Welcome
To My Blog
Postscript: In December, 2010 I hung up my Driver's cap for good. The road had taken its' toll. I was no longer willing to drive 180 days a year, regardless of the money and the ability to work when I wanted. I had seen America. I was tired of being gone from home for 9 months a year. I needed a rest. In 2011 I sold my truck and trailer and was unemployed for the year. However, I wasn't inactive. I traveled overseas to Asia and South America for several months. In the fall I enrolled in an online course to to become certified in Oracle, the world's preeminent database. I want to go back to work sometime in the near future as a software developer or administrator. Even though I programmed for 20+ years, my skills are dated. Fortunately, I have a little flexibility as to my future.
RollingOkie OKC, Jan 1, 2012
"114 Countries"
I've Visited
Albania
Andorra
Antigua
Argentina
Aruba
Austria
Bahamas
Bali
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Bonaire
Borneo
Bosnia
Botswana
Bulgaria
Canada
Cambodia
Cayman Islands
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Crete
Croatia
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
England
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guernsey
Herzegovina
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Ireland (Eire)
Ireland (Ulster)
Isle of Man
Italy
Java
Japan
Jordan
Jersey
Kenya
Kosovo
Laos
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Malawi
Malaysia
Martinique
Mexico
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Rhodes
Saba
San Marino
Sarawak
Scotland
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Srpska
Sumatra
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
Thailand
Tortola
Turkey (Asia)
Turkey (Eur)
Turks & Caicos Islands
United States
Vatican City
Vietnam
UAE (Emirates)
U.S.A.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Wales
Zimbabwe
Jeepney II Posted: February 23, 2010
How many people can you get into a Jeepney? Surely you would think that the answer would be some kind of a number with a positive value. But, in reality the correct answer is "just one more." which underlies the philosophy of the jeepney - if everyone makes a little more room, we can scrunch one more body inside. Sounds almost masochistic. But the point is that someone needs a ride and the driver needs a fare and we all should work together to make it happen. Sounds great in practice, but how does it work in reality? Trust me, there's always room for one more in a jeepney...
Murugan - Batu Caves Posted: February 18, 2010
This a statue of Murugan. Murugan is a Hindu deity among some followers of the religion. One of the great things about the Hindu religion is that it seems to have a wide degree of flexibility about what/whom is worshipped. The statue is over 120 feet tall and is quite impressive. Murugan is, supposedly guarding the entrance to the caves. It is said that during the yearly Hindu festival of Thaipusam over a million people come to the cave and many of the devotees do some seriously strange masochistic rites in the name of spiritual cleansing. Me? I have trouble with Lent, let alone inflicting some serious pain on myself in the name of becoming a little less unholy.
Wat Arun Posted: February 8, 2010
It's a really nice wat on the west side of the river in Bangkok. I would have liked to have climbed up the thing, but I wasn't sure what the point would be. It's a long way up there, too. This has to be one of the best things I saw in Bangkok.
Cambodian Sales Crew Posted: January 31, 2010
Okay, they're a little short and they lack sophisticated training, but they sell, nonetheless. What I wonder, is why they aren't in school instead of out hustling bracelets and flutes? I saw children like this all over Cambodia. It hurt me to have to tell almost all of them that I couldn't buy their products, but I couldn't. These children aren't unique. There are children like these all over the world.
Veggies, Veggies, Veggies Posted: January 27, 2010
I'm here to tell you that they grow a lot of veggies in Vietnam. It could be described as a vegetarian's paradise. Good veggies are readily available, cheap and the variety staggers my mind. Plus, they have fruits that don't seem to quit. Would I want to move to Vietnam for the fruits and veggies? Not if I had to give up cheeseburgers.
Tiger Cage Posted: January 27, 2010
This device is called a Tiger Cage. Actually, there are a lot of ways to make a Tiger Cage. Basically, you just string some barbed wire around a frame of varying sizes. There are Tiger Cages for 1, 2, 3 or more occupants. The point is to make them uncomfortable. Some Tiger cages allow you to stand. Some allow you to sit and some allow you to lay down. The longer the better. A Tiger Cage is a form of torture.
Me at Ha Long Bay Posted: January 20, 2010
It's early in the morning in Ha Long Bay. If anyone else is up, they aren't letting anyone else know about it. It's so early I can't even find a cup of coffee. So I go up on deck and take in the sight of all of the junks anchored in the bay. Amazing! In the mist of the morning it all strikes me as a little surreal. Then I see the picture and the sea gull circling me. How strange...
Chinese Style Toilet Posted: October 16, 2010
Hey, at least you got some warning before you opened the door and it did give a person a chance to make a choice between a squat and a western toilet. I thought that was commendable. Truth is, when you've gotta go, you've gotta go and it really doesn't matter what type of toilet it is.
Me at Great Wall Posted: October 16, 2010
It's me. It's the Great Wall of China. Not the one at Charleston, WV, the one a Badaling, China. What I hope you take from this picture are the mountains in the background. It seems that the Chinese built their Great Wall in places that were, well, not conducive to easy wall building. Some of the sections of the Great Wall are so steep that a person needs to be part goat to climb up and down them. To be perfectly honest, it really is a "Great Wall" and I'm glad I didn't have anything to do with the building or maintenance of the wall in anyway. Is it the Eighth Wonder of the World? It's got my vote simply due to my estimate of how many lives must have been consumed in building and maintaining it.
Big Place for Army Posted: October 7, 2010
It's called Pit 1. It's supposed to contain up to 6,000 pieces of the terra-cotta army of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China which were buried by him around 210 BC. They were discovered in 1974 by some locals who were digging a well.