Where I've Been
Galapagos
Between leaving the Upper East Side of Manhattan and returning to Staten Island, I went with my best friend to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. She had a teaching gig, and was having a lot of other fun in Quito. We had a great time diving at Floreana, including a short bit around Devil's Crown, some of which you can see in the background.
We spent most of our time just wandering around. We shared our accomodations on Isabella with some very laid back folks. We also met some very nice birds...had a tete-a-tete with a blue footed booby, and a hot time on a lake with some Flamingoes.
New York's Upper East Side
Before returning to Staten Island I was living on the upper east side of Manhattan, zip code 10021, one of the richest zip codes in the US. I was working as building manager for a church that shall remain nameless.
Strange as it might seem, life on the UES was one of the cheapest gigs I've ever had. My average weekly food bill, excluding what I spent hanging out in coffee shops, of course, was about $5.00, mostly for milk and juice. My pantry was filled almost exclusively from dumpster diving, sorting through the vast quantities of usable food that was thrown away almost daily by the three major food stores within ten minutes walk of my residence.
Fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheese, more bread than I could consume. Even with the several "food pantry" programs that operated in the area, the volume of mostly out-dated but still perfectly good food that was thrown away, in my neighborhood alone, was enough to support hundreds, perhaps thousands of people.
The Freegan website is a great resource for anyone interested in recovering and using New York's incredible waste stream.
Ganas
What is there to say about Ganas? Check out their web presence, they've pretty much said it themselves.
