Yearly Archives: 2012

Meandering Around Myanmar

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I’ve noted before that being in Myanmar is like stepping back in time. We were last here three years ago and we wondered how much would be changed now that the country has “opened up.” (It wasn’t exactly closed before, in spite of the prevailing narrative.) The short answer is: not much. Yangon still has that decaying colonial-era atmosphere, the streets are still seething with people and lined with micro-merchants selling everything imaginable, and on side streets and back alleys craftsmen continue to make by hand everyday things we often take for granted. In one shop we passed you could … Continue reading →

Lost and Found

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We have spent the past two weeks in a couple of towns in rural northern Thailand. I wrote about Pai last time so I won’t repeat myself, but [here]is the link. I will say one thing though. A town full of fellow travelers has its pros and cons. Tourism distorts a place. But one of the real pleasures of travel is making friends from other parts of the world who are taking similar journeys. We have something in common to get us started, and sometimes quick bonds are formed. Stories and information are shared, and our knowledge of the rest … Continue reading →

Bangkok and Beyond

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When we arrived in Bangkok a couple of weeks ago our bodies believed it was past bedtime, and the calendar told us it was getting close to winter. But local time was just past noon. And the climate… aside for the rare air-conditioned respite, I don’t think we’ve stopped sweating since. Temperatures are in the mid to upper 80s, with humidity about the same. As SE Asia transitions to what passes for winter here next month the humidity should go down quite a bit, and the temperatures will plunge to the low 80s. It is hard to describe Bangkok to … Continue reading →

A Foot Out the Door

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We’ve got our bags packed, we’ve got bus tickets, plane tickets, and reservations for the first few nights in Bangkok. If all goes according to plan, a couple weeks from now we’ll be on the first leg of a four-month trip, first to Southeast Asia, then to Guatemala. (When I say that we are packed, that is not strictly true. Faye has a ways to go yet. But, for reasons probably best discussed with a therapist, I am pretty much always packed. So it averages out.) We’ll be covering some of the same ground In SE Asia we did a … Continue reading →

Road Trip to the Oregon Country Fair

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Here’s something from the sorta travel related department– I did a road trip in the new (to us) Delica down to the Oregon Country Fair, near Eugene (unfortunately Faye had to stay home and work). It was a test of the vehicle (ran fine) and the camper modification I did to it (needs some fine tuning). And, of course, it was a chance to immerse myself in three days of altered reality, the kind that reconnects me with various parts of my past. For those not familiar with the Oregon Country Fair, its roots go back to the counter-culture 60s. … Continue reading →