Annapurna Region, Nepal

Namaste from Nepal. I just completed a 5 day hike through a portion of the Annapurna region of Nepal. This is a condensed region that holds many of the world's highest peaks, looming high over 8000 meters. I came out here with a close, old friend Cindy and her older brother Yuan to get some good views of these majestic mountains and get a taste of Nepalese culture.

Lunch with my friend Gabriele who lives in Kathmandu. Gabriele works as an advisor for social policy in developing countries for UNICEF. She is the mother of one my very close friends, Gracia.

Kids playing on homemade swingset made of bamboo outside of Pokhara

Monkey Temple in Kathmandu


Monkey Temple, Kathmandu

Dal bhat and curry, staples on the Annapurna Trek

Waking up at 4 am for a painful uphill hike to Poon Hil...

for panorama views of the Annapurnas

Warming up with Everest beer, a snoozing pooch and more ex-pats, including a nice young fellow, Steven that joined us for a portion of the trek

The whole gang of ITrekNepal including our guides Dipesh and Beer, and our ridiculously strong and swift porters.

Next stop is a last minute change of plans...heading to Singapore for some much needed R & R time at Cindy's home.

Read: "Lamb" by Christopher Moore. Sarcastic and surprisingly educational. One half of "Nine Stories" by JD Salinger before I idiotically left it on an airplane

Reading: "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer, can't put it down.

The Motherland

Eating our way through China - A THIRTY course meal in Chengdu

Beautiful travertine pools in Jiu Tzai Guo Park

The stern military men, ever-present in China

The fastest train on earth, the Maglev, topping out at a breezy 431km/hr from Shanghai Pudong Airport to the city center.

Mom glowing even on a dreary day

Misty morning on Mt Emei.

Locals going about their daily lives.

Me and big sis Amy in Zhang Jia Jie Park

Zhang Jia Jie Park


No time to spew out witty banter because the cost of internet is killer. 2 RMB/min, which is about 25 cents a minute.

Next up: Annapurna Region of Nepal

Holding Pattern

I'm in Chengdu, China right now on a computer with only Chinese characters, so I'm not really able to download any pictures at the moment. I did see some ridiculously cute baby giant pandas today, so go ahead and picture that. When I am able to locate a western computer, I'll try again...

Light a Candle for St. Christopher

St Christopher holds patronage of things related to travel and travelers.

According to Wikipedia these things include protection "...against lightning; against pestilence; archers; bachelors; boatmen; bookbinders; epilepsy; floods; fruit dealers; fullers; gardeners; for a holy death; mariners; market carriers; motorists and drivers; sailors; storms; surfers; toothache; and transportation workers" Well thank goodness, now all I have to watch out for are the rapists, the cheap streetfood we often pay dearly for, pickpockets and little sneaky, annoying children.

My living-out-of-a-bag story proceeds to Chapter Two this week.

First up, Shanghai.

Two Minute Warning

This was my two-minute offense, frantically scrambling and trying to squeeze everything in the waning minutes of my time in Seattle. More precisely, this is how it went down:

Friday - getting marked for life! Calexico at the Moore

Saturday - a hike in Rainier National Park

Sunday - My Morning Jacket at McCaw Hall. This is the best show I've ever been to and writing a review was agonizing.


Monday - Lost my hearing at Cold War Kids at the Showbox



Tuesday- Dinner with Whitney at Latona Pub, a cozy local place in Green Lake.


Wednesday - a leetle red wine and dessert in Montlake with my doctor friend.



Thursday - Career Day! I visited Whitney and her graphics department at the Seattle Times and then also an awesome tour of D & L Screenprinting in Ballard, a studio mostly for show posters.



Friday - Saying goodbyes at work followed by a last minute costume party with clever and witty friends. The theme? Come as your favorite thing about Seattle. Attendees included the Space Needle, A Subaru, A lawn-mowing goat from Queen Anne, A map of Seattle frighteningly similar to uterus/fallopian tubes/ovaries, and a passive aggressive Seattle-ite. Brilliant.

We finished it all off at the Little Red Hen for some down home country music and dancin'

Saturday - In true turd form, I almost missed my flight back to Chicago in the morning because I was very "tired"

There is simply not enough time in this world.