I need to add notes and pictures for the following trips (aka, "note to self")

- Two trips to India, 2008 & 2009. Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai (toured Pondicherry), & New Delhi (toured Taj Majal)

- Another trip to Turkey, this time Istanbul, in 2008.

- Two trips to Prague, Czech Rebublic 2008, 2009

- A second trip to Manila, Philippines in 2009

- Singapore in 2009

- Kiev, Ukraine in 2009

- Another trip to Bangkok, Thailand in 2009 (Saw my good friend Ken MacClune while I was there!)

- And more trips to Australia and ...

Santiago, Chile & Buenos Aires, Argentina - May 4-9, 2008

Santiago, Chile

At the zoo - didn't have time to go in. There was a volcano erupting south of Santiago while we were here, but it didn't affect us, other than reports of ash.

Important: Order coffee as "Cafe cortado doble" (sp?) and you'll get some good strong stuff. We (Casey and I) hiked around town and had some serious seafood soup for dinner at a small cafe and didn't get sick. We hiked up Cerro Santa Lucia (a big hill) in the center of town.



At the top of Cerro Santa Lucia is a plaque in commemorating Charles Darwin’s visit to Santiago. It reads:

"Una inagotable fuente de placer es escalar el CerroSanta Lucia, una pequeña colina rocosa que selevanta en el centro de la ciudad. Desde allí la vistaes verdaderamente impresionante y única."

Which translates somewhat dissappointingly to:

"An inexhaustible source of pleasure is to climb Cerro Santa Lucia, a little, rocky hill that arises in the center of the city. From there the view truly is impressive and unique "

(I was hoping for something a little more interesting than, "this is a nice hill")

Buenos Aires, Argentina

This is a fun city with strong European roots and AWESOME steaks. I want to go back. I took a cab to the north of the city to the Ruiz Diaz saddle factory and bought Morgan a new Pessoa Rodrigo Pony saddle with an X-Change system adjustable tree. It was a good deal and I got to meet the owner of the largest saddle factory in the world - Mr. Pedro Ruiz Diaz.

The venue for the show was fantastic - the Faena Universe hotel, probably the nicest hotel I have ever seen. We ate lunch with a herd of unicorns.

Casey and I went on a bus tour that took us to the Casa Rosada, or the "Pink House" (the presidential palace). Here you see me by the fence in "May Square" that held protestors back while they were rioting against the government in 2001 (President De la Rúa resigned).

Argentina has a long history of social revolution and activism, the best known being Evita, or Eva Peron, whose tomb we saw during the tour.

Ankara, Turkey & Tel Aviv, Israel - November 2007

This was an interesting trip beginning with an unexpected (and unwanted) stayover in Istanbul thanks to my least favorite airline in the world - Turkish Airlines. Upon arrival, what lttle I saw of Ankara was typical of any large modern city (high fashion and tourist traps). Sadly, I never found Turkish coffee, and to add insult a Starbucks Grande Latte cost $8 US thanks to the ever declining US dollar.

Here is a shot taken from my hotel room window (Hilton Ankara) of the Blue Mosque. I didn't have time to tour it on this trip. There are many minarets visible in and around the city.

Despite our plan to keep a low profile due to reports of anti-US sentiment following the Turkey-Armenian genocide resolution being debated by the US Congress, I slipped and told the waiter at a restaurant we were from the US and he proceeded to honor us with customized flatbread. An unexpected suprise was having a fantastic dessert called Dondurmali Irmik (warm semolina with ice cream) at an excellent restaurant that I am still googling to find the name of.

Israel was an amazing experience for a heathen like myself, and I highly recommend it. We stayed at the David Intercontinental hotel, which was just OK. We felt safe, and had a great tour guide after the event (a fellow employee) to show us around Jerusalem for an afternoon/evening. We toured inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The old city as you drive into Jerusalem.

The Stone of Anointing, believed to be the spot where Jesus' body was prepared for burial

Brian and I at the West Wall, and a really cool Emergency Scooter.

Oh yeah, Brian made this trip on crutches and had gotten a little grumpy by the end.

Sydney and Melbourne Australia, May 7-16, 2007

Sydney: I stayed at the Four Seasons near Circular Quay. Took the train from the airport. Fantastic hotel in a great location just around the corner from the Opera House and the Botanic Gardens. Had some nice runs through the Botanic Gardens, up/down the stairs at the Opera House, and over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. However, Sydney is expensive. Exchange rate is currently around .87 USD/AUD which seems favorable, but the prices of food and merchandise are very high. We chartered a small fishing boat and went fishing for 1/2 a day on Sydney harbor.

Bangkok, Thailand - February 9-13, 2007

Bangkok is officially a city of 6 million people, but 12 million people live here. It is sprawling and full of contradictions. Beggars and their children block your path as you navigate streets filled with glistening Mercedes Benz and 5 star hotels. The little motorcycle taxis are called "Tuk-Tuks". I am staying at the JW Marriott on Sukhumvit.


Being here now is particularly interesting since the government is currently run by the military after the "bloodless" coup of September 2006. The new airport is also mired in scandal due to cracks in runways and other problems that will likely force it to be shutdown for repairs. I visited a Buddhist monstery on Saturday very near the Siam Sky Train station called "Wat Pathum Wanaram". They had several bookstores, but only a few English translations.


Tonight we had Thai food so hot, that all 3 of us at the table could hardly eat. It was delicious though. Last night we went to the Lumpini Muay Thai kickboxing matches and watched 3 fighters get knocked out. Almost before they hit the ground, a stretcher was thrown in the ring and they were dragged out of the arena. Here is a brief video: "Fight!"



While I was here I also had a suit custom tailored at one of the many tailors in town. I had to shop around for a while to find a place with nice materials at the right place and eventually decided to go with Embassy Fashion House, which the concierge had recommended. Sunday I took the train to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. This place is like the biggest flea market you have ever seen - it just goes on and on and its just packed with shops and people. I found some really awesome stuff here!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - February 7-8, 2007

KL is a Muslim country - death to drug trafficers! This is a very clean city with a feeling of wealth and modern technology. I wasn't here too long, but managed to see the "Petronas Twin Towers" with an impressive sky bridge between towers, and the "KL Tower".


Instead of going to the top of either of the towers, my colleague and I decided to take a ride on the "AJ Hackett G Force X" sling shot machine next to the KL Tower. It was awesome! Here is a picture. We actually have a cockpit video of the ride which is fun to watch.

Here are some other pictures I took in KL:

In front of KL Tower

KL Petronas Towers

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam February 3rd-5th

The most notable thing about Saigon is the traffic composed primarily of motorcycles going every possible direction at the same time. As a pedestrian, traffic never stops so you have to just walk out into the flow and everyone avoids you - no joke! Check out this video I took from my hotel overlooking a street in downtown Saigon.


I made it to Saigon early this AM February 5th. Jet lag seems under control and I'm hoping to get out a bit this afternoon. I just watched the Chicago Bears lose the super bowl to Indianapolis - bummer. So far Vietnam reminds me alot of Southern China. Staying at the New World Hotel which is pretty nice.