Vincent Van Gogh:

My favorite artist is likely Vincent Van Gogh. I put together a slideshow of some of his artwork and a few other pieces that I like at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dozerkaleo/show/. I am working on integrating the slideshow into this blog entry, but the image takes up too much space as of right now. So, I thought I would just put one of my favorite pieces up for now. This is a print of one of Van Gogh's paintings of a cypress tree and landscape.

Mt. Everest Base Camp:

Here is the crew willing to make the 8 km trek from the last road to Mt. Everest Base Camp. It was a grueling hike up a slight incline the whole way. The only major issue was the fact that none of us had a good nights sleep in days or a good meal and we had been traveling over rough terrain in Land Cruisers for days on end.



I also have a picture of Mt. Everest from a distance so that you can see most of the mountain in one picture. As you can see, a weather system was rolling in and we were worried if we waited to long, there wouldn't be a chance to take any pictures up close. Already at 16,500 feet, it was tough to even care. This next picture was taken at the border of Nepal and Tibet.



This picture was taken at the China/Nepal border on our way back to Kathmandu. I wanted to get a picture of me with the driver on the left, Wenchie, and our Tibetan/Chinese translator and unofficial tour guide, Rengin (in the middle).

I also have a picture that was taken by Deborah and it is entitled maschi al complete. Basically, out of 12 people or so, these are the only guys on the trip. From left to right is me, James, Pala, and Luca. Pala was one of our Land Cruiser drivers and he was a great guy, always dependable.

Tibet Basix Trip:

This is a picture taken in Bangkok, Thailand at one of the palaces with many different statues. I flew to Bangkok on my way to Kathmandu, Nepal during the summer of 2004. I stayed for a few days in Bangkok before flying over to Nepal to join up with a group of westerners from all over the world to travel into Tibet (PRC) to visit some of the monestaries, the Potala Palace, and of course to hike to Mt. Everest Base Camp.



This is a picture taken in a town just across the Chinese border into Tibet. We stayed here for a couple of days just to rest and adjust to the elevation (14,000 ft.) before going any further. Everest Base Camp would be at almost 17,000 ft. I was hiking around town trying to get some exercise since all you want to do at that elevation is lay down and rest. After a couple of days, you lose your appetite and you feel like you have the flu.


This is a picture taken from a cliff above a small village in the middle of a valley in the Himalayan moutain range. Its crazy that anybody can live up here, let alone grow anything. We hiked down to one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in the region. It was a great experience to see such a different landscape and a different kind of culture. I definitely recommend the Tibet Basix trip offered by Intrepid Travel.com.

Africa: Rafting the Nile River

This is a video of the last rapid on a section of the Nile River in Uganda. I took a trip in the summer of 2003 to Africa to travel and work as a volunteer for the International Mission Board. As part of the trip, I had a chance to go on a safari in the Maasai Mara and raft the Nile River over in Uganda.

European Travel Itinerary:

Traveling through Europe is a great adventure. Here is a suggested itinerary for anyone wanting to survey as much as possible in a short amount of time. I also suggest anyone interested in traveling through Europe to check the Europe Basix and Europe Unplugged trip itineraries on Intrepid Travel.com.

Point 1 - London, England
Point 2 - Bruge, Belgium
Point 3 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Point 4 - Munich, Germany
Point 5 - Salzburg, Austria
Point 6 - Prague, Czech Republic
Point 7 - Budapest, Hungary
Point 8 - Venice, Italy
Point 9 - Interlaken, Switzerland
Point 10 - Barcelona, Spain
Point 11 - Paris, France
Point 12 - London, England

Dinner at Laura's House

While I was living in Macon, GA before I moved up to Washington, D.C., I spent a good amount of time involved with the singles group at Ingleside. Toward the end of the year, we had dinner over at Laura's house. It was a great time and we took this picture before several of us went our own separate ways.

Happy Birthday Alina!

This past weekend, I had dinner with Alina and Cristina, two of the four infamous Girton sisters hailing most recently from Macon, GA. Alina was in town to visit on June 16th, her birthday. Well, little did I know that Cristina's birthday was June 19th. So I had a chance to hang out with both of them this past weekend. This is a picture of us at Brio in the Tyson's Corner Mall. You can't even tell, but Cristina is 8 months pregnant, and her husband, Baxter would have been with us out to eat but he was out of town that day. Happy Birthday Alina and Cristina!

The Da Vinci Code:

So I finally read the book and the movie was just released on May 19 and there are several books and seminars on the facts behind the fiction etc... The whole issue is interesting, but I wonder if any of this is going to be a big deal a few years from now, or will it all be long forgotten? I guess The Da Vinci Code has given everyone many topics to discuss regarding religion, politics, history, and philosophy. Here are some resources I have been using during my own personal investigation into the claims of The Da Vinci Code.

1. The Da Vinci Code
2. A Companion Guide to the Movie
3. Three Main Questions
4. Opus Dei

Eiger Dreams

This is essential reading if anyone is interested in high altitude mountaineering or at least just interested in reading about it. I highly recommend these books by Jon Krakauer because they are "as hard-edged and gripping as the peaks themselves." Eiger Dreams is a good starting point because it is a collection of his finest work from Outside Magazine and other articles and columns he has written over the years.

There are also a couple of movies made by IMAX and various documentaries that are also very interesting and follow some of the stories in the books listed above. There are two movies in particular that I highly recommend that come to mind and I have listed them below for anyone who wants to check them out.

1. Everest
2. Touching the Void

My Movie List:

I just saw the movie, Casino Royale, and I thought it was very good and a nice change to the usual series of 007 movies. I also think that Daniel Craig has a lot of potential for his next couple of 007 movies. If you like the soundtrack, click the play button to listen to a sample of the soundtrack to Casino Royale by Chris Cornell called "You Know My Name".



There are a couple of good movies that I have already seen this year. I especially liked Syriana, although, it was only slightly based on reality. The only other movie that I really saw this year in the theater was Star Wars: Episode III. I enjoyed both movies and I would definitely see them again. But, there were at least three movies that I missed out on in the movies that I need to see on dvd and I have listed them below.

1. The Constant Gardener
2. The Island
3. Kingdom of Heaven

My Reading List

Here are a couple of selections that I am currently reading or that I will soon be reading. I have listed several other books that I have recently read in my profile. Basically, I enjoy reading about international affairs, politics, and travel essays, but I also like to read about religion, philosophy, and history.

Washington D.C.

This is a picture of the house I will be renting a room in for the next year or more. Its a great location and it is located in a nice neighborhood. I am looking forward to hanging out around town and throwing a football around in the yard.

Georgia Tech

I will always remember the good times I had while I was studying at Georgia Tech. I made many friends and I learned what it meant to enjoy studying and to always be learning. I had the opportunity to study International Affairs in the Sam Nunn School and I lived on campus my entire undergraduate career. I worked for the Department of Housing and I was involved in several campus organizations including SGA, IASO, Model U.N., and the President's Council Governing Board. I also had the opportunity to study one summer in Brussels, Belgium. We covered the European Union institutions, political economy, integration, and security and defense. Every other summer I spent working at the State R.A. Camp for the Georgia Baptist Convention called Camp Kaleo. I spent a few weeks in Romania one summer and I worked for Senator Paul D. Coverdell in Atlanta for a couple of months. The friends I have made through camp and school have made a large impact on my life. I have listed some links below if you want to learn more about what I studied and where I spent my time in college.

Georgia Institute of Technology
Ivan Allen College
Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
Brussels Study Abroad Program

Tuesday Night Team Trivia:

Fox and Hounds or the Prince of Wales was the place to be on Tuesday Night in Atlanta for me and my friends while I was in law school. We would play Team Trivia and have something to eat or drink. We were victorious on a couple of occasions earning prizes ranging from $50 house cash to a free appetizer. We also once won best team name for Brothers from different Mothers and we always had a great time just hanging out and remembering the good ole days. This picture includes from left to right, Sok, Rush, and myself. However, we had regular guest appearances by Kuntry, Duster, Flash and Cail, Munk and Dawn, Buzzz..., and many more.

My brother (Robby) and sister-in-law (Cortney) have also made appearances for Tuesday Night Team Trivia and made significant contributions to the team effort. At any time, you have to be fairly knowledgeable about movies, sports, t.v., geography, current events, history, and music.

Park Tavern with Maria

This is a picture of me and Maria at Park Tavern last year. We were there to send a friend of mine off to graduate school at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon university. Maria and I have known each other for many years since our early days studying international affairs at the Sam Nunn School at Georgia Tech.

Cafe Intermezzo:

My favorite cafe in Atlanta, GA is Cafe Intermezzo. I have always enjoyed spending time at this European style coffee shop talking with friends about whatever was on our mind. I love the atmosphere and they have a great selection of freshly baked cheesecakes and pies. However, what I usually get is a capppucino l'amore or a cafe intermezzo and a fruit and cheese platter.



This is a picture of the crew out at Cafe Intermezzo over the 4th of July weekend in 2006. From left to right is Rush, Froggy, Cail, Flash, and myself. We had great conversation, food, and cappucino. Before Cafe Intermezzo, we had dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room on Ponce de Leon.

Barnes and Noble, Inc.

I spent many hours every week at Barnes and Noble while I was in law school. The best thing about Barnes and Noble is that people treat it like a library and it has a large inventory of various reference books that you can find almost anything you need. Its also a great place to take a break from studying and just walk around and either listen to music or look at various books arranged by subject. I spend most of my time in current affairs, history, political science, or religion. I can also spend time studying in the Barnes and Noble cafe that serves Starbucks Coffee. This is a picture of "Barnes and Noble" in Kathmandu, Nepal that I thought Barnes and Noble Inc. might be interested in knowing about.

Night Life in Kathmandu, Nepal:

Base camp is really just the beginning of a trek up to the top of Mt. Everest. However, I made a trip to Kathmandu, Nepal so that I could travel overland to hike just to Everest Base Camp. So, in some ways, it is just the beginning of a journey, and in other ways, it is a refection on one of the things I like to do most, and that is travel the world. This blog is like my own Everest Base Camp in that this is where I will post news and information going on with me.



My trip to Mt. Everest Base Camp included an overland trip from Kathmandu, Nepal to Lhasa, Tibet (China). I met some very cool people along the way and we had a chance to visit temples, monasteries, villages, and monuments. It was fun roughing it for a couple of weeks living out of a backpack and travelling in land cruisers or on foot. We stayed in cramped and dirty places at high altitude (above 4500 meters) and hiked 8 kilometers to Everest Base Camp (about 5600 meters). The two pictures below are of a few friends I travelled with along the way. Luca and I were remeniscing about one of his favorite scenes from Die Hard: With A Vengance. Bruce Willis is one of his favorite actors. Luca is from Italy and he and his girlfriend, Deborah were great friends to have on the trip and rode with me and James in our land cruiser for most of the time. The other picture is of Kristy, myself, and Kylie. They were a group of three Australian girls travelling with us and we became good friends as well.



www.everestnews.com
www.edviesturs.com
www.conradanker.com
www.reinhold-messner.de

The idea of traveling to Southeast Asia via Bangkok and on to Kathmandu and Lhasa was in part based on a couple of movies I had seen recently. They are both very picturesque and involve great stories of adventure. 1. The Beach (2000) 2. Seven Years in Tibet (1997)