tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:31:56 +0000http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/index.htmlDale BaskinBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-8778921498018816258Sun, 29 Oct 2006 01:08:00 +00002007-02-22T10:20:57.324-08:00<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />IQUITOS, PERU – Over the past few weeks I have gotten to know quite a few people here in Iquitos, including a number of the street kids. Many visitors consider them to be pests, nuisances, troublemakers, or even criminals, but the reality is that most of these kids were born into unfortunate circumstances. Many are trying to make money to support their families, http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/10/street-kids-of-iquitos.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-5225973300072903348Tue, 12 Sep 2006 16:18:00 +00002007-02-22T09:51:56.999-08:00RIOBAMBA, ECUADOR – In the early 1900's a railway line, the Ferrocarril Transandino, was constructed from Guayaquil on the Ecuadorian coast to Quito in the mountains. The line made it to just below the town of Alausí when builders encountered an almost vertical wall of rock known as the Nariz del Diablo (the Devil’s Nose). A series of switchbacks was carved directly into the rock face of the http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/09/nariz-del-diablo.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-214507184759009979Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:15:00 +00002007-02-22T09:09:10.429-08:00RIOBAMBA, ECUADOR – I arrived in Riobamba to find ash on the ground from the recent eruption of nearby Volcán Tungurahua. Every time a gust of wind comes along it kicks up clouds of ash, which subsequently become grit between your teeth, turns your eyes red, and generally makes things unpleasant. Many storefronts have heavy sheets of plastic across their entrances in an effort to keep the ash at http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/09/chimborazo-worlds-highest-volcano.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-2772959068333473576Tue, 26 Dec 2006 00:32:00 +00002007-02-22T07:42:42.991-08:00CHACHAPOYAS, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />PERU – I arrived in Chachapoyas on Christmas Eve, following two brutal days of travel through the boondocks of Ecuador and Peru. (Read about it here.) Exhausted beyond belief and not knowing anyone in town, I was fully prepared for a lonely Christmas highlighted by an early night's sleep. But somehow the spirit of Christmas wasn't going to let me off http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/very-special-christmas.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-5134153235157189148Mon, 25 Dec 2006 02:53:00 +00002007-02-22T07:41:44.667-08:00(Note: I will add photos to this post as soon as I can find a computer capable of reading the DVD they are stored on!) CHACAPOYAS, PERU – “Are you sure you want to go that way?” asked the woman at the tourism office for the third time. The fact that you keep asking me the same question makes me want to go that way even more, I thought to myself. The way in question was a remote border crossinghttp://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/crossing-border-hard-way.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-3950639646374372980Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:01:00 +00002007-02-22T06:42:16.950-08:00CUSCO, PERU – My friend Marcia is an alpaca nut. She and her husband Ron even have a small alpaca farm, The Perkiomen Creek Ranch, just outside of Philadelphia. In fact, if you ever find yourself in the Philadelphia area give her a ring and I’ll bet she would love to give you a tour. She’s very proud of her animals and loves to show them off! But I thought Marcia would like to learn a bit about http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2007/02/special-post-for-my-friend-marcia.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-7352713038071525283Wed, 22 Mar 2006 01:16:00 +00002007-02-21T14:23:28.900-08:00 SEATTLE – The pacific northwest is a wonderflul place in winter. Really. All that famous Seattle rain becomes snow in the mountains, and Mother Nature really came through this year. Perfect snowshoe conditions! Shortly after arriving in Seattle my friend Susan talked me into buying a new pair of cross-country skis. At first I thought her motivation might have http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/03/winter-in-northwest.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-5475923903131106049Mon, 03 Apr 2006 05:26:00 +00002007-02-21T14:22:27.678-08:00Murphy’s Law (mûr'fēz law) noun : the law or principle that if anything can go wrong, it will. “We’re going to need to do an MRI,” my doctor said. That told me all I needed to know. For the previous week I had been walking around in pain, the muscles of my lower back twitching this way and that for no explainable reason. I was scheduled to leave for Ecuador in a week, but suddenly I could see http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/04/murphys-law-mrfz-law-noun-law-or.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-1862251397206424603Sat, 11 Feb 2006 18:55:00 +00002007-02-21T14:21:49.737-08:00SEATTLE – I stopped working three weeks ago. Like most of us I haven’t taken an extended break from my job for years. It’s a very liberating feeling, and it feels good. Maybe a little bit too good. I’m not in a rush to get to Ecuador. I need bit of time to prepare for my adventure, and I’m waiting for my new passport to arrive from the State Department, so I can’t leave the country right now http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/heading-north-to-go-south.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-4702148907272513027Sat, 14 Jan 2006 03:13:00 +00002007-02-21T14:10:24.050-08:00SAN FRANCISCO – I hadn't blinked for a while. Feeling a headache coming on, I look up from my computer and lean back in my chair. Shifting my gaze out the window of my office I take in the view – looking north, San Francisco Bay is neatly framed to the left by the San Francisco skyline and to the right by downtown Oakland. Stretching across the water between them is the Bay Bridge. It’s a http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/01/matrix.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-1267154886745930034Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:56:00 +00002007-02-21T13:57:41.430-08:00HUANCHACO, PERU – What better way to celebrate the New Year than at the beach? After spending the better part of two months in the mountains I was ready for some warm weather, so along with my new friends Cedd and Emma from the U.K. I decided to head for the oceanfront town of Huanchaco, along Peru’s north coast, where sun, sand, and surf awaited us. (Hopefully...) Huanchaco is famous for the http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2007/01/new-year-at-beach.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-414866785478607248Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:37:00 +00002007-02-21T11:36:55.527-08:00CUSCO, PERU – Well, the title of this column probably gives you an idea of what I thought of Machu Picchu, the famous “Lost City of the Incas.” I wish I could say it was an amazing, magical experience, the highlight of my travels through Peru, but I can’t. Sure, I had a great time, but I could never quite shake the feeling that Machu Picchu is less about magical experiences and more about making http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2007/02/machu-picchu-incorporated.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-459208896691403214Sat, 09 Dec 2006 22:37:00 +00002007-02-11T15:28:50.710-08:00QUITO, ECUADOR ─ This holiday wouldn't even be legal in the United States. I'm talking about Fiestas de Quito, a city-wide festival to celebrate the founding of Quito by the Spanish on December 6, 1534. The official holiday falls on the 6th, but Fiestas de Quito kicks off on November 30, beginning a week-long period of partying. And I do mean partying. Streets are crowded until all hours of the http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/fiestas-de-quito.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-7281366998947589638Sun, 01 Oct 2006 21:34:00 +00002006-12-15T09:42:27.205-08:00LIKE MANY GREAT ADVENTURES THIS ONE BEGINS OVER BEER. Specifically, the local Ecuadorian brew called Pilsener. There are no thoughts of Tarantulas. Or piranhas. Or 40-hour bus rides, corrupt policemen, sugarcane alcohol, broken bones, lightning, or intestinal parasites. Not yet, at least. That will come later. For now there is just adventure. Or at least the prospect of it. “The World’s Longest http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/great-amazon-river-raft-race-part-i.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-6451125706304313502Sun, 27 Aug 2006 15:18:00 +00002006-12-14T16:48:36.597-08:00MY FIRST DAYS I ECUADOR HAVE BEEN A ROLLER COASTER RIDE. I arrived in the middle of the night to discover that I was scheduled to begin Spanish classes at 8:00 AM the next morning! I am taking two weeks of one-on-one tutoring to brush up my very rusty Spanish skills. I’m amazed at how quickly things are coming back to me; at times I say things without realizing I know how, at others I struggle http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/my-first-days-in-ecuador.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-7791738359751118095Fri, 01 Sep 2006 22:53:00 +00002006-12-14T16:40:24.581-08:00ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS EVERY GUIDEBOOK WARNS YOU ABOUT IN QUITO IS THE ALTITUDE. At 2850m (9350 ft) it is the second highest capital city in the world, and I expected to feel a little breathless here. To my pleasant surprise I have never noticed the thin air. Given the altitude, you might expect it to be cold, but the city is only 23km south of the equator. The combination of altitude and http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/one-of-first-things-every-guidebook.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-616305526981926703Mon, 02 Oct 2006 19:21:00 +00002006-12-11T12:29:46.843-08:00(To read Part I of this article click here) DAY TWO. I wake up early with the idea that I can make a few improvements to our raft, but quickly realize that it’s a hopeless cause; we simply have a crappy raft. I then discover that a few of the Peruvian teams are dropping out of the race. No longer in contention to win prize money after the first day they are throwing in the towel to return to http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/great-amazon-river-raft-race-part-ii.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-5026264138212927110Wed, 16 Aug 2006 21:04:00 +00002006-12-10T14:29:36.302-08:00I HAVE BEEN MENTALLY PREPARING TO GO OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE FOR SOME TIME. I expected to feel a bit anxious at the airport today, but that didn't happen. It’s amazing how old habits kick in sometimes, and that’s exactly what occured this morning. I have done so much business travel over the years that once I walked into the terminal I went on autopilot. (A friend of mine once threatened to buy ahttp://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/12/road-to-quito.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-5835587676927886100Wed, 16 Aug 2006 05:54:00 +00002006-12-10T14:17:18.216-08:00IT'S MY LAST DAY IN SEATTLE. I’m finally going. After five months of back trouble, physical therapy, and a fair amount of frustration I’m leaving tomorrow. A few days ago my friends Susan and Mona threw a big going away party for me, commenting that they would throw parties for me more often if it would get me to leave town. The weather cooperated and a group of us enjoyed a sunny summer http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/08/too-much-stuff.htmlDale Baskintag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664277.post-9162726444069946736Mon, 04 Sep 2006 16:24:00 +00002006-12-09T16:47:45.675-08:00Having completed my Spanish course in Quito I’m preparing for the next phase of my trip – whatever that might be. Eager to practice my Spanish skills, as well as to escape the noise and pollution of Quito, I joined some language school friends and headed for the cloud forest town of Mindo, about two hours northwest of Quito by bus. Mindo is a popular destination for outdoor adventure, http://www.accidentalexplorer.com/2006/09/rappelling-down-waterfalls.htmlDale Baskin