Posted by Ted on May 18, 2012 in
Photography,
Travel What some may not realize is that Fiji is not an island, but an archipelago of over 300 islands. We chose the third largest, Taveuni, so that we might dive the Great White Wall.
Of the two places we stayed at, the first was by far the best. Coconut Grove was easy, beautiful, and made us feel at home. The toasted coconut bread in the morning certainly didn’t hurt.
Some nights, guests would join a couple of musicians around the kava bowl, taking turns drinking brown sludge out of a hollowed out coconut. The sludge tasted about how it looked, and it was supposed to give you a warm buzz. Mostly, it made me feel tired. The custom was to ask for ‘low tide’ for half a cup, or ‘high tide’ for a full cup.
During the day, however, the kava bowl served a different purpose.
(Related photos of Fiji can be found here.)
Posted by Ted on Mar 23, 2012 in
Food & Drinks,
Photography,
Travel My wife and I recently went to Tulum, Mexico for our babymoon vacation. We stayed at a lovely little guesthouse, el Mestizo, at the end of the beach road near the entrance to the Sian Ka’an biosphere. Our 2nd-story cabana overlooked an azure sea, with the sounds of crashing waves a constant comfort. Barefoot, we would walk down the beach for breakfast or lunch.
We swam in 6 cenotes (4 cavern, 1 open, 1 semi-open), saw 2 ruins (Tulum, Ek’ Balam), and snorkeled with sea turtles.
However, the best thing may have been this shop selling all manner of tasty frozen fruit pops, called paletas.
Paletas in Tulum
Tags: desserts, Mexico, Tulum
Posted by Ted on Dec 9, 2011 in
Food & Drinks,
Photography,
Travel This week’s entries come to you from the village of Colnbrook, just outside of Heathrow Airport. I find myself in this unlikely place due to a last minute trip to kick off a new job that I started on Monday as a developer advocate for the newly launched Travelport Developer Network. Feeling trapped by the manicured comfort of my hotel, I needed to get out. Knowing that a trip to Central London wasn’t feasible, I settled for exploring the nearby town, stopping in at The Ostrich, which just happens to be England’s 3rd oldest pub.
As I savoured my Guinness, I read a pamphlet which detailed the history of the inn, dating back to the year 1106. Before there were trains, there were stage-coaches, which gave rise to an industry of coaching inns. The Ostrich was a popular stop for travelers from London on their way to see the king at Windsor Castle, where they might swap horses and change out of their riding clothes and into more formal wear.
Of particular notoriety was a 17th century proprietor named Jarman. He and his wife built an elaborate trap door in the room above the kitchen and would drop unsuspecting lone riders with large purses into a boiling cauldron in the middle of the night.
Business travel is rarely glamorous. When one isn’t working, it can be all too easy to relax into the comfort of expense-paid 4 star hotel luxury. However, one just has to walk out the door and be open to finding a little adventure.
Tags: England, history, London, pubs, signs
Posted by Ted on Jul 28, 2011 in
Events,
Photography,
Space,
Travel The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century has already happened, just two years ago on July 22, 2009. Totality could be seen from eastern India, through China, and across the Pacific – a swath of darkness 1000s of miles long and only 160 miles wide. We chose to watch this cosmic event at the feet of Guan Yin, on the island of Putuoshan, in the South China Sea, near Shanghai. The island is named for the mountain at its heart, one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism, and which is the earthly home of Guan Yin, the bodhimanda of Avalokiteśvara.
This longest eclipse of the century had much anticipation for many eclipse chasers. This was our first, and we had no expectations, but we did hope to actually see the eclipse. As our luck would have it, the day was thick with cloud cover. Very few in our corner of China were able to actually see the event itself.
That said, it was no less magical or spiritual. For over six minutes, what had been daylight a few minutes ago was now darkness. The Goddess was suddenly glowing gold against a night sky.
(Related pictures can be found here.)
(Read more about the Total Solar Eclipse in 2009.)
Tags: China, eclipse, Guan Yin
Posted by Ted on Jul 21, 2011 in
Photography,
Travel A few hours north of the capital Vientiane, Luang Prabang is a unique fusion of French European and Laotian culture, with both Laap and the best croissants we’ve ever had. Resting at the point where the Khan meets the great Mekong, the confluence of the two rivers is a striking difference.
Where the Mekong meets the Khan — Luang Prabang, Laos
However, one of my favorite memories of Luang Prabang is sitting on a riverside patio, drinking Beerlao and watching the sun set behind the karst mountains to the west. Longboats that would ferry tourists up the river to the Pak Ou caves and back would return downstream and have to swing wide against a very fast and strong current in order to dock for the night.
Mekong Sunset — Luang Prabang, Laos
(Related pictures can be found here.)
Tags: Laos, Luang Prabang, rivers, sunsets
