Here and There Blog

This is the other park near the hotel. It’s much better for exercise and a little oasis in the area.

There’s this small park by the hotel. It has some significance but I’m not sure what. It’s an older area and there’s a catholic cathedral nearby so some religious settlement in the early 2900’s. Can’t visit the cathedral but here’s the park.

This time VPN isn’t letting me into my own blog. Quick test with the only photo on this camera. Yes, for one 90 minute flight from Seoul to Shanghai, I had the entire business class cabin to myself.

Jakarta has a much needed, vastly improved terminal update. It’s gone from miserable to pleasant and as someone who is here for the 5th time in 10 days I am grateful for the new terminal. The designers have a fun theme around the walls. Here’s some samples:

Anyone going to the Belly-Up Tavern in Solana Beach for a concert knows you have to get there early to find parking. Then there's extra time to use up for dinner or drinks before the show. It had been a long time since I've been there and didn't realize how much of an artist's area the South Cedros Rd. has become. Walking from the car to the venue these were a few of the many sculptures and wall art.

FIDM in Los Angeles host the best free exhibit each year. If you go on a Saturday parking is even free. This year's display of Oscar nominated costumes and it's an easy 30 minutes to spend looking around. Han Solo and Lando! The hand painted outfits from Mary Poppins. Ceremonial Wakanda and Aquaman and Mera!

Sneezing is a danger for pollen sufferers when visiting Singapore's airport. The orchid garden isn't too bad since they're not high pollen plants so it's safe to wander about. I found out that beyond the two inside security gardens, a new giant one "Jewel" is now open but recommended transit time between flights is 5 hours so it must be a bit off-airport and really big. For me, this is enough.

It’s the time for the Presidential and all local elections. Jakarta is full of rallies and support for various candidates. Fun to watch from the car.

Traffic in Jakarta can wipe you out. A short distance drive can take 1 hour or 90+ minutes. So much time is wasted sitting in a car. It’s hard on everyone. With so much smog and congestion, you have to appreciate the small things to make it through the day. Here’s to you, yellow orchids in my hotel room.

The morning sky looks so innocent. No looming thunderclouds yet and still blue sky. It’s only hot instead of afternoon super hot. The view makes everything seem peaceful. But....not! Noise, congestion, traffic jams await. All in all, I’m in for a normal day.

This was a short 48 hours no spare time to wander about. This was taken early morning and it looks peaceful but the main road is usually busy. The highlight this time around was fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast. That doesn’t sound exciting but next stop is Indonesia where defensive eating to prevent food illness is ahead of me.

In January I had a stay in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It’s a working city not a tourist one so the main excitement was watching the rain. There is a craft and artis area in the main cathedral square that’s fun for a wander. Below are some ideas of what it’s like.

2018 was crazy with job insecurity and a vagabond life for close to 8 months. Now that both house and job seem stable it’s time to take a breath and get focused. Or future focused since Asia has me in a time out from life. As much as I’m happy to be out of a HOA, I miss having to not thin about landscaping or weeds. It figures I had to move in the rainiest season in years. I bought a lightweight weed trimmer before I left and I hope it’s (and me) ready for the backyard jungle when I return. For now, Mission Bay, January.

Time to randomly start the blog up again and see how the year goes. I’ve been back in San Diego for 5 months and am slowly getting into a new reality and the house almost feels like me. Post work exercise at Mission Bay is a bonus. As usual trips have kept me from fully setting up everything but with a bed and a desk it’s starting to take shape. I’m writing this from the airport as I start a 3 week Asia trip. I plan to intersperse random pictures so think of this month as having a few flashback bonus scenes. Yertle will still be with us and I’m using his calendar to track rain days to document washing the solar panels. Stay tuned in May. For now, sunset at Mission Bay from March 4.