Read Megan's travelogue from the beginning...

New York City - Introduction

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

I'm not going to do the trendy travel blog countdown (1 couple, 2 backpacks, 3 continents, 4 lungs, 37 Q-tips, 12,000 dollars, and a dream...) but here is the deal: I am going to travel the Americas with my boyfriend, photographer Michael Simon, and we're going to document the trip. We're in our late twenties and have lived together for almost a year, so besides being a calculated grab at our dream careers, this trip is secretly the Final Test.

The plan is a compromise. I wanted to go back to India and on to Southeast Asia. Michael wanted to go to South America. The chance to become fluent in Spanish tipped the scales heavily and I agreed to South America--on the condition that we take the bus. Not to punish Michael for making me compromise, but because I love riding the bus. No, really. Much discussion and map-poring-over followed.

The current incarnation is this: We'll spend the next year riding busses from our home in Manhattan down the east coast of the U.S., along the gulf coast of Texas, through Mexico, Central America, and South America and eventually hit Antarctica. We'll visit the Gringo Trail Must-Sees (Macchu Picchu et al.) and also step out of the Lonely Planet and experience stuff we've never heard of. Sometimes we'll stop for a week of intensive Spanish study, then get back on the road to practice what we've learned. I'll write and Michael will photograph. That is the entirety of the plan. No reservations, no schedule and no idea where we'll be at this time next year.

Yeah, I know the route is not completely bus accessible. Or as a pithy Thorn Tree poster put it: "One question. The Darien Gap. How? "Well theres no rule that we have to have at least one foot on Mother Earth at all times. We're not trying to set a record for Most Painfully Contrived Trip Ever. (There's already some guy who unicycled to every Chinese restaurant in Norway or whatever.) Our trip will involve an occasional train, plane, car or boat to some otherwise inaccessible place. And of course visiting Antarctica will require a ship. And I make no promises--if the bus starts to suck, we'll do something else. But for now, we plan to ride the bus.

This trip has been done before, and photographed before, and blogged about before, but we're doing it anyway. Michael is a great photographer and is bringing a bunch of cameras, so his photos will be well worth viewing. I hope to write something both informative and enjoyable to read.

Questions and comments are always welcome.

Wish us luck!

 



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25 comments so far | Post a comment
Saturday, September 17, 2005 | Zack said...
Good luck, babe...

Wednesday, September 21, 2005 | Todd said...
Okay, Okay. You were right, as usual, and I was wrong, when I made fun of you back when you went to two or three photo labs until you had passport photos you were happy with. I might have even said something like, Nobody�s ever going to see it except customs inspectors who see a thousand every day. If more of them saw yours, they wouldn�t have banned smiling for the photo like they just did.

Wednesday, October 5, 2005 | Megan said...
I only had two sets of pics taken... I ended up using the first (hideous) set for my All-Scotland bus pass, or whatever it was called, so it worked out well in the end. Did they really ban smiling???

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 | Don said...
Megan, your Blog is fresh, fun, and very informative. Then again, it's just like the Megan I remember from Larkin (need I say more?). I always knew you would find true love, and create something wonderful for the world to see. This Blog is proof of that, and further proof that you just can't keep a good woman down . . . One more thing. Are you "Locking"?

Sunday, October 23, 2005 | Erin said...
Hi Megan I saw your website address on your recent Swirl comment and decided to check it out. What an adventure!! I'm jealous!! I wish you both the best - Have a great time!!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 | Megan Lyles said...
Don! How have you been? I should check my comments more often... nope, not locking, but proudly natural. Erin, thank you for checking out the site!

Friday, January 13, 2006 | michaelsimon said...
man, we have been on the road for awhile now...

Monday, January 16, 2006 | Megan Lyles said...
(found it) It feels like about two months since we first left home.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 | stephanie said...
just came across this site whilst checking out this n that and bus routes - mexico & guatemala for our trip in Oct - just had to say great pix. looking forwards to reading megan's stories S

Tuesday, November 27, 2007 | Bobbie (Barbara) White said...
Hi Megan,'I am so happy to see what you have done with your life and that you have accomplished so much. Please get in touch with me.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011 | Noel English|Casinos Online said...
So this is where it started. I'm just starting reading through this blog and I love your writing and Michael's photos.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | Essay Plan said...
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Monday, December 19, 2011 | Marcus said...
I love New York. I love the place and all of the things in New york. In New York we can buy bcs national championship tickets, 2012 ncaa final four tickets, notre dame football tickets and diaz vs st-pierre tickets. We can also watch the mares vs agbeko live streaming and peterson vs khan live streaming.

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Megan Lyles is a native New Yorker who has also lived in San Francisco. Having already traveled in Eastern and Western Europe, India, Thailand, and the U.S., she is now tackling a one-year bus trip from New York City to the tip of South America with photographer Michael Simon and doing freelance work along the way. She has a degree in social work from NYU and types 85 words per minute.
More about Megan.

Links
Michael's site.
Michael's photo blog.
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