http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/johnnymoretti/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from johnnymoretti en-us Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:49:19 +0000 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:49:19 +0000 TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD I GET THE FEELING THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE YESTERDAY....YESTERDAY... I remember asking my wife Roong what she wanted to see when she finally took the giant leap from our home in Thailand to San Francisco. Her reply America. That's a tall order for someone and may take more than the five months we have to visit. But we gave it a try anyway...sans two wheels.I have http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-185610.html Khao Lak Thailand A hidden paradiseKhao Lak. Where the hell is that Well its about 80km north of Phuket International Airport. Sounds more like a metropolis than a tropical jungle huh Phuket the largest island in Thailand is in the southwest. It is frequented by many travelers and has the second highest economy among the provices next to Bangkok. So what makes this area so desirableWit http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Khao-Lak/blog-109239.html Kenyan MerryGoRoundMy recent trip to Africa see my last three blogs weren't inspired by visions of setting off on a safari in the Maasai Mara or mounting a camel in the Egyptian desert. It was a trip that would not have been complete if I hadn't accomplished the one task I had come to Kenya for in the first place to build a playground.The organization I started in the wake of the tsunami Ope http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-55747.html Camels Sand and Pyramids make good Egyptian coffeeWhat possibly could be written about Cairo and the pyramids that hasn't already been written Besided the nightmare of getting here my flight was cancelled the last minute from Addis Ababa Ethiopia to Cairo I more or less expected what I have experienced. Uh...besides the street children trinket hawkers smell of camel dung expensive taxis fr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Lower-Egypt/Cairo/blog-54151.html Road To Samburu Archer's PostPlease read the previous blog for Part OneI want to preface this blog with this very little known factFrom a BBC News Excerpt Kenya's government has spent more than 12m on new cars since 2002 enough to send 25000 children to school for eight years their report said. Read full story here.The next morning our journey would take us through some of the roughest http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-53662.html Road To SamburuFor most of my adult life I have dreamed of being in Africa. As an avid photographer I have dreamed of capturing the images of a part of the world that has been visted by few. And so my dream has come true but has left me with more than just photo images. It has left me with a deep understanding of how the reality of poverty can hit you between the eyes. No longer can I sit idle in http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-53254.html Bangkok to NairobiThe task of getting to Kenya has been nothing less than difficult. My flight from Bangkok to Addis Ababa Ethiopia was a trip within itself. The aircraft was jampacked and not your usual trip as in the United States. I found myself captured within a fuselage of ethnicities from all points of Africa. Next to me sat a rotund gentleman from Tanzania a lawyer and businessman. The f http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-51282.html KLONG TOEYBangkok's Secret They Don't Want You To Know AboutThe population of Thailand is nearing 60 million people 10 percent of whom live in Bangkok and of those 20 percent live in the slums of Klong Toey. This area in south Bangkok and near the waterfront where many work as longshoremen. Most of the dwellers of Klong Toey have migrated from the surrounding towns of Thailand in search of much n http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-49255.html Many of you have visited my blog regarding the visa run from Ranong Thailand to Victoria Point Burma Myranmar. The process once you get there will last about 3 hours not including travel time to Rangong. Below is a stepbystep guide to getting your run completed. I know its not the most detailed but it will give you some insight into what you should expect. Email me if you have questions or http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ranong/blog-48440.html Sorry to those that are getting this blog entry as it is more of a personal entry and may bore youTo Bee Or Not To BeeEvery morning I usually sit outside my bungalow overlooking the Andaman Sea from atop a beautiful hillside. I sit on my white plastic chair and set my freshbrewed instant oxymoron coffee cup on my lovely white plastic table. I feel the warm humid breeze across my face and clos http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Khao-Lak/blog-47712.html A Young Boy's ClosureOver one year later and the remnants of the tsunami still are touching the lives of its victims. I found it odd when I was once again invited to attend a funeral Buddhist style for Kai's mother. Her remains had finally been matched through DNA to Kai and his father.In January 0f 2005 I visited the Wat Temple Yan Yeaw in Takuapa to photograph where the victims' bodies were http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-43385.html When Two Worlds CollideToday was special. But let me go back a bit first. In November I was honored to meet Peter Gliechmann of Germany a tall robust and roughcut man of his forties and an appetite to match. The near death story he shares of clinging to a taught cable in the tsunami catastrophe and barely surviving is a story no grandpa could tell his grandchildren without complete intense sta http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-40717.html Lately I've been placing some photos that may not really show what's going on here so this time I'll be more candid. Maybe this time you can see what I'm doing here besides getting lots of sunshine and meeting lots of friends.The Bangkok temple group photo was taken about three weeks ago when I was asked by Airline Ambassadors International AAI to be their Project Manager on a proposal by the t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Khao-Lak/blog-39442.html Airline Ambassadors International AAI at www.airlineamb.org has funded the construction of a new home for a woman I met two weeks ago. I don't build homes I build playgrounds. But this woman is special. She was a tsunami victim and escaped with her life and the lives of all her family. She lost her hospitality job the hotel was demolished by the wave and was forced to sell noodles from her mo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-37883.html Every thirty days I have to make a Visa Run where I have to find the nearest border of Thailand and exit the country so I can turn around a get a new visa. The 3hour drive up to Ranong Thailand and then a 40 minute longtail boat ride across the strait and I'm in Burma. Once again. This time I met with my Burmese friend by accident as he was now dressed in an official uniform. He could legally http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Southern-Burma/Kawthaung/blog-37134.html In light of all that has been going on here with playgrounds tsunami relief orphanages and traveling to villages spread out along the main roadway I do find some time to enjoy myself. But even that becomes part of the overall picture here in Thailand. I have found that even my new friends are connected to my personal pilgrimage here.The first photo of the large group of people are the wonderfu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Khao-Lak/blog-36566.html My day was to be a full plate. And it seemed to have turned out that way. In the late morning I received a call from Gyll my Australian friend to inform me of a ceremony at the Buddhist temple a wat in Thai and that perhaps I would be interested in coming to photograph the scene. As it turns out I was to witness the transition of the Buddhist men from student to monk. I dont claim to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-28976.html An early rise in the morning and off I was to make my first visa run to Myanmar Burma. Visas in Thailand need to be renewed every 30 days to avoid steep fines. My two friends Hayden and Cynthia had made this trip once before so having them as companions was a true asset. The road from Khao Lak to Ranong Thailand is about 180 kilometers 112 miles and the road is no different than any other http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Southern-Burma/Kawthaung/blog-27995.html Ban Lut is a newly constructed housing camp for displaced victims of the tsunami.After doing some other tasks to get ready for the team to arrive to construct the playground at the Ban Nok Na school I was called by the director of the Ban Muang refugee camp and asked if I would help them by driving a few people to the local market to pick up some supplies for the new daycare center being organize http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-28000.html Well I finally made it to my final destination Khao Lak. This small community just meters from the turquoise Andaman Sea is struggling to get back on its feet after the tsunami. My original visit here just a few weeks following the devastating wave and subsequent trip in September has given me a chance to rate their progress.Most of what you see from the main highway country road to you Weste http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Khao-Lak/blog-26472.html