Road Trippin': Destination Badlands

Once again the Jessie and I are outward bound. This time we're roadtripping it across several states. Our final destination...somewhere in South Dakota.

For the past several months it has been known that we'd be attending a family reunion. Much of those months I was kept in the dark about the whole thing. I knew when we were going and I had an inkling of what we'd be lodging in. Otherwise I've been caught unawares. It's really the only kind of surprise I like...when I know what's coming in the abstract.

It's fairly clear which vehicle we'll take. The PT Cruiser is our weapon of choice. Mainly because it's roomier, and with the added cargo of Jess's brother, Spencer, we needed a little extra breathing room and comfort. The Pontiac Grand Ma would have to stay behind. Which is fine because while I love her to death, she can be an unpredictable mistress.

Packing for this trip is like no other. It's like extended car camping without the tent. We'll be lodging it at some dude ranch...or some such. So pots, pans, towels, clothes, art implements, and anything else is all fair game. Bedding and a roof over our head will be supplied. As travelers however I'm desperate to still travel light, and yet when the details are so fuzzy you really need to be prepared for everything.

Lastly my concern about road trippin' is always about safety on the road. With teenage incidents rising high almost in tandem with gas prices (which have dropped a little yaaah!) my vigilance and hyperawareness will probably exhaust me at the end of each turn at the wheel. Luckily we're about 16 hours from our destination. With maps in hand and adventure on our minds, we'll keep you posted (as best we can) what roadside curiosities are worthy of note.

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NYC: Art Tour

Two places I've been wanting to go to for some time were finally realized on this trip.

Murals on 54th is part of the Warwick hotel in NYC. It houses murals by Dean Cornwell from the 1930s and impressive ones at that. If you tour around the site you can get a sense of the scale of these things. He's one of my favorite illustrators from that period along with a handful of others. When I showed up the restaurant wasn't going to be open for 3 more hours, but they graciously let me in once I told them, "I came all the way from Seattle to see these..."

The other place I visited was The Hispanic Society of America Museum and Library . My motivation for checking this place out was to see Joaquin Sorolla's huge paintings. He's primarily considered a colorist I think, because his bravurra use of color is what first and foremost grabs you. The finishes of the pieces I saw at roughly 10' x 20' were still rough and not nearly as polished as someone such as John Singer Sargent. However the example below shows that he definitely has breadth to his work. For more examples of his work check it out here . Be patient the long downloads are worth the wait.

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NYC: Soooo...cold!

Despite best laid plans to document such things, one can never under estimate the power of weather and the need to travel light.

The flight into Newark was cake, and the bus to Grand Central was smooth, and the train up to my sister's in Connecticut was a walk in the park. I was only briefly going to be there until the next day when I'd head back down into New York City for the Comicon show.

When I arrived on Friday it was rather cold especially with the wind gusts. I thought I'd try walking from Grand Central Station to the Javitts Center. It started off okay, as I was walking south, but as soon as I started walking west the winds did everything to hold me back. I got about six blocks away from my destination before I hailed a cab and admitted defeat...de feet were tired too! My new shoes that I had purchased and worn for a week or so before the trip did not favorable support my arches on concrete. The shoes all around rubbed me the wrong way and made for difficult going. It's easier to jungle trek when the ground is softer it seems.

The New York City Comicon show was good because it was warm inside, and despite not having enough room for my big old camera in my day bag, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Well I did see overweight stormtroopers, and infantile Princess Leia's being carried by their Obi Wan Kenobi fathers but that's par for the course. There was a lot of great art and I met a few people I had conversed with online. So for the most part it was a recon mission at best.

I checked into The New Yorker Hotel later that day. It's a very simple typical hotel, nothing special really. A remodelled lobby, less than attractive rooms, with incredibly warm hallways, oh, and the same piece of art on various walls throughout the place. I hit a few cafes over the next day or so and didn't really make the effort to seek out fine dining. I think after so much travel in the last few days I was winding down.

More later...
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NYC Solo

Well I'm heading out tomorrow to NYC. Like the title says, The Jessie is not accompanying me. The reality is I've really only got a couple of days downtown, the other part will be wandering around Connecticut where my sister and brother-in-law live. I'm always curious what kind of pictures I'll capture each time I go. I debated again, whether or not to bring paint as it's been quite cold outside.

There are cafe's and other indoor areas I can explore...I'm sure of it.

Also I'll be attending the New York City Comicon, my first time. I like to dip in and get a headful of inspiration from time to time, and put faces with names. Not quite as exotic as Thailand but you'd be hard pressed to find an odder group of people crammed into one building.

Let's see what kind of blogging I'll be able to accomplish in the states, shall we?

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Last Post From Abroad

This is out last chance to post before a leisurely journey back to the Bangkok airport for a Friday morning flight back to Seattle. We'll be splurging on a short flight out of Chiang Mai tomorrow. Tonight we'll be checking out the commercial overload of the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, and getting a real pair of designer running shoes, or maybe an authentic tribal carving, or maybe finally try those UFBs (unidentified fried bits). Talk to you all soon and thanks for the comments - made us feel less homesick!

SHARKTIP #3: Putting the Gain in Bargain

As Americans we have only a few opportunities to bargain with people in everyday life. But we've noticed it's a practiced art in some of our travels. Even at a general store that sells a variety of merchandise learn the phrase, "Is that the best price you can give me?" In most cases they can do better.

Sometimes, like in Guatemala, we often offered half the price they were asking and most would concede to that or somewhere close. You may also want to have in your hand what you're willing to pay for an item. Seeing the money is a sensory thing, that the merchant has to consider losing if they don't accept a reasonable price.

But be forewarned, never bargain if you don't intend to buy. The game can turn sour quickly.

Waterlogue

True love is carrying your spouse across a river 64 times.

So we got rid of the moped only to punish ourselves (me) on a ten mile hike. Jess's footwear of choice: sneakers, mine: sport sandals. Knowing full well the journey would require crossing the river a bunch of times I thought, why not be a sport and let Jessie keep the dry feet. Besides, sneakers take a long time to dry.

We followed the Mae Yen river along the valley floor, through banana groves and rice fields. The local farmers were happy to see us as not many a foreigner trekked out their way. Once we got into the canopy it was peaceful and quiet...and challenging. The river wasn't very high or moving very fast but the water was wet and the sand quite coarse.

We met a hiker 2 hours and some change into the hike who mentioned a short cut over a ridge that would save us a bunch of time. So we took it, which was great as we the scenery changed and we were walking amongst giant groves of bamboo. By the time we got to the waterfall we'd hiked for 2 hours and 45 minutes. We were ahead of the guidebooks estimates by a longshot.

My feet however were cut and rubbed raw.
So on the way back I decided to have Jess carry me instead.

Of course that didn't happen.
Luckily I had some dry socks that buffered the sting a little and made the sand a little less abrasive. And true to chivalry I again helped to keep her sneakers dry. Looking back now I can say it was worth a little bit of pain. We'd gotten soft with all that relaxing.

It was just a reminder to us that the good stuff is just around the next bend, if you're willing to take that extra step.

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