I am Pablo

I know, it took me over a week! But after having our 2nd canceled flight of the weekend we certainly needed time to recover. NY was an absolute blast! Congrats to you both TK and Jos!! Hope you are having a fantastic time in Greece!

I apologize for the lack of posts after Greece - T-Mobile roaming in Cyprus was spotty at best!! I have returned and wanted to get the newlyweds their pictures as soon as possible. Thats about all I have the energy for tonight! The wedding was in 3 parts; the traditional bridal dressing ceremony at Maria’s aunt’s house, the Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony at the church, followed by the reception and dancing. It was truly an incredible event!

I stepped out onto Canal St. where the tracks split the street in two. I then walked up a couple of blocks to the Carondolet stop, hearing the streetcar approaching before seeing it lumbering down the tracks. One soon arrived and it was filled with people from all walks of life. As they spilled onto the street we patiently awaited our turn to get on. I clutched the money in my hand confirming the presence of the dollar and a quarter necessary for a ride. The paint on the outside was a faded green and the light from the naked bulbs escaped through the open windows. The conductor closed the door before anybody could get on telling us to wait for the streetcar behind. It hurried away with its tail following the electric wire above. The next streetcar arrived empty, with the door ajar, waiting for its void to be filled. We entered one by one, scurrying for empty seats. Suddenly a strange sound emitted from beneath as a lethargic pump came to life. As I took my seat, the noise subsided and the pump sighed to a halt. As I leaned back into the seat, it creaked and then snapped. The cantilever system for the bi-directional seats had lost its strength over the years. The electric motors kicked in and the vibrations of old wood and metal, groaning to support one another, filled the air. The sound summoned memories of the American Eagle. As our speed picked up so did the brisk breeze, the passengers adjusted the ratcheting windows accordingly. The bare bulbs flickered as we turned down St. Charles Avenue. The ancient pump burbled to life once again, only to wheeze to a stop moments later. The cacophony of sounds eked a smile out of this weary traveler’s face. Keeping my arms inside the car, I leaned on the windowsill taking in the scene; beads hanging from anything above arm’s reach, beautiful columned homes, joggers running down the middle of the tracks - this is the Big Easy. Soon enough the leisurely ride had ended, we had reached our destination. I thanked the conductor on my way down the steps and into the New Orleans night.

I got to New Orleans yesterday for the Nonprofit Technology Conference. So far it has been a blast! We immediately went out for for some local food (I had the Chicken Tchoupitoulas - delish!) and then caught Rebirth’s performance at the Maple Leaf - incredible show! Conference stuff all day today and into Friday. I head back on Sunday. If I have some time I’ll be sure to post some vids and pictures. This is a cool place to be!

Upon returning from my trip, I had this distinct feeling of not having anything to do. This tends to happen after a non-stop trip - I return needing a vacation! I’m currently sitting in traffic court writing this on my PDA - I leave for Vegas in 2 hours! In Vegas I will be participating in the first of many bachelor parties this year as we send off Gongola. As if going to Vegas wasn’t enough, I fly to Los Angeles on Saturday for Doug’s wedding! As usual, my weekend is overbooked. I’m sure I’ll come back, at midnight incidentally, in dire need of rest. This has been a trend as of late, an attempt to use up as much of my free time as possible. (I just pleaded guilty and got supervision - $80 court fee. Im going to stick around to see how those who pleaded not guilty fare) Is it just the way I am? Am I making up for lost time? The answer is always elusive. I very much enjoy the things that Im doing - but many times I think I need to slow down a bit. The times I do find myself with little to do, I get anxious about what I should be doing. It’s quite a cycle! March doesn’t look any less busy with an upcoming trip to New Orleans and some visitors thrown into the mix. Well, time is running short! Time to hop on the limo to get to the airport!

I finally finished going through all of the pictures over the weekend! Just in time for the family slideshow on Sunday (just over 500 pics for the slideshow). I have uploaded the albums to my Picasaweb account and plan on giving a bit more of a detailed account of the trip along with posting some videos. As usual - click on the above slideshow to see the album in higher resolution.

Mike was kind enough to ship me DVDs of the pictures I had downloaded onto his computer during the trip. Now that I have them together, the totals are as follows:

Pictures: 2,065 (5gb)
Videos: 242 (2.34gb)
Panoramics: 17 (32mb)

Obviously the panoramics were the easiest to sort! They don’t come across very well in the slideshow above, so go ahead and click on it to get to the full-res pics. Be sure to zoom in and pan around - lots to see! In the mean time - I have lots of data to sort through, wish me luck!

This is what happens when you mix old friends, new friends, fire balloons, confetti cannons and Singha! Thanks for posting the vid Christy!

We landed in quite the snow storm here in Seoul. I took a picture but am unable to get the damned card reader to work on this computer - and it costs me 10 min in credit to log onto a different computer (of course, it doesn’t say that anywhere). I’m about to get on the last leg of my journey and within 14 hours I’ll be home! I’m both excited and sad… its a strange feeling when a trip like this ends. I’m sure I’ve forgotten how to work! I think I’m going to start with a Mustard’s burger… and for dinner Eduardos. Then, sleeping in my own bed! Too bad its going to be subzero temps in Chicago tomorrow! That will be quite a shock to my system!

ㅑ’ㅡ 해ㅑㅜㅎ 새 쇼ㅔㄷ 랙 ㅁ ㅠㅑㅅ ㅑㅜ ㅏㅐㄱㄷ무, ㅠㅕㅅ ㅠㄷㅊ면ㄷ ㅑ ㅊ무.

Thats what happens when I hit the wrong button on the keyboard. Heh.

Ok - off to gate 17!

We woke up at 5am our first morning in Siem Reap, our Tuk Tuk driver was waiting for us outside the hotel. As we drove towards the temple the chilled wind whipped at us through the open cab of the Tuk Tuk. Many others were doing the same - the Tuk Tuk lights dotting the road in procession. We arrived in the thick of the night - only the stars provided light. We followed a group that had flashlights, crossing the enormous causeway - not realizing where we were or what lay around us, only dark shadows. We decided on a spot where we could sit, away from the bigger crowds. The outline of Angkor Wat blocking the light from the stars. As the sun slowly began to rise, the details of the temple began to emerge. The colors were astounding - and every person had to catch their breath at the sight - not a word was uttered. The colors were continuously changing providing a sublime backdrop for what we were about to explore. Nothing could prepare me for the wonders of Angkor - in two days we barely scratched the surface. As the sunrise slowly revealed Angkor to us - so too will I slowly reveal it to you.

With the sunrise comes the inevitable sunset. This is the period I have reached in my travels as I now take the long journey home. Though the sun sets on this journey - it will be a part of my life forever.