Category: Travel

Ok, I will fire off more hoping the connection will stay stable. As I mentioned earlier, it’s tough to take pictures of all you see when you are basically off roading in some places. Cambodia is basically flat, and as it’s the end of the wet season parts are flooded. About half the population is under 30, and half of those are aged 10 and under. The Khmer Rouge killed off the intellectuals and anyone…

Today we took a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Journey took about 10 hours, with about two hours for immigration and breaks. We entered at Poipet, which is apparently the last border to close after the Khmer Roughe took over–if you were going to get out, that was the place for it. I think it should be renamed “Poi-pit” or, rhythmically, “Toilet”. Dusty, hot, muggy, with piles of garbage and a road pockmarked…

Sawadee ka! Here I am in Bangkok. The total flight time was over 17 hours, and I got here at 11:30 p.m. Bangkok is 14 hours ahead of Seattle time. It was 80 + degrees with 90% humidity–totally different from 54 degrees and damp in Seattle! On the way to the hotel I saw roadside food stalls, and it looks like Chinatown was hopping in places late at night. I’m not terribly jetlagged, but am…

Conclusion of those little projects known as Vista and IE7 at work meant a short weekend vacation for Aimee and myself. We’re spending the weekend on the Oregon coast in Seaside. This little city is quickly becoming one of my favorite “get away” spots. It is about four hours drive from Seattle and has much of what I like in a place to relax. The city is very pedestrian friendly and the ocean access and…

Oh, what memories! The Nitty Gritty is one of those institutions that I suppose most cities, especially those that play host to major colleges, has to have to be considered complete. I confess to having the birthday bell rung for me a time or few during the almost 10 years I called Madison home. Ironic that these days the old gritty mugs are more often filled with milk for dinner than that other beverage that…

It has been almost a year since Aimee and I travelled to India. Today an article in the Seattle Times caught my attention as they have a travel writer visiting for two weeks. Walking through the grounds at Humayuan’s Tomb, a precursor of the Taj Mahal, built in the 1500s, I was struck at how easy it is to escape the traffic noise and congestion, and get a feel for what medieval Delhi used to…

Aimee put together a photo story of our trip to Beijing. Enjoy some of the images and sounds of China.

Apparently a couple folks who’ve read my posts requested that I discuss the food we had in Beijing. Ironic, as thinking about food right now is not high on my list. First, it’s hot in fair Seattle (not as hot as Beijing, though) and no A/C in the house. Even more, I’m recovering from Travelers Trots, which I believe was due to bad airline food. The question I’ve been asked by several people is whether…

Today we went to the Great Wall at Mutianyu–less crowded than the more popular (and closer) area at Badaling. The surrounding area was gorgeous–mountains, flowers, small villages. The wall itself was incredible. Stairs are alternatingly steep and then smaller and wider without any pattern. Perhaps it was due to building materials, but anyone running on the wall would be slowed by that. The wall was not built for the disabled or the out of shape.…

As in everywhere else in Asia, you are expected to bargain for items, something I’m not adept at and don’t really like. Guess I’m typically American in that fashion–just tell me what you want for it and I’ll decide if it’s worth my while. I went to the Pearl Market (Hong Qiao) which had lots of stuff, most of it the ticky tacky variety. Got a few things, which I likely paid too much for.…