Jeremy Paul Gallagher

Less than 2 months till the wedding!

2010-11-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

Yay!

My Little Buddy, Huckleberry

2010-10-08T19:49:00.002-05:00

This is Huckleberry Finn Gallagher. Also known as the cutest puppy ever!!!!!

He's my little buddy! Enjoy!

Cutest little Mini Schnauzer to ever!!!! Word!

My puppy Mila

2010-04-05T16:49:00.002-05:00

Lunch with Cogan today. Super fun!

2010-01-21T01:06:00.001-05:00

Yup, had lunch with Cogan today. Fun, fun, fun!

Funny Photo

2009-09-17T00:52:00.002-05:00

I can ride my bike with no handlebars.

2009-08-11T23:04:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuK2A1ZqoWs

-jpg

Super Interesting Facts about the Interstate Highway System

2009-06-03T02:32:00.002-05:00

Even Numbers travel east-west (I-10, I-20, etc.)
Odd Numbers travel north-south (I-5, I-75, I-85, etc.)
Loop routes and through routes that connect to an Interstate highway at both ends are a 3 digit number with an even first digit (I-285) and share its base route number (I-85).
Spur routes and city routes that only connect to an Interstate highway at one end are 3 digits and have an odd first digit (I-985).

Boom, Done.

-jpg

Hush little mockingbird....

2009-05-30T15:02:00.004-05:00

Here are some fun lyrics I made up today while making breakfast:

These are lyrics from the point of view of the mockingbird instead of the Human.

Hush little mockingbird,
Don't you fret,
Papa's gonna buy you,
A Human pet,

If that Human runs away,
Papa's will find you,
A Human stray,

I can't remember the rest.

Why would I be singing this? Hmm?

Lyrics as they should be:

Lullaby lyrics - Hush, little baby

Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won't pull,
Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull turn over,
Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover

And if that dog named Rover won't bark
Papa's gonna buy you a horse and cart

And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

Quote from Doctors office

2009-05-27T17:34:00.002-05:00

"I don't have enough days left to spend them here"

-old lady who had been waiting for over an hour

How sad, beef is bad.

2009-05-22T01:07:00.003-05:00

How sad, beef is bad.

Here are some quick facts, and then some more detailed reasons.

A recent United Nations report calls cattle the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife.

In the US alone, Cattle alone produce 3.7 billion kg of manure a day – that works out to 1.34 trillion kg a year.

Let’s put the total in perspective. The Empire State Building weighs approximately 0.33 billion kg. That means cattle in the U.S. are producing an Empire States Building’s worth of manure about every few hours.

Livestock currently consume 70 percent of America's grain production. Their grazing accounts for 800 million acres (40 percent) of U.S. land, and 18 percent of all water consumption is devoted to producing feed for livestock.

“Livestock now consume more edible protein than they Produce, Live stock consume 77 million tones of protein contained in feedstuff suitable for human nutrition whereas only 58 million tones of protein are contained in food products that livestock supply.” UN report.

--Beef contains significant quantities of the most toxic organic chemical known - dioxin. This chemical is toxic in the trillionths of grams. (A trillionth of a gram, called a picogram, is one million millionth of a gram. A gram is about 1/30th of an ounce.) Dioxin has been linked to cancer, endometriosis, Attention Deficit Disorder (hyperactivity in children), reproductive systems defects in children, chronic fatigue syndrome, immune system deficiency, and rare nerve and blood disorders. A single hamburger (a little less than 1/4 lb, or 100 grams) contains up to 100 picograms of dioxin. That is 300 times as much as the EPA says is "acceptable" for a daily dose for an adult! There are some scientists who say that there is no acceptable dose; they say that any dose can cause toxic effects, because dioxin is a hormone disrupting chemical which changes the functioning of our cells, against which we have no defense. The dioxin comes from microscopic particles of ash from incinerators that have settled on grass and crops eaten by the beef cattle, pigs, and chickens. All farm animals are affected - even herds grown on "all-natural" feed. See dioxin.

--The huge amount of beef that we consume, in combination with the usual side-orders of other fatty foods (such as french fries) and caffeine and refined sugars (cola beverages) appears to be one of the major causes of obesity in the U.S. and Europe. Beef is "dumped" into our schools by the beef industry and the USDA - beef producers are paid by the government for "surplus" beef (the vast amount they cannot sell) which is subsequently "donated" to school lunch programs, helping our children to get hooked on this unhealthy food.

--Beef production is the major cause of the destruction of the world's rainforests. The high price of beef encourages ranchers to burn the forest to create new rangelands. The fragile, thin rainforest soil cover is quickly destroyed by grazing in 1-2 years, and the ranchers move on to burn another area, in a never-ending cycle of destruction. Thousands of species of plants and animals have already been destroyed forever, as well as straining the earth's ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. At current rates, the rainforests will be totally destroyed in 30-50 years.

--Beef production is the major cause of "desertification" around the world - the rapid degradation of marginal, low-rainfall soil areas into desert. The constant pounding of the hoofs of cattle disturbs and eventually destroys the delicate root systems which keep the topsoil layer intact. Erosion by winds or storms removes the topsoil, leaving the sand or clay subsoil layer behind.

--Beef production is a serious social justice issue. Beef cattle and their grazing land take up nearly a quarter of the land mass of the earth, to supply beef to the U.S., Europe, and Japan. About one third of the world's grain harvest is used for feed for cattle instead of food for people. In the U.S., that figure is over 70 percent. It takes 16 pounds of grain to produce a single pound of beef. This, in a world where nearly a billion people lack enough food, is unjust. Beef production for the developed parts of the world is severely limiting the amount of food available for people in the poor and developing world.

--Beef consumption has created a self-perpetuating and rapidly-expanding distortion of local economies all over the world. As more McDonalds "restaurants" are established and beef consumption rises, more arable land is consumed for grazing and cattle feed. In developing countries, the local economy changes from one based on local food markets and trade to one based on beef exports, enriching a few wealthy landowners and merchants and impoverishing the rest.

--The "fast-food" industry giants that promote beef - McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy's - have created and encouraged an artificial, plastic, uniform, standard "restaurant" environment that, because of their powerful advertising media, discourages diversity and local and ethnic culture in restaurants and in food choices. Beef - served as hamburgers - has been the driving force for this shift in how we view food and eating in the U. S.

--The beef "fast-food" industry, notably McDonalds and Burger King, especially targets children in its marketing. As a result, millions of children (and in many cases, their parents) associate eating at those "restaurants" as a fun, positive, healthful eating experience. Obesity and other afflictions associated with excess animal fat intake and sedentary lifestyle are now affecting young adults and children in increasing numbers.

38.5 miles per gallon

2009-04-20T23:37:00.003-05:00

Just did my gas mileage, and I got 38.5 miles per gallon, which was about 75% freeway driving, and 25% city driving. I am gonna only try and do freeway driving this next tank, and hopefully I will get more.

Ok, enough procrastinating....if only "Procrastinating" was on my list.

-jpg

P.S. I have a 2008 Ford Focus.

Chino Hills State Park

2009-04-09T02:48:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Ana and I ventured to the scenic Chino Hills State Park, to enjoy a beautiful California day.

With little direction, and a great deal of improvisation, we found ourselves immersed in the beauty of Chino Hills State Park by early afternoon. Surrounded by rolling golden hills all around you, one could hardly tell there he/she was in the middle of one of the most populous and industrialized cities in the world.

I have posted pictures, which you can view by clicking here. A video will be coming soon!

Travel Advice

2009-04-08T23:45:00.003-05:00

I just sent a friend of a friend some travel advice regarding South America, and thought I would share it here:

Lima, Peru

Flying In:
Ok, when you walk out of the customs and secure luggage claim area into the general airport, it will be very disorienting. There will first be some official looking taxi drivers who will say they are 'certified', standing right next to the exit, but will overcharge for a taxi. As you exit more into the airport, it will be even more confusing, as a mass of people will be standing around the exit in a circle waiting for their people. I would highly suggest you arrange a taxi through the hotel or hostel you are staying with. I have paid anywhere from 25-45 soles for the taxi ride. My Aunt and Uncle live next to a taxi driver that is trustworthy if you need that phone number.

Where to stay:
Cogan and I stayed with my family, so I don't have any exact recommendations. The people I have met have all stayed in Miraflores or Barranco. I heard good things about the Loki hostel in Miraflores. The owner has hostels in a couple different cities that I stayed at, and it was definitely a good time.

To do:

-Lima Centro
-Miraflores
-Definitely the National Museum. Lots of history to the building itself.
-Surfing at the beach (if your into it)
-Paragliding in Miraflores, right next to the big nice mall, Larcomar
-In the larcomar mall they have a theater where they serve cocktails and dessert which is really fun.
-Visit Huaca Pucllana and Huallamarca (links to my blog about these)

About the size of LA in population and land, Lima is definitely a cool city, but I would highly suggest going to Cuzco and seeing the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. The sacred valley includes Pisac, Chincero, Ollantaytambo, and much more. The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu are truly amazing sights, unlike anything I have seen before anywhere else. Try to do some hikes while you are there, if you are into it (link to my hike video).

You can either take a 24hr bus ride there (not really as bad as it sounds), or fly there. I've done both. Flying is definitely quicker, but more expensive.

Lima Notes:
-No metered taxis. You have to negotiate the price ahead of time. Don't hesistate to turn one down.
-Try the "pollo a la brasa". Ask for a "cuatro pollo". They serve super delicious chicken on a bed of delicious french fries. It truly is addicting.
-If you fly out of any Peru airport, there is always a small "Airport Fee" Don't forget to bring extra soles to pay for these.

Buenos Aires & Argentina

-BA is cool, alot like New York. Lots of McDonalds all over the place, expecially at the oblisque.
-Try to have a parillada if possible (group meal with a ton of meat).
-Also, there are some really good "tenedor libre" (free fork, or buffet) at very affordable prices. These are meat heavy buffets, but very delicious.
-Use the subway as much as possible. Cheap, and super fast. There are also above gound trains for longer distances.
-Lots of touristy stuff like churches, museums, Evita's grave. The planetarium was awesome, but I love all planetariums.
Note: The Spanish in Argentina is way different than Spanish in Peru. Be prepared.

Outside of BA:
-See as much of Patagonia as you can. The penguins and glacier are definitely the highlights.
-Iguazu Falls is pretty awesome too (second biggest in the world).
-Wine tasting in Mendoza is very cool, and very relaxing. Good food and good museums there.
-Uruguay: A quick boat ride, or more likely bus ride, and you are in Uruguay. Its fun. There are beaches, but I think it is going to be cold around then. Note that Uruguay is 80% white, so don't be suprised.

Brazil
-It costs $100 to get into Brazil. Don't try to get your visa during a holiday, cuz they take long vacations :-)

Artwork by ANA & JPG

2009-04-07T03:08:00.004-05:00

Ana and I have been making our own art, and thought you all might be interested. The red one and purple one are mine, and the good-looking first and last pictures are Ana's. I took a couple/three pictures of each just to make sure I got it right.

Here are the web friendly versions:

http://jeremypaulgallagher.com/images/2009_04_06_artwork/

And here are the hi-res versions:

http://jeremypaulgallagher.com/images/2009_04_06_artwork_hi_res/

Please comment!

Who is John Galt?

2009-03-30T02:59:00.002-05:00

1985 El Camino Pictures

2009-03-23T04:24:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures of my Dad's 1985 El Camino. He had it for a very long time, and it ran great!

Click here for the pics or go to the link below.

-jpg

http://jeremypaulgallagher.com/images/09_22_2008_el_camino/

Email addresses for phones

2009-03-21T20:42:00.001-05:00

Here it is:

Alltel: (your 10-digit number)@message.alltel.com
Amp'd: (your 10-digit number)@vtext.com
ATT/Cingular: (your 10-digit number)@txt.att.net
Boost Mobile: (your 10-digit number)@myboostmobile.com
Nextel: (your 10-digit number)@messaging.nextel.com
Sprint: (your 10-digit number)@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile: (your 10-digit number)@tmomail.com
U.S. Cellular: (your 10-digit number)@email.uscc.net
Verizon: (your 10-digit number)@vtext.com
Virgin Mobile: (your 10-digit number)@vmobl.com

Above are the email addresses for all phones, including Alltel, Amp'd, ATT/Cingular, Boost Mobile, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon, and Virgin Mobile.

Interesting, huh.

Taliesin West

2009-03-21T05:12:00.003-05:00

Here is some trivia about Taliesin West:

Established in 1937
Run by Frank Lloyd Wright until his death
Ok, thats it....I really don't have any other trivia.

Click below to see the photos of when my friend Cynthia D'Angelo and I visited.

http://jeremypaulgallagher.com/images/07_27_08_taliesin_west/

Santa Monica Apple Store with Ana

2009-03-20T22:55:00.001-05:00

Here are some photo's of Ana and me at the Apple Store in Santa Monica:

**UPDATE: The blogger photo viewer is not working correctly, so click the photo to view the whole photo, or go to here to see the list of photos: http://www.jeremypaulgallagher.com/images/blog/apple_store/

How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato

2009-03-20T15:47:00.009-05:00

Here it is! Everyone has been asking me for my secret recipe on how to make the perfect baked potato.

It has been a family secret since 2007, and now I will share it with you.

Step-by-step process:

Step 1: Put potato(es) in microwave and hit the potato button.

Thats it. For those of you who are too lazy to read the above step, here is a photo:

My favorite band

2009-02-24T13:43:00.004-05:00

I just thought I would post the video for my favorite band:

Viva Grupo Cinco!

Twitter

2009-01-09T01:54:00.005-05:00

If you are on Twitter, please let me know and I will follow you!

My twitter name is "jeremygallagher". Follow me:

http://twitter.com/jeremygallagher

-Jeremy

P.S. In addition, I am going to add the name Jeremy Cogan (Jeremy David Cogan) and Harish Nandagopal (Harish Kumar Nandagopal) so it will show up in their respective Google Alerts!

I am. I have. I vary. I love.

2009-01-06T19:14:00.001-05:00

I am confident. I have laughed more than most. I go by my initials. I love creating structure, even in a profile.

I am a very easy going person. I have 6 nephews, 1 niece, and 1 on the way. I lived in only one house until I left for college. I love to laugh.

I am a perfectionist. I have been to 11 countries, but only liked 10. I still have my Pound Puppy. I love the beach.

I am the former Student Body President of UCSD. I have a friend with the same name. I got into a bar fight in Uruguay. I love the beauty of nature.

I am Irish and Peruvian, and so much more. I have danced till dawn more than once. I play racquetball and tennis, but prefer soccer. I love Mexican food.

I am a Mac user. I have traveled South America. I can still recite the 12 points of the Scout law. I love profiles with exactly 175 words.

Really, really, funny photos and pictures

2008-12-31T14:32:00.001-05:00

http://superfunnyphotos.blogspot.com/

Great Home Page

2008-12-28T03:15:00.002-05:00

http://i2009.blogspot.com/

This is the best Home Page EVER.

-jpg

San Jacinto High School Group Photo

2008-12-24T19:32:00.005-05:00

Here is a photo that I have just recently found on my slow, put consistent, process of cleaning out my old computer:

From left to right are: Elizabeth McCune, Holly de los Santos, Ana Davalos (cajita), Jessica Holmes, Ben Brandt (Benjamin Brandt), Jeremy Paul Gallagher (me), Geoff Bowman, Danny Valdez, Armando Silva.

Wow, we all look so young at my Graduation Party in 2000! Enjoy!

Picture of my nephew on refrigerator

2008-12-23T17:07:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of my nephew after I had placed him on the refrigerator at thanksgiving:

In this last picture I told him to hide. Haha

Summer RA group picture

2008-12-19T15:25:00.004-05:00

I am attempting to clean out my computer and I came across this photo. Nothing but fun times those summers (except for when Cynthia pushed me off a second floor balcony and I broke my leg in 5 places):
From left to right starting at the top:

Andrew ? Young?
Chris ?
Tony ?
Cynthia D'Angelo
Myrna
Jeremy
Kelly
Shane Wibeto
Crystal Kitamura
Raymond Tsai?

Cynthia, can you help with some of these names? I can't believe I can't remember!

San Diego is beautiful!!!

2008-11-17T19:08:00.003-05:00

Don't you wish you lived here? In DC, it was 40 degrees, in SD it was a cool 87.

Election Prediction

2008-11-04T03:37:00.002-05:00

Another funny robot video!

2008-10-31T14:52:00.000-05:00

My favorite campaign video...because it involves robots!

2008-10-30T23:29:00.001-05:00

If you are interested....

2008-10-28T13:35:00.001-05:00

A Hair Share

2008-10-02T13:35:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally did it. My sister Brittany finally convinced me to get a haircut. I told her I did not want one, but she drugged me and cut it when I was passed out. Seems kinda ruthless, but she actually is pretty nice. The results are pretty shocking. It is very weird to have long hair one moment, and then short hair the next.

Here is a photo of my hair when I dyed it blond in Buenos Aires:

Here is a photo of my hair right before I got it cut, gloriously long:

And finally, here it is now, short and simple.

Please comment. Do I look younger or older now? Better or worse?

Financial Crisis

2008-09-30T13:55:00.002-05:00

For those who think the bailout or rescue plan is not a good idea, I suggest you read the following article by the BBC. We are not only causing major problems for ourselves, but for everyone in the world!

US failure hits European shares

Global stock markets have had a bumpy ride in recent weeks

European share indexes have been volatile in early trading after a US financial rescue plan failed to gain Congressional backing.
With the US House of Representatives rejecting the $700bn (£380bn) rescue deal, the UK's FTSE 100 fell as much as 3% before rising 0.6%.
Asian stocks have already seen big declines in Tuesday trading.
Wall Street's Dow Jones index saw its biggest one-day points fall in history on Monday after the deal was rejected.
Bank shares hit
The UK's FTSE 100 index was up 31 points or 0.6% to 4,850 by 0915 BST, while Germany's Dax was down 76 points or 1.3% to 5,731.
France's Cac was up two points or 0.06% to 3,956.

Why did the bail-out bill fail?
Q&A: US $700bn bail-out plan

Banking shares were the biggest fallers in London, as concerns grow about how the delay in securing a rescue deal in the US will hit the financial system.
HBOS was down 12%, Royal Bank of Scotland was 11% lower, and Lloyds TSB had declined 9%.
Japan's Nikkei index ended Tuesday down 4.1%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng had lost 2.4% in late trading.
Meanwhile, in Russia all trading has been suspended on the country's two main stock markets.
In the Republic of Ireland, the government announced that all bank deposits would be guaranteed for the next two years.
And Franco-Belgian bank Dexia has received a state bailout, with the Belgian, French and Luxembourg governments pumping in a combined 6.4bn euros ($9.2bn; £5bn).
Presidential speech
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the architect of the rescue plan, said it was vital to get a new deal agreed.

Henry Paulson: 'This is much too important to simply let fail'

President George W Bush is now due to make a statement on the deadlock over the bail-out plan later on Tuesday.
But the president has been wholly ineffectual in the crisis so far and it is difficult to see how that might change, says the BBC's North America correspondent Justin Webb.
Congress will not meet again until Thursday, with another vote unlikely before the weekend, the BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says.
Day of turmoil
The House's rejection of the bail-out plan came after a day of turmoil in the US and Europe, with Wachovia, the fourth-largest US bank, being bought by larger rival Citigroup.

HAVE YOUR SAY

I know we need a strong financial sector, but where is the talk of structural change that's going to prevent recurrence?

Neil, California, US

Send us your comments

Monday also saw the partial nationalisation of Benelux banking giant Fortis by three governments, and UK lender Bradford & Bingley was taken into state ownership.
The US rescue plan, a result of tense talks over several days between the government and lawmakers, was rejected by 228 to 205 votes in the House of Representatives.
About two-thirds of Republican lawmakers refused to back the rescue package, as well as 95 Democrats.
Mr Paulson said, after talks with the president, that the government's plan to address the crisis facing the US financial sector was much too important to be allowed to fail.
US regulators would use "all the tools available" to help the US economy, but their powers were "insufficient", he warned.
He added that he would be working with congressional leaders to get something done "as quickly as possible".
Analysts say that without a bail-out plan, the banks will be left to handle all their own bad mortgage debt as best they can and more of them will be in danger of going bust.
But after several hours of impassioned debate, the bill's opponents - the majority of whom were from the Republican Party - got their way.
They had raised concerns about both the content of the plan and the speed with which they were being asked to pass it.

Ana and I at the Apple Store at Victoria Gardens

2008-09-20T22:30:00.004-05:00

Fourth of July, 2008!

2008-08-10T14:50:00.003-05:00

On the 4th of July Ana and I took an impromptu road trip up the California PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from LA to San Francisco. It was quite an adventure, and super fun! Although I have made the run from So-Cal to Nor-Cal many a times, I have never done it with such scenery, and such wonderful company ;-).

You can check out the photo album here, and the video here or below!

Here is the map of the trip. This is an interactive map, so click on it and interact!

View Larger Map

Proud Of Our President

2008-08-10T12:49:00.004-05:00

Our President has traveled to China to represent our country, and to show off his pride in the United States. Here are a couple photos of him doing so:

Oh, the symbolism....

Picture of me hiding behind Jeremy Cogan

2008-08-02T02:15:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of me hiding behind Jeremy Cogan in Pisac, Peru.

You can see the full picture by clicking here.

Thats it.

Video of Dorm in Buenos Aires

2008-07-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Somehow, the below video is my most popular video, with 440+ views. Who is watching this video? The only interesting part, is the shockingly blonde color of my hair at the time.

Here it is, the most popular video I have on YouTube:

You can watch it directly on YouTube by going here.

Enjoy!

Barack Obama Pictures, Images

2008-07-29T21:15:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Barack Obama. Enjoy!

My favorite is the top one!

Hilary Clinton Pictures, Images

2008-07-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

I thought you might enjoy some pictures and images of Hilary Clinton that I have saved:

Thats it for Hilary!

Riverside County, CALIFORNIA

2008-06-26T06:01:00.001-05:00

In a typical week in June, there are 45 marriages in Riverside County, California.

From 5:01 p.m on June 16 through June 23, the first week of legal same-sex marriage, there was 493! 996% increase!

Our more popular and populous neighbors to the west (LA County) only increased 74%. Our friends to the north, and Jeremy Cogan's home of San Bernardino County, only increased 225%.

Riverside County is a good place to live!

Boom, Done.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-marriagesmap,0,6124834.htmlstory

Really, Really, Funny Pictures

2008-06-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

Here are some funny pictures that I found on my Mac when I was cleaning it out. I believe these are originally from gpepp, but I thought they were funny and would share them here:

Happy Birthday Nick!!

2008-06-06T14:29:00.005-05:00

¡Ode to Nick Kerklaan!

February seventeenth, two thousand eight,
Will be a day the Jeremy's always celebrate,

We arrived in Sucre with a cute Canadian chick,
But replaced her, when we laid our eyes on Nick.

He was hairy and kind,
Just the traveling buddy,
You would want to find.

He liked to drink,
He liked to dance,
Even though with the ladies,
He didn't have a chance (cuz of the caveman beard).

He had to eat,
He had to pee,
He had the metabolism,
Of three of me!

He sings "One Way Ticket"
And gives the best piggy back rides,
But what I like the most,
Are his Uni-pod diatribes.

Penguins, flamingos!
We saw it all,
But Nick retorts,
We got that at the mall!

You can count on Nick,
To back you up in a fight,
Or talk Sci-Fi,
Through a long bus ride night.

Always on time,
And filled with wisdom,
One might call him,
"A model of reason."

April fifteenth,
Two thousand eight,
Will be a day,
The Jeremy's always hate,

For we will always feel,
A little empty inside,
Without our dear friend Nick
Right by our side.

Written by Jeremy Paul Gallagher (with a little assistance from Cogan).

Here are some photos of Nick:

Nick being very Nick-ish

In the Potosi mines

Nick and I with live dynamite

So pensive!

Very Nick-ish

The glasses he is wearing would soon be broken

He's a model

Yup

Last picture with Nick and the caveman beard!

Here is the NEW and IMPROVED NICK KERKLAAN!

And here is a photo of Nick and I doing something. I think we are at that little bar area next to the Mall.

Thats about it! Love ya Nick, and Happy Birthday! Don't forget to BAM, kick it up a notch!

Boom, Done!

-jpg

2008-05-29T01:14:00.001-05:00

This is really really funny, and I suggest that anyone who likes comedy, watch this.

http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2008/05/04/tal-animation-on-the-situation-of-memory/

-jpg

Before and After

2008-05-27T17:31:00.003-05:00

I recently bought a new pair of shoes, to replace the ones I bought a while back and wore all through South America.

Here is one of the new shoes sitting next to the old shoe. They used to be the same color...

Boom, Done.

I am a Lamp

2008-05-13T13:35:00.003-05:00

Hair is back to normal!

2008-04-27T22:37:00.001-05:00

My hair is back to normal. Got it dyed before my cousin Melissa's pre-wedding party here in Lima.

Boom. Done.

International Border Dispute

2008-04-23T18:26:00.002-05:00

On the recent journey from Argentina into Chile, I had a semi-nervous, semi-embarrassing moment at the border.

So, unlike most of the other borders, at the Chilean border, they require everyone to exit the bus and all your luggage goes through a screening process. So, basically, everyone on the bus (65+ people) huddle into a room big enough for 25 people. Everyone is facing the scanner device and watching all the bags go through, one by one. If the border police find something curious they ask the owner of the bag to come forward.

I was standing there like everyone else minding my own business when they come across and yell for the owner to come forward. The border police then demand (in very loud, fast spanish) to know what is in the lower left pocket in my backpack. I honestly had no idea. Thus I told the officer that I didn´t know. He then told me to open it. I could feel everyone in the room looking at me, wondering what sort of drugs or weapons I was trying to sneak through.

I slowly opened the pocket in question to reveal a bad that I didn´t even recognize. I proceed to pull the bag out and realize that it was the LOLLY POPS that I had bought in Peru, 3 months prior. I told the officer that they were just "lollies", and he proceeded to yell to all his fellow officers that it was only "lollies" causing all the problems.

I recieved more than one funny look from my fellow passengers.

Update from Jeremy Paul Gallagher

2008-04-21T20:12:00.002-05:00

So, I just sent out the below email to my family and friends and thought I would share it here:

----------

Friends and Family,

I thought that it was about time to send out an email update about my trip around South America. As of now, I just arrived in Arequipa, Peru after some very long bus rides (30+ hrs) from Santiago, Chile. I am heading to Lima, Peru to catch my flight on April 30th back to the United States.

As I am not one for reading long emails myself, I thought I would write about some highlights since the last time I sent an email out. To get the full story, check out my blog:

(click on the links for photo albums)

Travelled around Peru for a month with my Mom and Dad (super fun)!
Lived in Lima for a month taking Spanish classes and spending lots of time with my Tia Dorita and Tio Alberto (aka South America Mom and Dad). Cogan arrived.
Spent New Years in Iquitos (the jungle) with Cogan, two friends from the US, and a bazillion very attractive women. Yes, a bazillion.
Went to Ecuador and visited my cousins Crystal and Pepi, and my niece Kelly. So fun being around family!
Visited the Equator near Quito, Ecuador and hopped from hemisphere to hemisphere.
Travelled back to Machu Picchu for the 2nd time and hiked up Machu Pichhu Mountain (see video here).
Arrived to Sucre, Bolivia and was robbed. ¡Que triste! Passport, backpack, digital camera, Spanish books and more all stolen. Returned to La Paz and US embassy issued a new Passport the same day (after a $100 US fee).
Returned to Sucre, Bolivia for more Spanish classes, volunteering teaching English, and having incredibly attractive women swarm to me (ok, one of these isn´t true).
Toured the Bolivian Salt Flats, Salar de Uyuni, which included the seas of salt (as far as the eyes can see), a red lake, a blue lake, geysers, and other amazing sights.
Got caught up in a little Argentinian political action, when our bus was stopped by protesters. Ended up eating and chatting with the protesters, as the bus ride took 37 hrs in total.
Got to know Buenos Aires, Argentina & Montevideo, Uruguay. In Uruguay, spent some time relaxing on the beaches in the day and causing trouble at night.
Explored Patagonia, including glaciers, penguin colonies, and more.

So, the highlights don´t even tell the half of it. If you want to know more see the links below, or lets meet up! I return to the Washington, DC on May 1st, and then fly out to California on May 14th and would love to reconnect.

Blog and links to photos:
http://jeremypaulgallagher.blogspot.com/

My YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/sulfatized

Cheers,

-Jeremy Paul Gallagher

P.S. I am getting back into the job hunt, so if you have any leads, please let me know!

--
Jeremy Paul Gallagher

In Peru (1) 94483417
In Argentina 15 2616184537

In USA to Peru Cell: 011 511 94483417
In USA to Argentina Cell: 011 54 92616184537

BLOG: www.jeremyfinder.com
BLOG (JPG only): jeremypaulgallagher.blogspot.com

BLOG en español: www.dondeestanlosjeremys.com

You Gotta Read This!

2008-04-21T17:11:00.005-05:00

So, on long bus trips, we often try to find things to do to entertain ourselves. One such bus trip, we each wrote two lines of a story, and then passed it on to the person next to us. The trick is that you can only look at the line the person before you wrote, and no more. Here is the story authored by Jeremy Gallagher, Nick Kerklaan, TK Money, and Jeremy Cogan. I have provided a space between the writers:

They could no longer afford to say no. The only reasonable thing was to get on-board.

So I did. "Why did you get on board" said a fat man, but because I was mute I couldn't tell him.

Its not easy be a deaf-mute, but it has its advantages when dealing with annoying customers.

These customers got their reputation despite overwhelming generosity in tips to the cashier.

That being said, I never give tips. Except on time, when I left a note saying "Don't look directly in to the sun."

But of course she did, and that's why she´s the stupidest person I know.

Stupid as she was, at least her antics provided us with endless laughter, which is why

there was no further need for other entertainment. When one can find all their fun from a single source,

they pass through the door and get ready for fun. Grab the key, stick it in and just wait for the fun to overwhelm

you. Afterwards there's some coughing and vomiting, but its worth it no matter how sick you get, eating entrails is

an experience not to be missed, unless you have the option of Picante de Mondorgo, a taste well worth flying half way around the world.

But, they thought, we don´t need to do that, we can just go to the West Edmonton Mall, it will be

the best fucking time you have ever had in you life, you will never want to go home, it has everything you could ever possibly

dream of! She fasted for days, and when the time came, ready to go all in.

As a novice Texas Hold 'em player, on can appreciate the fun of using all the chips at once!

Looking around, the thought occurred to take break and watch a movie...not one that tells a story over any decades though.

Because movies that tell stories over several decades are complete pieces of shit, and I hate anyone who likes them.

A Tribute to TK Money

2008-04-15T22:26:00.001-05:00

A Ms. TK Money joined the journey in Potosi, Bolivia, and sadly left us in Juyjuy, to rejoin us in Buenos Aires, to leave us in La Paloma, only to rejoin us once again in Buenos Aires, and then leave us again in Buenos Aires.

Simplified Itinerary for TK Money´s time spent with us:

Potosi -> Juyjuy
Buenos Aires -> La Paloma
Buenos Aires -> Buenos Aires

In order to better know TK Money, here are some important facts you need to know:

She has small little hands.
She is really good at the "Give Compliments to Jeremy Gallagher" game, which was by far the most popular and widely played game on the Salar trip. See link for rules.
She is a vegetarian.
She is slow and hence earned the nickname "Chica Lenta"
She is a habitual "I don´t want to use the armrest on the bus" 'er
Cute.
She is an Argentinian lesbian magnet. They love her and often give out there number to her.
She likes to make fun of handicapped people
Ok, the above is not really true.

Here are some pics of TK Money so you can get a visual representation:

Ok, thats it. We miss you TK Money! Hope being back home is treating you well.

ARGENTINA: A place to drive and bike

2008-04-14T21:58:00.003-05:00

Last week I drove a car, and today I rode a bike.

One thing that I do miss is driving. I really get a kick out of driving....not sure quite why, but I just love it. Riding the bike was also quite a blast. We went wine tasting here in Mendoza, and I enjoyed riding the bike almost as much as I enjoyed the wine.

Thats it.
Jeremy Gallagher, Jeremy Cogan, and Nick Kerklaan went wine tasting.

My Birthday

2008-04-12T15:00:00.003-05:00

My Birthday was a week ago today, and I just realized that I didn't post about it.

It was an unusual bday, as we had a flight at 5:30am, so we stayed up most the night waiting for our taxi that was picking us up at 3:30am. We went out a little the night before, but nothing special. I did have some expensive whiskey, which would have cost 5 times the price in the US.

Most of the day was spent travelling by plane or bus. That night, we made pasta and drank some wine. Overall, anti-climatic.

My parents and sister did call me though, which was really good. I got to talk with a couple of my nephews, which was super cool. I miss the fam alot, and look forward to being back in Cali.

Video of Petito Moreno Glacier

2008-04-11T18:14:00.002-05:00

Here is a video of my visit to the Petito Moreno Glacier. This is a very rough cut, so keep that in mind when viewing.

Return to the good ol' USA

2008-04-11T14:47:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I realized that I forgot to post a blog about my return dates. Here is the plan:

April 30th: Lima, Peru to Fort Lauderdale
May 1st: Fort Lauderdale to Washington D.C. Arrive in DC at 4:00 PM.
May 14th: Washington D.C. to Los Angeles. Arrive in LA at 12:25 PM.

Boom. Done.
I, Jeremy Gallagher, am travelling with Jeremy Cogan. Nick Kerklaan and Talya Karr will not be there this time.

A couple photos

2008-04-09T17:39:00.003-05:00

I thought I would share a couple photos of my recent adventures in Patagonia.

Here is a pic of me in front of a glacier. It was cool.

And our recent adventure today was to got to a penguin colony that had about a bizzilion penguins. Here is a picture of one of them. I talked to this penguin. His name is Brad.

If you really want to see what it is like, download the full size photo using the link below (right click and go to 'save as' or something like that). You will see a picture of a landscape just littered with penguins.

http://www.jeremypaulgallagher.com/images/patagonia/images/DSCN0192.JPG

Finally, I have finally updated the photos for Buenos Aires and Uruguay. You can access those photo albums by clicking below:

Buenos Aires

Uruguay

WORD!!!

I travelled with myself, Jeremy Gallagher, Jeremy Cogan, Nick Kerklaan, Talya Karr. Corinne Hart was not present.

Glacier Hunting

2008-04-06T19:11:00.006-05:00

So, today, I saw the Perito Moreno Glacier, here in Patagonia. It is truly an awe-inspiring site, and I hope to have video and photos up soon once I go to someplace that has decent internet.

The entire time at the glacier, it was very cold, and it rained about half the time. Other than that, it was great!

It is difficult to give perspective on the true size of the glacier. It is just absolutely massive!!! Here are some stats: 250 sq. km, 30 km in length, 170 meters deep average, 700 meters at its deepest!!!

Here is a photo of ice crashing into the water. We saw many "ice crashes" while we were touring the glacier.

I, Jeremy Paul Gallagher, aka Jeremy Gallagher went to the glaciers with Jeremy Cogan and Nick Kerklaan. Corinne Hart and Talya Karr were not there.

A new 'do

2008-03-29T19:30:00.002-05:00

Here it is. Welcome to the world of blonde JPG:

Comments and or suggestions welcome.

Back in Action

2008-03-29T18:38:00.003-05:00

Bought a camera in BA and I am back in action:

Buenos Aires photos here.

And here are two new videos:

Walking to the Beach:

View of dorm room in Buenos Aires:

Jeremy Gallagher, Jeremy Gallagher Argentina, Jeremy Paul Gallagher, Corinne Hart, Talya Karr, Jeremy Cogan, Nick Kerklaan

Another Kobe Bryant Video

2008-03-29T18:35:00.000-05:00

This guy is amazing....

There is a way to be good again

2008-03-26T20:48:00.002-05:00

This is one of the best books I have read while on this trip so far, and I can´t wait for the movie to come out. If you haven´t read this story, I highly suggest it.

This is just insane.

2008-03-25T18:27:00.001-05:00

Jeremy Gallagher, Corinne Hart

Bus Ride From Hell

2008-03-19T17:46:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I need to write a little bit about the bus ride from Hell.

So, my last post laid out some problems I have with buses. That was nothing compared to this last adventure.

The bus from Tucuman to Puerto Iguazu was supposed to last 20 hours. IT TOOK 37 HOURS!!!

Can you even imagine spending 37 hours on a bus. Fortunately Cogan and Nick were there, and we were able to entertain ourselves....and I meet a German dude, which was fun. We bought some Whiskey and coke, and it made the trip all the more bearable.

Basically, there were three protests on our way to Puerto Iguazu, so it just took forever to get there!

OK, that's it, maybe more later.

Iguazu Falls Photos

2008-03-19T17:37:00.002-05:00

You can view the photo´s here!

Not quite sure if we are going to make it to Brazil or not. We would have to wait until Tuesday to get the Visa (Easter Holiday), and I am not sure we have the time or money to wait around.

We´ll see.

To Be Fair

2008-03-16T21:05:00.004-05:00

Ok, to be fair, it isn't always the Buses fault. Cogan and I are habitual wait till the last minuters and always show up to the bus, train, plane, or jeep at the last possible minute.

One time, I woke up early to go and buy the bus tickets cuz Cogan was sick and needed to sleep. I get the tickets and call Cogan and tell him the bus is leaving in thrity minutes. Needless to say, this is just not enough time. We end up hiring a cab to go chase down the bus. And yes, this strategy worked. There were some pissed off Peruvians who thought they had gotten away with getting a seat when they had just paid for standing room...hahahaha.

PEACE.

-jpg

PS. Bleached my hair. I will post a pic tomorrow. Oh wait, no I won't, my camera was stolen.

2008-03-16T21:05:00.001-05:00

I Love Argentina - Welcome to Argentina

2008-03-16T20:19:00.004-05:00

Ok, Argentina is awesome (with the exception of being more expensive). First off, 9 out of the ten girls I see are very attractive. Secondly, after being in Bolivia for so long, it is so relieving to be in a "normal" city.

Seriously. Travelling sounds really fun and easy, but it can very quickly become stressful and draining. For all of those people reading right now, imagine not having any sort of normal routine, EVER. Think about this. We took a 3 day tour of the Salar (Salt Flats), in which access to showers was extremely limited, or non-existent. Most of the time during the tour, which was spent mostly in a Jeep, we really didn't have too much of an idea of where the hell we were going or how long it would take to get there. The last day of the tour we had to wake up at 4am, and then when the tour ended we had to catch a train at 3am the next day. So, your sleep patterns are all messed up, and the group is starting to get a little snipey with each other.

Another consistent hassle with travelling is the bus rides. Let me try to bullet point the potential stresses (S's):

----Security. Is my shit going to get stolen while I am asleep? This leads to very poor sleep and either carrying your backpack on your lap or take the risk of putting it at your feet.

----Space. You don't just need to worry about the person sitting next to you, but the three giant fat bolivian women standing in the aisles with their ass literally in your face. You are thinking, what, why are they standing, ask them to move??? NO, DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!!! Yes, somehow the average native person can pay a cheaper price and agrees to stand for the 16 hour or so bus ride. Also, the aisles are full of people standing, so asking someone to move is like asking the letter 'j' on the keyboard to move over a little. THERE IS NO SPACE!!

----SURENESS. One of the worst parts is never knowing where the hell you are. Imagine the bus route goes from point A to point W. You are just going from point C to point J, but the bus stops at all the cities in between, but there is no announcement to where you have just arrived. Every single city you are looking around, wondering if this is your stop, or if you missed it already. You end up asking way too many times or just sit there anxiously hoping. Also there is never any idication whether this is just a pick up passengers stop or a 10 minute break. Today for example, the bus stopped at a gas station next to another bus of the same line. All the passengers, with the exception of us four gringo's got off the bus. I thought this was unusual, but not unheard of, so I went out to explore. Then, I see my bag and Cogan's bag being moved to the other bus. I ask the driver, what is going on, and he says all the passengers had to switch buses. I told him in perfect spanish that no one had told us gringos, and he just shrugged. I went and woke up Cogan, told Nick and Talya, and we switched. Good thing Cogan and I both hadn't been asleep or else we would be still be sitting on the bus at some random gas station in Northern Argentina.

----.Timliness. Ok, this doesn't start with an S, but is still very important. Most buses show up late, leave late, and take about an hour longer to get to the destination than advertised.

Ok, there are about a billion more flaws with buses, (including whether they consistently function or not) but they are too various to name.

I am gonna go have a beer, although, I can't quite tell if I am tired or not. One day, we didn't sleep for almost a full day, then only got two or three hours of sleep, then went out and partied till 5 or 6 in the morn (that is how it is done in Argentina, the clubs don't open till 1am).

I love Argentina. Civilization welcomes JPG back to its grasps.

-jpg

P.S. Please pardon my English in this post, I didn't even try.

Many thanks to Cynthia

2008-02-27T12:36:00.003-05:00

I am writing this post to give props to Cynthia. When I was in Arizona, about a month or two before my trip, we went to REI. She said, you definitely need a really good towel if you are going to go backpacking. I was confused at first, as I have always assumed that all towels are made equally. In the end, she convinced me to buy a relatively expensive REI super fast drying towel.

It has been a godsend. It is super small, and drys super fast. This is important, as you often take a shower and have to leave immediately. If I had a towel that took a long time to dry, it would make my backpack smell.

So, many thanks to Cynthia for pressuring me into buying a high quality towel.

I like to call my towel, "Towlie". Just like they did in South Park, then I pretend that the towel says "Wanna get hi", and then I say, "No stupid Towel, I don't wanna get hi. Your the worst character ever".

Word.

PASSPORT, CAMERA, BACKPACK STOLEN

2008-02-22T15:46:00.004-05:00

Yup, its true.

But, the US embassy got me a new passport, so i am all good.

-jpg

Climb up Machu Picchu Mountain

2008-02-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

On Feb 10th, I went to Machu Picchu again with Jeremy Cogan. It was an absolutely fun day, in part because the whole day were were constantly racing against the clock. Basically, the whole day, whatever we did, we did it at the very last possible moment, and just barely made it to where we want. From being the first customers to ever order online tickets from Peru Rail, to literally running from place to place to meet our transportation. On one bus we were short one seat, so we actually asked the passengers if anyone was willing to let us have their seat, and yes, one did! It was a blast.

During this trip to Machu Picchu, I spent most of the time hiking up and down Machu Picchu Mountain. It is at an elevation of 10,090 ft, and has georgeous views going up the hill! Watch the video and check out the pics to see more.

Special emphasis on the video, it is really really cool.

Made it to Bolivia

2008-02-15T02:18:00.005-05:00

So, I have made it to Bolivia. Yay!

It was quite a process to get in. Due to a small feud between Bolivia´s President and our own Mr. Bush, the process for American citizens to enter the country has become incredibly complex. Just to enter the country you need to provide (as of Jan 1 this year):

$100 Visa Fee (ouch)
Copy of Passport
Copy of a Credit Card
Copy of Yellow Fever Immunization
Copy of Travel Itinerary
Copy of Hotel Booking (or letter of invitation from a resident)
Passport size photo

All this is totally ridiculous. To enter Peru and Ecuador all we had to do is fill out a form at the border. Super simple. In the usual Jeremy Gallagher and Jeremy Cogan fashion, we did all of this at the very last minute, rushing around every to make copies and print things out. We barely made it to the bus, but in the end, we made it to Bolivia.

Our first night here was a blast. The hostel has a bar in it, which was a well needed sight. We ordered some pizza, and got to partying with the other gringo´s at the hostel. There was quite a festivity going on and we ended up partying until 5am. One of the things I found really neat was that everyone in the bar knew the songs "Californication" and "Hotel California". It is so neat having everyone know where you are from. The night ended with Jeremy Cogan breaking the door to the room we were staying in. In the morning, everyone was perplexed on what happened...but we just remained silent :-)

So far, so good. More to post soon!

Money Spent In South America

2008-02-12T18:44:00.000-05:00

I have spent a little time putting together an excel spreadsheet showing the amount of money I have spent in South America so far. I have found it interesting, and I hope you do to.

Money Spent In South America (November - January):

Money Spent In South America (November - February Projected):

My analysis is that I spent a great deal of money travelling with my parents, and the first month that I was in Lima. Considering that I did not pay rent in Lima, I should not have spent this much money. On the other hand I did take classes in Lima which were a significant expense.

Overall conclusion is that I have gotten alot better at being a backpacker since we left Lima. If you are truly interested in the exact amount it costs to backpack around South America shoot me an email or leave a comment.

Good Luck Obama tonight! Wish I had a TV and I could watch CNN.

New Movie

2008-02-11T17:59:00.000-05:00

Well, I went to Machu Picchu yesterday, and I wanted to quickly make a video of my treck up to the top of Machu Picchu Mountain (10,090 ft high), and then post it here, but I got distracted, and I made a different video. You can download it by clicking here, or the YouTube link below.

The video is super fun, check it out. And oh yah, here's a image of Corinne that she approves of:

Here is another way to view the vide o instead of downloading it to your computer:

P.S. Don´t forget to watch the video by downloading it here, or watching it online.

P.S.S. I am a laugh riot!

Classic Machu Picchu Photos

2008-02-09T15:23:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back in Cuzco, getting ready to go to Machu Picchu again, and thought it was about time I uploaded some of my Machu Picchu photos from November.

Well, here are what I like to consider the best (and most classic) photos from Machu Picchu:

Sacred Valley Video Tour

2008-02-08T20:57:00.001-05:00

I went to the Sacred Valley today and visited Pisac, Ollantaytambo, & Chinero. My second visit to most of these places, but it is still amazing. I made a video so that I could try to portray why it is called "The Sacred Valley". Here is the video:

Cuzco is CLOSED!

2008-02-07T15:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, you read the title right, today, February 7th, 2008, Cuzco shut down. The Capital city of the Incan empire, home to Machu Picchu, and possibly the most touristy place in South America is CLOSED.

There were city wide protests, with all of the ruins being closed, including Machu Picchu. It was hard to tell what the protests were about exactly, but I think they were protesting the Peruvian federal governments.

But, I am not quite sure, as about 30 minutes into my observation a giant statue of the Incan god holding a severed American head was driven around the plaza.

I stood there, looking at this, and quickly realized that I was the only gringo around. But, I can´t say that I felt unsafe as there were about 30 cops about 20 feet away, and plus, I don´t think that any of the locals really had any actual bad feelings toward Americans.

Here is a video of the protests:

And here are some more pictures of the protests. You can view them all here.

*Just to note, the Indiginous Pride flag in Peru has a striking resemblance to the Gay Pride Flag.

They try.....they try so hard!

2008-02-06T20:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of a sign at the train station in Lima. I am constantly coming across signs like this, and they always crack me up.

Although it should be obvious, the white text is in spanish, and the yellow text is in english.

Another picture of Corinne

2008-02-01T17:18:00.000-05:00

Picture of me and my friend Corinne

2008-02-01T16:51:00.000-05:00

Photo´s of my friends

2008-01-30T17:48:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Cogan´s Dad recently mentioned to him that I often mention my/our friends in my blog, but he would like to see photo´s of my/our friends.

This request has been fulfilled. You can access photos of my friends here.

Cheers!

Ecuadorian´s Currency

2008-01-26T16:32:00.000-05:00

I wanted to mention one quick thing about Ecuador (I plan on writing a whole blog about it).

If you are interested in seeing the Ecuadorian currency, just open your wallet. Yes, Ecuador has given up on its own currency and adopted the dollar.

"On January 9, 2000, the administration of President Jamil Mahuad announced its intention to adopt the U.S. dollar as the official currency of Ecuador to address the ongoing economic crisis. The formal
adoption of the dollar as currency on September 10, 2000, as opposed to merely pegging the Sucre
to the dollar as Argentina had done, theoretically meant that the benefits of seigniorage would accrue to the U.S. economy. ..................The Noboa government confirmed its commitment to dollarize as the centerpiece of its economic recovery strategy, successfully completing the transition from sucres
to dollars in 2001.

"You can find more about this on Wikipedia here.

Cheers!

64 hours on a bus!

2008-01-26T14:47:00.000-05:00

Ok, I just spent 24 hrs straight (minus a quick dinner break last night) on a bus. I have 16 more hours to look forward to to get to lima, then another 24 hours to get to Cuzco. Yes, thats right, 64 hrs. total.

Although sitting on a bus for 64 hours seems glamorous, it actually is not. When you are deciding which bus to take, you really don´t have any idea what the bus is going to be like. Every person you ask (who works for the bus company) will just tell you, "si, el bus es muy bueno" (yes, the bus is very good). We try to use our book, but it doesn´t always work, as most of the time the books suggestions doesn´t meet our timing needs, or the book simply does not suggest a ´good´option.

One of the trickiest parts to the bus is knowing when to get on and off the bus. Imagine a bus going from point A-Z, with stops at every letter of the alphabet in between (generally, little small south american towns). So, we get on at point C, and need to get off at point H, but we have NO IDEA what point H looks like, so we can´t really relax and take a solid nap, cuz you are always wondering where the hell you are, and if this is your stop. The worst is when you pass your stop and have to backtrack.

Imagine having to backtrack with 40 lbs on your back. Not fun. Last night, I did not sleep a wink at the bus (we arrived at the Ecuador Peru border at about 5am). We arrived to the Ecuadorian border when it was still dark out, but didn´t make it to the Peru border town until it was nice and sunny.

We had a minor tiff with the cab driver, which ended with me calling him a liar (but all in spanish) loudly enough that anyone within 50 ft could hear, while Jeremy Cogan was calmly trying to explain to him that next time he needs to more thoroughly explain the pricing structure (gotta love Cogan). Prior to this entanglement, we spent about 10 minutes in the cab arguing with him, while he held my US $20 bill ransom. The guy ended up cheating us 3 soles, which is only $1 US dollar. He initially tried to cheat us out of 15-30 soles ($5-$10), which actually isn´t alot when you are thinking in terms of the states, but in Ecuador/Peru, that is alot of money. Consider that the minimum wage in Ecuador is $200 US per month (and less in Peru), $10 US is about 5% of your monthly salary.

Anyways, losing a dollar is not a big deal, but I think after spending a bizzilion hours on a bus, and not sleeping, the prospect of someone trying to hustle you gets a little annoying.

Ok, thats it for now.

P.S. For anyone going across the Peru - Ecuador border at Tumbes: take the collectivos, they are easier. Don´t listen to the cabi´s. Also, if you can take the Loja boder route, it was much easier, and significantly quicker/safer.

New Photos Added

2008-01-25T01:14:00.000-05:00

I have added two new photo albums as well as fixing the old album links.

Here are the links to the new albums:

My Favorite Photos

Guayaquil & Quito

Stay tuned for more when available.

Switch from Xanga to Blogger

2008-01-24T15:06:00.000-05:00

I am officially switching from Xanga to Google´s Blogger! It is superior in many ways, the top two being:

users can leave comments without needing an account
the RSS feed with Xanga is all messed up and is making my life more difficult

The new blog is at: http://jeremypaulgallagher.blogspot.com/

The old blog is at: http://www.xanga.com/JeremyPaulGallagher

I have transferred all the Peru posts over to Blogger and will being only using that from now on.

REVIEW: Iquitos, Peru

2008-01-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

Current Location: Quito, Ecuador
Places Visited Since Last Post:
Places Passed Through Since Last Post:

I am now in Quito, Ecuador. It is difficult to explain how I arrived here, but I will try. At the time of my last 'real' post I was in Iquitos, Peru, which is very, very far wasy from my current location. Here is a map that I have modified to sho my general route since I left Iquitos:

Red X´s is where I started and ended, and the white line is the general route (all by bus)!

Iquitos:
Some background first on Iquitos: It is the largest city in the world (pop around 400,000) not reachable by road. The only way in and out is by plane or boat. It is located in the far northeast Peru at one end of the Pacaya–Samiria National Reservation (the 'real' jungle). When you first arrive to Iquitos, you realize that it is HOT. This has its upsides & downsides. Downside is that you sweat alot. Upside is that the women tend to wear little clothing. On that subject, almost all the women I met in Iquitos were beautiful. Since Iquitos is only reachable by plane or boat, there are very few cars, but a million motorcycles. Now, to combine the two previous subjects, it is an amazing sight to see a ton of beautiful women driving around on motorcycles.
All that being said, now you have an understanding of why Cogan, Isaac, and Avram (Isaac´s brother) decided to spend New Years there. New Years was quite amazing, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Didn´t go to sleep until about 7am, but who needs to sleep anyways.
I spent most of my time in Iquitos hanging out with the boys, or with my very lovely friend Carolina. Leaving Iquitos was difficult as I had quickly grown accostomed to life in Iquitos, which is quite pleasant. I thought leaving was difficult (the first day we tried to leave, we missed the boat, literally), but I had no idea what was waiting for me.

The next post will explain "The Boat". Stay Tuned.

Haven´t written in a while

2008-01-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

I only have 5 minutes to write this, so I won´t go into to much detail right now. Since I have written last I have:

-Spent three nights on a boat in the Amazon

-Cogan´s bday

-Did a crazy jungle tour

-Crossed through all of Pere (East-West) and headed up to Ecuador

-Hung out with a friend in Chiclayo

-Saw the Señor de Sipan

-Hung out with mty Cousins and niece in Guayaquil and Salinas (beach)

Ok, there is more, but I will add detail when I have more time. My ´favorite fotos´will be added soon!

-jpg

3 days on a boats, 5 days in the jungle

2008-01-03T20:01:00.000-05:00

I am about to hop on a boat for 3 days, and spend 5 days in the jungle.

Word.

Welcome to the jungle, we have fun ´n´ games

2008-01-01T16:30:00.000-05:00

Llegamos a la selva (Iquitos) anteayer. La primera noche era bien, saliamos con mi amigo Isaac y su hermano Avram. Anoche, bailamos hasta 6 en la manana. La noche, estuve perfecto.

So, I must say that I like the jungle, despite the 85% humidity, and the hour and a half rain showers each night, this place is really cool. It is not nearly as touristy as Cuzco, and has a really cool small town feel. The girls here are absolutely gorgeous, and even more so when they are riding motorcycles. Since there is no way to reach Iquitos by road (plane and boat only), the main form of transportation is by motorcycle (which includes a modified three wheel version called a ´mototaxi´).

Yesterday, we did a river tour of a few small communities along the river, which was neat. First we went to a real touristy place, where it was clear that the people were just hanging around waiting for tourists to arrive. All the locals were dressed in ´native´ attire. After, we asked the driver to take us to a ´non-touristy´ community, which turned out to be way more authentic. Everyone was fully clothed like normal. Although us gringos clearly stood out, and everyone was staring at us the whole time, it was definitely nice to get a better sense of what life is like for people living along the amazon river.

Speaking of the amazon, it is huge. And we are not even at the full height of the river. At the second little village we went to, all the house are on wooden polls about 20-25 feet in the air for when the river rises. It is kinda crazy how big it is. I am used to going to to the colorado river alot, but the amazon is at least twice the size. Kinda crazy.

Ok, I got to go, my internet time is almost up (you pay by the hour here, and internet is expensive in the jungle...almost 50 US cents per hour...hahaha). Gotta watch those soles though.

"Wocka Wocka Wocka" - Fozzie Bear 12-27-2007

2007-12-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to two different "Huaca`s" in Lima. This term is easily confused with the classic "Wocka Wocka Wocka" line by Fozzie Bear. Although they sound similar, they are actually two different things.

A Huaca is actually "object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind." Here is an example of a Huaca that I went to yesterday:

"Wocka Wocka Wocka" is a line by Fozzie Bear, an orange, fuzzy Muppet bear who tells bad jokes. Here is a picture of fozzie:

Ok, now that we got that settled, lets move on to the descriptions of the Huacas. Specifically we visited Huaca Pucllana and Huaca Huallamarca. Both are pre-incan ruins in the districtos of Miraflores and San Isidro respectively.

Huaca Pucllana - The more impressive of the two Huaca`s I visited yesterday. It is made entirely of mud bricks and was built in 200-700 AD. Yes, that is a long, long time ago. In the temple, they sacrificed human bodies and buried people and things (see pics). No one really knows what the exact purpose of the structure, but it is believed the intent was for two reasons: religious and political. In regards to religion, it is believed that the site was constructed as some sort of temple to the god of the ocean and for the rulers at the time to express their religious authority. The political reason, as is with most things old and Peruvian, revolves around water. The site was chosen to control the water canal system, which stems from the Rimac river.

Huaca Huallamarca - Smaller than Pucllana, this site provided a glimpse into simpler construction methods by the pre-incan civilizations. I don´t really have much to say about this, except that it is a big pyramid shaped thing made out of mud. The view from the top was impressive.

Ok, I think that is it for now. There are tons more pictures of the Hauca`s if you click Here, and here are some random ones:

P.S. You can find more pictures here.

Nothing to do, and I feel like chicken... Saturday 12-22-07

2007-12-22T21:03:00.000-05:00

I really don´t have much to do today, and I feel like eating some chicken. Which, turns out describes most everyday of my life here .

Today, the internet place is having a "pollada", which is basically a big chicken-fest. Perfect.

Internet and chicken. Love it.

It is Saturday morning, three days before Christmas. Isaac and his brother left early this morning for Cuzco and Iquitos. Cogs and I are thinking about meeting up with him for New Years in the jungle, but really haven´t decided. This week has been very fun and relaxing. Now that we are done with the school, we are focusing on checking out all the sites around Lima. I am thinking that after Christmas, we are going to take off for a tour of Northern Peru and Equador (Trujillo, Chiclayo, Iquitos and Quito).

My Tia Dori is doing well. She is out of the hospital and back home how. Isaac, Cogs, and I visited her yesterday, and it was really fun. After hearing my Aunt and Uncle talk to Isaac at normal speed, I could really tell that they were slowing down their speaking for me.

Pictures are coming soon, but it is taking me forever to get it set up. Turns out that I have taken 1,300 picutes during my two months so far. 1,200 were within the first three weeks of the trip when my parents and I did the whirlwind tour of Peru. Since I no longer have my Mac, I am having to relearn how to do everything manually. It is kind of neat. By the end of the trip I will be fluent in Spanish and HTML.

Palabra (Word).

Favorite Quote of the Day

2007-12-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

This quote is from a NY Times article about Bill Richardson, democratic presidential candidate:

"But no one ever seemed offended. “He’s like a very friendly puppy dog,”said Stephen Bosworth, ambassador to Korea at the time. Greeting onePakistani ambassador, Mr. Richardson “gave him a noogie,” Mr. Goldwynremembered in wonder."

Gotta love it.

-jpg

¡Peru so far! 12-8-2007

2007-12-09T02:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven´t been so good about writing in here, but I am going to try to be better. I will try to give a run down of what I have done so far, with some commentary on each item.

1st night in Lima: Arrived to Lima, Peru aobut 3 hours before my Mom. Sat around in the airport waiting for her. A cute girl selling cell phones came up to me and talked for a while. I asked her how much the cell phones cost, and she advised me to not buy one. Thoguht that was funny.

Lima (round 1): Saw Lima Centro during the day which was pretty neat and new, and then had dinner with my Tia Dorita and Tio Alberto. They are really nice and have been really good to me. It would have been really different being here without them. My dad arrived on the 1st of December.

Arequipa: Arequipa was a good introduction to Peru, albeit not an extremely exciting place to be. My parents and I did our one and only organized tour here. We went all over Arequipa and saw different Mountains, terraces, and such. I think the best part about Arequipa was the hotel we stayed in....Colonial House. It was a ´casa antiuga´ which basically means that back in the day it was an old mansion and now is a hotel. It was so cheap that my parents and I both got separate giant rooms. Each morning, we would go onto the roof were an american style breakfast was served. I liked the hotel.

Cuzco: Cuzco was absolutely incredible, albeit expensive. The best part of Cuzco was the Incan ruins. We went to many different sites, with the highlights being´Sacsyhuaman´ and ´Pisac´. All the books label Cuzco as "Cuzco and the Sacred Valley". At first, I didn´t understand what the ´Sacred Valley´ part meant. Once I was there I figure it out. It is by far one of the most incredible sights that I have ever seen (I will post pictures as soon as I can). It is hard to explain, but imagine a narrow type valley surronded by mountains with plush green grass covering the ground, and majestic mountains as far as the eye can see. It is easy to see why the native people would mistake the mountains as some sort of diety-like creature. In cusco, instead of going on an "organized tour," my parents and I paid this guy Jon about $30 to drive us around all day and take us to the sights himself. A much better (and cheaper) option than doing the organized tour...plus, we got to do whatever we wanted and stay at any place for however we wanted. I look forward to visiting a couple more ruins that my parents and I didn´t get to when Jeremy Cogan and I return.

Machu Picchu: It is extremely difficult to describe the beauty and amazement that is Machu Picchu. Here is the best I can do. Machu Picchu is a city built about 8,000 ft above sea level in the Andean Mountain Range. To just say that it is a city in the Mountains is an understatment. It is literally built on top of a mountain, with the mountain behind it resembeling an Incan face looking towards the sky (no one is sure if they carved the mountain or not). You are so high in the air, that you are at the same level as the clouds. Besides the site itself, when you actually examine how Machu Picchu was built you are stunned. All of the important religious buildings in Machu Picchu were built with stone that is cut so exactly that mortor wasn´t need to put it together. That is amazing to me. Also, the way the Incan´s were able to manipulate the waters is impressive. The irrigation that they built over 550 years ago is still working. They had running waters in their showers, bathrooms, kitchens...everywhere. Ok, enought about Machu Picchu....it was AMAZING!

Puno/Lake Titicaca: The lake was cool, but I got sick in Puno. Never going back. Thanks!

Trujillo: Puno was a super fun place to be. First off, it was simply cool staying the a hotel that used to the house that my mom was born in....but I have already talked about that below so I will move on. The two highlights of Trujillo were Chan-Chan and visiting Isaacs site in Puerto Chicama. Chan-Chan is this giant mud brick pre-incan ruins right outside the city. It is impressive due to its incredible size (about 12 sq miles), and the fact that they made the entire thing out of mud. The second highlight was visiting Isaac´s site (he was doing Peacecorps in a small town called Puero Chicama in norther Peru). The visit gave my parents and I the best glimpse into seeing what ´real´ Peru was like and how people actually lived. The final thing we did in Peru was visit some family I have there, which was fun.

Ok, that is enough for now. I will write more about life in Lima so far, and my trip back to Puerto Chicama.

Cheers,

-jpg

P.S. Here´s a picture of Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas sort of giving you an idea of the vastness of the area:

Saturday, November 17, 2007

2007-11-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

As I write this email as I am sitting in the room my Mom was born in. Specifically, I am in the "internet room" in the Gran Bolivar Hotel, in Trujillo, Peru. To be clear, my Mom was not born in a hotel. The building I sit in now was the house in which my Grandparents, my mom, and her 8 brothers and sister lived in before they moved to the United States (it was later converted into a hotel due to its size). It is absolutely incredible to be experiencing the history of my family firsthand.

I have spent about 3 weeks in Peru, and will be living in Peru for about one and a half more months. After that, I will be backpacking through South America visiting, Ecquador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentia, Paraguay, Uraguay, and Brazil (and maybe more if there is time). I have been travelling for the past 3 weeks with my parents visiting Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and now Trujillo. In about 1 week mi amigo Jeremy Cogan will be arriving in Peru, and we will complete the 6 month backpacking adventure together.

During the six months I hope to learn Spanish fluently, volunteer, and explore all that South America has to offer.

Here are some photos of the adventure so far:

Made it to Peru

2007-11-01T22:40:00.000-05:00

01 de Noviembre,

I arrived in Lima at 10pm on the 30th. I waited in the airport unitl 1am for my Mom to arrive.

The next day we explored Lima and then went out to dinner with my Tia Dori and my Tio Alberto. Today, we hung out all day with my Tia Dori and my Tio Alberto. I think we are going to be able to stay at a place nearby.

I am really shocked on how little Spanish I really know. I thought I would do alright, but I can barely understand what is going on most of the time. I can't wait until I attend the Spanish class with Jeremy Cogan. My Dad arrives tonight, and I am sure we will party it up!

Update more later.

-jpg