This last March Janine and I visited Thailand and Cambodia and made a quick stop off in Hong Kong on the way home. For those of you who are geographically challenged, here is where we went. The following blog posts will begin with Thailand and then to Cambodia and then to Hong Kong. Enjoy.
Southeast Asia – half way around the world.
Here is Thailand and Cambodia.
Thailand and Cambodia border each other with Cambodia bordering Laos and Viet Nam.
We visited Bangkok in Thailand.
Then flew to Siem Reap in Cambodia.
On the return trip back to Alaska, we stopped of in Hong Kong.
The Grand Palace in Bangkok is the official residence of the King of Thailand and is used for state functions and ceremonies. Construction began in 1782 and is still going on. Currently there is a major renovation in progress but doesn’t get in the way of enjoying this wonder of ancient architecture. The Grand Palace borders Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho along the river. It is a must see when visiting Bangkok.
Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest Wats in Bangkok. It is known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. It is located directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. It’s architecture is distinct and is not nearly as over the top as Wat Phra Kaew. This Wat has more tile then gold and houses the reclining Buddha.
This reclining Buddha is the largest in the world measuring 50 feet high and 141 feet long. The entire sculpture is covered in gold leaf with mother of pearl on the soles of it’s feet.
When we were there I kept hearing an echoing clinking sound coming from the hall. When we got around to the the Buddha’s back side we found 108 bronze bowls symboling the Buddha’s 108 auspicious characters. People dropped coins into each bowl in a belief that it would bring them good luck.
This is a garden honoring massage or of leg breaking. I couldn’t figure it out.
Another shrine with a booty, I mean Buddha.
These are the temple guards that stand at each entrance
Wat Arun is across the river from the Royal Palace and the over the top Wats. It is a little more subtle yet distinct in it’s own way. There is a lot less gold here and more tile.
Wat Phra Kaew is regarded as the most sacred Bukddhist temple in Thailand. The main building houses the statue of Emerald Buddha. The temple site sits next to the river so you travel there by river taxi. The Royal Palace is next door so you can visit both of them with one ticket. There is a strict dress code. Men must wear long pants and a shirt with sleeves. No shorts or tank-tops. So, when it was 90 degrees and humid what are you going to do when you appear wearing shorts. They loan you long pants that you wear through out your visit. As you will see they fit me perfectly. Janine happened to be in a dress and had a shawl with her. So we were set.
I have never been to a site that was completely over the top. In fact the term “over the top” doesn’t even apply here. It is so far beyond. Everything is covered in gold leaf and glistens in the sun. Every turn gave a new angle for a photographer. So enjoy the shots.
The weekend marketplace in Bangkok is an extraordinary collection of small shops and vendors selling almost anything you can imagine. They had goods from every corner of the world but especially good produced in Thailand. If you could think it up, they were selling it somewhere. From clothes to food to hardware this place had it. Check it out.
Coconut juice drinks?
You need a mask?
How about a Buddah?
You want bugs?
How about some more bugs?
I purchased some of that.
You need a skul?
This caught my eye.
Always a shrine.
And another one.
Yup the’ve got pickpockets.
You want a chillin’ cafe girl in pink? They got it.
This kid was jammin’ playing his one-chord one-note bamboo flute. He played his note and danced as if he were a street dancer in New Orleans.
There was no way I was leaving Thailand without seeing a cobra show. I had to go by myself but that was okay. It was everything I wanted to see in a snake show – and more. Check out this craziness.
Getting ready for the snake show. The ole-bag-o-snakes.
This is the photo I wanted. Man vs. cobra.
Then he milks the cobra in front of us.
I’d hate to run into this guy in a dark alley especially if he had snakes with him.
Dat a big snake.
There’s the secret sauce.
This is when I got to touch the cobra for good luck.
Okay, who would have ever known that a cobra has two penises. It’s something I didn’t need to know.
This is the pissed python from the video.
They have extremely sharp tiny teeth for holding on while they suffocate you.
Had to visit the Floating Marketplace outside Bangkok. It used to be a real marketplace for the locals, but has turned into a tourist trap – but still a must see. It’s about an hour and a half outside Bangkok so we had a driver and guide (very inexpensive) for the half-day trip.
The first part of the trip is in one of the high-powered speed boats that shoots you through the canals of a large agricultural area. Along the way are temples, shrines, homes, and orchards. Once you arrive at the marketplace you switch to a slow paddle boat and cruise the canals filled with tourist shops and food vendors. It was very cool to pull your boat up along side a food vendor and order a snack that they prepare and pass to your boat. It was a touristy thing, but I’m glad we did it.
Speed boat parking lot.
Hauling ass up the canals.
Monks at a nearby temple chillin’ out.
Coconut pancakes were wonderful.
Local homes.
Juxtaposition of technologies.
Princess on the Nile???
Shrines everywhere.
Okay, it’s not a high-tech Buddha, it just camera angle.
Our hotel in Bangkok faced the river. Out of our window I could follow the boat traffic up and down. If you have seen other posts in this blog you know that I enjoy sitting by the Mississippi River in New Orleans and watching the busy river. The river in New Orleans is predictable with the same types of huge ships coming and going. This crazy river had all kinds from huge barges to speed boat river taxis. To explore some of the main tourist attractions you rode a river taxi with the locals. Great fun and great views.
Out the hotel window – a little hazy.
Here comes the Ark.
Normal river taxi
A temple along the river.
Apparently there are no rules for the river. The bigger or faster you are everyone else should look out.
These are the crazy speed boats that ply the river. They are the tuktuk drivers of the river.
The boats have huge turbo-charged diesel engines that haul.
They have direct drive to a propeller on a shaft. The entire motor is balanced on a pivot and the driver controls the boat by physically lifting the motor and shaft to the left or right to turn or completely out of the water to stop.
On our way to the floating market outside Bangkok, we stopped by a local family that made coconut syrup. Their house was connected to their work area so we got a tour of a traditional Thai house. The house is spartan but with all the amenities of an American home. The only difference was this house had a 65 pound python that you could wear for a few Bahts. I had to face my fears and put on the snake. It was very disconcerting. As Janine took her sweet time taking my picture, I visited the place called “High Anxiety.” Even though the snake was harmless to adults, it’s constant movement around my neck and body was intriguing.
Holy shit!!!
This is the youngest boy playing with the monster. Notice the small dogs in the background. I was told that the snake and the dogs were friends. Oh by the way, they keep the snake fed each week with a chicken. I guess that’s what brings on the friendship.
This boy is just meal size.
Dogs keep a distance.
Snake heading back into it’s house.
Don’t let him get you.
Janine gives Mardi Gras beads to the boy with dog looking on.
Whenever we travel we find much of the adventure in eating street food. Yea there’s a risk to it, but as long as the food has been properly cooked (generally on a open grill) you can mitigate much of that risk. Yes, we don’t drink the water and even brush our teeth with bottled water (except in high end hotels) because that’s where most of the danger of getting the “travel trots” exists. This trip to Thailand was wonderful. The street food in Bangkok was as good as anywhere. Here are a few shot of what we found.
Locals waiting for the after work donut.
Yes, those are bugs. Didn’t have time to try them.
Cockroaches. Can you believe it!!!
Always stay away from fresh fruit that they washed. Cut open the fruit yourself to be safe.
Transportation in Bangkok is a little different. You can take a subway (very clean, efficient, and modern), you can take the skyway monorail (very modern, clean, and fast), you can take a bus (the same in any city), you can take a cab (the same in any city), or you can take a tuktuk. A tuktuk ride is the cheapest thrill ride you can take on the planet. For a couple of bucks, you can hurtle through Bangkok traffic going upwards of 50 mph dodging busses, cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, without a seatbelt, with your arms and legs hangin’ out – waiting to die. This is not your tuktuk that they have in Cambodia that is pulled by a Honda 50 motorcycle (check it out in a later post) and goes about 20 mph top speed. These are high-powered death mobiles steered by maniacs who want to make sure any tourist has pissed their pants.
This isn’t your souped golf cart. It’s a 3-wheeled trike from Hell.
All dressed up like you’re going to a funeral – yours!
This is the Devil that made me drop a load in my britches.
When you live in a place for a long time you become used the the way infrastructure and public institutions work. When you travel to other lands and cultures, things can become obvious of what works and what doesn’t. Here is one observation I had in Bangkok.
Apparently there are no rules for public utilities such as electrical and communication lines. If you need one, you get a crew and string one up. Just in the few days we were in Bangkok, we saw crews stringing lines by hand – no trucks or equipment required. Check out some of this action.
Here was a crew stringing a new line while people walked the sidewalk.
Checkout the bamboo ladder.
Stringing the new phone line right through the power transformers.
Here is another crew stringing a line. This is the dude with at the beginning.
Pulling it over and through the other mess.
Pulling it along.
This is what I walked through. So much for liability insurance.
Saw this traffic cop in Bangkok doing his thing and had to photograph his dance in the crazy traffic. When I got home and checked the photos I found this dude was packin’. Not just a simple revolver, not the Dirty Harry .44 Magnum, but this dude was packin’ the Smith and Wesson .50 caliber Magnum pistol. That sucker till blow your leg off. I guess it was in case of jay-walker.
Stayed one night in the Five Star Sheraton Sukhumvit Hotel in Bangkok. I have to say it was the classicist hotel in which I have ever stayed. I was not accustomed to all of the minions following us around asking if they could do this or that for us. Shine your shoes, do your laundry, turn down your bed, free drinks and snacks in the bar for you, haul your bags, open the door for you, layout your clothes, wine in the room, I asked Janine if I could get a girl to dry me after my shower. She said okay. I love this hotel!!! Yea right, like I ever said that. Janine said get used to staying in places like this – she has connections, and I said okay.
There was a very international crowd at this hotel so the buffet breakfast was amazing. I had sushi and kimchi along with papaya and bacon. That was just my first plate.
Angkor Wat is a temple complex near the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was built in the Khmer architectural style early in the 12th century and served as the state capital and temple. As well as being one of the country’s main attractions, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Angkor Wat is one of the most important archaeological sites in South East Asia. Stretching over some 250 square miles, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple and many minor temples and ruins.
The big picture.
It was us and a thousand Japanese tourists.
Princess on vacation.
Monk on vacation.
Buddhist shrines everywhere.
There is alway room for a cute little girl photo.
Main steps up to the top.
Window princess.
Same place without the dude.
Waited for this shot.
Courtyard area.
Little boy hocking trinkets.
Janine gives the boy a whale from Alaska and then takes his photo.
One of the things I had heard for sometime as we began planning this trip was that you had to go to Angkor Wat and see the sunrise. So I got up at 4:30 one morning and took the car to the temple to see the hyped event. It was just me and a thousand Japanese tourists slinking our way into the pitch-dark temple. I didn’t need a flashlight because every Japanese tourist had one and I just hitched a walk next to a group.
I found a great spot across the lake from the three temple tops and waited there for a couple of hours taking a photo every minute. These are the top shots from the hundreds I took.
Banteay Srei is a very small temple quite a distance from the main temple sites. It takes about an hour and a half to get there in a car. This map does not show the distances in perspective. We wanted to go and see what are called the “Pink Ladies.” Ornately carved and finely-detailed and preserved sculptures. Few tourists venture this far out of the main sites so we had to go. This temple is carved from red sandstone and thus the unique color. It is very small and resembles Legoland. Since this temple is very delicate and well-preserved, you have to stay on the market trails and there are “watchers” everywhere.
Bayon was the first temple we visited and set the stage for the amazing wonders we were going to see in the next few days. It is located in the center of the walled temple complex and you enter through one of four main gates.
Entering the main gate
Every temple had a Buddhist shrine.
Greatest jigsaw puzzle ever – for the renovation.
Let’s see, which lion is better???
Is that an elephant tusk your’e hold on to or are you just glad to see me?
Presat Prei Rup is a smaller temple built on top of a hill and facing West. The goal of visiting this temple was to climb the hill and view sunset from the temple. We did not get their early enough to ride the elephant to the top so instead hiked up a dusty well-travelled touristy road. There were hundreds of tourists already at the temple and a line of cranky tourists waiting to climb the temple steps. We said nope and bailed from the scene. Besides, it was still overcast and the sunset was not worth it.
Ta Prohm was one of our favorite temples. Outside of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm had the mystic of one of the world’s most interesting places. It is the inspiration for the movie Tomb Raider. Many of the shots for that movie were shot on sight. This is one of the many temples that you wanted to linger just to catch the vibe of how this originally was. I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing, but there is a major renovation going on at the site that hopefully won’t turn it into a Disneyfied facade of what it once was. It is an amazing place that literally can wrap around you.
A short TukTuk ride through the huge temple complex.
Tomb Raider tree.
Wanna buy some beads?
Renovation going on next to the coolest Tomb Raider tree.
This was the coolest place ever!!!
I waited and waited for this shot until it was just right.
We don’t usually like to go to the usual tourist trap events, but the traditional Cambodian dancing show seemed to call our name. Beautiful costumes and performers along with a live band gave us a tour through the various Cambodian dance styles. Cambodian dancing is very slow and delicate. Only some of the village story telling dances have rhythm and movement.
First impression was they were dancing in slow motion.
After visiting the major attractions in the Angkor Wat temple complex, our driver Vuut wanted to take us to see all of the smaller temples that dot the landscape. He called this the “Bid Temple Tour.” So one of our days we went from small temple to small temple. Here is a collection of those photos. Since there are so many smaller temples, I have no idea which is which.
All the smaller temples that surround the major attractions.
Most of the smaller temples had a local Cambodian orchestra playing at the entrance. They all had CDs of their music and played for tips. Our rule was, if you took their photo, you put something in their tip bowl.
More Tomb Raider action.
Elephants guarding the temple corners.
Great texture.
This was another Tomb Raider setting with this tree.
The TukTuk is the standard form of transportation in Cambodia. It is cheap and very cultural experience. For some reason the driver wears a helmut but not the passengers. The world of transportation in Cambodia is on the Honda 50 motorcycle. Probably 200 miles to the gallon and an entire family can fit on it.
Here we are with our driver Vuut.
Drivers waiting for the tourists at one of the temples.
Visited the Butterfly Sanctuary outside Siem Reap, Cambodia on the way to one of the temples. The large beautiful garden was enclosed by a net that kept in the butterflies. As you walked through the garden, the butterflies would light on your arm or dance in the air in front of your face. It was a photographer’s dream to have as many different species all in one place.
Its seems that butterflies like orchids and other beautiful flowers. So the Butterfly Sanctuary had a great assortment for the delight of photographers.
We visited the downtown night market in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It wasn’t as amazing as the weekend market in Bangkok, but still fun.
This old guy made one-of-a-kind hand drawn and punched animal and scenic designs from animal hide.
Here is one of his small elephants. They’re really cool. His large wall hangings were quite impressive and expensive.
This is an old-school hand-cranked puppet show machine that uses his creations as the characters. You crank this handle and about thirty gears and levers make the character puppets move independently like an old European automaton.
This was the South East Asian fish pedicure. You stick your feet into the pool of tiny fish and they eat off the dead skin on your feet – supposedly giving you a pedicure.
I’m not kidding you. Here is a photo stolen from the web. As a matter of fact, one of my students last year got third place in the Alaska Business Plan Competition with this crazy idea of bring this craze to the Alaska State Fair this summer.
Either way, that’s too weenie of a treatment for a man. Real men prefer a tank of piranhas.
From October 4, 1965, to August 15, 1973, the United States dropped 2,756,941 tons of bombs on Cambodia in 230,516 sorties on 113,716 sites. Just over 10 percent of this bombing was indiscriminate, with 3,580 of the sites listed as having “unknown” targets and another 8,238 sites having no target listed at all – all in an attempt to stop the Viet Cong from coming South. And how did that work out for the Americans???
Civilian casualties in Cambodia drove an enraged populace into the arms of an insurgency that had enjoyed relatively little support until the bombing began, setting in motion the expansion of the Vietnam War deeper into Cambodia, a coup d’état in 1970, the rapid rise of the Khmer Rouge, and ultimately the Cambodian genocide.
During this reign of Pol Pot and the “killing fields,” millions of land mines were laid along the border to keep other countries out as well as keep the Cambodian people “in.” Each year hundreds of Cambodian people are still killed and maimed by land mines and unexploded bombs.
American bombers at work.
Map of the American bombing strikes.
Map of where land mines have been laid.
US bomb.
US Cluster bomb.
Display of the mayhem collected over the years.
Children still injured every year.
Ordnance and prosthetics.
Chinese, American, and Russion ordnance.
Russian Bomb – Yes they were here too.
Another US bomb.
There are so many Cambodians women maimed each year they have a separate beauty contest called “Miss Land Mine.” There is also a sister web site for women in Angola.
As we travelled throughout the country side I was interested in seeing what was the traditional Cambodian house. Our driver Vuut showed us some common housing along the way. All were raised not for potential flooding, but for storage.
Local roadside markets, not for the tourists, but for the locals.
One of the most fun times I have in a foreign place is to go downtown and photograph the local people as they do their thing. Siem Reap, Cambodia is no different from any other interesting city. I stood on the corner of the main street into the city for about a half an hour and shot away. Here is a vibrant city and an interesting culture doing their thing on the Honda 50 motorcycle.
On the road in the TukTuk with our driver Vuut.
Hangin’ around waiting for a snack.
Waiting to be roadkill.
Rush hour.
Snack wagon.
Classic mode of transportation – plus everyone smoking.
Then there is this guy.
Local bus.
Village people heading into town from the local bus.
If you have ever wondered where all of the American $2 bills have gone, never fear I have found the answer. They are all in Cambodia. The Cambodian Riel is so useless that even the local people do not want it. They either want the Thai Baht or the American dollar. It was surprising to land in the airport in Cambodia, go the to ATM for some local cash, and out comes freshly printed $50 American bills. At the hotel I received freshly printed American $2 bills. I hadn’t seen one in years since they are not in use in the states.
Freshly printed – makes you wonder how these are sooooo new in Cambodia.
On our way back from Thailand and Cambodia we stopped off for a short visit in Hong Kong. It sure wasn’t like laid-back Southeast Asia. It was more like New York City with most everything in Chinese. Huge skyscraper buildings, hustle and bustle fast moving pushy people and a mixed message of ancient traditions running as fast as they can to become Westernized.
It was a very overcast day so photography was tough. We stayed on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong and took the ferry to the island of Hong Kong. Beautiful cityscape view that would be amazing on a clear evening.
I thought it a little over the top to advertise one’s attributes when attempting to do commerce. But, a few minutes later, I found out where Mr. Hung does his business when he is not doing business.
I need one of these in Alaska.
Mr. Hung’s office – Inches off the ground and four feet high.
Janine wanted to show me this amazing hand woven tapestry displayed in the Shangri-La Hotel lobby. It is fifteen stories high and about forty feet wife and depicts the history of China. It is made up of many smaller quilt squares and was quit stunning to see. It is viewable from an internal glass enclosed elevator.
Had a wonderful meal at a five star restaurant in the Shangri-La Hotel. We only had appetizers and soup along with an amazing bill.
Gold plated utensils along with brazed nuts with chili sauce.
Thousand year old eggs with sugared ginger. I will try anything once, and that’s about all it took for these gelatinous eggs that are preserved for months in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime and rice hulls. They looked beautiful but had a disgusting taste just at the moment they went down your throat. I can eat a lot of troubling items, but I couldn’t do these.
Every place we went in Hong Kong there seemed to be a rush to build the next huge office complex. In all of this speed to become Westernized, I wonder about the quality of the workmanship in these structures.
Being an Apple computer guy I had to laugh when I saw the huge Apple store on a Sunday morning. Apparently, this was at the beginning of the day so they had a rah rah team meeting. There must have been fifty people working that store.
Bill Gates is the Devil! Rah Rah! PC’s suck!!!
My life is an iPad! My life is an iPad! My life is an iPad!
1. Driving while using the cell phone
2. Driving while elderly
I saw this old woman in my rear-view mirror cruising along behind me as I negotiated the traffic on a busy afternoon. Let along being 85+ (that should cause one to use both hands while driving) she was yacking on the freaking phone. So I snapped this photo. YES, I took the photo at a stop light. God forbid I use the camera while driving.
“Hello Jesus? This is Mabel. Please kill the guy in front of me right now for taking a photo of me while I am driving and talking to you on the phone. I’ll see you soon.
The Iditarod dog sled race is one billed as “The Last Great Race” in the world. Over sixty mushers competed this year in the 1,300 mile challenge from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. The race usually takes anywhere from ten to fifteen days to complete depending on the weather conditions and terrain. Each musher begins with twelve to sixteen dogs with food and supplies waiting at numerous stops along the way. This year the winner crossed the finish line in nine days with the last finisher arriving in fourteen days.
I like to attend the “ceremonial” start in downtown Anchorage and photo up the scene. A couple of years ago I attended the “real” start in Willow, AK. Click here for the link. Enjoy the photos.
Map of the 2012 race.
Lining up the dogs.
The lead dogs are very smart and well-trained and keep the other dogs in line. Here is one of the leads checking on the younsters.
Downtown Anchorage. Yes, it snowed all day and was quite cold.
I always thought that all sled dogs in Alaska were huskies. To find out that most of the dogs in the racing circuit up here in Alaska are mutts sometimes found at the dog shelter. Even poodles have been raced in the Iditarod. Here are some of the dogs in this year’s race.
Let’s get this thing going.
What about me?
I’m glad I didn’t get the pink ones.
My brother is soooooooo loud.
DQ (Dog’s Quarterly) cover shot.
We’re ready, but scared.
Stop whispering in my ear.
Posers.
I wanna go NOWWWWW!!!!
Ain’t I pretty.
Yes, those are some of the poodles from a few years ago. (photo stolen from the web)
Even though technology has allowed sled designers to produce metal and composite sleds, most mushers choose the traditional wooden sleds. Here are a few.
Photographing the people at the Iditarod start in Anchorage is always the most fun. Here are some of the full-dress characters that inhabit the Anchorage area.
I wonder how the dogs feel seeing someone wearing one of their cousins.
Is that a fox on your head, or are you just glad to see me?
I don’t have a clue.
Girls on parade.
More parading.
That’s a bear hat!!!!!
Is that a Wookie or a Yeti? Dude in a musk ox suit.
Went to the Alaska Aces hockey game the other night. I’m not a big sport watcher and I really don’t care about any team, but I have a lot of fun watching a game I know nothing about especially when you are right down on the glass next to the ice. Brought my camera and had some fun. That night they were playing the Bakersfield Condors. Yes Bakersfield, California. It doesn’t get any better than that. I guess that’s what you get when you are a AA farm team for the St. Louis Blues.
Going for it on the ice.
Those are fish heads out there on the ice. It’s a tradition in Alaska that then the Aces score their first goal of the night people toss frozen fish heads from the stands on the ice. Those are large salmon heads. Can you imagine smuggling under your jacket a frozen fish head into a warm arena and waiting for your team to score. I wonder what they do if there is a shut-out.
All kinds at the game. Dude with a strobe light “goal indicator” on his head.
This is the Aces regular team mascot cheerleader. He leads cheers and does a regular routine with a pony on a stick that gets the crowd going as he runs up and down in front of the stands as the announcer cheers him on.
Sasquatch I think.
I don’t want to know what this is all about.
Team mascot with some kid.
Hardcore Aces fans.
More fans
Real Alaskans.
More fans.
Where the hell’s my stick????
Am I close enough to the action?
Let the fights begin. It goes like this. Two guys grab one guy and pull his shirt over his head and then try to beat the crap out of him. It all evens out later in the game.
Let the evening out begin at the other end of the ice.
The snow load in Alaska this year has been extreme in Anchorage. It began snowing in early November and has not stopped. Even though March is the month for snow, we already have this much.
Half way up my car.
That mound at the end of my road is not 15 feet high.
My street along with the stupid dog that has been taking a dump on my door step.
Along the road – higher than my car.
Across the campus lawn. That snow is 4 feet deep.
Same lawn.
Looks like the walkway in The Shining – waiting for Jack.
Posted by: Scott in California on February 26th, 2012
Went to SoCal to visit my parents and because of a freak snow storm in Seattle, the only flight Janine could get going south for several days was to fly to Palm Springs. I landed in Orange County, stopped off at my parents to say hi and headed to the desert to pick her up. We stayed with some friends that night in La Quinta but stopped off a Joshua Tree National Monument for a quick hike on the way back to SoCal. I used to camp here many years ago in Boy Scouts so it was a return to my old stompin’ grounds. The rocks haven’t changed much in forty years. Still one of the best collections of boulders thrown around by a supreme being playing dice or something.
Sign outside Palm Springs. I don’t think so.
Wind generating farm outside Palm Spring in Cabazon Pass.
Stayed with friends who have a home on the golf course where the Bob Hope tournament was being played. Had brunch on the back porch and watched the pros hike by.
Gorgeous spot set against the desert hills.
Used to camp near this rock pile fifty years ago in Boy Scouts.
Loved this shot of the dead tree and the jet contrail.
Gnarly dead tree with great texture.
Oh ya!!
Like they were just tossed there.
Why do girls always have to show off?
Janine and Kat up a tree.
Oh my yoga queen. Let’s do a head stand in that dead tree.
I don’t know if this is mid-yoga position or if she’s trying to dive off the rocks.
Posted by: Scott in California on January 14th, 2012
Visited the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) school in St. Helena, CA for a little snack and a look around. It’s an old castle that had it’s hey day and then went into disrepair and was purchased for a song by the school and refurbished into a state-of-the-art cooking school.
Fancy drinks here – include flower petals.
Collection of wine openers
The waves of these expensive kitchen knives are from hand folding of the metal many times by a blacksmith in the forging process. Notice the ones on the right don’t have the waves. You can purchase these at Costco. Ninja swords have these waves in the metal.
Yes, the pedestrian signs all indicate a walking weed-head crossing the road.
Hypnotic store sign.
I thought the tax guys standing in a Statue of Liberty suit on the street corner had the worst job in the world until I saw this guy. He’s standing in a mattress.
We got lucky on Maui by parlaying our rental car into a brand new Camaro convertible muscle machine. This road hog had a huge engine and was about 4 inches off the ground and was my first experience with a real race car. We drove the thirty miles to Hana which is one of the world’s most curvy roads without a single lean of the car on a turn. In other cars I have rented and driven to Hana, every turn was a step on the brakes and lean along with the KIA or Hyundai economy tin can. This heavy race car was completely different. Instead of hitting the brakes, I was able to hit the gas and power around every turn. It was thrilling. I also tested the big engine at a few stop lights and got to chirp the tires and get up to sixty in a couple of seconds. Every time I started the engine, I got a a woody. I’m glad I didn’t have to work a clutch too.
Curvy road to Hana all along the cliffs overlooking the ocean below.
Okay, this was a photo stolen from the web, but this was the car.
Yo, you talkin’ to me???
Who the hell is that guy back there. I think I’ll show him not to leave his cart behind my car at Costco. Yes there is a Costco on Maui.
Maui has a very diverse set of cultures. From the rich, to the local Hawaiians, to the regular folk,to the hippies from the 1960’s who have never left that time or lifestyle. We went to a New Year’s Hippie jam fest at a local musician’s barn studio up the mountain. As we entered the door we went back fifty years to another time. It was delightful floating back. As Robbin Williams once said, “‘f you remember the 60’s you weren’t there.”
The first party was a “wigged out” party so we had to play the part.
Yes tie-dyed wall covering along with black-light posters, light show and all of the best stoner gear.
Yes, weed is the cash crop on Maui. Everyone grows it and sells it trying to stay one step ahead of the helicopter hypocrites who swoop in like a Navy Seals getting Bin Laden and destroy their potted pot. I wouldn’t know anything about this stuff. I only inhaled once in my life and that was between 1968 and 1995.
This is a secret cove on the island of Maui that few know about. It is a sacred burial site for Hawaiian royalty who were buried standing up so they would be ready to fight in the afterlife. It is a magical place with a point overlooking the ocean waves where a picnic is perfect. We hiked down to the shore and into the jungle. It’s wonderfully peaceful being on your on private cove with no one anywhere near. It’s just you and the ocean and jungle.
Two of my boys are electrical lineman on the East coast. They often send me photos of where they are working, but never include photos such as the third one when they send photos to their mom.
Look at these macho men – Christopher and Justin. I’m proud!!
Got to fly very close to Mt. Rainier on a recent flight out of Seattle. Janine climbed this several years ago so it was interesting for her to show me her path from these photos.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
A year ago Janine went on a mult-week voyage on the research ship Kaisai to study the North Pacific Gyre. During our recent trip to the San Francisco area we had the opportunity to go for a day sail around the San Francisco harbor and under the Golden Gate Bridge. The Kaisai is a thirteen sail Brigantine that originally trained Japanese sailers. Click below to see other posts on the Kaisai Project.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
One last wonderful visit to the Muir Woods. Can’t get enough of these giant trees and to feel the energy and majesty of this place. Enjoy along with me.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
Finally got the opportunity to visit Alcatraz Island in San Francisco bay. It was one of the most depressing spaces I have ever visited. To live for years in a small cell while constantly seeing one the most exciting cities in the world only a short distance away was the real punishment for these bad guys. It you ended up in Alcatraz, you had to have done bad things. Got a lot of photos on this post, but they are all worth it.
Great sign.
Pulling up.
Remember when Native Americans occupied Alcatraz for many months?
Guard gear.
Recreation yard.
From the recreation yard looking back.
Looking up at the recreation yard from the beach.
Recreation yard from another angle.
From the top of the recreation yard.
The day the prison closed.
View from the main cell block.
Kitchen. Notice knives have an outline to see if they are missing.
Main cell block.
This is the cell block utilities hallway where the big escape happened.
Cell with hole clawed through concrete wall.
Another escape view.
Main cell block.
Guard control room.
Main cell block.
Prisoner visitor viewing window.
View out cell block window.
Cell decoration.
Gun gallery overlooking main cell block.
Solitary confinement cell.
Solitary cell.
Main shower room.
Stores.
Tower whereby a guard would spend an eight-hour shift waiting to shoot prinsoners.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
Since Janine is into Ikebana flower arranging, we stopped by the world headquarters of the art in San Francisco to visit their showroom and see examples from the masters.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
The de Young museum of fine art in Golden Gate Park is a must see if you are in to art. Taking photos was rare since they had a busy set of photo guards. But I snapped this one of a sculpture of a cathedral made entirely of gun parts and bullets.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill in San Francisco is one of the classic church buildings in America. It services a very broad and open community of followers in the area. It was quite stunning in it’s massiveness. Also, listen to the organ sample.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
This street musician was jammin’ on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and was worthy of stopping and listening and giving him some money. Check out the video and his great sound.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on January 7th, 2012
Visited the Musee Mechanique on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. It’s filled with antique mechanical music boxes, games, and attractions from the early 1900’s to an old PacMan video game. It’s a hoot. We spent many a quarter traveling back in time to earlier vintage amusement.
Posted by: Scott in San Francisco on December 24th, 2011
Stumbled into a fun sushi bar in Little Japan in San Francisco. This was my first experience with the floating sushi concept. You sit at the bar and the food floats by you and you snatch what you want. I wanted piranhas in the water to make it a little more spicy.
Visited Maine to visit a good friend I had not seen in a long time. Maine in August is the perfect time. Temperature was wonderful and everything was still in bloom and green.
Janine had a friend who is the Captain on this boat. She got to sail with him when they moved this boat to the show. It’s a former private taxi for a rich person who lived on Long Island during the 1920’s. Each morning this boat would pick them up and transport them to Wall Street at the end of Manhattan. During the trip a chef would prepare breakfast and on the return appetizers. The boat is worth millions with an equal yearly maintenance budget. It was truly a floating piece of art.
Stopped by this airport on our way back from Maine to check out a private WWII air force. All of these aircraft have been totally refurbished and frequently fly at air shows.
Posted by: Scott in California on September 22nd, 2011
I have wanted to visit Venice Beach, CA for as long as I have lived in California. Finally visited Santa Monica and trekked up the beach to the freak show. Here are some great shot along the beach front.
This guy is outside the “freak show” and is in an nine foot high tree suit.
Love a good freak show.
Starry starry night.
Good graffiti.
Dude.
I’m a doctor???
Can I give myself a prescription?
Recently visited his doctor.
This guy eventually jumped on the glass with bare feet.
Cool building art.
Ready for the anal probe???
Ono the beach.
I think I have a headache and need some medication.
Posted by: Scott in New Orleans on September 22nd, 2011
Happened to be in New Orleans over July 4th. Here is the fireworks display which came from two dueling barges in the river shooting parallel fireworks near the New Orleans bridge.
Posted by: Scott in New Orleans on September 22nd, 2011
One of the cultural events at Jazz Fest are the Haitian voodoo drummers and priests. Voodoo is not what you think. It is a cultural tradition and Christian religion for persons from Haiti. The drummers beat out great captivating beats while the priestesses dance. They then present a short workshop ceremony for the tourists.
Religious symbols. Notice the Christian artifacts.
Posted by: Scott in New Orleans on September 22nd, 2011
The Indians of Mardi Gras are one of the famous cultural aspects of Carnival and of Jazz Fest. The Mardi Gras Indians March and strut all through Carnival and appear at the Fest to honor that tradition.
Posted by: Scott in Amsterdam on September 22nd, 2011
Popped across the pond to visit friends of Janine’s in Amsterdam. They are jazz musicians and well connected in the city. We walked all over the city. Here are some of the sights.
Posted by: Scott in Amsterdam on September 22nd, 2011
More shots around Amsterdam.
Yes, many of the building are crooked here because of the reclaimed land for all of Amsterdam plus, in the 1500’s people puffed out the front of their buildings toward the street to enhance their grandeur.
Posted by: Scott in Amsterdam on September 22nd, 2011
Various sights around Amsterdam.
You won’t see this porn movie in the states.
Sign on a truck. Love the latex connection.
One of the great jazz clubs in the world is in Amsterdam. This unique jazz band from Germany featured a tuba, bass clarinet and bass sax, cello, two drummers, alto and bass flutes, and had a unique sound never to be heard by American ears. They played all styles of jazz influenced music and were amazing.
They don’t mess around with smoking here.
Babies and skulls. Love it.
Living in New Orleans I thought I’d seen enough “fabulous” clothes. This suit caught my eye.
Janine on the Ragtime.
