Since leaving America August 2006, I have traveled to sixteen countries. A great deal has happened. This site is to share my thoughts, photos, music, writings, travel experiences, and developing political/social commentary with you. I hope you find it interesting and informative.
My wife Masumi and I just spent a week in Chengdu, China. It was like climbing into a time machine and traveling into the future.
Mind you, back in 2009, on my way to Nepal, I stopped in Chengdu for seven days. Today’s Chengdu is unrecognizable, like being in an entirely different city!
Chengdu in 2009 had its share of charms. The electric motor scooters kept the streets quiet. The temples, people doing Tai Chi in the park, the ease at getting around due to an efficient public transportation system, the charm of older parts of the city blended in with modern buildings, the impressive variety of cuisine.
I did notice then that there was a lot of building going on. Sixteen years later, it’s evident where they were taking things. Boy, is it ever!
I’ll follow this over the next couple weeks with more targeted articles.
Over a decade ago, my wife and I were on a road trip. We spent a few days in Nagano and then headed for Tokyo. Mount Fuji was conveniently on the way. Unfortunately, all we saw was a giant gray cloud which completely shrouded the famous landmark. We couldn’t even discern an outline of the peak.
Just recently, we tried again, spending three days in the Mount Fuji area. The weather was totally on our side, with clear blue skies every day, and hardly a cloud in sight!
There’s so much going on there, you could easily spend a month and not do it all. Museums, shrines, temples, sky trains, hikes, lakes, water falls, onsens, dairy farms, many excellent restaurants and hotels, even a safari park. We chose to drive all the way around the huge mountain, viewing it from every possible angle, doing what we could along the way.
Next time we visit the area, I promise I’ll attempt to climb the mountain, at least to the lower base camp. Hopefully, that will make me an honest man. Until then, let’s keep my little secret just between you and me.
Since 2006, I’ve been in 35 countries. Total over my lifetime is 44. I’ve been in extremely wealthy countries with sky-high standards of living — Sweden, Norway, Monaco, Switzerland, Austria — and been personally immersed in extreme poverty — Uganda, Kenya, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Myanmar, Nepal. When I was in Kenya, I lived in a community called Mbita, that had no running water, no electricity, and we went to the bathroom in a hole in the ground. I bathed with the locals in Lake Victoria. All I had to bring was a bar of soap and a towel. But we had to be on guard. The local hippos were temperamental and often very aggressive.
Granted, compared to the extreme poverty in Kenya and other 3rd World countries, for most people life in the US is luxurious.
So . . . how can ‘war be making us poor’?
‘Poor’ is a relative term. The US constantly trumpets itself as the richest country in the world, the richest country in history! And via carefully compiled spread sheets prepared by neoliberal economists, we can find strong evidence for the claim.
However, facts on the ground for millions of American citizens, tell a different story.
The simple truth is that, yes, there are a handful of Americans who are doing incomprehensibly well. They have vast piles of money, huge stock and property portfolios, accounts in tax haven countries bulging at the seams. But this is at the very top of the economic ladder. This opulence and affluence is not shared with 99.9% of the rest of us. The brutal truth is, wealth inequality has become so extreme, it has gutted our economy of vitality, undermined what used to be a diverse and robust manufacturing base, inaugurated “casino capitalism”, i.e. rabid financialization and speculation, and stranded ordinary citizens without what many other countries consider the “basics” of a healthy functioning society. For everyday people, while they may not have to bathe in local streams and lakes, these changes — which only benefit the wealthy elite — have made life increasingly difficult. Opportunities are disappearing and for the middle and working classes, just surviving and maintaining an acceptable living standard has become an increasingly daunting challenge.
Travelers from America, gone for extended periods of time and traveling in some of the better-off countries — including, by the way, Russia and China — report being shocked when they return to the US . . . shocked at the condition of our basic infrastructure, by the filth of our cities, by the level of homelessness, by the general quality of life they see. They are shocked and appalled by the level of anxiety, depression, and often anger and hostility which has become the norm. People are anxious, confused, frustrated, often frightened.
I’m not going to compare the US with Bangladesh or Haiti. Or Monaco or Switzerland. But I think it’s realistic to contrast what the US has become, first, to what it claims to be; and second, what it, as the “richest country in the world”, by its own reckoning should be.
I suggest you read my book. It’s very eye-opening. It’s not just a catalog of misery. It both takes aim at the primary cause of our economic malaise and decline — endless war, unnecessary and accelerating militarization of our society — and points the way for citizens to directly intervene and reverse the disintegration, before the US can no longer function as a nation.
The decline is almost imperceptibly gradual but there’s no doubt about what’s happening: War is bankrupting the US politically, spiritually, socially, and economically.
Hmm. What could she be shy about? I tried to second guess her.
“You speak English perfectly!”
“I haven’t said much … but thanks. That’s very sweet.”
“Just stating fact.”
“Hmm. I don’t want to confuse you. But …”
“But what?”
“Just because you hear English doesn’t mean I’m speaking English.”
That’s all she said.
I really had to think about that. I still do, as a matter of fact.
I studied philosophy in college. What she pointed out refers to the paradox of perception. When I see the color red, is it the same color — meaning the actual color that appears in your vision — as you see?
Maybe I’m in truth writing this in Chinese. But you see it on the page and read it as English.
So … to those of you who want to know: Do they speak English?
All I can now say is: That’s a very good question!
What I do know is that mermaids are very smart. And at least the ones I met — with a few exceptions — are phenomenal cooks!
Do you want to hear more about my unique adventures? How about having your own copy of my book?
As I mentioned before, the ultimate deluxe full-color paperback is available for a limited time — sale extended until January 2nd! — for 25% off the regular price . . . order it here directly from the printer.
By the way, this stunning fantasy/travel/cookbook is also available as an ebook, in the format of your choice . . .
“I love that word. It can be taken a couple different ways. Am I a stun gun? Are you a drooling lump spread eagle on the floor? Have you lost control of your body fluids?”
“I … I … well …”
“Word is you haven’t said anything like that to any of the other mermaids. Why am I single out for flattery, John? I know you’re happily married, so you’re not coming on to me. But … I am … I am … black! Really really black! You had to let me know that in spite of that, I passed with flying colors. Yes … I’m stunning!”
“Hey! It’s not a racist thing. I’m color blind.”
“None of you top-siders are color blind. It’s something you haven’t yet and maybe never will evolve beyond. You’ve got your flags. Gang colors. School colors.”
What could I say? She was right.
My only question is: How do they know so much about us? How do they manage to figure out things about us that we can’t? From watching our movies and browsing on a smart phone for a couple weeks?
Maybe this stuff is so obvious, so in our face, we look right past it. It’s hiding in plain sight!
It’s always a journey of discovery to see ourselves through the eyes of others. So imagine what it’s like seeing ourselves through the eyes of MERMAIDS!
There’s a lot more where that came from. I met 23 mermaids in all. If you want a real walk on the wild side, check out my book.
The ultimate deluxe full-color paperback is available for a limited time (special sale has been extended to January 2nd) for 25% off the regular price . . . order it directly from the printer.
Plus, this stunning fantasy/travel/cookbook is also available as an ebook, in the format of your choice . . .
Understandably, people want to know how I connected with the 23 mermaids I met. Of course, running into Corinne was a fluke.
It was late — 2 or 3 am — and I was returning home from a bar/restaurant on Anjuna Beach in Goa. I had been dancing and making new friends, but finally exhausted and ready for some serious sleep, was heading back to my guest house. I was of course alone.
I saw something writhing on the beach ahead of me. A beached porpoise? It was dark and hard to make out what it could be.
As I approached it stopped moving. I pulled out a small flashlight and pointed it.
There was Corinne.
She asked me to keep her “secret”. I did. I didn’t take her photo, looking vulnerable and afraid there on the beach, then post it on Twitter. A couple days later, I showed up at her vacation condo and that was the beginning of this unbelievable adventure.
From that day forward, whenever I planned to visit some seaside resort someplace in the world, all I had to do was put a note in a bottle, just like the one at the top of this page, and throw it in the ocean.
Then wherever I ended up, a note would either show up at the reception desk of my hotel, or be slipped under my door, telling me the whereabouts and time to drop by. I would go and voilà ! There would be a new mermaid, either making me an incredible meal, or opening a can of SpaghettiOs. I have no idea how they found out where I was staying, or how the note to me got delivered. It just happened.
Like I said, all of this sounds like a fairy tale — or a big fat joke — but this is how it went.
It only failed on two occasions, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I don’t know what happened — maybe the bottle got swallowed by a blue whale or sucked into an intake tube of a luxury liner — but I never heard anything.
So that’s my story.
Curious to learn more about these beautiful creatures from the deep?
As I mentioned before, the ultimate deluxe full-color paperback is available for a limited time (until December 2nd) for 25% off the regular price . . . order it directly from the printer or from Amazon.
If you act immediately, it’ll be there in time for Thanksgiving. Then you have a choice: Watch football on TV for 12 hours or . . . dive into the fantasy world of exotic mermaids!
Meet Tanya and Chloe. I encountered them on Bonaire Island in the Dutch Antilles. Very interesting pair. I think they were an item, whatever that means in the world of mermaids.
Not that it was in any way a problem for me. I have no LGBTQ+ issues.
Chloe tried to explain the way mermaids view the boy/girl thing we topsiders seem to be so pre-occupied with.
“You topsiders sure invest a lot of time and energy …”
Tanya interjected, “And money!”
“… yes, money too, in the whole male-female thing.”
I shrugged and probably looked puzzled. “It’s pretty fundamental for us.”
She swiveled the stool she was sitting in to face me, then stretched her body out. “What do you see? Can you tell if I’m male or female?”
“You have breasts.”
“So do sumo wrestlers. What about down below?”
She was right, of course. No obvious signs one way or other.
“And if you were to meet all two million or so of us, that’s what you’d see.”
“There’s two million mermaids in the world?”
“Give or take ten thousand or so. No one knows for sure. The oceans are enormous!”
“You’re really blowing my mind!”
Admittedly, that was a gross understatement. Every time I met a mermaid, my mind was getting blown. I’m surprised I can think at all.
Do you want to hear more about my unique adventures? How about having your own copy?
As I mentioned before, the ultimate deluxe full-color paperback is available for a limited time (until December 2nd) for 25% off the regular price . . . order it directly from the printer.
By the way, this stunning fantasy/travel/cookbook is also available as an ebook, in the format of your choice . . .
I admit that when I met Rahqa, I was surprised — a little shocked — seeing all of her MUSCLES and TATTOOS!
She was definitely unique.
But beyond being a health addict and alt-cultural, Rahqa was an activist, very concerned and upset about the way humans are treating the oceans.
Rahqa: “Did you know there’s an island of plastic garbage the size of Texas floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.”
Me: “That sounds bad.”
Rahqa: “Don’t get daffy on me now.”
Me: “Actually, I do know that but it’s not something I think about.”
Rahqa: “Well, please start. And tell your friends. Stop with all the plastic!”
Yes, she was fiery and beautiful! And a damn good cook. For our dinner, she whipped up Fruit of the Isles Sesame Crusted Mahi Mahi in Pineapple Sauce. I even included the recipe!
As I mentioned before, the ultimate deluxe full-color paperback is available pre-publication for a limited time (until November 2nd) for 25% off the regular price.
Meet Corinne. Read all about her and 18 other mermaids in the most uniquely beautiful fantasy/travel/cookbook ever!
When I met Corinne, I noticed that the left side of her body seemed weak, almost limp. She noticed me noticing.
Corinne: “You’re probably wondering about this. I got broadsided by a nuclear submarine.”
Me: “I’m sorry.”
Corinne: “Well, it wasn’t your fault. Then again. It was American. You don’t happen to drive a submarine, do you?”
And so it went. Every mermaid had unique and astonishing stories. And they all had a lot to say about we land-based humans, out gadgets, our movies, our celebrities, our music, our way of life and priorities. To say it was both entertaining and fascinating would be a gross understatement.
By the way, the ultimate deluxe full-color paperback is available pre-publication for a limited time (until November 2nd) for 25% off the regular price. Go HERE for details! Or order it now directly from the printer.
What Do Mermaids Eat? . . . Deehl
Deehl was very quiet. Finally she said …
“I’m kind of shy.”
Hmm. What could she be shy about? I tried to second guess her.
“You speak English perfectly!”
“I haven’t said much … but thanks. That’s very sweet.”
“Just stating fact.”
“Hmm. I don’t want to confuse you. But …”
“But what?”
“Just because you hear English doesn’t mean I’m speaking English.”
That’s all she said.
I really had to think about that. I still do, as a matter of fact.
I studied philosophy in college. What she pointed out refers to the paradox of perception. When I see the color red, is it the same color — meaning the actual color that appears in your vision — as you see?
Maybe I’m in truth writing this in Chinese. But you see it on the page and read it as English.
So … to those of you who want to know: Do they speak English?
All I can now say is: That’s a very good question!
What I do know is that mermaids are very smart. And at least the ones I met — with a few exceptions — are phenomenal cooks!
Do you want to hear more about my unique adventures? How about having your own copy of my book?
As I mentioned before, the ultimate deluxe full-color paperback is available for a limited time — sale extended until January 2nd! — for 25% off the regular price . . . order it here directly from the printer.
By the way, this stunning fantasy/travel/cookbook is also available as an ebook, in the format of your choice . . .
JUST DO IT!