Forum: Travel

I'm leaving Monday for a 5 day field study of the southern San Andreas fault, its 9 of us from the university. The nice part is the hotel is in Huntington beach....and the weather looks good, mid 80s. We get one day at the Caltech seismology labs, something I've always wanted to see, I have enough questions to sink a ship. I've been interested in this section of the fault line for years, and its latent volcanics. Hope to get some good pics. The down side is a 3 hour layover in Helsinki and another 4 hours at JFK....uggg... hope the hell I can sneak a smoke somewhere.

Kerala is known to all as ‘God’s Own Country’ due to its various beautiful places. It is situated in the Southern tip and is not only blessed with abundant greenery but also a pleasant climate. Kerala is a heavenly abode and is known for its lagoons and backwaters that meander through its beautiful sceneries, hill stations, wild life sanctuaries and also its rich and colorful culture and heritage. Destinations Kerala are famous for their beauty and bliss. The capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, is a city that is clean, neat and rich in cultural heritage. It is flanked by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. Till recently it was known as Trivandrum, a name used by the British. It derives its name from the deity at the Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswami temple situated in the city. Besides the temple the city is also famous for the Observatory that was established for about a hundred years ago. There a number of impressive palaces in and around Thiruvananthapuram. The museum is known for its profuse gables...

Doing the ferry at 6:30 am tomorrow to Gotland, the pearl of the Baltic sea. My plan ( weather permitting) is to loop the island by quad, ( 450cc) its an enormous coast line with some of the most beautiful sand beaches in Scandinavia. I'm giving myself 3 weeks to do the island, camping on the beach and lots of archeology sites and old Viking graves, I'll have my camera to send some pics. I have the essentials...scotch and toilet paper... and some fresh Cubans. Should be a blast. BE GOOD !!!!!!

Anybody here know San Francisco? I'm planning a visit there soon.

Guest house in cochin offers you a comfortable, safe and clean accommodation in Cochin. Most guest houses in Cochin are located in a walk able distance from major City tourist attractions like Jewish town, spice market, and Fort Cochin beach. The most prominent attractions of Cochin guest houses are Chinese fishing nets, Santa Cruz Basilica, Indo Portuguese museum and Maritime museum. Mattanchery, a busy suburb of Cochin City is known for Jewish Synagogue, Dutch palace, Antique Bazaar and Jain temple. Guest house in Cochin assures total privacy and homely atmosphere at an affordable price. Guest house in Cochin provides an authentic taste of Kerala life combined with the British standards of hospitality. The history of Cochin is reflected in steep roofed bungalows, colonial residences, palaces, synagogues and palace. Introduction to yoga training, Kerala art forms and medical tourism, are some of the added benefits in Kochi guest house accommodation packages. You can experience the wonderful savor of...

I skipped Burningman this year. Decided to go with a few friends who also thought that water sounded better than desert. So here we are, makin a video for a competition that used this track "on a boat". Of course we never got around to finishing it on time to submit it, but we sure had fun. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfc_5XyVv6I

Countries that can be cool to dwell in when with a good enough translator (a translator device and/or a paid translator person) : (Pick between the following: ) MONGOLIA ICELAND GREENLAND People talk a good game about certain countries but um, fuck Zealand, North Holland, and Costa Rica. All the countries making the news or pop speakings ARE A NO-NO! in my book. You don't HEAR any thing even remotely by far about Mong, ICE, and GREEN. Why is that? Because wherever NEWS is not making famous fuss or infamous fuss, is the best places. Now if you talk economy in a bad light, then that is only if your dwelling depends on employers. Mines does not. So I don't let econ talk tell me where to dwell. Besides, why want a gov that is too advancely tech equiped? I'll be delocating.

Munnar is a beautiful hill town situated at a height of about 6000 ft in the Idukki district. It is one of the most sought after summer resorts and is a haven of serenity and sanctity. It has been a significant resort right from the days of the colonial rule. The place is also famous for its abundant tea plantations amidst the high mountains and steep valleys, thus adding more beauty to the place. The presence of the opulent species of flora and fauna make it a favorite of nature lovers. Forests and grasslands cover the rising and falling terrain of Munnar. The place is filled with fresh, cool air. The undulating topography combined with the craggy rocks offer picturesque scenery of the town. The common trees found in this region are teak, red sandalwood, rose wood, jungle jack etc. A number of rare species of birds are also found in the greenery of Munnar and hence it is a paradise for bird watchers. Munnar is cocooned in the state of Kerala and offers many breathtaking sceneries which comprise of...

Leaving for Crete early tomorrow ( 3am....uggg) for a 7 day geological field trip to study the effects of the Santorini eruption ( formally Thera ) in the southern Aegean Sea. Primarily the tsunami and the consequences on the Minoan culture, and the rest of the southern Mediterranean, then on Thursday we take a boat over to study Thera's remaining caldera. We have two local Greek geologists who will be explaining the history and science behind this phenomenal event in human history. I hope to get some good pictures as well as some good solid scientific research. I'll have my laptop so I'll be in touch.

This Friday I'll be heading out of town to visit my sister in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It's a long drive - Google Maps estimates 1 Day, 4 Hours, 45mins to drive from Toronto to Winnipeg (staying within Canada) - but I'm planning on driving straight through (roadside naps are a definite possibility). My girlfriend and dog are coming with me, so I'll have some company for the drive, but I'm hoping that you fine folk can help me out with a few suggestions. I've got a tonne of music already, and a couple audiobooks, but I'm looking for some good comedy albums or some road trip games or something. Anything that'll help keep us awake and entertained! So let's hear it!!

I went to Jamaica from the 8th of November to the 3rd of December last year..I found a place a few blocks from the sea where I paid $350 for my 26 day stay..a nice place called Summerset Village. My next trip will be this coming August, then when my son graduates college this December, will be moving to Jamaica Jan '13..if the world hasn't come to an end or if we haven't gone to war with Iran by then..something I am beginning to think is more and more likely..but anyway...here are some of my favorite pics...oh and I also changed my profile pic here to one that was taken on my latest trip too. :) I've decided to just post some pics I thought were pretty decent..at the reate of ten a day...so here goes:

National Geographic and Jacques Cousteau didn't start broadcasting travelogue-'specials' until the mid-60's, twice per year, each... till the late 70's. Public Broadcasting (PBS) didn't exist until the late 60's. From the late 40's till the late 70's, the realm of the traveler-lecturer-cinematographer filled the entertainment-void of those whose intellectual-tastes rose above the pedestrian fodder of 'primetime' television. Here in Northern Ohio, Southern Michigan, and Southern Ontario, Canada, we were fortunate to be able to watch George Pierrot Presents, and Pierrot's The World-Adventure Series, 6 times a week, at 4PM (16PM). Here's an audio-only clip of his intro with Stan Midgley, then a segment of Midgley lecturing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biqcNty4Fhk Midgley was a trick-photographer/independent-filmmaker, who traveled via bicycle and jeep alone, with two 16mm Kodak-cameras. (one for the trick-shots)... (classic shots were stuff like lightning-striking him, leaving his empty...

Upon traveling inside HOME, you should find happiness, peacefulness, comfortability, and easiness. You should find yourselves a HOME inside and a HOME outside. An inside HOME and an outside HOME should lively spin you two in and out journies. It takes two alone to behold having any HOME. Home travel... Is not the planet your home?

1) Self-publishing is good, for an unknown author, when s/he already knows who the readers will be (family members, students, etc.) But I would not recommend it to anyone who wants to reach a wider audience. Last December I self-published "Tyranny to Freedom: Diary of a former Stalinist." It has been available on http://www.amazon.com (and positively reviewed by several readers) but the number of copies sold was very small. Bookstores do not order self-published books written by unknown authors. Finding a reputable publisher (a very difficult task indeed) is the only way to proceed. 2) Disappointed by the situation, I decided to "compete with myself." I improved the book a little (based on comments made by readers), changed the title, and made it freely available over the Internet. Fortunately, I can afford to do this; my goal was to leave a testimony, not to support myself. The new title is “Diary of a Former Communist: Thoughts, Feelings, Reality.” The link is:...

Sheesh... I zoomed-thru Salem twice 'n never stopped. Next time, I'll specifically scope this place... http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/travel/escapes/11stonehenge.html

I haven't gone anywhere this year to speak of so here are some local pictures. /DSC_0041-1.jpg

Some people go to a place they have never been to before and fall in love with someone immediately. When I went to Negril, Jamaica, that didn't happen to me. I fell in love alright, but not with any one person, but rather found so many things to love about the region itself, and can think of no other place I would rather be when I am there. I've only been twice before, last August with my daughters, and then this past July by myself, but each time even though there were things I would worry about because while I can't ever have the worrying fully end as much as I would like that, I do find myself worrying the least when I'm in Jamaica than anywhere else..if that makes sense to you, which I hope it does. Anyway, I have an online friend who spends a few months out of every year in Jamaica, and she has been doing that for over a decade now, and she put some of her pictures and film together in a really nice montage that too me captures a lot of the spirit of what is Jamaica, even if it doesn't show a lot...