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Almost a year ago I learned I have high-grade prostate cancer. I’m surprised I’m not discouraged by surgery, radiation therapy, and the possibility of further therapies including chemo. My desire to travel is undiminished. 39 daily radiation sessions got in the way of a trip to Hawaii in January 2017. Instead, I planned a trip to…
Continue reading Long-Haul JourneysI started my journey around the Northern Hemisphere this morning: I walked to a number 2 bus which took me to a light rail station where I caught a train to the airport. Here’s the rest of my route: MSP–LAX–OGG (Kahului, Maui, Hawaii) OGG–HNL (Honolulu) Just one night. HNL–NRT–PVG (Shanghai) PVG–FUK (Fukuoka, Kyushu, Southern Japan) Jetfoil…
Continue reading Around the World in 53 Days In the past week we’ve stayed in three different parts of Maui and sampled a variety of hikes. The most dramatic hike so far on this trip has to be Keonehe’ehe’e (Sliding Sands) Trail. It starts above the clouds, about 10,000 feet up Haleakala. The photo at the top of this post shows…
Continue reading Six Maui HikesHawaii has a lot going for it. Billboards are illegal, healthcare is almost universal, and the British Union Jack on the Hawaiian flag harks back to a time when these were the Sandwich Islands. Hawaiians consume more Spam than any other population in the world. You find it on “mixed plates” throughout the state, accompanied…
Continue reading My Hawaiian Junk DrawerLast week I posted our first six Maui hikes. Since then, we’ve hiked eight more trails, ranging from gentle strolls to energetic scrambles. The photo at the top of this post shows me on a ridge section of the Halemau’u Trail, Haleakala National Park. Dwight is manning both the camera and backpack. The hike started…
Continue reading Eight More Maui HikesI deliberately chose a creaky 1920’s era hotel for my base in Shanghai, which made it all the more shocking to emerge into 21st century Shanghai. “Do you need the company of a woman?” asked a conservative-looking thirty-something woman, pacing the street outside. Today, I walked a twelve mile, somewhat random loop from…
Continue reading A Shanghai Urban HikeI’m in Shanghai’s Pudong Airport about to board a Korean Airlines flight to Seoul. It’s not my choice to go to South Korea today. I would rather go to Japan. I actually have a ticket to Japan (Fukuoka), leaving at about the same time as my Seoul flight. But if I try to board the…
Continue reading The Time I Was Denied Entry to China and How I Got InI’m still trying to figure out why I needed two stylists to blow-dry my hair with their duelling dryers in a Seoul salon. That’s the joy of travel. Even everyday situations can surprise. When something is “not like back home” that is to be welcomed. Anyway, here’s my list of some Korean oddities I’ve encountered…
Continue reading Descending Lifelines and Other Korean OdditiesSouth Korea is a nation of hikers. On the trails old, young, hip, dowdy, they love to hike. It’s no wonder: Korea is mountainous, but the population is concentrated on relatively small plains. The mountains beckon. During my current stay in South Korea I’ve hiked in five of South Korea’s twenty-two national parks.
I checked in to my Dubai hotel at 2:00 a.m. this morning, fresh off an eight-hour flight from Guangzhou. In the lobby, people were still enjoying the night. Two thirtysomething expatriate women emerged from the pub in summer frocks, looking like they were on their way to an English garden party. This is a city…
Continue reading Dubai by Rail and FootToday, in Montmartre, Paris, I stared at the Moulin Rouge, explored the elaborate cemetery, and walked past a boulangerie (bake shop) where a sign quoted a simple truth from Benjamin Franklin.
Last week, two friends and I explored parts of the Dales Way over three days. The long distance footpath starts in Ilkley, Yorkshire, progresses through the Yorkshire Dales National Park, then finishes in Bowness-on-Windermere in England’s Lake District. We chose start and end points served by rail: Ilkley at the start and Ribblehead at the finish.…
Continue reading Walking the Dales WayIn April 2017 I visited five of South Korea’s twenty-two national parks. In this post I document how I got to each park by rail and bus. I had not planned to spend much time in South Korea, but thanks to the authorities in Shanghai, China, I found myself with an extra week in South Korea.…
Continue reading How I Got to Five Korean National Parks by Mass TransitA thirty-something neighbor once announced he would love to visit Europe, but he would have to wait until he could afford to travel that distance in Business. He appeared to be in good health, so I can only assume he wasn’t particularly interested in the wider world.
I would willingly travel that distance holding on to a subway-style strap if that was the only option.
Started planning one of next year’s hikes.
My backpack, waiting by the door.
Posted Around the World in 53 Days.
Walked past dozens of outrigger canoes. They’re owned by local clubs and are a popular after-work activity.
Sea turtles had the right of way on my beach walk today.
After the sun set, we sat on the beach, sipped beer from plastic cups, and watched the ever-changing sky over the island of Molokai.
Windmills greeted us at the top of our hike.
Hiked past rare silverswords growing on cinder 10,000 feet up on Maui’s Haleakala. They can live for decades, they flower once, then die.
Our hike started in the clouds at 6,000 feet: Boundary Trail, Polipoli State Recreational Area.
We started at 8,000 feet, walked along a ridge, then frequently zigged and zagged: Halemauu Trail, Haleakala National Park.
We cleaned our plates at an old Maui institution: Mama’s Fish House. We enjoyed the freshest fish, cooked well: spendy, but worth it.
Lava met broken coral on our hike today. Hoapili Trail, Maui.
Hiked Seoul’s city wall. An 11 mile wall once protected the city; 8 miles remain today. The views would have been wonderful on a clear day.
Now staying in Mokpo, at the end of the train line, southwest South Korea, near where the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea comingle.
I lost count of all the peaks I climbed as I hiked full across Wolchulsan National Park. This was my most arduous day on the trip, so far.
The hotel clerk asked where I was going next. I replied I did not know, which was true. Freedom! I decided at the train station.
Four of my Purple Rain photos just published in: Vacation on Location: Explore the Sites Where Your Favorite Movies Were Filmed. My original blog post.
In Naejangsan National Park I had lovely ridge trails all to myself.
On a bus from Gwangju to Busan.
Posted Descending Lifelines and Other Korean Oddities.
Now in Gyeongju, South Korea, surrounded by Gyeongju National Park, an area of enormous historical significance.
Walked past some of the hundreds of ancient burial mounds in Gyeongju.
Ancient artifacts punctuated my hike of the Mount Namsan area of Gyeongju National Park. This pagoda is over 1,100 years old.
Paused at a temple on my way to the summit of Dobongsan Mountain, Bukhansan National Park. I rode the Seoul metro to get to the trailhead.
Posted Five South Korean National Parks.
Took a creaky old commuter train to Baengmagoji, just south of the DMZ. Walked along the civilian control line, heeding landmine warnings.
All charged up at Seoul’s Incheon Airport, ready for the next adventure.
Now in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Posted Dubai by Rail and Foot.
Rode an intercity bus to Abu Dhabi where I visited a mega-mosque: the Sheikh Zayed Grand. It can accommodate 40,000 worshippers.
Crossed the Dubai Creek on an abra (ferry), 30 cents one-way.
Sitting at Dubai DXB near a departure board with exotic (for me) destinations. Tonight, an overnight flight to Paris CDG. I’m grateful.
Proved that Paris is a walkable city (with a bit of help from the Metro).
Posted A Fully Baked Truth.
After feeding my inner Nicole Kidman outside the Moulin Rouge, the dead and I escaped from the rush hour crowds above Montmartre Cemetery
Now in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, my childhood stomping ground.
Taunted Dwight at work in Minneapolis with a photo of my elevenses in Newcastle: millionaire’s shortbread. Chocolate, caramel, shortbread.
Three amigos, at base camp (a pub in Ilkley, Yorkshire), ready to hike the Dales Way for three days, starting tomorrow.
Hiked a green and pleasant land. Dales Way, day 1 of 3.
Light and perspectives changed, vistas evolved, as we hiked across moorland towards Kettlewell, our place for tonight.
Day 3, we reached our objective: Ribblehead Viaduct. We were finally, away from it all: no cell signal, no WiFi at our inn. There was beer.
Friends and I converged on a York hotel. View from my hotel room.
Dined at the New New Bengal, Newcastle upon Tyne. We had to change dinner plans a few years ago the night the New Bengal went up in flames.
Walked to what was the local pub when I was a kid, the only building in the neighborhood with much character. Enjoyed a 20 fluid ounce pint.
It’s time to go home. NCL–AMS–MSP.
Posted Walking the Dales Way.
Posted 70 Hours on Airline Seats.
