tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8398704029041521132024-03-19T13:12:43.602+09:00The DigMandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-74003671224688469952010-08-16T17:49:00.003+09:002010-08-16T18:05:57.829+09:00As PromisedA man had me follow him around and document his gym and life for the day. I promised I would post these photos quickly. Here they are:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuM9OJ5xVUWR-dPjKFhsvBfAsqWmY4H_bwujoIbXWma0YLra8D-hEFznq7_ad85Zku0MXyKWRbD7UsVSExXgLOmKAYGW0s0LOlbzzvwWptHCIPrteZyBTQ9nogfJSfRPmvdqfdrEjumIY/s1600/IMG_1201.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuM9OJ5xVUWR-dPjKFhsvBfAsqWmY4H_bwujoIbXWma0YLra8D-hEFznq7_ad85Zku0MXyKWRbD7UsVSExXgLOmKAYGW0s0LOlbzzvwWptHCIPrteZyBTQ9nogfJSfRPmvdqfdrEjumIY/s400/IMG_1201.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505929151693864626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2ZshDRcSAkNYq6pdpC3r5CZ7i08qB493heyZj-n5SjZZhB_4nfN2QVO4MUrrsudjrpEWH98jmbwppvqnxJX2k0r0hWKTw9OsVFcRBS-RDQPNqhW1FHNFBNSwbLits8wqc54pv6topvE/s1600/IMG_1200.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2ZshDRcSAkNYq6pdpC3r5CZ7i08qB493heyZj-n5SjZZhB_4nfN2QVO4MUrrsudjrpEWH98jmbwppvqnxJX2k0r0hWKTw9OsVFcRBS-RDQPNqhW1FHNFBNSwbLits8wqc54pv6topvE/s400/IMG_1200.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505928975735999810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtImNqnvyFvJ4EWvaN8vKcf_Z1WxiAN5k26nK_orBD8VEH6_M3SYcz7tfBL7luPdqDkgVUNWz_f1QClblzNsdpSn1cRuDA3_3d5wrhcPjp7c8rBvzqbV80PN6K9YYAUWCCUE_wfUhnpE/s1600/IMG_1198.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtImNqnvyFvJ4EWvaN8vKcf_Z1WxiAN5k26nK_orBD8VEH6_M3SYcz7tfBL7luPdqDkgVUNWz_f1QClblzNsdpSn1cRuDA3_3d5wrhcPjp7c8rBvzqbV80PN6K9YYAUWCCUE_wfUhnpE/s400/IMG_1198.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505928973920673266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGozSwI9drTsl7SMy2Ap_N2-xP8ZukYJZTr6GxJJZfXNMifHrTTJHfvnhiTfz05Ysmc14eNjyCdf09nkKG0Ja8zGUw4n5pfccfnSR7KOBGWFaiLQqYI-7qeRINout9Zs7pKWurX1chR-o/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGozSwI9drTsl7SMy2Ap_N2-xP8ZukYJZTr6GxJJZfXNMifHrTTJHfvnhiTfz05Ysmc14eNjyCdf09nkKG0Ja8zGUw4n5pfccfnSR7KOBGWFaiLQqYI-7qeRINout9Zs7pKWurX1chR-o/s400/IMG_1193.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505928965402640866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3ZGTc8hlzEEuo-4PFU7JkYoiI9BYRmHFsISge95YfioIsea5WTzLH-UXM4NmB_mbuDv5zxOMcja3Zq40JSe0XEMjnLnm0TOz54yErQx7QDPlMjIkSpMjV7J5dD-kjUCql5cRrHd-KxE/s1600/IMG_1126.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3ZGTc8hlzEEuo-4PFU7JkYoiI9BYRmHFsISge95YfioIsea5WTzLH-UXM4NmB_mbuDv5zxOMcja3Zq40JSe0XEMjnLnm0TOz54yErQx7QDPlMjIkSpMjV7J5dD-kjUCql5cRrHd-KxE/s400/IMG_1126.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505928959569587362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSWLTRazIvkl1YOqd6ND_LtP6VKyHe5YOt7lKikWN7FeoPnVEtsO0YkLEaITfA65AFjHjWl16d4ktcYq5UQJDik9leYUiynXsuoNSXl4q8pR8ZvrPIAJZ7-OttpTJHKp43FB6xsDp1SY/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSWLTRazIvkl1YOqd6ND_LtP6VKyHe5YOt7lKikWN7FeoPnVEtsO0YkLEaITfA65AFjHjWl16d4ktcYq5UQJDik9leYUiynXsuoNSXl4q8pR8ZvrPIAJZ7-OttpTJHKp43FB6xsDp1SY/s400/IMG_1124.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505928956971049394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq604R2maDYFZbRuSo0S2XkW9ndsrTDDGAcJCm7dZyY6QDGfuoFL7L2nAW9TZiShIXWnkppkSOftALEvOMbFHdQm_u5lLIzwzrjXXE2WuzcI2pU2foVUFGMQbf22vbcGEn36FtA2Us60w/s1600/IMG_1085.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq604R2maDYFZbRuSo0S2XkW9ndsrTDDGAcJCm7dZyY6QDGfuoFL7L2nAW9TZiShIXWnkppkSOftALEvOMbFHdQm_u5lLIzwzrjXXE2WuzcI2pU2foVUFGMQbf22vbcGEn36FtA2Us60w/s400/IMG_1085.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505927468251918482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3jIMcXyvoU29rVNsZehyHcMcl_yOBq68ZvYSfzTEsU8K42cTzqtDBgPIQmaSZJ2qEQ-szD3ZS7xc3refW_BF8zaJHathyyQC1eZnhn035_nJoOgIhxi41T4-xJ9iN9Ib5iDGuMW0EAQ/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 312px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3jIMcXyvoU29rVNsZehyHcMcl_yOBq68ZvYSfzTEsU8K42cTzqtDBgPIQmaSZJ2qEQ-szD3ZS7xc3refW_BF8zaJHathyyQC1eZnhn035_nJoOgIhxi41T4-xJ9iN9Ib5iDGuMW0EAQ/s400/IMG_1077.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505927466059350322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydi-1GGit2jMD9d5htxmXWh6S1HeU8S5AVAsAd48ftHrkT7pJ3eodt7tbb__B75pBt7eKZW1ckBZdXv28OgZYgngQpHIkrwt6lf-xVNCTq_emxDYaOry_OHn5xy32qLcC81ftTnho2B4/s1600/IMG_1076.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydi-1GGit2jMD9d5htxmXWh6S1HeU8S5AVAsAd48ftHrkT7pJ3eodt7tbb__B75pBt7eKZW1ckBZdXv28OgZYgngQpHIkrwt6lf-xVNCTq_emxDYaOry_OHn5xy32qLcC81ftTnho2B4/s400/IMG_1076.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505927459289540066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u0ytAWA94TvulsxWX81egVg6kXPMp75Dfsjm4e2iUvdka2tcUYVy3Y0toyhsDV_SvRkLuFn7xUqrCwj3HKfeADh3L1upIluxoTwfSK3AXeeG1493YVfh2VIcO2AYxifg70O9UoGBk_U/s1600/IMG_1049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u0ytAWA94TvulsxWX81egVg6kXPMp75Dfsjm4e2iUvdka2tcUYVy3Y0toyhsDV_SvRkLuFn7xUqrCwj3HKfeADh3L1upIluxoTwfSK3AXeeG1493YVfh2VIcO2AYxifg70O9UoGBk_U/s400/IMG_1049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505927452177698338" /></a>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-58674167642962503332010-08-16T17:45:00.002+09:002010-08-16T17:47:22.407+09:00On The Ganges<span style="font-style:italic;"></span>I can feel the city breathin’, chest heavin’, against the flesh of the evenin. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Black Star ft. Common, Respiration<br /></span><br />I visited India to see Devin and go to Varanasi, the religious heart of the country. The river Ganges is extremely holy to all Hindus and Varanasi is the helm.<br /><br />I realized that something was wrong en route to Varanasi from Delhi. The man seated next to me had overdone the cologne and it began to make me extremely nauseous. By the time I got in my taxi, I thought I was going to faint. The people on the sides of the roads looked miserable. Kids were covered in dirt and flies were buzzing around them. I was dropped off far from the hotel. And began my search for an internet cafe.<br /><br />Devin had set me up with a friend of a friend who works for the Varanasi tourism board. Sure enough, I had a hotel waiting for me at Ajay Guesthouse. I started my walk in the direction of the river. I was gulping down as much water as I could, but it didn’t seem to help. I was covered in sweat, and was constantly blacking out. I kept sitting down trying to catch my breath, but it didn’t help. I trudged on looking for my hotel. Soon enough I was followed by a flock of scammers all trying to get me to go to different hotels. “Where are you going?” they would ask. Each person gave me different directions to the guesthouse, or tried to offer me better digs. My entourage grew by the minute. They wanted a commission any way they could get it. They would stop and wait for me while I would try to ditch them, but they wouldn’t back off. “Go away” meant nothing to them.<br /><br />I kept stopping to catch my breath and would almost vomit on the side of the road. I had stepped in so many random piles of shit that I could smell it and it made me gag. I knew I caught whatever Devin had. At that point it seemed like food poisoning mixed with heat exhaustion and dehydration. After two hours or so, I found the guesthouse thanks to a family of tourists. My entourage of scammers followed me to the desk and begged for a commission. I checked in and slept for a few hours.<br /><br />I woke up to a man offering to clean my room. I had only been there for an hour or two, so I was surprised. When he was finished he told me that I needed to tip him. I started feeling very defensive again. I hadn’t eaten all day and had no appetite at all. I wandered the riverfront in amazement. For the first time everything seemed to come together.<br /><br />At first glance the city is an amalgamation of flies, cows, lizards, monkeys, and goats and people, people, and more people. Everyone was celebrating now. Music was playing and you could feel the religion. I thought that I had stumbled upon a special festival, but I was wrong. What I was seeing happened every night. The river was lit with lotus candles floating downstream and everyone was smiling. A man asked me if I wanted to take a yoga class. I told him I would and followed him to his home and studio.<br /><br />He educated me on yoga, and promised to heal my stomach. I was of course skeptical. He asked me questions I couldn’t answer about energy, nature, soul, and life-force. He explained what Aum was.<br /><br />In short Aum or Aaaaaaaaa-Uuuuuuuu-Mmmmm is the sound you make during meditation. “A” is the beginning of life, “U” is the middle, and “M” is death. It all seemed simple enough. After a brief explanation he rubbed my stomach and had me perform some stretches while meditating. He claimed that he had given me his good energy and taken my bad. I’m not sure what he did, but for the rest of the night my stomach was fine. When I returned to my hotel, I slept plenty and even ate half a piece of toast.<br /><br />The next morning greeted me with the usual sickness, but I decided not to let that affect me. I just started walking along the river taking photos. Various guys tried to take me to their restaurants, deal me hash and pot, and tried to sell me scarves. I decided to get out of the main area and walked along the narrow avenues avoiding cow shit and thieving monkeys. A man invited me into his gym and made me take photos for more than an hour. I was happy to do it, but it began to get overwhelming. Everyone was posing and lifting weights for the camera. The gym owner took off all of his clothes and asked me to take some photos, I respectfully declined and tried to leave.<br /><br />He wasn’t about to let the camera man go. He took me down countless avenues searching for a computer to print my photos and even into his home, stopping constantly to have me document his every step. I tried to explain how to use a computer and he didn’t seem to understand, but as promised the pictures are up now.<br /><br />I finally recovered and spent the last few days enjoying the city.I visited one of the infamous burning ghats where you can view a cremation. Its tough to watch a body burn, but it was explained to me as only being sad when the deceased is a young person. The death of a person who has lived a full life is something that is celebrated rather than mourned. floating your ashes in the Ganges river is a way to give you rest, and break the cycle of reincarnation. The families are very happy to celebrate to next step for their loved ones.<br /><br />On the last night, I took a boat ride down the river and watched the festival from the water. It’s something truly amazing. I hadn’t felt an energy like that before. Everyone was so happy and in touch with themselves. As cheesy as it sounds, India beat me down pretty hard, but finally revealed itself to me. At that point I understood the relevancy of Aum. I’ll be back in Varanasi soon enough.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-45764664050810194522010-08-16T17:36:00.001+09:002010-08-16T17:38:20.166+09:00First Glance at the Subcontinent"One week isn’t enough” was a phrase I became extremely familiar with while I prepared to visit India. I didn’t expect to see the whole continent, but rather to see Mumbai and Varanasi. I already had plans to revisit the country to explore the Himilayan region in December. Devin, one of my closest friends from home greeted me at the Mumbai airport. It had been more than a year since I had seen him last in Chicago. He had been living on and off in India and America for a few years now and had a cab waiting to take us to Colaba. It was really late and Mumbai was already asleep, so after we woke up the hostel owner we went straight to bed.<br /><br />We started our day at Leopold Cafe, a spot made famous by the novel Shantaram. I had become familiar with the bar and restaurant by watching a documentary on the terror bombings in 2008. The bullet holes in the walls were still visible, but business was booming despite the massacre 2 years ago. All of the major attack sites were walking distance from our hotel. The Taj was directly across the street. We drank our first day away in the upstairs bar at Leopold. We conversed about culture, politics, sports, traveling and even football hooliganism with an Englishman named Aiden who footed our 200$ tab at the end of the night.<br /><br />In the few days we spent in Mumbai, we saw a great deal of the city. The Gateway, Haji Ali Mosque, Bizzares, and Collaba were all buzzing with scammers and beggers. At one point a man followed us for a really long time offering drinks with “swell guys.” “It’s all above board” he claimed. “Last night we had 3 boys going for the world record!” I still don’t know what he wanted from us. At one point he told us that we could pay him to come drink with us. We couldn’t shake him off.<br /><br />It’s easy to get defensive in a place like India. It can really sour the experience. When you give it a chance it will surprise you. The people are very warm hearted and have a great sense of humour. The waiters at Leopold offered to pay for our meal one night because they loved Devin so much. They were extremely impressed that a white guy could speak such excellent Hindi. All the men were gathered around him conversing in Hindi. They were all extremely blown away. We even recieved an invite by our neighbors to join the dance party in the room next door by three sweaty boys with no music. Allthough we turned it down, I appreciated being asked. It was a great introduction to the remarkable country.<br /><br />Mumbai gave me exactly what I wanted. I didn’t see everything, but I had a chance to catch up with an extremely close friend, eat some great food, and relax in Colaba.<br /><br />I left at 4 a.m. to catch my flight to Varanasi. Devin was puking his guts out in the bathroom. He had caught something. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I caught something too.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-63495310800464559292010-07-16T10:28:00.000+09:002010-07-16T10:29:00.104+09:00Japan: The old CapitalWe departed the overnight bus from Tokyo and greeted Osaka. Without wasting time we made our way into Kyoto with hordes of business people getting ready to begin their day. Right off the subway from Osaka sits a futuristic complex across from Kyoto tower and tall buildings that boast the names of the most famous video game creators in the world.<br /><br />As one wanders down the sometimes beautiful, sometimes decrepid avenues you may pass a McDonald’s or perhaps a Unesco World Heritage Site. Kyoto’s temples blend into the neighborhoods with a seemingly nonexistent line of demarcation. Delicately placed Cherry Blossom trees litter the vibrant temples, while other ancient structures boast nothing more than a barren yard of dirt and gravel.<br /><br />After a long day of cycling around rock gardens, shrines, temples, statues, and palace’s, we returned our bikes and made our way to the city center. The streets were devoid of any people aside from the occasional businessman frolicking around or the lone Geisha or Maiko scampering through a back alley.<br /><br />Our time was running out, so we relaxed and had a drink on the roof of the giant train station awaiting our bus back to Shinjuku Station. Not a deplorable way to finish up our night in the old capital.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-52943813120192825932010-06-22T11:13:00.000+09:002010-06-22T11:14:07.703+09:00http://img.casttv.com/video/iarfry/north-korea-1-brazil-0-north-korean-broadcast-videoMandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-50750716102616718912010-06-22T11:10:00.005+09:002010-06-22T11:42:43.602+09:00North Korea Edits The World CupAccording to this newscast, North korea defeated Brazil 1-0:<br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z7TIMpCy8jo&hl=ko_KR&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z7TIMpCy8jo&hl=ko_KR&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-31631018277821270462010-05-26T14:45:00.009+09:002010-06-22T10:14:55.071+09:00ManilaIt was three days until my vacation began and i hadn't decided where I wanted to go. I had planned on going to Guilin China but had waited too long to get my visa. I scoured the usual air sites and came across cheap flights to Vladivostok Russia, Bali Indonesia, and Osaka Japan. I really wanted to go to Russia, but I didn't have enough time for the visa again, so I decided to go to Osaka.<br /><br />My vacation to Japan in February allowed us a brief glimpse of Osaka when we accidently got off of the bus at the wrong stop en route to Kyoto. It seemed really similar to Tokyo. I figured it would give me a chance to check out Hiroshima for a few days as well. I finally scrapped that idea because I was low on money and took a last minute cheap flight to The Phillipines. Sandra and i had different vacations, so she planned a trip with Shauna to the same country. She was already there when i paid for the tickets and started planning.<br /><br />I checked the weather and it was supposed to rain the entire time I was there. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much from my trip. According to a few weather sites, Coron was supposed to get the least amount of rain. I really didn't want to go to the same exact place that Sandra had gone, but I figured that it would be my only chance to avoid a dismal vacation. I knew that we would visit again from Vietnam, so it wouldn't hurt to retrace her steps if Im going with her again anyway.<br /><br />At the time I didn't realize what i was getting myself into. First of all, the average weather in ulsan was a dry 55 degrees farenheit. I said goodbye to the long cold Korean winter and hello to the most humid and disgusting 100 degree weather imaginable in Manila. I was already sweating through my shirt before i had even picked up my bag and was dying of thirst. I was hounded by taxi drivers on my way out of the airport, but I had heard enough horror stories to know that I needed to find a metered cab stand if i didn't want to pay for the ride in installments.<br /><br />Soon enough i was on my way to Malate. I had read about drivers stealing bags from tourists, so i was a little uneasy when the driver popped the trunk and placed my back inside. He asked me what hotel i was staying in.<br /><br />"Don't have one yet" I answered.<br /><br />"No hotels left man" he countered, "The elections are tomorrow so the hostels and hotels are full."<br /><br />I started to worry, but knew that I could just try a different part of the city for a room. Manila can't be entirely full. He stopped the car in front of a boarded up building and told me to get out of the car, and that he was taking me to a travel agency. My heart started pounding. I was sure that he was going to nab my bag. He walked me inside and introduced me to a young woman named Nal. She somehow knew that I needed a place to stay without him telling her. The driver left and got back in his car. I assumed that at any moment he would peel out with my passport, netbook, and camera in his trunk.<br /><br />"The hotels are all full. Only way to get room is we find it." I knew she was lying, but I was scared that if I didn't succomb to buying a room, I wouldnt have anything but the shirt on my back. They found me a nice place with air conditioning. She gave me a price, but I didn't have a grasp on the currency yet, so I couldn't do the math in my head. I ended up paying 80$ USD for the night. I emailed the hotel later in the day and inquired about the same room. Apparently I could have paid the equivilent of 10$ for the same place.<br /><br />The driver spent the rest of the time, talking about the election. He hoped that someday the country would get a good leader who cared about the people and did his best for his country. "They're all the same" he said. "A bunch of guys who try to reach in your pockets and steal all your money!" At that point, I knew exactly how he felt. When he dropped me off, he asked "Is this your first time in Manila?" When I told him that it was, he acted surprised. "I thought that you had been here before, man" he replied. What a liar. I was feeling really savvy for getting myself into this stupid situation.<br /><br />When I'm back, I'll have a hotel booked in advance, or at least pretend thats the case. He stopped me on my way out. "Sorry, one more thing I gotta ask man... do you want girls?" I answered no, and he interjected "how bout' a boy." I shook my head and walked away.<br /><br />The room was nice. I dropped my stuff off and took a quick shower. I turned on the t.v. to a channel where lonely people were trying to find love. "Man looking for boy 18 years old for one night and maybe more. Dinner included." I found HBO and they were playing <em>Band Of Brothers.</em> My room was nice and cool and I was extremely tired. I had to force myself to go explore the city in the heat.<br /><br />My second impression of Manila was perhaps worse than my first. I was in search for a good place to eat. Korean Restaurant, Korean Restaurant, Korean Restaurant... where were the Phillipine places that i had heard so much about. On every corner I was faced with the same problem. Nude children with their ribs showing would come up to me with there palms out begging me for money. They looked like they had been working in a mine, as they were completely covered in soot. They didn't even have a rag on their body. Their shy mom would be watching from behind a dumpster. This coupled with the extreme heat and the smell of rotting garbage and pollution was overwelming. When I wasn't approached by naked starving children, I was harrassed by a pimp of sorts asking me if i needed a girl.<br /><br />"Yo man! You need a lady?"<br /><br />"No thanks."<br /><br />"How bout two or three girls to walk with you and go to your hotel?"<br /><br />"No"<br /><br /><br />"Boys?"<br /><br />"No."<br /><br />"I got 12 year old girls buddy!"<br /><br />"NO!"<br /><br />I kept worrying about my wallet and bag with my camera and computer. I hated manila. I just wanted to go. I suddenly understood culture shock. I walked back to my hotel dripping with sweat, with black marks under my nose from the pollution and bought a snickers bar to at least eat something. I had no appetite, but i choked it down anyway with a bottle of water because i hadn't eaten in 10 hours.<br /><br /><br />I calmed myself down and decided that i wasn't going to let manila get the best of me. I locked my camera and computer in my bag and set off again. Among the dozens of Korean restaurants, I managed to find a traditional place and ordered the Chicken Adobo. The food was delectible and the San Miguel went down like water. I felt great for the first time since i stepped off of the plane.<br /><br />I set off again. It was getting cooler out and I came across a bar. It seemed completely packed when I walked in, until I realized that everyone in the restaurant were waitresses. There must have been five waitresses to every patron. I sat down at a table alone. It was an outdoor patio style bar with metal picnic tables. Some people smiled and waved and a watress gave me a San Miguel. The band began to play some metal and the guitar player rocked a 10 minute guitar solo. They weren't the most creative band, but the guitar player was incredible. They followed up their original with some requests. Soon enough "Nobody" by the Wonder Girls was being performed followed by some other random 90's hits.<br /><br />I really liked the atmosphere, but the music was getting worse and worse. And all of a sudden, the singer asked me where i was from. The last thing I wanted to do, was draw attention to myself. I told him I was from America and lived in Chicago and he started chanting USA USA USA and screamed "I love America!!!" I was humiliated but I wasn't being hounded by pimps, so the night looking up a little bit. I finished my bucket of beer and decided to move on.<br /><br />En route to the next place I was confronted with more people trying to get me to buy a prostitute, but i was in a much better mood and brushed it off. I wanted to get away from all of the pimps, so I ducked into the first bar I saw. Three girls immediatly pulled out a chair for me, and handed me a beer. One of the girls began to rub my shoulders. Once again, I was extremely uncomfortable. two girls struck up a conversation with me and the female bar tender joined in. "Want some girls?" they inquired. I was faced with the same uncomfortable situation everywhere i went. I said no dozens of times, and changed the subject a dozen times as well, and eventually they let their hair down and hung out with me.<br /><br />I bought all four of them a beer and we had a real conversation for once. I talked about my family that i miss, my girlfriend, and I learned a lot about them. They were all in a very tough financial situation that seemed impossible to overcome. They had kids to take care of and bills to pay. My new friend explained "I worry that when I get old and lose my looks, i won't be able to make money anymore so i am saving." Eventually politics took over the conversation and they all voiced the same opinion that they were trapped. Education was too expensive. Every president had been corrupt as long as any of them could remember, and they didn't anticipate any change. They just accepted the eventual dimise of their country. It was really tough. I gave each of the girls a tip and made my way back to the hotel. I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. and check out by 5:00 to make my flight and it was already past midnight.<br /><br /><br />Manila is a terrible and beautiful place. I never felt safe, there was so much begging and prostitution, and i couldn't trust the drivers, but deep down the people were great. the food was incredible too. I'll be back some day to give Manila another chance. This time I'll be ready.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-80796651730019840192010-05-19T14:35:00.003+09:002010-05-19T14:38:23.521+09:00Im Gonna Be Rich<strong>A recent email. I love some of the word choices:</strong><br /><div id="yiv405519911"><div> </div><div>Hello My Dear Friend ,<br /><br />I got your contact from this site:<a href="http://blogger.com/" target="_blank"><span id="lw_1274247404_0" class="yshortcuts">blogger.com</span></a>; Before I proceed further, please permit me to introduce myself to you. I am Mrs. Tarina Qnsillano. A complete citizen of <span id="lw_1274247404_1" class="yshortcuts">Philippines</span>, 42 years old living in the Philippines, widow to the late former <span style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; CURSOR: hand" id="lw_1274247404_2" class="yshortcuts">minister of finance</span> in Philippine who died on 21th of August 2006.<br /><br />I inherited a total sum of $21.5 Million American dollars from my late husband, the money was concealed in a metallic trunk box and was deposited with a security and finance company in Abidjan Cote D' Ivoire, that was because I needed a maximum security/safety of my consignment and no body nor government organization can trace the where about of the money until I am ready and prepare to claim it. but the Secuerity company didn't know the real content of the box, because it was deposited as a family valuables.<br /><br />My main purpose of sending you this mail is because of the way I found you and perhaps trustworthy to give you this priority of shipping the box of money to any address that you think is very secure and save in your country for onward lodgement your account for the purpose of future investment with your percentage of which we shall chat on soon. I will send you the <span style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; CURSOR: hand" id="lw_1274247404_3" class="yshortcuts">Authorization Certificate</span> to call them in my next mail which is the <span style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #366388 2px dotted; CURSOR: hand" id="lw_1274247404_4" class="yshortcuts">Certificate of deposit</span> that they gave me on the very day when the box of money was deposited under their company. I give thanks immensely for your co-operation as I look forward to hear from you for quick conclusion of this business.<br /><br />The percentage will be your reward for all your moral and financial assistance during the period of moving the money to your country.Please if you can assist me I will be very grateful. And repay you many times over. declaring your willingness to assist me in this venture.</div><div>Waiting for a very quick response from you so that i can send you my photo to you to see me in my next reply as soon as i hear from you again. Have a nice time and remain blessed.</div><div>Best Regards,<br /><br />Mrs. Tarina Qnsillano,</div></div>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-58009349877662642502010-05-17T15:25:00.005+09:002010-05-18T09:38:17.092+09:00The Legend of Matt HolmesWe went to Seoul for the weekend to check out a lantern festival. It was a little overcrowded and pretty cheesy even for Korea, but we made the best of it. Matt Holmes as usual, turned an ordinary night into mayhem.<br /><br />It all began at Oi bar in Hongdae. Hongdae is the University area of Seoul and Oi is one of those places that you gotta see at least once. Aestheticaly awesome, but lacking in other ways. Its more of a late night spot, but we were there early for the hooka. The DJ was blasting deafening sub-par dance music to an empty venue. Matt's hijinx started with some serious dancing. It should be noted that Mr. Holmes isn't a follower. He doesn't dance to make people laugh. He doesn't go with the flow. He doesn't adhere to social norms and personal space becomes a myth to him. To Matt Holmes, body moving is no joke.<br /><br />Soon everyone had followed suit and everyone was shaking a leg. Perhaps i should preface this story with a quick rundown of another interesting night to give you a preview of what he is capable of. We had a night in Daegu that began on a bus at 10am with a few beers and ended at a Mcdonalds when breakfast was being served. I witnessed Matt rolling around on a slanted roof nearly falling 15 feet to the pavement, riding a stranger's bike, and grinding on every man, woman, and child at the club. After a few drinks, you can assume Matt is functioning on pure id.<br /><br />(Back To Saturday)<br />1. He jumped into a moving car through the passanger window outside of the bar.<br />2. He noticed that he was sans phone and made a call to his cell from another line.<br />3. The driver answered as Matt handed the phone to his cabbie and they tracked the poor guy down.<br />4. He wasn't back for ten minutes before he was dancing on a 5 foot tall apple with door guys pleading for him to stop and trying to help him down.<br />5. I commented on a flyer and he decided to give it to me.<br />6. He had just pulled it down and handed it over in mint condition when a bouncer yanked it out of his hands and ripped it in half. His whole face was red and he was panting. So Mad.<br />7. We decided it was time to go.<br />8. I can't go into detail, but there was a bathroom incident with nudity involved<br />9. Matt dissapeared.<br />10. Everyone recieved a text at 11:24 a.m, the next day stating "Sorry everyone but its gunna b ok"<br /><br />From what his girlfriend Emily can piece together, he dissapeared for a really long time, but they decided to wait it out for awhile at the hotel. Morning had come and he hadn't returned yet, so Emily decided to try to find him. Sure enough he was sleeping on the sidewalk outside the hotel.<br /><br />This is a real man. This is his life. He doesn't kowtow to social constructions of whats wrong and right. He doesn't care about what your comfortable with. This is Matt Holmes. Take it or leave it.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-2814451089639322362010-05-14T10:47:00.006+09:002010-05-14T11:23:52.453+09:00Tokyo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcygkzKKsOwdKAAzBXTILQbSoSgIhVe0kyP1A2_YWnos2QbeqkvHvN16UkP0-9P8IMHnvsgCaSuMyJ3_VkaVMg1YYJeEXF6nnzDTVADeF23Tqcv-7xoraxqfVJTTtXGNeaBtqckw3g7qI/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+573.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470942667816890370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcygkzKKsOwdKAAzBXTILQbSoSgIhVe0kyP1A2_YWnos2QbeqkvHvN16UkP0-9P8IMHnvsgCaSuMyJ3_VkaVMg1YYJeEXF6nnzDTVADeF23Tqcv-7xoraxqfVJTTtXGNeaBtqckw3g7qI/s400/tokyo+taiwan+573.JPG" /></a> Shibuya:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLW6pJ2AzKfL7b1ayYGQUSjxmZCu2vYHFzliDgH5Y1CHZVbqD4w2fJ0_hjDUJRLBjdzRnLnNxfWE1Ov_gH3P_MmTzPCqNoNHNkYa9SHaE0t5e12pMSBwSgtEkqEgNE7hwgB-KrfcY3OGg/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+539.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470942649137002162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLW6pJ2AzKfL7b1ayYGQUSjxmZCu2vYHFzliDgH5Y1CHZVbqD4w2fJ0_hjDUJRLBjdzRnLnNxfWE1Ov_gH3P_MmTzPCqNoNHNkYa9SHaE0t5e12pMSBwSgtEkqEgNE7hwgB-KrfcY3OGg/s400/tokyo+taiwan+539.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzP8vLhXQQPgPXkTUdFy7lEiDlhWLJlJb34O1vkfHHwQPr6eYk4kh3CG_lOdHqLzz-vd0C0SHUlLJMuovl2_m_ZWUYs69CkDHrH5vOfcD_sVlUs0vs4pDc1Zo-Xahi-J7rAFANw0RrqY/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+503.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470942638241593682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzP8vLhXQQPgPXkTUdFy7lEiDlhWLJlJb34O1vkfHHwQPr6eYk4kh3CG_lOdHqLzz-vd0C0SHUlLJMuovl2_m_ZWUYs69CkDHrH5vOfcD_sVlUs0vs4pDc1Zo-Xahi-J7rAFANw0RrqY/s400/tokyo+taiwan+503.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX62wGaJr4-kwLc8-sJzf6CBxfYRsNW2mi02aoGr7whR4xhjydZLWBoCyTgUeAWCDS7H-ESlrT2jv9VGP_tNoKLLWqicvybImWc-CGzi2qWvfN-NwytejGBAPe0Bn54VtZOZi6AUWlVA/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+487.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470941968487746594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX62wGaJr4-kwLc8-sJzf6CBxfYRsNW2mi02aoGr7whR4xhjydZLWBoCyTgUeAWCDS7H-ESlrT2jv9VGP_tNoKLLWqicvybImWc-CGzi2qWvfN-NwytejGBAPe0Bn54VtZOZi6AUWlVA/s400/tokyo+taiwan+487.JPG" /></a> Akihabara: The birthplace of Manga, Anime, and many modern videogames<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TvEXrs9-6X9uxDa9QhBrAzJbPRj4p-yPUljxQQYwen3-Ed8R-jWbFtfEnqYMUrRPNnMvKvcj6Myf-CJ4vJPGtpogNLhh8eZSkLDTAydh-52j2nNAsbkJ32QlJ9Vu7hE-fTMWk5pWjS0/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+471.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470941957983991826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TvEXrs9-6X9uxDa9QhBrAzJbPRj4p-yPUljxQQYwen3-Ed8R-jWbFtfEnqYMUrRPNnMvKvcj6Myf-CJ4vJPGtpogNLhh8eZSkLDTAydh-52j2nNAsbkJ32QlJ9Vu7hE-fTMWk5pWjS0/s400/tokyo+taiwan+471.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4I85YwcdYxv__1cfPEv4FVSjsIfu6hVI2_n70dcK7Z2T08fViNkdzIqXdClx9bAO8NlrfZMHeAKrpbCqXV0qpLJwsM8nWimBggX7hRfuAlVamYPRNMnodGcRD74bDeBiG35QmsbCNoc/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+445.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470941949918843618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4I85YwcdYxv__1cfPEv4FVSjsIfu6hVI2_n70dcK7Z2T08fViNkdzIqXdClx9bAO8NlrfZMHeAKrpbCqXV0qpLJwsM8nWimBggX7hRfuAlVamYPRNMnodGcRD74bDeBiG35QmsbCNoc/s400/tokyo+taiwan+445.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2gvE26_xnx9pLQsA2fv0QO-E1IHZxd7Pk80kQA_XJT-UBYzzBKQ_zxyT_O9XSXOHnvDMAWOmzocPbVpTMPR4sj9IoS8uvO8pk9rCwMvUj8rUymosqaOTMX2cZqNMndK9NqrfJ_3M-Qg/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+442.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470941136586063970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2gvE26_xnx9pLQsA2fv0QO-E1IHZxd7Pk80kQA_XJT-UBYzzBKQ_zxyT_O9XSXOHnvDMAWOmzocPbVpTMPR4sj9IoS8uvO8pk9rCwMvUj8rUymosqaOTMX2cZqNMndK9NqrfJ_3M-Qg/s400/tokyo+taiwan+442.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocmEVPeQMO4Sa9B8s-XiraUJuzv36K1g8n4civuDcINQX45QW6wqL7B2KWr-XWPiUdp8bMBB74HoRznehjw1nqKeFQPb-LKnJXu3zFFWWS5eoAy9hhQv22pDBnBxtmQPykrg8eUzSDR8/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+440.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470941125903380642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocmEVPeQMO4Sa9B8s-XiraUJuzv36K1g8n4civuDcINQX45QW6wqL7B2KWr-XWPiUdp8bMBB74HoRznehjw1nqKeFQPb-LKnJXu3zFFWWS5eoAy9hhQv22pDBnBxtmQPykrg8eUzSDR8/s400/tokyo+taiwan+440.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9teaOeCUjzYDA4V_ifGtTO55azmOMgopPnbSwebOaWz2OHET29yQwnLGvPdQ8J1NAJsOo0-yaLKyiMItjS4tgeYTHgLXEV6rfV7nDTQCEqKbfknDmTzuyJ_G4Hhs1tiLN1PA-FgiqUZM/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+416.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470941114461570754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9teaOeCUjzYDA4V_ifGtTO55azmOMgopPnbSwebOaWz2OHET29yQwnLGvPdQ8J1NAJsOo0-yaLKyiMItjS4tgeYTHgLXEV6rfV7nDTQCEqKbfknDmTzuyJ_G4Hhs1tiLN1PA-FgiqUZM/s400/tokyo+taiwan+416.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHxXAvtOhMr295zf1I2mPduGe8TJGsohhoOeUZ7HfEaNMpFPGDmm4Cwqi4Md0I2AmzoC7OGOcKGvTjDmuTFrvBdqfbbr89GH2wkfGlxqy-5zL_9ZDLYZe1S-Lit9h3pqiB7RvP9O-XM8/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+405.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470937225483913970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHxXAvtOhMr295zf1I2mPduGe8TJGsohhoOeUZ7HfEaNMpFPGDmm4Cwqi4Md0I2AmzoC7OGOcKGvTjDmuTFrvBdqfbbr89GH2wkfGlxqy-5zL_9ZDLYZe1S-Lit9h3pqiB7RvP9O-XM8/s400/tokyo+taiwan+405.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovvVH2fM34mM_gXJQKnnUOeBO7SILpmmN1TpoU-jH2BlNcaOjhRZvkvobQBcrbId9NTS6LYyomQd9Nsxxa7ecBZyBw4Myo2ZSbf0lc3mJCaPd1APcpzRwaAebJwr_TU4AIx-Ev3mAZgk/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+398.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470937216232958114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovvVH2fM34mM_gXJQKnnUOeBO7SILpmmN1TpoU-jH2BlNcaOjhRZvkvobQBcrbId9NTS6LYyomQd9Nsxxa7ecBZyBw4Myo2ZSbf0lc3mJCaPd1APcpzRwaAebJwr_TU4AIx-Ev3mAZgk/s400/tokyo+taiwan+398.JPG" /></a>Cherry Blossoms at the Imperial Palace:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRJw392Y_nHytiomOuCfMnFk2JPZpeGzOYqwjcPzECt3esZpbAKzTvXeszkwdMS8s8JRhTBgHPm2b_oOGG5sNSU_Eq5HWam4n_ZPYPRlK8cR1bthRk288MBH_oEUhyphenhyphenBLQhdFRC5vbZWk/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+381.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470937203118418866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRJw392Y_nHytiomOuCfMnFk2JPZpeGzOYqwjcPzECt3esZpbAKzTvXeszkwdMS8s8JRhTBgHPm2b_oOGG5sNSU_Eq5HWam4n_ZPYPRlK8cR1bthRk288MBH_oEUhyphenhyphenBLQhdFRC5vbZWk/s400/tokyo+taiwan+381.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG2aamKi-kF9zO_oxMwdBiUpfJtAa7J5AiO5ntXqnNL1lLmd1oVM5MErcGMIDMCQTkl7cX87_Y-yFJG8QIYeCY85G-VhIf2TxX5-Bj6_6qlpi1wv7lVGI-ALwzPjuuc42u_o6P15s_ZU/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+372.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470937193388091266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG2aamKi-kF9zO_oxMwdBiUpfJtAa7J5AiO5ntXqnNL1lLmd1oVM5MErcGMIDMCQTkl7cX87_Y-yFJG8QIYeCY85G-VhIf2TxX5-Bj6_6qlpi1wv7lVGI-ALwzPjuuc42u_o6P15s_ZU/s400/tokyo+taiwan+372.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-6164230118091104402010-05-14T10:20:00.006+09:002010-05-14T10:47:18.472+09:00KyotoThe old capital of Kyoto is still very modern in some parts:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O8uJ3XwZWbqO1iyqd8CLWHidiEEfTArgZ5PWFONZi8lY_yfizRmqnFMFoR8WWm-wWmak0958xsA-BlNjgjE_zXSfB6Cde7-yLhOKx450kt_JklPiKPno343zci48ldbbHIjUyN6aVXU/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+349.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470932370812461986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O8uJ3XwZWbqO1iyqd8CLWHidiEEfTArgZ5PWFONZi8lY_yfizRmqnFMFoR8WWm-wWmak0958xsA-BlNjgjE_zXSfB6Cde7-yLhOKx450kt_JklPiKPno343zci48ldbbHIjUyN6aVXU/s400/tokyo+taiwan+349.JPG" /></a> Geisha sighting? Probably an apprentice:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPzXcW6P59-H4Uh2bxONseixLpeQ-jYlhOZoLDgO36a3jhHBIXPc8TXYqQiPpVd0EjPjRHDPthz7_0TXE5sFEIFagBWuhZJ1VdiCOaHT7RzIH5d5IN2In9MnDBJwa9RLT0GSCBTpBfjk/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+337.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470932361510132098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPzXcW6P59-H4Uh2bxONseixLpeQ-jYlhOZoLDgO36a3jhHBIXPc8TXYqQiPpVd0EjPjRHDPthz7_0TXE5sFEIFagBWuhZJ1VdiCOaHT7RzIH5d5IN2In9MnDBJwa9RLT0GSCBTpBfjk/s400/tokyo+taiwan+337.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7wrha3tsdqGBPNASDVhCTQMg-RDRoQCJbi7eGoxWqxJ609EN4qrl-fpyTOjAmTf9r5uB_OeSteWfP99R8yUYNbxRC_HIE6lZe5M5BocDiIb34t7bBupTN_qDbXmDl4W4gXALhlWDefQ/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+311.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470932356486283634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7wrha3tsdqGBPNASDVhCTQMg-RDRoQCJbi7eGoxWqxJ609EN4qrl-fpyTOjAmTf9r5uB_OeSteWfP99R8yUYNbxRC_HIE6lZe5M5BocDiIb34t7bBupTN_qDbXmDl4W4gXALhlWDefQ/s400/tokyo+taiwan+311.JPG" /></a> Kyoto is great by bike:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kORdulGv_8bCkz9H_RSqyafgNg7l_PrMauVgTZoyCb2ws8EtOaaIvNF6uhCq2DkwM-25IeSsD2Yh_2Nh_tNYu8ros5DhB4WflQ_bMZRr0Q9yAOeQPDjer4yVjXL7of7JR5w92vNbSfg/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+299.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470931678863568818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kORdulGv_8bCkz9H_RSqyafgNg7l_PrMauVgTZoyCb2ws8EtOaaIvNF6uhCq2DkwM-25IeSsD2Yh_2Nh_tNYu8ros5DhB4WflQ_bMZRr0Q9yAOeQPDjer4yVjXL7of7JR5w92vNbSfg/s400/tokyo+taiwan+299.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbI1o98DhZvpgITEH_HpVFYqwsJWs3QhesApq9IVvNTExLFYh0deCSQuL5Vnpj9Wfj3zhEaXguMyIu5aQrB-ffYqzbpvM4Gj96IArFwIYUBDT0p9xqa2nx7NiTLZgZgc7A3pemNtxNEw/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+281.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470931675755564274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbI1o98DhZvpgITEH_HpVFYqwsJWs3QhesApq9IVvNTExLFYh0deCSQuL5Vnpj9Wfj3zhEaXguMyIu5aQrB-ffYqzbpvM4Gj96IArFwIYUBDT0p9xqa2nx7NiTLZgZgc7A3pemNtxNEw/s400/tokyo+taiwan+281.JPG" /></a> Golden Pavillion, one of the most photogenic spots in Japan:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9wnNgWKqe5H867g-Kh3aJam3iYwoYkqf0G6_L7PNxr7gCA93aWFkSA4SiwuPBHaPw2Hf1IZpndZj8CBLEhSecaFVR-N6VzEtQXvSYaqKnLmywgGk2rv_52HFlP5LqmhQkJ9pjlhNkik/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+247.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470931664610081314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9wnNgWKqe5H867g-Kh3aJam3iYwoYkqf0G6_L7PNxr7gCA93aWFkSA4SiwuPBHaPw2Hf1IZpndZj8CBLEhSecaFVR-N6VzEtQXvSYaqKnLmywgGk2rv_52HFlP5LqmhQkJ9pjlhNkik/s400/tokyo+taiwan+247.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BbdL7byb5koxu-9J_FCI7SY49ov7N2FXH1VeJ5lfVLvCmbisMBVMKZi12qmxNYnyOAiu7m5EfVhtmWv4JV5DFfV_IhIh7eQilQD9aAkDK5Fx7UAviRgQ0MTLG-Bv5fhyRburdV7iiPs/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+238.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470931033459747634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BbdL7byb5koxu-9J_FCI7SY49ov7N2FXH1VeJ5lfVLvCmbisMBVMKZi12qmxNYnyOAiu7m5EfVhtmWv4JV5DFfV_IhIh7eQilQD9aAkDK5Fx7UAviRgQ0MTLG-Bv5fhyRburdV7iiPs/s400/tokyo+taiwan+238.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBZaPcypwkR6rF4YZnjBfKFYJpQTXeW7Dawa2Y8fL-ZuIEvMdXD4j5ozhojHwf0T37kp6d4xAey2PpqfCKSAOdsDhylaQZyIs7C4itr5laHcR2qF3w_kFeV5722Q9MPr-NX6tnmzLcHw/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+235.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470931023913316338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBZaPcypwkR6rF4YZnjBfKFYJpQTXeW7Dawa2Y8fL-ZuIEvMdXD4j5ozhojHwf0T37kp6d4xAey2PpqfCKSAOdsDhylaQZyIs7C4itr5laHcR2qF3w_kFeV5722Q9MPr-NX6tnmzLcHw/s400/tokyo+taiwan+235.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaEZ-L15BhhNDl0BLVQcaggAMcp8lrjCxu8LvUZWxCQd7WhNOfRwE1VMQeu2sAtiavJ6Pr4n9N47gihVpTe1SiuZUnABnZjjgxukZenBSVdU6OIYGjOpywjWl5veKrztM7bUswz234fI/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+201.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470931013674792754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaEZ-L15BhhNDl0BLVQcaggAMcp8lrjCxu8LvUZWxCQd7WhNOfRwE1VMQeu2sAtiavJ6Pr4n9N47gihVpTe1SiuZUnABnZjjgxukZenBSVdU6OIYGjOpywjWl5veKrztM7bUswz234fI/s400/tokyo+taiwan+201.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29rmbPf05nV20y1q76IGXikgp84j_TDF4pEN_v6r84GvlWL7i7h2D5OXw5LipUN_BEq854BnwevxX7ScvEixJqXcWFO5KPRKwjescdbyrewMKFw51L_DZjoy5O0ZoE8NQOu9_wcQbQEA/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+194.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470930000791112898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29rmbPf05nV20y1q76IGXikgp84j_TDF4pEN_v6r84GvlWL7i7h2D5OXw5LipUN_BEq854BnwevxX7ScvEixJqXcWFO5KPRKwjescdbyrewMKFw51L_DZjoy5O0ZoE8NQOu9_wcQbQEA/s400/tokyo+taiwan+194.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bma01i5tYsmsAWS3hTQ9xSoPBkH2OqfPQIrZRhR2-fZRyW4E_MVawzVyHtBXcKynvqmhmbkKoDPPYeu1Dx_l9B3CQGIvWLXF1AcWi7t7bD9A7q_ueV-SE2omu83hxZWonPhmm6etX2A/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+191.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470929992918076098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bma01i5tYsmsAWS3hTQ9xSoPBkH2OqfPQIrZRhR2-fZRyW4E_MVawzVyHtBXcKynvqmhmbkKoDPPYeu1Dx_l9B3CQGIvWLXF1AcWi7t7bD9A7q_ueV-SE2omu83hxZWonPhmm6etX2A/s400/tokyo+taiwan+191.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PmS2EjU47YYm_TDufcjsVwAfc39Dzh1v9dNA6vCKKaBcACTT_OMEXBFKtoPvYzPjDVqozCnLWV6GJDZSUcq4thQtzE-8mJcnQirLu3oO1C6_p0ZJgL60MIO36xyRXra7KKx61sgoZGI/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+144.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470929985459777474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PmS2EjU47YYm_TDufcjsVwAfc39Dzh1v9dNA6vCKKaBcACTT_OMEXBFKtoPvYzPjDVqozCnLWV6GJDZSUcq4thQtzE-8mJcnQirLu3oO1C6_p0ZJgL60MIO36xyRXra7KKx61sgoZGI/s400/tokyo+taiwan+144.JPG" /></a>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-35648593014288370062010-05-04T10:18:00.001+09:002010-05-04T10:25:30.472+09:00The Shower Song<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oavMtUWDBTM&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oavMtUWDBTM&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MQ78IlJs5JQ&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MQ78IlJs5JQ&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-8365758585580014272010-05-03T13:43:00.003+09:002010-05-03T13:49:05.411+09:00My MonsterMy assignment was to create a monster. These are a few of the best descriptions:<br /><span class="UIStory_Message"></span><br /><span class="UIStory_Message">My Monster is never end. He is very very most. He eats people and he killd people. He lives in the zoo. He loves people. He can copy his body.My monster has soft teeth and loves to go shopping. He lives in Jungle and desert. He eats meat and eats anything. He lives in the sky and mountain. He eat everyone. He just eate<span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show">d you dead. He is just regular monster. He lives in city with people. His face is beautiful.<a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_ICON_Image" tabindex="-1"><label onclick="this.form.like.click();"><i class="img spritemap_icons sx_icons_like_on" title="Click here to like this item"></i></label></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_ICON_Content"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/jordan.narancich"><span style="color:#3b5998;">Jordan 'Tuna' Narancich</span></a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/griffin.stewart"><span style="color:#3b5998;">Griffin Stewart</span></a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/julia.dagostino2"><span style="color:#3b5998;">Julia D'Agostino</span></a> and <a title="Click to see people who like this item" href="http://www.facebook.com/ajax/social_graph/dialog/browse.php?class=LikeManager&node_id=114662881896517&width=350" rel="dialog"><span style="color:#3b5998;">3 others</span></a> like this.</div><div class="feed_comments"><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339452" class="ufi_section comment_339452 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Matt Manderson" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Matt Manderson" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs626.ash1/27440_22905143_9502_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Matt Manderson</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434379b10fa409b" class="comment_actual_text">My after school class is designing monsters.</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 5:47pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339452]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339556" class="ufi_section comment_339556 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Rob Bruce" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=205600135" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Rob Bruce" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs625.ash1/27432_205600135_4122_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=205600135" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Rob Bruce</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543445433811d116" class="comment_actual_text">Must have a shit teacher</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 6:07pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339556]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339636" class="ufi_section comment_339636 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Devin Peipert" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Devin Peipert" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs252.snc3/23102_71903197_9884_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Devin Peipert</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434492f6212e5e1" class="comment_actual_text">Hahahahahahahaha........</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 6:24pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339636]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339653" class="ufi_section comment_339653 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Devin Peipert" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Devin Peipert" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs252.snc3/23102_71903197_9884_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Devin Peipert</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde554344d2f7c8f8750" class="comment_actual_text">soft teeth and loves to go shopping?</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 6:27pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339653]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339663" class="ufi_section comment_339663 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Elaine M. Grimm" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Elaine M. Grimm" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs647.snc3/27466_679831209_8583_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Elaine M. Grimm</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434512a442ef715" class="comment_actual_text">He eats meat and eats anything.<br /></div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 6:29pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339663]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339673" class="ufi_section comment_339673 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Elaine M. Grimm" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Elaine M. Grimm" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs647.snc3/27466_679831209_8583_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Elaine M. Grimm</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543455225b1c47f2" class="comment_actual_text">Sounds like he's never end--very very most, that is. He can even copy his body?!! No way.</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 6:31pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339673]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339787" class="ufi_section comment_339787 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Matt Manderson" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Matt Manderson" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs626.ash1/27440_22905143_9502_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Matt Manderson</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543459304771720d" class="comment_actual_text">My favorite is that "his face is beautiful."<br /><br />Another person just wrote "He likes watching Friends t.v. show in the woods. He can choke slam."</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 6:54pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339787]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339817" class="ufi_section comment_339817 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Joe Ratermann" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=15906069" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Joe Ratermann" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v22942/684/81/q15906069_424.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=15906069" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Joe Ratermann</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde554345d26046594c8" class="comment_actual_text">I'm confused about where he lives. Can you ask your student to clarify?</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 7:02pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339817]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_339874" class="ufi_section comment_339874 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Matt Manderson" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Matt Manderson" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs626.ash1/27440_22905143_9502_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Matt Manderson</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434614c25148af9" class="comment_actual_text">My monster's name is Emerald Dog. He have many knife. but when emerald dog is happy he can hide knife. He live anywhere. he has wings. but he can hide wing. </div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 7:09pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[339874]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_340036" class="ufi_section comment_340036 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Patricia O'Leary Dehner" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000009406201" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Patricia O'Leary Dehner" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs629.snc3/27478_100000009406201_7087_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000009406201" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Patricia O'Leary Dehner</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543465321812df15" class="comment_actual_text">K..............</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 7:39pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[340036]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_340313" class="ufi_section comment_340313 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Devin Peipert" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Devin Peipert" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs252.snc3/23102_71903197_9884_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Devin Peipert</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434690a769d10d6" class="comment_actual_text">I love these. They're amazing. </div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 8:18pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[340313]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_340345" class="ufi_section comment_340345 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Devin Peipert" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Devin Peipert" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs252.snc3/23102_71903197_9884_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71903197" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Devin Peipert</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde554346d0e1a91f85c" class="comment_actual_text">He just eated you dead. Even while you're reading that story, the monster eats you and you die, which you find out about (I'm assuming) by reading the story.</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 8:22pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[340345]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_340358" class="ufi_section comment_340358 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Elaine M. Grimm" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Elaine M. Grimm" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs647.snc3/27466_679831209_8583_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Elaine M. Grimm</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543471092f50162c" class="comment_actual_text">Not only does he eat you, Devin, he eats people and he killd people. He eat everyone.</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 8:24pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[340358]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_340602" class="ufi_section comment_340602 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Elaine M. Grimm" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Elaine M. Grimm" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs647.snc3/27466_679831209_8583_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/elaine.grimm" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Elaine M. Grimm</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543474ed0180372a" class="comment_actual_text">But he has soft teeth and his face is beautiful... Man. This is just too awesome.</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 8:53pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[340602]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_340704" class="ufi_section comment_340704 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Valerie Premore" href="http://www.facebook.com/vpremore" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Valerie Premore" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs647.snc3/27462_1412761865_4538_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/vpremore" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Valerie Premore</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543478c657706ace" class="comment_actual_text">Thanks awesome! I love those stories!</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 9:08pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[340704]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_341234" class="ufi_section comment_341234 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Kelsey L. Connett" href="http://www.facebook.com/kelsey.connett" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Kelsey L. Connett" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs641.snc3/27356_607003859_9185_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/kelsey.connett" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Kelsey L. Connett</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde554347cad457accb8" class="comment_actual_text">clearly has a broken home living situation since he tends to live everywhere... That was awesome!</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 10:31pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[341234]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_341335" class="ufi_section comment_341335 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Dennis McNelly" href="http://www.facebook.com/dennis.mcnelly" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Dennis McNelly" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v226/1704/35/q519320263_1770.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/dennis.mcnelly" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Dennis McNelly</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434808f6e71a099" class="comment_actual_text">Awesome. How old are these kids Matt?</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 10:43pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[341335]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_341639" class="ufi_section comment_341639 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Lizzy Randall" href="http://www.facebook.com/lizabell79" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Lizzy Randall" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs621.snc3/27342_540976385_6361_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/lizabell79" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Lizzy Randall</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde5543484915d06260c" class="comment_actual_text">so great! i really like watching tv in the woods. that slays me. choke slam is not bad either.</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 20 at 11:27pm · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[341639]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_345995" class="ufi_section comment_345995 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Matt Manderson" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Matt Manderson" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs626.ash1/27440_22905143_9502_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/matt.manderson1" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Matt Manderson</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434886549a5046a" class="comment_actual_text">Ha Ha thanks. These kids are 11 years old. They are pretty smart.</div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 21 at 9:50am · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[345995]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_346302" class="ufi_section comment_346302 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Randy Pulayya" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2015122" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Randy Pulayya" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs625.ash1/27419_2015122_1973_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2015122" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Randy Pulayya</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde554348c3c3b018c0e" class="comment_actual_text">funny stuff! </div></div><div class="comment_actions">April 21 at 10:35am · <label class="uiLinkButton async_throbber"><input class="stat_elem" value="Delete" type="submit" name="delete[346302]"></label></div></div></div><div id="comment_1523217892_114662881896517_369335" class="ufi_section comment_369335 UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_SMALL_Image" title="Jordan 'Tuna' Narancich" href="http://www.facebook.com/jordan.narancich" target=""><img class="UIProfileImage UIProfileImage_SMALL img" alt="Jordan 'Tuna' Narancich" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sf2p/hs258.snc3/23224_194302039_8086_q.jpg" /></a> <div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_SMALL_Content"><div class="comment_text"><a class="comment_author" href="http://www.facebook.com/jordan.narancich" target=""><strong><span style="color:#3b5998;">Jordan 'Tuna' Narancich</span></strong></a> <div id="text_expose_id_4bde55434900f4e47f036" class="comment_actual_text">Just make sure that none of their Ninja's capture our President...</div></div></div></div></div></span></span>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-38404170247348863112010-05-03T13:33:00.002+09:002010-05-03T13:42:23.228+09:00Happy World Laughter DayThe first Sunday of May is World Laughter Day.<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c8h1GTP0L8E&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c8h1GTP0L8E&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-90791626260322942192010-04-20T10:30:00.009+09:002010-04-20T11:43:37.708+09:00Taipei Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZExEIAk86gVaujJKBb5VigKLedO2gNWCteoq4uxQ91P29tZA42KPqjUzGijCjozdBHppi56YvKO6fIiBBrNHxnoF2T6rGwBg5gbkJVk8uvsEW6W_mCoOUJfj_DXMUXxNLmJVl1lfEWjQ/s1600/tokyo+taiwan+113.JPG"><img style="display: block; 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margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpd7fwClvwM6iKhMmKRU2SIptGi-mjt3XZQynYwP5rXjbFsoGmPlKeCUkwjnMKOuEL5lzRiISF4qydSryEg8uIoGgtrGCd-p1ng8XUnUDguDuPVEnrK1OIHJ_Ttg_39p9wAo6xrUxeICg/s400/some+tainan+and+some+taipei+093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462026432721010754" border="0" /></a>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-27625003656785779982010-04-16T09:03:00.002+09:002010-04-20T10:21:51.132+09:00Taipei Again<div></div>We spent the rest of our trip in the capital city gorging ourselves on street food and checking out some of the amazing temples the city had to offer. We even took a side trip to Beitou, for a nice soak in a hot spring. It was such a great city and i was sad to say goodbye, but I was looking forward to Japan.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-10290090953693195612010-04-08T16:17:00.006+09:002010-04-16T09:02:45.902+09:00TainanTainan was really relaxing. We didn't do much aside from a walking tour of some of the temples and enjoying a few delicious meals. The city seems like Vietnam. Motorbikes are everywhere.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460518276123755506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-4I8PWTrAqjuB41wwTR0lKmZAHa5z8bZt3zUuVbmfqz_K3LABy73KULvLH5o2huSZPgd0Fjr0cKuVvtK_m6c-1rea1sIrYPBS6T25cV6E6FBSXMDWJ2FtzNc28YFcQyZetg8qw8F_3Y/s400/483.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460518501623801842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9weQqIrkS_JqdjiE3jQiSHCjI4ZWBB9QDy8rNz_ihujT1pzQhXUj67UEBBnP9Adws_1DMR0cz0c-5HFPAGmXaHHo856bDqfL2j33iUr6UfjQsaPWHmLPiJz_sqrBBDcDfwAcj4sIdt0/s400/561.jpg" />Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-35274405863713506162010-04-08T15:48:00.009+09:002010-04-13T13:20:25.715+09:00Photos from Kenting<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457655930430797922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1TsOays4y9v3Tb6fTxJMfh7Wlii1Ehlb_gGZjEwqKHhNOfDJIMCycA9WiKiKffRbKmrqi7SIkXFTOxxanqsU1FlfDlP7v2QREwDCb0632_CeNBG5fk7eezsZ1C68Y8h-rpoRfnJbMUY/s400/355.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457657214941598434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRQdt_Mz-Vt_HmqfqyJXb81DuSLb388fuq9WAzIZ6Rtt7e2sGmSyHJQnlK0EiZv6Y18-nFXLh80HH169fQBZXhlqjzyfOCZQ0o_rZulDFw6nNR4jfspzVNFmJUf5oKnPMdgM1oM0eB0Y/s400/375.jpg" /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAP5WK5XRGrU1QGYzIOHtfw7WF63E5YpRoGQvKvZPXojFCwwS0UK5Vwa7ods6IehBxavyY1Z9Kmdp2wDdK176B4SZxYjwps-8oCzxfxSIr2yMthZI_u82oF5KNJBY_Tn1UvyJI3vFq8w/s1600/436.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457657227530085970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAP5WK5XRGrU1QGYzIOHtfw7WF63E5YpRoGQvKvZPXojFCwwS0UK5Vwa7ods6IehBxavyY1Z9Kmdp2wDdK176B4SZxYjwps-8oCzxfxSIr2yMthZI_u82oF5KNJBY_Tn1UvyJI3vFq8w/s400/436.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGS2CLanjJ9vIwoChJcPhkB3BJack5GXX7T9NF8rJoyDSikSOWONTx0aQLLsEZQZ7hgpIkFZXFdUFcytJ5l1KQ0XQ1oYDqQzsXzOhrsidtNbrRZ4PuQ3DkQNGEdRZOHyZklbFNyxvW3RM/s1600/369.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457655953197151650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGS2CLanjJ9vIwoChJcPhkB3BJack5GXX7T9NF8rJoyDSikSOWONTx0aQLLsEZQZ7hgpIkFZXFdUFcytJ5l1KQ0XQ1oYDqQzsXzOhrsidtNbrRZ4PuQ3DkQNGEdRZOHyZklbFNyxvW3RM/s400/369.jpg" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQF_4Mb2eOJjy7YgfCqVJHGfYm1ToldpX-vSy72PnUbSPMahLo-XU7RoI4Noi0INPlRfPc4zPLinWQCYd0dy_QibFmi0gCJBwnnSvJ_XUIQ6VmDv_fNWpepW6tdeWTae0Ixl9NlPZtW2U/s1600/362.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457655946800927970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQF_4Mb2eOJjy7YgfCqVJHGfYm1ToldpX-vSy72PnUbSPMahLo-XU7RoI4Noi0INPlRfPc4zPLinWQCYd0dy_QibFmi0gCJBwnnSvJ_XUIQ6VmDv_fNWpepW6tdeWTae0Ixl9NlPZtW2U/s400/362.jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-19981675632429707832010-04-02T11:44:00.002+09:002010-04-02T13:30:57.011+09:00Kenting TaiwanKenting is like that carnival that comes around to all the small southern American towns with rides and food that make you want to vomit... Despite this sentiment, Kenting is a great city to see. Its a backpacker city with lots of tourists from the north, in this instance because of the Chinese New Year. Food stalls line the main drag offering a delicious mixture of culinery possibilities. Its a tough decision between steak and noodles sizzeling on a steel plate, pork, beef, or chicken on a stick, milkshakes, smoothies, fresh fruit of all kinds, rice, pizza, and my personal favorite; grilled sausage on a rice bun drenched in spicy and sweet sauce.<br /><br />Our first task was to find our hotel, a church that was offering extremely cheap lodging. Unfortunatly we were forced to sleep on a mat in the gym with twenty other travelers who all seemed to snore. We rented an electric scooter that only exceeded 20 km downhill. So we dangerously putted around the city unable to go far without replacing the battery (This is the only scooter available to a person without an international or Taiwanese drivers lisence).<br /><br />Our first night began with a few beers walking around the street and trying out different bars. Our nice waiter asked us if we wanted free tickets to the club upstairs or to the fire show. We opted for the fire show which turned out to be a strip club. No fire was involved. Sandra decided to try one of the weird roadside carnival stalls and ended up with a bungee cord around her waist on a giant trampoline screaming 30 ft in the air. After that debacle, we met some people from Spain and had a few drinks. We were both surprised at the amount of Spanish speaking people that lived in Kenting. We ended up drinking with the band of a Mexican restaurant after their gig and met some American English teachers from the north of Taiwan. We swapped teaching stories and headed to bed extremely late and drunk and didn't rise until 10.<br /><br />We explored the coast the next day. The highlight was getting into a giant rubber ball and hurling down a huge hill. The beaches were mediocre at best and the weather was dismal.<br /><br />Kenting seemed like a pretty cool party town, but a place i could see myself skipping if I needed to. The food was the best part, but you have all of the same options in Taipei. I think its just one of those places that is dominated by backpackers. I can't imagine spending a long time there, but I was happy that we made the trip.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-81016236439405788352010-03-24T11:27:00.004+09:002010-03-24T11:37:27.345+09:00Dinner With Vivian's Family<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk8x7727JwE8_eWyUlq08_NeSVZIuu2fI-bi1SvASM8r139rqrBpZc7Pdr5AAa8-i4O5sgypEQWB1de3qA4gl7TAbxaezmm76_0FMabYNw2AS7tLD6KRR3Ldh6Pn-cflXOGJh7e8EhvI/s1600-h/353.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452023276973418338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk8x7727JwE8_eWyUlq08_NeSVZIuu2fI-bi1SvASM8r139rqrBpZc7Pdr5AAa8-i4O5sgypEQWB1de3qA4gl7TAbxaezmm76_0FMabYNw2AS7tLD6KRR3Ldh6Pn-cflXOGJh7e8EhvI/s400/353.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DJQx_3W8BExotQ5s2TCOjCh56yh2Q0kCNPQ5N5wRHWTBz3s1OPbytAKD6Vi2yFMNA7s7Za2hY2pcIKC9zBisQG5lvxJlnOPOERUMeMF-z6hJHQvj-82t8wpVb0ZjmJIzsUz2-sSI6MI/s1600-h/351.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452023263720343282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DJQx_3W8BExotQ5s2TCOjCh56yh2Q0kCNPQ5N5wRHWTBz3s1OPbytAKD6Vi2yFMNA7s7Za2hY2pcIKC9zBisQG5lvxJlnOPOERUMeMF-z6hJHQvj-82t8wpVb0ZjmJIzsUz2-sSI6MI/s400/351.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbJ-YTlc_FVdw13HAO9TBTa9ADu6KXOss1HR5rB9ohwKb8aZl3a9RmIk1Q5MpEA59POpa9OZpjxwo_Odji6P-lXulMWlH-BGxYpij_ChUfyiMeBh-Z603UonJtme2Qr3MiNCX4QHNa7Q/s1600-h/350.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452023249622085714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbJ-YTlc_FVdw13HAO9TBTa9ADu6KXOss1HR5rB9ohwKb8aZl3a9RmIk1Q5MpEA59POpa9OZpjxwo_Odji6P-lXulMWlH-BGxYpij_ChUfyiMeBh-Z603UonJtme2Qr3MiNCX4QHNa7Q/s400/350.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-TED0yAukpMpcc-4vFh9QhKDfMMS_l7WgTM_AvKsOgc3lvVfnnrMWuhdG_lF1Nw9vzQEIjGScaV1KP5Dw3tZuJe_XqAhyphenhyphennh0mxzS-zqRQR3yoAN8IhkDTzKuUvf1kG824UiH1qQC-3o/s1600-h/349.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452022345841593842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-TED0yAukpMpcc-4vFh9QhKDfMMS_l7WgTM_AvKsOgc3lvVfnnrMWuhdG_lF1Nw9vzQEIjGScaV1KP5Dw3tZuJe_XqAhyphenhyphennh0mxzS-zqRQR3yoAN8IhkDTzKuUvf1kG824UiH1qQC-3o/s400/349.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYDM8yc8f8u7fnAIAcuonTo7B_0RFvc-vJK0O-IqR2OOKudNd_p3kF1Z4_DCPvwytp7FybHB_ydlvJWB-L7fzheKzsVOo6R5kiIfvZQbesQfXLAfqmyixMpdZ8alt0K4KW4xoC25spzI/s1600-h/341.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452022325092407362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYDM8yc8f8u7fnAIAcuonTo7B_0RFvc-vJK0O-IqR2OOKudNd_p3kF1Z4_DCPvwytp7FybHB_ydlvJWB-L7fzheKzsVOo6R5kiIfvZQbesQfXLAfqmyixMpdZ8alt0K4KW4xoC25spzI/s400/341.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokn79k_gKw9GYPY1or2FwTqNaa5pSpiFvzMpNOAT6tyf_mhMMtwTI-MsOOQQH90pa8FQLlBPdEd3pdcTNu_RnTbHsZm7dVl-WyFsMsBuhPWojrWhxBT_x65OYJig8HjzrpZGH57825Z4/s1600-h/339.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452022311887627394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokn79k_gKw9GYPY1or2FwTqNaa5pSpiFvzMpNOAT6tyf_mhMMtwTI-MsOOQQH90pa8FQLlBPdEd3pdcTNu_RnTbHsZm7dVl-WyFsMsBuhPWojrWhxBT_x65OYJig8HjzrpZGH57825Z4/s400/339.jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-47550171933971337882010-03-24T11:16:00.002+09:002010-03-24T11:27:39.311+09:00Pingtung to KentingVivian's family picked me up at the train station. It was nice to see Sandra. She was thankful to be able to spend Chinese New Year with Vivian and her family in the south of Taiwan. Its a very unique experience to be able to be included into something so amazing. It was nice of them to include me for the night. We started by gambling with some of Vivian's family. We played a game like blackjack and Sandra probably one the most money.<br /><br />Her family cooked dinner and we sat down for a meal with her parents, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The food was amazing as usual. Vivian's cousin showed me some of his paintings. He is an extremely talented artist.<br /><br />We went to bed early and caught a train to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kenting</span> the next morning.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-22452130859314528402010-03-24T10:44:00.007+09:002010-03-24T11:15:56.707+09:00The Final Day of Biking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTW0Pnlmb7XOlxKopCEGvw14SYdXb4OuVTeLZGK6gujW1AYbceODtcq3ETgJMvwLTPdS_1-F5fImxGnIOxO96Ie9SDuDuaqWlkkNs-L8EZ_WXo_WeJMTQrz5o3ilOcYqICWeM8jJBrbs/s1600-h/327.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 229px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 156px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452016503449184130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTW0Pnlmb7XOlxKopCEGvw14SYdXb4OuVTeLZGK6gujW1AYbceODtcq3ETgJMvwLTPdS_1-F5fImxGnIOxO96Ie9SDuDuaqWlkkNs-L8EZ_WXo_WeJMTQrz5o3ilOcYqICWeM8jJBrbs/s400/327.jpg" /></a>Vivian's dad was extremely helpful to me for the entire trip. So when he asked me if I could be in Taitung by noon, I did my best. I was expecting to make it before the sun was down, but noon would really be pushing it. I had about 90km to go. <div><div></div><div></div><div>I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and ate a quick breakfast ofbananas, beef jerky and oatmeal. I was on the road by 6.a.m. I rarely stopped for photos or a drink of water on the final stretch. My ass was killing me more than ever, but I just focused on keeping a steady pace. The shouts from the cars and thumbs up really helped. I was going more than 20km on the slight inclines and was going much faster on the flat roads. I passed the tropic of cancer and began to see signs for Taitung. I called Vivian's dad and he thought I had made a mistake. I was going to make it to the city by noon. </div><br /><div>I hit a rough patch where I was out of breath and couldn't pedal more than 10km even on the decline. It remained this way for awhile until I realized I was riding on a completely popped back tire. I was only 5km from my final destination. This should have been a 15 minute ride, but I couldn't replace the intertube with the one they gave me. They had given me the wrong size. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLBUx2e0Ro00xcW4m-gToZS40H8xKXHDCJvaMA4gXd9VqHrdiQUknoq3TUhR2S8cZa4Oc0uzMmuIsPzKLYbe33rk5t6r7hLohHLUkQDP5-luVbypRd4iEIZxE34FZzQas2ThnwiAMdLA/s1600-h/329.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 239px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452016515192279810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLBUx2e0Ro00xcW4m-gToZS40H8xKXHDCJvaMA4gXd9VqHrdiQUknoq3TUhR2S8cZa4Oc0uzMmuIsPzKLYbe33rk5t6r7hLohHLUkQDP5-luVbypRd4iEIZxE34FZzQas2ThnwiAMdLA/s400/329.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I called the rental agency in Taitung where i would be returning the bicycle and we couldn't communicate. Thanks to Vivian's translating. The guy picked me up from the side of the road and i finished my ride in his truck in an anti-climactic fashion.</div><div></div><div></div><div>I bought some firecrackers and decided to light them off to celebrate the end of my ride. I lit the fuse with a lighter I borrowed from a guy smoking outside of the Taitung train station. It went out and the fireworks didn't explode. I tried to light the short fuse and again failed. Even my celebration ended in a dud.</div><div></div><div></div><div>I gave up and caught my train to Pingtung where I met Vivian's family.</div></div>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-234332576416039102010-03-22T11:11:00.008+09:002010-03-23T11:20:34.379+09:00Photos From Day 2 of The Bike TripAlthough the weather was terribly cloudy and rainy, the views were incredible.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451279624631984130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4B2wULz-SmWlTEJGUPk3wBpAy8XJcp3et7-fVgdbrBE8ica_vXB-0kHAz58SU5wcbrHkeXOe9qq1EngwGabvTTl6VM8uw6E4TKdKrvoqAG_BW5ASBq3jVze2ZaOmbvK7NOstvgwAulQ/s400/300.jpg" />I bought lunch from this family on the side of the road. They were extremely nice.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451277657127050578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9L1Njqq6CDD7xr894rZ5W-vVhKOAPxQFbMOM5Kryk5OyRNlcKKzYdB-klDtcNm4vWLTzuVcvYG3uhLP6tnJcUujgl45vjyi42M-qfCqa1zi08hvt8lI907nYt2UvwXSDNEVog8yJQdVA/s400/243.jpg" /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT1PZLxUFcGXqnj5YPDKy0HRQk8mu5vzb288Vq3a0DdVdVt5AduvxYXhnOPsib2M2xVSa9id0ezmTKkh2OLR88wADGay9LBauxKW4q1MvFT8Y7dEkRsinT0uZHS9Pjpf80ZLPAzE946w/s1600-h/280.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451279614303227698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT1PZLxUFcGXqnj5YPDKy0HRQk8mu5vzb288Vq3a0DdVdVt5AduvxYXhnOPsib2M2xVSa9id0ezmTKkh2OLR88wADGay9LBauxKW4q1MvFT8Y7dEkRsinT0uZHS9Pjpf80ZLPAzE946w/s400/280.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0tfnffFsMM2xKdD26eNMkhBTJEPcpmefUXUxmzIN1UlwSfxMen0jYXp80X5JV_0fitmLzmGW8LDL8ZtjOQRSzSfOmMp0gQZrKkBalaBNM4U52kTzEKhOuO912yMcfcDedqKnj3CzJB8/s1600-h/269.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451279014826227938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0tfnffFsMM2xKdD26eNMkhBTJEPcpmefUXUxmzIN1UlwSfxMen0jYXp80X5JV_0fitmLzmGW8LDL8ZtjOQRSzSfOmMp0gQZrKkBalaBNM4U52kTzEKhOuO912yMcfcDedqKnj3CzJB8/s400/269.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvEtQcrLtZYUqt-MVe4pa74bJHHjJ2xE2NvL-LyhTt3VPDkjKC4WDWBdDbfmC4L1rKoY9OdnUA_BjjqeduQ7ktYJqdgxvsgjcc1b_-9sXAGYiZOC2WOc4NeRGha0TwHRHnP-tOAQAlcI/s1600-h/256.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451279001821036786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvEtQcrLtZYUqt-MVe4pa74bJHHjJ2xE2NvL-LyhTt3VPDkjKC4WDWBdDbfmC4L1rKoY9OdnUA_BjjqeduQ7ktYJqdgxvsgjcc1b_-9sXAGYiZOC2WOc4NeRGha0TwHRHnP-tOAQAlcI/s400/256.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgf-ol8gDQyc-KK0LKfQuZGDBn9m-or_F5ovx8wnVQ26rQoFrhlM10f1zmwShZYhSuGUD8ThcbdqRLt4jZu-sHCW7AUS1LFb2iCjR4zvFXRY_EV8Pyb3FsE2-cvgsML4xVMJwGGdNYfts/s1600-h/225.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451277646596452322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgf-ol8gDQyc-KK0LKfQuZGDBn9m-or_F5ovx8wnVQ26rQoFrhlM10f1zmwShZYhSuGUD8ThcbdqRLt4jZu-sHCW7AUS1LFb2iCjR4zvFXRY_EV8Pyb3FsE2-cvgsML4xVMJwGGdNYfts/s400/225.jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-58305122210874569002010-03-22T09:59:00.003+09:002010-03-23T11:20:59.537+09:00Taiwan: Day Three (2nd Day of The Bike Trip)I didn't wake up as early as I had planned. I was on the road after packing up and eating around 9:30a.m. It rained off and on the entire day, which didn't help dry the laundry I had done the night before. It was a little boring for the first hour of the trip trying to keep a pace and constantly taking pictures. I quit stopping for photos after a couple hours and just tried to make good time. The coast is amazing. I was looking forward to taking pictures of the beach, but the real beauty was on my left. There were huge mountains, gorges and waterfalls for the entire trip. The roads became extremely hilly a few hours south of Hualien. I was only going 6km at some climbs. I eventually realized that when I walked the bike I was going the same speed. The downhill portions were very rewarding. At times I would be coasting downhill on open roads at 60 km an hour which is like 40mpr. The views were unbelievable.<br /><br />The first day a portion of the trip was through tunnels. At this point your bike lane disappears and it gets scary. Your not only coming extremely close to cars, but the tunnels are so long that you can't get any oxygen. I almost felt like vomiting outside of the first long tunnel. I stopped to eat at a street stall right on the side of the highway. An aborigine family had just slaughtered a pig and were cooking amazing sausages. I also bought some bananas that they cut straight off the tree for me. When I started to eat one, they gave me some older fruit that was ready to eat and told me to wait until tomorrow to eat the bananas. I was full of sausages and fruit and it only cost me like 2$ usd.<br /><br />I found a rhythm and rarely stopped. Every hour or so someone in a car would honk and give a thumbs up or yell some mandarin encouragement to me. Every time a cyclist would pass me going the other direction they would yell out and give me a thumbs up. There seemed to be a lot of camaraderie and respect between the bikers, although I only saw about ten other people cycling in 2 days and I couldn't speak English to any of them.<br /><br />The sun started to set so I started searching for a hotel. It seemed like everything was booked. It got completely dark and I started getting worried and assumed I would be sleeping on the beach or in a police station. I found a police station and they told me that there were hotels about 20 minutes south. They gave me a decent deal on a room with a garage, where I could store my bike. I was happy to have found something. I had passed through countless towns where the population was less than 200 and this place was no different. With everyone heading south for the New Year, I was lucky to find a vacancy. I could barely sit down and I was walking with a limp because my ass hurt so bad. i bought a couple of tall boys and fell asleep watching the NBA All Star game despite the constant popping and screaming outside my window. In a country where fireworks were illegal, I couldn't believe how many were being set off. I doubt that there was an hour that passed without a crackle or bang of a firework in the distance.Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-839870402904152113.post-62597012874395338842010-03-18T12:22:00.007+09:002010-03-23T11:21:34.784+09:00Day 2 PhotosAt first glance hualien wasn't a particulary beautiful city. There were wild dogs barking at me on every corner and I couldn't go two miunutes without hearing the deafening blast of fireworks. A great deal of houses were run down and sometimes abandoned. These photos are of some of the alarming amount of burned down houses and buildings.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449810932955315634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-GcXlhx6hqRHsT888MS6X0LUic_cqZobpG5kBGo8ZgoTmLxH9zNc0F8Bqm1dcCEvIRF0ypPld-hMaYyJnbYmsHyvAy05DAAPDlDJS1DKl7o_Sjcdq8NWDUy9-iEhP9VNuReFTas7H0A/s400/120.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449810942198080722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7bcOKO4rOgYei3TsmK7EKKOF0ju0vbmCwkYN-sEeuNr9utwILJJKn3GukBNCWiPjHuFYcMz4FsAuSkKjyDWbHV7L7QQ4B3THd41gXWFMRDcHSMl1jod6DlX8pqeurkIVUNFlMW6s2ds/s400/121.jpg" />I came across some cool graffeiti under an overpass.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449813311426036354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVBy5eliHc8vOIsczDkO0qLk8g_4PSpLCnnjrjNZZcs2hMunyG6gqPgKNeQhODjO3FHsBR0JVejlcQFsvDrIWxrnHWsla_fkisO4nFJeKSFf_BxYwLziY85YEXQxBe8kAjU2QP3fONE0/s400/137.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449813322149605618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPXUzwACgsTMYilIxfsvHP9f4fc4Xks-fqQ-6i8I2l5eUB-v0x6MKAYb_o_lyQ5zbxGX0UHB8UMdMFB-pk0GlWFWa_m4fFY8YKcIdg_6zvV_F73W4yHoy5Cav3NlxGhUWbkGcgYH2oY4/s400/142.jpg" />She was at the market near the beach. She was following me around with a noise maker. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHj9IptjzpHDDjPMQt-C_Z9WYopb_C_H5f8YABg5_N4BJn8VILKlkUO4J9-g3oD8Bcnwtg_AsWA9LBEOCuZWvjaMxDKDH37D6bg2fOarrE5PyR4N064dw9smpoVEzOTFB5TlbKl8A0v8/s1600-h/195.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449814908532594194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHj9IptjzpHDDjPMQt-C_Z9WYopb_C_H5f8YABg5_N4BJn8VILKlkUO4J9-g3oD8Bcnwtg_AsWA9LBEOCuZWvjaMxDKDH37D6bg2fOarrE5PyR4N064dw9smpoVEzOTFB5TlbKl8A0v8/s400/195.jpg" /></a> This sums up my entire ride: Cloudy Dreary Beautiful<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuI4kpqpublvS2wSymTuzzOW-oVUub3gHTbRROIqN5UC6XmqXPmZhXyWnFOJX58lgIxAVj3Gpo7MDGnwiAOHb4IMiHU8T7c5iBb85DMVKwG7v2Al8UcoVCq7fhVP61Slq6fhsf6K8JaU/s1600-h/184.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449814885844533442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuI4kpqpublvS2wSymTuzzOW-oVUub3gHTbRROIqN5UC6XmqXPmZhXyWnFOJX58lgIxAVj3Gpo7MDGnwiAOHb4IMiHU8T7c5iBb85DMVKwG7v2Al8UcoVCq7fhVP61Slq6fhsf6K8JaU/s400/184.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ydujUqV0P9NfzyruKxxR4ArXUnHhrNV0mKxDFaoK22gIRx-827xufMMGzZY-F-RrAZgqOWbUOos9Sbso1r5FZ3XRAVy3k2rojBuquZXu2wS1BSE-E_HJyThMl9zECoHwR8SrqwVFTUc/s1600-h/168.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449814867562151074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ydujUqV0P9NfzyruKxxR4ArXUnHhrNV0mKxDFaoK22gIRx-827xufMMGzZY-F-RrAZgqOWbUOos9Sbso1r5FZ3XRAVy3k2rojBuquZXu2wS1BSE-E_HJyThMl9zECoHwR8SrqwVFTUc/s400/168.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg121UpKAHs2gTcEkQl_nwTLrPQieHo8Yn9H3jDehYcsE3QezzCfOPdZxxIeBQarKap4sa50liGy4115SeG5eukzOF5Le0VcMii5HNMFmxdE5BdqEoWUToAvj6CNdI7422mHcBxlnpyrS8/s1600-h/167.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449814195295090210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg121UpKAHs2gTcEkQl_nwTLrPQieHo8Yn9H3jDehYcsE3QezzCfOPdZxxIeBQarKap4sa50liGy4115SeG5eukzOF5Le0VcMii5HNMFmxdE5BdqEoWUToAvj6CNdI7422mHcBxlnpyrS8/s400/167.jpg" /></a> Even the beautiful temples had ugly wires attached to them.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIrib_RA5JmdTV7YoHKrDO1po1lf5ycjieTNvfFe7BNJ7wNP3GlMOGvSYLw1QDpBZ-AVi8EGg_q1tWO94FFe0H5Kt2YprNEyICsTJCJRuHCJs_CNinr35ykfOw1tMUyROydvtS-qhGm8/s1600-h/160.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449814188432961954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIrib_RA5JmdTV7YoHKrDO1po1lf5ycjieTNvfFe7BNJ7wNP3GlMOGvSYLw1QDpBZ-AVi8EGg_q1tWO94FFe0H5Kt2YprNEyICsTJCJRuHCJs_CNinr35ykfOw1tMUyROydvtS-qhGm8/s400/160.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BnEKEISfVEFjUlZBiopwRHrMdPGvOezIWc39KluSdURZu7vNm1BksGQU1rRhN8vYQpJpSARQGgrfUrjlrza1-hLCdNsZB_x24cZ9jBXn_LJNkIV5ijCq0o8b0emd3UeunFTyqcbBbJI/s1600-h/159.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449814175580529394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BnEKEISfVEFjUlZBiopwRHrMdPGvOezIWc39KluSdURZu7vNm1BksGQU1rRhN8vYQpJpSARQGgrfUrjlrza1-hLCdNsZB_x24cZ9jBXn_LJNkIV5ijCq0o8b0emd3UeunFTyqcbBbJI/s400/159.jpg" /></a> These places were all vacant.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNBPvHjuPDdv_M7ByTbS3wme2_9S-HfwjhDCiw_b0anikSvDoFz2cvj6x5vg97JGRVnSI6603y82X1OfwbkqsuSAjR5Xwnyt1bkEZNQV854e9SLrUNIvaWmw-2d0T2kQ7wmMsE4-fA-o/s1600-h/146.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449813335024756482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNBPvHjuPDdv_M7ByTbS3wme2_9S-HfwjhDCiw_b0anikSvDoFz2cvj6x5vg97JGRVnSI6603y82X1OfwbkqsuSAjR5Xwnyt1bkEZNQV854e9SLrUNIvaWmw-2d0T2kQ7wmMsE4-fA-o/s400/146.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kVsHHkZ7cASVMYZOv1Xm3BHiNEQCYMecotD79aWV5K_N42rJJUkGjEKtg8HP9QWlQyoJPAX-3O6ozxU8FuHAw5_pIjEbo9vKf7JPdk4shcK0rfdARjCFRwdNLcJClvAbL67pWfR5DLs/s1600-h/111.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449810924372512530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kVsHHkZ7cASVMYZOv1Xm3BHiNEQCYMecotD79aWV5K_N42rJJUkGjEKtg8HP9QWlQyoJPAX-3O6ozxU8FuHAw5_pIjEbo9vKf7JPdk4shcK0rfdARjCFRwdNLcJClvAbL67pWfR5DLs/s400/111.jpg" /></a>Mandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11116135530886131412noreply@blogger.com0