16 in UK

My sister and her family have been living on a military base near London, England, so several members of my family decided to meet up there. There were 16 of us once we all got together, a nice mixture of adults and kids. We went to Stonehenge to see some old rocks, still standing after all these years, and had a picnic in the grass outside the monument. Everyone fit into 3 cars as we then headed to our hotel in Swindon, England. I drove one of the cars, and became familiar with traffic on the left side of the road. And it was even more strange that the signal was on the right side of the steering wheel, such that up was a left turn and down was a right turn. It was a complicated puzzle to signal the correct direction and to avoid hitting the wipers instead.

I quickly found that getting anywhere with 16 people can be a challenge to decide where to go. Everyone had different ideas, and if we were going to eat together, then it would need to be a place large enough to fit all of us. It was recommended that we eat at an Italian restaurant called Davinci's. The restaurant was packed, and there would have been a long wait for several tables together, so we all walked to a different restaurant. This one was empty, yet they weren't willing to serve us, which may have been why they were empty. We settled on waiting for a few tables at Davinci's. It turned out to be amazing food. I tried some of everything that was ordered at my table, typical Campbell-style eating. The spaghetti Bolognese and pizza were especially tasty.

We visited Bath, which is a gorgeous English town with classic architecture. As we toured the city, we came across an old cathedral near a plaza, where a couple of guys were playing Hang drums (a rare instrument from Switzerland). It makes a strange and beautiful sound by tapping what looks like 2 woks fastened together like a UFO. I could see that they were making good money on donations and CD sales. We found some ice cream, and shared take-away indian food in a nearby courtyard until it started to rain. I found a fascinating modern art exhibit before we left town. My favorite piece was a collection of old keys hanging on strings from the ceiling.

We then saw a cathedral in Glaucester, England, where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed inside. It was an old eerie place with dark, empty hallways around a courtyard. Ornate stained glass colored the rooms before the sun started to set. Not a place that I would want to go to church, but it was ideal for taking pictures.

One car load of people needed to get back to work and school at the military base, but the rest of us spent another night in a hotel. The next day we visited the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, Windsor castle. It was the size of a village. As we headed back to my sister's house, we arrived at the entry gates of the military base about midnight. At that point the military guards found that the car I was driving had expired tags. It couldn't be driven back onto the base at that time, so we packed my sister's van even more full of stuff and people. A few of us walked behind the van as we entered the base, and eventually, everyone ended up where they wanted to be.

Roadtrip to Scotland

Some of my family took a road trip from England to Scotland for about 4 days. My brother-in-law, Tyler drove an SUV which included his daughter Ivey, my Dad and his wife Rose, and myself. My sister, Cindy, drove a van, carrying the rest of her kids, Mason, Calla, Hunter, and also my brother, Scott. Using mobile phones, GPS and old school maps we managed to caravan most of the time, getting lost only some, seeing most of what we wanted, and returning with all 10 people - which was perhaps the greatest success.

Most of our time was spent driving through the remarkable landscapes of Northern England and Southern Scotland. The rest of the time was spent eating, sleeping, and preparing to eat, sleep, and drive. Getting 10 people into 2 cars at the same time can be a challenging sociodynamic obstacle.

We stayed in Manchester, England our first night. We arrived late, and the kids slept while everyone else ordered food in the lobby and talked about religion and politics. There was a pool at our hotel, which the kids enjoyed in the morning before we started driving again. We stopped for lunch at a random restaurant on the way to Glasgow, Scotland, where we sat for two hours waiting for our food. We had planned to get to Glasgow in good time, so we didn't anticipate such a long stop. It may be a cultural difference for some people to want to spend longer at lunch, but we all felt like getting to Scotland.

We didn't see much of Glasgow. We arrived into town only to find that our hotel hadn't been booked. We used a third party booking company, and there was a miscommunication that resulted in a lost reservation. The hotel was full, and finding a hotel with vacancies took a couple hours, since it was a holiday weekend. We eventually found a place about an hour east of Glasgow, 1/2 way to Edinburgh. Since we planned to see Edinburgh next, it made sense to just continue on.

We followed directions on the GPS, and it dropped us off in several quaint towns that would have been wonderful places to tour, but it was getting late, and people were tired, so we kept driving in search of our hotel. Tyler and I were convinced that we could find it with road signs, so we led the caravan nearly all the way to the hotel, when all of sudden my dad jumped out of the car as we were stopped at a traffic light. We assumed his jimmy legs got the best of him as he was ran toward a sign for a guesthouse, but all he said before he left the car was "let me out". We couldn't stay in the road when the light turned green, and with nowhere to pull over, we kept driving until we saw a gas station. The van followed us as we drove back to find my dad. Then the van with GPS led us down a windy side road through some fields, and back to the same road just beyond the gas station, and there we found our hotel. After carrying sleepy kids to a room with beds and blankets on the floor, a few of us hung out in one of the rooms. We used an adapter to connect a laptop to the TV screen, so we could watch Arrested Development episodes.

The hotel had a wide selection of hot breakfast options including porridge (oatmeal), fish, potatoes, eggs, and sausage - until the power went out - then it was just sausage, and a buffet of cereal, fruit, and yogurt. The drive to Campbell Castle was beautiful, filled with grazing sheep on grassy hillsides. We stopped at a market for meat, cheese, and bread, to avoid a long wait at a restaurant. The castle looked ancient, and was undergoing some renovations. It's set on a hill, with a vast view overlooking a small town. Our family is as much Scottish as we are a mixture of other European heritage, but some of us felt a unique connection with Campbell Castle.

We made a quick tour of Edinburgh, visited a large museum and ate fish and chips and meat pies in an outdoor plaza. We then drove to a bed and breakfast south of Edinburgh, owned by a local family that gave us a taste of southern Scottish culture. In the morning we were served a large breakfast, and the kids happily fed milk to lambs in a stable nearby.

We headed to Alnwick, England to see a castle where part of Harry Potter was filmed. Our time was short, so we planned to see more the next day. We did some shopping at Morrison's market in Alnwick, and I discovered that they make excellent cookies. We bought a few packages and some milk. We drove to our hotel in New Castle, calling to confirm our reservation. The kids went to sleep, and the rest of us ate dessert in the lobby and played games.

Scott knew a friend that lived in New Castle, so I joined them for chinese food later, and walked around New Castle. Scott and I booked a hostel for us, then met up with the rest of the family in the morning. We got an early start for the Harry Potter castle, and toured the manicured gardens for a few hours. There was a lot to see, including several water fountains, a hedge maze, and poisonous plants collection. A few of the kids participated in broom stick training, which was entertaining for everyone else to watch. We ate a few more servings of fish and chips before we drove back to Tyler and Cindy's house. By that time I could tell that my body had reached it's limit of fried food for the month.

London

I drove from Salt Lake to St. George, Utah to meet up with my dad and his wife, then we all drove to Vegas for our flight to London on Virgin airlines. We left Sunday afternoon, and arrived in London Monday afternoon with a time change. The flight was crowded, and the food was mediocre. I ordered the curry, thinking of the good things I've heard about Indian food in London, but then I remembered I was on a plane somewhere over the Midwest. They gave everyone a sweet toiletry bag with an eye pillow, a toothbrush, and a single-use tube of toothpaste. I love the fact that people have a invented a way to fly over an ocean, but it's strange that planes are designed so poorly for sleeping. If I were in charge of designing the seats for a large aircraft for flights of 6 hours or more, I would set up bunk beds, or at least make it so that people could lean their heads somewhere, even if the seats had to remain nearly upright.

We flew into the Gatwick airport and took trains into London. The last time I navigated in an unfamiliar place without the GPS map on my iphone was when I went to Asia a couple years ago. It's strange how dependent I have become on having constant cell phone service, including access to all the technology that I've become accustomed to. At the same time, it's relieving to not use my phone for a while. No texts or phone calls, unless I want to get on Skype and talk to someone overseas. To navigate, we used a paper map of the city, rode buses, and asked around when we got close to where we wanted to go.

The buildings in London are gorgeous. A lot of them are historic with ornate brick work and classic architecture. Some are curved along an entire street, as they are in Picadilly Circus. Some are modern, with a lot of glass, metal, and large open spaces. I took quite a few pictures since I'm fascinated by creative architecture and modern design.

I spent my last night in London riding buses around the city. After midnight, buses run less often, but the people become more interesting, so it's worth the trade-off.

lost camera

i rummaged through my backpack to find some toothpaste. i thought about my flight back to the states in a couple days. i had stayed in japan much longer than i had planned, as if i ever really stuck to a plan. but i enjoyed meeting up with my brother in the philippines, and staying with my sister's family at a military base outside tokyo - helping them get ready to move to england, and visiting taiwan. it had been an awesome couple months. it was while i was thinking of all the great photos i had taken that i realized the top pouch of my backpack was empty. that's where i usually keep my camera. then i thought to myself, "where is my camera?"

immediately i pictured in my mind where i had last seen it. i distinctly remember hiding it in the van, passenger side, near the front door. i walked out to the van and checked the spot. it was gone.

my first thought was that someone had stolen the camera, since the door had been unlocked. then again, a military base is pretty safe, and i can't imagine anyone would just take it. aside from a heavy disappointment, i started to retrace my steps - the events of the evening were clear in my mind, including the times. i last saw the camera at 5 pm, as i stashed it in the van out of sight before heading into a banquet dinner at the military base. the kids and i stayed there for a couple hours, and cindy left early to do some shopping. once we had finished eating, the kids and i walked over to the library to read books and to wait for cindy to meet us. she showed up in the van at 7:30. i had completely forgotten about the camera, got into the van, and we all headed home. i worked on some projects at the house while cindy and ivey drove to the gas station around 8 pm to pick up a few things. They returned later, and we helped the kids get ready for bed. at 11:30 pm, i felt tired and sifted through my backpack to find a toothbrush, which made me aware that it was missing.

cindy and i left immediately to search for it. we left mason, my oldest nephew, in charge of the house while we were gone. we drove to the three places that the camera may have been: the enlisted club where we had eaten dinner, the library, and the gas station. i thought it may have fallen out of the van, since i had been precariously placed it by the door. i felt desperate as we arrived at the club, searching the parking lot, sidewalk, and inside a newspaper stand - just in case. i noticed a security guard, but he said that no one had turned in a camera tonight. we found nothing at the library and gas station, which made me start to lose hope. we noticed a police car on our way home, so we stopped to ask some questions. the cops said that we should check at the main gate, so we drove there. the lost and found office at the gate hadn't seen it, but we gave them our number and urged them to call if they found anything. we returned to cindy's house empty handed.

i realized that there was no identification on the camera. no name engraved on the side, no phone number taped to the back, no email address on a piece of paper in the camera bag. it was just a black camera in a case, with a ton of photos on the memory card. here it was, one hour later, and i had checked every possible place, and found nothing. i felt like from then on i would reference time from the day the camera was lost.

it may not have been so bad if it had been an old camera that needed to be replaced anyway. or if i had not just finished visiting three countries in asia for two months - but then again, it would have been worse if i had just started my trip. i had been saving photos and videos to my laptop as i traveled, so the data wasn't entirely lost. but it made me wish that someone had ripped it out of my hands and jumped a passing train to escape. and then i could have jumped the train and chased after them, leaping over passengers and dodging the people that check for tickets. if someone had stolen it from me, i'd at least have a story about a train chase, or a fist fight in an alley, or scaling the wall of a building. then i could be angry at someone other than myself. but i had simply left it in the van by the door, and forgot about it. it's like the scar that people ask about, and you wish you could say that it was a shark bite, or a motorcycle accident, or a bullet wound from a war; but it was from slipping on a wet kitchen floor as you hit the counter.

two hours after the camera was lost we placed an ad on a local online classifieds page, describing the camera and hoping someone would respond. i was depressed, and i slept in late the next morning. in fact, the whole day i was down, but i tried to forget about it. no one called back or responded to the ad. cindy had checked all three spots in the morning and found nothing. i was leaving for the states the next day, cindy was moving to england in a week or two, and i had been careless. but i was determined to learn something from it, to make the experience somewhat worthwhile.

the night after the camera was lost, i felt like i should check the classified ads, just in case. and to my surprise, there was a post from someone that found a camera! it was almost 10 pm, but we called immediately. as we described the camera over the phone i was ecstatic. it was the one. we drove over to the house right away and knocked on the door, apologizing for coming over so late. a lady handed me my camera, and it was in perfect shape. i was so relieved, as i thanked her profusely for being so helpful. they had found it on the ground at the gas station the night before. luckily they found it before anyone else.

it was a rough 22 hours, but i learned to be a little more wise and patient. once we arrived home, i labeled everything valuable that i owned. i was grateful that there are people in the world that are honest. i'm sure it helped that i prayed for it, and asked a friend to do the same. i feel that as long as i'm doing everything i can, whatever needs to happen, will happen.

taiwan chiropractics

my lower back has been bothering me the past few years. so i try to find useful stretches along with sitting and sleeping positions that will ease it a little. on a train from taipei, i happened to meet a girl who was a yoga instructor, so we talked about stretches that may help. later she referred me to a chiropractor that specialized in pressure point massage and stretching before doing any adjustments. i was excited to finally have another reason for being in taiwan, since the trip wasn't planned.

the chiropractor's office was a very soothing atmosphere, like a spa. i was laying face down on table, and a therapist was pressing down brutally on each nerve in my back, following down my legs, and finishing at my feet. i was trying to relax, so that he could work out all the kinks. as he bumped around the tendons it was the most painful, and it took all of my concentration to not shout.

once i was primed, the doc came in and cracked my back and neck. he was finished in less than a minute. he contorted my body in all sorts of ways. he was confident in the way he worked. once finished, he said some things to his assistant, pointing to my leg and lower back. the doc gave me a thumbs up, and left the room. he didn't speak english. the assistant started putting some cream on my leg and back, and then a bandage over the top. it smelled fresh and herby like eucalyptus. my friend translated for me as the doctor summarized what he did. the bandage was placed over my sore joints to cover the "medicine", whatever it was. the doctor demonstrated sleeping positions and stretches that would also help. i was very aware of how comfortable my back felt, and the herb cream was warm on my skin.

i rode trains clockwise around the whole country, starting at the top in taipei. the most gorgeous stretch of land was the whole east side. the tracks are sandwiched between ocean and tropical mountains, and the view is spectacular everywhere.

some detailed maps in english would have made it easier to navigate the south. everything is really spread out without much public transportation. at one point i rode a bus to a town i had never heard of, to look for a hostel that had closed; and then rode another bus in the dark to what i thought was the next town, only to find myself right back where I had started hours earlier.

i finally met some locals, at which point we were able to find the only atm in town that would accept american cards. nice, because i was out of money. once i had some cash, they introduced me to their favorite food, grilled squid - the whole squid. i bought some from a street corner grill; hot, rubbery, and covered with a sweet, spicy sauce. awesome.

my favorite though, was some watermelon on the beach in kenting. i found some people burying themselves in the sand, and i took some photos for them. they offered me watermelon that they had been tearing with their hands. i ripped off a section and felt the juice run down my fingers. nothing compares to cool, crunchy watermelon, with salty fingertips covered in beach sand.

taipei 101

when you visit taipei, be sure to check out the tapei international financial center 101. it's the tallest skyscraper in the world, for now anyway. but right after that, go to the shihlin night market. there are dozens of food stalls to choose from; find one that looks good, and order some spicy fried chicken - fresh out of the fryer. i know that most people think the best fried chicken is probably in kentucky, but i promise it's at this night market.

there's plenty of shopping there, but nothing that interested me as much as shaved ice/cream for dessert, tsua bing. and as it turns out, the night market also has the best. it's kind of a mix between hawaiian shaved ice, fillipino halo-halo, and american ice cream. it's hard to describe the texture, flavor, and especially the appearance, but it's extremely unique and equally enjoyable.

i luckily found the best spot for tsua bing, but it wasn't easy. to get there, you have to wade through a maze of food stalls in a giant market plaza, and swim through the nose piercing smell of fermented tofu. you'll see some duck heads sharing spaces on grills with parts of animals i don't recognize, and large bowls of brown jell-o. but once you get to the ice cream stand, all the other strange smells drift away, and it's only shaved ice and exotic fruits and colorful toppings. i ordered red beans with sweetened condensed milk, served several inches tall over flakes of icy cream on a gigantic plate. of all the things to travel half-way around the world to eat, i had fried chicken and ice cream, and loved it.

"all i want is oatmeal"

i love to try new things in a foreign country, especially food - hoping it's good. the easiest way i've found to make it a good experience is when locals recommend something. so a friend in tokyo took cindy and i to a restaurant that served okonomiyaki - japanese pancakes. nothing like american pancakes, although they're shaped in a similar way: noodles, eggs, meat, and topped with sweet/spicy sauce and fish flakes so thin they wave from the air conditioning. sweet enough for breakfast, salty enough for dinner. if someone hadn't taken me to the restaurant, i never would have known to try it. fantastic.

in comparison, living for a few weeks at yokota feels more american than the states could ever be. you won't find any international markets or restaurants at a US military base, but it's a nice change from some of the unique characteristics of the rest of asia: crazy designs for words, funky street smells, and unknown animal parts in some sort of stew. and living on base makes cindy's life somewhat managable, taking care of 4 kids. and it's only a short drive to the outer gate where you can experience some asian culture.

on mothers day, we were staying at a navy hotel in tokyo. we went to an extravagant brunch buffet with cindy and her kids; everything from eggs benedict to pizza; caviar and smoked salmon, pasta, eggs and sausage, lamb, turkey, soup and salad, sushi...but one of my nieces wasn't pleased, in spite of the enormous selection. surrounded by lavish, international, and fine foods, and all she wanted was oatmeal - which of course, they didn't have. but we were resourceful, and found things she would like and fixed up the things she didn't. a ham sandwich made from various ingredients around the room. crepes from the buffet - scraped off the blue sauce and added strawberries and cream from the fruit bar. a bowl of cereal made from marshmallow breakfast bars from the dessert table; we asked the waiter for a bowl of milk and broke apart the cereal pieces into a bowl. and of course, ice cream. so we successfully fed a child with a selective appetite for about $13. ironically, a bowl of oatmeal costs about a nickel. the desire to try new things may be an acquired taste.

raising gamblers

scott and i flew into japan from the philippines, and this helped us see the chasm of contrast between the two cultures. in the philippines, everyone wanted to look at us and talk to us. people were smiling a lot and very open. the cities were concentrated with exhaust and trash was put into piles when gathered. in japan, everything is very clean and orderly. people are straight-faced and focused; few will make eye contact with us. when we ask anyone for directions, however, they may go so far as taking us in the direction we want to go. it's amazing how countries develop such unique and fascinating differences.

we hopped on a few trains and headed toward yokota airforce base to stay with our sister, cindy and her family. they've been living here for the past four years, and all that time they have never had a cell phone. we don't understand how they can survive. cindy uses skype to talk to her husband, currently stationed in honduras, but it's difficult for us to get in contact with her. the base doesn't accept calls from payphones, so the only way to reach her is from a cell phone. japan has a unique cellular network; so you can't just buy a sim card at 7-11 like the rest of asia, and slip it into your current phone. we have to find someone that seems nice, hope they speak english, and borrow their cell phone to call our sister, and have her meet us at the train station. getting clearance to stay at the base is an entirely different issue.

arcade games are big in japan, competing with karaoke for popularity. some common games for kids here involve putting coins into machines, giving you a chance to win more coins if you do well. if you win a lot, you can keep playing on the same tokens. the machines are also pumping out obnoxious repetitive music, and flashing lights, so the whole experience is one of a kind. my nieces and nephews love the games, so we all went to a nearby mall called diamond city, which is where they usually go. once we got there, we changed out some yen, and were given buckets of tokens. scott was keeping hunter, the 2-year old, under control. cindy was keeping track of the girls. and mason, 12, got me started on a fish catching game that kept me busy for an hour.

there's a food court upstairs at the mall. all the kids like something different for dinner, so it works out well to minimize the fighting. order a pile of food and everybody grabs at what they want. great tempura, udon, and pepper steak served on a hot griddle with bean sprouts. the kids love the bright green melon soda, so everyone gets a swig from the glass. forget the swine flu. then, each kid was given their own filled crepe for dessert, and it was a coveted posession. even hunter had one, his toddler hands squeezing out the cream and squishing the pancake between his fingers. i was impressed by how much he ate, even after a full dinner.

coral climbing

there's a ton of diving in the philippines, since there's about 7000 islands. choosing where to go is the only hurdle we encountered. we heard that numerous sites were all very good, and the more we asked people what they recommended, the more we had to choose from. after about 3 days in manila we were tired of smelling the exhaust and had finally made up our minds to dive near the island of palawan. we tried to fly last minute only to find that all flights were sold old. so we took a bus south out of town, toward the coast, and a ferry to sabang on mindoro island. as we hopped off the boat, tons of locals surrounded us to offer hotels, bikes, diving, food, jewelry, and hand carved pool sticks. we've grown accustomed to ignoring peolple in such situations just to avoid the distraction. filipinos seem to be a lot more considerate of tourists than hecklers of other countries, so it's a nice change. they know when to say when, which makes it a lot more enjoyable to shop for things and talk to people.

we started diving the next morning with a local dive master. the ocean currents and recent rain made the water a little cloudy, but huge schools of fish and coral made up for it. scott's battle wounds from songkran made it a little painful for wearing fins and a wetsuit, but nothing a little neosporin and a dozen bandages couldn't fix.

later we took a day trip to a steep reef on verde island, an hour by boat from sabang. there we did three dives in the afternoon, and every one of them was amazing. i've never seen so many fish in my life. the current was a lot stronger, and there were parts of the dive where we could see fish swimming in place against the drift, as if they were on an underwater treadmill.

the last dive was called washing machine, and the name didn't register in my head until the last portion of the dive. at first it seemed pretty normal, we just moved toward the bottom of the sea and around the underwater cliffs of the island. at one point i saw scott exploring some nearby reef, but then was suddenly out of sight. so i swam over to see where he went, only to find that he was clinging onto some coral as the surging current picked up - his hair blowing around like it was being fanned. as i started moving toward him i could feel the current pulling at me as well, so i grabbed onto some coral and made slow moves toward him. the dive master showed up from behind me and pulled scott closer to the other side of the cliff where the current was manageable. apparently, scott was just testing out the current, and then had gotten a charlie horse from trying to fight it. by that time the rest of the diving group had wandered our direction and everyone was clambering to find a good hold; underwater cameras in one hand, coral in the other. some of it stained my fingers blue.

the divemaster signaled for all of us to follow him, making slow moves close of the reef, below the strongest part of the drift. scott started yelling something to me through his respirator, which i couldn't understand. later he told me it was like underwater rock climbing, which was exactly what it felt like. some coral is rough, smooth, slippery, spongy, fragile, and everything in between. it seemed a little destructive at times, especially when pieces would snap, but we tried to keep it low impact. if we wanted to move fast, we just let go and drifted, trying not to run into anyone else. the whole experience was wild, and when i surfaced later, i was dizzy and disoriented. the waves were enormous on the surface, and climbing onto the boat became a task. i found only one scar on my hand, a nice souvenir from the coral. scott's fingers took weeks to return to normal.

i was starving when we arrived back at sabang, though it was several hours before we ate. the restaurant we picked (recommended as one of the best on the island) apparently had only one cook, and probably fewer frying pans. we waited almost two hours for our food to arrive, hoping the quality of the meal would make up for it. the frustrating part of filling up on food you don't like is that you're too full to do anything about it afterward. for a couple of kids who enjoy eating as much as we do, it was more than a bit unfortunate. luckily, that was about the only inexcellent food we encountered in the philippines (unless you count our munching on the duck embryos.)

asian hiatus

i flew into the philippines late friday night; from salt lake city, routed through minneapolis and tokyo. even at midnight in the capital city of manila there was crazy traffic and people everywhere; walking, eating, sleeping on the sidewalk. the car exhaust was overwhelming. the scenery from the airport to the hostel was a lively mixture of latin and tropical asian. i slept a few hours before scott flew in from bangkok early the following morning. it had been 6 months since we parted in thailand, on a trip through asia that we started last summer. we rode trains, boats, and planes from st. petersburg, russia to koh tao, thailand. last october i flew back to utah through oman and london, and scott kept exploring the eastern hemisphere: malaysia, singapore, india, nepal and plenty of time in thailand. the philippines is a first for both of us, and we love it; especially the people. everyone is so friendly. smiling. social. curious. polite. that seems to make a significant difference when traveling somewhere. food is also a major factor, and the filipinos do pretty well with that. they use a lot of strong spices in their dishes; seafood and meats in colorful sauces over rice. and they make just about everything: italian, cuban, korean, and it's easy to find a traditional american breakfast.

Thai Songkran Festival

April 12th, 2009
Songkran has apparently begun here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The original idea for the festival was tame enough - but it has since spawned into a much more sinister event consisting of water gun toting teens and bucket wielding men lying in wait along streets and even freeways for anyone unlucky enough to get within range. Luckily, this is the hottest month of the year and a good dousing can feel quite refreshing at times. My attempt to venture into the old city on my motorbike this afternoon proved impossible due to the barrage of water from squirt guns, buckets & hoses. It's quite an effort just to stay on the bike when hit in unison with such vast amounts of water. Can't imagine how many accidents must occur during these days of all out water fights throughout the country. I now don a rain coat & scuba mask whenever driving.

April 15th, 2oo9
I can now better imagine how many accidents occur during the days of Songkran. While trying to make my way from my hotel to where I intended to return my motorbike a couple kilometers away, a few locals threw enough (buckets of) water to both blind me and prevent my disk brakes from functioning properly... The result was quite painful. Luckily - nothing was broken and the damage was minimal to the bike. I noticed only later how my Chaco sandal was ground down from the long pavement slide - apparently saving my ankle. I realized I mainly needed bandages and a way to clean the road and grit from the wounds, but couldn't find a pharmacy open due to the holiday. I eventually just went to the hospital, hoping to buy some supplies from them. Since my Thai is mostly limited to culinary lingo, I had a hard time communicating exactly what I wanted, so just showed them the bodily damage. Apparently they understood because they plopped me on a gurney in the emergency room. I didn't need emergency care - but it was actually quite entertaining to watch four nurses and a doctor attend to my road rash as if my life depended on it. The fact that they mostly just rubbed iodine into the wounds after only a light scouring did not surprise me. I was additionally curious as to the price of such attention. The answer was 100 Thai Baht - about 3 dollars! Twenty years riding motorbikes without incident - suppose I was due.

I spent the last day of the festival with friends in Bangkok - darting around the city, huddled in the back of a truck alongside multiple barrels of water - to which we added about 100 pounds of dense ice in large blocks. The reaction of each person shot was typically an intense bodily cringe of some sort, then a cry of surrender. I only shot in retaliation or defense. There were cells of activity throughout the whole city, but a few spots were especially intense. One such area was so jammed with people that it took me three hours to squeeze my way down a single city block.

There happened to be a bit of political tension during the festival as the "red shirts" attempted to force the current prime minister out of power. Something similar to what transpired with the "yellow shirts" and their protests while I was in the country last year. The weeks of interchanges this time between the protesters, local residents and Thai army resulted in about 130 injuries and 2 deaths. However - the official carnage from the week of water fights totaled 4,332 injuries and 373 deaths! Interesting comparison.

I'll soon be headed to the Philippines to meet back up with my brother, Dustin. We haven't a clue what to expect and I imagine we're both likely hoping the other is doing some research on the area! Might do some diving, island hopping, funky food sampling...

Sitting Quietly in Thailand

I didn't anticipate being back in Thailand again this soon, but realized I was ready for another dose after the months spent meandering India & Nepal. I was especially interested in practicing the specific method of Vipassana meditation taught at a monastery in northern Thailand, as well as learning the unique form of "yoga massage" common throughout the area. So - I studied and practiced in a spa for a few weeks while preparing for meditation. The meditation retreat took place at Doi Suthep Buddhist Temple - located on top of a nearby mountain outside Chiang Mai. I spent a few weeks living with monks there - mostly in silence & without eating past noon. Days started with meditation at 5:00am - occasionally earlier when the mood struck me. A vegetarian breakfast was served at 6:30am, which typically consisted of a bowl of noodles or rice & vegetables in broth. At 8am each day we had a "Dhamma Talk" by the same monk tasked with teaching us meditation techniques. Vegetarian lunch was at 11am, then the rest of the day is spent meditating. We were invited to join the monks for evening chanting in the main temple, then slept at around midnight. Along with myself were up to a dozen others, mostly foreigners, who were from various, still unknown countries. Seeing as we don't speak to one another, I took it upon myself to name each person according to something they wore or did, typically something that annoyed me. Each meditator had their own room - which came sparsely decorated with 1 thin mattress on the floor, 3 blankets, 1 dense pillow. I thought I had followed what sounded like good advice of having "no expectations" of the experience, but upon arrival learned how drastically different things were from how I had, apparently, expected them. So - that was my first lesson. The rest of what I learned in the following weeks was equally unexpected & surprising. I realize now how one cannot choose what to learn from such an experience. I also discovered a renewed appreciation for sincerity & strictness. Due to the lack of enforcement of the rules, some meditators chose not to follow them. As someone who wanted to gain as much as possible from the experience, that bothered me at times. A lot of things bothered me - which was another lesson about myself. So anyhow, I spent my days walking/pacing extremely slowly for up to an hour, followed by motionless sitting for the same amount of time. The specific meditation style I practiced is called Vipassana/Insight and was developed by a Burmese monk named Mahasi Sayadaw, combined with techniques from a Thai monk named Ajahn Tong. I look forward to practicing & comparing additional styles in the future. I think I'll continue to discover lessons and insight from this experience as I look back on it throughout the coming weeks and months.

The Rest of India

Eventually returned from Nepal to India & spent a few days in Delhi before continuing west to Rajastan. Didn't have the weeks/months required to explore that area, so continued to Mumbai/Bombay after a few days with friends. I met some nice local city-folk & could see reason to return if such an opportunity arises. I then joined a commune for a week. Interesting experience - you'll have to ask me about it someday. Continuing down the coast I encountered the famed beaches of Goa. Not considering myself much of a beach bum, I anticipated staying a maximum of 2 days. Ended up in a single spot for 2 weeks. Main excuse for the extended stay was a surprisingly decent Thai massage course that a friend & I decided was worth the rescheduling. We found plenty of eager beach bums to practice on and I'm now a certified masseuse. Upon planning my next step toward southern India, I realized I needed more time. Besides, I had Thailand on the brain... So - back to Bangkok.

Nepal

Took the night train from Varanasi, which turned out to be more basic than I was prepared for. I somehow ended up alone in an otherwise empty wagon with windows that provided no effective protection from the frozen draft. Without the blankets typically provided, my only way of keeping vital organs from completely freezing was to adorn every piece of clothing in my pack. My hand towel kept ice from forming on my face. The morning finally arrived as we came to the Nepali border, upon which I removed a half dozen layers of clothing, then crossed over by foot. It took some amount of focus to locate the immigration officials on either side of the border - most folks seem to just walk back & forth between the countries without any formalities.

I spent the first night in Lumbini - little Nepali village outside the location popularized as being the birthplace of Buddha. There was no electricity in the area - but everyone seemed content with the candles. Requested a couple extra comforters to layer on my bed and slept quite well. Awoke to a knock at the door - my bucket of morning bath water was ready. Bathing from a bucket is much easier than it would seem - especially when the water is anything but frigid. Spent the day wandering the grounds surrounding the Buddha's birthplace - along with a few monasteries on the premises. My plan was to take a local bus up to the mountain town Pokhara - an irrationally twisted route that had been the source of multiple horror stories I'd recently heard - but a group of Maoist Communists had blocked the road north by means of a strike. Anyone attempting to break the strike and bypass the group risks a barrage or rocks, fire, or worse. So - I flew to Kathmandu.

Kathmandu is quite a mix of mountain folks - from those choosing a nearby route for a basic weekend trek to those methodically preparing for an attempt at Everest. The locals take advantage of every opportunity to fleece the temporary visitors of any dollars, pounds, euros or rupees. (I bought 4 coats, a sleeping bag, thermals, boots, multiple socks of increasing thickness...) I wandered the city for the first few days with a guy named Al from Australia whom I met on the plane. He had been meditating in a monastery in Lumbini for the past 3 months - during which he'd hardly spoken a single word. He seemed plenty talkative when I stroke up a conversation with him there at the airport. Quite interesting to hear his thoughts on Buddhism and meditation.

So - spent most of the next few days eating decent food - Italian, Israeli, Thai, anything but Indian food... and even a couple steaks! Hoped to finally get to Pokhara and even bought a bus ticket, but the Maoists once again foiled my plan by forcing a strike that closed the hotels and restaurants there. I'll stick around Kathmandu for a bit longer, then make a plan for venturing back to India.

Northern India

Life's indescribably different here in India, but I'm adjusting quickly and enjoying the challenges. Arrived into Kolkata, then took a train a couple days later to Varansi and the sacred Ganges river. Admired the maze of winding alleys and spent time chatting with the locals attending the cremations at the burning ghats. Continued from there to Delhi where I've been most of the past week. I spent my birthday attempting to capture unique shots of the Taj Mahal at sunrise - the second visit this week in search of good light. I'll be leaving tomorrow night for Amritsar, near the border with Pakistan and then spend a couple weeks traveling along the Himalayas. I'll be in Dharamshala for Xmas - seat of the Tibetan government in exile. Plan to stop in Shimla, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Allahabad, Mirzapur and Varanasi once again before returning to Delhi. Should be plenty cold.

Route for the next couple weeks in purple on the map ->

Thailand... Malaysia... Singapore... India...

I hope to eventually include updates for the last month or two in SE Asia, but have now made my way to India. Gandered the Taj Mahal earlier this evening - now headed on a train back to Delhi. Might be making updates via Twitter if I don't find internet more often than I have lately... so check there if you feel like it (link over there ..>). Good food so far!

southern thai islands

i visited koh phangan for a night during a huge beach party. every phase of the moon initiates these giant gatherings, and this was a full moon. so, thousands of people on the beach, enourmous speakers pumping techno and r&b, oversized flaming jump ropes...it was nuts, but it was worth seeing. i rented a motorbike and toured the island in the morning. it's small, but there are amazing beaches and mountains.

koh tao is a small island with a pair of 7-11's and a few dozen dive shops. it's a popular scuba diving destination, so we spent a lot of time underwater. we found a bungalo on sairee beach with a handful of foreign dive instructors: a couple of irish, a canadian, and an australian. the water was clear as glass for a few days, and then it got a bit milky. during a night dive the water was full of bioluminescent plankton. so when we turned off the flashlights and shook our hands around; everything looked like it was covered in tiny glowsticks.

the most surreal experience was swimming with a whale shark. i was so close, it could have eaten me. but they're mild creatures, and they don't crave humans. they're as big as they sound; like a cadillac with fins. as i was jumping out of the boat to put on my diving gear, it swam right at me. i got a good look as it floated slowly by with a school of following fish. breathing compressed air underwater is such a strange feeling. i thought about not dying, and i thought about how we live above water, more or less unaware of the vast majority of the earth; which is covered in water. and i realized how little i know about the town i grew up in, aside from this foreign sea kingdom.

a massage a day keeps the chiropractor away

everything is in bangkok. we flew in at midnight from tokyo and headed to our hotel. the night was just starting, as we passed street vendors food carts: mobile kitchens. it's a cart with a gas powered frying pan, and a table full of spices and raw foods. we went out for a snack and ordered som tam (green papaya salad) and some barbecued meats. the food is unbelievably good, everywhere. i've never eaten so much and paid so little (about $2 for a meal). since we don't look local, we would have to specify that we liked the food spicy. and this still wouldn't do the trick, so we would have to tell them how many peppers we wanted: 3, 4, 5... depending on how much we wanted to sweat.

you can shop for almost anything in the city at a great price. they have a lot of gorgeous fabric, but they also sell cheap electronics. and anything you want in knock-off brands, clothing and accessories. i went to a huge weekend market and got lost in the aisles. it felt like walking through a small city with no street signs, and it just kept repeating itself.

my lower back has been in pain for the past few years, but especially the past few months. and for about $7 you can get a traditional thai massage for an hour. they stretch your arms, legs, and crack your back, aside from hitting all the pressure points in your entire body. every massage was a little different, and they all make you feel like you're floating for the next several hours.

communicating with most people was difficult, since my thai vocabulary is limited to the names of only a few entrees. but we met some locals that speak good english, and they were extremely helpful in showing us around.

japanese railways

japan was such a sweet place. the first few days we were at yokota air base. we stayed with our sister cindy and her kids, who have been living there about three years. they're extremely entertaining. and it was a nice break from traveling the past couple months. i felt like i was at home; washer and dryer, hot water, american groceries, taco bell...and everyone takes dollars instead of some foreign currency that i can never remember what the exchange rate is.

the bullet trains in japan are just as fast as they sound. there's a few types, and they all travel over 200 miles/hour. it feels like riding a smooth airplane, over land. it's the best way to get around. the whole system is very non-american; efficient, punctual and proper. we bought a 7-day rail pass in hong kong before arrivng in tokyo. after visiting sendai, kyoto, hiroshima, fukuoka, nara, and some smaller towns, i found that nagoya was one of my favorite cities. i stayed with a local friend that i had met in hawaii. he cooked authentic food, like egg rice (hot rice, raw egg) and udon (fat noodles), and introduced me to a lot of other locals as we cruised around on his moped.

it seems like every person i spoke to was so sincere. when i would ask for diections, they would often stop what they were doing and show me where to go, and they may even walk part of the way with me just to make sure. it was unbelievable how nice they were.

our dad and his wife, rose met up with us in japan. we all stayed at the new sanno military hotel with cindy's family. there's a lot to see in tokyo, and we hardly scratched the surface. my favorite, the fish market at 5 am. our nephew, mason joined us, and i think he liked it the best. nearly all of the tuna in the world is routed through here. they hold an auction, and there's endless stalls of exotic fresh fish. it was like walking through a raw, edible aquarium.

kamakura is a town with a huge buddha. he's bigger than a tank. and you can crawl inside of him, and look at his organs. there's not really organs, but you can go inside through a staircase and see how they built the huge statue.

there's a trick art museum south of tokyo with all sorts of displays and interactive wacko things that make your mind bend. the kids love it there, but it's pretty cool for adults too. like a room with a sloped floor and ceiling, so it looks like the people on opposite sides are giants and midgits (pc: little people). before we went to the museum we took a tram up this mountain nearby, and there's a monkey park on top. the monkey keeper comes out and makes the animals do tricks for the tourists. then he gives them some bananas, and they make a mess everywhere. it smelled terrible, like monkeys or something. the walk down the mountain was herendously strenuous. but we survived, and wished we would have just taken the tram again. good thing we didnt' hike up.

Tokyo, Sendai, Kyoto, Kobe, Hiroshima

September 22-23rd
We arrived in Tokyo and caught a military bus to Yokota AFB to meet up with our sister Cindy and her tykes. We spent the weekend being entertained by our nieces and nephews - Mason, Ivy, Calla and Hunter. On Monday we activated our rail passes and headed north to Sendai. We rode the Shinkansen bullet train - at a speed of about 285KM/H (177 MPH). That was plenty impressive, until we slipped undetected onto the latest and greatest Nozomi N700 train a few days later and hit a top speed of 363KM/H (225MPH)! We spent a day in the Asakusa area of Tokyo before continuing South. Sushi at the always impressive Tsukiji was worth the trip alone - Dus going all out by downing a tasty morsel of raw horse meat.


September 24th - Kyoto
Without hotel reservations in Kyoto, we headed to an all night spa where I'd stayed the night on a previous trip - only to find the building that housed it to be quite closed. Only 11pm or so at that point, we took a moment to enjoy some curry before continuing our search for shelter. The next few locals we asked regarding suggestions for places to sleep seemed quite convinced that the only option was a less than meager hotel charging a more than meager amount. Our optimism/luck took us about a block from that point to what turned out to be one of our favorite sleeping experiences of the trip - Rumor Plaza & Spa. The experience was surprisingly similar to the one I'd had previously at the other location. We stashed our shoes in small lockers and received keys for larger lockers inside the complex. At the next locker we changed into the local attire - cotton shorts and a mini-kimono of sorts. Next stop was the spa, where one showers while squatting on a little plastic chair before plopping into one of the pools of water at various temperatures. A sauna there had a TV playing strange game shows with even more bizarre commercials. I doubt I'll ever comprehend Japanese television. Upon reaching adequate prune’age, we wandered the other levels of the establishment and discovered a decent eatery on the top floor. By then it was a bit late, so we made our way to the "relaxation room" comprised of perhaps a hundred impressively narrow bunk beds/stalls and slumbered until they kicked us out around 9am. As long as you have a pair of ear plugs, a night in one of these spas seems to pass without much effort.

The next day we continued south toward Hiroshima, stopping briefly in Kobe to experience the beef we'd heard so much about. The place we chose prepared the impressively marbled meat Teppanyaki style. I think we both felt the unique experience worth the impressive cost - with some of the cuts going for somewhere around $150 per pound!

We finally reached Hiroshima and stayed at a guesthouse that had just opened that day. They had a little party with local foods for their guests, then led the pack of foreigners to a nearby karaoke complex for hours of something the Japanese seriously love - for whatever reason. Next day was spent wandering the city and perusing the various museums, exhibits and monuments devoted to the infamous bombing. They've done a decent job of presenting various factors that led up to the event – though plenty more focus on the aftermath of course.

Dus and I each had our own schedules by then - so he took a train down to Fukuoka for a bowl of noodles while I took a short ferry to spend the evening with some little deer on Shrine Island. Dus spent the rest of the weekend with a friend in Nagoya while I made my way back to Tokyo to meet up with Pops and Rose at the airport.