2 days ago I finally landed in BKK. Immediately upon exiting the airport I was forced to stare down and yell at an aggressive taxi driver. Seriously, dude. Took the bus to Hua Lamphong train station in the "middle" of the city (I say that because only YHWH knows if BKK actually has a middle, though it would be made of delicious noodles and egg yolk if it did). The only train left to Chiang Mai didn't leave until 10 at night, which left me 8 hours to explore Chulalongkorn Uni about a mile east of here, and to lick my wounds from getting short-changed at the train ticket window. Back at the train station, I met no less than 4 groups of students from the UK. Most were going scuba diving in the south, I ... read more

Man Morning, a 2-hour work day, last-minute packing and discarding, DIA with Dave Higgins and canine companion, then a quick westward flight to the edge of the world. That's a tasty beverage. Still awaiting the grand-daddy of them all...the 20 hour marathon to Taipei and Bangkok. Coffee may not be sufficient. Wish me luck. I used to *hate* LA. Now I kinda love it. And if I lived here, I would come to LAX every so often and feast upon the delicious insanity. And btw, the very helpful gentlemen giving directions outside Terminal 6...yeah, them directions ain't free, punk. I'm so often reminded of Mos Eisley spaceport on Tantooine (nerd much?) when I come here. You have no idea what you're going to find. So far, so good...Except for the wireless connection, which is keeping me ... read more

So I woke up early this morning and took one last run down by Glasgow U and Kelvingrove Park before packing up and taking the long walk to Buchanan bus station. All my flights (GLA-EWR-ORD-DEN) were on-time, which really surprised me, especially considering what had happened on the way over. The culture shock is always worse coming back home. This has always been my experience. Being back in the States just messes with your mind in strange ways. Everyone and everything is louder, it seems, and everyone is most definitely about their business and in a hurry to wherever. Probably one of the reasons Ft Collins and Boulder appeal to me so much, is that they are a little more laid-back than some other places in the States I've lived. I didn't get back to my ... read more

Picked up the little rental car this morning. Quick side note: never rent from Enterprise UK. Total scam, from what I saw. They wouldn't accept anyone's insurance and made everyone who showed up buy their additional insurance. Both when I picked up and dropped off the car, there were irate customers at the counter. You have been advised. Took the nice, slow drive up to Glen Coe, threw on the rain gear, and headed up another trail. This time, the goal was the peak of a Munro. The weather was fine at the start, some misty clouds now and again. But by about halfway up the thicker stuff really started closing in. After about 2 hours I got to the ridge top to make my attack on the summit (still another 500 or so feet vertical ... read more

First off, I'm really glad that I brought some dress clothes on this trip! And that there were additional dress clothes left behind in the Flat so I didn't have to drop extra money on more dress shirts! Because then I would have had to iron them, and who wants to do that? But everyone is *so* stylish here! You walk through town, and no one is slumming it. Had it not been for the conference, I would have felt really out of place in my cords and hoodie. It's really amazing how much Oxford reminds me of Fort Collins! Okay, so of course there's tons more history at Oxford, but the feel is remarkably similar. When I got back around 6 after the conference, Claire, Rachel, Mandy and I started talking theology. Some of the ... read more