From Flowers |
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
S2L77: Taman Negara
Taman Negara, Malaysia
February 4-8, 1977
At dusk, thousands upon thousands of swallows line the wires outside the hotel in Jerantut.
We saw a few Samba Deer at the Tahan Hide in Taman Negara.
I took a three hour walk up to the top of Bukit Teresek. Four or five hornbills were the only wildlife.
The Swiss tourists have left, leaving only a dozen or so people.
I spent today sleeping late, reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and writing letters.
We came back down river in a drizzling rain, walked two miles to the train station in the rain.
Source: Personal travel notes.
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From 1977 02 02 Malaysia |
Our stay in Taman Negara was more R&R than "Heart of Darkness." My biggest discovery was a can of A&W Root Beer (or maybe it was Dad's Old Fashioned) in the guest dormitory's refrigerator -- the first I had seen since leaving the US two years earlier. Deer, hornbills, even tigers (which I didn't see), I was prepared to see all of these in the Malaysian jungle. I wasn't prepared to find A&W Root Beer. Sweet.
More photos after the jump.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thanksgiving Day (2012)
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From 2012 00 Miscellaneous |
-- Sandra Boynton
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Dysfunctional by Design
Watching Richardson city government in action can be frustrating. Sometimes I find myself asking the same question the great baseball manager Casey Stengel asked when hired to manage the hapless New York Mets in their first year of play, "Can't anybody here play this game?"
But then I catch myself. Just how is the game supposed to be played? I end up thinking that maybe the appearance of dysfunction in city government may, in fact, be just how it's designed to operate.
After the jump, am I expecting too much?
But then I catch myself. Just how is the game supposed to be played? I end up thinking that maybe the appearance of dysfunction in city government may, in fact, be just how it's designed to operate.
After the jump, am I expecting too much?
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
A Tale of (Parking in) Two Cities
What's the difference between 20th century suburban sprawl and 21st century urban renewal? In a word, parking. The last time we looked in on parking in Richardson, the city council was deliberating whether to allow a Burger King restaurant to whittle away Richardson's strict landscape buffering requirements in order to build a bigger parking lot. That's right, the business owner wants even more parking than what Richardson requires, which is already a lot. That's a sign that Richardson is still stuck in 20th century suburban sprawl.
After the jump, a city with a 21st century attitude towards parking
After the jump, a city with a 21st century attitude towards parking
Monday, November 19, 2012
Review: Leonardo's Lost Princess
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Amazon |
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One would have to be a fool not to be wary of a Leonardo attribution. There's bound to be controversy. The last time a serious claim was made, it took nearly a century to sort it out."
After the jump, my review.
Friday, November 16, 2012
S2L77: Thaipusam at Batu Caves
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
February 3, 1977
We visited the Batu Caves during Thaipusam. Men skewered their cheeks and tongues and danced themselves into a frenzy on their procession to the great cave.
Source: Personal travel notes.
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From 1977 02 02 Malaysia |
One hundred miles up the Malay peninsula from Malacca is Kuala Lumpur. We arrived just in time for Thaipusam. Thirty five years later, I'm still stunned. That's all. I don't know what else to say. To learn more about this totally amazing festival, look it up yourself: Thaipusam.
More photos after the jump.
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