The Impractical Hedonist

Enjoying Life and the Pursuit of Happiness

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Archives for October 2014

A Full Day, a Full Stomach

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Chaing Mai, Thailand –

Looks can be deceptive.

At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Our instructor makes it all look so easy.

The ingredients are already portioned out for us, so all we have to do is this, that, and this other thing and Bam! You’ve got a perfectly prepared dish of Pad Thai.

It only takes about two minutes.

And that’s where the deception lies.

I’m sure for a practiced cook, going through the required steps in the short amount of time that the ingredients are allowed to be in the wok may not be difficult to do.

But for a clumsy, uncoordinated oaf like me, it’s another story altogether…

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Ship (Re)-Building

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Rotterdam, Netherlands –

“Do you want to see the ship?”

Something told me they weren’t expecting many walk-in visitors.

Maybe it was the look on their faces, all wide-eyed and like they didn’t know what to do next.

I know they had been able to see me outside, taking pictures of the old anchor and canons that had been raised from the bottom of the sea.

I guess they just hadn’t expected me to come in.

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Snowed Under

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West Yellowstone, MT –

“Are you stuck?”

I had watched in the mirror as the park ranger threw his SUV into reverse and backed up to where we were stopped. He had passed us a few moments before, on his way back into the park.

“No,” I replied as I pointed at Dore who was taking pictures out the passenger side window of the Caribou in the river below.

“Go!” he yelled at us as he threw his vehicle back into drive and began to pull away.

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A Sweetly Flavorful Stop

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Chachimbiro, Ecuador –

The Burro looked bored.

Then again, I suppose I would be bored too, spending most of my days going round and round.

Always the same small circle, tied to the same stick.

Not even much of a view. Sugar cane fields, a two-lane road, and the roadside café (if that’s what you would call it).

Then along comes a bus full of foreigners who circle around and take pictures of you doing your job.

It’s like being a performer on stage.

Or maybe a celebrity being hounded by paparazzi.

Then again, you do get to eat crushed sugar cane remnants from time to time.

I suppose it’s a reasonably good life.

For a Burro…

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