Photo taken during the walk by Briana Hayes

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known in English as The Way of St James which is a collection of old pilgrimage routes which cover all Europe. They all have Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain as their final destination. For more than 1000 years pilgrims have been walking along the Camino de Santiago.

The main Camino route is the Camino Frances. This part of the Camino de Santiago traditionally starts in St Jean Pied de Port and finishes in Santiago de Compostela about 780km later, after traveling the breadth of Northern Spain.  However you can start anywhere and even continue past Santiago to the sea at Finisterre. Finisterre was thought to be the end of the world in medieval times.

A pilgrimage is a term primarily used in religion and spirituality of a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person’s beliefs and faith.

I mention on more than one occasion that the better you know yourself the easier it is to make decisions based on your heart and soul verses your mind. The Road to Santiago is a journey of self-discovery, one which I’m taking for my 30th birthday. Have you taken the journey? I would love to hear your story.

Great Read: The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

If you’re like me, your ability to eat out is heavily tied to affordability. Luckily, there is no shortage of places that offer all sorts of happy hours in my neighborhood. It seems that anyplace that serves alcohol, whether it’s a restaurant or bar, has jumped on this marketing ploy as a way to bring in patrons at otherwise slow times. I’ve been especially amazed at how many establishments offer double-happy hours — one in the late afternoon/early evening and another near closing time.

What I aim to do is eventually have a pretty thorough list of which places offer happy hour pricing, what that includes and, whenever possible, my personal review. Hopefully, you’ll come to find this as a go-to resource. In addition to this post, I’ve also made it a permanent tab on the front page, which will be updated regularly.

Dad Watson’s

• Hours: Daily, 3-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-close; drink minimum: $2
• Highlights: All McMenamin’s Ales are $3.30/pint and PBR is $2.25; Fries and Cajun Tots, $1; Hummus and pita, $2; Quarter-pound cheeseburger, $4; Chicken tenders, $4.
• Review: Truth be told, I don’t know that I’ve ever eaten off their regular menu, although it does look pretty good. There might not be a better late-night munchie for the price than those Cajun Tots. The burger is totally passable, if not mind-blowing. My wife is really partial to the chicken tenders, which seems to be coated in panko crust. The hummus usually isn’t bad, either. I think what keeps me coming back, though, is the McMenamin’s Ales. They usually have more than 10 on tap, with several seasonals. I’m a particular fan of the Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown, Terminator Stout and whatever porter is in season.
• Address: 3601 Fremont Ave. N.

9 Million in Unmarked Bills

• Hours: Daily, 3-6 p.m.
• Highlights: Wild Mushroom Mac and Cheese, $3; Stacked Casesar salad, $3; Caprese salad, $3.
• Review: If you go by the Yelp reviews, you could be forgiven for completely avoiding this place. The name seems to really annoy people. The late-night crowd seems to be of the meat market variety. The drinks are kinda pretentious sounding. I won’t dispute any of that, but if you go for the happy hour, none of that is particularly relevant. The Mac and Cheese is legitimately awesome. It’s not on the online menu, but when I was there they had a Wasabi Grilled Cheese Sandwich, which was great, too. At least in terms of happy hour, you’re getting a lot better quality than you’re paying for.
• Address: 3507 Fremont Place

Blue C Sushi

• Hours: Daily, 4-7 p.m.; Thursdays, 4-close; Bar only.
• Highlights: $1 off beer (if memory serves, $3 Sapporo); California roll, $1.75; Spicy tuna roll, $2.75.
• Review: This is probably my favorite place to bring guests, especially on Thursdays. The portions aren’t huge, but they really lend themselves to variety. Whether that means trying a little of lots of things or just snacking, rather than eating a whole meal, it’s really hard to end up spending too much money. I’ve gone here with my wife for dinner and spent less than $20 for the two of us, with drinks. I’m also told that this is a relatively authentic Japanese sushi experience, inasmuch as the regular Japanese tend to eat sushi at conveyor-belt style establishments like this one, rather than the smaller single-chef joints that might feel more authentic.
• Address: 3411 Fremont Ave N.

Red Door Ale House

• Hours: Daily food specials, 3-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-midnight; Monday-Friday drink specials, 3-6 p.m.
• Highlights: Hamburger sliders, $5; Pulled pork sandwich, $5; Hand-cut fries, $2
• Review: On sunny days, the patio is great. They have a wonderful selection of beers, including monthly specials that, if memory serves, are $3 a pint. I wish I could give the food higher marks, but I just thought it was very average. The sliders weren’t bad, but think I would have rather had one burger than a bunch of minis. The Korean-style short ribs are still listed online, but when I went they had stopped serving them — maybe that was temporary.
• Address: 3401 Evanston Ave N

Roxy’s Diner

• Hours: Monday-Friday, 4-6:30 p.m.; Monday-Friday, noon-close at the bar
• Highlights: $2 mini-Bloody Marys
• Review: Truth be told, I’m not entirely clear how happy hour works here. I can tell you that I’m a big fan of the $2 mini-Marys, which as far as I can tell, are available almost anytime you go in there.
• Address: 462 N 36th St

Norm’s Eatery & Ale House

• Hours: Daily, 5-7 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Highlights: $3 drafts; $5 appetizers; $4 Bloody Marys on the weekends before 2 p.m.
• Review: Again, I have to admit I’ve never actually been here for happy hour. I do love the fact that they allow dogs, actually they welcome them. The food has been kinda hit and miss for me, but the prices aren’t too bad. The chili, one of the happy hour items, was a tad underwhelming. But I love those $4 Bloody Marys.
• Address: 460 N 36th St

ToST Lounge

• Hours: Daily, 5-8 p.m.
• Highlights: $2.50 drafts; $3 wells; $5 pizzas
• Review: If budget is your main focus, it’s hard to beat ToST. Those $5 were totally not bad, although I haven’t run out to get another since my first visit. When we went, it was a little on the dead side and the atmosphere is decidedly low key. You can definitely do worse, but there are a lot of better options in relative proximity.
• Address: 513 N 36th St

Nectar

• Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 5-7 p.m.
• Highlights: $5 pizzas; $5 domestic pitchers; $8 micro/foreign pitchers; $4 nachos
• Review: The pitchers are a great deal, especially when they’re offering stuff like Hoegarden and Mac and Jack’s. During nice days, the patio seating is nice, too. I don’t know that I’d recommend eating a meal here, but the food wasn’t bad for the price. We had nachos, which were totally fine.
• Address: 412 N 36th Street

Brouwer’s Cafe

• Hours: Daily, 3-6 p.m.
• Highlights: $1 off drafts and wells; Buffalo and wild boar sliders, $7.50; Fries, $3; Fish and Chips, $4.50; Spaghetti with meat sauce, $5.
• Review: I’m not sure if it’s the biggest selection in Seattle, but Brouwer’s certainly offers one of the most interesting selections of drafts. Ranging from local nano-breweries to lesser-known Europeans and filling in a lot of what comes between, the biggest problem is choosing what to try. As for the food, it’s a major step above standard pub grub. The food is essentially Belgian bistro fare, which is very similar to its French cousin. The fries — or frites — are out-of-this-world awesome, double fried in Belgian style. I’ve only personally tried the lamb burger, which isn’t on the happy hour menu, but if that’s any indication, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this place. There are rotating beer specials, too, which adds even more variety.
• Address: 400 N 35th St

George & Dragon Pub

• Hours: Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, 8 p.m.-2 a.m.
• Highlights: $1 off pints and wells
• Review: I’m pretty sure they don’t offer any happy hour discounts for food, but this is really more of a drinking establishment. The food is much more standard pub-grub, it tastes fine and is served in huge portions, but I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to eat a meal here. If you’re looking for a place to watch soccer, on the other hand, there aren’t too many places that can beat the atmosphere. If there’s a game being played, whether its the Sounders, the U.S. national squad or some foreign league, you can bet it will be shown here. And you won’t have to worry about American football fans horning in, either. Most of my visits were on Saturdays in which the Huskies were playing around the same time as the Sounders and I don’t remember seeing a single TV with anything other than the Sounders playing.  The only thing I can compare it to is watching the World Cup at bars in Europe. Everyone there is glued to the TV and going through the emotions of the game together. If you can’t be at the game, this is just about the second best place to be.
• Address: 206 N 36th St

Hales Ales Brewery & Pub

• Hours: Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m.
• Highlights: $1 off imperial pints; $5 pizza; Tapas platter of hummus, baba ganouj and tapenade, $3.50; Half-pound, natural-beef burger, $6
• Review: The best place I can compare this to is Gordon Biersch, a macro, micro-brew head-quartered in my home town of San Jose. Both places are very clean — almost too clean — and seem like great places to have a business lunch, or something like that. Both serve decent, but not great, beers that are brewed in house. And both serve food that will please, but probably not haunt your dreams. I found the pizza to be a good deal. The tapas platter was just OK. I wish I tried the burger, but for $6 it’s not a spectacular deal or anything.
• Address: 4301 Leary Way NW

Via Tribunali

• Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 4-6 p.m., bar only
• Highlights: $3 wells; $3 Peronis; 25 percent off take-away pizza
• Review: Truth be told, I didn’t realize Via Tribunali even offered a happy hour. I have been there for dinner, though, and can’t speak highly enough about the pizza. At happy hour pricing, none of them would cost much more than $12, which is a steal. Not the most filling, and should probably be part of the meal, rather than a meal unto itself, but very much worth the experience. That being said, you’d have to eat it somewhere else and part of Via Tribunali’s charm in the restaurant.
• Address: 4303 Fremont Ave N

35th Street Bistro

• Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m.; Mondays 5-9 p.m.
• Highlights: $5 wine; $4 bottled beer; $5 menu on Mondays
• Review: While I’ve visited for the normal dinner service — and was quite happy — for someone on a budget, the Industry Night is really a can’t miss. I’m not entirely clear which Mondays they open for, but those are — or used to be — $5 menu nights. Everything from the burger to the croque monsieur to the frites was just about perfect. For about $20, my wife and I were able to eat what very much felt like a fancy meal. My only complaint was that their onion soup was not on the Industry Night menu.
• Address: 709 North 35th St

Other places I’ve yet to visit, but definitely mean to

• LTD Bar and Grill: Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m.; $4 chicken tacos; $5 burger; 309 N 36th St
• Sinners and Saints: Monday-Thursday, 4-7 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, noon-7 p.m.; $3.50 wells and drafts; 303 N 36th St
• Ballroom: Daily, 4-7 p.m.; Food only, Sunday-Monday, 11 p.m.-1 a.m.; $4 specialty pizza slices; $3 apps and salad; $4 beers and wells; 456 N 36th St
• Dubliner: Daily, 3-8 p.m.; 8 p.m.-close Mondays, $4 18oz. New Belgiums; Tuesdays, $3 heffeweizens; Thursdays, $3 Guinness, Harp and Smithwicks and $5 Irish whiskies; Daily food specials; 3517 Fremont Ave N
• El Camino: Weekdays, 5-6 p.m.; Weekends, 2-6 p.m.; Carne asada tacos, $6; Chicken mole tacos, $5; Draft beer, $3; House margaritas, $5; 607 N 35th St

I am sitting at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op during a busy week.  It feels wonderful to live in an old fashion town during the holiday season.  The tree has been decorated in the square, the co-op is packed with people who plan “green” Thanksgiving.  Snow clouds hover over the Cascade foothills and the leaves slowly turn to orange and gold.

I think this co-op is the best in Washington State.  I hang out here a lot and now that I have wireless access, I hang out in the cafe.  You never know who you will run into, sometimes people from Seattle and Bellingham.  The pace has slowed down a bit, winding down as people rush off to cook dinner for their families, attend evening classes and whatnot.

I am not looking forward to going home because of the loud street construction in my cul-de-sac.  The dog and the cats have grown agitated too, but at least the winds have died down.  Yesterday, the normally quiet cat, Olivia actually mewed at me–as if I can control the weather, I wish.

I had plans to watch an opera DVD on Thanksgiving, but it was already checked out at the library.  So I found another Meg Ryan movie (she’s not overrated) and my favorite library classic, “Under the Tuscan Sun.”  I also found the Joseph Campbell interview with Bill Moyers, “The Power of Myth.”  Deep and introspective.

The next morning:

The sunrise painted the sky in amber and pink light.  I listened to Arianna Savall’s ”Peiwoh” album in the background. The Catalan musician’s instrumental track, “Aurora” described this morning perfectly.  Music speaks to me any way–music defines my life, explains things to me, and everything makes sense when I listen to global music.

Yesterday I conversed with a man at the co-op about Russian composers–the Romantics.  He seemed to know a lot about Tchaikovsky.  The conversation began when the man glanced through an arts publication and scoffed about all the productions of “The Nutcracker” coming up.  In 2008, I was assigned to write a piece about the ballet, not one of my favorites.  So I focused on the composer’s life instead and the music from the ballet.  It might have been too intellectual for most people reading the publication, but I refuse to write a fluff piece, especially about a Russian composer’s work.

I recently saw a travel DVD on Russia.  I admit I don’t know much about the country, outside of watching “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Doctor Zhivago.”  I never read Russian literature and grew up thinking that all Russians were starving behind this giant curtain made of iron–knowing that the “iron curtain” was just an expression.  So watching the travel show felt refreshing and educational to me.

My brother has acquired a sudden obsession with Russia. He started learning Russian and learning everything he can about the country.  I met a distant Finnish cousin of mine living in Mount Vernon about a year and a half ago.  Well, we did not actually meet in person, but over the phone.  She mentioned that we might have Russian in our DNA.  I wonder if that  Russian gene has woken up in my brother.

I obsess about Spain.  When I was young, in my teens and twenties, I obsessed about England.  Then I dated two English men which turned me off of the country–like a light switch–on and off.  Then I tried to learn everything I could about France–a country that still intrigues me, but I obsess about Spain.  The names of Spanish cities and villages roll off my tongue in a poetic manner.  And speaking of poetry, I am a fan of Federico Garcia Lorca’s work.

When my sister walked El Camino three times in northwestern Spain, my mind and heart traveled the road with her, though I felt anchored here in the Pacific Northwest.  I tried to send love and light to her each day as she strode upon that famous road with the other pilgrims.  It’s all moving to me and I was not even present in Spain, in fact, I have never been there, not yet or as they say in French, pas encore.

The road crew is back and I hope the noise from outside does not become unbearable.  I will need to go to a wireless place to work.  Today, I seek a part-time job.  My plan is to visit business and non-profit websites directly and see who is hiring.  I don’t relish the idea of starving for my art.

Its name is the Kia Soul, and it was bound to happen. Sooner or later, a car maker would make a really bad mistake in their quest for the ultimate hybrid, sport-utility-car-be everything vehicle. This one was crossed-over one too many times—a cross-dresser crossed with a cross-eyed cousin. Too many breeds in the mix and you get a mutt. And man, is this one fugly.

I saw one on the road for the first time last week and I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me. Then I saw one again—no mistake. This is one heinously-designed piece of transportation. There are some unique vehicle shapes on the road that have turned heads for the worse from time-to-time, like the Honda Pilot and the Nissan Cube, odd-looking but somehow endearing because of some subtle styling nuance. But the Soul?  Not a chance. The look only a foreigner could love. Let me elaborate.

It starts with the back, the butt, which has these ridiculous vertical tail lights and a ridge-like rim bumper, pointy-sharp like. We recognize this lineage as vaguely familiar:  the AMC Gremlin. Oh, the Gremlin was definitely this car’s loony grandfather, and we know what a paragon of design that monster was. I think you might find it in Disney’s Epcot Center as the Car of the Future.

Then moving to the profile you see the strange meeting of angular back with curvy nose; it makes little design sense. This is a Mad Libs sort of design, like Kia took a bunch of parts and pasted them together, filling in the blanks with hilarious results. From the side you can see how the weird angles of the cabin top contrasted with the windows remind us of one very specific shape:  a hearse—how chic.

And the front, wow. Kia was trying really hard to be car-like, but you can see this has a serious schizophrenia.  Besides having no real character except being related to those exaggerated Dodge noses of late, the front does not match the rear.  An identity crises?  This car has a mullet! In addition, it possesses some bastardized pseudo-retro in it too, a la the PT Cruiser.

Every one in a great while we are granted a look at a vehicle that somehow escaped from the drawing board, the testing, the market analysis and the production quality back check, and onto the road. They are designs of infamy:  the El Camino, almost anything by the aforementioned AMC, the Pontiac Aztek, the Chevy Avalanche.  There are others. They usually do not stick around long, and I sure hope we do not see too many more of Kia baring its Soul.

Enjoy it while it lasts, this freak-of-nature. With so much to choose from, and the economically-challenged domestics smartly paring down their lines to win market share, I doubt too many people will part with their cash to bring this homely home. The Kia Soul is not an ugly duckling to be parked in the garage in the hope it will hit puberty and look good one day. If you bought it, you were Souled because it belongs in Ripley’s.

YO SOY “Y respondió Dios a Moisés: YO SOY EL QUE SOY. Y dijo: Así dirás a los hijos de Israel: YO SOY me envió a vosotros” Éxodo 3:14 Tal vez siempre nos hemos preguntado el por que del nombre de Dios. Cuando Moisés se lo pregunta en Éxodo 3, la respuesta fue categórica: “YO SOY EL QUE SOY. Y dijo: Así dirás a los hijos de Israel: YO SOY me envió a vosotros.” (Éxodo 3:14) Ciertamente entendemos que El es El Eterno. El que siempre ha existido. El de ayer, el de hoy y por los siglos. El es El Alfa y La Omega, El Principio y El Fin, El Primero y El Ultimo. Pero ¿Por que solamente y simplemente YO SOY? Cuando nosotros, los hombrecitos nos presentamos ante alguien, jamás diríamos solamente “yo soy” ante la pregunta ¿Quién es UD? Alguien podría decir: “Yo soy Juan Pérez Abogado, o Arquitecto, o médico, etc. etc.” En otras palabras siempre el “yo soy” estará acompañado con el complemento que revela quien se esta presentando. Pero Dios manifestado al hombre, solamente y simplemente se presenta como YO SOY. ¿Por qué? Que clara es la santa Biblia cuando revela que Él es todo. El es el amor, es la gracia, es la misericordia y toda la cristalización de la divinidad. El YO SOY no puede tener calificativo, porque el todo esta en él. Si necesitamos gozo, Cristo nos dice: YO SOY tu gozo. Si necesitamos consolación, Cristo nos dice: YO SOY tu consolador. Si necesitamos un amigo fiel, Cristo nos dice: YO SOY tu amigo. Si necesitamos sustento, Cristo nos dice: YO SOY tu sustentador. Si alguien necesita salvación, Cristo dice: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; Nadie viene al padre sino por mi” (Juan 14:6) Y así podríamos atribuirle plenamente todas las cosas a nuestro Bendito Cristo, que en aquellos tres años de ministerio, no cesó de revelarse como el mismo y glorioso YO SOY que habló con Moisés.

Can’t we all just be friends?

By Katrina Nolasco

Anyone who has ever spent any time at El Camino or South San Francisco High School is aware of the rivalry that has been going on for as long as the schools have both existed. It seems these two high schools can’t stand it if the other one’s better at something. Whether its sports or academics, neither school will let the other one be on top. And, if for some reason, one school does beat the other, fights break out. Friends suddenly turn into enemies. It’s basically chaos. But, what’s the real reason they’re fighting? Does anyone even know anymore?

A lot of these students just do it because they feel they have to. It doesn’t matter to anyone that they might have friends at the other school. As long as they go to the other school, they are the enemy.

Let’s assume that this all started because of sports. Athletes are one of the most competitive groups of students at high schools. They may seem friendly during class, but once they get on that field, court, even pool, there’s no mercy. Their one goal is to crush the other team. So, you can assume that El Camino athletes always have South City in their sights. It’s almost like these athletes’ minds are only programmed to beat South City. No other team matters.

The Bell Game is the biggest and most famous football game in South City. We have fans, rooters, haters, the Scream Team, angry students, annoyed teachers, and we even have security. Once students enter the field, something comes over them. Their excitement can turn into hate and playful enthusiasm into negativity and anger. This leads to fights, break-ups, and distrust. Sometimes, even the parents get into it. One little insult about the other team and you’ll be lucky not to get knocked off the bleachers. Years ago, anger led a few students to actually blow up the scoreboard. That’s how much they cared about winning. They weren’t mature enough to realize that it’s just a game!

You’d think that after all these years people would eventually get tired of all this fighting and just stop. The only possible reason as to why people can’t get over it is because of pride. No matter how much these students deny it, they’re proud of their schools and might just do anything to defend it.

Winning isn’t everything and every team loses sometimes. So maybe they should just accept it and move on. It’s the best solution for everyone. It’ll save everyone a whole lot of trouble. So, just put the whole rivalry aside. Just maybe, everyone will come out on top.

This is a confusing piece. isn’t it? Normally people turn stuff into El Caminos by adding a truck like bed. Few people actually modify the Elky to be more car like. The seller of this creation is one of the few. See the eBay auction here.

Talk about having two faces. Up front there’s the boxy, angular 1980s styling and out back there is the swoopy early 1990s Cadillac bumper, tail lights, and trunk lid. You can open the trunk, which extends all the way to the back of the cab with the press of a button.

We’re not knocking the car when we ask the simple question, why the hell would someone do this? It appears to be done very well, we’re just looking for clarification on the reasons for the mashup. Make a bid on it and we can guarantee that you’ll have the only one on your block!

Thanks to BangShift.com member Mr4Speed for the tip.

Het was vandaag vrij saai wat het landschap betreft. Veel braakliggende velden, weinig variatie dus, maar dan plotseling rezen de bollen van Brussel op aan de horizon.

Greets
jordenfotografie.be

Foto is te koop tegen:
20×30 cm = 20 euro
25×38 cm = 28 euro
30×45 cm = 72 euro
50×75 cm = 148 euro
Je steunt er vzw Kinderen van Cambodja mee!
Aankopen of meer info: info@jordenfotografie.be

Mijn blaren begonnen enorm pijn te doen. Ik stopte bij een boomkapelletje waar een bankje stond, ruste even uit en besloot om het eens met m’n sandalen te proberen. Na deze te hebben aangetrokken, kwam ik al na 100 meter tot de conclusie dat dit alleen nog maar meer pijn deed. Hup, bij de volgende bank in het bos terug m’n schoenen aan, nadat ik eerst compeedpleisters over m’n blaren had gekleefd. En terwijl ik terug van schoeisel aan het wisselen was, kwamen er donkere dreigende onweerswolken opzetten en het begon dan ook iets later zachtjes te druppelen. Ook dat nog!

Greets
jordenfotografie.be

Foto is te koop tegen:
20×30 cm = 20 euro
25×38 cm = 28 euro
30×45 cm = 72 euro
50×75 cm = 148 euro
Je steunt er vzw Kinderen van Cambodja mee!
Aankopen of meer info: info@jordenfotografie.be

Terwijl ik door een veld liep vol met appel-en perenbomen, reed een man met een oude koersfiets voorbij en stopte: “Schoon é!” (alle bomen stonden in bloei) zei hij. Hij bleek de appel/peren-boer te zijn. Hugo vertelde me dat ze dit jaar een goede oogst zullen hebben en nam me mee naar een vlabij gelegen jagershutje die op palen hoog boven de plantages uit stak. Ondanks de weinige wind, vond ik dat het hutje nogal veel heen en weer ging, maar het was volkomen veilig volgens den Hugo! Ik keek naar beneden en ik hoopte maar dat hij gelijk had.

Greets
jordenfotografie.be

Foto is te koop tegen:
20×30 cm = 20 euro
25×38 cm = 28 euro
30×45 cm = 72 euro
50×75 cm = 148 euro
Je steunt er vzw Kinderen van Cambodja mee!
Aankopen of meer info: info@jordenfotografie.be

De dag van de waarheid was aangebroken. Er zou een toch van 2500 km op me staan wachten die vele ups en downs met zich mee zou brengen. Het was erg vreemd om de aller eerste meters in je eigen straat te stappen, maar ter zelfde tijd ook een heerlijk gevoel van vrijheid, simpel weg de deur achter je dichtrekken en de wijde wereld in te stappen … looking for adventure!

Iets wat ik me altijd zal blijven herinneren aan deze dag, is dat na nog maar een uurtje onderweg te zijn, ik al flink ontmoedigd werd. Ik was aan het Zilvermuseum (Rivierenhof te Deurne) enkele foto’s aan het schieten en terwijl passeer ik er enkele mensen die op een terras aan het genieten zijn van het zonnetje en een heerlijke frisse pint. Ik had toen nog een wimpel aan m’n rugzak hangen (die het na enkele dagen al zou begeven) met daarop ‘Walking 2 Santiago 4 Cambodia’, dus mensen konden perfect zien wat mijn doel was en in plaats van mij wat aan te moedigen, kreeg ik deze woorden naar mijn hoofd geslingerd: “Zo zult ge er ni geraken zene!” Op wat dat moest slagen weet ik ook niet, misschien leek ik te zwaar bepakt en dan nog een met m’n fototoestel rond m’n nek gedraaid. In ieder geval, leuk om zo je eerste dag te beginnen!

Ik moet bekennen dat op momenten dat ik het moeilijk had, vaak aan dit moment terug heb gedacht en dan zei ik tegen mezelf: ‘ik zal eens laten zien dat ik er wél zal geraken!’

Greets
jordenfotografie.be

Foto is te koop tegen:
20×30 cm = 20 euro
25×38 cm = 28 euro
30×45 cm = 72 euro
50×75 cm = 148 euro
Je steunt er vzw Kinderen van Cambodja mee!
Aankopen of meer info: info@jordenfotografie.be

Seeing this vehicle absolutely amazed me! It takes a lot of ingenuity and courage to take a perfectly good mini van and make it into a pickup truck. This fella down in Crossville, Tennessee did just that with this Chevy Astro Minivan. I like to call this an Astro Camino. I love living in the south! This is priceless. A useable utility vehicle. He was towing a trailer of scrap metal. I told my friends about this a few weeks ago but didn’t have my camera to get the picture. Then I saw it again today. What a find!

Sinds ik terug in het land ben, heb ik hier niets meer geschreven, maar daar komt zeer binnenkort verandering in.

Het plan is als volgt: ik zal (proberen) iedere dag, 100 dagen lang (want zo lang heeft mijn pelgrimage geduurt) 1 foto (te) posten op dit blog (van mijn reis) waaraan ik een verhaaltje zal koppelen dat mij is overkomen tijdens m’n wandeltocht.

Omdat er plannen bestaan om een fototentoonstelling te organiseren over deze pelgrimstocht, ga ik hier niet altijd de meest mooie, ontroerende, spectaculaire foto posten, daarvoor moet je dan maar naar de tentoonstelling komen, maar wel foto’s die een verhaal vertellen.

Stay tuned, want zeer binnenkort ga ik van start!

Greets
jordenfotografie.be

El Camino hacia la gran Ciudad amurallada

(…) Comí hasta que me dolió la panza y la boca, y me quede totalmente dormido. Me parece que helaba.
Me despertaron unas patadas en la espalda. Antes de abrir los ojos, o mientras los abría, vi los pedazos otra vez y me dieron arcadas. Ahora los pedazos trataban de juntarse, y armaban cuerpos raros: unos pedazos eran alas, otros mostraban dientes, otros eran barullo de una tormenta seca. Escuche risas de los que me pateaban y recién ahí pensé que los salvajes me habían descubierto. Abrí los ojos: eran otros.
Vi que eran otros: les pregunté qué eran y me miraron para decirme que no me entendían. No sé si fue un alivio o una decepción. Estos salvajes eran más sólidos, más bajos, mas plantados, y no tenían espadas sino maquinas parecidas a una ballesta cruzadas sobre el pecho. Por gestos y patadas me levantaron y me hicieron entender que caminara con ellos; debían ser unos veinte y no andaban en fila, sino más bien como manada. Uno, que los mandaba, bastante joven, no mucho mayor que yo, caminaba a mi lado y, cada tanto, se mojaba un dedo y me lo pasaba por la piel, como quien quiere despegar una pintura.
Caminamos todo el día por el paisaje desvaído; al atardecer, cuando vi, a lo lejos, la muralla brillando bajo el sol, recordé las historias que me habían contado en nuestra villa sobre la gran Ciudad que hace tanto acechábamos. En toda la región, solamente la Ciudad podía tener esa muralla.
Seguimos el camino, las murallas subían cada vez más hacia el cielo, eran impresionantes. El anochecer callo y llegamos a la gran puerta de hierro, de unos diez metros de alto y cuarenta de ancho, impedía que salga o entre cualquiera. En las hacer canias hombres blancos vestidos con grandes ropas de metal que la luna reflejaba en ellas. Al llegar unos de mis captores se adelanto y comenzó a comunicarse de una forma muy extraña con el gran hombre de plata. Al poco tiempo de espera la gran puerta se comenzó a abrir hacia el cielo que en estas altas horas se veían las nueves de una vecina tormenta.
Al entrar todo se veía oscuro; miles de antorchas ardían en las calles de la Ciudad. Me llevaron hacia un lugar bajo la tierra; todo era muy oscuro, solo se veía unos pocos metros con la antorcha que tenia este gran hombre de rostro perverso. Tomo unas telas, me las coloco y seguimos el camino.
Abrió una puerta de hierro y me arrojo allí adentró con gran fuerza. Poco se veía en la eterna oscuridad, solo la luna que cuando se asomaba me brindaba la visión espontanea. Un largo cajón con escritos y una fina tela que los cubría, solo eso era lo que se podía ver en este lugar tan chico. Tenebrosos sonidos en la oscura noche se escuchaban; gritos y los llantos del cielo. Al no poder dormir trate de mirar aquellos escritos, eran muy extraños. Tras un largo tiempo mirándolos y queriendo reconocer algo me quede dormido.
La luz del sol me despertó a la mañana siguiente, incomodo con escritos en mi espalda logre dormí un poco, al ver que me desperté el hombre de rostro perverso se acerco y dejo cerca de la puerta de hierro un vasija y una… cosa blanca redonda… que nunca había visto. Al ver que se alejo, tome la vasija que en su interior tenía agua y esa cosa blanca. Bebí el agua y comencé a mirar la cosa blanca, que extraña, era suave y se podía separa con facilidad; le di un mordisco y en mi boca parecía esponjosa, tenía un buen gusto, comencé a comerla lentamente.
Al tiempo que termine de comer la cosa blanca, los hombres de plata llegaron a la puerta, entraron me levantaron y me llevaron hacia fuera. Que grande y hermosa era la Ciudad. Comenzamos a caminar por los pasillos y salimos a una gran choza que era totalmente blanca. De allí salió un hombre vestido con ropas negras y algo muy chico blanco, uno de los hombres de plata comenzó a hablar con este; él me miro a los ojos, se acercó a mí y toco mi frente, al mismo tiempo cerró los ojos y comenzó a murmurar algo que no entendí ni una palabra. Luego el hombre saludo al hombre de plata y seguimos nuestro camino.
Comencé a ver, en lo alto a personas blancas y otras de mi tribu, al llegar a ese lugar lo que mis ojos vieron fue un gran sufrimiento; parecía un lugar de matanza, hombres y mujeres allí arriba, gritando hora tras hora de sufrimiento y dolor. Muchos hombres mirando atentamente a aquellos objetos de sufrimiento, riendo y sacudiendo sus manos. Creí estar en el mismísimo infierno. Que mis ancestros predijeron hace muchos años. Mi padre, mi madre y mis hermanos habían sido capturados por estos engendros. De seguro ya deben estas con mi dios; podres de ellos.
Luego ya do noche me volvieron a llevar a la oscuridad, con los escritos y la tela; me acosté y cerré los ojos. Pensé por un instante, que es lo que me deparara la ciudad.

- Martín Caparrós and Daniel J. Csich.-

O carro

Chevrolet El Camino

O Chevrolet El Camino foi um cupê utilitário construído pela Chevrolet nos Estados Unidos de 1959 a 1960, com a retomada da produção em 1964 e continuado até 1987. Produzido em resposta ao sucesso do rival Ford Ranchero, era baseado no Chevrolet Chevelle, embora na América do Norte, o veículo é classificado como um caminhão (truck).

De 1978 a 1987, o El Camino foi vendido em quatro modelos: O Super Sport, The Black Knight, A Conquista, e o básico, ele também tinha outros nomes (GMC Sprint e GMC Caballero a partir de 1974 em diante). No México era conhecido como Chevrolet Conquistador.

Em 1969 foi lançado uma versão de alta performance (Super Sport 396) foi lançado junto com o Chevelle, e eram muito semelhantes, em 1970 ele foi lançado ainda mais forte, e por algum tempo era conhecido por possuir o maior motor da linha Chevrolet.

Porem em 1971 foi reduzida sua potência e seu desempenho, juntamente com o restante da linha, graças a alta da gasolina e o controle das emissões, a único mudança sutil foram os faróis duplos em 1971, e a grade, desde essa época as vendas caíram muito e sua saída do mercado aconteceu em 1987.

A musica

My Favourite Game-The Cardigans

Hoje vamos falar sobre uma musica conhecida de viciados em “Gran Turismo 2”, a banda é The Cardigans e a música escolhida foi “My Favorite Game”.

A banda foi criada em 1992 embora tenha começado a fazer sucesso somente em 1994 com o lançamento do single “Rise and Shine” e logo depois assinaram contrato para a gravação de seu primeiro CD.

A música de hoje é o tema do jogo “Gran Turismo 2”, e está presente no albúm “Gran Turismo”.

A comparação

Depois que eu vi esse clipe, sempre que ouço essa musica vem a minha cabeça, eu sei que o El Camino não é o carro do vídeo, mas eu lembro dele…

Em baixo está o video do inico do gram turismo, que apareçe essa musica.

Por Nando Ortiz e Rafa GM.