The latest Journal Entries from Bryan Rite at Footstops.com en-us Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:27:21 -0700 Copyright 2008, Bryan Rite @ Footstops.com Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:27:21 -0700 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 240 http://www.footstops.com/brite/ Las Ramblas is the street in Barcelona. Its basically the tourist/shopping/center of the city and is home to everything, from street performers, t... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1134/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1134/ Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:08:16 -0700 Being a bright and sunny day, I decided to make the hike up to Mount Tibidabo, part of the mountains enwrapping Barcelona. It was off of the tourist season so a lot of the transportaion wasn't working or open so there was a fair amount of hiking ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1076/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1076/ Mon, 11 Jun 2007 22:38:07 -0700 Probably the most iconic building of Barcelona and the legacy of Antoni Gaudí, is La Sagrada Familia. The familia is a huge basilica that has been under constructio... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1065/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1065/ Fri, 08 Jun 2007 21:45:26 -0700 I knew what day we'd be arriving in Barcelona I checked and lo' and behold, FC Barcelona was playing that day! Hurray! Note: For the rest of this journal, I will be referring to soccer as football, because... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1042/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1042/ Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:17:51 -0700 I don't have too much to say about Palermo. I was incredibly tired this day and didn't do any research on the city so didn't really know what to see or where to go. We did end up going to this giant cathedral in the center of town, the Cathedral... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1014/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/1014/ Thu, 31 May 2007 18:46:33 -0700 Ah Turkey. I was most excited about coming to Turkey on this trip and I wasn't disapointed. I didn't get to spend a lot of time here and I would most definately like to come back. One, because I didn't get to visit any Mosques (Turkey is one of th... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/993/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/993/ Mon, 28 May 2007 22:17:48 -0700 Next stop on the Med... Greece. Mykonos to be more specific, which is a wicked little island off the mainland. Its famous for its white-washed plaster buildings and windmills. My mom had been to Mykonos when she was in her twenties with my aunt ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/975/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/975/ Sun, 27 May 2007 23:26:22 -0700 Having spent most of the day at the amazing Vatican, we only had half a day left to explore Rome. We spent some time driving around and just taking in the city. I visited the Colosseum which I'm sure needs no introduction. ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/956/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/956/ Thu, 24 May 2007 19:54:46 -0700 Next we arrived in Rome and pretty much went straight to the Vatican as it was Sunday. Now I'm not a religious man, but I'm also not an atheist. I'm more in the camp of I believe in all religions then none of them and I was really excited to got... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/942/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/942/ Wed, 23 May 2007 14:12:58 -0700 Monte Carlo is the richest part of the small city-state of Monaco. Known for riches, famous people, gambling and its plethora of resident Jame... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/910/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/910/ Mon, 21 May 2007 13:08:05 -0700 Villefranche is a small coastal town on the French Riveria coast between Cannes, Nice, and Monaco. I didn't spend much time in Villefranche; it is a cool, small town but seems like its a getaway for the rich. All the houses, well estates really, a... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/903/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/903/ Sun, 20 May 2007 13:55:52 -0700 We started our day in Marseille at Vieux Port (the old harbour) which is just the water front at the center of town. Being able to take a minute and not be jet lagged, I had my first european coffee which I was totally stoked for. As I struggled... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/895/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/895/ Sat, 19 May 2007 10:25:51 -0700 This is part one of Barcelona because I will be returning here for a couple days at the end of the trip.... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/864/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/864/ Sun, 13 May 2007 00:13:07 -0700 I awoke to the torrential downpour that had ensued half the night. Being slightly hungover and extremely comfortable and dry, I decided to lay in my tent while I heard Alan and Avril prepare camp for the day. Eventually they yelled at me to get ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/701/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/701/ Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:03:52 -0700 We arrived at Sombrio shortly before noon and was in for a bit of a surprise. I hadn't been to Sombrio in a couple years and I found out that it was actually a lot more common then it had been a few years ago. There were quite a few more facilit... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/691/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/691/ Fri, 06 Apr 2007 14:33:32 -0700 Well we didn't start off with the best of luck. I woke up around 5:30 to get everything ready for so we could make it to the 7am ferry... but someone slept through hi... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/682/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/682/ Fri, 06 Apr 2007 02:23:40 -0700 Here I am, wasting a bit of time at work as its very near the end of the day and the long weekend. Even though its a little cold to do some bad ass wilderness camping, myself, Alan, ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/671/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/671/ Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:43:38 -0700 Well, we're back in Thailand. We took a democratic vote and results ended us up in Thailand again for the last 2 weeks of our trip instead of heading up towards Halong Bay. Can't complain tho. It'll be nice to relax on Haad Rin again, plus we're t... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/139/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/139/ Fri, 10 Jun 2005 18:17:18 -0700 We spent only a little time in Ho Chi Minh, more excited to get the coast and some beaches after spending months in the dust and grime of waterless South East Asia cities during the hot season (45°C). We boarded a train from Ho Chi Minh to Nha Tran... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/138/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/138/ Sat, 28 May 2005 18:16:52 -0700 After a hectic couple weeks in Cambodia's capital. Sarah, Simon, Drew and I decided to head off to Vietnam, excited to move from lakhsa to pho! We headed off via bus to the Cambodia/Vietnam border, taking time to ensure everyone had their entry vis... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/137/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/137/ Fri, 06 May 2005 18:17:03 -0700 After spending a week or so in Siem Reap, we took the public bus down to Phnom Penh, Cambodias awesome captial. The bus ride is pretty intense. Its a long journey and the roads are really bad. There are still more landmines then people in Cambodia... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/65/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/65/ Thu, 21 Apr 2005 17:30:10 -0700 We had pretty much seen a lot of Angkor and its temples and decided not to goto Angkor on the last day of our passes. Instead we went on an adventure with our driver buddies. They took us on a crazy drive through country roads, cutting through t... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/575/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/575/ Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:29:33 -0700 Wow. What a fantastic place. Angkor is something I would want everyone to see in their lifetime. The area is incredible. Filled with myth, legend, and history, Angkor Wat is a true testament of time and humanity. Ankor itself is a huge area f... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/538/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/538/ Wed, 23 Mar 2005 14:02:56 -0800 We took a bus from Bangkok early one morning to Siem Reap. For some reason we were lucky and there was almost nobody on our the buses during our trip. We heard later on that these trips are usually jam-packed with travellers... so we lucked out ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/30/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/30/ Mon, 21 Mar 2005 13:37:17 -0800 Sarah and I arrived in Bangkok via the train from Surat Thani.  We made our way to Khao San.  We had made arrangements to meet with Simon and Drew and we were lucky enough to get a room at the same place they were staying.  We actually had an a... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/29/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/29/ Sun, 20 Mar 2005 16:38:38 -0800 From Ao Nang and Krabi, we made our way by bus across the mainland, back up through Surat Thani to Don Sak and caught the ferry to Koh Samui. I hadn't been to Koh Samui yet and I don't remember why we came over to this side again... I'm pretty su... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/28/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/28/ Fri, 18 Mar 2005 16:16:47 -0800 Ao Nang is a short long tail around the bay from Railay.  Its a very small coastal town situated on the water about 30mins from Krabi town. I actually loved Ao Nang, we didn't even stay the night but it was a fantastic little town, but very... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/522/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/522/ Thu, 17 Mar 2005 18:54:08 -0800 After Phuket, and on our way back to the Gulf of Thailand, we stopped at the climbing mecca, Railay Beach. Railay was a spectacular ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/521/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/521/ Tue, 15 Mar 2005 22:52:46 -0800 Phuket was quite a change from Phi Phi.  As it got hit just as hard as Phi Phi, we were expecting devastation on a similar scale, but Phuket was rocking pretty hard.  Sure there was rubble and some of the beach front hotels were closed or the bo... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/27/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/27/ Mon, 14 Mar 2005 18:32:53 -0800 We arrived at Phi Phi by boat. It was a nice motor over and we met an english couple that would eventually get me turned onto Muse, but as we arrived into the bay, we saw the full extent of the tsunami destruction.... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/26/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/26/ Thu, 10 Mar 2005 22:54:56 -0800 Koh Lanta was my favourite place in all of Thailand. It is this long island on the Adaman coast, about 40mins by boat away from Phi Phi. It is absolutely amazing. We were there shortly after the boxing day tsunami so I was not busy and very qui... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/519/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/519/ Wed, 02 Mar 2005 22:57:17 -0800 Well, we departed from the long, sweaty public bus ride in downtown Krabi town. Like Surat Thani, it is the province capital of the Krabi province. Krabi itself is extremely small and doesn't have too much to offer tourists itself, but it is clo... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/24/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/24/ Mon, 28 Feb 2005 12:36:28 -0800 We made our way from Haad Yuan, back to Haad Rin and across the gulf again to the mainland.  We actually took a big car ferry this time which went to Don Sak first (a small port city), and then from Don Sak to Surat Thani by bus. We never r... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/23/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/23/ Tue, 22 Feb 2005 20:40:35 -0800 After staying in Haad Salad for a couple weeks, we decided to change the scenery slightly. At this point we were trapped on Koh Phangan. Not actually trapped, but metaphorically. It is so fun and so beautiful, I have met people who went to... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/22/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/22/ Thu, 27 Jan 2005 18:47:12 -0800 Haad Salad is a beach on the infamous Koh Phangan. This is where I really fell in love with Thailand. I remember the moment of it too. We had just taken an overnight bus from Bangkok to Koh Phangan. From Bangkok, we arrived in Surat Thani... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/21/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/21/ Thu, 30 Dec 2004 17:46:49 -0800 After 22 hours of flying, sleeping, and watching horrific American cinema (Mr. 3000), Sarah and I arrived in Bangkok. Landing in Bangkok was pretty intense for me. To make the transition easier, we had rented a hotel over the internet so we... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/20/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/20/ Sat, 25 Dec 2004 15:09:13 -0800 We had a short stop over in Taipei on our way to Bangkok. After the 15+ hour flight, it was nice to be able to walk around for a bit. I was surprised though, inbetween the airport runways there is a golf course. So we're taxing down the r... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/19/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/19/ Fri, 24 Dec 2004 14:47:31 -0800 Key West was actually a pretty cool little island. Its has a much more "Caribbean" feel then I thought it would. That being said, its also mainly a tourist island. Tons of small shops and bars, but also some interesting cultural stops. It is a... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/368/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/368/ Sun, 01 Jan 2006 13:24:26 -0800 Ah, good old Jamaica. Home to my beloved reggae. I was most excited about visiting Jamaica and it didn't disappoint. I had been to Ocha Rios before but never MB. We did the regular routine of heading to the beaches first and hanging out, ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/367/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/367/ Thu, 29 Dec 2005 12:18:56 -0800 Grand Cayman is an awesome place. I had been here before some 5 years ago but I always forget how cool it is. I haven't seen a crazy authentic cultural side of the Caymans, probably because of their "special" tax laws and thus steady influence f... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/366/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/366/ Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:09:07 -0800 The next day we arrived in Cozumel, a little farther north on the coast. There had actually been a terrible hurricane (Hurricane Wilma) a couple weeks before us and the island town was still in shambles. The dock had been washed out and a lot of... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/365/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/365/ Tue, 27 Dec 2005 13:34:08 -0800 Our first port of call was in Mexico. The quaint town of Costa Maya. I didn't know this at the time and found out after we had left but Costa Maya was pretty much manufactured to give a "rural, small town" feel. I should have realized since the... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/364/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/364/ Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:17:23 -0800 Ah Cruising. Like I said in my trip summary. I'm not a cruise kinda guy. I would much rather be getting dusty and dirty then floating along in excessive luxury, but then again, i'm not picky and I love to eat. While cruising doesn't reall... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/363/ http://www.footstops.com/brite/blog/363/ Thu, 22 Dec 2005 22:29:03 -0800