurt. I guess growing up in south Florida did not prepare me for everything.

Tioga Pass was already snowed in, so we had to take the long way around the Sierra Madres. It took us all day to drive south around the mountains and then north up to Death Valley. There was a full moon in the empty desert so a short night hike was in order. Then, finally, on my fourth visit to the Park, I had a full free day to spend hiking or exploring. Unfortunately, my passengers were not really hikers. We went for a short hike up Golden Canyon and took pictures of the natural stone bridge, the nicely eroded canyon walls and Silvie. Silvie is a young German woman who reminds me of the Nanny. She always wore her very stylish clothes, including shoes with four inch soles, and full make-up. Needless to say, she looked ridiculous whenever we were hiking or camping. After the hike, we went down to Badwater (285 feet below sea level). Then we ate lunch and they had had enough nature for the day. We went and split the afternoon between the pool, showers, the bar, the post office, and the telephones - in the middle of Death Valley.

On our way out of the Park we stopped at Dante’s view and looked down over 5,000 feet into the valley. Lunch in Pahrump, Nevada and then Las Vegas for two nights. Thirty thousand computer nerds were in town for COMDEX, a big computer convention. They had booked all of the limos, so I got to pretend the van was a limo and conduct the night tour myself. Two of them were interested in skydiving, so I drove them out to Boulder, NV for a jump and then dropped them off at the factory outlet mall. On our one free day in Las Vegas, all of my passengers spent the bulk of the day shopping. Strange people, in my opinion.

Gavin, an Aussie bloke, decided that Las Vegas and San Francisco were much more interesting than the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, so he left the trip early. Then there were ten. We headed over to Zion National Park and hiked up Angels Landing, a nice 2.5 hour hike straight up the canyon walls. The next day we stopped for lunch next to Lake Powell and then continued on to Mexican Hat, near Monument Valley. We spent the night in a Navajo Indian Hogan. The Hogan is traditional Indian dwelling. It is round and made of wood covered by mud. There is a stove in the middle and a large hole in the ceiling for spiritual reasons. Thanks to the hole in the ceiling it gets very cold at night. All of us slept on the floor of Hogan and I only had to get up three times in the night to put more wood and coal into the little stove.

The next day we took a jeep tour of Monument Valley. One of our Indian guides sang a traditional Happy Birthday song for me in Navajo. I just love when the Indians take us out to a cave or an arch in the valley and sing in Navajo. They have us all close our eyes and just listen to their chants. After the jeep tour we continued on down to Tucson. For you foreign people that is pronounced TWO-SAN and not TUCK-SUN. We got there late and had a campfire. My Swiss passenger had decided that she liked San Diego and needed some beach time, so I drove her to the train station that night - and then we were nine.

We spent the next morning at the Arizona-Sedona Desert Museum. This is an incredible outdoor museum where they have all of the plants and animals from the desert region on display. We saw big cats, trees, cacti, rodents, birds, cave animals, and many docents. That afternoon we hung out near the University. I never realized that there were so many hippies, punks and freaks in Tucson, it was a nice change.

The next morning we headed up to Phoenix, had lunch and then stopped at the liquor store (bottle shop) so every one could stock up for the cowboy camp. We went on up to Rusty and Betty’s in time for a horseback ride among the cacti before sunset. Then we had some good steaks cooked over the fire and got down to the normal cowboy camp party activities - lasso, line dancing, riding the metal bull, and drinking. When the party started dying down I took my sleeping bag and headed for the hills again. After a good night sleep in the desert I went back to the camp for breakfast and some shotgun practice. We shot a few mean looking cans and then headed west to Joshua Tree National Park. We spent the night at a place with some hot springs and soaked off all of the cowboy camp dirt. The next morning we hiked to Forty-nine Palms and played on the rocks before heading off to San Diego.

In San Diego, my Spanish passenger had to leave the trip to catch her flight home. Then we were eight.

The next day I dropped half the group off at Horton Plaza for some shopping and took the rest down to Tiajuana for a bit of Mexican culture, or at least a bit of shopping and looking around. Then I cooked a nice final night dinner and got ready for an early start the next day. On the morning of 26 November, we went up to Disneyland. They braved the heavy rains and I went to the library and the office. They rode Space Mountain and I got laid off.

Thanks to what I see as a great deal of inefficiency and mis-communication in the Trek America office I was laid off for (at least) seven weeks. I had asked for less than two weeks off around New Years Day for my cousin Dori’s wedding. So my boss told me that I would be spending the next three work days cleaning my equipment and doing all of that end of the year paperwork. Bummer, but hey, what can you do?

I went back to Disneyland, picked up my passengers and went back to the hotel. The Austrian woman had to fly out right away so me, and my seven remaining passengers went out for Thai food and our tearful good-byes after three fun weeks.

The next day was Thanksgiving. My friend Sue showed up and we hung out for the day. Sue is the woman who traveled with me for two months in New Zealand and Australia. I had been carrying pictures from our trip since June, just hoping to run into her and share them with her. So I finally ran into her and we had a chance to visit. Then that evening, I went over to visit my Aunt Marty, Uncle Gary, and cousins Rafaela and Yitz. I let Yitz climb all over me for a few hours and then we had to be quiet because Marty’s parents were visiting and trying to sleep on the living room couch.

During my trips I make a great effort to learn the native languages and cultures of my passengers, especially Japanese. Gillian, from Australia, and Lynn, from England, were extremely generous at the end of the trip and presented me with a Japanese phrase book, a German phrase book, a Star Trek calendar and a nice tip. Now I can speak English, get by in Spanish, say about 30 basic things in Japanese, speak almost as much in German, say a few words in Swahili, French and Hebrew and say thank you in twelve more languages.

Gillian is a very special person, and luckily for me, she decided to stay in L.A. for a week before she headed down to Baja California, Mexico. The two of us cooked dinner at a friends house, ate ice cream, hung out in Santa Monica, saw a few movies, took a walk on the beach, took a drive in the hills north of L.A., went to an all-u-can eat sushi place that had a live DJ who played loud rap music and generally had a good time for my last week in L.A. It was a very good week.

Then I flew home to Fort Lauderdale, and for the first time since 1988, I was home for my birthday (4 December). My Grandmas Celia and Lillian and my Grandpa Al joined Suzie, my mother, and me for a birthday dinner. My mama made a most excellent chocolate cake and I ate off of it for days. Then I sat around and read a book until Sunday when my cousin Dori (Dorky), the guy she is shacking up with (but will marry on 4 Jan 98) and his parents came over for brunch. My mama made another, slightly different, chocolate cake and I ate off of it for days.

Yesterday, I went down to Miami and visited with Michele and saw Starship Troopers.

Now I am hanging out at my mother's and waiting for both sides of my family to descend upon South Florida for the Channuka - New Years week. Then near the end of January I will fly back to L.A. I start a trip from Mexico City on 1 February and have a series of three trips in Mexico until 4 April. My first trip in Mexico will take me through central Mexico to areas which are new to me. The next two trips in Mexico will take me back to Xcacel - my favorite Caribbean beach. I am looking forward to heading south of the Tropic of Cancer for my third consecutive winter. I think that all of America north of Orlando, Florida is uninhabitable due to the cold for much of the year.

I hope to work from the end of January all the way through August or September. I know that is a ridiculously long time to work, but I am trying to save enough money to spend next winter in Nepal. I know it is north of the Tropic of Cancer and cold, but I want to wait until after monsoon season.

So that is the latest from me. Sorry it was so long between updates, but it is amazing how time flies when you are having fun. Some people have e-mailed pictures to me from the trips and I will try to work them into my web page soon.

29 AUG 97

Hello from Telluride, Colorado. A lot has happened this month, so prepare for a few run on sentences. Since my last update Karla and I took a nice canoe trip at Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest and then I got my first speeding ticket on the drive back to South Florida. My mother did not even know that her car could speed in a 70mph zone. Then I flew to L.A. and had dinner at my Uncle Gary's. The next day I drove up to San Francisco and played with Uncle Lenny's ever larger family. I had a great time and then it was back to work.

I picked up ten passengers in the 28 to 52 year old range and we headed east. The van broke down the first day and it was the start of a great trip. Two days later a pair of bears spent 45 minutes destroying our food and supplies while passengers were trapped in their tents near Yosemite. It was scary. That night we found four rattlesnakes at our new campground. Then we drove the Extra-terrestrial Highway in Nevada. Yes, that is what the sign said.

Then on to Zion for a hike up the Narrows. It was incredible. That night, for the first time ever, I shaved on one of my tours. I am now convinced that perhaps I am more attractive with no facial hair. Then we went over to Bryce Canyon and were lucky enough to enjoy that area while seeking protection from a very fierce hail storm.

Next, we made our way over to middle-southern Utah and spent the whole day driving on gravel roads through the middle of nowhere. We ended up spending two hours clearing mud from the road so that I could drive the van up to the river and then drive through it. My passengers were just like a frontier family in the movies. The men took turns with the shovels and the women brought them water as they all worked hard in the desert sun. We took a well deserved swim in Lake Powell after that. The next day we rented a power boat and raced through canyons and jumped off cliffs into the lake.

Then it was on to Monument Valley for an overnight horse ride and camping in the middle of Navajo Indian land under the stars. We saw many shooting stars and many satellites. The next day it was off to the Grand Canyon for hiking and my first helicopter ride. It was very enjoyable. I can not wait to jump out of one someday. Then to finish off the trip in style, it was some champagne and a limo ride down the strip of Las Vegas.

4 AUG 97

After I braved the Mexican traffic in Puerto Vallarta I drove up to the place Arnold Schwarzenager filmed Predator. I played in the same waterfalls he blew up and swung on a rope. Eventually my passengers realized I was having fun and joined me in the river. Then we went up to San Blas and hand fed an alligator before we swam in his swamp. Then up to Mazatlan for a day in the sun (and the pool) at the El Cid Mega Resort. Two days later we took one of the best train rides in the world from Los Mochis to Creel up the Copper Canyon. We took a couple of enjoyable day hikes in the canyon and played in some hot springs and waterfalls. The next day was another nine hour train ride. I was good for most of it, then I got too bored and entertained the whole train by having my hair braided, leading a session of limbo, encouraging water gun fights, and playing with the little kids on the train. The last two days of the trip involved nothing but driving and a stop a Dairy Queen once we crossed into the U.S. I spent two days in the Los Angeles office and then flew home to Florida. My brother Milo was down here and I also saw my mother, grandparents, and cousin Dori and Uri. Then I drove up to Tampa to watch my childhood friend get married. Tracie had a very interesting Catholic wedding and an enjoyable reception. Then I drove up to Jacksonville and hung out with Abbie and Brian for a day. They have this great board game called Settlers and I am now addicted. Now I am in Gainesville at Karla's work trying to get her to take the rest of the day off and come out and play.

15 JUL 97

Hello from Puerto Vallarta. Since the last update I have spent a couple days at Puerto Escondido and three days in Oaxaca. Oaxaca is a great town for shopping, but I was sick and so it was a great day to stay in bed, but of course I am working, so it was a great day to sit in the van while the passengers looked at ruins, shopped and drank mezcal. I was only sick for one day, so then we went to Mexico City and said goodbye. Now I am headed up the Pacific coast of Mexico towards Los Angeles. So far on this trip we have visited the 2000 year old ruins at Teotihuacan, the old rich Americans at San Miguel de Allende, a great city called Guanajuato where we saw mummies and I drove the van under the city in a former river bed, and a boat trip on Lake Patzcuaro. I also did a 25 km hike up a 40 year old still steaming volcano in under five hours. I was well knackered after that effort. Then on to Guadalajara and now I am staying in Saylita, near Puerto Varllarta. I have arranged this 19 day trip to only include four nights of camping. I know, I am a great tour leader! We are spending the day in this town, but my passengers have complained that there are too many Americans, so we will go out to swim in some waterfalls soon instead. Thank you to all of you who have mailed me here in Mexico. It is nice to keep in touch. Now it is time to go brave Mexican traffic again. Adios.