We are hot and sweaty and happy. After a couple of transition days in Bangkok, we started our Burma journey in Mandalay, located in the flatland middle and close to other places we wanted to see.
Mandalay is actually not very interesting.
Author: klmalcolm2014
Lions and Tigers and Bears?
(Stock photo)
When I decided to leave a great job and a wonderful San Francisco apartment last year to travel solo around the world, the first reaction I got from most people was “wow, you are courageous.” I think this was actually a polite way of saying “wow, you are a little crazy.”
Rev for Stride, Next Stop Burma
Riding a horse is a way to experience exhilaration and peace and connectedness all at the same time. I rarely feel more me than when I am on a horse.
LACMA, the Treasure of the (Southern) Sierra Madre
On Sunday, I took a bus from my new home in Marin County to San Francisco International. I was not on my way to Armenia or Guatemala. Yet.
Alcatraz: East of West
When I went to China a few years ago, I didn’t think of Beijing as a city with a thriving arts community. More of a temple/palace/Great Wall kind of place. So I was surprised when I got off the bus in Beijing’s Dashanzi Art Zone. Also called “798,” the neighborhood is a virtual Disneyland of playful murals, outdoor sculptures and aromatheraputic galleries.
California Dreamin’
Springtime in Los Angeles is gorgeous — blue skies, puffy cumulus clouds, bright orange poppies, lush green hills. Every once in awhile, you smell the syrupy perfume of orange blossoms. The traffic is famously slow on freeways that seem to go nowhere but a lot of the cars are awfully nice. Although my first loyalty is to my geographic soul mate in the north, I feel very comfortable here and even a little nostalgic. Disneyland. Vin Sculley. Olvera Street. Surfer boys. Palm trees.
Hiroshima and Miyajima, Mon Amour
Hiroshima is not far from Kyoto and I felt a sort of responsibility to pay my respects. I also wanted to understand how the community has survived the tragedy of its recent past. So I took a 2 hour ride on the bullet train and spent a couple of days visiting Hiroshima’s memorials.
Kyoto: The Sound of Two Hands Clapping
Kyoto is just one amazing thing after another. Honestly, I don’t know where to start or end. So much here is full of meaning and humanity. My only regret is that I am barely scratching a very small part of a very big surface.
