Tony from Wisconsin

Tony has to be the most memorable character on my trip so far. Met him at our guesthouse on Isla Del Sol this evening, watching the sun set through the lens of his colossal Sony camera. Tony's a 60-year-old Chinese guy who escaped the Cultural Revolution in China in 1970, by swimming across the sea to Hong Kong. He now lives with his wife and two kids in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he's semi-retired (runs a family restaurant). He's obsessed with trekking (and with windsurfing), and he regularly traverses the globe in search of remote romps and lonely peaks.

Tony digitally videoing the scenery of Isla Del Sol.

Chris and I have been making fun of Tony ever since we met him. His quint-essential accent, combined with his classic quotes — e.g. "don't stay in hotel in China, the phone ring all night, ask if you want girl in the room", or "the guys in my restaurant, all Mexicans — they don't have green card, I donno how do they cross the border — but I don't care, all so cheap" — make it a pastime too tempting to resist. Really friendly guy, and doing amazing stuff for his age.