Bill Murray's Blog, page 144
January 22, 2013
Countries Visited Map
Time for an update. PassportStamp.com, which we've used until now, won't seem to update. This site has us at 113 "states," as below, and I thank them for the map code:
January 21, 2013
Links
A few worthwhile links:
- A 3.8 Billion-pixel photo tour Of Mt. Everest
- Here's a nice collection: Last days of USSR. Looks like the distant past but it wasn't so long ago. Then, check out some older color photos from the Russian revolution.
- For people maybe a wee bit more deeply into geography than the mainstream: Enclaves of the World
- Thoughtful blog about a trip to Easter Island with some nice photos, from a guy named Murray Foote.
- More celebratory blog about a trip to Easter Island...
January 18, 2013
Around the World Trip is Off and Walking
Friday Photo Quiz #171 - Where in the World?
It's a land of quaint town squares like in the top photo and gorgeous views, middle. At bottom, a row of buildings along the waterfront in the country's second city. Can you name the country? The city in the bottom photo? The answer is below. A good weekend to you from CS&W and EarthPhotos.com.
And the answer is ................................................................................ Norway. That's the city center in Trondheim, top, a view of the Geiranger glacier in the midd...
January 16, 2013
More Moai - Wednesday HDRs from Easter Island
The internet connection at the Altiplanico Hotel on Easter Island was a little wi-fi transmitter that worked best if you sat at the table directly beneath it and had all day. Nobody had all day, but now that we've been back for a couple of weeks I've had enough time to put several photos through a proper post-production process in Photomatix, for HDR processing, and Photoshop, so I'll post two or three a week here each of the next few Wednesdays.
This week, three of everybody's favorites, th...
January 11, 2013
The Cold War Comes (Briefly) to Easter Island
The daily LAN flight to Mataveri airport, Easter Island
At 27 degrees south latitude the trade winds blow across Easter Island from the east, so every midday, the daily flight from South America overflies the island, way out beyond it, then turns to descend into the prevailing winds on the NASA-widened air strip. And since it’s the island’s only interaction with the world that day, you watch.
It’s a favorite guidebook story to mention that NASA elongated the airstrip so that the space shutt...
Friday Photo Quiz #170 - Where in the World?
A difficult photo quiz this week, in honor of our recent obsession with tiny, obscure islands. Top to bottom, here are this island's airfield, eerie volcanic landscape and administrative center.
Can you name this place? The answer is below the fold. And a good weekend to all from Common Sense and Whiskey and EarthPhotos.com.
And
the answer is ............................................ this is Ascension Island, a 34 square mile dormant volcano on the mid-Atlantic ridge in the south Atlan...
January 5, 2013
Wild Horses
The coast is always close on Easter Island, and waves get up a good head of steam before crashing in. Drive out of Hanga Roa, the only town, and horses graze along the shore. They're self-sufficient and unfettered by fences. With the surf pounding behind them they make you feel free, too.
Sourpusses say they should be culled, environmentalists and preservationists, mostly. Those people say their hooves do more environmental damage than human feet.
Some Rapanui keep horses domestically and no...
January 3, 2013
December 31, 2012
Happy New Year 2013 from Lima, Peru
Back in Lima for a day. The internet was prohibitively slow on Easter Island, but now that we're back on the continent, here are a few more photos. First is a detail of some of the fifteen moai at Ahu Tongariki. In the middle, some of the wild horses found all over the island. It looks like their health and well being varies, but some of them are just beautiful. At the bottom is sunset at Ahu Vai Uri. These and a few more low-res photos are in the Easter Island section at EarthPhotos.com. Mor...
