The Impractical Hedonist

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Cocoa, From Pod to Chocolate

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Tirimbina, Costa Rica –

“This is a ripe Cocoa pod, ready for opening.

“The traditional method the Incas used was to use their heads.

“Do I have any volunteers?”

The group taking the tour consisted mostly of College students, and they immediately had their preferred candidate.

“Jose, Jose,” they cheered.

Reluctantly, Jose rose from where he was sitting and approached our guide.

The guide smiled and then added some additional information that Jose might find helpful.

“The Incas observed the monkeys, which would open the pods by banging them on logs.”

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Let It Snow!

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Den Hauge, Netherlands –

The lady at the ticket counter turned around to look at me and burst into song.

“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”

I smiled and joined in for a brief refrain myself.

“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”

No, I had not stepped into a musical.

Nor had I entered into an alternate reality like you see in certain TV shows, where the characters burst into song whenever the mood strikes them.

Nope, I had just had the good timing to walk into the ticket lobby at Madurodam as a heavy snow was picking up steam.

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Safety and Perception – Part 2

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Part 1 of this series can be found here.

Dallas, TX –

“I wouldn’t go to Jamaica again. It’s not safe.”

A while back, M, my boss was talking to one of my associates, D, about his upcoming trip to Jamaica.

“The place has changed from when I first went, when I was young.”

“I agree,” S, another associate had joined in. “It was great when I was living there, but it’s a dangerous place now.”

Then M turned to me.

“Would you go back?”

“Absolutely.”

“But, it’s changed so much.”

“Has it?”

[Read more…] about Safety and Perception – Part 2

A Country Estate of a Tomb

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Huế, Vietnam –

Let’s see, Lake house?

Check!

Personal Theater?

Check!

Housing for concubines?

Check!

Hmm, it seems there was something else needed…

What was it?

Oh yeah! Tomb?

Check! Check! Check!

What can I say; it’s good to be Emperor…

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Safety and Perception

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Dallas, TX –

It’s getting scary out there.

At least, that’s what the news keeps telling us.

Ebola, war, terrorists, you name it. It’s out there and out to get us.

Or is it?

I’ve got associates who do not want to travel to Dallas right now because a couple of nurses who were caring for a Liberian with Ebola have now come down with the virus.

Let’s ignore how difficult it is to catch.

Let’s ignore the fact that none of the original patient’s family who were sharing an apartment with him as he was getting sicker have come down with it.

No, all that matters is that Ebola is in Dallas, therefore, you don’t want to come here, because it’s lurking around every corner in the city, waiting to infect you.

Come on! Get a grip!

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Crocs, Monkeys, and Iguanas

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Liberia, Costa Rica –

There on the log, at the edge of the river, sat the crocodile, mouth open, baring his teeth.

I watched him from mid-stream, staying still, trying not to make any sudden moves.

One thought ran briefly through my mind, would I be croc-food?

The Howler Monkey draped over the tree limb above didn’t seem to care, but seemed more than a willing spectator if things didn’t go my way.

Nonplussed, I slowly began to raise my camera to my eye, take focus, and snap the shutter.

In an instant, the croc was off the log, and up into the brush on the riverbank, not to be seen again.

He blinked first.

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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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