The Last Leg: Friends, Family, and Memory Lane

With 12 months of travel behind us, and one more to go, it was time to visit more familiar places in Savannah, Washington DC, New Jersey, New York, and Boston. From old friends to new ones, close family to distant relatives, everyone made the trip truly memorable, and reminded us that sometimes you make the greatest discoveries in your own backyard.

I was able to see my old elementary school just months before it's scheduled to be torn down, and was even invited in to tour the house where I grew up until I was 13 years old. I realized that everything seems much smaller when you're 31: the "long walk to school" was actually just minutes -- I guess my legs were a lot shorther then.

We re-fell in love with NYC, but as usual I'll let the pictures do the talking...

At the beach in Savannah with Mom & Dad:




Catching up with Chris, Suz, and Lilly at their home outside of Washington DC:




Someone up there must be looking kindly on me for Wilco's schedule to overlap with ours in Washington DC. At the 9:30 club, an awesome venue and awesome show:




Zenia and Mandy comparing tans:




On the Staten Island ferry with the Statue of Liberty and the city in the background:




Only in Greenwich Village:




CC & Kristen with adorable Millhouse:




Andrew at his dream job: mastering for Sony Records top artists like the Boss, Pearl Jam, Celine... ok let Vlado Meller keep this job:




Secret rooftop cafe at the Met overlooking Central Park:




Where I learned to read and write:




Memory Lane:




Me and Jason, old friends from the crib (literally):




Me and Dee Greenberg, who pushed Jason's stroller down the street:




Biking through Central Park, the best way to see it all:




With Eva and Jerry in Berkeley Heights, NJ, our awesome retreat from the city:




Ready to rock the suburbs with Peter, Mishko, and friends:




Quality time on the Massachusetts coast with Aunt Ruth and Uncle Gerry:




Classic New England:




Playtime with cousin Eli:




Gerry, Ruth, Naomi, and Eli with "the big guy" (Eli's words):

The arribeanC slandI of ubaC

Well, here are some pics from our 3 weeks in ubaC. It was a wonderful place to travel, and we'll give you some real info. later on.

The Capitol in Havana:



Inside the Capitol:



The ladies across from our Casa in Havana - just hanging out:



Our neighbours watching the street action below:



Another neighbour watching the street from downstairs:



A common sight in ubaC - broken down american cars, with lots of people hanging out attempting to fix them:



Some colour coordination in the cute colonial town of Trinidad:



More cars, it's hard to stop taking photos:



At "Salvador's Alley" - a famous Muralist's street in Havana:



Some run down buildings in Havana:





One of the few restored buildings in Havana:



Another car:



The view of Plaza Mayor in Trinidad from the bell tower:



Los Pinos, a great band we saw in Trindad - with such cute old musicians:



Moncado Barracks with our old friend Luis Halley:



El Morro guarding the entrance to the Santiago de ubaC harbour:



Andrew hanging with our guide (self appointed guide):



Locals just hanging out on the street in Santiago - a fairly common sight:



A kid waiting for his turn at the street handball tournament:



Crossing a rickety bridge in Baracoa - in an attempt to swim in a cave (that was closed):



The view towards Baracoa on the hike to the caves:



At Maguana beach 20kms northwest of Baracoa



Yaliana giving Mandy a more "trendy" hairstyle!:



Yaliana & Alexandro from Guantanimo



Raol Caboverde and Mandy's birthday present (the big one on top):



The owner of our casa, Carena with her son Andrie & grand daughter:



A typical street scene in Baracoa:



Another in Baracoa:



Overtaking some oxen during a "shortcut" that locals suggested while driving to Gibara:



The local form of transport (shuttles) in most cities:



More "transport shuttle" action:



At Coco Beach, 8km north west of Santa Lucia, with Simon & Franzeska:



Hanging by the pool at the Club Santa Lucia with Simon & Franzeska:



In the cute colonial town of Sancti Spiritus:




One of the many coco taxis in Havana:



A peanut saleswoman:



Our street in Havana "O'Reily":



Drinks with Nicole (from Phillipines/Austria/Germany)



At the Fort overlooking Havana:

Greetings from our ¨Carribean Island¨! After two weeks here, we are settling into the chilled way of life of an islander -- lots of beach combing, fresh fruit, and mojitos. Every night is filled with the sounds of live music and involves much attempted salsa dancing.

Mexico

A lovely week spent relaxing on the beaches of Playa Del Carmen (near Cancun) with Andrew's Dad, Martin.

Shanghai to SFO

We are at modern Incheon airport in Seoul, on our way from Shanghai to San Francisco, and are amazed at how fast the internet is. I can't help but wonder how much more time we would've had if all our internet cafes were this fast.

Mandy is particularly excited about the toilets here where the plastic toilet seat covers refresh every time you press a button.

It's hard to believe that we will be back in the US in 12 hours or so. We've been gone now about 8 months, and although we are exhausted, it seems that time has just flown by. I know we won't get any sympathy points with you when we say we only have 3 months of travel left, but it already feels like our travels are coming to an end.

Look forward to seeing many of you soon on the West Coast, and in another month or so on the East Coast.