tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9500705984174413542011-11-27T18:46:21.893-06:00jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.comBlogger701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-79647255847439206492010-09-25T16:44:00.000-05:002010-09-25T16:44:57.131-05:00

For over a year now, I've been writing about my travels in this blog--and now I have temporarily run out of material. I'll be back the next time I take a trip, or the next time cleaning house turns up photos from one of my earlier trips that I haven't covered yet. Here's a recommendation for music for the road next time you take off for parts unknown: In the meantime, if you are an aspiring

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-56556270834155392462010-09-09T20:15:00.000-05:002010-09-09T20:15:08.065-05:00

No matter where you live, interesting things will come your way several times each year. Just last weekend the Green Turtle Bay Resort hosted the Nina and the Pinta, accurate replicas of two of the three ships Christopher Columbus sailed on his first voyage to the New World. These ships were made for a film about Columbus some years ago, but they were built to be seaworthy, and now sail all

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-51630638872012342022010-09-02T19:48:00.000-05:002010-09-02T19:48:13.801-05:00

Superman's Home Town Just across the Ohio River from Paducah, Kentucky is the little city of Metropolis, Illinois, home of the annual Superman Festival each June. Eric wanted to rest, so Lois and I drove up to Metropolis one day in July. The town is marked by the huge statue of Superman in the court square., an indication--along with casinos--that this town lives on tourism. In July, in the

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-16331401639267193772010-08-26T16:52:00.000-05:002010-08-26T16:52:48.917-05:00

Walk Around Lake Hematite Lois and Eric and I have traveled all over the world together for the past twenty-five years or so, and have always been able to walk wherever we wanted to go. Despite the insane tour guide force-marching us for miles every day in India, we were able to keep up with the younger members of the tour just last year. So when we decided to take a day at the beautiful Land

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-45459889698979818072010-08-19T22:47:00.000-05:002010-08-19T22:47:52.412-05:00

Chain Across the Mississippi On the Kentucky side of the Mississippi, atop a cliff, there is a most unusual relic of the Civil War. Columbus-Belmont State Park memorializes the attempt to stop Union Gunboats from traveling down the river. Confederate General Leonidas Polk commanded the fort on the bluff, and came up with the idea of stretching a huge chain across the Mississippi--but it didn't

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-82157567723245127302010-08-12T19:12:00.000-05:002010-08-12T19:12:18.780-05:00

Ferry Cross the Mississippi Kentucky has mostly farmland along the Mississippi River, and on the other side of the river so does Missouri. Nonetheless, people who live far from the bridges to the north and south need a way to cross--hence the Dorena-Hickman Ferry. This is one of the last operating riverboat ferries in the U.S. It's not a tourist attraction, but a simple means of getting from

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-80961625754256538052010-08-06T17:27:00.000-05:002010-08-06T17:27:06.612-05:00

Dinosaurs in Kentucky  People don't usually think of Kentucky when they think of dinosaurs or other kinds of fossils, but actually there are lots of fossils to be found in this area. Hence the Dinosaur Museum near Mammoth Cave. The museum is interesting, but the gift shop is amazing. You can actually buy real dinosaur eggs, dinosaur teeth, and dinosaur bones! Jurassic Park, anyone? If you are

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-28531676034632540482010-07-29T19:38:00.000-05:002010-07-29T19:38:06.383-05:00

Big Mike's Rock Shop and Mystery House One of the delights of road trips in the United States is visiting the kitchsy roadside shops, museums, and manmade attractions. Right on the edge of the Mammoth Cave National Forest is Big Mike's Rock Shop, easily identified by the huge cement representation of "Big Mo," a mosasaur whose real skull is on display inside the shop. That's one of the weird

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-42775981379574127752010-07-22T21:14:00.000-05:002010-07-22T21:14:08.365-05:00

Mammoth Cave You may have noticed there were no new blog posts for the past two weeks. The reason is that I was out getting new material! This summer, instead of going off to some exotic clime, my friends Lois and Eric came to visit me, and we explored West Kentucky near where I live. The first place we went to see was Mammoth Cave. All the pictures I took in the cave are available light,

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-16621000328276277342010-06-24T20:17:00.000-05:002010-06-24T20:17:10.408-05:00

Cats in Cars No matter how well your cat walks on a leash, you will not be able to walk her like a dog at rest stops. Most cats do not want to leave the car in a strange place, but even if yours will walk with you, you will not be able to achieve the primary purpose of walking a dog at rest stops: elimination. Now, let's all agree right here that your cat would be safer riding in her carrier

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-16841697311390792722010-06-17T19:47:00.000-05:002010-06-17T19:47:33.979-05:00

Cats on the Road, Part One--Lodgings Most cats adapt well to traveling in cars, but before you take yours on a long trip be sure to try him or her out several times on short trips. Be sure you have your cat secure, either on a harness and leash or in a carrier. If you are going to take trips in which you will be staying in hotels or motels, be sure your cat is contented in a carrier. Take

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-71895992877302880222010-06-10T20:04:00.000-05:002010-06-10T20:04:14.808-05:00

Traveling with Cats Speaking generally, dogs travel more easily than cats. However, there are plenty of dogs who get carsick, or whine for 800 miles, or become aggressive toward strange people or animals. Those dogs have to stay home. But on the other hand there are also plenty of cats who love to ride in the car, walk on a leash, and be friendly with strange people and other animals. They can

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-87128522715122211452010-06-02T17:39:00.019-05:002010-06-03T20:34:28.567-05:00

I was going to write about traveling with cats this week, but I turned up some photos of both dogs and cats that I thought you'd enjoy, so I've decided to write about keeping your pets contented when they are out of their home environment.First consideration: if you have an extremely nervous, high-strung animal who is either afraid of or aggressive toward strange animals, leave him or her at home

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-35496826368085472042010-05-27T21:27:00.003-05:002010-05-27T21:33:21.799-05:00

I'm not even going to try to tell you everything that happened this week that simply erased the time in which I normally write my blog.Over at the right you see links to all my posts on travel in India, Nepal, Italy, and Japan, as well as some general blogs on travel and the first three posts on travel with pets. If you haven't seen some of them, here's your chance.If you haven't read last

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-81556392262013838112010-05-20T09:29:00.007-05:002010-05-20T09:40:29.613-05:00

Each Dog is DifferentCuddles was a timid little dog who had been raised without much love or attention. He was very eager to please, but he was terrified of riding in the car. Before I rescued him, he had been in a car only once--when he was taken to the pound, where the person he had relied on deserted him, and bigger dogs beat him up and peed on him. I took him home in my car, and the next day

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-32439996893694100702010-05-13T19:19:00.018-05:002010-05-13T19:56:16.578-05:00

See more cute dogs at I Has a Hot DogTraveling with a DogWhen I got my first dog, King, I immediately had to figure out how to travel with him, because I adopted him while vacationing in Florida, and needed to bring him home to Kentucky. It was a case of "learning by doing."King was probably nine or ten months old when I adopted him, which is the perfect age at which to adopt a

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-86619556135329849212010-05-06T11:36:00.020-05:002010-05-06T12:22:38.054-05:00

In order to post photos from some of my earlier international travels, I need to first locate the photos I took and then scan them. Yes, up until four or five years ago I used a 35mm SLR camera that required film. Remember film? Remember not knowing till the prints were developed whether any of them were good, too late to go back and reshoot? Anyway, till I can find and scan photos from other

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-74887284411709586532010-04-29T17:47:00.013-05:002010-05-01T16:49:04.977-05:00

Even though I was slower than usual on the trip to Scotland after my cancer surgery, and needed to take daily naps, I still enjoyed the trip and was able to participate in everything I wanted to do. When we returned to the U.S. I had the radiation implant for three days, followed by a short course of external radiation to catch any cancer cells that might have escaped.That's when I found out

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-25800073964748379502010-04-22T20:38:00.026-05:002010-04-23T16:28:13.090-05:00

In the United States, Relay for Life 2010 has just begun, and will continue for the next two months. If you are not familiar with Relay, it's an annual series of gatherings of cancer survivors and friends who work together before the event to raise money for cancer research. Businesses and clubs form teams who raise funds, then go to Relay to walk all night in support of a cure. Survivors are

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-63525995993715950372010-04-13T22:30:00.019-05:002010-04-16T10:14:12.233-05:00

Guest post from Geezer-ChickI usually bike around Philadelphia. But when my niece was visiting, we walked from Chinatown to Grasso's Magic to watch 3 local magicians. En route we passed Franklin Square, which I hadn't explored before. From the sidewalk, we could see a merry-go-round. "Want to go look at the ride?" asked my niece. As we approached, it became obvious that this is no ordinary

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-63796901596440161612010-04-07T18:35:00.039-05:002010-04-08T19:48:47.509-05:00

Impressions of JapanI think what I carried away with me from Japan were the impressions of friendliness, cleanliness, honor, and beauty. Everywhere we went, people were friendly and helpful. For example, I ventured alone into a huge shopping mall in Yokohama. I had a map of the mall, but ran into a "you can't get there from here" situation in which I could not figure out which elevator or

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-47571621321181049572010-03-31T19:58:00.023-05:002010-04-01T18:52:22.711-05:00

Animals in JapanI love animals, especially dogs and cats. The Japanese have pets just as we do--but tourists rarely see them. Nowhere did I see stray dogs in the streets, such as most other countries have.Cats are good luck in Japan. The beckoning cat in the photo at the top of this post is seen everywhere in every size. He can be found in versions supposed to bring wealth, health, and a happy

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-34661580766841727302010-03-14T20:43:00.017-05:002010-03-25T15:12:20.616-05:00

Japanese Temples, Part TwoThe three major religions in Japan are Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism, although the latter is far more a philosophy than a religion. Other religions are also common, including Christianity--but the Japanese rarely belong to only one religion. In fact, most Japanese will claim that they are not religious at all, and a few minutes later stop to pray at an office

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-15616574126628621952010-03-14T19:55:00.016-05:002010-03-18T08:34:40.372-05:00

Japanese Temples, Part OneJapan is a land of many religions, although the three primary ones are Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Most Japanese participate in more than one.There are Shinto shrines everywhere, little shrines in homes and offices, and in the streets and countryside, where people stop to offer prayers about any problem in their lives. Torii, the gates of Shinto temples, are

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-52738629295969819392010-03-10T19:16:00.024-06:002010-03-11T19:36:51.509-06:00

Japanese CastlesJapan was first united under a single ruler almost two thousand years ago, and the first recorded ruler was a woman, Himiko. That information, however, comes from Chinese travelers to Japan in the second or third century. Japanese history traditionally begins with the first emperor, Jimmu, a descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. Be that as it may, Japan has had the same royal

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-4208024464908548312010-03-04T21:58:00.011-06:002010-03-04T22:16:45.708-06:00

HiroshimaHiroshima is the Japanese city where the first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. We, the United States, dropped it, and a few days later we dropped another on Nagasaki, the only times in history that atomic weapons were ever used in warfare. Strange as it may seem, the bombing saved millions of Japanese lives by putting an end to World War II in the Pacific (it had already ended

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-33273032355106595792010-02-25T19:15:00.023-06:002010-02-25T20:45:35.322-06:00

Japanese TechnologyJapan is known the world over for its cutting edge technology, yet the rice paddies of the country's premier crop are tended by hand. They have trains that travel 200 mph, and robots that handed out the Hugos at the World Science Fiction Convention. But then there are the toilets....Every culture in the world is a study in contradictions. This week I'm going to tell you about

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-28112034351055909802010-02-18T17:43:00.009-06:002010-02-18T20:12:20.141-06:00

Japan Aug. 21-22 - More About FoodOne of the discoveries I make while traveling is food I've never heard of before--the dishes that don't get exported, that don't show up in ethnic restaurants in the U.S. One of the Japanese meals I enjoyed most was okonomiyaki, sometimes called Japanese pizza, although it's more like crepes or pancakes that are savory, not sweet. We had Osaka-style okonomiyaki (

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-68459366628278328662010-02-11T20:50:00.013-06:002010-02-11T21:22:20.922-06:00

Japan, August 19-21, Part 2, Japanese FoodA handful of meals were included in the tour, but for most of them we were on our own. You know all those stories you hear about how hideously expensive restaurant meals are in Japan? We very quickly found out where they come from. We stayed at very nice western-style hotels, where all the staff spoke English. I imagine many tourists are simply afraid to

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-58590121246611279762010-02-03T20:46:00.028-06:002010-02-04T19:39:43.288-06:00

Aug. 19-21, 2007--Part OneJapan blog posts begin here.In early June of 2007 I had major surgery, but I was determined to go to Japan in August, and I did. I bought a walking stick, expecting that medieval monuments in Japan would be like medieval monuments in Europe: not handicap friendly. I was right. But with my stick I was able to go anywhere I wanted.I didn't buy an orthopedic cane for the

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-27752493205986813362010-01-27T18:40:00.017-06:002010-01-28T23:17:38.948-06:00

In 2007, the World Science Fiction Convention was held in Yokohama, Japan. Ron and Val Ontell arranged a wonderful tour before the con.I wish I had kept a journal as I did on the India/Nepal tour, because all I can find are my photos from the Japan trip, and our itinerary. I'm not sure how many photos I can actually match to the cities we visited.Well, here goes with three-year-old memory!Japan,

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-47592056800290969822010-01-20T19:18:00.019-06:002010-01-21T19:51:50.516-06:00

Find Italy Part One here.Venice today is clean. The canals no longer smell. However, the city is still sinking. As global warming speeds up, the water laps ever higher, and the famed Piazzo San Marco frequently floods. If you dream of seeing Venice before major parts of it disappear beneath the waves, I suggest you start saving to make that trip your next European vacation.Being on the water of

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-855924347559266572010-01-13T19:32:00.022-06:002010-01-14T21:35:53.096-06:00

Find Italy Part One here.From Florence we took a high-speed train to Venice. Anyone who has ridden the reliable, comfortable modern trains of Europe or Japan wishes desperately we had the same kind of transport in the U.S.Venice is, of course, famous for its canals. The entire city is a walking precinct--no vehicles allowed. Because the canals wind everywhere through the city, and most bridges

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-34233765018921224432010-01-06T20:52:00.029-06:002010-01-07T21:27:33.216-06:00

After visiting Assissi, we drove to Florence and turned in our rental car. We certainly didn't need a car for our last two cities, Florence and Venice. While cars are allowed in Florence, the historic part of the city that tourists want to see is all easily walkable.Florence is arguably the most beautiful city in the world. It's in the center of Tuscany, which many people think is the most

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-4046862937372460082009-12-30T15:06:00.018-06:002009-12-31T19:50:23.819-06:00

Click on photos to see them full size.While we had the car, we visited the city of Assissi, which is built on top of what would be called a butte in the U.S.This city was the home town of St. Francis of Assissi, the patron saint of animals, and we saw pets everywhere. The city is accessible only by a steep climb, and is very small because it can contain only what will fit atop the butte, so we

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-1924304340066962772009-12-23T20:44:00.025-06:002009-12-24T18:55:53.904-06:00

Getting Out in the CountrysideYou may have noticed from my photos of Pompeii and Herculaneum that Italy is an exceptionally photogenic country. Wherever you point your camera, you get a beautifully composed picture. One other country I have visited is similarly camera-friendly: Japan. The difference is that in Japan most of that composition is man-made--every patch of greenery in the city becomes

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-66030567283420438582009-12-17T18:09:00.025-06:002009-12-17T20:00:08.764-06:00

Insider Secrets to Cheap FlightsFrom Naples, it's an easy commuter train ride to either Pompeii or Herculaneum. We spent a day in each ancient city.The two cities that perished in 79AD sit in one direction in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. Modern Naples sits in its shadow in another direction. Vesuvius is an active volcano that last erupted in 1944. Eventually, inevitably, there will be another

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-44787565420874231412009-12-09T20:01:00.017-06:002009-12-10T19:55:05.514-06:00

NaplesA few years ago, Lois and Eric and I went to Italy. We had all been to Rome on previous trips, so we decided to see different parts of Italy on this trip. We had two weeks in early summer, before the worst heat set in. Nonetheless, we knew it would be hot, and that we would have to handle our own luggage. Here you see me with the gear I took: just a backpack and a small roll-on.For summer

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-80064291994669914972009-12-02T21:16:00.022-06:002009-12-03T19:30:59.433-06:00

Once again, let me remind you that what I can give you are only the impressions of a tourist who has made a brief visit to each country. I am not a sociologist or a historian, nor have I lived for any length of time in these countries.Click on the photos to see them in larger size.

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-11210607586194042602009-11-26T16:18:00.019-06:002009-11-26T17:06:30.099-06:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.Last time I wrote about the overwhelming number of poor and homeless people in India, and the comparatively small numbers of the middle class. The balance appears to be something like Europe circa 1400, just before the arrival of the printing press. In Europe the advent of more and cheaper books, pamphlets, and broadsheets led to far easier

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-30709563642689604992009-11-11T20:13:00.023-06:002009-11-19T10:41:10.190-06:00

Where is India's middle class?I'm a TV addict and news junkie. Wherever I go, when I enter my hotel room I immediately turn on the TV and hunt for an English-language station. In Europe I usually find BBC and CNN, which provide very little local flavor. In India I found a wide range of English-language stations--generally about a third of the channels available, and in most places there were at

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-26132896135447111482009-11-09T21:43:00.029-06:002009-11-12T20:50:56.493-06:00

Having spent all of one week in India, I am hardly an expert on that country. I can only tell you what I saw while I was there, and when it comes to the majority of the population, what I saw was disheartening.In India the poor and homeless are everywhere, and their children are not in school. Most beggars are children, who swarm tourists in the city streets and even moreso at tourist attractions

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-15286583742133709202009-10-28T14:41:00.025-05:002009-11-05T19:18:46.154-06:00

A Guest Blog from Geezer-ChickMy husband and I spent a week in York UK. My husband went as a chemist (not a pharmacist). I spent the days as a tourist with my camera. This report is tempered by my prejudices. I don't like British cooking, so I ate at Indian, Chinese, Asian, Portuguese and Pizza places. I have a preference for older architecture, so most of my photos are of buildings I found

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-79199547472240217092009-10-27T20:32:00.034-05:002009-10-29T12:10:15.508-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.This week I'm going to show you some elephant pictures from my trip to India and Nepal that didn't fit into the journal entries I've just finished posting. Doesn't everyone love elephants? Click on any photo to see an enlarged version.One means of transportation to the fort in Jaipur, India.Elephants on temple frieze, Khajuraho.Here we are heading out

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-72490841240940669752009-10-21T19:11:00.017-05:002009-10-22T10:12:22.047-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.Last morning in Kathmandu. We walked down to Durbar Square and took photos of the temples and the palace, as well as the hippy-dippy Freak Street. *Sigh* Forty years ago our generation never imagined ourselves as one day being old folks feeling nostalgic for the 1970's!We were out before the hordes of tourists, so I got a couple of good photos in the

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-30872264411295297222009-10-14T18:36:00.022-05:002009-10-15T17:26:10.576-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.A beautiful day today. We flew from Pokhara to Kathmandu, through the Himalayas, in a little prop plane. Security at the Pokhara airport was strictly by hand and very lax--they didn't even ask to see an I.D.! On the other hand, they would not let Lois or me take our walking sticks on board, and they stuck nasty vinyl stickers on them with something like

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-4621679777812846632009-10-07T20:45:00.019-05:002009-10-09T17:47:27.736-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.We took an easy morning. Eric slept in, while Lois and I went in search of an ATM, and ended up doing some shopping along the way. I bought two neat embroidered T-shirts, but Lois found a gorgeous pair of brass elephant door handles. Then we went to see Devi's Fall, not much of a torrent at this time of year, but you can see the gorge that it has

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-41286892967798312612009-09-29T21:24:00.022-05:002009-10-01T19:00:47.210-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.Today the weather was beautiful. We started off right on time, but an hour down the road our bus was stopped in a roadblock having something to do with a labor dispute we know nothing about.People came up to our stopped bus trying to sell water, apples, oranges, roast corn, and a local snack food something like very spicy Cheetos. The Canadian girls,

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-12195716946462644712009-09-21T18:53:00.017-05:002009-09-24T18:30:08.108-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.Nepal - Chitwan - Part TwoAll around us we see conditions ever so much better than those in India. People are farming with oxen and buffalo, but their crops are good and their homes, though small, are tidy and freshly painted. Little kids call and wave to us--but they do not beg from us. Children in school uniforms file down the roadsides morning and

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-32366286290172693992009-09-13T20:59:00.030-05:002009-09-17T16:35:51.867-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.Chitwan National Forest - Part One Today was a beautiful day. We started with an elephant safari ride through the forest. I didn't care what it did to my back--I was determined to do it and I did. The forest is lovely. It looks like the set for a Tarzan movie, but it's real.By the way, click on any of the still photos to see them in a larger

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-44546720670544056182009-09-08T20:52:00.024-05:002009-09-10T17:50:25.287-05:00

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.This morning we were told to put our bags outside our doors at 7am for an 8 o'clock departure. But as we were doing so, Bupendra came by and told us to put them back in again: Nepal was closed. (A whole country was closed?)All the roads were closed and the border was closed again. The cable was off, so there was no way for us to find out what was

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-44655507917759649752009-08-29T19:53:00.018-05:002009-09-03T21:09:44.567-05:00

We are off to Nepal on another cold, foggy day. The driver insisted that even though for once we have a nice tourist bus, it has no heating system, so despite everybody's being dressed pretty much in all the clothes we brought, we huddled and shivered through the morning.Breakfast was in a huge, cold, unheated and unlighted dining hall of some sort of camp. Eggs and hot chai helped somewhat, and

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-75283545155478548242009-08-26T19:43:00.016-05:002009-09-01T18:58:14.027-05:00

The afternoon activity was a trip into the Moslem area of Varanasi to see silk fabric being made. We were once more in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, watching people do magnificent work on hand looms. Three thousand families, we were told, earn their living in the silk industry. Horrible livings, in tiny dark rooms in squalor, while their children beg from tourists who come to see.Then we went

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-77147544259807492632009-08-19T19:24:00.012-05:002009-08-20T20:54:49.483-05:00

Cold, cold, cold!We were out on the Ganga by 7am, but although daylight came there was no glimpse of the sun. It was foggy and damp and just plain cold. The weather has turned nasty, foggy, all over northern India. Planes are being canceled and trains are late, as ours was yesterday.I have another complaint to add to the list for GAP tours: having us tromp all over the landscape without breakfast

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-81281092807083340672009-08-02T22:00:00.021-05:002009-08-13T22:10:48.434-05:00

Yes, it was one of those open bunk sleeper trains, not the four-person compartment we were promised in the tour literature. So I chained my suitcases to the bunk (they were under it and there was a loop for that purpose), and slept the sleep of exhaustion--par for this trip.Sharing the compartment were an Indian couple, who saw me writing yesterday's journal entry and asked what I was doing. As

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-69461187030154322452009-07-29T22:03:00.013-05:002009-08-05T19:49:59.264-05:00

Happy New Year!Today I had to be up at 5:00am again, to leave at 6:00 for Khajuraho to see the famous Kamasutra temples. Kyle stayed out till last night's party ended, but she chose cooking school and henna, so she could sleep in.We drove through fog out into the countryside--a four-hour drive over terrible roads with crazy drivers, motorcycles, bicycles, oxcarts, cattle, goats, dogs, pigs, and

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-38150589352232674592009-07-28T20:51:00.025-05:002009-07-31T08:54:03.174-05:00

Today began with a train ride through beautiful agricultural countryside as we made our way to Orchha. As our trip progresses, we are seeing more of the India we knew had to be there, but which was invisible the first few days. People in this part of the country do not live like sardines in a tin. There are nice middle-class homes here and there, and at the resort where we are staying there are

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-38172780498912924142009-07-22T19:28:00.015-05:002009-07-23T19:33:17.876-05:00

[This is a continuation of my journal entry about our very full day in Agra.]Above you see what should be a grand view of the Taj Mahal from Agra's Red Fort, but today the haze was so bad that we could hardly see that it was there. However, we were soon off to the Taj Mahal itself, this time by horse and buggy. Once again, though, we were dropped off more than a mile from the entrance, so after a

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-28770826977717294842009-07-15T21:08:00.015-05:002009-07-16T19:38:25.786-05:00

Up at 4am to be ready to go at 5:15. Of course the train to Agra was then 40 minutes late.We had four seats reserved in a compartment for six--but it was still made up as a sleeper compartment. Ugh! I am not looking forward to a night in one of those later this week!No privacy whatsoever. Six bunks on one side of the aisle perpendicular to the window, and two on the other side parallel to it--so

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-18620656649301354222009-07-09T20:55:00.011-05:002009-07-09T21:34:15.444-05:00

[Comments in square brackets are added now. Everything else is from my journal written during the trip. This is the fourth post about my trip to India and Nepal--the earlier ones can be found via the index on the right side of the page.]Today was extremely...interesting. Our guide told us to be ready to leave the hotel at 7:45. Everyone rushed around madly, getting ready while the hotel staff

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-80771498717542336642009-07-01T18:49:00.017-05:002009-07-05T09:36:42.414-05:00

[Notes in square brackets are added as I transcribe my journal for publishing. Everything else is what I wrote in my journal during the trip itself.]Up at 4:00am, picked up at 5:15 for the train station. People were sleeping all over the station floor--the homeless seeking to sleep under a roof. We had a hard time not stepping on anyone as we maneuvered our luggage to the platform. It's December,

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-34411791991876332132009-06-24T22:24:00.013-05:002009-06-25T12:09:21.954-05:00

[Note: notes in square brackets are being added now, as I post my journal entries. Everything else is simply transcribed from the journal I kept on our trip through India and Nepal.]We--Lois and Eric Wickstrom, Kyle Zieba, and I--arrived last night at close to midnight. As promised, we were picked up at the airport, where I took the opportunity to acquire 5000 Rupees, about a hundred dollars and

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-28358958541358559722009-06-18T20:55:00.009-05:002009-06-24T22:22:13.595-05:00

Over the next few months I am finally going to transcribe the journal I kept while traveling in India and Nepal last winter. It's my impressions of two countries I had never been to before, and was not knowledgeable about.If you are from India, or have traveled there and uncritically loved it, I apologize for writing about the poverty, the pollution, and the squalor, along with the beauty, the

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-31781783411540053442009-06-10T15:37:00.004-05:002009-06-10T16:02:29.674-05:00

This blog entry is a little different from my usual ramblings about whatever happens to be on my mind. Oh, this is on my mind all right! It's just a different sort of topic.Because of the current recession, simegen.com--the domain I run with Jacqueline Lichtenberg--is just like everyone else: trying to meet the same expenses with less income than in previous years.If you are in the same position,

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-36493542789221560832009-04-13T11:57:00.006-05:002009-04-13T12:23:25.796-05:00

I've toyed with the idea of running a business online for many years, but other than helping Jacqueline Lichtenberg run simegen.com, which we support by domain hosting and selling advertising, I've never done much about it.I'm a writer, and I want to make my living selling books and screenplays. I want other people to publish my books, make films from my screenplays, and pay me with royalties

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-44743632802080779872008-08-15T19:32:00.005-05:002008-08-15T19:47:40.098-05:00

Watching the women's gymnastics individual all-around last night, I couldn't help thinking of a story I had heard earlier on the evening news. The news story was that in a few years Caucasian Americans will be a minority, well under 50% of the population.When you really think about it, why should that be news? Caucasions from England, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and Germany were only the

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-45819678958310438622007-12-26T16:45:00.000-06:002007-12-26T17:53:40.736-06:00

In my two previous posts you've seen the two videos I've made with my Flip Video, one made indoors, one outdoors. Even though I have no innate talent for visual arts, and these are my first efforts at creating video, they at least look decent. That's just one of the amazing things about this little camera.Another is that it is really little, about the size of a cell phone. Ease of use is

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-65491222301244995862007-12-22T13:17:00.001-06:002007-12-22T13:58:55.901-06:00

I had breast cancer in 2001. Fortunately I found it early, so all I required was a lumpectomy and radiation--but I am the poster girl for self-examination, because nothing showed on my routine mammogram six months earlier. I found the lump myself, and went straight off to my doctor. The rest is history, and I am a six-year survivor.My home town, Murray, Kentucky, has a very active breast cancer

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-23278466567616588082007-12-21T20:24:00.000-06:002007-12-21T20:51:09.251-06:00

A day for firsts. I started my first blog today, and edited my first video.Some explanation: I belong to the local Humane Society, and do pet therapy at local schools, nursing homes, the Watch program, and the university. I'm just slightly unusual in that my pet is a cat, Dudley, rather than a dog. You'll see Dudley in the first few moments of the video. You will also see a far more unusual

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-950070598417441354.post-899159876520454292007-12-21T10:17:00.000-06:002007-12-21T10:27:33.220-06:00

Hello. This is my first attempt at a blogI'm a published writer of books, currently trying to move from the shrinking book market to the expanding media market. If you think that's easy, think again! However, I find myself thoroughly enjoying the challenge of learning something as complicated as screenwriting.I'm also using this blog to obtain from Simpleology a course on the uses of blogging.

jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08850661003698077507noreply@blogger.com0