Hey Ya All, (I wrote this entry about a year and a half ago - and find it politcaly incorrect to publish it now under the new unfortunate sircumstances in Myanmar - a great reason for you to enjoy it even more) So...... . I'm back from Myanmar, a few days earlier then anticipated, in order to confuse you and the authorities, and to get a good place to stay in Bangkok, for Loi Krathong - the "Festival of Lights" that takes place on November 16Th, at full moon. YELLOW FACE PAINTING Fast and to the point - most women in [View Full Entry]

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One capricious afternoon, while walking the streets of Lisbon I started “collecting” pictures of Portuguese shopkeepers and soon thereafter these inevitable 12 fictional impressions pervaded my mind. (Kindly note the intrinsic connection between each story the corresponding picture) PORTUGUESE SHOPKEEPERS - ONE DOZEN ESOTERIC SECRETS Ivone Patrocinio Furtado Ivone indulges in feeding poisoned breadcrumbs to city pigeon in the piazza, right outside Santo Antonio do Penedo church. She only uses homemade bread, a wholesome multigrain with lots of caraway seeds, she lear [View Full Entry]

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Hey you This is a quote from the "Rules of Traveling" section of Istanbul's Metro Tram and Bus map - freely distributed to passengers (in Turkish and English). Rule # 7 out of 9. Quote: "You cannot take pictures by camera or photographic apparatus, make queries and interviews or execute social and commercial activities without having permission certificate." I humbly present to the Turkish transport authorities - * Are people with high photographical memory exempt from this, subject to fines, or feasibly lobotomy for repeat offenders? * Is asking for directions consi [View Full Entry]

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Good day to you all, So here I am. First week in back in the US starting with a visit to NYC. kindly disregard my "USSA" incidental mention - it was only a typo. Please do not connect it to the ol'USSR. There is no reason to be alarmed or to assume that I am sliding another persnickety political remark under your watchful eyes, which might direct your attention to the ever spreading and magnified control of the current regime -oooppss - I meant administration. No! It was only a typo. I do love this country. This is the perfect [View Full Entry]

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KO PHI PHI With hordes of tourists we lemminged our way down the ferryboat gangplank and on to the sole pier in Ko Phi Phi island. This magnificent tropical island settles peacefully off the south western shore of Thailand, in the Indian Ocean. The island is shaped like a double-edged axe with two crystal clear turquoise bays, one facing the north and one to the south, separated by a narrow strip of golden sand. The tsunami washed most of this 5 mile long and two mile wide, paradise including some 1400 unfortunate inhabitants and tourists. A speedy recovery effort managed [View Full Entry]

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Hi all Some notes from Morocco in January 2006 DOUBLE FEATURE IN TETOUAN The first couple of days in this frivolous small metropolis I devoted mostly to dealing with the downpour of creativity I was feeling. But on the third evening I needed a break from the computer screen and the cyber cafe noise. I strolled across the street to an old movie theater that promised some numbing affect to my mercurial brain. In my broken french I learned that the movie has just started a few minutes ago, that the sound track was in English and that I can [View Full Entry]

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Hi all A few more notes from Morocco - (writing from a cyber cafe in Turkey) SAHARA DESERT I find it very difficult to summarize the breathtaking days in the desert. I have so much to tell about it. But... Abdulla is a "Gnawa", a Mali/Sudanese, son #7 out of 9 of a freed slave. He guided me to a 4 day trek in the Sahara dunes. Abdulla leads in constant perpetual and measured steps. The Dromedaries (I'll start calling them Camels) follow obediently. I spend half the time riding and half walking. During the day I watch small animal tracks [View Full Entry]

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A few years ago I traveled to Borneo to visit an Orangutan Sanctuary, set a few miles into the rain forest. A pleasant place where they use their limited resources to rehabilitate captured Orangutans, mostly young orphans, thanks to poachers, back into the wild. I was lucky enough, at the time, to have a close and personal encounter with a nursing female Orangutan and her baby, on a path in the jungle. This image fogged my judgment as I signed for a trip to "The Giant Panda Breeding Research Ctr." of Chengdu, in Southern China. THE GIANT PANDA INCIDENT The first [View Full Entry]

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Travelin Z - Women's Issue (12) Don't you worry your pretty little heads - I do not have a feminine side, which I consider leftover pseudo intellectual crap from the 80's - but I'm glad it got your attention. What I do have, is a sensitive male side, and since I am very confident with my sexuality in my old age - I feel very comfortable in presenting you guys with : ............C O S M O P O L I T Z E E V.............. The Vietnamese July 2005 Issue. Editor corner............page 1 Health.......................page 8 Fashion....................page 13 [View Full Entry]

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Hi all Lets play a game. This is a new fresh-out-of-the-box game. Pun absolutely intended. I call it "The Gibraltar Defenders" - Time as observed from the top of The Rock. A Game loosely based on historical events, the way I remember and interpret them - manifestly, twisted a tiny bit. This is the prerogative of anyone who writes history. I played this game in my mind while walking around the rock of Gibraltar, looking at the magnificent fortifications and the birds flying all over the cliffs. THE GAME: For a playing partner I call British Bob to the arena. On [View Full Entry]

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