Ben C. Danielsen of Norway

Dear Geo,

Just arrived in Brighton, on the south coast of good old England. I am sitting on a bench with my laptop & beer. I'm just thinking about my time at The LVBP
& looking at some of the photographs you gave me. I stayed last night in London, but decided to go hunting for the sun & it seems like I've found it. Not too cold here
at the moment, but it is suppose to snow on Wednesday, so, I guess I will be gone by then. Where? I don't know, maybe sunny Spain or Portugal...

Tales of The PHOTOhype Presents:

"I was somewhere near Barstow, on the edge of the
desert, when The Hype began to unfold."

You know, Geo, for the first time in my life, I feel "homeless". Stepping down as manager
for The LVBP was perhaps the hardest thing I ever did. That place was my home from March 6th, 1999
to April 4th 2000. Even now, almost 10,000 miles away from it & with the knowledge that I might
never return, I still consider it my home & the friends I left behind, my family.

[ Emma Andrews ], the Sales & Marketing Director. What a sweet heart! She is always there
to cheer you up with her sweet blend of contagious laughter & humorous mischief.
[ Virginia Hawkins ], the Tour Coordinator. Wow, I could get exhausted just by looking at her.
Remember that photo you took of her with the "beer holsters" on? Well, that picture is so Virginia.
Wild, crazy & full of energy. [ Stoly Knutsen ], the new manager. What can I say? He's like a brother
to me & I know his goal as the new manager is to do my old job half as good as I did. However,
Stoly's a Norwegian, like myself, so I know he will not accept anything less than the best.

Too bad I couldn't go with you guys to [ Bryce Canyon ] & [ Zion National Park ]
the other week, but somebody had to stay behind & work you know. I love the pictures
you took, especially the ones titled: [ "The 3 Musketeers" ]. Stoly, Emma & Virginia.
Together, those 3 will take The LVBP to a new level! I might just have to go back to see
all the new improvements & especially [ your photo gallery ].

My first toga party, boy, was that a wild one! My friend
& mentor, Aaron Regan, put that one on for me, so, I found it only
appropriate that I would [ throw one for him ] & his girlfriend
(Stephanie) at their bon voyage party.

"The memories I have
of the past year, will stay in
my mind, forever!"

I'm so sorry you missed the famous WEDDING!!! Imagine
this... A hundred people gathered in the common room to witness
my wedding vows to Virginia! Everybody was in total awe.
Elvis performed the ceremony & an hour later, everybody
learned that it was all a practical joke!!!

[ Similar Story: Vegas Wedding was just a joke ]

Gosh Geo! I could talk about the parties we had for hours and hours! Man, those were some really unforgettable nights! Didn't know it was possible
to consume that much Natural Ice (or any other beer/alcohol). But it's not the parties I miss sooooo much, it's all the special people who cross your path.
Aussie Russ & Irish Nathan, the Karaoke Kings of The LVBP. Whenever I hear "Winnie the Moocher" or "What's Up?", I will think of those two.

[ The Adventures of Josh & Jules ]

Yup, they worked at The LVBP as well! Nobody can miss [ their signatures on the
ceiling ]. Jules & his bright yellow trademark, while Josh sat there & told everybody
to "think outside of the box". Those two crazy Aussies need their own TV
show & through you, I know their gonna get it.

Characters! That's all they were! Characters! I know this isn't news
to you, since that is who you love to photograph. However, it's the characters
who are there the 1st minute & gone the next...

[ Bitch & Hick's Vegas Vacation ]

What a hilarious name! Why did you name them that again? Oh, who cares.
Never managed to fully understand them, but at least they stayed up as long as
I did that night. Love the PHOTOstory you did on them, although I will never
understand how you do what you do so well. My congrats & hats off to you!

Man, there just isn't enough time in the world to fully write about these
people who transform from stranger to genuine friend in 60 seconds or less. Oh well,
I guess that is what it's like, inside a hostel life. Ahhh, Geo, if you knew how much I
miss that place! Not only The 3 Musketeers! But, others, like Pops,
[ Whiskey, The Cat ], & the whole staff as well!

"People tell me, I left my soul at The LVBP. That's not true,
I left all my friends & family at The LVBP!"

My only hope is that I will meet them again! Somewhere. Sometime. I'm going to a pub now. I think I'll have a pint of beer (or ten). I'll have one
for you (since you don't drink) & one for Stoly. One for Emma & one for Virginia. I'll have two for [ Pops ] & one for all the people, friends & characters I didn't mention. Sorry
about sending you an e-mail full of sorrow & self-pity, but it's hard to leave The LVBP! You will experience it as well, since you are moving up there now.
Just wait until you try to go, it'll be next to impossible! I'll remind you about this letter before you leave, if you ever leave!

Read about Day One: The Viva, Lost Wages Project