tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52370862011-04-21T17:24:34.133-07:00The Taiwan DaysEmail me at:
thejeremyosborn@yahoo.comJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comBlogger1331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1081920834854483162004-04-13T22:33:00.000-07:002004-04-13T22:37:44.576-07:00I'm in the processing of moving my blog to a much more flexible and option filled service provider. It should be up by the end of the weekend and it should look much better. I will have photo galleries, music and other documents, as well as my old journal. I'll post the address for it here when it is ready
JJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1081231418536312102004-04-05T23:03:00.000-07:002004-04-05T23:09:00.750-07:00We had an amazing weekend at Spring Scream over the weekend(that last sentence is a redundant sentence). We travelled south to Kenting on Saturday morning. Kenting is on the very southermost tip of Taiwan and is famous here for its beach culture. Spring Scream is an annual music festival that draws huge crowds of foreigners and Taiwanese from all over Taiwan. It was really fun. I met up with Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1080804926457773362004-03-31T23:35:00.000-08:002004-03-31T23:38:59.060-08:00Bono On Elvis: By Bono (An Excerpt From Rolling Stone Magazine)
Out of Tupelo, Mississippi, out of Memphis, Tennessee, came this green, sharkskin-suited girl chaser, wearing eye shadow -- a trucker-dandy white boy who must have risked his hide to act so black and dress so gay. This wasn't New York or even New Orleans; this was Memphis in the Fifties. This was punk rock. This was revolt. Elvis Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1080798084947356312004-03-31T21:41:00.000-08:002004-03-31T21:44:57.356-08:00Howdy. It's been a few days since I put up a post. The reason being that I was sick and tired after the race last weekend. Here's a recap of my life over the past seven days.
I journeyed to Hong Kong last Friday on a visa run. I was given my visa without a hitch and shortly after met up with my good friends Michelle and Aurelia for the Rugby 7s on Friday night. The Rugby 7s are one of the Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1080197016508770692004-03-24T22:43:00.000-08:002004-03-24T22:46:59.686-08:00I'm off for Hong Kong tomorrow morning. I have had a busy day and will have an even busier weekend ahead of me. I have to catch the bus to Taipei tonight in order to catch my flight to Hong Kong in the AM. Tomorrow I need to go to the Visa office and apply for my new visa and tomorrow night I will be meeting up with Michelle and Aurelia and some of their friends to attend the Rugby 7s. That will Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1080026995444994852004-03-22T23:29:00.000-08:002004-03-22T23:33:16.340-08:00It looks as though I will be travelling to Hong Kong next weekend. I think I have the time off work. A couple of my friends from Kunming will be there, and informed me by email today that they have an extra ticket for me for one of the rugby matches on Friday night. I'm stoked. The World Rugby Sevens is supposed to be a big weekend in Hong Kong. The city will be buzzing.
The week is looking goodJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1079931653567592972004-03-21T21:00:00.000-08:002004-03-21T21:04:13.310-08:00Another Monday arrived without much fanfare when I woke this morning. The weekend was alot of fun, and the Taiwanese election results were good enough for most people here to prevent rioting or any kind of mass violence.
The house party on Saturday turned out really well. Jeff came down from Taichung and so did Cathy, a very pretty and creative South African girl I had met the weekend before Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1079590004730774082004-03-17T22:06:00.000-08:002004-03-21T00:06:22.763-08:00Amazing. Three posts in three days. I'm actually getting back into the blog. Maybe it's because I'm operating on a semi-perpetual endorphyn high from running every day and I'm "into" most things in my life lately. Who knows?
My visa problems seem to be sorting themselves out. My schools are not going to fire me, which is nice to know. I looked into studying Chinese at the University in order to Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1079420450948973742004-03-15T23:00:00.000-08:002004-03-15T23:07:02.983-08:00Happy Ides Of March. I've had an odd and nagging desire to post a blog entry consisting of some cool quotations, here it is:
"A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much or more we should ourselves complain.
- William Shakespeare"
"Everyone is struggling. Be kind to them." - Jann Arden
"He who fights Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1079408728128224862004-03-15T19:45:00.000-08:002004-03-15T19:48:39.436-08:00This last weekend I travelled by train two hours north to a town called Chang Hua where my good friend from Swift Current Jeff Sylvester has been living. It was great to see him and we went out to a big "foreigner party" and had a blast. I returned early on Sunday afternoon because a friend of mine here in Tainan was showing some art in an artshow, so our whole gang went out to support him.
Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1078881921290618222004-03-09T17:25:00.000-08:002004-03-09T17:28:24.670-08:00Time continues to pass in Taiwan and life is good. I'm starting to feel really good from running. I think by the time I finish the half marathon at the end of the month that I'll be in the best shape I've ever been in. This week I'm running 38km in five days and I'm still lifting weights three times a week. Its starting to get pretty intense.
Last weekend was pretty uneventful. I went out on Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1078125199152624022004-02-29T23:13:00.000-08:002004-02-29T23:16:36.500-08:00Another week has ended and another week has begun. Myself and seven others took a camping trip on the weekend to a really nice park called Mao Lin. It was about two hours south by scooter from Tainan and we had a great time. Getting out into nature was really refreshing, though oddly, there was smog on the first day there. We camped on the side of a river and pigged out on junkfood and beer, wentJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1077283757093545892004-02-20T05:29:00.000-08:002004-02-20T05:31:55.966-08:00I just finished my first night of teaching. I have to say that I really love it so far. My kids are great and I feel really energized after teaching them all night. Mike is finished now, so I take over full time on Monday. I've been kind of nervous all week about starting teaching, but it went really well tonight, and now I'm mostly just excited.
Everything has been going superbly(knock on wood)Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1076673020141544182004-02-13T03:50:00.000-08:002004-02-13T03:52:50.140-08:00www.davidsuzuki.com is a pretty decent website with lots of good and practical information about the environment and environmental sustainability. There is a nature challenge that you can sign up for. The Nature Challenge is a way to share sustainable living tips and by signing up you are essentially petioning the government regarding healthy environmental practices.Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1076588056991855842004-02-12T04:14:00.000-08:002004-02-12T04:16:45.436-08:00I'm in Tainan. I keep telling myself that. Taiwan is pretty crazy. I've sort of lost interest in blogging lately, but I thought I'd throw one up tonight('throwing up a blog' is definitely a tech-age idiom). I was planning to take the blog down after I got here because I was losing interest in it and because I'm not travellin anymore, but I changed my mind. I will probably try to write in it aboutJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1073552769125835792004-01-08T01:06:00.000-08:002004-01-08T01:07:52.060-08:00I've had some complaints about the archives not working on my blog, but they seem fine to me. Please email me if there are problems and I'll have webmaster Ben look at them immediately.
Still in Bangkok, but I'm leaving tonight. I've got my Visa for Taiwan. It is two months and non-extendable, so I hope I can get work and change it without having to leave Taiwan. I completed a bunch of other Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1073376261053582632004-01-06T00:04:00.000-08:002004-01-06T00:06:00.466-08:00I'm back in Bangkok. I just can't get enough of this place. I arrived yesterday feeling slightly deflated after some emotional goodbyes in Kunming. There isn't really much point to me trying to explain how great Kunming was and how close I was to my friends there, so I'll just leave it at that.
I got a good night's sleep last night and woke up in pretty decent spirits this morning. I breathed inJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1072928324524147622003-12-31T19:38:00.000-08:002003-12-31T19:40:16.610-08:002004 has arrived. I'm just hanging out in the internet joint behind my house listening to Bjork and nursing my substantial hangover. We went to a house party and then to a bar in a park last night. Needless to say I had quite a few celebratory beers and alot of fun. Happy New Years! My head hurts.
Unusually, this year I found myself going pee as the countdown began, so I brought in the New Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1072347779521312732003-12-25T02:22:00.000-08:002003-12-25T02:24:23.060-08:00Ho ho ho. We saw a Chinese guy who looked like Santa Clause while we were playing basketball today.
I'm back in Kunming. I arrived at about noon today and I have to say it feels really good to be back. I've had a small string of bad luck over the last two weeks in Beijing and it was nice to get home. Kunming was all sunny skies and a balmy 18 degrees today. I've acquired a cold in the last Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1072082239544523362003-12-22T00:37:00.000-08:002003-12-22T00:38:38.796-08:00I had a productive day today. Here's what I accomplished:
1. Picked up my new passport from the Canadian Consulate.
2. Applied for a Visa at the PSB(Public Security Bureau - these are the Chinese police).
3. Helped a non-English or Chinese speaking Pakistani family fill out their visa applications. They were all about nine days overdue and were having a very difficult time communicating with Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1071996907291363652003-12-21T00:35:00.000-08:002003-12-21T00:58:35.436-08:00Hi everybody. Well, after spending two days eating Mcdonald's and hanging out in internet joints, I decided to get off my ass and see a bit of Beijing today. I was fooling myself into thinking that I had been letting my tooth heal when the reality was that its been awhile since I've had to fend for myself in a foreign culture. I've been surrounded by westerners and Chinese speakers for most of myJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1071918337163765032003-12-20T03:05:00.000-08:002003-12-20T03:06:54.356-08:00Canada has a new Prime Minister, as most Canadians already know. Here's what he's up to:
Paul Martin
Also, Ed Broadbent is planning to return to Politics with the NDP(I always kinda liked Ed):
NDP Party Of Canada
And of course the evil alliance. It is too bad that Stockwell Day lost the leadership race. He made me laugh. The Alliance will be merging with the Progressive Conservative Party to Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1071898068048434762003-12-19T21:27:00.000-08:002003-12-19T21:33:54.746-08:00I don't have any of my own pictures from China yet, but here's a website link from my friend Steve, who I met when I was first in Kunming:
China PicturesJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1071891873463567222003-12-19T19:44:00.000-08:002003-12-19T19:45:49.890-08:00My teeth are healing nicely. I've been taking it pretty easy the last couple of days. I guess my life is starting to realign after a bit of a crazy week last week.
My new passport is ready for retrieval from the Canadian consulate on Monday. From there I can take it to the PSB(Chinese cops) and get a new Visa issued, hopefully in time for my Christmas day flight later in the week. Also, I Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1071746109019122012003-12-18T03:15:00.000-08:002003-12-18T03:16:23.436-08:00My trip to Beijing unfolded in an unexpected matter. I lost my passport the first night I was here and my wisdom teeth continued to grow into my jaw. Anyways, the consequences are that I had a wisdom tooth and a chunk of my jaw removed the other day and I'll be in Beijing till Christmas getting my new passport and visa. Nonetheless, my trip to Indonesia is off and I will return to Kunming to Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1071109212738300892003-12-10T18:20:00.000-08:002003-12-10T18:21:17.356-08:00Two days till Beijing and my school application is almost complete. That will be a relief to have that done. I'm in Beijing for five days and then I return to Kunming for one last weekend before hopefully departing for Indonesia on Monday, December 22.
Its starting to sink in that I'm leaving Kunming and it feels really strange. Like leaving home all over again. I'm going to miss this place and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1070973179783421582003-12-09T04:32:00.000-08:002003-12-09T04:34:02.280-08:00"....yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life. And now I know that we must lift the sail and catch the winds of destiny.... to put meaning in one's life may end in madness, but life without madness is torture of restlessness and vague desire - it is a boat longing for the sea yet afraid."
- Edgar Lee Masters
"Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar."
- Anonymous
Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1070849976260137802003-12-07T18:19:00.000-08:002003-12-07T18:20:36.920-08:00Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time since I dropped out of the Fast Enterprises Fitness challenge with whooping cough last year(about ten months ago). It felt good, but I'm really sore today. Its all part of my new plan for rehabilitation. I've come to the conclusion that the reason I keep injuring myself is because I don't have any muscles.
Krampus was a few days ago in Austria. I Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1070341885985974102003-12-01T21:03:00.000-08:002003-12-01T21:12:19.076-08:00Not much new to report, but I'm trying to get back in the habit of updating my blog. I'm going to Beijing for four days in a couple of weeks. I'm excited about that. I haven't seen much of China since I've been here. I may need to come back again someday.
The Simpsons Season 3 is now available on DVD(it was probably out in North America about six months ago), so we've been watching alot of old Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1070246335499247742003-11-30T18:30:00.000-08:002003-11-30T18:39:46.920-08:00I've decided to give my blog a new look thanks to some feedback from my web development expert, Mr. Terrill. Unfortunately, my blog is blocked in China, so I can't actually view my changes here. Any feedback would be appreciated regarding the new look.
My blog was down for a day or two this weekend because I tried to post a really long speech by Al Gore regarding the human rights infringements Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1069985429968133882003-11-27T17:54:00.000-08:002003-11-27T18:11:17.686-08:00Why the Canadian Alliance is still scary:
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/11/27/alliance031127
I thought this warranted a blog entry. Its really embarrassing that these guys are still continuing to gain momentum and power in Canada after they reveal themselves time and time again in the media as radically conservative bigots. There's a federal election next spring. Don't forget to vote.
In Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1069292657108943482003-11-19T17:44:00.000-08:002003-11-19T17:44:52.716-08:00Oh blog, I could never stay mad at you.
Here's another overdue edition of Jeremy's Life in China:
Its getting damned cold in Kunming. My hands are cold typing this email, but its still super sunny here almost everyday, which makes up for the cold, sort of.
I've recently given up my Chinese lessons. I'm planning to leave Kunming in about a month, so I decided to Kaibosh(sp?) the lessons and tryJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1068255303202949362003-11-07T17:20:00.000-08:002003-11-07T17:35:23.296-08:00Since I've been receiving so much criticism about the cultural gap caused in western society by the absence of my blog, and the effect it is going to have on the history books of our current century, I figured it was about time to put it in an update.
I'm in a city called Dali right now having a short vacation. Dali is a sort of hippy city at the base of the mountains about 8 hours west of Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1066268262888195852003-10-15T18:37:00.000-07:002003-10-15T18:37:42.583-07:00From "The Onion" this week(www.theonion.com):
Bush Disappointed To Learn Chinese Foreign Minister Doesn't Know Karate
WASHINGTON, DC�While he still plans to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, President Bush was disappointed to learn that the dignitary does not know karate, White House adviser Karl Rove told reporters Tuesday. "I told George that karate is an ancient martial art of Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1066188564433485382003-10-14T20:13:00.000-07:002003-10-14T20:29:24.193-07:00I'm back from Hong Kong. I got busy yesterday and didn't get a chance to update the old diary. Hong Kong was fantastic. What a great city. While I was there I was entertaining the idea of looking for work, but I've had a change of heart now that I'm back in peaceful, sleepy Kunming. The living is pretty easy here. I got to see Gunner and Shannon and met some new friends through them. We had a Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1065493345197431232003-10-06T19:22:00.000-07:002003-10-06T19:22:25.086-07:00Ni hao. It is a grey Tuesday in Kunming. The sun hasn't been shining for the last few days. A phenomenon that is unusual here. Fie grey skies. Fie.
Anyways, life in Kunming continues. It is National Week right now so everyone is on holidays, including me.
I had been planning to study French in France next year under a French Consulate program that places Americans(and I was hoping Canadians) Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1065166190898929352003-10-03T00:29:00.000-07:002003-10-03T00:29:50.673-07:00Life is good in Kunming. I feel like this is a good environment for growth for me. I've given up smoking and drinking and I'm trying to get into the routine of living a super healthy lifestyle. It feels good so far, though I can't seem to get much excercise here. Not because I haven't tried or there aren't a million opportunities, but because I keep injuring myself. I hurt my wrist a week and a Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-106474962604209812003-09-28T04:47:00.000-07:002003-09-28T04:47:05.723-07:00Not much new to report. I bought basketball shoes today and a basketball. There are a bunch of us who play, so I should make good use of these investments. My game needs some work, but my trash talk is as impeccable as ever. Though I may physical lose every time I play, I hold the psychological edge throughout the match(if only in my own mind).
We watched a good movie last night. "The 25th HourJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1064382229876938882003-09-23T22:43:00.000-07:002003-09-23T22:43:49.610-07:00I am getting settled in Kunming nicely now, though I woke up with a cold this morning. I taught my first class of highschool kids a couple of days ago and it went really well. Once I got past the initial five minutes of nervousness and realized that I had absolute authority over this class full of kids then it became alot more fun. Seriously though, I enjoyed it alot. I'm going to try and get Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1063681818741478542003-09-15T19:57:00.000-07:002003-09-15T20:18:13.796-07:00Everything is really falling into place for me here in Kunming. I'm quite excited about staying here. I"m not sure if my last post made it up or not. I can't seem to find it in this blog editor. I also just realized that I can't browse my own blog from China. Possibly it has been censored by the government as counter cultural propoganda.
Here's a recap(my apologies for any repetition): I decidedJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1063359445597737192003-09-12T02:16:00.000-07:002003-09-12T02:37:25.510-07:00Ah Kunming at last. Kunming is a large Chinese metropolis. I'm not sure how many people, but I would guess in the many millions. It is really cold here. It must have been about ten degrees when I got in this morning. That is really cold for my tropically adjusted skin. I think I will need to get new clothes as winter settles in on China.
After I got in this morning I got a place at a pretty Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1063190998556134792003-09-10T03:49:00.000-07:002003-09-10T03:49:58.423-07:00That link to my photos doesn't seem to be working. I've got the technical team looking into it right now.
I am now in China. I arrived this morning via the China-Laos border crossing at Boten. It took me a couple of days to get here, but I'm now in the city of Jinghong in Yunnan province. China is dramatically different from Laos. Laos is so quiet and sleepy. China is much faster paced so far. Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062903121011308302003-09-06T19:52:00.000-07:002003-09-06T19:52:00.876-07:00I thought I had put this link up for some photos before, but apparently not. This is just a small selection of random photos from Tom's camera during our travels together. I've sent all my film home to have it developed there. Just copy and paste this enormous link exactly as it is into your browser. Enjoy!
http://64.4.22.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=c5cdd161b200560099e44a7404588027&lat=Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062780897033079512003-09-05T09:54:00.000-07:002003-09-05T09:54:56.970-07:00I've been in Luang Prabang since last night. This is a beautiful little city in Northern Laos. It is nestled in the mountains amongst tropical rainforest and surrounds a bend in the mighty Mekong river. A former french colonial outpost, the city has retained much of its European charm. I sound like a guidebook, but its true. This is a really amazing little city with a very distinct, laid back Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062639722108399832003-09-03T18:42:00.000-07:002003-09-03T18:42:01.993-07:00I'm leaving Vientienne in a couple of hours here. My plan is to travel north to city called Luang Prabang and spend a day or two there before heading further north to the Chinese border. Luang Prabang is a Unesco World Heritage Sight and is supposed to be quite a beautiful city with some amazing colonial architecture and a very relaxed atmosphere. My wisdom tooth is bothering me a little bit Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062476129431086542003-09-01T21:15:00.000-07:002003-09-01T21:15:29.436-07:00I caught the bus to Vientienne last night and now I am here in Vientienne after catching the bus here last night. I didn't sleep much on the bus(hence the redundancy in my writing), but it went fairly quickly. Vientienne is a capital city, but seems pretty low paced so far. Much different than Bangkok. It reminds me of Burma here. It is quite obviously much poorer and less developed. This Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062345568114142892003-08-31T08:59:00.000-07:002003-08-31T08:59:27.923-07:00My last night in Bangkok. Tomorrow morning I pick-up my Chinese Visa and then tomorow night I will catch the train to Vientienne, Laos and eventually to the Chinese border. I had an interesting day today. I woke up this morning after sleeping poorly. There were a bunch of young English girls playing bad rap music, talking loudly and singing for most of the wee hours. Nonetheless, I woke up this Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062236858159234992003-08-30T02:47:00.000-07:002003-08-30T02:47:38.050-07:00Change in plans again. I can't book a one-way ticket into Europe with a Canadian passport. I guess they're worried that I'll like it so much that I won't leave. Oh well, China it is, once again. I'll leave Bangkok Monday night for Laos.Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062167046805186962003-08-29T07:24:00.000-07:002003-08-29T07:24:06.786-07:00Bangkok yet. The visa will be ready in three days. I'm kind of "chomping at the bit" to get moving again, but I've been contemplating a change of plans over the last twenty-four hours. I've been thinking about flying to Europe first, and then travelling the other way through Russia and eventually into China. Since I've bought the Lonely Planet, and seen all the beautiful pictures of Eastern Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1062003033016344252003-08-27T09:50:00.000-07:002003-08-27T09:50:32.876-07:00I am still in Bangkok. I have to wait until Monday to pickup my Chinese Visa, so I have some time on my hands now. I spent today cleaning out my backpack of unneccessary junk. I threw some stuff out and I mailed some stuff home. I think my pack will be much lighter now.
I'm considering leaving Bangkok for a few days. There are a million other travellers here, but for some reason I'm not meetingJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1061918290644865742003-08-26T10:18:00.000-07:002003-08-26T10:18:10.660-07:00I arrived in Bangkok last night after a relatively easy boat and bus ride from Koh Tao. The buses here are quite luxurious. They are double decker air cons wit lots of leg room. They definitely beat the hell out of the buses in India and Burma, though riding the buses there is somewhat of a cultural experience.
I met a Dutch guy on the bus named Jost and we went out for beers last night. I only Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1061724112992950122003-08-24T04:21:00.000-07:002003-08-24T04:21:52.953-07:00Still on Koh Tao. I was just re-reading my old blogs and I realized that I don't put much effort into this stale monstrosity anymore.
I moved beaches today for a change of scenery. The new beach is much more chilled out. I don't think I'll stay long though. I bought the Lonely Planet for China the other day, and I'm getting psyched up for another epic journey. Today I was checking out Russian Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1061465990405799152003-08-21T04:39:00.000-07:002003-08-21T04:39:50.310-07:00I am now on Koh Tao. I think that it is my third day here. This is the diving island. I registered in a scuba diving course and finished today. I'm now certified for open water diving, though it is kind of a joke as they just push you through the certification. Technically I'm allowed to dive on my own without an instructor now, though I wouldn't do it. I've been diving the last couple of days Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1061027565456399522003-08-16T02:52:00.000-07:002003-08-16T02:52:45.440-07:00Bottle beach was full, so I ended up on this other beach, which is just as nice. I can't remember the name though. Today I layed in my hammock for a couple of hours and read my book. After that I walked to the restaurant and had some lunch. I was quite exhausted after eating lunch, but psyched myself up and managed to make the 20 meter walk to the beach for a swim. I just ate some ice cream and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1060916333799977032003-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:002003-08-14T20:03:22.420-07:00The dust has settled after the full moon party. It was pretty crazy, and it got quite ugly by the end of the night. Fights and some very inebriated people, and tons of garbage. There must have been about 10,000 people on the beach. It really was madness. Still it was a unique experience, though my desire to come back and do it again is not exactly overtaking me. I am heading off today to a small Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1060753673958383172003-08-12T22:47:00.000-07:002003-08-12T22:47:53.766-07:00I thought I'd throw another entry into the old blog from Koh Phangan. Its the day of the night of the full moon party. There are thousands of other travellers here. I'm almost looking forward to the full moon party being over as there have been all night parties for the last four nights and I'm feeling tired.
I'm reading a new book finally. I haven't been doing much reading over the last couple Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1060421687312252552003-08-09T02:34:00.000-07:002003-08-09T02:34:47.220-07:00Well, Bangkok is behind us. We cut our cd yesterday, and then immediately caught a bus and a boat to Koh Phangnan, which took us about 20 hours. I'm exhausted, but glad to finally be resting in a tropical paradise. It is really, really beautiful here. There are thousands of other backpackers rolling in for the full moon party on the beach, which is in a few days. The place is pretty packed. Lots Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1060007850683272222003-08-04T07:37:00.000-07:002003-08-04T07:37:30.576-07:00I am alive and in Bangkok. I haven't made up my mind about Burma yet, so I'm not going to say much. It was frustrating at times, but very cheap, the people were extremely friendly, and I'm still making up my mind about the rest.
Anyhoo, Bangkok is the most western city that I have visited so far, and I'm looking forward to a good old Mcdonald's cheeseburger tomorrow. Tom and I are still Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1057983776866129092003-07-11T21:22:00.000-07:002003-07-11T21:22:56.803-07:00We have our visas and our plane tickets for Burma and we leave on Monday. We'll be in Burma for the rest of July and we'll arrive in Bangkok in early August. There is no email access for foreigners and very limited and extremely expensive international calling, so I will be virtually out of touch for the next three weeks unless there is an emergency. If you need to get in touch with me before I Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1057815928509874742003-07-09T22:45:00.000-07:002003-07-09T22:45:28.380-07:00Yes, yes. Calcutta at last. That was quite the trip. I must say, I am waay more relaxed now that our five day journey is over. When last we spoke, I believe we were in Manali. Well, from Manali we caught a 9 hour bus to Chandigarh, and arrived at 3:30AM. All of the hotels were full, and Tom and I argued about the validity of using touts while travelling in India. Tom was pro tout. I was anti-toutJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1057727270509282272003-07-08T22:07:00.000-07:002003-07-08T22:07:50.510-07:00We're in Calcutta. More info later.Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1057395324728115952003-07-05T01:55:00.000-07:002003-07-05T01:55:24.716-07:00The first leg of our epic journey is over. We're in Manali. We arrived last night after a very stressfull 19 hour jeep ride on no sleep. The roads were really hairy, but the scenery was breathtaking. I've never seen such crazy mountainscapes before. Its way beyond words. All I can say is that the jeep trip from Leh to Manali is something I'm really glad I've done. I highly recommend it, but I'll Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1057252330303565232003-07-03T10:12:00.000-07:002003-07-03T10:12:10.303-07:00Tom and I are leaving Leh tonight on the 2am Jeep to Manali. Its going to be a bit of a journey. 18 hours through crazy mountain passes. The scenery is supposed to be spectacular, though the road is pretty crap and sleeping is supposedly quite difficult. About ten of us from the guesthouse went out for a nice dinner at one of the garden restaurants here. We said our goodbyes to a bunch of really Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1057123939093432672003-07-01T22:32:00.000-07:002003-07-01T22:32:18.996-07:00Well, it is Canada day in Canada right now. Happy Canada Day! I went out and got drunk last night to celebrate. I only had three beers, but got kind of tipsy as I haven't really had a drink in over a month. We found this cool garden restaurant that has campfires at night for travellers, so a big group of us met up there and had a few drinks. Usually they have jam sessions too, but no one brought Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-1056872334816387502003-06-29T00:38:00.000-07:002003-06-29T00:40:43.446-07:00I'm back from Stok Kangri in one piece. More info to come. Is anyone still reading this thing, because nobody is emailing me anymore. I'm not upset, just curious. I haven't been posting very frequently. I'm thinking about going to Russia via China on the trans-siberian express. Anyone interested in joining me?Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-959674122003-06-23T20:08:00.000-07:002003-06-23T20:08:17.673-07:00No more posts until Canada Day. I'll be up on top of a mountain that is as high as the cruising altitude of a Dometic 737 flight. Stok Kangri. It means Ice Mountain
JJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-959454372003-06-23T07:04:00.000-07:002003-06-23T07:04:49.316-07:00Yo yo yo. I say these kinds of things now that I have a Mohawk. Life is progressing in Ladakh. The day after tomorrow I am going trekking with my Dutch friend Vincent. We're doing a five day trek up to one of the taller peaks in the area. Its called Stok Kangri.This is the personal achievment I want to leave Lei with. I'm excited. We're taking three ponies and a ponyman with us. I'll take Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-958857572003-06-20T22:49:00.000-07:002003-06-20T22:49:22.560-07:00I am the proud new owner of a Mohawk. Its only a couple of weeks of hair growth, but it looks pretty mean. I may paint it green in a month or so. I have an accompanying goatee. All I need now is a Harley.Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-958605182003-06-20T05:42:00.000-07:002003-06-20T05:42:03.583-07:00Well, I'm back from Nubra Valley. We left on Tuesday, and drove seven hours over the highest motorable pass in the world(5700 meters). It was quite amazing. The road is insane and is only one lane. Traffic only goes one way each day, and there are no guards on the ledges, so most of the time you are looking out the window and straight down about 1000 feet. I have lots of pictures to show when I Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-956594082003-06-14T05:56:00.000-07:002003-06-14T05:56:09.073-07:00Still in Ladakh. We were supposed to go to the Nubra Valley today via the highest motorable pass in the world, but the bus was full, so we have to wait until Tuesday. Instead we took a day trip out to an ancient Buddhist temple about two hours from Leh. The scenery was spectacular. I've never seen windblown dessert mountain ranges like this before.
I've quit smoking for about eight days and my Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-955772132003-06-11T21:30:00.000-07:002003-06-11T21:30:46.943-07:00Well, I got up early this morning and went and saw the Dalai Lama. I saw him for about three seconds, but it was enough to get a photo for my photo album. There were thousands of Ladakhi Buddhists lining the street. The Dalai Lama seemed happy, and was smiling and waving. He is not holding any public audiences for westerners while he is here, so I think that will likely be my last view of him. Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-955026542003-06-10T05:32:00.000-07:002003-06-10T05:32:46.716-07:00Juulay from Leh! Juulay means hello\goodbye\please\thank-you in Ladakhi. Well, I got past my sickness and I was feeling almost 100% for the last couple days, and then I woke up sick again today. I'm going to see how I feel tomorrow, and maybe head to the doctor again. There are quite a few western travellers staying at my hotel, and almost everyone has been sick at least once, and some more than Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-953258702003-06-05T06:33:00.000-07:002003-06-05T06:33:29.020-07:00Well, I finally got sick here in Leh. I caught a pretty nasty flu, and I was up all last night with a fever and regular trips to the can. I was a litte worried at first, as the flu has never gotten me as sick as I have been, so I went to the doctor, and he was pretty confident it is just the flu. I'm feeling better this afternoon, though I don't think I'll be eating solid food for a day or two.
Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-952356382003-06-03T06:34:00.000-07:002003-06-03T06:34:18.433-07:00I made it into the mountains, at last! Flying in today was spectacular, and its going to be difficult to describe the enormity, majesty and vastness of the Himalayan mountains. I suddenly am feeling much better about my trip. I got quite giddy flying in, and the giddiness actually remained after deplaning, as I've been in a bit of an oxygen deprivated stupor all day today. I am resting all day Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-951993542003-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:002003-06-02T10:25:11.346-07:00I was wrong, Leh is at 3505 meters. There was a guy on the roof of my hotel playing Spanish guitar tonight. It was really nice. Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-951829282003-06-02T01:11:00.000-07:002003-06-02T01:11:00.496-07:00India is in a heatwave. Yes, I have indeed talked of the weather at some length during my travels here. It is quite inescapable, this heat. Its around 43 or 44 degrees right now. Apparently the country has been breaking records in places, and no sign of the monsoon yet.
Anyways, on to other matters. I'm back in Delhi. I had a few frustrating days of trying to get to Dharmasala, and in the end Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-950690752003-05-29T23:12:00.001-07:002003-05-29T23:12:30.283-07:00I'm in Chandigar now. The modern planned city of India. Indians are very proud of it. It has big wide streets, and controlled intersections, no livestock on the streets, not many beggars. It even has grass in some places. I'm going to go exploring today. The city was designed to function like a human being, and is divided into sectors. I'm in sector 17 right now, which is where all the hotels areJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-950690692003-05-29T23:12:00.000-07:002003-05-29T23:12:11.610-07:00I'm in Chandigar now. The modern planned city of India. Indians are very proud of it. It has big wide streets, and controlled intersections, no livestock on the streets, not many beggars. It even has grass in some places. I'm going to go exploring today. The city was designed to function like a human being, and is divided into sectors. I'm in sector 17 right now, which is where all the hotels areJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-949826162003-05-28T03:27:00.000-07:002003-05-28T03:27:40.533-07:00I have arrived. In Delhi. I arrived this morning after a 33 hour train ride from Chennai. It was fairly long, but I splurged and got air conditioning, so it wasn't too bad. I completed Lord Of The Rings en route. What a book. I found a small hotel a few blocks from the train station in between new and old Delhi, but I've done little exploring thus far. The hotel is teeming with tourists, mostly Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-948991082003-05-26T08:17:00.000-07:002003-05-26T08:17:58.313-07:00The Pointless Quest of Neoism
In a Neoist view, the world is not collision of things in space, but a dissimilar row of each independent phenomena. Neoism does not conceive of the spatial as lasting in time. Since each state is irreducible, the mere act of giving it a name implies falsification. The paradox however is that epistemologies exist in Neoism, in countless numbers. There are Neoists Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-948863282003-05-25T23:08:00.000-07:002003-05-25T23:08:50.480-07:00Okay, I caught the bus from Pondy back to Chennai yesterday. En route, I saw what was probably the most disturbing thing I've seen since being here. I saw the remains of a very bad motorcycle accident. It has scarred me slightly, and it gives me a shadowy, ill feeling to think about it, but I should probably write it down. I was reading my book on the bus trying not to be scared, as is the case Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-948526682003-05-24T23:46:00.000-07:002003-05-24T23:46:37.966-07:00Well, I am getting ready as I type to depart Pondicherry and start heading North. I have a long trip to get there. I checked out of the Park Guest House today, and now I must catch the bus to Chennai, which is about four hours. From there I have to catch a train that will head north for thirty four hours before arriving in Delhi, the capital city of India, and apparently the craziest city on the Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-948266422003-05-24T06:54:00.000-07:002003-05-24T06:54:51.240-07:00Its Saturday night and I aint go nobody. I got some money cause I just got paid. I didn't really get paid, those are just song lyrics. I'm unemployed. Anyways, the heatwave continues in Tamil Nadu. Its been 40+ for about a week, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the monsoon, which could come any day. There was a cyclone in the region a couple of weeks ago(though it never touched land),and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-947890932003-05-23T08:21:00.000-07:002003-05-23T08:21:33.153-07:00Oops, I guess my somewhat negative blog entry did get posted. Oh well, that's what I was thinking at the time, so there it is, for all the world to see. The danger of The Blog is that there is One button with the word Publish on it, and upon pressing it, your thoughts become public. It is somewhat like email in that regard. A double edged sword.
I just had a huge meal at Rendevouz, and I am Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-947763392003-05-23T00:40:00.000-07:002003-05-23T00:40:54.926-07:00I just wrote a big blog entry, but it got erased. I think I was being kind of negative anyways, so it was probably for the best. Still hanging out in Pondicherry. Not much new to report. I will likely leave here in a day or two. Yawn, what a boring blog entry.
JJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-947760132003-05-23T00:24:00.000-07:002003-05-23T00:24:24.580-07:00I am in Pondicherry yet. Today I went and visited the Ashram here. I didn't get too much from the visit. The Ashram itself is a plain building with a library selling literature and a courtyard where people meditate. From the sounds of it the Ashram does alot of good work for the community here, and I respect that. Still, I think such organizations are not for me, though I don't begrudge them Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-947280202003-05-22T01:36:00.000-07:002003-05-22T01:36:01.736-07:00Oh yes, I almost forgot. My new email address:
thejeremyosborn@yahoo.com
Please use this instead of my old hotmail address. Thanks!Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-947280112003-05-22T01:35:00.000-07:002003-05-22T01:35:16.540-07:00I'm still in Pondy. The clouds rolled in today, so the heat is less intense than it was yesterday. Last night I had dinner at a restaurant that looks out over the ocean, and then wandered along the boardwalk for awhile. There were thousands of Indians out. Yesterday was a national strike(holiday). I think that's why there were so many people out. Maybe its like that every night, I don't know. Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-946737782003-05-20T23:49:00.000-07:002003-05-20T23:49:24.563-07:00Okay, thanks for the quick responses to my guilt trip about the postcards. I'm hoping to get them in the mail today. I'm now in Pondicherry. This is another unique city in India. It is a former French colony and has retained much of its history. It is a seaside town, and all along the ocean are whitewashed southern French, mediterranean style buildings. There is a big, european style church, a Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-946192742003-05-19T22:36:00.000-07:002003-05-19T22:36:18.270-07:00Chennai is damned hot! I'd forgotten what its like to be really hot, all the time. I think this is the peak of hotness in Chennai, as the Monsoon should be coming any time now. There was a Cyclone that was threatening to hit the city last week, but I think it went away(I'm not sure where it went). Anyways, I arrived here last night. Chennai is the fourth biggest city in India. I believe its Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-945380702003-05-18T08:22:00.000-07:002003-05-18T08:22:56.826-07:00Sunday night in Bangalore. I've got a bit of a cold. I attempted to quit smoking, and held out for almost two days, but broke down tonight. Tomorrow I leave for Chennai. I have been shopping for a 35mm camera here in Bangalore, but the prices are too high. They are about 1.5X what they would be at home, so I haven't splurged. My little vacation within my vacation is coming to an end. Soon I'll beJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-944923502003-05-17T02:15:00.000-07:002003-05-17T02:15:33.806-07:00Its postcard time!
I bought a whole stack of postcards today. If you'd like one, just email me your home mailing address, your credit card number and expiry date as well as the name as it appears on the card, and I'll send one to you. You can request Tigers, elephants, naked statues, beaches with coconuts, pictures of traffic and I even have one with a snake on it.
Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-944524442003-05-16T08:03:00.000-07:002003-05-16T08:03:44.676-07:00Still in Bangalore. I haven't been doing too much. I went and saw Harry Potter, and I also read the first Harry Potter book, something I've been meaning to do for a long time. They were both quite good. I'm now reading a book called "The God Of Small Things," which is about a family in Kerala. It is pretty good so far. My plans right now are to spend tomorrow here and then leave on Sunday and go Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-943120692003-05-13T22:41:00.000-07:002003-05-13T22:41:51.090-07:00One quick note: I've made some changes to the blog and you can now scroll down and re-read all of your favorite blog entries from the past. Its like watching re-runs on T.V, only better, cause its real.Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-943118692003-05-13T22:36:00.000-07:002003-05-13T22:36:46.173-07:00Bangalore is nice. It is relatively cool here and overcast, which makes every action a little less exhausting, and also, this is the most western of the Indian cities that I've been to, so I've been able to indulge in a few "home-like" experiences. I arrived yesterday afternoon from Mysore after a quick and easy train ride, and made my way to my hotel. I had arranged to meet up with Karen, the Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-942083772003-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:002003-05-12T08:47:01.440-07:00It is the night before I leave for Bangalore. I saw the huge palace today. It was very huge, just as I was told. Definitely the hugest, most grandiose, most huge palace I've ever seen outside of Saskatchewan. It was bigger than any of the palaces I visited in Europe, and even bigger than the Swift Current Courthouse, or the Hepner's house up behind the mall in Swift Current. Okay, enough obscure Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-941845242003-05-11T21:36:00.000-07:002003-05-11T21:36:58.683-07:00I am now in Mysore, and consequentally, back into the heat. I arrived a couple of nights ago, but did very little except eat, drink a beer and then go to bed on my first night. The bus ride from Ooty turned out to be even more hair raising than I had expected. The road is a single laner(barely a road at all) that descends about 2000 Meters in an hour by navigating a series of about 200 severe Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-940915602003-05-09T21:59:00.000-07:002003-05-09T22:01:00.000-07:00I am just preparing to leave Ooty and descend into the harsh summer heat of the plains once again. Its been a nice break, but there isn't a whole lot to do in Ooty other than remain cool. Speaking of remaining cool, the temperature here is much cooler than the plains, but the sun is more intense somehow, maybe because of less humidity. Yesterday I did a four hour hike into the hills with a guide,Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-939966822003-05-08T09:01:00.000-07:002003-05-08T09:01:02.620-07:00Okay, recap of events over the last few days:
I Caught the 5am train from Coimbatore to Malapullam(or something like that). At the train station I Met Reuben and Maria, a very cool couple from Spain and the UK respectively. We were waiting to catch the toy train(a small miniature train on narrow gauge track) up the mountain to Ooty, but there were a limited number of spots, and a mad rush of Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5237086.post-938065802003-05-05T09:09:00.000-07:002003-05-05T09:09:02.753-07:00I am out of Kochin. I finally mustered the motivation to get moving again. I opted for the mountains, so I'm looking forward to a change of scenery. I've been on the coast most of my trip so far. I can't remember the name of the city I'm in rigjht now. I think its called Combatoire, but regardless, its the jumping off point for the hill stations. I'm here briefly as I have to catch a train at 5amJeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11816072064104408723noreply@blogger.com