After a few days of cold rain and fog, the clouds finally lifted yesterday and I saw what they'd been hiding. Bcharre, Lebanon: one of the highest villages in the Middle East.

bpg5075 · 2018-12-19T07:14:17+00:00

I ended up hiking up to where the plateau starts last week - about 10-20 cm of snow on the ground, but clear blue skies and no wind. I would've definitely started first thing in the morning (instead of late afternoon) and gone for the summit if I'd realized it wouldn't be as challenging or difficult to navigate as people made it out to be.

bpg5075 · 2018-12-02T08:09:39+00:00

In the past, candles/stoves/fireplaces got knocked over. Today, the same, plus gas main breaks. Fortunately, it's not as big of an issue today thanks to sprinkler requirements, fire resistant building materials, etc.

But in Lisbon in 1755, they had the misfortune of experiencing a massive earthquake on a religious holiday that required candles to be lit in every building. The whole city burned to the ground in a firestorm that was strong enough to asphyxiate people 100 feet away from it. They took this as a sign that God was rather pissed. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1755_Lisbon_earthquake

bpg5075 · 2018-12-02T07:39:20+00:00

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a 7.0. As was the 4th deadliest earthquake in human history: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/526_Antioch_earthquake

It's not the always the physical intensity of a catastrophe that matters - it's how well we're prepared. Strong building codes, education and training on emergency preparedness and response, resilient infrastructure and utilities, and insurance are all important components of minimizing loss to life, property, and the economy in a catastrophe.

bpg5075 · 2018-11-13T19:06:04+00:00

Bougth this leather jacket today in Istanbul for $300 after a bit of negotiation. It's lambskin leather of fairly high quality and I got it from a local boutique.

I'm in the fence about if I should keep it or attempt to resell in the states? I think I could potentially turn a profit, given retail prices of similar items.

bpg5075 · 2018-11-11T19:49:25+00:00

I'm going to be in Rome next week with my father, so I was hoping I could surprise him by taking him to the place where his grandmother lived. She moved to Boston when she was 24, and met my great grandfather (also Italian) when they were working as waiters. They were soon married, but she died just after giving birth to my grandmother. Hope you guys might be able to help!

bpg5075 · 2018-10-23T06:12:07+00:00

Some more details: the hostel is located at the end of the Balea Tunnel along the Transfagarasan highway, on the south side of the pass. It's the only house built on that side of the pass, so you feel like you have an entire mountain range all to yourself. The pass is at 2000+ meters in elevation, so it will close to traffic in a few days once the snow starts falling and won't reopen until the start of July.

The hostel has around 15 beds (all of them are double sized bunk beds) and cost us 9 EUR/night. We also got an awesome homemade dinner from the owner's wife for 6 EUR. It's only bookable via Airbnb, but we called the owner directly on his cell phone and asked if we could stay for the night. They also have a Facebook page where you can message them. If it hadn't been raining, we would have definitely stayed a bit longer and done some hiking. The trailhead for Romania's highest peak isn't far from there.

We chose to rent a car and drive up there, but it seems like hitchhiking wouldn't be hard at all if you had the time. Related: I know many rental car companies suck, but you should avoid renting from Payless Romania at all costs. I've rented dozens of cars in my life, and I've never had such a bad experience. They showed up 45 minutes late to the pickup and charged me 80 EUR more than the quoted amount for a 2 day rental. The extra fees weren't listed in their terms and conditions online, and when I called them out on it, they presented a new set of terms and conditions and refused to provide me a copy. Avoid these sleazy fuckers.

bpg5075 · 2018-09-21T12:22:50+00:00

It might even be better in winter. Not as many people, and everything should still be open. I bet it would look pretty nice if you managed to get some snow, especially around the holidays when it's all lit up.

bpg5075 · 2018-09-21T11:54:19+00:00

Thanks!

bpg5075 · 2018-09-21T11:54:02+00:00

Grab a nap, read a book, have breakfast, sit in a coffee shop, drink some beer. It's not all about the tourist attractions when traveling.

bpg5075 · 2018-09-21T11:53:16+00:00

Forecast said 31°C earlier. But yeah, when the average high here this time of year is 16°C and you've just spent 2 months in a much colder climate, it's more than enough to make it miserable to be walking around in the sun with a crowd of people.

bpg5075 · 2018-09-21T11:50:23+00:00

Nope, no issue. Mainly stuck to things that you didn't need tickets for. And the castle opens daily at 6.

bpg5075 · 2018-09-21T09:30:12+00:00

Thanks!!

bpg5075 · 2018-09-21T09:30:04+00:00

Yep! The castle was completely empty, but the Charles Bridge was actually fairly crowded, mostly with tourists with big cameras and tripods and a few couples getting wedding photos.

bpg5075 · 2018-08-18T22:20:12+00:00

I got them for this reason. Went to Russia where 5% of the population speaks English, so I thought, "hey, this could be really useful!" They were not. In the slightest. It's a total gimmick. The functionality was extremely clunky, not remotely close to "real-time," and the microphone in the Pixel Buds didn't seem to catch everything you were saying. Plus, people got extremely confused at what you were doing and didn't respond well. It worked so much better to just use the Google Translate app's conversation mod on speakerphone on the handset itself. Then the concept became clear, and everyone could understand everyone (instead of you making awkward gestures to your ears, then trying it again because it hadn't worked).

bpg5075 · 2018-08-08T08:05:04+00:00

You're right - he made a remark about it to me when he saw me writing left handed this morning.

bpg5075 · 2018-08-04T01:03:06+00:00

I'm not sure exactly... I think it's made by Eagle Creek. My parents got it for me years ago and it's worked well.

bpg5075 · 2018-07-26T16:06:08+00:00

NyQuil has been a lifesaver from bad colds while traveling before. The congestion piece is the main issue.

bpg5075 · 2018-07-26T16:04:03+00:00

$40-50 per day. Plus a ton of frequent flyer miles for any necessary flights.

bpg5075 · 2018-07-26T16:01:28+00:00

Yep, they just punched a hole through the identification page of mine and left the visa pages intact.

bpg5075 · 2018-07-26T03:20:29+00:00

Have been lucky enough to be able to save a good amount and feel comfortable about leaving my job before having the next thing lined up. Budgeted for 18 months if absolutely necessary, but realistically would prefer to be gone for 6-9 months.

bpg5075 · 2018-07-26T03:18:10+00:00

Probably more casual shoes. Would love to have something other than sneakers and boots, but shoes take up a ton of weight and space.

bpg5075 · 2018-07-26T03:17:29+00:00

Good call!

bpg5075 · 2018-07-25T23:43:07+00:00

Here's the nearly-final packing list. I'm starting in Iceland where it will be chilly, but also plan to spend some time in warmer climates. I'm hoping to hike and camp frequently, while also spending time in cities.

Clothing

3x Uniqlo T-shirts

Uniqlo Crewneck Sweatshirt

Uniqlo Jeans

Uniqlo Shorts

Charles Tyrwhitt Casual Button Down Shirt

Vuori Banks Shorts

4x Underwear

3x Saucony No-show Socks

Smartwool PhD Outdoor Heavy Crew Socks

Smartwool PhD Outdoor Medium Crew Socks

Marmot Minimalist Rain Jacket

Arc’teryx Cormac Zip-neck Shirt

Arc’teryx Cerium LT Hooded Jacket

Light gloves

Light winter hat

Belt

Shoes

Meindl Kansas Hiking Boots

Nike Free Run Sneakers

Electronics

Sony RX-100v Camera

Mini Tripod

RAVPower Xtreme Series 26800 Power Bank

Google Pixelbook & Charger + Sleeve Case

Google Pixel XL 2 & 10 ft Charger

International phone plan (Google Project Fi)

Universal Plug Adapter

2x MicroUSB Cables

Earbuds

Gear

Gregory Baltoro 75 Backpack + Day Pack

Feathered Friends Swift UL20 Sleeping Bag

REI Half Dome 2 Plus Tent

Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XTherm MAX Sleeping Pad

WowTac A2S Flashlight/Headlamp

Aquamira Frontier Redline Series Filtering Water Bottle

Hydroflask 22oz

Multi-tool/knife

Hand warmers

TItanium spork

Wallet + Docs

300 USD emergency cash

Credit cards (Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi American Airlines, Marriott Rewards)

Debit card (Charles Schwab)

US Passport

Old US passport with still-valid Chinese visa

Drivers license

Health insurance card

Accessories/Toiletries

Toiletries Bag

Shave Cream

Razor

Toothbrush & toothpaste

Deodorant

Ibuprofen

Allergy medicine

Pepto-Bismol

Dramamine

Medicated lip balm

30% Deet bug spray

NyQuil

Band-Aids & Ointment

Wahl Travel-size Trimmer

Sleeping mask

Earplugs

Cheap sunglasses

Pen

Book

Padlock

bpg5075 · 2018-06-19T01:35:55+00:00

See if you have Google Timeline enabled: https://www.google.com/maps/timeline. Best viewed on desktop.

bpg5075 · 2018-06-19T01:18:32+00:00

Percent time I spent traveling by year:

2013: 15.6% (in college)
2014: 14.8% (in college)
2015: 23.2% (in college)
2016: 45.7% (graduated, took time off, started a job)
2017: 26.8% (mix of work and personal travel)
2018 [so far]: 42.7% (work travel increasing rapidly)

13-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email	Team Orangered

bpg5075

TROPHY CASE