When I travel I sometimes forget my ears. I venture out with camera in hand and eyes wide open. I search for the perfect photo op: that traffic stopping almond-eyed girl, the perfect sunset or moon rise, the Buddhist monk wrapped in mysterious yellow-orange, the twilight mountain silhouette, or that […]
Tag: Ann Kirkland
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – The Mekong at night
It is cocktail hour on the ‘sun deck’ of the RV Bassac Pandaw. It it pitch black outside and we are on a narrow portion of the river. The warm and humid breeze is strong and luscious. We can see the occasional electric light or fire on shore and hear […]
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – Scenes from Saigon
This is the Chinatown of Saigon and the primary setting of “The Headmaster’s Wager” by Vincent Lam, the book were ‘advised’ not to bring with us. We can picture the Percival Chen English Academy operating right here. These children are almost certainly ethnic Chinese and students in a private school […]
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – Final thoughts from Vietnam
We are in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and have been on the Mekong River for the past few days, without Internet. Before thinking about what we are experiencing in Cambodia, I want to offer a few more reflections on Vietnam. We are discussing short stories written by Vietnamese writers. They are […]
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – Confused by Communism in Vietnam
On flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly, and often still, known as Saigon). First, I want to say how the hearts of all of us on this trip are concerned for those who have borne the wrath of the benign-sounding Sandy. I hope you are all safe […]
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – 1000 km .. with kids?
The Camino is full of mysteries and surprising revelations. This is the blog of the amazing family we met from Taos, NM (both parents are alumni of St. John’s College, and they have been walking for over two months). http://caminantequixote.wordpress.com/about/ We keep bumping into them and being ever more impressed with how […]
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – Today’s thought from Santiago
I was musing last night, over a sumptuous Galician meal of many courses, that I know of no other place where persons of all ages, nationalities, faiths (or non), levels of income, and political persuasions come together in such harmony. We remain distinctly different from one another, but something about […]
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – Onward to Santiago
(Editor’s note: a much longer post today, as we catch you up on the end of the camino without spamming your social media. Hope you enjoy.) Last evening, after dinner at the pazo that has started to feel like home, we had a traditional Galician queimada. A local herb-infused alcohol […]
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – Do we look like suffering pilgirms?
(sent by Ann on Oct 23) Tomorrow we walk into Santiago. Alas, the forecast is for rain. As my roommate Maureen says frequently, “it’s all good.”
ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – Heaven, I’m in heaven.
(Remember: to see an enlargement of a photo, just click on it) We had a glorious walk through stone and slate hamlets, fields of cut grain, fruit trees and woods of eucalyptus. The sun shone, the birds sang, and our feet clipped along at a comfortable, unhurried pace. A picnic […]