Vietnam pictures posted, here.
Love. Enjoy.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
New Pictures - Cambodia
Aright friendlings. Sorry for the lack of updates, but for those of you that don't know, I made it back stateside a couple weeks ago and have just made my way down to Houston a few days ago.
It's gonna take some time, but I should have all my pictures uploaded within the next week or so. For now, enjoy my favorite pictures from the second month of my travels in Cambodia. Click here.
Hope everyone's well. Love.
It's gonna take some time, but I should have all my pictures uploaded within the next week or so. For now, enjoy my favorite pictures from the second month of my travels in Cambodia. Click here.
Hope everyone's well. Love.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wham Bam, Thank You Ma'am
So I just took a minute to go back and post an entry I'd written and hadn't gotten around to publishing before now. Sorry for the lack of updates. I've had a tougher than expected time finding a suitable combination of reliable internet connections and unblocked websites. And let's be honest, I can't be expected to write decent blog posts without my fill of indecent websites.
I've just returned to my hotel after touring around the Northeast Iranian city of Bam for a couple of hours. The first and most glaring observation is that it's really stinkin' hot. Oddly enough, I remember thinking how much cooler the weather is in Iran compared to the tropical scorcher of a Southeast Asian region I'd been frequenting during the months prior. Such is no longer the case. The concrete jungle of a city is finally starting to warm to my arrival to the tune of dry, 90 plus degree days.
Back to Bam, it's a wasteland. It's been four years since the earthquake of late 2003, and most parts of the city look to me as they might've just weeks after the disaster. The ancient 2700 year-old Citadel of Bam, formerly the biggest adobe structure on earth, remains covered in rubble. The local bazaar continues to operate out of a vast collection of colorful array of 18-wheeler containers. From what I understand, there have been some efforts to reconstruct the city - much of which has come or has tried to come from abroad. The French have built and fully equipped a huge hospital facility. Malaysian architecture adorns the streets. Japan sent playstations. Even footballers Zidane and Ronaldo (the original) have gotten into the relief efforts by helping to build a huge, state-of-the-art athletic facility. If only we had someone in the Iranian government with a bit of sense and a wicked bicycle kick.
It's been an eye-opening experience so far. I'd spent a total of maybe 30 days in Iran prior to this trip, and only 9-10 of those had been in my conscious post-adolescent days. My Farsi is coming along, and the taxi drivers under the Satarkhan bridge are pretty much in love with me. In other news, pending a final verdict from my old friends at Ticketcity, I may or may not be headed to China in a month's time for the Olympics. Either way, it's beginning to look like I'll be seeing all your pretty faces fairly soon. Roll out the red carpets and cash in your mortgage backed securities...I'm coming home around the middle to end of August. ;)
I've just returned to my hotel after touring around the Northeast Iranian city of Bam for a couple of hours. The first and most glaring observation is that it's really stinkin' hot. Oddly enough, I remember thinking how much cooler the weather is in Iran compared to the tropical scorcher of a Southeast Asian region I'd been frequenting during the months prior. Such is no longer the case. The concrete jungle of a city is finally starting to warm to my arrival to the tune of dry, 90 plus degree days.
Back to Bam, it's a wasteland. It's been four years since the earthquake of late 2003, and most parts of the city look to me as they might've just weeks after the disaster. The ancient 2700 year-old Citadel of Bam, formerly the biggest adobe structure on earth, remains covered in rubble. The local bazaar continues to operate out of a vast collection of colorful array of 18-wheeler containers. From what I understand, there have been some efforts to reconstruct the city - much of which has come or has tried to come from abroad. The French have built and fully equipped a huge hospital facility. Malaysian architecture adorns the streets. Japan sent playstations. Even footballers Zidane and Ronaldo (the original) have gotten into the relief efforts by helping to build a huge, state-of-the-art athletic facility. If only we had someone in the Iranian government with a bit of sense and a wicked bicycle kick.
It's been an eye-opening experience so far. I'd spent a total of maybe 30 days in Iran prior to this trip, and only 9-10 of those had been in my conscious post-adolescent days. My Farsi is coming along, and the taxi drivers under the Satarkhan bridge are pretty much in love with me. In other news, pending a final verdict from my old friends at Ticketcity, I may or may not be headed to China in a month's time for the Olympics. Either way, it's beginning to look like I'll be seeing all your pretty faces fairly soon. Roll out the red carpets and cash in your mortgage backed securities...I'm coming home around the middle to end of August. ;)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
And I raaaaaan, I ran so far awayyy.....
I'm currently writing from Tehran, Iran. I arrived here last week after a brief four-day stopover in the U.A.E. to see the monstrosity of human progress that is Dubai. Somebody mentioned that 25% of the entire world's construction cranes are current in the U.A.E. I believe it. The place is an enormous amusement park for the rich. The evening of my arrival, I went to some club featuring an almost entirely Arab clientele, $10 waters and $30 bottled beer. The next day, my friends drove me past the 'Burj Dubai,' a 160 story tower, and reigning tallest man-made structure on earth, the 'Burj Al Arab,' the only 7-star hotel in the world, and the construction site of Dubai's newest Formula 1 Racetrack. Clearly, these Sheiks have more money than they know what to do with.
Anyway, so yeah..I'm in Tehran at the moment, trying to buckle down and make some sort of life for the next couple of months. I was tentatively planning on being here till around the end of August, but plans change as often as Hilary sheds tears. I've been looking into teaching English to hold me over on the moneys, learning to play the setar (a classical Persian instrument), and maybe getting into some freelance journalism. Then again, getting the hang of things here is almost a full time job in of itself.
As it turns out, my Farsi stinks. I'm the undisputed Intercontinental Champion when it comes to American Iranian kiddos, but I'm like a mentally challenged Kenyan boy here in Tehran. It's coming along slowly, but I am learning and expect to be giving speeches alongside Ahmadinejat in just a few weeks time. Till then, I will continue with the shameless provocation of difficult and awkward interactions. Just yesterday, for example, I learned that the Farsi word for 'cell phone' is 'hamra,' the same word for 'someone with you.'
Woman: 'I'm so, SO sorry to bother you. I'm trying to meet someone, and I think they're lost. Do you have a telephone (someone with you)?'
Me (holding my phone in front of me): ''No, I'm actually rollin' solo."
Woman (staring at the phone in my hands): ''... ... ...''
Fortunately, I finally figured it out and she found her friend. Unfortunately, I don't actually know any Farsi phrases as cool as 'rollin' solo.'
It's funny. After three and a half months of navigating around Southeast Asia alone, where the language barrier is thick and where I don't actually have countless generations of ancestors, I figured that Iran would be a relative walk in the park. It's not.
Anyway, so yeah..I'm in Tehran at the moment, trying to buckle down and make some sort of life for the next couple of months. I was tentatively planning on being here till around the end of August, but plans change as often as Hilary sheds tears. I've been looking into teaching English to hold me over on the moneys, learning to play the setar (a classical Persian instrument), and maybe getting into some freelance journalism. Then again, getting the hang of things here is almost a full time job in of itself.
As it turns out, my Farsi stinks. I'm the undisputed Intercontinental Champion when it comes to American Iranian kiddos, but I'm like a mentally challenged Kenyan boy here in Tehran. It's coming along slowly, but I am learning and expect to be giving speeches alongside Ahmadinejat in just a few weeks time. Till then, I will continue with the shameless provocation of difficult and awkward interactions. Just yesterday, for example, I learned that the Farsi word for 'cell phone' is 'hamra,' the same word for 'someone with you.'
Woman: 'I'm so, SO sorry to bother you. I'm trying to meet someone, and I think they're lost. Do you have a telephone (someone with you)?'
Me (holding my phone in front of me): ''No, I'm actually rollin' solo."
Woman (staring at the phone in my hands): ''... ... ...''
Fortunately, I finally figured it out and she found her friend. Unfortunately, I don't actually know any Farsi phrases as cool as 'rollin' solo.'
It's funny. After three and a half months of navigating around Southeast Asia alone, where the language barrier is thick and where I don't actually have countless generations of ancestors, I figured that Iran would be a relative walk in the park. It's not.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Pictures - Thailand
The first batch of my pictures are finally posted. Included are my favorite shots from the first 30 days of my travel in Thailand. More to come eventually.
Click here to see them.
Enjoy.
Click here to see them.
Enjoy.
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