Caption Contest!

already taken: "A Palestinian man looks though the window of a building damaged in recent years in the conflict with Israel in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Israel officially confirmed Wednesday that a cease-fire with the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip will begin Thursday morning in an effort to end a year of fighting that has killed more than 400 Palestinians and seven Israelis."


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Dec 5 contest:


already taken: "A tie. You're telling me I need a tie. Do you know who the fuck I am?"

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Dec 15 contest


already taken: "Here, catch, this is a 10"

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Jun 6 contest

Nicaragua

Welcome from Nicaragua. We were a bit giddy by the time we got to Masaya, one of many active volcanoes in Nicaragua, this one just off the highway from Managua to Granada. Famously, you can drive right up to the rim of the volcano, and famously, you must back your car into your parking spot to facilitate a quick get-away, just in case. (The last just-in-case was 2001.)


The museum at the entrance to the volcano park is a nice one, with a mini lesson of plate tectonics and some nice work on the local history.

Below are three of the people we met in Nicaragua. Rafael, with us at the museum, is an aspiring hotel owner. Right now he works for a guy from Montana who owns a nice spot in Granada. Rafael's also a bit of an entrepreneur and runs a couple of small businesses.

Ismael, our guide and driver in Managua, is next down. Mombotombo, a stratovolcano, is in the background middle left. I liked Ismael, though he didn't speak a word of English. He understood it though, I know that. Once I was bargaining for a couple of handbags with those Mayan/Aztec type drawings on them, I asked him to offer the woman 20 versus her stated price of 24 and he just looked at me and said no. Here's how I took the no: that would be insulting, and I'm protecting you and her by not relaying your bid, even if it will make you slightly angry with me. I sensed he knew I was a bit tired of local food too, we went to a nice mall with a great foodcourt and a decent live band (Billy Joel, Piano Man as we walked in) for our going away meal.

Next down is Fredder, our guide for ziplining up in a coffee plantation on the side of a mountain outside of Granada. Fredder was only 22 and had lots of energy and loved to talk. We learned that he started welding when he was 14 but that wasn't what he wanted to do so he went back to school. At university he had a girlfriend from El Salvador who did a poli sci degree; she knew everything about every treaty that affected Central American. Fredder wasn't into politics though, birds were his thing. He spoke for about an hour nonstop about birds while we hiked through the mountain, every word measured and meaningful. Fredder also let us know that he doesn't smoke, drink or dance close, but does like to party, and split with his old girlfriend.








After the ziplining fun we take care of a formality, signing the waiver. In the (farthest) background is Mario, while Fredder did the work in making sure we were safe, Mario did all the checking and made sure we were doubly safe and comfortable. He didn't say much, but you had the feeling that he knew what he was doing. He was also our driver, and could have easily killed us all, rollover style, just getting to our destination; it was not a fun ride, and I guess in choosing whether to hit the bumps hard or soft it might as well be hard and fast, versus soft and slow. (Same principle on the water by the way, boaters will know.)



A resort on the Pacific. After "roughing it" (hotel with no pool) for 5 days, we treat ourselves at Montelimar.


The pool is the largest in Central America, and the ocean isn't bad either. The waves are a bit deceptive, larger than they look .. there's a body in the second pic below, if you look hard enough.




Finally around sunset you get some relief from the scorching temps.















And when you think you've seen or missed the sunset, look what happens. The sun comes back again to hit the underside of the clouds. These three pics are taken 7, 8, and 9 minutes after the last pic above. Gorgeous.















Back in Granada you start the day (if you dare) with a trip to the covered market. How many years has this been going on, just like this.


And if your sandals need repairing, pay somebody to find you the shoe repair guy in the outdoor market. Two bucks for a 1 minute stitch job, turns a busted sandal into a functional one.


A typical restaurant. After playing it safe with recognizable food, we went with local fare. The restaurants aren't as showy, but the food is good, the service is great, and the conversation always interesting.


















And then in the evening, it's Central Park. I had grabbed a bench (hard to do, you have to be patient and quick), but I soon had one visitor, then a second, which filled the bench. How am I going to explain that? Then a third, standing there with her baby and looking at me as if I took her spot. It's yours, I gestured, and your price (I thought to myself) will be a picture with me.

China girl

My wife's mom recounts occasionally her time as a teenager hiding in the hills with her mother and multitude of sisters when Mao came to power. She tells her stories without malice or emotion, but it was a life and death thing, they did lose everything, and she did eventually make it to North America (Costa Rica of all places). All of them made it out, including a guy from her village who made it to Trinidad, and who she eventually married back in that same village, before coming back to North America.


So after hiding, imagine seeing these same types face-to-face 60 years later in an almost make-believe (i.e. touristy) circumstance. What's she thinking? I got out and you didn't? But they all love China, you'll never take that away. Trivia question: the cops in Tiananmen stopped carrying guns awhile ago, and instead carry what? (Answer)

(more soon hopefully)

Nov 13:

An impromptu singer at Temple of Heaven:



Apartments near Olympic Village:



Added Feb 8:





Wall pics, added Aug 18, 2011

Happy Holidays!

added Nov 30:

For my Fray friend run75441 -- Cuba pics

Relaxing in Havana. This is in front of the National Hotel in the Vedada (University) section of Havana. It's a nice hotel, but the attraction here is a barely visible museum, a bunker actually, a relic from the Cold War, that was a bit of a command centre watching for US planes coming in from the Florida direction during the Cuba Missile Crisis. The Cubans actually expected to be hit, and any who have seen The Fog of War would know that they were right to have that expectation.


This is just off of my favourite street in Havana, the Prado:


It's European-style with a beautiful raised marble and cement sidewalk down the centre, and mainly dilapitated buildings on each side. But they're functional, and lived in. Look at this guy:


He's sitting outside on his second-story balcony. They all look like that: stately, distinguished, Garcia-Marquez types that could talk forever and teach you life. The street separates Central City from the Old City, and runs from the Capitol (modeled after your own in Washington, down to the Malecon.

Here's a pic of the Malecon. I love this pic (posted it before) because it caught the gasp on the little girl's face .. it's like she's thinking "Mom, you risk dumping me in the ocean just so those people will take my picture??!?"


Here's some city life, a market in Centro (and if you could see that meat close up you'd see a dizzying array of flies buzzing around it .. probably the main reason I haven't gone back, the flies), and some good lookin chick in front of the Museum of the Revolution in the Old city (see the Cold War relics in the background, and the sign that says "Do Not Stay in This Area" .. ain't we brave!):
















Finally here's a typical beach pic from south Cuba, just outside a Spanish historical town (called that because it likely looks about the same now as it did a century ago .. cept for the cars) called Trinidad.


See what I mean? Here's a street shot of that little town, and the original kite runner:

















Back to the city, here are some old guys playing chess in Old Havana's Central Park .. we went there to hang out at the "Hot Corner" and listen to some baseball talk, and it was interesting for a bit, but the chess players won out for my attention:



And to get around Old Havana, of course, you have your choice of colour and model (mileage may not be great, but it's a comfortable ride):















Not to mention Fidel's personal ride(!)



And to finish, a couple of nitwits (one local, one not) in front of Hemingway's joint (yellow sign in background, looks empty but always packed) in Old Havana:



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Added Nov 18

My original comment on this pic "Cuba is not Iraq", but it looks like a war zone (may have to expand it):