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Essays |
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Kilimanjaro |
After four hours of treacherous hiking through
bone-chilling cold and pouring rain, the sun finally broke through.
It was a glorious site, that drying, heating sun. The hopes and
aspirations of every person climbing Kilimanjaro that day were
raised -- for the first time in the two days since the trek began,
I could see the summit -- and for the first time it seemed attainable..... |
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Hard
Luck Cafe:
Misadventures in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
I noticed a few really big guys in dark blue
suits standing over in the corner checking out Emma. I mentioned
this little fact to Stephan. Stephan took great pride in telling
me that his girlfriend, cute little Emma, is the mother of the
Crown Prince of Brunei. Yes indeed, Emma divorced the Sultan
after bearing his first born son. The guys in blue suits were
bodyguards! Fortunately, they were excellent beer fetchers as
well, and pretty soon we had them running back and forth to the
bar buying beer on the Sultan's tab... |
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You
No Shoot:
Crocodile Penis in Penang |
"You know what it is?" he asked. I
had no idea, but I ventured a guess: "Nutmeg?" With
a latent pause for effect, he said, "No, no, no... You know
Viagra?" Yes, I am familiar with Viagra. "How much
is Viagra in the United States?" he asked. "Hey buddy,
I'm 28, not 68!" I protested... |
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South American Exploration:
A Day to Day Travelogue |
A day to day description of three months
of backpacking in South America... Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Equador,
Galapagos Islands, etc... |
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Ethiopia:
Don't Drive After Five |
Seven hours later, quite close to sunset, it
looked as if the last of the huge mountains were over. We were
on fairly flat ground, but still winding our way around. It was
then, on that last climb, that our car sputtered to a halt. We
rolled backwards. Our driver, as confidently as I’ve ever
seen, opened the hood and started working. He siphoned gas from
the carburetor with his mouth. He blow air through the clogged
filters. He did everything he could. Unfortunately, he couldn’t
piss gas, because that was what we needed..... |
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Talkeetna, Alaska:
Went Snaggin' |
Fish were indeed thicker than pea soup. They
were rocking, they were rolling, they were splashing around the
water within spittin’ distance. But, they didn’t seem
to like my lure. Guy next to me in full army fatigues is catching
a fish about every other cast, yet I didn’t get a single
bite the first hour. "That thing on the end is scaring
them," Camo Man said with a little chuckle. "Gotta
get a fly. You got any flies?"..... |
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South Africa:
Themba |
Themba, a rather plump girl "six and a quarter
years old," squeezed into the already crowded seat between
her very plump mother and me. My knees were, as they are on nearly
all modes of public transport, in my chest and pressed firmly
into the unfortunate seat in front of me. Themba was clearly
displeased with her confined quarters.... |
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