a spectacular / spec-tack-ular Southwest adventure.

me, totally prepared for another trip.

I’m dusting off the ol’ travel blog for my newest travel adventure, a 5-day road trip across the dusty highways of the Southwestern United States with my two trusty pals Dan and Raghav. The blog’s title remains “Un voyage au Liban,” and I realize this is incongruous, but I don’t really want to clutter up my Internet space with another brand-new blog (and I do realize this isn’t how the Internet works); so as it moves from one-trip to two-trip, this blog transcends single-trip documentation and is now, my official, Travel Blog.

Meet the travelers: Dan “Flamingo” Woo* is a San Diegan scientist who totally skipped out on our last travel adventure (France) so he’s making up for it by driving thousands of miles across the desert. He is the Driver.

Raghav “the Philosopher” Prishnakriyan* is a Cupertinan lawyer who also traveled on the second leg of my last trip and took a bunch of unflattering pictures of me against magnificent Paris backdrops.  He is the Wi-Fi Provider.

what every meal looks like with these two.

I am a Berkeley-an editor, my spirit animal’s the elephant, I am the Navigator.

*Names have been changed imperceptibly.

Like my last trip (France-Lebanon) this is a trip of contrasts. We’re starting with Vegas, the capital of man-made low-brow entertainment, then going on to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, which are some of the most beautiful natural phenomena the world has to offer. I expect spectacular vistas of Southwestern landscapes, and spec-tack-ular gift shops and roadside attractions along Route 66, and just plain tacky casinos and buffets in Vegas and Laughlin. It’ll be fantastic (fan-tack-tic? fantas-tack? tack-tastic? There we go).

Let’s hope car-blogging doesn’t make me car-sick. Wednesday, it begins.

Swag.

Feast your eyes on this travel cornucopia courtesy my aunt Pat (no stranger to travel herself):

Clockwise from top left: Victorinox Travel Power Strip; LittleMissMatched luggage tag; Baggallini jewelry pouch; Eagle Creek packing set; Streetwise Paris map

My boyfriend’s (me-selected) cross-body bag Christmas gift, selflessly sacrificing his own Macy’s gift card:

That's him, inside the strap. Practicing trumpet.

And two coats that I bought myself, at great personal expense, as I agonized over the anticipated coldness of Paris (40-degree highs, which I am used to being lows):

Green. Short.

Dark navy. Long.

Tomorrow I’m also getting a haircut. Not explicitly trip-related but definitely something I wanted to do before I left. At this rate I’ll end up spending more than my airfare before I’ve even left the ground.

I also got this from my parents. Not sure about the "hedonist" part but nicely Beirut-specific.

I am, historically, a worrywart, so I guess I just like to make sure I am PREPARED. Which means the next couple days will be spent doing my least favorite of pre-trip tasks: calling credit cards and cell phones, getting currency, researching visa process, printing airport maps, checking confirmations. Can I hire someone to do this? Lame.

13 days.