Author Archives: simmyw
Karen Hill Tribe Trek in Thailand – The Landscape
Though Thailand is smaller in area than the state of Texas, it is home to 70+ distinct ethnic minorities. The Karen group is the largest minority at 400k+ people distributed across almost 2k villages (2003 census). The village women wore colorful … Continue reading
Karen Hill Tribe Trek in Thailand – The Village
In the hills of Northwest Thailand near Mae Sariang, the morning fog rolls through lush forest and over corrugated and thatched roofs, touching cultivated mountain rice fields and retreating by midmorning into blue skies. The Karen tribesmen inhabit these hills, … Continue reading
Daxu, Guilin
The streets are absent of traffic, there’s not a foreigner in site, and no vendor is actively touting — only 20km away from Guilin, a Chinese city of 5 million inhabitants. Founded in the Song Dynasty, Daxu’s structures date back to … Continue reading
Bantay Kdei and the Hindu-Buddhist Dynamic
Considering that Angkor Wat was built for the Hindu god Vishnu but has since been a place of Buddhist pilgrimage, I was often confused as to whether I was looking at Buddhist or Hindu structures, even when there were well-preserved … Continue reading
Bus Ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
There must be at least a dozen bus companies operating between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap offering varying levels of comfort, price, reputation, vehicle size, route frequency, and number of stops. We opted to go with Grand Ibis for their … Continue reading
One Week in the Khmer Empire
After precisely one year since we dreamed up this trip, Chris and I are now in Cambodia, known in the 9th to 13th centuries as the Khmer Empire. Last year, after spending the summer working in Israel, we visited the … Continue reading
San Blas Islands
After visiting the Panama Canal and several port facilities and fulfillment centers, we had an after-party retreat in the San Blas Islands, home to the semi-autonomous indigenous Kuna Indians. Getting to the islands from Panama City was an adventure in … Continue reading
Panama Canal Expansion Project
Why is the Panama Canal being expanded? Simply put, to keep itself relevant in the face of global trade growth and competition. With the addition of two new locks, one on each end, transiting cargo capacity is expected to double. … Continue reading
Miraflores Locks
The Panama Canal takes approximately 8 to 10 hours to cross with about 40 ships transiting per day. A sophisticated transit booking system provides ships with a choice between either a first-come first-served basis or a premium congestion fee to … Continue reading
MIT SCM Trek to Panama
I am joining the MIT Supply Chain Management Trek to Panama. Ever since studying naval architecture and marine engineering at Webb Institute, I have been curious about maritime shipping and the infrastructure and logistics that move cargo from origin to … Continue reading
The Great Market Hall of Budapest
Walk to the southern end of the touristy pedestrian shopping street Váci utca and you reach the Great Market Hall, an immense indoor market with an intricate roof tiling job by the famous Hungarian manufacturer Zsolnay. Shopkeepers sell produce and … Continue reading
A Walking Tour of Budapest
A few days ago, I arrived in Budapest (“boo-duh-pesht”), capital of Hungary, for a short vacation away from working in Israel and to get a taste of what summer backpacking across Europe is all about. I found a city full … Continue reading
The Israel Saga
In seek of a new twist on my background in naval architecture and marine engineering, I stumbled upon the “water industry,” a world of venture capitalists and public utilities alike, global water resources, and cutting-edge technologies currently being developed at MIT’s … Continue reading
Valle de Angeles
Valle de Angeles, known colloquially as “the valley,” is a municipality in the Honduran department (country division) of Francisco Morazán. At an elevation of 4200 feet and located between Honduras’s mountain ranges, it has the coolest climate in the whole … Continue reading
The Band at La Finca
Alonso, the director of La Finca, loves music and leads a Christian music band comprised of a select few La Finca kids who play drums, base, guitar, keyboard, and sing. Note the kid in jammies in the foreground listening to … Continue reading
Dayana
A few years ago, Jamie’s family met Jose, an old Catholic man who hikes the mountains giving aid to the poor, elderly, and anyone in need. Through him, they were introduced to Dayana, a now fifteen-year-old girl with cerebral palsy … Continue reading
La Finca – Introduction
La Finca is a home for abandoned children. It houses about 100 children from ages 2 to 18, only one of which is actually an orphan. Every day when I return to Jamie’s home, I try to write about the children, but … Continue reading
Carmelo Neighborhood
If you leave downtown Valle de Angeles in a southernly direction (no street names around here), walk a mile through pastures past the cemetery and church, maybe take a left, cross a river, and climb a hill, you will find … Continue reading
Tegucigalpa, La Capital de Honduras
To gain the stamp of what was missing the previous day (see 6:30PM from yesterday’s post), we set out for Tegucigalpa the next morning with Jamie and her friends Lillian, Kelly, and Jacky. At the airport, after a customs official … Continue reading
Voyage to Honduras
Since events became increasingly more peculiar and fantastic as the day of my voyage to Honduras progressed, I can’t help but give a detailed account in the time domain. If you want the quick sensational version, skip to 3:30PM or … Continue reading
The Honduras Saga
Ever since my relatives spoke of an orphanage hidden in the forested mountains of Honduras full of abandoned but happy children yearning to meet people and learn, I knew I would someday travel to the children’s home and try to … Continue reading
Making Music at MIT
This past Tuesday, I performed at MIT’s graduate student open-mic. Gaston and I had only one day to rehearse. Within one hour of posting the Led Zeppelin cover of Thank You, I received an email from YouTube notifying me that … Continue reading
Salt Creek Recreation Area
The tidal pools of Tongue Point Marine Life Sanctuary at Salt Creek Recreation Area are among the best in the Pacific Northwest. When you stand beneath the Douglas firs on the coastal edge at low tide, acres of intertidal pools … Continue reading
The Olympic Peninsula – Intro
Before heading south, we explored the tidal zones and old growth forests of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula.
Olympia
If you wish to find where the 1960’s hippies settled down, Vashon Island is supposedly the resting ground. But if you ever wondered where the hippies are still being grown, Olympia is the happening place. Amplifying the relaxing Seattle cafe … Continue reading
West Coast Road Trip
This summer, Chris Hooper (Webb Class 2011) and I are journeying on a road trip from Olympia, WA to southern California. My objective in blogging is to convey what it is like to travel by RV down the West Coast. … Continue reading
Beijing – Jonathan Shaller
Jonathan Shaller, a fellow traveler from the Red Lantern Hostel in Beijing, rendered this pavilion using Autodesk Maya. Jonathan is a professional 3D Environmental Artist with an impressive background. Notably, he’s worked on the graphics for The Chronicles of Narnia, … Continue reading
Back to the States
I must admit that I am now back in New York with my parents and Chris. I will continue to post occasionally, as I still have many places, foods, and cultural oddities to share. Above are impaled sparrows being sold … Continue reading
Shanghai Violin – Recital Piece
AUDIO Recital Replay During the Spring Festival, only one music store near the Shanghai Music Conservatory was open. It had the floorspace of a typical shop window display with about 20 violins crammed inside. A teacher clapped expressionlessly to a … Continue reading
Beijing – Forbidden City – Museum
The Imperial bedroom was the most popular scene in the Forbidden City. Crowds of tourists pressed their lenses up to the glass and peered in to see where the Emperor slept. The symbol on the far wall is “double happiness,” … Continue reading