The Wobbling Sprocket

There are roughly a billion people on this planet without access to clean water.  Whenever I am tempted to gripe about some aspect of my daily life, I try to think about that statistic.

Apparently, Australian  Pat Farmer thinks about it too.  He's trying to raise $100 million for clean water projects in developing countries by running from the North Pole to the South Pole.  Wow.  Talk about stretch goals.  That would not have been my solution….for a whole lot of reasons.  

That doesn't mean I don't support it.  I'm in with my wallet.  Pat's website points out that as little as $10 can provide clean drinking water to a person for 10 years.  That's a way better use of my my dough than buying a $4 gallon of gas (which I am NOT griping about either). 

Pat's run starts about 10 hours from now (if weather permits).  You can follow it here:  http://poletopolerun.com/

We just biked a short stretch of the Inter American Highway in Panama.  I can't imagine running that…. and it is the least of his run.

More power to you Pat and good luck!

He's going to run across the Darien Gap! with a group of 20 security guards!

If you don't think he can do it, take a look at his resume. I think he can.

Yikes!  Far and Away Cycling is the ONLY business in the entire Wash DC metro area (other than someone in Bethesda) that accepts payments via Dwolla.

It is pretty easy.  All you do is set up an account and tie it to a bank account.  You can pay on-line or with  iPhone/iPad or 'Droid apps.

I am all for taking costs out of accepting payments any way I can.  Most people don't realize what it costs to pay with a plastic card.  That's because the fees are all buried.   The airline miles, or whatever else one racks up, are dwarfed by the cost of card transactions.

If you don't want to carry around a wad of cash though, it's hard to avoid….up 'til now. 

Enter Dwolla.  Here we are (and proud of it!): 

Yea for us!

To reinforce the point, if you sign up for one of our tours using Dwolla, I will rebate to you what it costs in fees to accept a $300 cc tour deposit….about 3%, so I will round that up to $10.  Dwolla costs $.25 per transaction…in any amount. 

We have other discounts….I don't really expect $10 to motivate anyone, but it's the principle.  

You can get a Dwolla account here.  Dwolla is integrated with Facebook and Twitter, so it is easy to move $$$ to/from friends and followers, provided they are on it also.  If not, they probably should be.

More on  Dwolla:

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Hello? Anyone there?

Here are our tips for staying connected (inexpensively) by phone when traveling abroad.  If you have a tip, let's hear it! 

Do what the locals do
Buy a local sim card.  You need an unlocked GSM phone that is compatible with the local system for this (you can check on-line).  Sim cards are usually inexpensive and you can then make domestic and international calls just like the locals do.   Make sure you put your old sim card in a safe place and make note of the PIN of the new card.  Some phones will ask for the pin of the new card (unless that feature is disabled) every time you turn the phone on.  Also, don't forget to write down your new phone number and keep it handy.

Payphones still actually do exist
Buy an international phone card that you can use at a payphone.  You can buy these in different denominations and payphones are still prevalent in a lot of places.  Look at name on the phone booth you want to use and buy the card with the same name.  Usually there will be vendor nearby.  In a pinch you can use your credit card, but you'll pay dearly for that.

You'll see these if you look
Find a business (sometimes co-located with internet shops) that has a little phone booth (sometimes it is just a phone…no booth) for overseas calling.  You may have never had occasion to use one of these before,  but it is a competitive business and you only pay for whatever minutes are used.  A real bargain.  After your call, you will be told what you owe.

Virtually free
Get Skype on your computer and learn how to use it.  Or use Skype from an internet shop.  Set up your account before you leave home.  It's virtually free and you can use it wherever there is a decent internet connection.

What you can't do without
This will seem basic, but make a list of the important phone numbers you want to have and keep it with you at ALL times.  International Directory Assistance can probably assist, but it's MUCH better and cheaper to have your number.