This is the story of how I learned to love in Qatar. An Audi. An A8, peoples!
Stewart’s summation was a beautiful thing. He compared the way we can and do work together with merging in a tunnel. Everyone has their own hopes and fears and faiths, but they also gotta merge to get anywhere. Sometimes this means all they get is into New Jersey, but we do it anyway. Day in and day out.
I live in Hell’s Kitchen, steps away from Times Square. I think it’s totally awesomely cool that my block includes Amy’s Bread, two bike shops a half block away on either side and a Russian dude at the hardware store who seems to love to help me solve problems. But the minute I leave my block the illusion is shattered by the churn of tourists and commercial vehicles. As much as I am able I try to be kind when asked for directions, move out of the way of photographers. I myself have found on the kindness of strangers the only way possible for me to make it on some of my travels. But “try” is the operative word here…
Bali is renowned for its surfability, and since I left Qatar the first time in ’06 I’ve meant to come and try it out. It helped to finally make it here, but after a failed attempt (the beach where I went to try surfing hosted a cremation ceremony just moments after I rocked up, at [...]
In Bali the rice paddies are irrigated by a water management system built around temples. The allocation of water is determined by the local priest. Subak, as it is known, is the oldest, continuously used irrigation system in the world, functioning since about 1023.
Last January, the system broke.
[...]
Ubud — the name means medicine in Balinese.
Seekers come here from all around the world for healing. You’ve got your raw food, organic this, yoga that… you can even take Esalan Institute courses or get your astrology chart done.
You can still get cheap massage and rooms — [...]
Taking the Indian rails for the first time made me feel like a Genius Traveler. I rocked up to the counter and was given the option, 1st or 2nd, AC or non-AC? First class 500-something Rs (’bout ten bucks), second’s 200-some Rs. Both AC. I know this and have to [...]
even more magazine articles
- BOMB, Young Love: Xavier Dolan
- BUST, Would You Rather Be Right Or Happy? A Tale of Two Lifestyles
- Salon.com, Feminism's Mommy Issues
- Washington Post, The Silent Treatment
- New York Press, Coming inside
- Washington Post, Doing Without in Doha
- Budget Traveler, Blues Travelers
- Opium Magazine, If you liked high school, you'll...
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