Thoughts on budget travel in San Francisco

“I can’t believe it’s a real place” (my friend, Jun).

Arrival: If you’re staying downtown you can take BART from the airport inbound to Powell or Montgomery Station. BART maps linked below – cheap and very easy, especially if you keep asking BART staff (whose helpfulness varies).   http://www.bart.gov/stations/index.aspxhttp://www.bart.gov/stations/index.aspx. It’s a 20 minute walk with luggage from Powell to the Grant Plaza Hotel and ~15 minutes to the Union Square area where many hotels are.
Noe at Market near David’s house


Transportation:MUNI (bus and train) is easy to use. There are free maps in hotels and stands around the city, especially Union Square – some maps have bus #s noted; some do not. SF Municipal Transportation Agency maps are linked below: http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mmaps/official.htm (maps have improved). To use MUNI buses or trains, figure out where you are and where you want to go, then find the bus #s that go to both places. There is also a map in many bus stops (but not at the vaguely marked/painted on curb stops) and people tend to be helpful. Be sure to get a transfer as these give you unlimited rides for 2-4 hours. Adult fare = $2 ($.75 for seniors – WooHoo!) – no change made, so carry some dollar bills and quarters.
F-line streetcar – restored and on the track. Note MUNI sign 


Cable Cars cost $6 one-way, no transfer, and there is often a significant wait to get on one. The F Line uses street cars from the 1930s-1950s from Castro to Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39 along Market Street.

There is a City Pass that gives you unlimited rides on everything but BART: http://www.citypass.com/ + admission to assorted attractions. Be sure to click “price details” to see the less expensive 7 day pass that includes cable cars and MUNI without added attractions (neither pass includes Alcatraz).

Public transportation to:
Berkeley:MUNI (train or bus to BART station): http://visitors.berkeley.edu/gethere/public_transit.shtml(very helpful web page) OR take BART outbound toward Pittsburg/Bay Point and get off at Rockridge and walk a block to catch #49 bus Counter-clockwise for a nice ride through Berkeley and get off at Telegraph at UC Berkeley Sproul Plaza (where Free Speech Movement was born). 
  
Point Reyes Natl. Seashore: Golden Gate 70 or 80 bus to San Rafael Transit Center, change to West Marin Stage 68 (runs 4xday – check for seasonal changes). Also goes to Samuel Taylor State Park (Thanks to Yaguri, FAQ #246).
In front of the Star Grocery in Berkeley – happy days sitting on this bench 


Walking:“Nobody ever got to the end of a day in San Francisco and said, ‘I wish I’d walked more’” (Leslie). Even with easy public transportation, you’ll still walk your legs off, so take some ibuprofen, and do it again tomorrow. SF is one of the great walking cities of the world, except there is a lot of up and down.

Car: Expensive to rent at airport – save 30-40% renting elsewhere, BUT, parking is a real challenge and expensive. Many hotels charge guests for parking (>$20/day). We’ve never rented one and never felt the need. Pay attention to how wheels are turned with parked cars and do the same or get a ticket.

Weather: It’s colder than you think and the weather changes from hour to hour and neighborhood to neighborhood. Take at least a fleece and long-sleeve shirt; maybe add a parka or windbreaker if you’re walking across Golden Gate Bridge. A daypack for the fleece, water, etc. is a good idea. And an umbrella. 

Things to do in SF

New Moon Cafe in Chinatown

Chinatown: The totally tourist Chinatown is all along Grant Avenue until you get to Broadway (near North Beach). The Chinatown where Chinese people shop and eat is a block away, along Stockton to Broadway. Many markets, herbalists, tea shops, cheap dim sum places, cafes, etc. – a lively street scene, many old people. New Moon restaurant at 1247 Stockton for excellent duck and pork. New Chinatown is in Inner Richmond on Clement Street from about 4th or 5th Street to short of Presidio. Get there via the 2 bus from downtown (Sutter Street) or take 38 or 38L anywhere along Geary, get off at 6th and walk a couple of blocks to your right. Not as congested as Stockton, not as many old people, several markets, many cafes (Chinese, Thai, Burmese). Look for places that are crowded. Good Luck Dim Sum is very popular (3 pieces most things for $1.60!) – at 736 Clement. One of SF’s best used bookstores is in New Chinatown: Green Apple at 506 Clement (http://www.greenapplebooks.com/). I go to bookstores pretty much everywhere I go and this is one of the best anywhere.


Japantown is a quiet area with a quiet mall between Laguna and Fillmore (via 38 or 38L bus). There are 15-20 restaurants in the mall, some little food courts, gift shops, several $1.50 stores with Japanese merchandise, and clean restrooms.  
I love San Francisco


Ocean: I like to take the 38 or 38L to the end of the line at Point Lobos. Ask the driver if she/he is going to Point Lobos as some go a different way and I have no idea why or which one. When you get to the end of the line, walk back to the big intersection, cross street and you’ll find a well-marked paved walkway (take the lower branch) that takes you along bluffs overlooking the ocean. After a mile or so, you’ll find trails going down to small beaches as well as trails going up some higher bluffs over the ocean. See SF Bay Guardian for listing of beaches http://www.sfbg.com/index.php.

Golden Gate Park: An amazing (huge) place with something for everyone. A number of buses go to or through the park (see map). Haight Street deadends into the park (at Stanyon). There is a good Whole Foods right there (salad bar, restrooms, etc.) and Amoeba Records is across the street at Stanyon and Haight. It’s a nice outing to walk along Haight and on into the park. At the entrance to the park there are street people hanging out, but once you walk past them and through the tunnel, the scene is very nice.

North Beachisn’t a beach, but there is a lot of hip history here: Washington Square, Café Trieste, City Lights Books, Vesuvio (http://www.vesuvio.com/index2.html)… also many Italian restaurants, markets, bakeries, coffee shops, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Beach,_San_Francisco
Singer in front of the Castro Theater

The Castro is a friendly, vibrant neighborhood with lots of markets, bars, clothing stores (in one of which, the owner doesn’t wear any clothes), cafes, coffee shops (Spikes on 19th Street, ¼ block off Castro is recommended). Nice little Tibetan store across the street from Spikes. The 24 bus goes along Castro Street and the F Line (restored streetcars) goes to the corner of Castro and Market. It’s interesting to sit for awhile at the blocked off area at Castro and Market. The naked guys bring a towel to sit on and if you decide to take your clothes off, be sure to sit on a shirt or something. San Francisco!

Noe Valley: is an upscale (but not hyper-rich) neighborhood over the hill from Castro. Take 24 bus to 24th Street – hanging baskets, cafes, shops (check out Qoio at 4068 24th St. – the garden is wonderful). Baby strollers and golden retrievers everywhere. Take 48 bus from stops along 24th to Mission.

The Mission is predominantly Hispanic. Center of area is the 24th Street BART Station. Go any which way. Lots to see in this sometimes gritty neighborhood – cafes, markets, people. Different Mission areas are described in SFGate.
Beach, Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Get there on 38 bus


Pier 39 is like an upscale Galveston waterfront. Sooner or later everybody goes and if the line is short, why not take the cable car ($6 one-way). Can also get there on F Line streetcars for $2 including transfer good for several hours.

The Tenderloin (a few blocks from Union Square) remains a rough place, but it’s where Shalimar is, home of the best chicken tikka masala anywhere imo (532 Jones St. (between O’Farrell & Geary – via 38 or 38L). Some hotels supposedly in Union Square are actually in the Tenderloin. Avoid the deep Tenderloin at night, though.

Union Square: Lots of upscale shopping, Cooks will love the Williams-Sonoma flagship store (the only place I’ve been – several times – my exciting life). 38 and 38L stop here.

Farmer’s markets:  See http://togetherinfood.wordpress.com/s-f-farmers-markets-the-full-list/ for listing – soooo much nicer than what’s in Dallas, groan. Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market (Embarcadero) is big, inside and out, artisanal, and more (Tu, Th, Sat). Get there via F streetcar running along Market Street.

Food: Some of the best food in the world is in SF. We usually buy stuff in grocery stores, take out places, street vendors, and the like, so can’t recommend anywhere for a fabulous meal (it’s all fabulous to us). If you want to know what artisan baking is about, check out Tartine, Semifreddi’s, or Acme (the latter two are found in several grocery stores as well as their own shops). I always bring home a loaf of Semifreddi’s rustic sourdough. Bleeding Safeway has better bread than all but a handful of bakeries in Dallas.

Coffee shops:There are many good coffee shops in SF – many locally-owned. Blue Bottle (several locations) is reputed to be the best and it is excellent.
On Noe Street – basic San Francisco


Houses, buildings, and gardens:Unbelievable. Everywhere you look there are incredible buildings and houses. The detail! Older neighborhoods have beautiful (often small) gardens. Get off the bus, walk around. What a place. Berkeley has even more incredible gardens.

Homelessness: The Bay area has a huge homeless population, especially in the Tenderloin. Many are mentally ill and a few are intrusive. Generally speaking, interactions are polite.

Other things to do: There is so much happening in the Bay area that it’s sometimes difficult to find local events (too much information!). Add the month or even the date to Google searches and keep looking. You’ll be rewarded with things like a Himalayan festival, a pagan parade, a huge marathon where many people are in costume and some wear nothing at all, an Asian festival, leather parties, psytrance street events, great farmers markets (not like Dallas, for sure), and on and on. The below resources will help in your search.

Resources:
SF Bay Guardian http://www.sfbg.com/index.php See Guides – you’re not in Kansas anymore! Also check Best of the Bay.
SFGate http://www.sfgate.com/ See Travel section with neighborhood guides, etc. (http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/) Also, there is an excellent Bay Area Best hikes, wildlife, etc. at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/08/SPG8VOH5ST1.DTL&type=travelbayarea
Fun and Cheap SF: http://sf.funcheap.com/
BART (under/above ground train from one end of SF to another): http://www.bart.gov/stations/index.aspxhttp://www.bart.gov/stations/index.aspx.
MUNI (bus and related trains): : http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mmaps/official.htm
All sorts of transpo (including ferries) to all sorts of places: http://tripplanner.transit.511.org/mtc/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en
Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum USA branch http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=26&keywordid=-1. Some of my favorites:
38 and 39 – Miss Ariel’s thoughts of travel to SF
157 – Hostels
170 – General info, comprehensive
176 – Napa and Sonoma
182 – Drive Seattle to San Diego, a tour de force by Williesnout
203 – LA to SF by public transpo
208 – SFB best outdoors
Residents would rather you say the city or San Francisco, not San Fran or Frisco.

Backpacking food

Keep it simple: freezer bag cooking, everything dehydrated, super cat stove…


Super cat stove and windscreen at left; meal at right

Freezer bag cooking means that you carry most dehydrated food in single portions, each one in a quart freezer-bag (regular baggies are too flimsy). It’s just a matter of boiling water, pouring it carefully into the bag, adding a little olive oil (from your little plastic bottle), and then putting the carefully sealed bag into a “cozy” (I use an insulated bag from a dollar store) for 5-10 minutes. It’s all pre-measured, there are no bowls or pans to clean, and it’s all very light. The freezer bag cooking site is at http://www.trailcooking.com/ and includes good info on dehydration. I use a Nesco 5-7 tray dehydrator (http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/). Dehydrating at home means overall better healthier food, and over time saves money.


The super cat stove is a cat food can with specific-size holes punched at measured intervals. Denatured alcohol from the hardware store is the fuel (I carry mine in two small Gator-Ade bottles). My windscreen is strips from a aluminum turkey pan from the dollar store. It takes about 30 ml alcohol to boil 2 cups of water. Instructions are at http://zenstoves.net/LowPressure.htm (have a look around Zen Stoves site – lots of good info). It is important to not use the super cat on top of duff or other flammable material, AND general burn bans apply to the super cat.

Breakfast staples include freeze-dried scrambled eggs (the only such pre-packaged trail food I carry) with pita bread and cheese. I put the eggs into freezer bags at home and divide 2 packages into 3 freezer bags (with some of my dehy jalapenos or salsa). I also carry oatmeal in freezer bags tarted up with milk, sugar, cinnamon, dried fruit, etc. Some days I just have an energy bar + hot chocolate. I’ve begun having some protein drink (see below) with breakfast. 

In the Wind Rivers – can you feel it. Stove with pan left front

Lunch and snacks are quick and include trail mix, energy bars, almonds, and half a Snickers candy bar. There are many excellent dried fruits and berries available in bulk at several stores, and these are good along the way, as is jerky.


Dinner includes (everything dehydrated) marinara with hamburger and angel hair pasta (all pasta is angel hair b/c easiest to dehydrate), chili with burger and pasta, mashed potatoes (Idahoan brand – so good!) with cheese, various dried sauces such as Alfredo and chipotle cream (when pre-measuring, add dry milk if milk needed) with pasta, tom kha with chicken (get soup mix + dry coconut milk and serve with instant rice or pasta) (dehy chicken [use canned to dehy] takes >10 minutes to rehy in a cozy). I bring cheese for half my dinners and have found that pepper jack lasts at least 2 weeks in the mountains. I add EV olive oil to almost everything for taste and >calories (carried in a small plastic bottle from REI). A wide variety of freeze-dried vegetables are now available in bulk from various stores – I don’t eat much of these as I like to take in lots of calories, protein, and carbs when backpacking.

Bread: I used to bring soft tortillas, but now I use bags of pita bread chips or something similar (such as flat bread) as they are lighter and more varied – I expel the air in the bag via a pin hole, bash them up some to make a smaller package, and put scotch tape over the pin hole. I also take smaller (not the smallest though) bags of Doritos, Fritos, etc. and treat them the same as the pita chips.

Pasta with onions, peppers, olives, chicken, etc. All dehydrated at home

Prepared trail meals: REI, Campmor, and retail stores sell prepared meals from brands like Backpacker’s Pantry, Mountain House, and Richmoor. Few people rave about these, though generally, they’re okay. Two-person meals are the best deal. It’s a good idea to re-package them in freezer bags to save space and decrease trash to carry out. An internet source (real people, in Austin) that gets good reviews is Packit Gourmet: http://www.packitgourmet.com/  Packit Gourmet has some good pointers on their website.


Protein drink: I use Walmart brand whey-based protein drink as part of my work-out regimen at home and have begun taking some, mixed with dry milk, when I’m backpacking. I mix up ~500ml (with cold lake/river water) every day, have a little with breakfast, and the rest mid to late morning. This seems very helpful to maintaining my strength and energy along the way.

Coffee: Starbucks instant coffee packets are the best, though there are now some pretty good packets from other makers. Hot chocolate is always good.

Other: A package of cooked bacon pieces goes well with several things. Spam comes in single-serve packs and ain’t bad (nor very good). Olives and similar foods can be well-rinsed and dehydrated, as can fresh basil, jalapenos, salsa, etc. I chew several sticks of Doublemint gum along the trail every day. Gum is essential in the desert. 

Sources of information:
Freezer Bag Cooking http://www.trailcooking.com/
And Google, of course.

Rosary, women, my generation, it’s the economy, trance…


We were moving her from the wheelchair to the table where the procedure would be done. He was doing most of the lifting and I was on the other side of the table just kind of stabilizing things. I looked down, past his ageing head bent over his wife and I saw her face, like so many other faces I’ve seen – people who are dying, gaunt, the bones in ever sharper definition, and her eyes staring as we eased her back on the table.
Rosary from Nora


She said she finds herself saying the Rosary she learned in her childhood in an orphanage. I asked her if she would like a rosary now and she said yes. I asked a friend where I could find one, and she had one made and brought it over the next day. Very beautiful. I think I’d like one too.
__________
I was thinking about an ancient gender role that I’m sure most will agree is very, very far out
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopus, and Mary Magdalene.” (John 19:25) And it’s still true today, that women are so often there at our comings and goings – the midwife, the L&D RNs; and at the end, nurses, whether in acute care or hospice. Now, even a lot of the chaplains are women. Of course there are men there too, but have a look: women are doing most of the heavy lifting. Honor and Glory.
__________
CK and Melvin at Follow Your Bliss

In my life I’ve seen and played some small parts in the most amazing generation in the history of the world. We brought you civil rights, rock & roll (the real thing, not Frankie Avalon), the youth movement, the sexual revolution, the consciousness revolution, women’s liberation, hospice, environmental consciousness, and gay rights. We fought and died in foreign places. We saw the Kennedys and Martin Luther King gunned down. We were beat down and got the fuck back up in Mississippi, the Stonewall Riots, Chicago, Kent State, LA, and so on. We turned on and worked harder to change the world. Some died and some went to prison for their beliefs. We actually redefined sex roles frozen for millennia. And it’s still happening now, in the third generation of this generation.


Of course there’s a huge amount to be done – many, many lifetimes worth, but what a start!
__________
The Welcome Lights on the arbor at our front sidewalk

The Morning News published this letter from me: There is an endless stream of anybody-but-Obama conservatives saying the real issue (other than who marries whom) is the economy and that’s what we should be talking about. Okay. Let’s talk about the role of banks running hog-wild through this nation’s economy in how we got to this place. Let’s talk about JPMorgan Chase as the reputed best of the lot and their efforts to further deregulation. Let’s talk about the role Bush and Cheney played in getting us to this place. Let’s talk about increasing student loan rates and Congress slashing everything but loopholes for the rich. Let’s talk about the incessant truculent whining of the super-wealthy and their hunger to have more, more, more while the middle and working classes do most of the real work and pay a disproportionate share of taxes. Yes, let’s talk about the economy.

__________
An email to Jeff: M, one of the people involved in the scene in Austin put on his first psytrance park party. He asked several people, including me to help and we did. I baked some excellent cookies and brought the gazebo and a few decos. L, M’s brother drove to Dallas from Mount Pleasant and then I drove us to Austin.
It was good: good music (actually outstanding music), good vibes, nice people, good food. About 50 people came. There was a little bit of an underground vibe to the whole thing. For me it was momentary dancing and mostly hanging out, getting to know people I’d met before and meeting some new people, just a very nice time, and like I said, it was M’s first time to put a party on. It’s kind of like we were a little crew. We’re also putting on a pot-luck at Embodied Awakening.
Grosbeak in our back yard – an unusual occurance

Everyone is looking forward to Embodied Awakening in late June. Soooo many good things happening there. It’s from Atrium Obscurum, the people I’ve been working with; same-as Deep in the Heart of Trances. I hope you guys are coming. Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky…

__________

I can see it, clear as day!

In some important respects, my adult life has just been bookended with President Obama’s coming out today in support of equal rights. A happy day! In 1964, when this song came out, I was 20 years old, wandering, trying to figure it all out, learning about new things, like rock-climbing, civil rights, war, being a man. In 1966 I went to war, in 1967 I came home, in 1968, Chicago… The Whole World is Watching! What a time I’ve lived in!


When the Ship Comes In

CK at DMZ, 1967

Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin’
Like the stillness in the wind
‘Fore the hurricane begins
The hours when the ship comes in.

And the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking.

Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they’ll be smiling
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in.

And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they’re spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean.

A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in.

DK and CK at the Pacific Ocean, 2011


Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin’
And the ship’s wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin’.

Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep in their eyes
And they’ll jerk from their beds and think they’re dreamin’
But they’ll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it’s for real
The hour that the ship comes in.


Then they’ll raise their hands
Sayin’ we’ll meet all your demands
But we’ll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharaoh’s tribe
They’ll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath, they’ll be conquered.

We’re not done yet, but today is a great day in the march toward freedom in America.

Backpacking to take list

David at Big Bend

What I carry for ~10 days, plus food. Totals about 40 pounds. Obviously I’m thinking about the next trek.

Need?
Rope?
Crampons?
Ice axe?

Clothing (Permethrin spray every year)
1 T shirt REI
1 Long Sleeve Shirt (Synthetic)
1 Thermal long underwear top and bottom
1 Cotton underwear
1 Trousers
1 Fleece
1 Shade hat 
1 Gloves (Wool/Synthetic)
1 Watch Cap (fleece or wool)
1 pair Socks (Wool/Synthetic)
1 Boots
1 pair gaiters
1 Rain Jacket & Pants
1 Down Jacket & stuff sack

Wind River Mountains: Titcomb Basin

Extra clothes (socks, underwear, lg underwear)

Crocs for camp and crossing rivers
Shelter
Tent – stakes, poles
Tent footprint

Sleep
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad
Tyvek

Kitchen
Stove (cat food can – photo below)
Fuel Canisters x2 with 250 ml alcohol each
Cozy
Heat tabs and can
Pot/Bowl/Cup
Spoon (Lexan)
Foil Windscreen
Ziplock (x1 Gallon size for trash)
Bic lighter (mini)
Cooking tarp, stakes, rope
Bear vault
Packing
Pack
Rain cover
Pack Liner (Trash Bag)
CK at bottom Twins Glacier after a long glissade

Stuff sack for clothing

Stuff sack for food
Stuff sack for essentials
ID, Cash, Visa and Permit(s) holder
Webbing/Lashing/Bungee
Ziplocks (x4 quart and x1 gallon)
Essentials
Trekking poles
Knife
Batteries
Fire – Bic & matches
Ice ax
Light (Headlamp, Photon)
Whistle
Nylon Cord (50’)
Bear Canister
Duct Tape
DEET – 100%
Sun Screen
Sun Glasses
Notebook & pens
Camera with new batteries
Navigation
Map
Compass (adjustable declination)
Watch
Grand Canyon: 3/4 way down, storm coming

Spot

Hydration
2L Reservoir (x1) – Platypus
1-2 1L Gatorade bottle (if desert)
1L Nalgene?
Water Purification (Katdyn pump, chemicals)
First Aid/meds
Rx meds
Sleep
Fiber
Cox-2s, ibu
ABX cream
Bandaids
Moleskin
TAC cream
ACE
Tweezers
Suture set
Hygiene
Hand Sanitizer – Repackaged
Chapstick
Paper towel 2/day
Toilet Paper, towelettes, Vaseline, hand sanitizer, trowel in Ziplock
Tooth Brush
Kitchen: seat, super cat stove, alcohol, cozy, etc. 

Tooth Paste

Floss
Car
Wood mini-platform
Pillows, big and small
Sleeping bag
Foam pad
Flashlight
Fan
Light screen
Map/Atlas
Books
Ice chest
Ice
Coffee
Chair
Phone charger, phone
Change of clothes x 2
Hand Sanitizer
Little notebook, pens

“Butterflies!” “Lots of butterflies!”

On a still evening the fragrance is intense in our front yard, the porch, and even into the house. The fragrance comes mostly from Confederate jasmine and the roses Buff Beauty (1939 – year of introduction) and Maggie (unknown)..

4/19. I’ve been watching for fireflies and tonight was the first night they were out around our house.

4/20. A mother and child about 3-4 years old were walking by the house. The child exclaimed “Butterflies!” His mom responded, “Lots of butterflies!”


Photo: The walk up to our house. The rose on the arbor is New Dawn (1930) and there in another rose with smaller blooms in the right of the photo – Marie Pavie (1888). Blue and white flowers are larkspur, an old-fashioned annual that reseeds every year.

4/22. I was sitting on the front porch and a blue jay landed on the edge of the porch, then quickly flew away. A few minutes later I saw the first hummingbird I’ve seen this year. Aha! I put a wide shallow container of water at the edge of the porch. That will be the 4thof the sources of water we maintain for birds.

I was watching a television program called Children’s Med. It’s about Children’s Medical Center in Dallas; it’s about life and death and things that are part of those: fear, hope, agony, joy, waiting, the most meticulous work imaginable, and so on. And the staff – some heavy-hitters, people spending years on the edge, people with vast knowledge, people who push the clinical envelope all the way past the known frontiers, people of mercy and compassion… One of the nurses said, “I can’t think of a higher purpose.” It amazes me that I’ve worked with some of those people and I’ve taught some of them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw6pJHktST8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL4DD2FD95512F136C;

Sending time with Leslie (today we tried Colonel Kababz – chicken tika masala, an eggplant dish, naan chicken biryani, onion, potato pastry all for $8); working in the yard; baking cookies, bread, a most amazing flourless chocolate cake; looking to the mountains, to San Francisco, to dancing in the forest. 


Photo: A nice front porch to sit on, seeing (through the roses and other foliage) our quiet street. I made both the tables >40 years ago, the blue and white ceramic incense burner we bought in Saigon; the big pot once held “100 year-old” eggs; there’s a kaffir lime tree, fossils, a split rock from the incredible Wind River Mountains, a small Burmese temple gong…

In the garden; retirement

(From email to S) When you get out of your car, the plant with large leaves on your left is Swiss chard, going to seed. The tall plants with airy foliage and delicate white flowers are cilantro going to seed. Down lower, the plant with purplish flowers is sage. On your right, the plant with grayish foliage and many small flower spires is old-fashioned lavender. The tall plants with airy foliage and spires of mostly blue, and a few white or pink spires are larkspur – an old-fashioned annual that reseeds itself every year. That’s one place on the median strip. Photo: Passiflora (in back garden)

Over the past two weeks, out front, I‘ve planted tomatoes (Big Bush and Big Bush Early Girl) and peppers (serrano and jalapeno); divided and transplanted the big clump of lemon grass, some garlic, rosemary, Mexican tarragon; and planted some sweet alyssum. I’ve been working on the soil (the most important part) for years. The Texas mountain laurel is at the end of its spectacular bloom and so is the rosemary; the wood sorrel (oxalis) is an undulating carpet of little pink flowers on mounds of leaves like clover; and some of the roses are blooming (Katy Road Pink, Maggie, Archduke Charles, Marie Pavie, Cecile Brunner, and Buff Beauty), as are lavender, sage, and most of the iris. The larkspur is spectacular.
The landscaping crews call our house “la casa de las rosas.” All of the roses in the front yard are old garden roses; for example, Cecile Brunner (the sweetheart rose) was introduced in 1881, Old Blush in 1752, Archduke Charles sometime before 1837, and so on. Photo (below): Front yard, with Katy Road Pink blooming in foreground
In the back, I’ve cleared a densely overgrown area of the garden and planted pole beans, cantaloupe, basil, cilantro, tomato, pepper,

and for flowers, so far, I’ve planted stock, zinnia, and moonflower. All of this against a backdrop of a magnificent growth of passiflora in full bloom. The rest of the back garden is pretty overgrown, with several peach trees (need to thin the fruit), several roses blooming (Tiffany, Fragrant Cloud, a coral-colored rose, Lady Banks, Marie Pavie, and Zepherine Drouhin – my favorite), herbs growing very well (rosemary, oregano, savory, garlic, and several others), San Pedro growing slowly, and there is a great stand of peach-colored bearded iris.
Retirement
The main things happening are Leslie and I just hanging out and traveling together (Asia and Cali). I’m backpacking, baking, gardening, and increasingly involved in the local psytrance scene. But the main thing is being with Leslie.
A basic day
  • Coffee together in bed, talking, watching the birds and Chubby the squirrel, I get a leg rub, we plan our day.
  • To the gym – 30 minutes all-together with 20 minutes on the Stairmaster, getting ready for a trek in the Winds. 45 pushups, this and that machines.
  • Work in the garden – major projects going on. I’m clearing and digging an area that’s been overgrown for years. I’ll grow beans, cantaloupe, squash, and basil in this new area; roses, other flowers, peaches, garlic, herbs, tomatoes, and peppers are growing elsewhere.
  • Meanwhile, Leslie is working on David’s retirement plans.
  • To lunch with Leslie – Aw Shucks to split a catfish basket.
  • 15 minute nap
  • Then Leslie lies down for a back and leg rub, then a nap.
  • Garden
  • Internet
  • Working on some bread – two “no-knead” country loaves, one with pepper jack cheese and one plain. I’ll bake tomorrow.
  • Dinner with Leslie
  • Hanging out, partly with Leslie, partly alone – internet, looking at maps (plotting out routes in the Wind Rivers), reading
Other days/other things: I go to Bible study almost every week and church school some Sundays. Leslie spends a lot of time working on the business parts of our life and is still usually involved in helping someone else. She and I have found so many great places to eat, like Ban Cuon Thang Long, Pho Bang, IndoPak Café, First Chinese BBQ, and of course, Central Market, so we have lunch out together almost every day, though about once/week we each have lunch with a friend. Most weeks I have dinner with my brothers, usually at El Taquito. Photo (above): Back garden. Pink roses are Tiffany, red roses in back are Zepherine Drouhin, red roses at left front are actually coral-colored and I don’t know the name, iris to the left, and the small flowers in lower left corner are native columbine. Photo below taken from street in front of our house. Blue spires are larkspur, white flowers are iris, I don’t know the name of the yellow flowers.
Planning: travel to Cali to be with David, maybe elsewhere too, like Boston, maybe Nepal; trance events (yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky); backpacking, including a short hike in the Sangre de Cristos and a 10-11 day trek on the Glacier Trail in the Wind Rivers –

“an epic journey” according to my guidebook.

Ahh, Leslie

I sent this to you almost exactly a year ago. And here I am again, saying…

(Click here to hear it) There were trains, and we out-run ’em; There were songs, and we out-sung ’em; There were brighter days, never ending; There was time, and we were burnin’; There were rhymes, and we were learnin’ – There was all the love two hearts could hold.

And after all this time, you’re always on my mind; Hey I could never let it end, ’cause my heart takes so long to mend; The dream that keeps your hopes alive; The lonely nights you hold inside; And after all this time, you’re always on my mind – I still want you

There was rain, that we outlasted; There was pain,

but we got past it; There were last goodbyes, still left unspoken; There were ways I should have thrilled you; There were days I could have killed you – You’re the only love my life has known.

And after all this time, you’re always on my mind; Hey I could never let you go, a broken heart that heals so slow, could never beat for someone new, while you’re alive and I am too; And after all this time, you’re always on my mind – I still love you.

And I could never let it in, ’cause my heart takes so long to mend; The dream that keeps your hopes alive, the lonely nights you hold inside; And after all this time, you’re always on my mind – I still want you; Hey after all this time, you’re always on my mind – I still love you.

The food post

We eat cheap. Still, as we’ve gotten older we’re eating more often at more upscale places like where the seats have backs; but often it’s still plastic

stools, standing on the sidewalk, or the floor of the guesthouse or hotel. It’s hard to find better food or have a better time. What could be better than this (Photo at left)… In our Bangkok hotel room – The Ultimate food – mango and sweet sticky rice with coconut milk, and in this case, some mangosteen!


All the food photos are here. Or just keep reading for descriptions and some photos.

We’ve broken the Asian food court code. These food courts aren’t remotely like what Americans think of as food courts – no franchises, just vast amountsof totally ethnic, totally cheap, and really good food. Yesterday, for example, we ate at Big C, a middle-class mall in Bangkok: First, we got some masaman (Muslim) curry and sticky rice at the back of the grocery and some jackfruit. We went up to the food court (aircon, seats with backs, hot water to rinse utensils before using, all the right stuff), where we got larb (fine-chopped chicken, chillies, lime juice lemon grass, fish sauce) and rice. All this was about 100 baht or a little more than $3USD. Today we had green curry with rice, pad se eu (flat noodles with pork and vegetable), fried shrimp, and jackfruit for dessert – again, about 100 baht. So this post is all about the amazing food we had on this trip. ****means Hall of Fame; everything else was excellent to good.



Fruit in various places: Jackfruit, mango (really amazing mangos), mangosteen,

pineapple, papaya, banana (not the same as American supermarket banana), watermelon, rambutan, lychee, pomelo, and mixed fruit smoothie

Photo: Food alley in Hanoi

Hong Kong: Our goal in HK is to have all the duck and pork we want, all the dim sum we want, and all the brilliant shrimp wonton noodle soup we can eat – big wonton dumplings with the best shrimp everDim sum from a street stand in Mong Kok, including hargow (steamed shrimp dumplings),

sui mai (steamed pork dumplings), steamed BBQ pork buns, fried curried chicken rolls, steamed pork with black beans and chillis, stuffed fried dumplings

Roast pork with rice and vegetable

BBQ duck with rice and vegetable

Indian food, including curry, samosas, naan, pickles

Ham and egg sandwiches at Cherikoff Bakery or 7-11 (7-11 not the same as in U.S. – way cheaper).

****Shrimp wonton noodle soup almost every day at Tsim Sha Kee – the shrimp here have a wild taste, unlike the bland shrimp we get in the US – and vegetable with oyster sauce

Chicken tikka masala, naan,

pakoras, vegetable samosas, and milk tea in a hallway at the Chungking Mansions

Photo above: Binh Thanh Market food court; photo left: bun cha

Vietnam: Porkarama! Vietnam is the place where pork, especially grilled, reaches a pinnacle of porkdom.

****Banh cuon (steamed big crepe with pork, vegetables, served with herbs,

fish sauce, and massive amounts of smashed fresh garlic in vinegar)


Photo: That’s the banh cuon lady in her little queendom; following photo is the banh cuon served with fish sauce, garlic, chillies, herbs, and nem.

Nem (like egg roll but all meat)

Banh xeo (like a big crepe with shrimp, pork, vegetables)

Bun bo Hue (spicy beef stew with noodle)

Bun thit nuong (grilled pork on cool noodles and vegetables)

Nem nuong (grilled pork wit

h sauce and vegetables)

****Grilled pork chop on rice with egg and vegetables; always with strong iced coffee

The coffee!!! – $.50 for large iced strong

Banana pancakes


French fries

Noodles with vegetables, chillies, and garlic

Fried bread stuffed with shrimp

Cha gio

Garlic bread

Omelet with baguette


Photo: The people who make roti in Chiang Mai


Banh khoai – kind of like a fried pancake folded over pork and

shrimp – cut it into strips and wrap them into rice paper with steamed bean sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce and dipped into nuoc mam-based peanut sauce.

Chicken fried with garlic and chillies

Fried dumplings, one stuffed with

yellow bean and some coconut and the other a “salty mystery mix” including meat


Photo: Part of the food area in the “walking market” in Chiang Mai


Cambodia: Most of our meals were with Samnang’s family – a blur of good food and good company

Various soups


Stir-fried beef, chicken

Chicken with garlic and chillies

****Raw beef salad

Red curry with noodles and baguettes


Picnic food (written by Leslie): We ended up with whole fish (1 large and 4 small) fire-roasted on skewers; chicken with ginger (every piece perfect with its fair share of bone); a whole roasted chicken; hot pot with soup, vegetables and assorted meat; lotus seeds; whole steam
ed tamarind; rice steamed in metal tubes served with sugar, cinnamon and grated coconut; other gelatinous, sweet morsels. Amazing!

Photo above: Food court food in Bangkok at Siam Paragon – Red curry, chicken with cashews, satay, larb, vegetables, rice, all kinds of sauces – about US $5 for everything

Thailand: Here is where the food fun really takes off. We experience Thai food as a brilliant melding of sharp, sweet, sour, spicy, sometimes rich, and always fresh. Fish sauce with chillies and some variation on lime and ugar is part of almost every meal; other sauces usually available.


Photo below: Khao soi stand – serve yourself to vegetables


****Mango with sticky rice and coconut milk –

I had this every day in Thailand

Red curry with steamed rice

Green curry with steamed rice and lots of herbs, etc.

Panang curry with steamed rice, cucumbers

****“Meat curried in sweet peanut” – turned out to be masaman or Muslim curry – this was from the Big C grocery store, served in a plastic container, 39 baht. We took this + some unsweetened sticky rice up to the food court where we also got some larb and steamed rice and various fish sauces. Finished the meal with jackfruit.


Photo below: Meal at Big C food court – pad se eu, green curry, fried shrimp – US$3 for all


****Khao soi (red curry soup with noodles, crispy things, chicken and various vegetables


Jungle curry, which was okay – red curry soup with a lot of different vegetables

Satay (chicken, pork, beef in various marinades)

Grilled chicken, grilled sweet beef

Pad se eu (fried noodles with chicken or pork and egg and vegetable)

Spicy fried noodle with pork

Chiang Mai sausage – grilled, spicy, with lots of cilantro

Rice with chicken, Chinese sausage,
ground chilli paste, egg

Ground chicken with chillies and peanuts

Ground pork with chillies


Photo: Pad Thai street stand – 45baht for pad Thai with shrimp – good!


Tom ka (spicy coconut soup with chicken)

Tom yum (very spicy clear soup with shrimp)

****Larb, chicken and pork

Fish cakes, fried (this was just okay)

Sticky rice, sweet, flavored with fruit

Peanuts with garlic, lemon grass, citrus leaf


Photo: Entrance to a lane in Chinatown – ladies are cooking it up!


Northern Thailand sampler plate, including Chiang Mai sausage, eggplant and chillies, fried sour sausage, steamed vegetables, pork roll, pork crackling

Banana roti from the Muslim couple who set up a stand every night outside a wat

French fries

Pad Thai

Som (papaya salad with green beans, lime, tomatoes, etc. with dried shrimp – [the ones with little beady black eyes]; also with crab)

All sorts of vegetarian breakfast things at the Lanna House in Chiang Mai, like noodle, soup, pizza, pineapple, watermelon, banana


Photo: Rice with two things place in Chiang Mai – 30 baht!!! (US$1)

Phnom Penh

Rolling into Phnom Penh, into the “bus station” and looking out the window to Sokhom waving. There’s Samnang. Far out, we’re here. Load our stuff into the Camry and make our way across town to the family’s new house, the front of which is exactly like the old one – a small cafe where motorcycles drive right in between the bar and the 3-4 tables. Chanmony and Sophear are waiting for us, along with Than, Jeudi, and Uncle Da. Up the steep stairs, into the room where we’ll stay, wash up, have some (really good) dinner. We’re here. Photo: Children I saw on a walk (described later) Phnom Penh photos are here

In the past we stayed a block from Psar Tuol Tom Pong (Russian Market). This time

we were further out, but still, an easy 8 minute $2 tuk-tuk ride to the market. Phnom Penh this time was mainly spending time with Samnang’s family, including the totally Cambodian family outing described below. Jeudi’s food was stellar as always – it was a really nice, relaxing, homey time.

The following from Leslie’s email to David: Yesterday was Chinese New year and Tet is today, so the big markets, etc. were closed yesterday and today. We had planned to spend several leisurely hours down by the riverside. The girls wanted to join us (a day completely off because it’s Happy New Year!) but then Samnang took over the “plan of the day” and announced it at breakfast this morning – a family expedition to Udon, the old capital, lunch there and a tour of the ruins.

We brought water; beer; soda; Samnang’s bottle of liquid herbal medicine; and my frozen bottle of tea. The girls actually wore long sleeves and Sokkhom brought (and wore) neck scarves for all the women. Needless to say, I just carried mine.

So off we went at 9:20, six of us in the Camry and three on a motorcycle, missing only Than. We arrived at 10:40 after only one short stop for gas, and entered the “park” area which is free for everyone except foreigners @ $1.00 per head. Photo below: The street where we stayed

The road that lead to the way up the mountain was lined by umbrella-covered

food vendors. The opposite side of the road had long thatched-roof pavilions with wooden platforms covered in mats for families to rent for picnics. We unloaded water, etc. from the car onto one of the platforms and David, Jeudi, Da, and Sokkhom went off to fetch an assortment of food from various vendors. We ended up with whole fish (1 large and 4 small) fire-roasted on skewers; chicken with ginger (every piece perfect with its fair share of bone); a whole roasted chicken; hot pot with soup, vegetables and assorted meat; lotus seeds; whole steamed tamarind; rice steamed in metal tubes served with sugar, cinnamon and grated coconut; other gelatinous, sweet morsels. Amazing! Photo below: One of my favorite photos – children in a temple

We ate at 12:15 after all the above was

assembled. Jeudi served as always and ate last, but she, Samnang, and Sokkhom all ate tons which I’ve never seen before.

About 1:20, after lunch and naps, your Dad, David, Mony, and Sophear started up the mountain while Samnang, Sokkhom, and Jeudi all napped some more while I wrote this and caught up trying to balance $4 million VND – I’m not kidding!

The hikers returned about an hour later, soaking wet and tired. After quickly packing up loads of left-over food and fixing a doggie bag for Sali, the dog, we pulled out of our spot at 2:30, and the Camry occupants arrived back at the house at shortly before 4:00. The poor three-some on the motorcycle had their 2nd flat of the journey and didn’t get back until about 6:30. And you guessed it, Jeudi then prepared and served dinner. It’s incredibly hard work to have her job in this household.

A couple of observations: shortly before we left the park grounds, a hit-and-run driver struck and killed a woman on a motorcycle about 50 yards from where we were. It drew large crowds from far afield, but there was no outcry or anger at all. Samnang didn’t explain

that there’s been a death until I asked again in the car on the return trip. It was surreal. Photo: The family outing

Your Dad told me that on the mountain top, there was a woman responsible for cleaning around the stupa; but she just threw all the trash over the railing. Why would that even cross your mind?

It was a long, hot interesting day.

So that’s it for the day here. We both had a cold shower that felt wonderful and have crashed watching the Australian Open. Hewitt is doing a beautiful job holding his own against Djokovic, and the home crowd is going wild (me too!). Photo: Sophear

CK’s account of the hike up

the mountain: After lunch, in the heat of the day, cousin David, uncle Da, Chanmony, Chansophear, and I headed up the hill to the stupas. It was a hot walk, three hundred and some odd steps past quite a few beggars to the stupa, but not bad. Oh, there’s another stupa, up more steps and past more beggars and another and another, so by the time we got to the last one, I was pretty hot – we were all hot and sweaty, even cousin David (the one who set the pace). From the last stupa we could see far across this flat, green watery land – it was like we could see across Cambodia. The stairs down were very crowded with fellow holidayers (that’s the short way up and down) and more beggars and even some monkeys. Photo: The view from the mountain


My internet friend, Henning and his partner, Mint picked us up one morning for breakfast at Jars of Clay, one of the aircon places near the Russian Market. It was good to see them. This is the third time we’ve gotten together in Phnom Penh. Henning is a world traveler since he was a child and has vast knowledge of Cambodia and the near and far east. Photo: Random family on a moto. I wonder why MVAs are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Cambodia…

From there we spent a few hours in

the market. Interestingly the woman we’d bought silk from before remembered Leslie and asked after David. It was hot in the narrow, crowded aisles, but it’s been hotter. Another nice thing was

that I saw a woman with some serious burn scars who before had always walked around selling on foot; now she has a small stand. When we were done we went back to Jars of Clay and had some coffee and then some food – in comfortable chairs and air-conditioning.

I went for a walk yesterday morning, the last day of the Chinese New Year holiday, the Year of the Dragon… through narrow lanes, past children playing and some just standing, past a few food vendors, people selling this and that, then unpaved alleys (faint sound of drums), past people eating, sitting, washing in front of houses, past some apartments – a narrow walkway with cell-like rooms on each side, then through narrower passages with a few people standing and sitting, some pretty hard looking, staring at me or not, hearing he sound of drums louder and louder and

the passage opening up and out in to an open area next to a large market and some people around and lion dancers leaping and whirling and shaking their heads and of course the weird round-faced mask guy fanning ghosts. Photo: The round-headed guy who’s always a part of the Lion Dance

I walked up out of the market area to the dusty road, even though it’s now paved, that leads to Choeun Ek, a few miles away where mass graves have been emptied, but with shards of bone and scraps of rotted cloth still in the dirt – I was there in 2005, never having imagined that I would ever see mass graves and planning on never seeing any again, remembering that it was an unpaved, much dustier road then, and a mentally hellish ride back and now I walk across the road to a kind of wooden dock perpendicular to the road with 8 or 10 ramshackle 1-2 room houses on each side 20-30 feet above muddy, polluted water and from there back up to the road, past a couple of life-ravaged prostitutes in an open-fronted “massage” place with a sign saying 10,000 Riel ($2.50USD) for services,

just the two of them, sitting on low chairs, singing karaoke about 7:45 in the morning, loud. I’m not making any of this up. Photo: Houses built over the water


All in all, it was a low-key, relaxing visit. On the way to the airport Leslie saw a sign that said “Orphanage, Tourists Welcome” – part of the new orphanage industry, I imagine. It was on the road to Choeun Ek, a lucrative location, no doubt, what with tourists leaving the mass graves and thus vulnerable to guilt-inducing pitches for donations. Motherland, cradle me. Away we go.