Photos, Philosophy, Politics & Pool...
Civilization runs on rules, not laws. What’s the difference? Well for example, when you go to pay at the supermarket you go to the back of the line, right? Why? Why don’t you go to the front of the line? Or into a gap between other shoppers? There is NO LAW against going right to the front. But there is...
I was in prison. Flat on my back. Rows of wooden bars rose up beyond my reach. I would have been about a year old I suppose, in a crib, and I was aware. Above me hung a contraption of sticks, strings, and shapes, what I would later come to know as a mobile. I can’t remember if the shapes...
Just Be Yourself (Or Not)… Megabreak runs three seasonal pool tournaments year-round. Unfortunately I am never in the area long enough to do a whole season, so my goal remains simply to win one event. Did I just say ‘simply?’ Oops. Well, simple or not, it is my goal. One side benefit of this endeavor is meeting a wide variety...
Besides the paperwork and passport photos i had prepared, Vietnamese Immigration also wants $25 USD. I don’t have it. The price of the various visas are posted on the wall, all in US dollars. Now that is just a bit strange. I mean, I was under the impression that Vietnam fought a war to remove US influence? Vietnamese currency is...
1. It ain’t cheap. With a baseline ticket at $425 per person and parking passes at $80 per vehicle expect to lighten your wallet. 2. There are no services. No restaurants, no stores, no nothing. If you plan to be there for a week, you’ll need food and water for a week. 3. It’s dusty. Even without wind the dust...
I’d seen a photo of this place years ago and decided I wanted to go there one day… if only I knew where “there” was. Out in a remote part of the desert, up a proverbial (dry) creek, the ancient Navajo built shelter beneath an overhanging cliff. It’s not marked. There are no signs. No tours. The powers that be...
Swam a few laps this morning at the 31st floor pool overlooking Pattaya. Went to catch the elevator back down, noticed that all cars were around the first floor, and pushed the button. So I’m standing there waiting, watching the numbers count up, and when it gets to about 20 I start hearing a strange noise. Like a child’s voice...
Had some gold coins and bars sitting around for awhile, and figured it was time to convert it back into “currency.” But instead of into US Dollars and then into Thai Baht, I decided to skip a step and go straight into Thai Baht. Gold is after all, an international currency, and I wanted to put that concept to the...
At the start of Thursday’s 9-ball tournament, there is a Calcutta auction. Each player is up for auction and people “bid” on who they think will win. Sort of like betting on a horse race. There is generally a lot of bidding action on the top players, the “pros,” because, well, they’re really good. I take a different approach. Because...
Was supposed to go to Japan, but I didn’t bring any warm clothes with me and I don’t want to buy new ones, so booked a new trip to Myanmar. Heard there’s some sort of genocide going on there, but that won’t stop me. However learning that it takes 3 days to get a visa to Myanmar the day before...
Saigon is a bustling town, but not particularly scenic. Its a commercial city, with business and traffic in good measure, but short on photo opportunities. Among its attractions is a leftover from the French: The Church of Notre Dame. I walk over there to catch the evening light. There’s a kid pushing a vending cart. It takes a lot of...
Sandamuni Pagada was built in memory of Prince Kanaung, who was to have been the next King of Burma but was assassinated in 1866. Many Burmese believe their history would have been quite different, had Kanaung ascended to the throne. For he was a modernizer and believer in a strong military to maintain independence. Instead, his younger brother Thibaw became...
The first couple days in Vang Vieng, I rented a scooter to get around. My mission was to find a particular rice field, with an elevated wooden walkway, a pavilion at its end, and the mountains beyond. I failed to find that rice field, or any rice field worthy of a photo. On the third day, I slept in. It...
Driving around on a scooter west of Vang Vieng, trying to pick out a spot for a sunset shot. It appears to me that the sun will set dead center on this country road, and I like the smoke from whatever the farmers are burning back there, so I park and hang out. What I really need though is a...
I’m seeing a lot of people surprised and confused by the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Gilroy. They really shouldn’t be. What we are seeing are the opening battles of a new uncivil war. In the past, wars were fought between nation-states. But after victor and vanquished established, the fighting continued. Particularly in the case of occupation. For...
When I read this book I thought, “this would make a great movie.” I was wrong. The movie was horrible. But the book remains amazingly great! Told from two points of view, an immigrant and a local, both of whom believe they are the rightful owner of the same house.
Truly outrageous and hilarious. Not for the queasy, but if you need an escape and a laugh, pick this one up.
I’ve read a number of Hiaason novels, all entertaining and hilarious, but this one probably best, followed closely by Strip Tease.
I’ve read almost everything Elmore Leonard has written, but I would suggest these as his very best: Gold Coast, Valdez is Coming, Riding the Rap, Unknown Man #89, Rum Punch, and Killshot.
After WWII a bunch of Nazis moved to America under Operation Paperclip. This is supposedly a big deal, but not really. They were mostly scientists and engineers, interested in rockets and stuff.
Bus rolls into Vang Vieng, I know this because the bus driver starts shouting, “Vang Vieng! Vang Vieng!” The only reason I’m here is because there are some very photogenic rice fields in the area. But it turns out that Vang Vieng is a happening tourist destination, specifically for the backpacker crowd. Twenty-somethings, college dropouts, and permanent refugees from normality....
The USA donated a bunch of concrete to Laos so they could build an airport. The year was 1957, and the U.S. was probably thinking, “Hey, it looks like shit is about to go down in Vietnam, wouldn’t it be great if we had an airport in next-door Laos to park our planes and stuff?” “Yeah, yeah, great idea. Let’s...
From the sky, Myanmar makes a good impression, dotted with temples, rice paddies, and small villages. Undeveloped, unspoiled, old school. At the airport, the taxi dance begins. A booth inside says 20000 kyat, about $15. Decide to take my chances outside with that price point in mind. There’s a kid with a smile and a taxi waiting for me, the...
I’ve got a long list of the best places on earth to take a photo, and I’m here in Mandalay to tick one of them off the list: U-Bain Bridge. Tell the taxi driver what I want, and he knows just where to go. Apparently U-Bain is not much of secret. In fact, an entire village has sprung up around...
Got the photo I wanted, now it’s time for a different kind of shot. As a former British colony, pool halls will be hard to find, but snooker is a certainty. According to Mr. Internet, there are two snooker clubs within walking distance, so I start walking. Mandalay has perhaps the most dangerous sidewalks I’ve ever seen. They are basically...
It’s a gas station. No I’m not kidding. What you can’t see is the pair of girls to the right laughing at me as I take a photo of their business. They’ve got snacks as well, just waiting for someone to run out of gas so they can spring into action, help them, and profit. You’ll see these sorts of...
Montezuma’s Revenge had always been just “words” to me. That changed yesterday morning, when my backside was transformed into a water cannon. What exactly caused this revenge I’m not sure, but my best guess is an unwashed knife used to split a coconut from a roadside vendor. Hygiene in rural Myanmar is rather primitive. In fact, people shit in holes,...
