I had planned on publishing this blog quite a awhile ago, until life inevitably intervened and I got sidetracked with other travels. The following is a collection of some favorite photos from our time in Seattle, taken all over the city. It is important to me as we spent a lot of our spare time exploring, walking all over (in all kinds of weather) in search of bookstores and good eats. I hate to generalize, but Seattle seems to have a very specific city-centric culture. True to the stereotype, Seattleites tend to be highly educated, good readers, and very fond of coffee. It's a great place to support the arts, and boasts a collection of wonderful museums, as well as everything from community theater to opera. The Emerald City is beautiful, set sandwiched between Elliot ... read more

Washington's incredibly bipolar spring weather teased us with another glimpse of the elusive sun this weekend. Thankfully we were in a perfect place to enjoy this rare scrap of warm weather-the Olympic Peninsula. My parents moved back to Sequim after years of restlessly circulating around the U.S. and now occupy the house that once belonged to my grandparents. Despite leading what I feel to be a rather nomadic existence, the Olympic Peninsula has been one place I have returned to frequently. Port Townsend in particular is a great town. Discovered by the western world during one of Captain Vancouver's exploratory journeys to the Pacific Northwest, the area was already inhabited by numerous First Nation tribes. The city really boomed during the late 1800's, the time at which much of its famed Victorian architecture was built. Today ... read more

Though I was feeling somewhat nostalgic and sad to begin the last leg of our trip, I was still extremely pleased to see Guangzhou again. The city is what I think of as “Jackie Chan’s China”, the one you see in all the kung-fu movies. Large, blocky apartments draped in laundry, towering over small noodle stalls hidden in narrow alleys. Some of my favorite memories were the taxi rides, circling up endless on-ramps that curled between the towering buildings, all ablaze with neon lights. Guangzhou is a huge, busy, smoggy city, but with undeniable charm. On one hand, the city is an important transportation and administrative hub, as well as a major business center. Many factories, producing products for export, hover around the city’s periphery. Due to the large amount of foreign investment, the city is ... read more

Here are some photos from the last part of our excursion in Vietnam: Hanoi and gorgous Halong Bay.... read more

After the splendors of Angkor Wat, we spent several more days exploring other aspects of Siem Reap. One particularly meaningful experience was a visit to the landmine museum, run by the Cambodian Landmine Museum Relief Fund . The project was begun by Aki Ra, a former member of the Khmer Rouge Army. Though only a child when he was enlisted, he was taught to work with explosives and to lay the deadly weapons. Now, years later, he has removed and decommissioned thousands of these mines, often without anything but the most rudimentary equipment. In addition to raising awareness and funds for landmine victims, the organization has taken in more than 30 young people who have been severely injured by mines and other weapons. It is estimated there are between 8 and 10 million unexploded landmines ... read more