http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Stephen Paul/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Stephen Paul en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 22:28:05 BST Mon, 12 May 2008 22:28:05 BST A road trip to the White Mountains is something to be remembered. Its a long drive to a worthy destination and no matter which direction you come from the scenery is like nothing else in the country. 4000 meter peaks sagebrush desert Ponderosa Pine and Juniper forests rivers and canyons lakes lava and glaciers. My friend and I stopped at Hot Creek a pleasant reminder that a boiling chambe http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/blog-260807.html Well not symbolically just literally My sister brother in law and I decided to take a day trip titled the Outlying Adventure. This fantastic tour offered a trip to see some of the most treasured spots of the Angkor complex Banteay Srei nearly pristine intricate carvings in pink sandstone The Roluos Group a collection of temples dated to the 9th century some of the first to be built at http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/Siem-Reap/Temples-of-Angkor/blog-254168.html More than half a million people drive Moto's in Phnom Penh. With Phnom Penh's population at just over 2 million people and with often more than one person on a Moto it seems as if everyone is on the streets Weaving in and out of traffic being a Moto driver requires concentration skill and cunning. Even more talent is required to take loads people paying fairs on motodops exquisitely dressed http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/Phnom-Penh/blog-249768.html At certain times in history man and moment have come together to produce a novelty something which human eyes had never seen before. Some achievements we hope to see again while some tragedies we hope will always be nothing more than a distant memory. And so it went for Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek scars of an unbelievable past so shocking so brutal so recent. At Tuol Sleng there are still b http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/Phnom-Penh/blog-249766.html Let's face it. Angkor Wat is the mother of all temples. A 900 year old representation of the Mythical Mt. Meru the 210 hectare Angkor Wat complex is surrounded by a baraymoat 1.5km long and 1.5 km wide. The walls are intricately carved with bas reliefs of Hindu creation myths and Khmer epics while the doorways are coated in Sanskrit and Khmer verses. You walk through perplexed by how this http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/Siem-Reap/Temples-of-Angkor/blog-242900.html A Scuba Diving entry without underwater pictures Yes that's unfortunately what we have here. I seemed to have completely forgotten my underwater cameraa Reefmaster Mini. Arriving to the dive shop I knew something was missing but it certainly wasnt people It was a very busy and crowded morning with many different groups leaving at once. An intense multiday Rescue Diver course snorkel http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/East/Sattahip/blog-239561.html After 4 days in Siem Reap I decided it best to go to Thailand. I had heard many good things It didn't fail to live up to expectations. I had just 24 hours in town and I decided to spend them at the major tourist attractions. I arrived to Bangkok at 12am after a 20 hour day so needless to say I was exhausted and needed rest. The Royal Hotel was a bargain but I shouldn't have been so relax http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central/Bangkok/blog-235429.html It was early November in California and still snow had not fallen on the Snowy Range. The Sierra Nevada is spectacular for one principal reason at higher elevations it is almost entirely composed of glacially carved granite. Hundreds of ancient volcanos left behind quite a treasure for as their liquid magma chambers froze into place granite was formed. But this granite was trapped underne http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Desolation-Wilderness/blog-227730.html The weekend before I was to have surgery I decided to go on one last backpacking trip. Honestly I didn't know if I would ever be able to go backpacking again. What if the cancer had penetrated the bladder wall spread to the lymph nodes and required serious treatment I might need my bladder removed completely or perhaps radiation therapy chemotherapy and more surgeries. My future was uncer http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Sequoia-National-Park/blog-221329.html When I finally left Crater Lake on thursday night twilight bathed the forest and peaks in a calm blue light. After some curves through the forest the road made an abrupt right turn. Ahead of me was 30 km of a downhill and lonely road which I proceeded to test the maximum speed of my VW Golf yet again. 180 kmh was the maximum velocity which had to save me at least 4 minutes on the 3 hour dri http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Oregon/Bend/blog-213550.html After Stewart Springs I ventured through the remaining miles of California. This is where a simple idea such as a road trip turns into something very different where whole governments and people change while the landscape remains the same. It was almost like going uphill the dry and expansive Pacific Coast I know in California became intimate and lush. The terrain was defined by forested h http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Oregon/Crater-Lake/blog-212174.html Many people believe Mt. Shasta has supernatural powers from the Native Americans known as the Shasta to the multitude of residents that make their home near the volcano today. Adherents to Hinduism New Age beliefs and Buddhist monks are drawn to the volcano's serenity and imposing presence. So are outdoor enthusiasts because at 14200 feet Shasta is the 2nd largest volcano in the Cascades so http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Mount-Shasta/blog-205919.html Lassen National Park. The name's not very familiar is it It wasn't to me either. A park isolated by spectacular surroundings in Northern California where the Sierra Nevada end and the Cascades begin Lassen is about halfway between Lake Tahoe and Mt. Shasta. My impressions of the park before I visited were a bit unimpressive. But within 5 minutes of passing through the Park Service gate I k http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Lassen-Volcanic-National-Park/blog-203825.html For once on travelblog Im just going to let the pictures to the talking about this 3 day trip to Yosemite. yes I could write about its natural history get creative about the things that happened during the trip. Or I could write about how our hike led to me peeing blood which led to my subsequent diagnosis of bladder cancer which was successfully removed this last week. But no Im just going http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Yosemite-National-Park/blog-200022.html When I finished school in May of 2004 an epic trip 6 months in the making was ripe for the picking. 3 friends and I secured reservations for a backcountry cabin in Kenai Fjords National Park 6 months earlier. We packed our bags and headed to Seward by way of Anchorage going on a Halibut fishing trip the next day although 21 hours of daylight meant no night. With kayaks and backpacks in tow http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Alaska/Kenai-Fjords-National-Park/blog-190783.html 2 days left in the park and I cant say I minded. The weather was wet the showers all cold and I was doubting my travel plans. Knowing the gorgeous Chilean Mediterranean Climate climate link why didn't I spend my entire vacation in the Santiago area I could have been climbing 5000 meter mountains and glaciers link sunning myself on the beach with beautiful Chilean girls link dipping in hot s http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Torres-Del-Paine/blog-181213.html With 3 days left in the park I had some hard choices to make. Not hard choices like looking for a new job breaking up with my girlfriend or buying a new car after all I was on vacation My choices were more along the lines of where I should hike to next Lago Grey or Lago Nordenskjld I chose the latter. Salto Grande was impressive but the short hike to the overlook puts one closer to the Cue http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Torres-Del-Paine/blog-179893.html It's hard to refuse 4 days and 4 nights of SCUBA diving the warm water of California's southern Channel Islands. Being a liveaboard ship all food and accomodations are taken care of. The only thing we had to worry about is how many dives to do per day 2 3 or 4 Exactly how long should I lay in the sun on the upper deck Should I have a second serving of cake or dive with the spearfisherman Sh http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Channel-Islands-National-Park/blog-179173.html After having my wallet stolen I returned to Torres with a new attitude No matter what nothing could get worse than it already was. After mentally letting go I was finally able to relax This fresh attitude was rewarded with a warm bed and excellent meal at Hosteria Pehoe. Rain poured all night as I sipped garlic soup shoulder to shoulder with the Carbineros. When the clouds cleared the next mor http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Torres-Del-Paine/blog-173661.html The road from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine is usually taken by public transportation by backpackers running The Gringo Trail. Fresh from Ushuaia by way of Buenos Aires the Gringo's look forward to the next few stops Torres del Paine El Calafate and Perito Moreno. The Lonely Travellers from a far off Planet take the economical and convenient buses out of necessity. For me though the bus http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Torres-Del-Paine/blog-159961.html