tbaroundtheworld

We decided to start our last day out the best way possible, with a bowl of Tortilla Soup from Rosa’s. But first I stopped for gas and tipped the guy 20 pesos for debugging the windshield quite effectively. The soup was great and we finally ran into the owner Mart ín. It’s always fun to try and carry on conversation with him in Spanish, he very kindly speaks slowly.   I had him and one of the waitresses frozen in cocked head expectation as I tried to tell him that the restaurant had to be open when we return in October. After stopping for one last Magnum ice cream bar (I went with white chocolate raspberry, MLW with dark chocolate vanilla) we bid adieu to San Carlos and got on MX15 heading north. A bit more traffic than normal as we’d once again managed to plan our departure on a US school district holiday (President’s Day) which meant that a lot of families were doing the same thing we were doing. I figured it meant fun at the border; with “fun” being defined as a two hour...

I decided that I had to go back to the island. My little landfall on the tiny beach at the base of the cliffs was satisfying enough two days ago, but not enough to allow me to abandon my dream of walking on the top surface. I knew the approach would be from the far side -  the steep rocky beach that I'd come close to before but couldn't fathom a way to land the boat. I decided I'd paddle out there, brave the submerged reefs and figure it out when I had to. No point in planning it, I simply lacked enough data to do anything but worry needlessly. The plot on Google Earth said it would be close to 2 miles. I packed a bottle of water, being recently informed of its necessity by watching Robert Redford's recent movie All is Lost on the way back from Paris. He survived by building a makeshift condenser, I didn't have the materials or the time so better to plan than have to improvise. I took the time to install and inflate the sponsons, two triangular air bags, one fore...

I’m not the most aggressive “street photographer,” I sort of firmly believe in leaving people alone to their lives. But once in a while a circumstance presents itself and I muster the courage to walk up to someone and tell them I want to make them my Picture of the Day.  Today was one of those days. I was loading up my kayak for trip out on the ocean and I saw this guy standing down the beach in his flannel jammy pants playing a sax. Well not really playing because all he was doing was blowing the same note for as long as his breath held. Taking his picture was going to inconvenience me because it meant going back inside and getting my camera and walking over and speaking. But I felt it was worth it so I went and got it and trudged down the beach.  I stood and waited while he played out his breath and when opened his eyes, he jumped a bit, not expecting someone to be standing so close. I explained my project and told him I wanted him to be the shot for today and smiled and...

Back when I was an International Businessman of Mystery, turning a couple of quick trips was not nearly as devastating as it seems to me today. In the beginning of my overseas adventures, I thought nothing of a week in the US, a week or two in Europe and a few more in China, only to turn around and come home. I used to be a bit out of it, but it was easy enough to get back on my regular schedule. As my gig was winding down though I began to find it harder and harder to come back home after 6-8 weeks over there. I’d just feel so bad for so many days that I began to wonder if it was even worth it for a week’s break. But I soldiered through and then it was over. The relative ease of traveling west and the incredible effect of traveling east were pretty much forgotten. Then we started our regular trip to Spain and those memories came back. In part though, not as bad as what I remembered. Part of it I suspect is the shorter hop, 8 hours for US to Madrid vs. 14 or 15 coming from...