Travel Pics

2009-08-01T23:54:00.000-04:00

To follow the trips in order, use the links below.To see the most recent trips, see the Blog Archive at left, or sign up to follow this blog.Comments are welcome.PLACES I'VE BEENFriends met along the wayIcelandBerlinDresdenPragueBudapestChiang Mai, ThailandLong Boat River Cruise to Luang Prabang, LaosMekong Farming Village, LaosPak Beng, LaosLuang Prabang, LaosLaos UXO and Cluster BombsLaos

Newfoundland - St. Anthony's

2009-07-01T16:43:00.001-04:00

St. Anthony's is at the north-western tip of Newfoundland, near the Norse (Viking) site of L'Anse aux Meadows. It was very foggy when I arrived, but much clearer at sunrise the next morning.Lighthouse at St. Anthony'sSame lighthouse at sunrise.This is a group of 4 killer whales that I saw while taking the ferry to Labrador.

Newfoundland - Viking Norse Site at L'Anse Aux Meadows

2009-07-01T16:40:00.003-04:00

The Vikings built this site around 1000AD, around 500 years before Columbus arrived in America.This mound is a former charcoal kiln and iron smelter. This established the site as Norse Viking, and not Eskimo or Inuit, as the native peoples did not have iron smelting technology. Bog iron is the source of ore. Flakes of iron precipitate from the iron-rich streams when they hit the acidic water

Newfoundland - Viking trail

2009-07-01T16:39:00.001-04:00

Driving north from Rocky Harbor along the Viking Trail. Glacier walls of Western Brook Pond. A boat tour goes through this pond, alonside these 700 meter high cliff walls.The Arches Provincial Park.Shoreline at Port Aux Choix. Current excavations show this site has been inhabited for over 4000 years, even during the ice ages, by several groups of natives peoples and later by Europeans.

Cabot Trail II, Nova Scotia

2009-07-01T16:36:00.002-04:00

More photos from along the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Cabot Trail I, Nova Scotia

2009-07-01T16:26:00.002-04:00

Not much to comment on, just great scenery. This is from the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Newfoundland I

2009-07-01T16:21:00.002-04:00

Not a lot of culture to comment on here, just great scenery.Woody Point, western coast of NewfoundlandBarren hills of the Tablelands. Rocks are very high in iron which prevents growth.Moose sightings are common.There is a river flowing beneath this rock bed.Rocky HarborHampden. This is a deep fjord where wales are occasionally seen.Shores near Rocky Harbor

Acadia National Park IV

2009-06-16T22:04:00.001-04:00

Acadia National Park III

2009-06-16T21:42:00.001-04:00

Acadia National Park II

2009-06-15T20:22:00.005-04:00

Acadia National Park, Maine

2009-06-14T22:12:00.004-04:00

Friends

2009-05-18T08:00:00.005-04:00

For sure one of the best things about traveling is meeting good friends along the way. I was lucky to meet a lot of fun and interesting people on this trip. Here are some of them.Tour groupMads and Friend (Grad students, Hong Kong), introducing me to "Bar 7-11"Samui, ThailandJemma, Vivian, and girl selling flowersBeach party, Samui, ThailandTravel Agency family in Krabi, ThailandAwesome family

Signs from Southeast Asia and Australia

2009-05-18T07:40:00.001-04:00

Kangaroo CrossingPort MacQuarie, NSW, AustraliaMonkey AttackLangkawi, Malaysia"Manly Italian Restaurant"Manly Beach (Sydney), AustraliaCandy machine selling candy colored ROCKSBlue Mountains, Katoomba, AustraliaUse of Male ToiletsMelbourne, AustraliaMalaysia police enforce Muslim law on MuslimsGeorgetown, MalaysiaWild horse sign inside public parkGeorgetown, MalaysiaCorn in CupKL Tower, Kuala

Transportation in Southeast Asia

2009-05-18T07:30:00.004-04:00

I am curious how different cultures address their transportation needs. Here is what I saw in Southeast Asia.One difference is choosing value over speed, comfort, and safety. Motorcycles and scooters are much more common. High fuel efficiency means costs are lower. It does not snow here, so a motorcycle can be used all year, compared to perhaps 6 months in the Northeast US. If your only

Narita Airport to Empirial Gardens, Tokyo, Japan, in Under 5 hours

2009-05-18T07:25:00.002-04:00

With an 8 hour layover and only 3 hours of sleep on the flight from Bangkok, but I was determined to enter Japan, get my passport stamped, snap a few pictures, and return in time for the connecting flight home. If something went wrong- immigration delays, customs delays, train delays, getting lost in the city, falling asleep in the park- I would miss my return flight.The Narita Express takes

Byron Bay, Australia

2009-05-18T07:20:00.001-04:00

From Port MacQuarie, we drove north towards Brisbane. We stopped in Byron Bay for some pictures.

Hunter Valley, Australia

2009-05-18T07:10:00.001-04:00

From Katoomba we drove back to the coast and north toward Port MacQuarie. These pictures were taken along that drive.Animal sanctuary near Port MacQuarie.Winery in Hunter Valley.Looking back from the surf at Yamba, NSW.

Blue Mountains, Katoomba, Australia

2009-05-18T07:05:00.001-04:00

We arrived at Katoomba just in time to take a few pictures before the sun set.Same views the next morning.

Sydney, Australia

2009-05-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

From Langkawi, I flew to KL for a few days, then to Sydney. Here I met up with a friend from the US.Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), Kuala Lumpur. No flight bridges.Sydney Opera HouseJorn Utzon's explanation of how he designed the Opera House. It shows how each section of the Opera House has the dimensions of a segment cut from a globe. These segments are erected together to form a different

Langkawi Cable Car: Mount Machincang

2009-05-18T06:55:00.003-04:00

From my bungalow in Chenang I rode about 20 minutes by motorcycle to the Langkawi Cable Car on Mount Machincang. I rode the nearly verticle cable car to the top. It has two stops on different peaks. There is a suspended foot bridge and several observation decks. From here you have views overtop of rainforests, the ocean, and you can see all the way to the southern islands of Thailand.

Georgetown to Cenang Beach, Langkawi, Malaysia

2009-05-18T06:55:00.001-04:00

From Georgetown I took a 2.5 hour ferry ride to Langkawi, and island on the east coast of Malaysia, on the north side, almost to Thailand. I met other backpackers on the boat and we split a cab from the dock into the beach district. I've stopped making hotel reservations because hotels with online reservation sites charge quite a bit more. Instead, I check Lonely Planet for a street with

Jungle Train from Melaka to Georgetown

2009-05-18T06:50:00.001-04:00

My next destination was Georgetown (Penang) in north Malaysia. I was in Melaka, the south. I took a taxi to Tampin ($15) and a first class train from Tampin to Butterworth ($12)First class air conditioned cabin.Palm plantation.No alcohol or cigarettes are sold on this train, nor at any of the vendors who set up at the station stops. The locals in this area are ethnic Malays, and Muslim. I am

Melaka, Malaysia

2009-05-18T06:45:00.002-04:00

I took the $9 bus from Puduraya bus station to the port town of Melaka. Fast, hassle free, and passengers were mostly locals- the opposite of Thailand bus travel in every way. On the highways we pass many palm plantations.Melaka is a World Heritage site. It has colonial architecture, ocean views, great Baba-Nonya (Chinese-Malay fusion) food. View of ocean and river from my hotel."Chicken rice

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-05-18T06:40:00.008-04:00

From Phuket I flew to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, via Air Asia, a rediculously cheap discount airline. If you can play by their rules (low baggage allowance, pay extra to select your seat, check in desk closes 1 hour before flight), they are a great bargain.KL is a very modern and clean city. Most Malaysians speak some English, the younger generations are fully fluent in English.

Thailand Beaches: Patong Beach, Phuket

2009-05-18T06:30:00.000-04:00

The consensus from other backpackers was that "Phuket is shit". If you are looking for undeveloped beachfront, Phuket is not for you. It does have good restaurant choices, and Patong in particular has live music 7 nights a week, and brewed coffee; usually only powdered Nescafe is available. On the other hand, Patong is much bigger and more developed Hat Chewang (Ko Samui) or Ao Nang (Krabi),

Thailand Beaches: Krabi / Ao Nang

2009-05-14T14:30:00.003-04:00

From Samui I travelled by ferry and bus to Krabi. I stayed near the beaches of Ao Nang. Here I see more families and fewer singles, fewer bars, and the costs are a bit lower. For 800 baht I get a large, modern, stand alone bungalow with a front porch, including cooked western breakfast, at Ao Nang Garden Resort, about a 10 minute walk from the beaches.The beaches have nice sunset views and

Full Moon Party (Ko Pha Ngan) and Island Tour, Thailand

2009-05-14T13:48:00.002-04:00

From Ko Samui I took a speedboat to Ko Pha Ngan for the Full Moon Party. 650 baht gets you a round trip ticket, leaving at a reserved time and returing once per hour from midnight till 5am. Arriving at the dock you pay 100 baht, about $3, for a bracelet and entrance to the section where car traffic is blocked off. These streets lead to the party beach. Every shop along these streets sets up

Interesting Perspective on Sweatshops

2009-05-06T07:52:00.004-04:00

Holding to western fair labor practices has cost Cambodia some garment factories, lowering the standard of living for former employees. The suggestion is that "sweatshops" are the lesser of two evils and do offer a road out of poverty. Consider this alternative, scavenging in a garbage dump in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, as discussed here by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times:http

Thailand Beaches: Koh Samui

2009-04-22T00:00:00.014-04:00

From Chiang Mai we flew to Ko Samui. We stayed in Hat Chaweng, which has a good mix of restaurants, nightlife, and sandy beaches. We never felt unsafe but like all Thai beach towns Chaweng does have seedy elements, and these are easily avoided by not walking down one side street. Arriving in town, we got our first taste of Thai transportation hassles - the airport shuttle driver, instead of

Return to Chiang Mai: Cooking classes, motorbiking,

2009-04-21T14:00:00.002-04:00

With the organized tour essentially ending in Siem Reap, I left for Chiang Mai, Thailand where you can take classes on anything from Thai boxing to Buddhist meditation. I took cooking classes, rented motorbikes, and explored the town more than on my first visit, which had only been a day.Ingredients and mortar for making curry paste Fermented shrimp paste and other pastes, used in Thai cooking,

Floating Village, Tonle Sap Lake

2009-04-21T12:00:00.004-04:00

Tonle Sap is a large freshwater lake, connected to the Mekong River. As the Mekong rises during flood season, it backs up into the Tonle Sap, and the area of the Lake expands greatly.Villagers living on the Tonle Sap lake live in floating houses. The houses float so they stay above water when the flood season arrives. The houses are not anchored so that they will be carried further into the

Phnom Penh- Tuol Sleng Prison and Killing Fields

2009-04-21T11:00:00.003-04:00

Cambodia was the most intriguing of our destinations. On one hand, their ancestors achieved one of the greatest feats of ancient civilizations, the building of the Angkor Wat temples with a height of 6 stories, a moat 90 feet wide and over two miles long, using a force of 40,000 elephants, as well as craftsman and laborers. On the other hand, they suffered the devastating tragedy of genocide,

Temples of Angkor Wat

2009-04-21T10:00:00.003-04:00

We start with the most impressive temple, Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century as a Hindu temple. We arrived before sunrise in pitch blackness, using flashlights to find our footing along the causeway, crossing the 30 meter moat, and on to our viewing spot.Angkor Wat. View from reflection pondAngkor Wat at sunrise. View from causeway.I returned a few days later to get shots at night. We were

Border crossing into Cambodia and Vietnam Visa issues

2009-04-03T06:07:00.004-04:00

No pictures in this post.We took the $9 bus from Ho Chi Minh city to Phnom Phen instead of the $7 cheap bus, and paid an extra $5 to our guide to handle the paperwork at the border. We were through the border in about 10 minutes; somehow bypassing a crowd of locals waiting in line. You might call this corruption working in our favor, or you might say we paid for "business class" service.Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

2009-04-03T05:02:00.003-04:00

Ho Chi Minh city is much more modern and developed than other parts of Vietnam. The view of a park from our hotel:The Caravelle Hotel where foreign correspondents gathered while reporting on the war.We took a guided tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, an elaborate tunnel system used by guerrillas fight and hide from American Soldiers. The tunnel system included hidden entrances; living spaces; kitchens

Hoi An - World Heritage Town

2009-04-03T04:36:00.006-04:00

Hoi An is another World Heritage City, similar to Luang Prabang, but with some differences. It is larger and has more cafés, its bars stay open later, and its 4km to ocean beaches. It is very walkable and has many up scale guest houses for low cost. I paid US$23 per day in the high season for a room with aircon, balcony with street view, private bath with tub and shower (rare in SE Asia; most

Cooking fuels

2009-04-02T23:43:00.010-04:00

After reading "Collapse" by Jared Diamond, which discusses deforestation and its link to the decline of some societies, I became curious how different cultures obtain cooking fuels. Here is what I saw in Southeast Asia.Laos is blessed with much hardwood. We saw dried firewood being used in homes and by shopkeepers cooking their lunches on the sidewalk. We also saw charcoal being used in

What I learned in Hanoi

2009-04-02T22:30:00.011-04:00

Things are done differently in Vietnam, but somehow it all works. Here is what I learned.Sidewalks in Hanoi are not for pedestrians. Sidewalks are for extending your shop space beyond the walls of your shop, as far into the sidewalk as your supply of poles, blue plastic tarps and bungee cords, and display tables will allow, and even into the street. If no shop is using the sidewalk, then the

Crossing into Vietnam and overnight stay in Halong Bay

2009-03-10T03:51:00.004-04:00