AJENG ^___^

For all those people in RMGland or ex-RMGland, as the news unfolds, who were wondering if Ajeng and I met in Indonesia. The answer is...yes.

F Pach-ing

Okay, I couldn't resist. Here's the $20 peepshow I got while in Australia. There was a group of school kids visiting the zoo at the time but I believe I was the one laughing the hardest. "Hey, check out the elephants gettin' it on. Hello? Nothing? Oh, c'mon people. That's funny stuff."

Shaker Style

This pic is for all those in Shakerland who were wondering if Ken and I ever met up in Thailand. Then answer is...yes.

My 4th Full Moon

This was the view outside of my room while staying at the home of the Llama of Thame Monastery. Granted, my room was in the basement where they store the pack animal dung and random baby calf but hey, good times.

Rubber Necking and Such

Northern Thailand is chock full o' refugee tribes from neighboring countries. The Karen Longneck are one such tribe. They like to hang out with the Big Ears, which are the folks that like to wear saucer-sized earrings that stretch their ear lobes from here to kingdom come.

Both practices were dying off a bit until the villagers realized that they could make some decent tourist dollars by maintaining the freak show. They're keen on charging an entrance fee to their village and selling you stuff they bought in town for cheaper. Except the scarves they make on their looms.

High Altitude High Jenks

Some squat toilets are more dangerous than others. Some are crowded with flies and curious rodents. Some are gurgling with matter so foul and offensive that you hope the previous user knows a good doctor. And some, hang precariously from the side of a 10,000 foot drop off. Fun for target practice, not so fun if the wind starts blowing and you aren't securely fastened to an anchor of sorts.

More Mountain Madness

Okay, now I'm just posting pics from my main camera. No rhyme or reason but I'll give brief descriptions so it doesn't seem scattershot. Anyway, this here photo is of me and my Sherpa buddy Nima. We're taking a break in front of Ama Dablam on the right and Mount Everest on the left. Dig it.

Mora Mora

Slow the hell down. That's how the Malagasy roll. Slow and easy like their 100 year old turtle counterparts.

Colosseum

Ever had a gladiator fantasy? Will role play for food. Keeps me from the desk job I'm dodging.

Pizza as Big as Your Head

If you like Italian food, namely pizza, Italy is a good place to find yourself because they serve it spades.

Done and Not So Done

So, I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth. Little hard given gravity and the globe's rotating pear shape. That's a nice description, huh? "Well, she's a little heavy and controlling, and she's shaped like a pear. But what a great personality. You'll love her. Just go out and spend some time with her. It's not like you have to marry her or anything. Plus, Joan in accounting thinks it's a good idea and heaven forbid I have to listen to that nasaly bitch ratchet-jaw about you not getting out there and having some fun."

I don't even know a Joan.

Anyway, the reason I haven't been updating the blog as much is for the simple fact I've been traveling with friends. See, spending time with friends tooling around ruins, snowboarding, bobsledding and/or climbing random volcanoes is a far better option than holing up in some rank ass internet cafe with overweight gamers chomping on fake European Cheetos and grape drink. That, and as of last Monday, I'm back in the U.S.

However, I do have a number of photos I'd like to share. As well as some fun stories from the past month so check back soon and hopefully I'll have a bevy of new material for everyone. Now, it's off to endure the cold, blustery world that is Chicago in January. Until then...carry on....

Roman Around

I believe it was Galileo who first suggested that the Earth wasn't the center of the universe. Given the fact that modern science was more or less in its infancy at the time, he took some serious heat from the folks in Vatican City. Heresy, blasphemy...I think those words were probably bandied about and directed solely at him. Of course, he was proven right and the Church later apologized but after spending nearly a week in Rome with my friend Caryn, I can't help but feel that the Holy See wasn't entirely wrong in chastising Galileo. Rome very well could be the center of the universe in my opinion. Art, culture, spirituality, music, architecture, design, cuisine...in terms of human accomplishment, it's all here. The only shortcoming I can see is that it isn't on the water but if you like wine, it more than makes up for any lack of H20.

I'm working on finding a fun storyline for the past 10 days but for now the best I can do is give you all a brief run down of our time here...travelogue style.

It all began New Year's Eve with a huge celebration in Piazza Venezia near the Colosseum. Caryn was able to find a room in a historic hotel located near all of the major city sites, so everything you could possibly hope to see was all with walking distance....Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Vatican, Spanish Steps, McDonalds...

After several days in Rome, we made our way by train down to Sorrento along the Amalfi Coast. We spent a day touring Pompeii and followed that with a hike up to the rim of Mt. Vesuvius the next day.

While Sorrento proved to be a surprisingly charming town, we headed back to Rome to catch Epiphany mass at St. Peter's Basilica with the Pope. It was the first time on this entire trip I've made it to church...you could say I made up for a lot of missed opportunities in one shot. We got there early and had excellent seats along the aisle where the procession passes so we able to get a lot of great close up photos of the Pope. It was a pretty amazing experience, especially given the seemingly spiritual element this journey has taken on for me. What was really special about it was being able to share it with someone else as well.

In addition to checking out all of the sights and sounds of Rome, we did a lot of sleeping in and a lot of dining out. For me, it made for the most perfectly balanced segment of my trip. Had a full-on Italian experience but never felt pressured. It was actually like a real vacation...and, we saw the Pope. Not bad. Not bad at all.