david mctavish

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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

the way
2008-02-02 00:09:00
i found the way. course i didn't have to wait to see it as graffiti, but it made us realize that we have to just keep truckin' along. on a related note, flights' booked -> June 9th. stock up on the beer. ;)

kerala
2008-02-01 00:09:00
taking its place in national geographics' 50 must-visit places, we decided to see the other side of india. to our amazement, we've discovered that india is more than just chennai. a 2-hour flight followed by a 2-hour drive into the back-country brought us to four days of absolute solitude. floating along the backwaters of kerala on a houseboat certainly provides the necessary escape to enjoy doing nothing to its fullest.
More About: Kerala

teamwork
2008-01-31 00:09:00
sometimes teamwork can get the job done. sometimes there's just too many people on the ship and you have to push some of them overboard to make room for the rest.
More About: Teamwork

forgiveness is divine
2008-01-30 00:09:00
my test in india has been twofold. the first lesson is to discover who i am. i'm still working on this. the second was to stretch my character to a point where forgiveness was not attainable and allow myself to understand that the world can't be saved (not even the cheerleader) and not everyone deserves to be forgiven. i've also realized that forgiveness is not something that benefits the transgressor, it's the vehicle that allows us to move on. so, in that notion, i've learned to let go.
More About: Forgiveness , Divine

adorable
2008-01-26 18:24:00
after taking a few photos of this group of kids, i ended up paying them back with a wagon-ride for four around the inner courtyard of a monk monastary. the kids got a good kick out of the ride, and the monks were a bit surprised to see the farung totting the local children around like a common horse. everyone had a good smile, and was probably the cheapest model fees i've had to shell out for yet. :)
More About: Adorable

patience is a virtue
2008-01-25 18:24:00
i've been trying to not over-stimulate you with the sheer number of monk-related photos i have. i realize that posting too many would depreciate their effect. i find solace that i'm not the only one who gets a bit antsy when i'm held to wait beyond my limit. now, our limits are probably marginally different: i figure i've got six seconds before i get impatient. the monk on the other hand has probably been waiting a few days.
More About: Patience , Virtue

zen@zen
2008-01-24 18:24:00
it's funny, they have an entire shopping mall named after zen, yet nobody can properly pronounce his name. it usually comes out as sen or son, and after three or four attempts to steer them; we just temporarily change the poor kids' name to accommodate. at least he didn't have to be referred to as jeff for most of our stay. yes, that is a yellow lambourghini in the entrance to the store. yes, it is for sale, and no, you can't afford it.

postcards from the edge
2008-01-22 18:24:00
my next jobs' going to be taking photos for postcards. sure, the markup on a 12-cent postcard can't be all that lucrative, but think of the job satisfaction. on second thought, it seems that all artists are starving; and i have bigger responsibilities now.
More About: The Edge , Edge , Postcards From The Edge

alms
2008-01-21 18:24:00
as part of buddhism, the monks must ask for food in order to eat. they also may only eat before 11am, so this puts some emphasis on getting up early. alms starts at daybreak, which in our case was a bit before 6am. the experience was quite fascinating, although it did seem like a horse-race with the record pace the monks kept. combined with the extremely low-light conditions, it made photography a nigh-impossibility. it's times like these that i realize i need to appreciate the experience over chasing the photo.

early riser
2008-01-20 18:24:00
i'm not sure when it happened, but i became an early-bird. i know the arrival of zen has fostered this nature, but it's been around for quite some time. it's probably a good thing, considering van's the opposite. this photo was taken in luang prabang in the wee hours. every day, the monks will walk the streets, collecting food from the locals. fortunately, for the tourists, some of the locals bring extra food that they'll sell to you (at a highly marked up price of 7$ for some steamed rice), that you can use to join in the tradition.
More About: Early

entourage
2008-01-19 18:24:00
when i grow up, i want to be a rock-star. this kid oozed cool. it was like the pied piper coming to town, everybody wanted to be a part. i'm not even sure if he could play, but i was already a groupie.
More About: Entourage

untitled
2008-01-18 18:24:00
sometimes, words just get in the way. enjoy the photo.

raspberries
2008-01-17 18:24:00
keeping my word, i've been very diligent in teaching zen all of the annoying habits. there's the zerburt and the tongue-cluck and the duck-call, all of which that he's mastered. but of them all, the raspberry/zerburt is his favorite, as well as mine. i'm not sure why, but it cracks me up every time. haa-bbbbbbbbbb. it's absolutely priceless. videos now on youtube for your enjoyment.

serenity now
2008-01-16 18:24:00
this is what there is to do in laos. on the surface, it probably doesn't seem like much. that's good.
More About: Serenity

reflective
2008-01-15 18:24:00
in the middle of our vacation we made a short trek to laos for four days to visit with van's parents for christmas. i'm guessing you've never been, but if i could pick one place that i could spend the rest of my days when i'm old and gray, it's definitely here. you might elect to move your stodgy bones to florida, but i'm more than happy to pack up my laptop, camera and a good book and sit back on the banks of the mekong and enjoy a laos-coffee. it's an incredible experience if you have the chance, a certain level of calm and peace that i've never experienced anywhere else. i'm not an expert on such things, but van approves of our retirement strategy.

pit stop
2008-01-14 18:24:00
our trip to bangkok was more than just temporary relief: we were on a mission. van and zen's initial visas were a bit daft, in that they expired six months earlier than mine. requests to the company for information on what to do led us to believe that we would have to travel all the way back to canada for renewal. we weren't much in the mood for spending two days on a plane, and we also realized that if we went all that way, there would be little chance we'd want to come back after only two weeks. so, van did some investigative research of her own, and we discovered that one could indeed apply for a visa to india in thailand. we had to re-jig our flights at the last moment, but we were able to schedule everything accordingly, and now their visas are good until the end of june. that should buy us enough time to complete the project and determine our next steps. our current expectations are that we'll be seeing you this summer.
More About: Stop

laos
2008-01-13 18:24:00
there's something amazing about the people in laos. their faces seem so weathered, and i'm certain theirs lives aren't the easiest (especially being one of the poorest countries in the entire world), but i find it incredible how they can extract so much joy out of the simplest of pleasures. every night, the mekong effectively turns into a giant turtle-pool; brimming over with kids in their birthday suits. it must be nice to be care-free...
More About: Laos

i feel pretty, oh so pretty
2008-01-12 18:24:00
i've seen these plump ballerinas before, perhaps at pier one for something outrageous like 30$. it's interesting to find them in a place where the local people have absolutely no need for them, hawking them off for 3 bucks each. again, i'm not much for knick-knacks, especially of the tacky sort, but there probably is some deeper message about being happy with yourself or that you can do anything if you try. perhaps, but i just think they're funny looking.
More About: Pretty , Feel

apocolypse now!
2008-01-11 18:24:00
our trip to the bridge over the river kwai nearly resulted in me being abandoned by the tour-bus regalia. although i was technically on time, apparently 99% of the other travelers had had enough early and were ready to leave. i can't blame them, there isn't much to see other than a big bridge going over the river. and while i'm aware of the historical significance, it wasn't the bridge that consumed my time. i'm not much for taking photos of the obvious tourist traps; rather, i prefer to venture back into the heart of a place and capture the people. i imagine in twenty years, i'm going to look back and wonder why i have all these photos of people i don't even know. oh well, at least i have some proof that i've been here. i'm not sure what that buys me, but it's a pretty decent photo of a bridge.

lazy days
2008-01-10 18:24:00
this is the first dog i've seen in six months that i actually feel i could pet without fear of being contaminated. now, the strange part is, how did thailand come about to have a need for siberian huskies? i'm sure there isn't any sledding to be done in the area.
More About: Days , Lazy

coffee break
2008-01-09 18:24:00
yo, barista, where's my grande double-cream, low-fat steamed soy-milk beverage? oh, and i want it in a sippy cup; chop-chop. part of our routine involved a stop at one of the starbucks (i'm sure they're giving seattle a run for most locations per city block). we weren't ever asked to leave any, but we sure did take our time. we tried to time our visits so that zen could let off some steam through some exercise on the couches, while we got another shot of adrenaline to allow us to keep up with him. oh, starbucks, how we miss thee.
More About: Coffee , Break , Coffee Break

venice is sinking
2008-01-08 18:24:00
i haven't been to venice, but i've been told there is a certain pungency that comes with the experience. i have been to suzhou in china (which was coined as the chinese venice by marco polo), and now the floating market in bangkok. we were quite surprised that despite all of the traffic, and the introduction of motor boats into the narrow canals, the place was, for the most part, clean. now, nobody's going to start bottling the water, but you knew that if you accidentally fell in, you weren't going to corrode on contact.
More About: Venice

floating market
2008-01-07 18:24:00
of all the places in thailand that i wanted to see, this was the top of the list. our visit two years ago made an honest attempt to take this site in, however, good intentions were not enough to arrive before the place actually closed. fortunately, van has a good memory for such things and stressed that this should be the first excursion we should do. i'm happy to say that for once, i wasn't disappointed by my high expectations. despite being overwhelmed by tourists, the experience is still intact, and the additional hustle-bustle only makes this place better. even with the 5am wake-up call and 2 hour shuttle, it was an incredible experience. if you only have one day in thailand, i'd recommend you go to the beach. but if you have two days, you gotta check this out.
More About: Market , Floating

everything is illuminated
2008-01-06 18:24:00
visiting bangkok has certainly put chennai into a new light. for a city that has 15 million people (that's three times chennai for those counting), it's remarkably pristine. as much as van and i abhor the thought of knick-knacks overtaking our home, we found the urge to shop at the local markets unstoppable. i imagine it has something to do with the fact that we can stroll the boy along for the view, but the promise of bargains galore can lead to a suitcase full of things you never realized you had a need for... there must be a maximum number of chopsticks and candle holders one household can honestly support, and i'm afraid we won't be able to provide a good nurturing home for all of the extras we've lugged back.

biker-goth
2008-01-05 18:24:00
it's nice to see that everyone suffers from a well-timed mid-life crisis. i'm hoping that when my turn rolls around that i can be as fashionably rebellious. ahh, who am i kidding, i never grew up in the first place.
More About: Biker , Goth

thailand: land of smiles
2008-01-05 06:23:00
a lot can happen in two years, and from what we can tell, bangkok has definitely grown up into a big city now. our previous trip to thailand was really more of a footnote than an enjoyed vacation. sure, we checked out the sites and even made a road-trip to chiang mai, but there was always something under the surface that made us want to move on to the next country. happily, this trip proved to be the complete opposite; we were quite content to hang out in the city for another week if it were possible to delay reality any further.
More About: Thailand , Land , Smiles

happy new year
2008-01-03 23:02:00
it's been awhile since the last post; and we've made a whirlwind tour through thailand and laos which i'll backfill once we've got our bags unpacked and we wake up to the reality that we're no longer on holidays. we've gained a new appreciation for bangkok, seeming as our first visit was done in record-time. in the meantime, a little more zen and more posts coming this weekend.
More About: New Year , Happy , Happy New Year , Year

bangkok
2007-12-18 10:32:00
we arrived in bangkok this morning and are amazed at the difference in our spirits. we're still quite tired from the red-eye flight (seems any escaping flights from chennai are scheduled after midnight), but things are definitely looking up. despite the troubles we've been through today (zen's first tooth cracked through during the flight) and my inability to sleep on an airplane, it's been a long day indeed. to make matters more interesting, it seems that i'd forgotten all of our documents, passports and cash at the airport in a convenient to carry ziploc bag. d'oh. anyway, it would seem fortune is looking down on us, as it has magically made its way back to our hotel. i'm completely at a loss for words, but it seems that things are going our way for a change. we might not be posting for a few days, but know that we're thinking of our friends and family during the christmas holidays, and look forward to spending more face-time next year.
More About: Bangkok

harumph
2007-12-13 22:03:00
in the interests of diplomacy, i've tried to take the high road and not post anything lately. perhaps being quite aways from home has something to do with my outlook, but some time away is definitely in order. the photos haven't been flowing, and as such the well was a bit dry this week. apologies, i should be able to correct that in the new year.

loungin'
2007-12-12 22:03:00
we won't lie, this is our favourite room in the house. although it seems the tv might be the central attraction, i can attest that the ocean view gets more appreciation. zen's daily ritual includes watching the sunrise and listening to the waves roll in. yeah, he'll be a romantic when he gets older. ;)