Author: Jalo

Sep-05

This morning started with bad news: I called the DMV (= department of motor vehicles) and they told me that my title would be sent out today, but it would take 5-10 business days to arrive here in Texas and there is no way to expedite this. It was devastating news for me. It means that I cannot hold the schedule. I will not be able to catch my ship in Panama which should’ve taken my car to Colombia. This so only leaves once per month. As a result I will not be able to enter the South American continent.

I was very sad that after all this preparation and all that I’ve been through, this trip will end before it even started. My new plan is to drive until Panama, to turn around from there to go back to the USA and to take a flight to Chile.

Due to having to rethink and reschedule I lost the entire morning and wouldn’t have arrived at my location in Mexico before sunset. This is why I decided to stay one more night with my friend in Austin, USA.

Tomorrow I plan to still go to Mexico as this is the only Central American country which apparently allows cars to enter with only the registration but not the title. Wish me luck!

Sep-03

I safely arrived in Austin, USA. Today I drove for almost 15 hours straight and made 1500km – that’s more than going from my hometown Wiesbaden to Barcelona! By far the most I’ve ever driven in one day, but it wasn’t bad at all. The reason is that I need to catch up time as I am still one week behind schedule.

Sep-02

I safely arrived in Atlanta, USA. I still need to find a place to sleep as my friend from here infuriates unfortunately had to cancel on me. Last night I slept in the car to test out this emergency option. It worked perfectly but I am not looking forward to doing it twice in a row.

Sep-01

I safely arrived in Ocean City, USA. Today’s goal was Norfolk. But as I started this day about 8 hours later than I had planned to, this became a night time drive which I am trying to avoid for different reasons. This is why I stopped a bit earlier. I am still confident I will reach tomorrow’s goal Atlanta to be back on schedule.

ROAD TRIPPING

I can’t believe this is finally happening: I am going to Chile. And I am going there by car!

But let’s start at the beginning: When I first made plans for my third internship in South America,  I looked at the map and thought to myself: Hey, those continents are connected, why don’t I drive there? That was back in Helsinki at the desk at ALA architects where after a quick google search I found out that there actually is no road from Panama to Colombia. There is the so called Darian Gap – an area full of swamps, jungle and drug dealers. So it seemed to simply be a silly idea.

But as soon as I arrived to New York I slowly started actually planning this trip successively. From finding ways around the Darian Gap (ferries, container ships etc.), over route planning, over how to get a car as a foreigner, over how to formally export a car and so on and so forth. But it wasn’t before the last months that the planning arrived to a serious stage which led up to a very stressful last week. Despite my prior customer service inquiries, the insurance company I wanted to go with wouldn’t cover me – and none other one would do either (insurance coverage is obligatory for car registrations)! After eventually finding one, I could finally register the car still in time and I was ready to go.

The only thing missing was the obligatory inspection. I planned to get it done the day that I’m leaving as it only takes a few minutes… Normally. Unfortunately it brought to light that the car had several severe issues which needed to be fixed. Though the car isn’t the youngest anymore and doesnt look the “freshest” either, I relied on the friend who I bought it from. He was as surprised as I was and luckily helped me getting everything fixed. In the end, we spent more than the car’s value on its repair. But it was the best solution for both of us.

Due to these unforseen events, I am almost 1 week behind my schedule even before I started. I am planning to catch up a little by doing longer driving days. Finger’s crossed not too much is going wrong on the way!

This schedule serves as rough orientation:

DATE DESTINATION
1-Sep Norfolk USA
2-Sep Atlanta USA
3-Sep Austin USA
4-Sep Monterrey MEX
5-Sep San Juan del Río MEX
6-Sep Mexiko-Stadt MEX
7-Sep Coatzacoalcos MEX
8-Sep La Libertad GTM
9-Sep Tikal GTM
10-Sep Puerto Cortez HON
11-Sep Tegucigalpa HON
12-Sep Managua NIC
13-Sep San José CRI
14-Sep David PAN
15-Sep Panama-Stadt PAN
16-Sep  -buffer-
17-Sep  -buffer-
18-Sep  -buffer-
19-Sep  -buffer-
20-Sep CAR BEING SHIPPED
21-Sep Cartagena COL
22-Sep Turbo COL
23-Sep Medellín COL
24-Sep Bogota COL
25-Sep Calí COL
26-Sep Pasto COL
27-Sep Quito ECU
28-Sep Machala ECU
29-Sep Chiclayo PER
30-Sep Barranca PER
1-Oct Lima PER
2-Oct Atico PER
3-Oct Arica CHL
4-Oct Antofagasta CHL
5-Oct La Serena CHL
6-Oct Santiago de Chile CHL
7-Oct Concepcion CHL
8-Oct  -buffer-
9-Oct  -buffer-
10-Oct START OF INTERNSHIP  

Note: Every night I will add a brief new post sharing the location I have reached so that whoever wants to, can easily keep track of my journey!

Wish me luck!

LADY LIBERTY PICTURES

HOW TIME HAS PASSED!

Before moving to New York City, I planned to write shorter articles for this blog and instead to post more frequently. Well… I kinda failed in doing so. My last upload has already been more than two months ago!

But don’t worry – I didn’t get lost. My problem is that my job here consumes so much of my time (have I mentioned the unpaid and unbalanced overtime yet? :/ ) that I want to make the best out of the little free time I have. And boy, have I enjoyed my time here! Whereas at the time of my last article I was in a little blues due to a lack of friends and enjoyable activities, now I can’t – and don’t – want to believe that my time here is about to come to a close. I have less than one month left and there still is sooo much more to see, do and experience in this city!

Also there is a lot I still have to figure out for the continuation of this adventure. As always, I am way behind schedule. But before talking about that, I’ll give you a brief recap of what happened:

 

I’ve started to regularly go to a BOARD GAME NIGHT. This probably brought the biggest change for my life here as it has brought me many great friends.

I don't have any pictures taken at board game night - this is as close as it gets...
I don’t have any pictures taken at board game night – this is as close as it gets…

 

I went to the INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE FAIR with my boss and colleague. It was fun. Could have included more free food though.

Weird lighting in even weirder presentation!
Weird lighting in even weirder presentation!

 

On MEMORIAL DAY, war veterans are being celebrated. And in this country that seems to be a big thing. I was happy to be invited to a true American backyard BBQ.

That's also where the first photo of this article happened.
This is also where the first photo of this article happened.

 

My colleagues and me had free donuts together at INTERNATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY. Yummy!

I still can't believe we got them for free!
I still can’t believe we got them for free!

 

The office’s restaurant project “AROQA” got opened and we had dinner there. Food and space are delicious. Finally all the stress has come to a succesful end.

I didn't really take pictures here either...
I didn’t really take (good) pictures here either…

 

I went to BOSTON with “my only friend here”. Such a beautiful city – except when you get lost and walk under a highway for half an hour straight. But I guess that counts as a unique experience!

Lovely City... Though this picture is technically Cambridge!
Lovely City – though this picture technically shows Cambridge.

 

The NYC PRIDE PARADE happened. And I watched it. By far the most entertaining parade I’ve watched here (sorry, St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Cherry Blossom Parade!). Much fun – though I think I’m not a parade-person.

Seriously, why didn't I pictures at Pride?! Anyways, enjoy where I've been the night before instead - and take a look at the One World Trade Center's peak in rainbow colors.
Why didn’t I take pictures at Pride?! Anyways, enjoy where I’ve been the night before – and take a look at the One World Trade Center’s peak in rainbow colors.

 

I moved. Yes, once again. I live in BROOKLYN now which feels really calm, but honestly I miss Manhattan a little. At least apartment and roommate are so much better!

A sunny day in Prospect Park - where I live really close to right now.
A sunny day in Prospect Park – where I live really close to right now.

 

A friend took me to explore his home NEWPORT, Rhode Island. So American and sooo much seafood! Very lovely.

I swear it got sunnier later!
I swear it got sunnier later!

 

4TH OF JULY brought me 2 BBQs: The night before in the same backyard as on Memorial Day and the exact day with my office in the park. So much meat and so much fun!

4th of July party on July 3rd...
4th of July party on July 3rd…
....and at the real day: 7 people from 6 countries (none of which was the USA) on 3 continents celebrating the US' independence.
….and at the real day: 7 people from 6 countries (none of which was the USA) on 3 continents celebrating the US’ independence.

 

My game night friends organised a speakeasy-themed MURDER MYSTERY PARTY and I caught the murderer! By blind guessing though.

Call it nerdy if you want, but it was fun!
Call it nerdy if you want, but it was lots of fun!

 

I finally went to CONEY ISLAND, saw Steeplechase and Luna Park and had a Hot Dog in a Grub Tub (a cup – food tray – combination) – what a delirious city this is!

I didn't pay the $70 (sic!) fee for the rides though, but instead enjoyed the beach for free.
I didn’t pay the $70 (sic!) fee for the rides though, but instead enjoyed the beach for free.

 

I had another recreational weekend in NEW ENGLAND including kayaking in New Hampshire.

This is the only picture I took that weekend. Though it might not illustrate New England too well, but at least it got a point!
This is the only picture I took that weekend. It might not illustrate New England very well, but at least it got a point! (Seriously, when did I stop taking pictures? It must have coincided with me starting to enjoy life instead… )

 

I went on a day-long pirate-themed TREASURE HUNT in central park including solving puzzles and riddles. An awesome event put together by two of my game night friends!

Go team Shark Bait! That smirk though...
Go team Shark Bait! That smirk though…

 

I got visited by a German friend and we had a touristy NYC-WEEKEND together – It was about time for another one of these!

Even after more than 5 months there still is so much more to explore!
Even after more than 5 months, there still is so much more to explore!

 

Stay tuned to hear soon how this trip will continue!

WASHINGTON PICTURES

SPONTANEOUS, YET PLANNED TRIP TO D.C.

Thursday, April 6, 9:00 PM:

After a stressful period of long hours, work has become pretty quiet in the office since we turned in a construction set for a project earlier this week. I am sitting at home having dinner, starting to think about what to do over the weekend.

 

Thursday, April 6, 9:05 PM:

I receive a text message from my boss thanking me for the hard work on said project and giving me the following day off – HOORAY!

 

Thursday, April 6, 10:30 PM:

It is clear now what to do for the weekend. A quick research for the best weekend trips from NYC resulted in the decision to go to – where I initially planned to go a couple of weekends earlier, but couldn’t, because I had to work the weekend on mentioned project – Washington D.C. An intensive research about sights, restaurants, good architecture, hostels, and bus tickets follows.

 

Friday, April 7, 2:15 AM:

I finally go to bed. Hostel and bus tieckets are booked, countless locations are saved on my phone.

 

Friday, April 7, 9:20 AM:

A morning full of oversleeping, rushing to pack my stuff and buying breakfast at a grocery store still could not stop me from arriving at the bus stopping location (there was no actual bus stop – the ticket was so cheap, the bus didn’t even have the company’s name printed on it and just stopped in front of a bank) 10 minutes before the scheduled departure.

 

Friday, April 7, 9:45 AM:

The bus leaves 15min delayed. All seats are taken. The first moments of the trip were used by staring out of the windows while being navigated through the urban canyons of NYC. The rest of the trip became a mixture of sleeping and reading – alternating and sometimes simultaneously.

 

Friday, April 7, 2:00 PM:

Punctual arrival in DC. No bus stop either. We are simply being dropped off at the side of a road. The DC exploration shall begin!

 

Friday, April 7, 4:00 PM:

Already one Smithsonian and one Mies van der Rohe crossed from the list. Stopping for lunch at a burger place when I suddenly can’t find my credit card. I empty my entire backpack – nothing. First reaction: panic! Going through the last uses. Probably I have forgotten to put it back into my wallet after purchasinf hostel and bus tickets last evening. Calming down. Luckily I have a second card (with international fees though, but that pill has to be swallowed).

 

Friday, April 7, 5:15 PM:

Heading to the hostel I am quite disappointed by DC. I always pictured it a beatiful city, when all I’ve seen so far was typical American, characterless, postmodern architecture and car-focussed urbanism. Brutalist concrete architecture from the 60s and 70s, which is usually ill-reputed in other cities, sticks out positively here being the only buildings with character. Hopefully the main sights at the national mall will turn out being prettier, which I’ve avoided today as I want to save them for the next days with better weather.

 

Friday, April 7, 5:20 PM:

I pass through a typical backyard-alleyway with lots of storage rooms and garages. This is the first part of the city, I encounter, which has a character. I enjoy strolling through the maze-like network of narrow alleys and cute, small squares. To my surprise there are some hipster stores and restaurants here – they must have gotton the same feeling of the place as I have.

 

Friday, April 7, 5:25:

Arriving at the hostel I realize that I’ve forgotten a second, very important thing: My passport. The receptionist allows me to check in sending him a digital copy. I sit down in the common area trying to charge my phone’s dead battery when I notice: I took my charger, but I forgot the adaptor! After borrowing a charger, charging my phone and eventually finding an email with my passport attached I can finally check in.

 

Friday, April 7, 9:45 PM:

With relaxing, meeting new people, dinner and chatting I’m having a fun and laid-back evening in the hostel. Someone eventually pulls out Monopoly and we start playing – using coins for tokens and poker chips as houses as we are too many players. Purest hostel-life.

 

Saturday, April 8, 9:00 AM:

Though the Monopoly-night later turned into a bar-night and we came back home late, I still managed to get up and get ready relatively early. The complimentary breakfast turned out to be freshly made chocolate pancakes with maple sirup and the sun made it possible to chill in the hammoks and couches on the rooftop terrace. A great start for a great day!

 

Saturday, April 8, 4:50 PM:

Fast-Forward. A full day of sightseeing is going to an end. After seeing the cherry blossom parade (Man, America! I really expected more from your countless parades than just a handful people walking down the road sluggishly), countless monuments and famous buildings, while strolling through the national mall in bright sunshine, I feel like I have crossed enough from the list to enjoy another museum. Unfortunately I have to find out that they all close at 5 PM! At least some of them still let you enter to have a pee…

 

Saturday, April 8, 10:00 PM:

After relaxing back at the hostel and delicious dinner in chinatown with newly made friends, we are going out again, checking out some bars in the neigborhood of our hostel.

 

Sunday, April 9, 11:00 AM:

As the evening became quite long, I slept in a little.

 

Sunday, April 9, 1:00 PM:

My plans for this day needed to be drastically shortened as my bus is leaving at 2 PM already. There is only really time for a breakfast/ lunch together with my hostel friends. After finally arriving at the recommended restaurant, there is a wait of 40min for a table – not possible for me. So we’re ending up having cheap pizza slices, when I realize: My credit card (the other one) is gone – again! I suudenly remember that, being sceptical about the procedure in the beginning, last night I had kept my card “open” in a bar for the first time… And then I must have forgotten to check out when I left – DAMMIT! There is no time for going there and catching my bus in time! Luckily you’re never alone in a hostel: My new friend offers me to get the card for me and send it to me by post – great!

 

Sunday, April 9, 9:30 PM:

We arrived in NYC with a little delay and I finally got home. It was a fun weekend! Needs to be repeated soon. I check my room, expecting my credit card there – it isn’t! Panic again. Should I block the card already? No. I’ll give it one more try. Now it’s been lost for 3 days already, one more before  blocking it won’t make a change.

 

Monday, April, 10, 9:00 PM:

On my way to work I pass by the grocery store where I had bought my breakfast on Friday morning. Thankfully, they have my card! Being so rushed, I must have forgotten it at the check out on Friday.

 

A couple of days later:

Also my other credit card arrives by mail. Now the DC-trip is formally closed – but it shall remain as a good memory!

 

Sorry that this post became way too long! I am not offended if you fell asleep during the read! Pictures will follow soon… Have a great day!