Where have you been?

Top was taken along the A4069 and the other was taken on a small back road in the park.

Lyme Regis, or the Lyme as locals call it, is a neat little harbor town along the south coast of England. Its a very beautiful town build into the side of a largish hill. Unfortunately the beaches all have small pebbles rather then sand. Must be hard to sun bath!

Not free hand but funny none the less.

Here are some shots of the south west countryside. Can you tell the difference between these and the pictures from Wales down below? My British friends go on and on about how different everywhere in the UK is. These pictures throw doubt on that theory...

Woodhenge is another Neolithic and Bronze Age monument located on the Salisbury plain within just a few miles from Stonghenge. As it is substantially less dramatic and basically just a model it is often overlooked. The concept is the same only rather then large stones it was made of wood. Wood does not last through the ages so the only thing left were the postholes. These are filled with small cement markers that are painted to show which posthole belongs to which concentric circle. The larger red one is the middle.

So this site is not difficult to find as it is about 100 yards off the A303, a main highway down into the south west of England. It was used as an astrological guide blah blah blah. All that can be found here.

There were three things I would like to point out about the site and how it is set up. First, some historical sites in the UK offer audio tours and Stonehenge is one. The audio give a bit about the history and loads of drama! There were readings from Thomas Hardy's books, long pauses for dramatic effect, and a finale that made me die laughing.

The second thing of note was that there is a huge fence around the site. This is installed to keep those pesky non-paying people out. You see, there is a parking lot on one side of the road (not the A303 but the other smaller road which the site lays on) and a tunnel under the road leading to the inside portion of the fence. You have to park, pay at the boot, and walk under the tunnel to the site. Fair enough, they are trying to develop the site as a deserving World Heritage Site deserves.

This brings me to my third interesting point. As I was saying the entire site lay just off the A303, the main route into the south-west of England. Apparently there is a push to have a large portion of the A303 changed into a tunnel in order to "transform the visitor experience with better access to the landscape". I found news paper articles that say the project was to begin in 2005 but nothing had started when I was down there. More information here.

Pentre Ifan is a Bronze-Age burial chamber located in Pembrokshire Coast NP (Wales). These stones made up the entrance to the chamber which has been eroded over the years. According to the little plaque at the site up to 130 prehistoric people were buried here before it was sealed up. There are many many locations such as this not only in Wales but in England and Scottland as well. Unfortunately they are off the beaten path and are difficult to find, especially on a motorcycle where you can not stare at a map while driving! More information here.

I spent three days this July riding through Wales. Wales is very beautiful with it's rolling countryside and has a nice homely feel to it. I was able to cover about 1000 miles and saw almost all of the souther portion of Wales. These pictures were taken near the west end of Brecon Beacons NP (top) and near Fishguard (bottom).

Here are a few pictures I took of Joshua Tree National Park which is in the California desert east of Los Angeles about 2 hours. One of my friends lives out there and I visited him just before I moved to the UK. These pictures are from that trip. If you are interested in learning more about Joshua Tree NP visit it's website here.

This is the best road I have been on thus far. Its a small road through the west side of Brecon Beacons National Park and as you can see is very narrow and curvy as hell; there is good vertical change as it passes over the "mountains". You have to watch out a bit for sheep but they didn't seem to like the loud noise of my motorcycle and ran most of the time I got near. Find out more here.

Here is a photo of my current room. The room is nothing special but our house is really nice. Its 2.5 bedrooms, separate bath and toilet rooms, and has a big living room and a consevatory downstairs. I'll post pics of the rest of the house and the other places I've lived eventually.

I wanted to thank everyone who gave me money for my birthday this year. I used the money to buy some protective riding gear including boots, pants, and a nice pair of gloves. Here are the boots - I'll have to take photos of the others later. I think I might try to sell the boots when I leave as they are super warm and rain-proof, something good for England but not so great for southern California.

This blog will be used to keep everyone updated as to where I am, what I have going, and to post pictures from my various outtings. This is just the begining so there will probably be several changes while I figure out what I can and can't do with the site. With luck I will be posting items weekly but we'll see how that goes as well.

Thanks for stopping by this this site is no longer updated. Everything has been left in place for your enjoyment however so please feel free to poke around.

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Welcome to my blog and thank you for taking a moment out of your day to visit me. This is a site that I use to showcase my photography and keep in touch with my friends and family where ever they may be.


Blueberry, our newest addition, was left abandoned at our neighbor's doorstep in a pink carrier. They kept her for one night and said either we take her or they are going to drop her off at the pound. She was super cute from the beginning and after we decided to keep her have not looked back. She adored Kobra and they loved playing together and having naps on our kitty tree together.


Our family also included two other cats, Kobra and Teddy. Kobra picked us from a shelter in Warsaw and he traveled back with us to California and again to Connecticut. He suffered renal failure and passed quietly in my wife's arms. Teddy was from the same Warsaw shelter but was only with us a short time. We lost him to FIP after only a few short months of enjoying his company. Here is a photo of them both, Teddy (black/white) and Kobra (white), in our kitchen in Poland.



So, where exactly have I been?

"Where have I been?" you ask. Some pretty amazing places to be honest. Not only have I been fortunate enough to travle a bit but I have also had the pleasure of living in four different countries (America included). This page will be an attempt to cataloge my travels and the related post. It will unfortunately always be a work in progress but will hopefully provide a starting point for folks interested in where I have been. Additionally I have yet to convert all of my 35mm photographs into digital but mabye some day.

• My Mom's Polish Adventure
• Photos of the California Beach
• The California Desert
• Our 2008 California Trip
• The United Kindom
• A few from Germany
• Photos from Poland
• Pacific Sailing
• Scotland
• Muay Thai
• Polish Tatras
• Thailand

1. Bangkok and Chaing Mai, Thailand




What can really be said? Bangkok is a magnificent city that honestly never sleeps. Yummy food, cheap shopping, wonderful weather, and more sin than any one person should experience, ever. On top of all that the Thai people are the most friendly I have ever come across. Bangkok truly has it all.





Anyone visiting Thailand in Spring (April specifically) should not bother unless Chaing Mai and the celebration of Songkran are part of the plan. Thai New Year is celebrated throughout Thailand but nowhere like Chaing Mai. The old walled city is perfect for the week long water fight that is Songkran with huge stages pumping out horrible yet infectious music, one-way traffic jams, and plenty of places to get refreshments. And the combination of the warm Spring weather (i.e., little clothing) and the water fights make Songkran an obligatory wet T-shirt contest for everyone involved! Forget April, if you want to say you have visited Thailand at all, this massive party is an absolute must.





2. Scotland, United Kindom




Beautiful rolling countrysides in the Lowlands and impressive Lochs and Mountains in the Highlands. Riding through the mountains north of Glasgow was a very tranquil experience and many of my favorite photos come from there. My ride to the Isle of Skye also produced many great photos while Loch Ness was a bit over rated. I was told by an Australian couple I met at the hostel in Inverness that the Isle of Skye is best visited over several days, as part of it's charm is it's rapidly changing weather.




That can be said of most of Scotland which I found out the hard way by having to ride through 240 miles of pouring rain! But even John O'Groats (the east coast of northern Scotland really) is worth a look despite the unpredictable weather.


3. Wales, United Kindom




When I enterd Wales along the A44(?) I could sense that I was leaving England and heading into another country. The B&B where I stayed was very hospitable and located perfectly to wander through the hills of the Brecons Beacons (on my motorcycle naturally). From the wonderful rides through the low mountains to cruising along the coast at Swansea my Wales trip was truly enjoyable.






4. California Deserts




In my youth my family would spend quailty time on the Colorado River enjoying the warm sunshine in Summer and the lovely desert in the Winter. There was a boat, motorcyles and little else but it was always very enjoyable.


We would also take our motorcycles to other places in the California deserts to enjoy different riding areas and terrain. Unfortunately things change and it has been years since I have last visited but it will always be a Top Destination for me...


5. California Beaches

There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home.

• Two Bees in St Ives
  
  
  

  This shot was taken while my buddy and I were visiting a small village near Cambridge. I noticed the bee sitting on the flower and decided to snap a few shots. It wasn't until I began to process the photos that I relaized a second bee flew into one the of the photos.
  



• Funny Bunny at Global Gathering 2005
  
  
  

  I love this picture not only because it always makes me laugh but also for the wonderful memories it brings back. I have been to two Global Gathering parties, both times with the same buddy mentioned above. The first year we bounced from arena to arena sampling all of the muisc. The highlight was the final set of the event at 5am by Yoji Biomehanika. The second year we decided to spend the entire time in the Polysexual Arena listening to hard dance music. The highlight was Hixxy although all of the DJs were great!



• Saturday Buddha
  
  
  

  This was taken near Chaing Mai in northern Thailand. It depicts Mucalinda, the Naga King, sheltering the Buddha during a storm. In finding this information I came across this excellent website, Old Stones, which is done by a fellow named Mike Gunther. It is very informative and worth a look.
  



• Isle of Skye, Scotland
  
  
  

  Enough can't be said about the beauty of Scotland. When I get another opportunity I will go back but for now I have to be happy with my few photographs.