2005 Archive
Working the Streets of Manuel Antonio
Me, relaxing on the patio. Could you resist me? One of my kids, me and Bruno. Isn't he a hunk? Monkeys: cute but annoying Iguanas: ugly but a barrel of laughs They come and go these gringos. But while I know that from experience, I seem to fall back in the same patterns over and [...]
I Choose Something Else
Choose life Choose a job Choose a career Choose a family Choose a fucking big television Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments Choose a starter home Choose your friends Choose leisure wear and matching luggage Choose a [...]
One Degree of Separation
I went to dinner at my friend Alain’s* [*some names have been changed to protect my ass] last night. His boyfriend Pablo was there as was Pablo’s friend Max. Alain is French but a resident of Australia here in Costa Rica for the winter while Max is Dutch but lives in New York City where [...]
That’s Weird
Man haranguing passersby on the dangers of American culture in front of Subway. Avenida Central, San José When my nephew was visiting me in Costa Rica, he kept labeling everything as 'weird'. In his limited experience as a 13 year old, anything that was different from how it is in Vancouver was 'weird': the dish [...]
Desperation is Political
You can find my full review of Daniel Gawthrop's Rice Queen Diaries here. One of the things I loved about this book was how powerfully it evoked the locations Gawthrop travels too and so I wanted to include something from Daniel's travels to Vietnam as well. What was I doing here? When I landed at [...]
Greetings from Hanoi and Ha Long Bay
Photos from Hanoi (6 photos) Cleaning up at the Ho Chi Minh Museum I'm typing this from an Internet shop almost within throwing distance of Ho Chi Minh's mausoleumóthe shift key on this keyboard takes almost Herculean strength to press, so I hope you appreciate the effort. The mausoleum is closed, so we didn't get [...]
Please Pass the Olives
There is only one way to drive in Italy. I mean technique, not direction, although all roads do lead to Rome. Put your foot to the floor and pretend you know exactly where you're going. This is necessary because no matter at what breakneck speed you are driving, an expensive German car with Italian plates [...]
