I like big things. Big buildings. Big bridges. Big boats. One of my favorite places in the world is the St. Louis Arch. It is neat to be able to stand directly under something 600 feet talk. Taipei 101 is one of those big, neat places. In most major cities, you will see a skyline …
I got a link from PVP today, so hello to everyone who is new. I also should take this time to pander to all the new fellow geeks who are reading, so today I’ll be talking about my trip to the Guang Hua Electronics Market in Taipei. If you have assembled a computer or have …
I don’t think I was prepared for Saipan. Most of the places I’ve been in the Pacific have been….well, Pacific. There has been a common thread to them. They are all sort of laid back and underdeveloped to various degrees. They take pride in local customs and languages, even if they are only used to …
After having gone ga-ga over Pohnpei, I wouldn’t think I would have been as impressed with Kosrae, but I was. My stay on Kosrae was at the Kosrae Village which was very similar, at least in construction, to the Village in Pohnpei. All of the structures were built by locals out of local materials in …
Where to begin about the Marshalls??? For starters, I didn’t explore Majuro as much as I did other cities I’ve visited. I put 20% of the blame myself spending too much time catching up on photos and blog posts and 80% of the blame on Majuro for being an uninteresting place with nothing to see. …
Palau Rocks. Pun intended. I’m not sure why Palau works, but it does. If you look at other Pacific nations with similar populations, they are pretty much basket cases politically and economically. Palau has managed to create a country with a standard of living higher than its neighbors (save for Guam) and a stable government. …
Here is a list of random first thoughts: I’m surprised that there is as much English as there is. Almost all the signage is in English. I was expecting much less and more Tagalog. The Philippines is a big place with a large enough population that they should have a critical mass of speakers so …
I’m leaving Hawaii soon, so I figure I better get back into the habit of writing. Many people have a very romantic view of island life. They can think of nothing better than sitting on a beach with palm trees. That is their version of paradise. You go to the mall and in some kiosk …
Yesterday was my birthday. On this black day in history, the following happened: Rome was sacked. (410 AD) Mount Vesuvius erupted burying the city of Pompeii (79 AD) The White House was burned (1814) Windows 95 was released The Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre occurred (1572) The Bank Panic of 1857 Pete Rose was banned from …