EdVallance's Guestbook

My two favorite travelbloggers
I got into trouble stating that guys are really good travel writers, not meaning to imply that the girls aren't. Both Ed and Scott are who I had in mind. Both are truly amazing writers. I look forward to Ed's continued adventures to remote areas, and I hope Scott and Anny return to the road soon.

Again, you travel to these places so we don't have to! And I'm glad you do, as it sounds a truly miserable place. Your writing improves with every post, especially your use of dialogue which, in the absence of long descriptive passages, manages to perfectly convey the atmosphere of a place. Your travels, though intrepid and often far flung, are, to me, more a journey into the universal human condition than they are to a specific location. With you, the personal speaks far more eloquently than the place. I am interested; when conversing with the people you meet on your travels do you take notes, make recordings? Or are you some kind of eidetiker? I only ask as the amount of perfectly pitched dialogue that so beautifully illuminates your blogs must take some remembering. I understand that you use these blogs as a way of cataloguing your thoughts and experiences with a mind to one day publishing some of them in some form or other (something I), with that in mind I was interested how much of your travels is now almost reportage, or journalistic? Are you always conscious of your work when travelling, or do you organise your thoughts at a later date? Anyway, what I meant to say, was great work, thank you!

"You know on Kamchatka we have one black man and one gay, and Denis knows them both." I laughed hard at that. Great shots, by the way.

I am against the cruelty they are doing to man's best friend and reliable helper.

Taloctoc and Mangali
Yes Jena, I went to Mangali and Taloctoc. Both great places. I went to the Taloctoc with the Lubuagan people when they went to renew their Peace Pact. I stayed with the very kind Sincawa family and remember much drinking basi, ghansa dancing, listening to speeches and eating more and more carabao and rice. I went to Mangali with the family of a many called Jerome, from Lubo, for the funeral of his mother in law. Again, much basi, gin, rice, carabao. There was one funny time when they told me that everyone must cry at a funeral. Many old people crying as they said things by Jerome's mother in law's dead body. 'Do you know how to cry, ben?'. They were very serious. Even the 'Canoo' must cry. So I went to a quiet place and imagined all the bad things that might happen in my life - my mother died, my dog died etc etc. When I was in 'the zone' I said I was ready to cry. This was the best joke of the funeral! You have a tradition of the practical joke in Kalinga, I think. It was a happy time really, especially for a funeral. Ben

Tumihai's father, Diklay, died in the 1990's, so this cannot be him. I know this with complete certainty.

Exactly what you expect Russia to look like!
How very Russian your pictures are. Snowy churches, it couldn't be more typical.Your story is good as always. Personally I prefer the longer name you suggested: Pereslavl Natakomzherasstoyaniiotlesakakilyuboydrugoygorodvrossiisky just has a nice ring to it!

City name
Hi Ed! Pereslavl Zalessky is a nice town. I've been there in Summer, though. Have you visited famous museums of irons and kettles? I just wanted to note that Pereslavl Zalessky was named this way not because people in XII century wanted to stress that the city is located beyond the woods. The thing is that the city was founded by emigrants from Pereslavly located in the south (now it is known as Pereslavl Khmelnitsky, Ukraine). Zalesie was a name of a territory north to the Kiev, which was capital that time. So, new settlers gave the city a name of their hometown, but to distinguish them, they gave it a second name.

Nice picture

exicelint imagesh
hi

Stunning lighting and composition. One of those rare photos that has a "sense of place".