Palace Guard
I took this in 1989 or thereabouts. I think I just stumbled upon the changing of the guard (thankfully this has nothing to do with diapers) ceremony that day. How about those snazzy backpacks?
Tokyo’s Electronics District
Akihabara is where one goes to find the latest in high-tech gadgets. I was there in 2008, about exactly 48 hours before the multiple-fatality stabbing spree that darkened the doorstep of this lively consumer district.
If you’re wondering about the girls in the French maid costumes, they weren’t kinky prostitutes. They were giving out free tissue packets with advertising on them. Why wear such costumes? I have no idea– except that I imagine they sell a lot of what they’re selling to sarariman.
Taken from the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa
In 2011, we made a mid-summer trip to Helsinki. We stayed at the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa. It’s located northwest of Helsinki proper up the inlet to the city’s west side (not far from Seurasaari Island.)
This photo was taken at probably 1:30am. Vampires beware: I don’t think it ever got fully dark. There was always light on the horizon. Those little black specks on the water are birds whose circadian rhythms were as confused as was mine.
BTW, that hotel has an awesome breakfast buffet that’s included in the room price. It’ s a little out-of-the-way though.
Back Lake in Beijing
This was taken in 2008. Beijing is such a pretty city… when the smog lifts and one can see it.
Taken from Temple II
The Grand Plaza comprises two temples towers that face each other, Temples I and II, the manicured courtyard between them, and these buildings off to the side. This photo is taken from atop Temple II.
I like to visit Mayan sites. As with Angkor, I feel that this is a good way to mentally prepare myself for the day our own civilization collapses.
Tikal was one of my favorite Mayan sites, mostly because it was the only large-scale site we could visit in peace. When we were at Chichen Itza, the hawkers were ubiquitous and weren’t above following one around. I don’t recall being bothered at Tikal at all. Of course, it’s been a many years since I visited.
The Aranybika (Golden Bull) Hotel is one of the most prominent landmarks of Debrecen, Hungary. The Golden Bull is alternatively an important edict of 1222 or a soccer team. The hotel was built in 1915 in the secessionist style.
Debrecen is the second largest Hungarian city at 200,000+ residents. In 2002, I attended an intensive language course affiliated with the University of Debrecen. The building in which I was taught was near this square, across and down the street.
If you are interested in learning Hungarian, I’d highly recommend the school I attended, the Debreceni Nyári Egyetemen.
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Vagabonding is a book about how to make the leap from a cubicle-dwelling company-man (or woman) to a wandering free-spirit.
This book serves two functions. The first is to answer questions about how one goes about seeing the world if one is not independently wealthy or a recent lotto winner. In this role it provides information such as how one can fund one’s travel time, and, perhaps more importantly, how one can get a job after one has an 18 month void in one’s resume.
The second function is to psyche one up to take the leap. In this role it is more persuasive than informative. In both roles it succeeds, but it is in this second role that it is most useful. The Introduction title is “How to Win and Influence Yourself” and Chapter 1 is entitled “Declare your Independence.”
Each chapter has a list of tips and/or references, quotes from those who have done it, and a profile of a famous person associated with the lifestyle, including: Thoreau, Whitman, Muir, and Annie Dillard. The quotes show you that mere mortals have made this leap. The profiles show that you that you will be in excellent company if you do it.
One of the most important themes in this book is simplified living. If one isn’t independently wealthy, one will have to make “sacrifices” to adopt this lifestyle. However, if one learns to live lean, one will be able to make do with much less. One must also live lean during one’s travels. Potts’s advice is to travel light, and leave the electronics at home. (The latter may seem impossible these days, but as a person who recently lost a laptop in a travel accident, I respect the logic.)
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is ready to take the leap, but only if you’re serious.
This Incan site overlooks Cusco, Peru.
Sacsayhuamán may well be the first Incan site you see, if you fly into Cusco. It sits on a hill overlooking Cusco. If you’re in the mood to stretch your legs and aren’t too queasy from the elevation (Cusco, 11,200ft), it’s not too difficult a walk from the city center. You can use the Cristo Blanco (huge white Jesus), which shares the same hill, as a navigational reference.
The Incans were the master masons. These stone walls were made without mortar. Yes, those irregularly shaped blocks sit perfectly on each other and have for hundreds of years. The one thing that Sacsayhuamán has that other sites don’t is a naturally occurring fun park of slides. One can also traverse a pitch black cave, and get spectacular overview shots of the city.
Naturally occurring slides
The Cohen Building
The Cohen building is a meticulously restored historic building in Nashville, Tennessee. Today it is dwarfed by the adjacent buildings.
Gazebo in the Trinity College Courtyard
This photo was shot on a drizzly day in 1989 at Trinity College, Cambridge University. It was converted from a film photo to digital, hence the sepia sky.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 