We’d arrive at out hotel about 5 pm, dripping sweat, but the room had a cooling fan and nominal AC. We had a typical dinner — prawn tandoori and mushroom masala, both excellent ( Wildgrass Restaurant). In an India known for spicy food, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh pride themselves on the hotness of their food. … Continue reading On Tuesday Visit the Shaman
Month: August 2022
Advice from years of bargaining in souks & bazaars
Here are my subjective general rules and advice for travelers in foreign markets and bazaars gleaned from many years of bargaining in Turkey, Nepal, India, South America, China and North Africa.
Building a Microstock Tracking System – Part 1
Making money from your photography seems so simple Just upload your images to a microstock agency, then sit back and let the money flow in. But it’s soon clear that there’s a lot more to do. And today it’s harder than ever to make a reliable income from microstock. Newcomers are quickly overwhelmed with tasks:… Continue reading Building a Microstock Tracking System – Part 1
Forgotten books of World War II
I discovered Pipeline to Battle a few years ago, in its original 1943 pocketbook edition, along with yellowed paperback editions of the other books described below. It’s one of a neglected / forgotten series of books written shortly after the war by mostly lower rank active participants. These give a better overall understanding of World… Continue reading Forgotten books of World War II
Pipeline to Battle – a Memoir of World War II
When the Jasmine revolution of early 2011 erupted, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt returned to the headlines; probably the most active coverage since World War II with the Desert Rats and Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Libya’s eastern province was known as the Western Desert in World War II since it protected Egypt’s western border. Throughout the early… Continue reading Pipeline to Battle – a Memoir of World War II
King Hereafter – Dorothy Dunnett’s recreation of Macbeth
The King Hereafter is Dorothy Dunnett ‘s unique retelling of the Macbeth story — actually, most resemblance to Shakespeare’s ‘Scottish Play’ is purely incidental. Like the revisioning of the Arthur tales by Bernard Cornwell, Mary Stewart and many others, the barebones of what we think we know of the story become mere background whispers. For… Continue reading King Hereafter – Dorothy Dunnett’s recreation of Macbeth
The Road to Wigan Pier – George Orwell on Fascism
He realizes that the standard progressive stance fails to see that many of the goals of MAGA are compatible with a progressive program – it’s the higher-level ideology that results in the cause ‘that dares not speak its name ‘– fascism.
Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow – Maria Coffey
Losing a friend or loved one is never an easy process, but it becomes even more tangled when they leave for a mountain adventure and never return. I first experienced this in the early 70’s when 3 close friends were killed while attempting Mt. Elias in Canada.
Best Way to See Seattle is to Leave It
As you leave Seattle, there are great views back to the city skyline, showing the sprawling city from Seattle Center and Queen Anne hill, south to the still-unpaid-for stadiums and dockyards. On a clear day, you can even see Mt. Rainier, over 50 miles away.
Goats Do Roam
Audrey & I were on a cross country trip in Olympic National Park here in Washington. On our second day, we’d dropped packs on the trail to climb the rotten rock pinnacle of Cruiser. All went well until on descent we saw a group of mountain goats examining our packs. Alternately glissading and sliding on… Continue reading Goats Do Roam