Everyone is raving about Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.
More a philosophy book than than travel guide, Rolf Potts urges that “anyone with an adventurous spirit can achieve the feat of taking extended time off from work to experience the world.”
(via World Hum)
Had a great couple of weeks in Vegas, being trained in the circus arts. Where else to learn but in the true Entertainment Capital of the World?
I saw the 5 awesome Cirque du Soleil shows currently playing and spent time backstage. As well, I observed two auditions and assisted my she-mentor Dana with evaluations.
It was an eye-opener! And a learning experience big-time.
If you want to know more, I post Cirque du Soleil notes on my gymnastics blog.
THANKS Dan & Terri, and Dana & Fred who hosted the perfect houseguest (… at some point in the past. This time it was me eating their food and drinking their booze.)
Next adventure?
Hiking Paria Canyon on the Arizona / Utah border. I plunge into the slot canyon Thursday Oct. 26th.
» next travelogue post on this trip – hiking – survived Paria Canyon
The worst part of travel is the inconsistency of exercise and food. You have far more control over your life at home.
I would like to be riding a bike to a gymnastics gym (or weight room) but — instead — I’m jogging to playgrounds.
This one (VitaCourse) in Vegas is of the best playground gyms I’ve found.
» next travelogue post on this trip – leaving Las Vegas
Checking the weather for an upcoming hike to Paria Canyon …
» next travelogue post on this trip – exercising while travelling
I don’t eat Big Macs — they have no taste — but a travellin’ man is always checking price vs purchasing power. I saw a standard muffin sold for US$3 in San Francisco, then $4.50 in a Las Vegas casino deli.
Economist magazine started the Big Mac index in 1986 and it is still referred to widely.
But Dana would be keener on the Starbucks Tall Latte index, introduced by Economist in 2004.
The graphic shows 2004 prices. You must subscribe to Economist on-line to get the up-to-date statistics. That’s to keep the poor (who might disagree with their pro-globalization, pro-Starbucks editorial policy) ignorant.
PS
I’ve often told people that Starbucks was owned indirectly by big tobacco. That’s wrong — in fact, the company is zealously non-smoking at all outlets, even in China.
Running The Strip each morning, I have time to ponder.
If mankind should disappear off the Earth, alien archeologists will certainly rank Las Vegas the finest ruins of them all.
You could spend a lifetime trying to visualize what was going on in these fantastical, gargantuan resorts.
Of 2,763 rooms in the Mirage Hotel, mine is one of the best. (I assume. Haven’t seen the rest.)
Of course casinos nickle and dime you to death. And not only in the slots. No free internet. Phone calls steep surcharge. Weight room an extra $20 / day.
But this is an astonishing fantasy world to visit. Like a decadent dream.
original photo – out helicopter window – on Flickr
» next travelogue post on this trip – weather forecast in Vegas
I had a couple of days free in San Francisco. Headed straight for the Green Tortoise, perhaps the best hostel in the USA.
I knew the Tortoise from the reputation of their excellent bus adventure tours. A bargain at as little as US$40 / day. But it was Mollie’s raves about the hostel that put it on my must visit list.
So, $25 / night for a bunkbed in a cramped dorm. That’s typical.
But everyone at the hostel is happy. Free internet, free breakfast, free dinner, amazing party room, special events daily. (My team bowed out in the first round of Beer Pong.) Party tours go nightly.
It’s in the perfect location on the edge of Chinatown.
» next travelogue post on this trip – jogging the Las Vegas Strip
Tourists love San Francisco: Eclectic architecture, diverse population, Alcatraz, Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, etc.
They love the restaurants and shops.
I was underwhelmed. This is not the destination for me.
I was let down, having had some vague idea I would visit the Googleplex, or Apple HQ — like they have nothing better to do than tour me around.
Though I had my bread bowl of chowder, I managed to miss the chance to ride a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge.
» next travelogue post on this trip – Green Tortoise, San Francisco
TODAYonline reports that Singapore will have free wireless internet from almost anywhere on the island by next September.
(via Dvorak Uncensored » Singapore, one giant hotspot — FREE!)
I’m writing this post on free wireless internet in San Francisco, another supposed hotspot of the technology.
My experience here close to silicon valley is that wireless internet, free or not, is inconsistent and unreliable. Weird things go wrong. It is frustrating to work with large files such as video and photos.
My free wireless connection at the glassy Apple Store was no better.
I just want to plug-in.
comic source – DoNotUpload.com
Thanks to Tom Mangan, a hiking blogger from San Jose, I travelled to the first annual outdoor bloggers meetup. Tom put together a nice photo report on the weekend.
Tom first collected myself and Szu-ting Yi (a Taiwanese blogger living in Philadelphia) from the airport, then drove us 5hrs to gorgeous Mt. Shasta to rendezvous with the rest of the gang.
Though strangers, we had much in common — the outdoors and the internet.
Russ the Wine Hiker supplied us with great reds and prepared gourmet Thai food. The best meal I ever ate around a campfire. Though he knows the lyrics, I am quite sure he never actually toured with the Eagles.
Tom Chandler (Trout Underground) and his wife Nancy provided the local information — they live in Shasta — though we did not find time for Tom to teach me to fly fish. Perhaps he was worried I might be a natural Brad-Pitt-River-Runs-Through-It-type and make it look too easy.
The hard-core hiker amongst us was techie John Fedak who lives down the street from Apple Computer (but works mostly for Intel). John’s a blogger — but his forte is photography. Check some of his favourite pics.
Lastly, Adam and his almost-3-year-old son kept up to the rest of us on the trail. Adam is a climber who loves Mt. Shasta. He blogs as climb_ca on GoBlog which supports the GetOutdoors.com — everything you need to GetOutdoors.
Photos of camping, fishing, drinking, dining and even some hiking on Flickr.
» next travelogue post on this trip – San Francisco?
Rick McCharles 
