tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66219229068682262482024-03-05T19:39:39.329+04:00Trip In My WorldThe Ramblings and Misadventures of a Travel Junkie...
Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-52619307745834825502012-01-07T12:03:00.001+04:002012-01-07T12:03:00.714+04:00Mole National Park, GhanaMole National Park, Ghana, a set on Flickr.If you think that you can only find wildlife in East Africa, think again! West Africa holds many great wildlife viewing opportunities! Mole National Park in Ghana is one such place! And Ghana is one of the safest places to travel in Africa. AND English is widely spoken! Here are a few pics.Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-77568468234969847702011-12-29T16:11:00.001+04:002011-12-29T17:32:30.446+04:00Things To Do Before You Die...A Six Day Trek Through The Bandiagara Escarpment.Dogon Country, Mali.(West Africa)
The landlocked country of Mali is a place that has captivated the imagination for eons. It is home to the enigmatic city of Timbuktu, a place synonymous with being off the beaten path...AS FAR AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY GET! I became interested in Mali when I read that Tom Robbins, one of my favorite authors, had Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-4794033765945007832011-11-12T14:02:00.001+04:002011-11-12T14:02:02.911+04:00Muscat, OmanMuscat, Oman, a set on Flickr.This place is soon to be my home. For six months, anyway. Enjoy!Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-40618294862996509702011-11-07T10:40:00.006+04:002011-11-07T10:51:59.966+04:00It's All About The Food...We travel for the sensory experiences. We travel to SEE, TOUCH, HEAR, SMELL, and more than anything, we travel to TASTE. We journey to sink our teeth into juicy new cultures, and in turn, we enrich our SOULS.
A Street Food Named Desire
Pho!
(pronounced Fuh like Duh!)
Beef Noodle Soup.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Viet Nam.
A street food menu in Chau Doc, Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-930320454007338972011-11-05T11:02:00.002+04:002011-11-05T11:14:16.785+04:00The Terrible Things We Do To One AnotherHill of Poisonous Trees and The Fields of Death.(3 years, 8 months, 20 days)
I spent a couple of days recently contemplating the subject of hate in the beautiful country of Cambodia. It was a sobering experience, exploring the wretched landscape of evil, but surely there is no better place in the world to do so. From 1975 to 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-2325687912771310402011-10-09T08:01:00.002+04:002011-10-09T08:03:35.630+04:00Market Textures
Market Textures, a set on Flickr.Via Flickr:
Getting a 'visual feel' for the Lao and Hmong markets in Luang Prabang, Laos.Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-63004780612359818662011-09-28T17:12:00.000+04:002011-09-28T17:12:12.577+04:00Beguiling BaganConnie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0Bagan, Burma21.169098708966505 94.8607701003521720.917083208966506 94.660264600352164 21.421114208966504 95.061275600352175tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-138086656627831402011-08-20T18:45:00.000+04:002011-08-20T18:45:14.718+04:00~ Rainy Rangoon ~A little rain never stopped anyone. That's why they call it devotion...
Shwedagon Paya
Yangon, Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma)
Idol Worship.
Bored and waiting for the rain to end.
Prayers between cloud bursts.
A beautiful happy family.
Boys painted with typical BurmeseThanaka (sandalwood paste).
An angry sky.
Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-45120398254703460392011-06-15T11:14:00.002+04:002011-06-15T11:17:47.385+04:00Expressions in Black & WhiteOne of my favorite things in life is people watching. I simply thrive on observing the human condition as it careens down the chaotic streets of my world. Having camera in hand makes it possible to capture moments that would otherwise flit by like fireflies in the night. Below are some modest captures from my recent trip to Indonesia which I've dubbed Expressions in Black & Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-4204549984523043322011-05-19T15:42:00.000+04:002011-05-19T15:42:59.124+04:00~ Stuck in a Rut in West Africa ~
The Bandiagara Escarpment...our end goal.
So here I go with another shoot-from-the-hip post concerning gratitude. Right after my (no-rewrite/no-edit) journal-style blog post a couple of days ago, I had a mild neurotic meltdown that was so disturbing, it made me want to have a go at it again. Kinda like shoplifting naked in a grocery store. Hey, would you be more embarrassed for being exposed Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-39702529109593517342011-05-16T11:33:00.012+04:002011-05-16T15:41:58.468+04:00Rice = Life
So here I am looking through my Bali and Java pics, marveling over the spectacular hues of the verdant rice fields, contemplating the hard labor that I witnessed, taking in the overall importance of that oh-so-precious seed called Oryza Sativa. As a cereal grain, rice is the most important staple food for a majority of the world, especially Asia, and it is second only to cornConnie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-40647485895678863162011-05-01T16:29:00.002+04:002011-05-02T08:26:54.395+04:00Yogjakarta Street ArtFrom woodcarvers to silversmiths, batik artists to stone masons, Indonesia seems to have it all, as far as classic-style art is concerned. But I'm here to share a different kind of art with you. The weird and wonderful Graffiti of Yogjakarta...
Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-45937272584959379992011-04-26T21:41:00.062+04:002011-04-28T13:13:31.753+04:00Big Odalan - Little Odalan~ Namaste dear friends!
~ My husband and I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Bali and Java, and I'm here to share a little of it with you. We had the very great fortune and honor to be invited to a small Odalan at the temple complex of our hotel, Taman Harum, as well as to a very massive Odalan at Pura Batur with a beautiful family from the village Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-18584198793163948422011-01-08T16:24:00.008+04:002011-04-28T13:01:08.863+04:00A Camel's Kiss We were driving home to Al Ain from Dubai in mid-December, when an exuberant voice on the radio announced an amazing upcoming event - The Al Dhafra Camel Festival - a world reknowned exhibiton complete with camel beauty pageant, cultural heritage displays, camel and saluki dog racing, a bedouin market, and traditional foods. My Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-65512990499160266992010-12-18T15:08:00.028+04:002011-04-28T12:57:19.667+04:00I ♥ Dubai!
The infamous Burj Al Arab, the icon of Dubai,
overlooking the Qasr Hotel and Souq Madinat.
After three trips to the ultra-modern city of Dubai, I can say unequivocally that I am hooked. And what's not to like? Awesome restaurants, great shopping, stunning vistas, and some of the best people watching that I've ever seen; heck, I'm not even a mall person and I can't get enough of Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-58607329246809437432010-11-16T11:00:00.009+04:002011-04-28T13:00:27.446+04:00No Words. Just a few random images from Oman...Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-25203204963898784702010-11-16T10:45:00.006+04:002011-04-28T13:01:59.165+04:00Wadi Dhumm for DhummiesIn Oman, there are many wadis...
This is the at the top of Wadi Dhumm. A wadi is a canyon or a watercourse that remains dry until major rainfall occurs. At the main part of Wadi Dhumm there are lovely pools...some deep enough for swimming. But we don't get to see them, because our rented two-wheel drive Toyota Yaris isn't tough enough to withstand the rocky terrain. So we take an
alternative Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-58708588677087995212010-10-28T17:04:00.002+04:002011-04-28T13:07:24.395+04:00First Impressions...We arrived safely in the city of Al Ain on the 14th, so we've been happily planted for two weeks now. Time enough to acclimate not only to the brutal heat (only 95F/35C today!), but to everything else, as well. Things like:
The maniacal roads. You have to have eyes on all sides of your head if you want to survive. Pay attention, or die driving.
Everything happens in its own time...InshallahConnie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-52272095281323813192010-10-24T12:57:00.003+04:002011-04-28T13:11:13.711+04:00A Long Journey to Abu DhabiThirteen hours just to get out of Texas. Can you believe it? Saturday, 7 a.m. by car from Goldsmith to Midland; puddle-jumper from Midland to Houston; Taxi from Hobby Airport to George Bush International; 747 London bound by 8 p.m.! With no sleep to follow, we were bleary-eyed and exhausted upon our next day arrival. Hell, not even the ubiquitous Starbucks could revive us, so by the time we Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6621922906868226248.post-61440712627780199122010-09-26T00:31:00.005+04:002010-09-28T00:02:05.545+04:00مرحبا / Ah-lan was ah-lan! / Hello!Merhaba! (Welcome!)
In two weeks, my mate and I will set out on a grand, exotic adventure. After traveling for twenty-four years all over the United States, we are heading overseas to the Arabian Peninsula for work in the United Arab Emirates. Accustomed to traveling abroad, but never having lived abroad, we both welcome all the challenges that this Connie M Van Clevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637197313567145116noreply@blogger.com1