Bill Murray's Blog, page 158
March 6, 2012
Intrepid Traveler Alert
Turkish Airlines begins service to Mogadishu today - from Khartoum. Now you can combine two don't-miss locations, Somalia and Sudan, in one itinerary.
March 2, 2012
This'll Be Fun. No Really....
I could have killed an entire group of feeble old people. I mean, grabbed them, walkers and canes and all, and tossed them one by one over the side. It was on the Norwegian coastal steamer, the Hurtigruten, and all I wanted was a cup of morning coffee before we left the ship.
No big deal. I'll take that in a paper cup. Don't need a stirrer. I don't need a top or one of those insulating grips for the side. Just a single bloody cup of black coffee.
But I was queued behind 39 elderly group...
Friday Photo Quiz #143 - Where in the World?
Sure. This is wherever they have yellow on top of their traffic lights.
Can you name this place? The answer is after the jump.
And the answer is ..................................................... we're looking into the entrance to the former Royal Palace in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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See almost a thousand photos from cities around the world in the Cities Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.
March 1, 2012
Cash Money
Today is the last day for Greeks to trade in those old souvenir Drachmas they've kept in the bottom drawer for Euros. Yesterday was the last day for Finns to trade in their old Markkas.
Meanwhile, today the Turkish Central Bank published this new symbol to represent the Turkish Lira. In 1995 Turkey devalued the old Lira by lopping off the last six zeros. Somewhere I have a photo of our being Lira millionaires, from a 1993 trip to Istanbul.
February 29, 2012
Ethiopian Street Life - Wednesday HDRs
HDRs from a trip to the Mercado open air market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. All shot with a Nikon D-700, processed with PhotoMatix, Nik filters and Photoshop CS5. Click 'em to make them much bigger. And see 360 more HDR photos here, at EarthPhotos.com.
February 27, 2012
Arrival in Bhutan
When time came to drop through the clouds into Bhutan, the pilot announced, "We will maneuver the aircraft in the valley. This is a little different from large commercial aircraft. It is standard procedure. You will see the houses and trees a little closer than you are used to. The scenery is beautiful. Please enjoy the ride."
He just picked a hole in the clouds and dove through. He did a 180 into the Paro valley. The automatic sensors called out, "too low," and for the record he kept...
February 24, 2012
Weekend Reading • Assorted Links
The French island of Reunion, east of Madagascar, looks just gorgeous (see photos). And yet, they're rioting.
The cost of living in Barrow, Alaska, in pictures, via a visit to the grocery store. Frightening. Check out, for example, the hundred dollar leg of lamb.
In the early days of the internet I saw an ad offering to sell passports for $15,000 (Not that I was in the market for a Mozambican passport). Here's a report titled Passports ... for a price. And it's legitimate.
As a rule, Finns...
Friday Photo Quiz #142 - Where in the World?
This is city hall in this country's third largest city and regional capital, once home to a famously troubled Summer Olympics.
Can you name the city? The country? The answer is after the jump.
And a good weekend to all from Common Sense and Whiskey and EarthPhotos.com.
And the answer is ..................................................... this is the Rathaus on the Marienplatz in Munich, Germany, capital of Bavaria. Munich is the third largest German city after Berlin and...
February 23, 2012
Common Sense and Whiskey, the Book - Paraguay, Chapter Twelve
Here is Chapter Twelve of Common Sense and Whiskey, the book. We're publishing each chapter here on the blog (Track down previous chapters here). You can order the entire book at Amazon.com, at BN.com, or direct from EarthPhotos Publishing. Here's the Kindle version (just $6.99). Click these photos to make them bigger. More photos and additional commentary are available at A Common Sense and Whiskey Companion. And here's the Paraguay Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.
12 PARAGUAY
The farthest back...