Blogs from Olympia, Washington, United States, North America - page 2

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Thoreau The next chapter of this surreal trip that is my life is about to commence. Why would someone choose to take half a year of their lives to spend on a 2,665 trail that includes three states and Canada? I would imagine the reasons are as varied as the ecosystems one passes thru on such a journey. For me, I need a 'life reset'. The choices and decisions I have made over the years have not worked in such a way as to manifest a happy and peaceful existenceAs such, I'm ... read more

Although I planned on making the last entry my final one prior to departing, the conditions in Thailand currently have compelled me to make serious revisions in the upcoming itinerary. BBC news reports that major flooding in and around Bangkok have forced thousands to flee the capital. While Bangkok itself is not as severly affected by the torrential rains and concomitant flooding, the outlying areas are severely compromised. As such, I just purchased a ticket to fly out of Bangkok into Phnom Penh four hours after arriving into Thailand. I debated the sagacity of spending funds on going to visit Angkor Wat, but upon serious introspection, I would profoundly regret not going, being that geographically close to a place I have wanted to see since I first saw photos twenty yrs ago. So as of today, ... read more

June 1, 2011 For future planning, I thought I might list the various sources used in preparing for my Italy trip. One Stop Shopping By far, the biggest resource was the Rick Steves travel company. I don’t want to sound like an advertising agency, but the Edmonds location really was one stop shopping. Travel classes, travel consultation, train ticket office, books, travel gear, TV shows, travel library. And on the website there was even more, like free audio tours for iPods, sample tour itineraries, the graffiti wall, and “tips and tricks.” Most of all, I liked that the company was not concerned about pressuring visitors to sign up for a tour. Their philosophy is that they simply want people to go to Europe, whether it’s with a tour or not. Recommended Reading I ended up buying ... read more

A little more Olympia!... read more

We thought we'd update how the process is going. The house is coming along piece by piece! ... read more