Welcome to my journal! Please feel free to post comments or add me to your friends list ( Read more... )

I recently helped a friend pick out a new smart phone for traveling (Motorola Moto G 3rd gen -- highly recommended) and he was asking what apps I use when I travel. I compiled a list for him and thought I would put it out into the world in case others are curious. All of these apps have been tested by me on the road and have been found to be useful ( Read more... )

I watched as a group of 5 young Indian males entered the tall, phallic shaped, Victory monument within the walls of the Chittor fort. Standing over 9 stories tall you can climb to the top of the monument, up an internal series of narrow and winding stairs. After waiting a few minutes, to give the group in front of me a chance to do their thing away ( Read more... )

We drove 40 minutes north of Jaisalmer. The sandstone city turned to scrubgrass turned to dirt turned to sand turned to a nothinginess broken only by the black strip of asphalt we were traveling down. Our driver came to a stop and myself and the group of too young german tourists chance threw together with me exited the vehicle, to the waiting ( Read more... )

My arrival was not really as I expected it to be. Rather it was all uneventful -- there were no lines for immigration, the flight was short, the airport was tame. From what I had read I expected walking out of the secure area of the Delhi airport to be akin to jumping into a maelstrom. I saw hoards of taxidrivers, with rupee signs in their eyes ( Read more... )

For a city I have never expressed any interest in visiting I find myself in Bangkok for the second time in my life. Funny how that works out. I still don't have any interest in visiting it though it has been nice for what I needed: a cheap place to stay for a few days, some shopping venues and all of the western chain restaurants I can eat my way ( Read more... )

A friend of mine has spent the past 10 years developing and creating a movie about living and working at McMurdo/Antarctica. It's a full length documentary with some stunning photography and lots of footage of Antarctica during the winter, a season that isn't often depicted in films ( Read more... )

We lost the sun a few weeks ago. It did its little bow, winked as it passed to do it's snowbird thing. It's return is expected in August. We hope. But we still have some light in the sky, some brilliant hours of twilight and if you happen to be in the right spot and the conditions are just right this lighting is what fantasies are made of. You can ( Read more... )

I have enjoyed viewing the Aurora Australis for the past few years but something I have never been able to do is photograph it. My camera has never been powerful enough to capture the spectral lights. Until this year.... Thanks in part to a new camera, but mainly thanks to installing CHDK (this program is amazing and has added so many capabilities ( Read more... )

Two days ago we had the final sunrise/sunset of the season. The sun will next rise on August 19th and the intervening months darkness will rule the land. We drove out on to the ice shelf, to the wreckage of a plane that crashed here many years ago to view the sunrise and sunset. 4 years later I still find it beautiful.


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