Crazy Cowboy Chileno (Part II)

I had paid for our beers, paid for the wine, and of course I was paying 100% of the cab fare too. In his defense EL Huaso Loco was on another planet anyway so it may not have been too intentional. On the other hand the gringo is always rich and gets his money off … Continue reading Crazy Cowboy Chileno (Part II) →

Catching Dinner

Rice farmer's wife with winning smile

But Simon, why the border run to Burma? I thought you’d never ask.

Last Thursday I went to the immigration office in my adopted home town of Chiang Rai to make a 90-report as per Thai law. I presented my passport to the officer and looked away from him to organize some other documents (lease on my house, etc.) when the officer told me there was a problem. … Continue reading But Simon, why the border run to Burma? I thought you’d never ask. →

Memories of the USSR, IV

Speak, Memory is the title of the autobiographical novel by the late, very much lamented Nabokov. Tonight, as you may have noticed, mine won’t shut up. I urge you to look up pictures of the Golden Ring towns Surrounding Moscow: Zagorsk, Suzdal, Kolomenskoe. But I think tonight I’ll revisit St Petersburg. And I’m on the … Continue reading Memories of the USSR, IV →

Memories of the USSR,III

I didn’t tell you much about Moscow yet. We stayed at the Intourist Hotel, foreigners only, of course. (Were there any hotels where Soviet citizens who didn’t have some sort of special privilege could stay? Come to think of it, I don’t know. I don’t think they traveled around much back then, not even within … Continue reading Memories of the USSR,III →

Memories of the USSR, II

First, let me tell you that I’m writing about a place no one can ever visit again. You can go to Russia, but not to the Soviet Union. With its peasant-like xenophobia, its Spartan (more like Helot, actually) second class citizenry, its worthless company-store currency, and (I hope!) its rudimentary and olfactorially obtrusive sewage arrangements, … Continue reading Memories of the USSR, II →

Memories of the USSR

As I threatened on another thread this morning, I’m going to...just kinda free-associate concerning my visit to the Soviet Union a few years before 1989. We thought it was likely to be pretty primitive, , so we booked the most luxurious tour we could find: a tour of the Golden Ring (that’s a cluster of … Continue reading Memories of the USSR →

Road Trip in Pics

All US Military War Veterans Are Not Same-Same

It seems that some veterans want to create an impression that a veteran is a veteran is a veteran. Then there are guys like me who think combat arms veterans, in particular, have paid one hell of a lot more dues than the majority of vets, especially those we call rear echelon mother fuckers (REMF). … Continue reading All US Military War Veterans Are Not Same-Same →

Category: holiday travel