Does kayaking in Oakland, California a mile from where I live, count as “afar”? I think so. Saturday’s rise of the “supermoon” was mesmerizing to watch from this vantage point, particularly in a kayak where it seems you are hovering on the water’s surface. In contrast, Oakland’s estuary sits next to one of the busiest [...]
Posts from Afar
Video
60 seconds
How much can you tell about a travel experience in 60 seconds? Well let’s see. I’m trying out the “magic movie” function for my FLIP video camera. When it comes to posting, it’s the movies that always get neglected. And since after late is never, I’m gonna try this random blind editing technique to release me from my pile of videos. What do you think?
Nepal
The music is traditional Nepali music. Artist: Kutumba; Album: Naulo Bihani
Thailand
The music is an mp3 download of Thai music I found on the web. Please don't sue me!
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Blink, It’s gone
Seoul, Korea What’s the least amount of time you’ve spent in a new city? How about six hours on a nine hour layover? That’s pretty fast. How did I do it? I took (gasp) another tour. Korean airlines routinely has layovers of nine hours, so why not have tour companies develop a whirlwind worry free [...]
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All My Food: Nepal
Doesn’t look like a lot of food, huh? Well that would be true. Six of my 15 days in Nepal were sick days. The remainder of the time I ate broth and crackers and eventually fried rice. But before the body disasters began, this food sure was good! Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
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All My Food: Thailand
Those of you who know me, patiently wait as I photograph nearly everything I eat while traveling. I ate most of this! A few things just looked interesting. Here is my record. Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer I tried a lot of new food, fruits and unknowns. I ate plenty of street [...]
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The Underworld
I broke down today and joined a tour. I hate tours but when on an island it’s hard to get around. Speed boats are the transport and mine was picking me up from my bungalow on water stilts at 1:40pm. I knew better but decided that today could possibly be the day that a local [...]
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Koh Samet, Thailand
I finally made it to an Island in Thailand. I couldn’t take another bus. I just couldn’t. So the taxi driver who was taking us (my friend Kim and kids) to the Bangkok bus station agreed to drive us to the pier, three hours away. From there we caught a 30 minute boat to the [...]
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Damnoen Saduak, Floating Market
Outside Bangkok, Thailand Maud and I off on another adventure…4:30 am and four taxis later we make it to Victory Monument, the departure point for the floating market. The first taxi, no thanks. I don’t like my pre-dawn taxi driver to wreak of last night’s liquor. Second taxi, “I no understand.” Third taxi: yes, yes, [...]
Video
Flying
Pokhara, Nepal (It’s almost New Year’s!)
Okay, okay. So I had my adventure thrill too. Not the adrenaline kind, but the peaceful, “I’m a bird, I’m dreaming” kind. Floating off a cliff (also known as paragliding) and ascending into the air for a thirty minute flight into suspended time. My tandem pilot guided us ever higher and higher until it feels like looking out an airplane window. But the cool crisp air reminds me I am simply floating. Floating. Through the late morning sun, I have alternating views of the lake below and the snow capped Himalayas above.
Well there was some adrenaline. I spent it all on the crazy jeep ride to the top. I was thankful one of the pilots had given me a motion sickness pill, as we slid and swayed up a narrow, loose rocky road to the top of the cliff. I was securely tucked in the trucks cab, but watched in awe at the white knuckled passengers in the truck’s bed and those standing on the tailgate. Traffic Jam! Who’s going to give in?
And then suiting up and “running” off the cliff? All quite calm and surreal.
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Nepal
How do you write about place you’ve always wanted to go, when you finally get there? I suddenly become speechless, feeling like no words I say will be adequate. (That’s why this post is so late coming and back dated! In case you’ve been following along and wondered where the Nepal posts came from.) It’s [...]