Flashpacker Guy

Backpackers with a bigger budget

Ecuador

Salsa with Drag Queens

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After another massive game of Kings about 5 of us guys were out at the bar and were supposed to meet up with a group of American study abroad girls from the hostel. When they finally showed up we were in the street and all of a sudden a big white pickup truck with a few guys on the back playing music in stopped and invited us for a ride. We all jumped in and were driving and … [Read more...] about Salsa with Drag Queens

Anti-America Rants

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I can’t decide if I enjoyed Wednesday night or Friday night more because both were a blast. On Friday night I limited myself to just a quarter of a cup of rum and coke. I originally planned to attend a birthday party that night.  While working at a café during the day I met an Ecuadorian guy my age, Henry, who invited me to come to a friend’s birthday that night at one of the … [Read more...] about Anti-America Rants

Solo Travel Is Not Unlike Working in a Cubicle

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This is the story of an uneventful day of travel that I liken to the typical daily grind at work. Last month I traveled to Ecuador for the third time since 2007. I no longer put in long work hours or travel solo (usually) but for a few days in Quito I returned to my old way of traveling. The major theme you will notice many times over is the lack of real social interaction. Am … [Read more...] about Solo Travel Is Not Unlike Working in a Cubicle

Around the World (Starting with a Cruise)

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  I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh after 3 1/2 years of dreaming. I was dreaming of the day I would graduate and no longer have to listen to people formally lecturing me. I was itching to travel full time. So in December 2009, I completed the last of my coursework and skipped my own graduation to begin my travels uninterrupted. Although I had dreams of … [Read more...] about Around the World (Starting with a Cruise)

Quito's Narrow Streets

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I am living abroad on my own terms.  It is one week that I have been living this life I have been idealizing for years now. A few days after arriving here in Ecuador I met Carolina for lunch. She and one of her friends picked me up from my hostel and the three of us drove into the old city. We drove through the narrow roads passing colonial architecture and dodging … [Read more...] about Quito's Narrow Streets