So I’ve been back in Uppsala for 2 whole months now and I’m missing the thrill of discovery.

I managed to survive 42 days in the U.S. on a hitch-hiker’s thumb, camping gear, and a pair of leather boots. In the time I’ve spent back in Uppsala, I’ve been taken for a joyride, sprained my foot, and caught the flu.

So what’s the remedy? – The Netherlands! Read more »

After weeks of procrastination, I finally finished editing this post.

The last Friday before the best trip of my life (so far) ended, Dandrew (Dani & Andrew) surprised me when they said they were on their way to Boulder, Colorado. We had earlier met in Moab, Utah. They hurled their RV into a parking lot, taking up 4 full parking spaces and invited me over for chicken fajitas

So I arrived at the RV and we encounter a minor problem… the gas tank was empty. Furthermore, we were ALL completely broke (and hungry).
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Today David took me climbing in Boulder Canyon. Finally, some bolted routes!
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A s  I ‘ m w r i t i n g    t  h  i  s    I   o  n l  y  h  a  v  e  $ 4 0  l e f t   i n   m y  b a n k  a c c o u n t.

That’s what my message 2 posts ago said.

Why?

Because I had booked another flight to another country without hesitation.

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been eating porridge for breakfast, 2 x Ramen noodles (20 cents a pack) for lunch, and skipping dinner. Last week at the Lazy Lizzard, I found a can of cranberry sauce on the “free shelf”. The black omen printed at the bottom of the tin said “Best before Dec 2007″. I ate it with joy… and lived to tell the tale.

On the bright side, I haven’t lost too much weight, and my climbing has gotten better.

On the dark side, I just found out today that I won’t be going on that trip I booked.

I’ve got enough noodles and oatmeal to last me the rest of this journey, and I’ll be looking forward to a good ole home-cooked meal when I get back to Uppsala.

It may sound as though I’m going through hell, but I kinda like Ramen noodles.

Tonight I party like never before on this trip. I’m in the US, it’s the 4th of July (aliens! ) and there are tons of University students inviting me everywhere. It’s gonna be awesome!

The Lazy Lizard is THE BEST PLACE to stay in Moab, Utah. They’re affordable, they have room options to suit most needs, and the employees are the embodiment of a fun time. No, they’re not making me write this at gun-point, they seriously are THAT GOOD. *gulp*. Read more »

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I’ve purposely decided to exclude the first line of this post, which I’ll reveal at the end of my trip so keep an eye out for it. Read more »

With a new day dawned, yesterday’s incident is finally in the past. Four hostel residents came up with an awesome plan for the morning, and I got a long-distance phone call that cheered me up to a state of maximum-happiness

Luke, Tessa, Milou, Rob, and me stayed up all night to drive to The Arches National Park to watch a sunrise. And what a sunrise it was. It gradually turned the sleeping desert into gold.

Wanting a better shot, I decided to climb up 5 meters onto a mini-tower’s ledge. Two meters into the climb, I learnt of the nature of sandstone – the hard way. A huge grip, the only one supporting my body broke off and sent me plummeting towards the ground. But don’t worry, my camera, the right side of my face, hand, and leg broke my fall. I quickly got up, brushed it off, went back to the group, then back again to the place where it happened to successfully climb up and get my shots. Read more »

Dear world,

It’s 5:23am, my first night at The Lazy Lizard Inn in Moab (Utah) and I’m awake.

I’m awake because a girl just crawled into my bed. Read more »

Sorry for the lack of any photos, I’m on a borrowed library computer that can’t connect to my camera.

Yesteday I hopped on the BV bus from Boulder to Denver, then onto a Greyhound to Greenriver, Utah. The Greyhound was supposed to leave at 12:15 and arrive at 07:55PM, but things don’t always turn out the way they’re supposed to…

The drive itself took us through the rocky mountains and the Bookshelf mountains. From ice-topped giants to red-faced monsters. The change of scenery was a huge shock – in a good way.

Sure we left at 12:30, drove for 40 minutes, the bus overheated and couldn’t make it over the mountain, so we had to drive back to Denver and wait till 02:30PM for a replacement. It totally messed up my plans to hitch-hike to Moab in the daylight. However, it made things better Read more »

Friday – Paaar-taay
Friday night was an awesome night. Bryce (my camping savior) invited me over. I had never before gotten to try my hand at operating lighting effects for clubs and band-events. Low and behold, in his room there was a full set-up. Read more »