January 31, 2008

Flamingos take flight at Lake Magadi in Kenya

blog it

January 29, 2008

Patterns in Nature: Aerial Views

Trucks weave through sand dunes in the Ar Rub' al Khali desert, also known as the Empty Quarter, in the Arabian Peninsula.

January 26, 2008

Patterns in Nature: Aerial Views

An airplane casts a shadow over Lake Natron in Tanzania. The lake's color comes from a red pigment in cyanobacteria, which feed on high levels of salt in the lake.

I love looking for patterns like this. Some of my photos from this summer show patterns in our backyard.

January 25, 2008

Sumo in Japan


I've been to a sumo match before and watched it on television while living in Japan. I love it. It is so amazing to see these huge men, who look like bull elephants (not the horrible ugly stereotype shown in the West). These guys have little to no body fat it seems. It is massive muscle! The match is so fast that if you blink you could miss the key wrestling hold that tosses the other opponent out of the ring for the win. The strength and skill of these guys makes them into rock stars when they climb the success ladder during their career.

If you get a chance to sit ringside and watch a sumo match, do it! You will be amazed. Later on I will post some of my photos from the tournament I watched several years ago.

January 23, 2008

A Giraffe

A giraffe's spots form irregular patterns.

January 22, 2008

A Puffer Fish

A map puffer fish's (Arothron mappa) eye appears like coral to casual observers in Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands.

January 21, 2008

Chopping old growth trees in Vermont and across the USA

clipped from www.nytimes.com
I love Vermont and this story over the weekend made me sad. My family is originally from Maine and the stories I read from family journals tell tales of the incredible wilderness and beauty more than 100 years ago. I think a trip east is in my near future, how about you?

The trees around George and Agnes Spaulding’s 170-year-old farmhouse here are as good as money in the bank, many being old-growth maples that are valuable not only for the quality of their wood but also for the sweet sap that the couple boils into syrup each spring.

Having been born on the farm, Mr. Spaulding, 78, loves the trees the way only someone who grew up with them could. But beyond that, he counts on the syrup sales to supplement the family income, which comes mainly from the twice-a-day milking of three dozen cows.

So when a neighboring farmer crossed onto the Spauldings’ land and chopped down 30 or so of their best trees, the couple was devastated.

“There were a lot of nights spent worrying, and when I’d get up, I’d just see bare stumps”

January 19, 2008

January 18, 2008

India & Gold


If you travel to India, and you are a woman, a very interesting excursion would be to visit the old sellers of gold. Indian women are given gold when they marry, and they seek to add to their collection during the married lives.

It is a way to protect their wealth and pass it on to their children. What is amazing is that they typically buy pure gold. And the Financial Times, just wrote of how the housewives of India are a key indicator for gold demand.

I love traveling for reasons like this. You see another country. Experience another culture and learn unique aspects such as this.

India is the world's largest consumer of the precious metal and the apparent sell-signal from its value-savvy householders may prove unsettling for global investors hoping that gold will continue to be a safe haven in volatile markets.

"Demand for gold is virtually zero," said Suresh Hundia, president of the Bombay Bullion Association. "People are taking profits and selling their gold back to jewellers for 2.5-3 per cent less than international market prices."

As the gold price has soared to record highs, imports have come to a near standstill, tumbling 70 per cent to 80 per cent in the past month, according to Mr Hundia. Economists estimate that gold imports in the last quarter of 2007 could have been 20 per cent lower than in the same period.

Pictorials to inspire

An editorial note: During the start of 2008, we're posting photos from sites such as National Geographic to show how beauty and drama can be found here in the US, in the desert of Arizona or as far away as Tanzania. 

Because we are all about travel, we want to hear from you...
  • What are your plans for 2008? 
  • Where will you go? 
  • Where will you find beauty in the new year?
  • What tips do you have for your fellow travelers?
Send us your photos or travel tips.  We will try and post them. Send images in jpeg or gif formats to:  everywheretravel@mac.com

Cheers and happy trails!

From all of us at All About Travel

January 17, 2008

Apple amazes me again with its new MacBook Air

clipped from coquette.blogs.com

MacBook Air Manila Envelope Laptop Sleeve





Macbook-Airmail-1

AirMail laptop sleeves look like those regular o' office envelopes but actually it's a cozy laptop sleeve for your MacBook Air!


AirMail laptop sleeves were invented by a couple of kids with Steve Jobs crushes and awesome sewing skills. They're handmade out of durable upholstery-grade vinyl, and lined with fuzzy, soft fleece. All AirMail cases have the same dimensions as standard interoffice manila envelopes, which will serve to remind you -- and everyone around you -- that your new MacBook Air really is the thinnest laptop in the world!




MacWorld is currently going on in San Francisco. Check out this cool sleeve for the new MacBook! It makes your laptop blend with the other stuff in your bag or on the table, so would-be thieves skip over it and take something else. Apple accessories are so cool.

The next time you're at the airport, wouldn't you also like to see the TSA screener give their monitor a tilted head & eye squint as they scan your plastic bin with this in it sliding by....ha!

January 16, 2008

200 Posts!

Thank you for your interest and encouragement. You know who you are! We crossed the 200th post mark this week. And as you can see we are currently showcasing beautiful images from the National Geographic. They are images that inspire me to travel and take photos all the more in 2008. How about you?

Arctic Sea Ice

Cracks spider through Arctic sea ice in Franz Josef Land, Russia

January 15, 2008

Alaska!

Ice creates patterns in a glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

January 14, 2008

Air Pockets in Antarctica

Air pockets are frozen in place in Lake Bonney in Victoria Land, Antarctica

January 12, 2008

Ice Cave in Bavaria

Peaks and valleys ripple across the ceiling of an ice cave in Bavaria, Germany.

January 9, 2008

Hello Kitty, Hello Miffy

Are you a Miffy or Kitty-chan fan? Both are incredibly popular female characters, especially in Japan. I actually saw a passport holder in Japan being sold with a Miffy likeness on it. As you can see from the other image, besides appliances you can buy real diamond jewelry with Hello Kitty images. These are not just for kids, are they?
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