tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50955402984644957212024-03-13T18:59:01.873+00:00The World of NickolândiaTravels. Adventures. Experiences. Musings.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-70215891212654073842012-12-30T21:53:00.003+00:002012-12-30T21:53:55.082+00:00Potater<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After nearly 4 months in the pot, here is the bounty from about 5 spuds planted from a grab bag of mixed fingerlings that had been sitting around. Not too bad. The greens and leaves hadn't really completely wilted or died as most literature I read said should happen when they are ready to harvest. Though as Ozzie the dog began to enjoy snacking on the green tops, and with all the rain in December, the pot was eternally waterlogged, so it seemed like a good guess to pull them up. Next time I'll use one a potato bags (that Theresa gifted me for X-mas!), so I can keep layering the soil higher and higher to get more potatoes.<br />
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Someone gave me a <i>massive </i>evecherria succulent off of freecycle a few months back that was in bad shape. I cut off all the thingers and replanted them in a few pots/boxes, and they are now exploding: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ozzie the potato top eater. </td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-14551638955758047462012-12-08T21:54:00.003+00:002012-12-08T21:54:33.236+00:00D & M<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Durian and mangosteen season was in full wing. Hooi's parents brought us to this durian stand outside Kuala Lumpur and picked out the plumpest durians for a proper tasting of the prickly and smellerific fruit. Naturally, you must top of your durians with a round of mangosteens afterward. Even a peon from medieval times could have postulated such a correlation beforehand. So we relented to such generosity and indulged.<br />
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Check it:<br />
http://rawfoodswitch.com/fruits-vegetables-nuts-and-seeds/king-queen-fruits-durian-mangosteen/<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unusually pale looking Malaysian scopes out the durians</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-56694488446244972122012-12-02T21:13:00.003+00:002012-12-02T21:13:53.373+00:00Boatload<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This was a pretty cool picture I took in Krabi town, Thailand. Hope he gets the 10 cent bottle refund. <br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-67495402318309968542012-12-01T16:15:00.000+00:002012-12-01T16:15:16.377+00:00Tigertastic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaoXQIvxZUI/UKnKnvCZbUI/AAAAAAAAEy4/lCS29Esdxbc/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Tiger A, wants in on the water, pondering a move:<br />
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Tiger A, pounces:<br />
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Tiger B, making a comeback:<br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-39920889014500566082012-11-29T17:48:00.000+00:002012-11-29T17:48:04.397+00:00Roti<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thai roti, not to be confused with Indian roti, is a rolled up crepe-like desert pancake, usually sweet, typically filled with condensed milk and bananas. Here in Krabi, we sampled it nightly, whipped up in saute pans in carts alongside the streets. <br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-76081499425816940292012-11-18T18:33:00.001+00:002012-11-18T18:33:22.618+00:00Huh?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Why am I still posting things from travels that happened nearly 6 months ago one might ask? With the barrage of traveling from May-August, combined with school, graduation, thesis, visitors, moving, starting a new job, and life in general, I never really got around to posting much of it, especially from the whirlwind southeast asia trip. And there was a lot of it. I recently managed to print my 2011 posts into a hardbound book. I had already done so with 2010. So, I am trying to play a bit of catch up to get what I can down on paper. While I'm still gettig 50-100 hits/day to the blog (mostly organic traffic, a feat in and of itself), I might as well go for the shameless pile up of key words while I still can. I'm not too sure what the plan with the blog is after that. Something more local, surely. Whoever gets automatic feeds from this thing and is rolling their eyes, feel free to allow me to alleviate your suffering :) <br />
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With that said here are some shots from the beautiful Thai island of ko phi phi, where we spent a few days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up to one of the island peaks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just another impeccable Thai kitchen that happens to serve up great food</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a boat for some snorkeling and to a few smaller islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fearless captain</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maya Beach. I am impermeable to the color changing effects of sun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great fire shows on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends we met on the boat, from Kentucky and Buenos Aires. Someone </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">can't hold a camera steady.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feckless use of fire.</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-8382901990857485752012-11-18T02:33:00.004+00:002012-11-18T18:33:58.445+00:00Food Bike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IXBzMkn9nCw/UKhIVEvYsJI/AAAAAAAAEvk/GfeVxmb_F9Q/s1600/IMG_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> The best pad thai in Phuket comes with a motorcycle attached and is consumed on the kiddie stool adjacent to the bike. Lets hope at least the engine isn't running while the food is being cooked. <br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-28447801124151558552012-11-10T17:32:00.000+00:002012-11-10T17:32:47.423+00:00Certified<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just got my Masters diplomas (note the plural, ha...ha). One in English, one in Dutch, each signed by all three Universities. They are done really nice. Sooo cool.<br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-77760861423891493172012-11-10T16:42:00.001+00:002012-11-10T16:42:02.540+00:00Moto Times<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Zipping through the rural mountains in northern Thailand around Chiang Mai on the back of a tiny motorcycle was one of the funnest parts of the trip through southeast asia. Luckily, Dennis was pretty good at driving the thing. His confidence grew by the hour, as so did my nervousness as my ass hung half off the back of the bike. Pretty soon he was driving like a local, zipping through cars, and using the shoulder (aka madman style). The great thing about being on a bike is that we could easily go where we wanted, making plenty of stops when just about anything caught our eye.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Chiang Mai during a pit stop up a nearby mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple pit stop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pit stop to snack on some rambutans</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulled over at this isolated roadside shack for some iced coffee. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to walk it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Letting the bike cool down. The mountains were a little too much for Mr. Engine</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Chiang Mai</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping for gas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swerdlow showing us around on the first day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping at a night market for what else, more rambutans. </td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-60670673128563880732012-11-10T03:39:00.002+00:002012-11-10T03:39:53.802+00:00Thai Buddhist Monks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2awafKBy-Nc/UJ3Lo-To9cI/AAAAAAAAEsM/SHrfWaI6yq4/s1600/IMG_0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Really know how to climb:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are 'trainees'. Most Thai boys spend a period as monks when they are young.</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-3505409455301495692012-11-07T18:08:00.000+00:002012-11-07T18:08:17.545+00:00Thai Markets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Anyone who has spent a minute or two with me while traveling knows one thing: I love markets. I'm drawn to them like a magnet. Chiang Mai and the surrounding region, in northern Thailand, has some of the best food markets I've ever been to. They are great not only for their wide variety of known and unknown foods, but they feel lively, are generally tented or partly covered (and it feels like the motorcycles are nearly part of the market), and oftentimes dingy. God knows what half of the stuff is. But mostly succulents. <br />
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The first few are of a market in central Chiang Mai:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuts, beans and mysterious dried fruits.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malaysisa is the real place to get durians, but you can still get the putrid stuff in Thailand</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bok Choy?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You sure have your choice in rice type</td></tr>
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This was a busy market a ways out of town that Dennis & I spotted while driving back on our moto. Everything was served in plastic baggies (soups included). We definitely didn't look the part here, but it was a zillion times more local than the one in central chiang mai. We picked up some soups in baggies, and spent five minutes asking around to buy some bowls and spoons (which no one had because they were all taking their food home). We found a table outside a residence a few blocks down to chow down. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For desert we bought some roti from this lady. This roti was filled with bananas and condensed milk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bagged soups.</td></tr>
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This is a market near the Chiang Mai University that Brian took us to. Also filled with tons of great stuff and unknowns:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian scoping out one of his favorites....a Chiang Mai special to bring back to a friend Bangkok</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruits and motos.</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-64668391525332007342012-11-03T17:40:00.001+00:002012-11-03T17:40:07.576+00:00More HK Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dried seafoods</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud fish chopper showin us his cuts in a stinky subterannean fish market</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy to buy a t-shirt from this guy. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signs chaos by night</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sign chaos by day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The masses</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birdnests</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-78935005026077981702012-10-13T17:21:00.002+01:002012-10-13T17:21:52.930+01:00Shots from HK<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnies Dad at work - Their family owns a small fruit stall amongst the fruit stalls at a local market</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish skins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Num num fish ball and meatball soup. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ascending the Hong Kong escalators</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duly noted</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HK style</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-15004486282734891852012-09-19T05:21:00.001+01:002012-09-19T05:21:47.733+01:00Wadi Rum Dunes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This one was fun. Biggest dune in Wadi Rum.Alllllll the way down.<br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-80261544719650709312012-09-15T03:10:00.002+01:002012-09-15T03:10:47.729+01:00Amman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Having spent time in Doha and Dubai, it was really refreshing to scope out Amman in Jordan, to get a feel for the buzz of a true middle eastern capital city. Doha and Dubai are super modern, new, even botique-ish, and finding any grit, bustle, or history is difficult. They are the 21st century middle east. They say, however, that Amman is on route to become the next Dubai & Doha, given its economic prowess and political neutrality. Even if it does, being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, I can't imagine the materialistic feeling of those cities taking over completely.<br />
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The whole central part of the city felt like one big souk. Covered fruit markets, clothes markets, spice markets, toy markets, and more. Lot of people milling around and hawking things. It seems to be centered around a large central mosque from which streets and markets diverge. Although I've been to a few mosques in Dubai and Istabul, I shyed away from entering this one as it seemed crowded and actually very much used for practicing Muslims and simply for congregating. One thing I love about the middle east, albeit probably just for the novelty of it, is the sound of the call to prayer radiating across the city over the speakers. It reminds me of how far away I am from anything very familiar, culturally and geographically. The call, in fact, can be quite nice, depending upon the voice and melody. It can definitely sound like a broken record too. <br />
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The city is home to well preserved Roman Amphitheatre, right smack in the middle. On a hill towering above it is the ruins of a fortress, with architecture spanning many eras. Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians, Nabataeans, Byzantines, Umayyads, Ottomans all had their share. <br />
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The city is built amongst seven large hills, making all the roads windy and hill walking difficult. I decided not to test out the bus system, as I heard neighborhoods in some of the other hills are pretty westernized and don't have much going on. The historic center with all the hustle and bustle is where I spent most of my time (not having a host), but I did manage to huff and puff my way up one hill to check out a different neighborhood, Rainbow Street, where it suddenly turns very Western, shops begin having English signs (frozen yogurt suddenly appears, which is a complete contradiction to the old world feel at the bottom of the hill), and a more tranquil yuppy feel exists.<br />
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One night at the hostel there was an American girl that went out to get some cash. She came back without cash in hand, saying that men were asking her out to dinner and staring at her. She was dressed conservatively with a long dress on. So she asked if I could stroll around with her to ward off the eyegazers. Later, I stood on the roof of my hostel watching people walk below, and verified that surely the average middle eastern man is free of any tact. I saw several time women walk by and men do a 180 degree turn just to follow them for half a block to get a good look! Definitely wouldn't be a pleasant experience to be a single western woman here. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whitewashed buildings</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is actually one of the tallest flagpoles in the world. What a claim to fame.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The amphitheatre from the fortress</td></tr>
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A vegetable & fruit souk (with tons of these mini, sour green apple things)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spices, nuts, & grains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious sugar cane juice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central mosque</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nightfall. Mosque lit up in green.</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-18910058881125257102012-09-11T03:04:00.000+01:002012-09-11T03:04:19.239+01:00Gas Cambodian Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gas served up from Pepsi bottles test tubes, and barrels, by the families son, quite the norm in these parts.</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-9617794012686628132012-09-09T20:10:00.000+01:002012-09-09T20:10:27.650+01:00Tico Beachtime<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica has some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, with the forest merging with idyllic beaches and oncoming waves, and a surrounding abundance of animals, insects, shellfish, and fallen fruits. These shots are from the sleepy town of Manzanillo (home to a whopping two beach view restaurants) and the nearby Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lovely 10 km ride along the highway in the Costa Rican Caribe heat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark, entering the park</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-39745909168230291322012-09-09T03:23:00.001+01:002012-09-09T03:23:18.808+01:00Amerrrrican Mail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Makes getting your mail each day just that much more fun. Off of desolate highway 25 in central CA. <br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-10207664392151979612012-09-02T00:36:00.000+01:002012-09-02T00:36:03.050+01:00World Currencies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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3+ years of travels, 30+ currencies, 5 continents. No worries, 50,000 Vietnamese Dong, 2,000 Costa Rican Colones, 1000 Chilean Pesos, 50 billion 1993 Serbian Dinars, and 500 2011 Serbian Dinars aren't exactly worth the equivalent weight in gold. Scandinavian bills were a bit too valuable to keep :)</div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-16607693356568224442012-09-01T04:46:00.000+01:002012-09-01T04:46:08.590+01:00Luxurious Lux<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I visited Lautauro in Luxembourg a few days before flying back to the US. While not the most scintillating place in the world, it does have some redeemable factoids. For example, they speak luxembourgish (even the name is weird), which is some strange combination of german and french with their own twist to it, and a few Dutch like pronunciations tossed in there. Most Luxembourgish people can speak at least 4 languages.... Luxembourgish, French, German, and English. Sometimes more. <br />
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The old part of the city is set on the side of a massive canyon. I imagine this was handy for fending off those pesky invaders in medival times. An nice for dropping hot oil buckets on them. There are some narrow roads which traverse to the bottom and back up to the other side. However, for the lazy people, they built an elevator. It reminded me a lot of <a href="http://nickybartlett.blogspot.com/2010/06/salvador-brazil.html#links" target="_blank">this </a>elevator that I rode in in <a href="http://nickybartlett.blogspot.com/2010/06/salvador-brazil.html#links" target="_blank">Salvador</a>, Brazil. But being in Europe, and frankly in one of the richest countries in the world, this elevators purpose isn't exactly to skip over a dangerous favela. It's merely a convenient way of getting down the hill quickly. And it's cut through the rock, so no view on the descent :(<br />
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The setting really is beautiful at this time of year, with all the shades of greens and blooming flowers. Otherwise, it seems like a pretty boring place to live. Its a small country (only 20 minutes from the belgian border to the central station by train!), and from the people I talked to, you need to really try hard and use a lot of various methods to meet people and find stuff to do. Even with so many for<br />
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Lau showed up in a blazer. In a high class place like Luxembourg, you gotta wear nice clothes, or at least pretent. Not his typical bum clothes he has worn in our previous meetups in different countries. He lives in a city outside luxembourg, filled with Portuguese and Brazilian people, and so we took the train there after checking out the city and meeting up some girl Lau arranged a Russian-Spanish language exchange with online (in a Russian speaking 'Russians in Luxembourg' forum, nonetheless). That was odd, but interesting. We also went to a local pub in his town (the only one) for a drink and met some random local luxembourgish kids.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom of the hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporting his new shirt which I picked up in Cambodia for 2 bucks.</td></tr>
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-44687441707194360152012-09-01T04:09:00.000+01:002012-09-01T04:09:06.461+01:00Chifrijo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tico (Costa Rican) food isn't exactly known as a home run, although it greatly surpassed any prior expectations of being just bland beans and rice. I really liked almost all the food I had there. This dish, chifrijo, is a serious grand slam. A layered dish of red pinto beans, rice, fried pork fat and beef chunks, onions, cilantro, corn tortilla chips, and tomatoes.<br />
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This is also a super delicious dish called casado, just a mix of stuff, black beans, rice, patacones (fried plantain slices...so delicious), a salad, and either some shrimp chicken, or beef. <br />
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Guess this is why there are a lot of overweight people in Costa Rica. Good food, not of the slimming type, and large portions!<br />
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Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-62969416480498566042012-08-11T05:34:00.001+01:002012-08-11T05:34:32.360+01:00The High Altar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the high altar of sacrifice in Petra. A pretty substantial hike up narrow stairs chiseled out of the rocks, to one of the highest peaks in the region and a view over a large part of the city. The top was probably used for cultic ceremonies, as the name subtly suggests. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasting in the desert heat, but well worth the hike and sweat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hike up through a bit of a gorge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some sort of monuments or ritual items at the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tombs look a lot smaller from this high up</td></tr>
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</div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-83390035384640565222012-08-07T07:27:00.000+01:002012-08-07T07:27:19.505+01:00The Siq<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The siq is a seriously cool, super narrow, meandering gorge which you enter Petra through. The walls are towering, and like most things in Petra, contain a variety of brilliant colors which seem to change by time of day as light hits it from different angles. The most amazing thing I found were the water channels the Nabataeans carved into each side of the siq to transport water downhill to the city, which could probably be functional to this day. Along the Siq there are various carvings, steep stairwells leading to places, and remnants of arches and other architectural features since removed. The Siq abruptly ends after 1 km when it opens up and you are struck with the view of the behemoth Treasury, the symbol of Petra. You can literally spend at least an hour just sittin there staring at this block of carved stone, feeling puny, while checking out the architectural details and the ridiculous scale of things. Its friggin impressive. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the size of the people!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water channels curving around with the walls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The donkeys are mainly for show, but you can pay a couple bucks (after hard negotiating), for a ride elsewhere in Petra. I skipped the camel but did take a donkey a few times. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dang</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-58976755872576779522012-08-04T17:40:00.000+01:002012-08-04T17:40:14.424+01:00Petra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This place is magnificent and massive. I'm going to take a quite a few posts just to put up pictures of different places in the complex and maybe explain a thing or two, because it is not a place that can be summed up so quickly. It must be on a similar scale to the pyramids. You look up at some towering entrance-way and scratch your head and say 'dang, that is incredible, how the heck did they build that thing?' I spent two full days meandering desert and canyons to the various tombs and structures constructed by the Nabataeans thousands of years ago, marveling at their grandiosity. Aside from the still standing monuments, just walking around and seeing thousands of fallen and piled monoliths, ruins of former structures, makes you wonder what this place was like before the earthquakes. It must have been a bustling and wealthy city. The colors of the rocks are hundreds of brilliant shades of red and orange, which draw a sharp contrast to the vast and cloudless blue sky and blend with the barren desert valley landscape. <br />
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Before you even get into the Petra complex, mega structures start, and just get more impressive as you go on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This road is at least 1 km or more, leading to the entrance to Petra valley. I walked it the first day but then took a donkey back up after 8 hours of solid walking. In the beginning I was all gung-ho and exited and wanted to walk it all, but by the end I was saying 'Surre, I'll pay a dollar or two for a ride up this'. My feet were dead after the first day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Djinn Blocks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Djinn.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Read and learn</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095540298464495721.post-17234349277377758642012-07-16T01:18:00.000+01:002012-07-16T01:19:31.851+01:00Wadi Mujib<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wadi Mujib reserve ends at the Jordanian dead sea, 410 meters below sea level, as a narrow-walled rock-cut gorge of incredible oranges, yellows, and reds. Prior to this gorge, it opens up into a mountainous, canyon style region, and at some points raises to 900 meters above sea level. The dramatic change in elevation lends to hosting a wide range of wildlife and vegetation.<br />
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I was able to go to just the gorge. At this time of year, the water level is between only ankle and waist level. I initially thought it was going to be just a hike. Then my driver told me to change my shoes, into something sturdy. Luckily, I brought a spare pair that I didn't care about.<br />
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The walk starts out nice enough. Go into the shallow creek, and start walking, admiring the towering yet narrow nature of the gorge walls. There are 5 or so passable waterfalls of progressive difficulty, which are haphazardly outfitted with thick ropes that you must use in order to traverse to the next section of the gorge. The approach to each waterfall is made more difficult by the fact that the water can reach chest level at the waterfall base. The first two waterfalls in and of themselves were not so simple. I had to severely brace myself against the rocks with my legs, holding the rope, and clamber up the rocks and over the fall. The third fall, however, was my defeat. Although I maintain I could have surmounted it with a little more drive and effort, my problem was my glasses. With water rushing down the falls and crashing all over the place, I just could not risk losing them by getting hit in the face. Chalk up just another case for laser vision. Screw you, glasses! :)<br />
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I had to hijack a few of these photos because I did not bring my camera very far into the reserve due to the rushing water. Especially in the most beautiful, narrow area with towering walls. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the gorge, before it narrows</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first waterfall</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorge narrows and curves</td></tr>
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</div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859741091742780938noreply@blogger.com1