Mi Madre and I headed to Vancouver earlier this month for a very fun 24 hours tromping around the town, checking out restaurants, bars, parks, and art. Here is a short account of the trip. Please check out the links to read my considerably more detailed Yelp reviews of each of the spots we visited. I’ll also link to photos from my Vancouver photoset on flickr.

After checking into our West End hotel the Blue Horizon (the same hotel where my grandfather stayed for a few months when he first moved to Vancouver in the 1970s), we hit Robson heading east. Our first stop was Japa Dog (4* on Yelp) (photo) – a little lunch time amalgamation of a hot dog stand and Japanese street food. That provided us with some fuel for the long walk down seedy Hastings street. But before we got there, we passed the big construction project that is Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium (photo). When the retractable roof is completed next year it will be the home of Vancouver’s new MLS franchise, the Whitecaps.

Hastings Street is starting to show some signs of gentrification. I only saw two people smoking crack openly on the street. There was still some pretty cool street art to be found (photos 1 | 2 | 3). Once past all that, we came to our destination, Commercial Drive. I had read that The Drive, as it’s known, is one of the more happening parts of Van and the reports seem to be true. It isn’t quite Los Feliz or Abbott Kinney, but it did remind me of The Ave in Seattle’s University District.

We stopped for coffee on the north end of The Drive at Pane Vero (4* on Yelp) before heading down through the heart of The Drive’s shopping district. Amongst other spots, we ducked into the memorable 10,000 Villages (5* on Yelp) where we bought a very cool trivet made of folded newspaper from the Philippines. After that we headed down The Drive past a number of Italian groceries and soccer bars where we spotted a very cool Italian soccer mural (photo). We went on to explore the Portland-esque neighborhood behind The Drive and then stopped for happy hour at an enjoyable spot called Timbre Restaurant (4* on Yelp).

From there we jumped on the skytrain and got out at the east end of False Creek where the sun finally peeked out for a bit (photo). The south east corner of False Creek is where Vancouver’s Olympic Village was built last winter. They’ve turned the media center into a very nice recreation center and all the athlete’s housing is now condos for sale (though most seemed empty). The weird part is that it seemed like they have done as much as possible to wipe away the signs that this is where the Olympics took place. No rings, no flame – the only hint was a street sign that ready Athlete’s Drive. Really it was kind of strange.

Just west of the condos is a very cool park (photo) with some great sculptures and some big kid toys. We had a great time checking this place out and the nice view across the creek (photo) before walking back downtown over the Cambie Street Bridge. Looking down from the bridge there was a very cool view of a huge pile of concrete street barriers (photo).

We walked back through downtown and up to Gastown where we walked past photogenic alleyways (photo) and shops (photo). We had a before dinner drink at my new favorite bar the Alibi Room (5* on Yelp) before heading to the dinner spot we decided on, the disappointing Pourhouse (3* on Yelp).

After dinner we walked back west past a cool interactive wooden art installation (photos 1 | 2). Our destination was a bar (pictured above) near our hotel called O’Douls (3* on Yelp). Unfortunately the advertised live music was a glorified hotel lobby band. But we did have a great time ending the evening sipping whiskey (photo). Stay tuned for news on my momma’s upcoming blog Sketching Scotches (working title).

We awoke to a rainy morning and after coffee took a nice drive around Vancouver’s Stanley Park. We then headed south to trendy Kitsilano where we stopped for brunch and the funky and delicious Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe (5* on Yelp) (photo). After eating we were off to the extremely enjoyable Museum of Anthropology on the UBC campus. I’m going to post a whole photoset of all the cool masks inside the museum soon, but for now here, is a photo of Arthur Erickson’s beautiful building.

After the museum it was time to drive back south to the US of A where we met John and friends for a delicious dinner in BHam at Bayou on Bay (5* on Yelp). All in all it was a fantastic trip. Vancouver is just as fun a city as I remember from those 19 year old drunken escapades – only this time with much better food. I look forward to the next trip. Thanks Momma!

I just spent five great days at Austin’s Fantastic Fest and the experience was awesome. Aside form the 17 films I watched, the festival had plenty of other cool events on offer. This year founder Tim has opened up a bowling alley/party space called The Highball next to his amazing Alamo Draft House Cinema which offered the perfect place for the late night hanging and unlimited free skee-ball! The Fantastic Fest Debates were especially hilarious as after each debate (or roast) the contestants literally duked it out.

The cinema itself is something to behold. A 6 screen stadium theater with seats and sound on par with Arclight. But the real innovation is the full service restaurant built in. They have figured out the perfect system to keep the wait staff unobtrusive – you just write down your order on a little flag and they come by and pick it up. There is a long narrow table in front of each row to set your beer or burger and a little aisle below each row where the wait staff walks. I don’t know why no one has tried this in LA, but the formula is a winner.

All things considered it was a real blast. A world of thanks to Dan for making it happen. We’ll definitely do it again next year.

Now on to the film round-up (in order viewed):

FIRST SQUAD – Rating: 4 out of 10

This Russian animated feature is by the Japanese team behind Animatrix. The animation is cool but the horribly implemented documentary device of bad actors pretending to be history experts totally ruined the movie. This isn’t Waltz with Bashir, it is an action cartoon. There were a few cool story elements, but overall they weren’t enough to keep me awake.

GENTLEMEN BRONCOS – Rating: 9 out of 10

This new film from Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) is as wacky as possible and genuinely HILARIOUS. Everything works, especially Jemaine Clement as one of the best characters of the year. It slowed down a tiny bit after the very strong opening, but the ridiculous fantasy sequences go a long way to smooth out the pace. This film certainly exceeded my already high expectations.

REC 2 – Rating: 6 out of 10

I was quite impressed by this horror-thriller’s clean look. The story works and there are some good thrills, but what is most remarkable is the first person narrative device that the filmmakers fully commit to with great success. More than any movie I’ve ever seen, this film feels like a videogame – and it is fun.

KAMOGAWA HARUMO – BATTLE LEAGUE IN KYOTO – Rating: 6 out of 10

This film is about college students who train little supernatural creatures to battle teams from other colleges. While it may have a pretty bizarre premise, it is actually a quite traditional story about a loser guy who falls for a girl who is out of his league. All things considered, the film works and is pretty fun.

HARD REVENGE MILLY – Rating: 5 out of 10

This is a super low budget Japanese blood and guts actioner. The skeleton of a story doesn’t provide much to chew on, but the film does succeed at finding new ways to splatter the camera with watery blood.

ZOMBIELAND – Rating: 8 out of 10

This flick is most definitely the top of the zombie movie heap. It is maybe not quite as hilarious as Shaun of the Dead, but it certainly provides a lot more zombie killing thrills. The film has some great set pieces, an amazing cameo, and Emma Stone is Bodacious.

VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL – Rating: 8 out of 10

This is a really enjoyable wacky Japanese high school flick with some good acting and pretty decent effects. However, the real star of the film is the biting criticism leveled against fringe elements of Japanese society.

K-20: THE FIEND WITH 20 FACES – Rating: 3 out of 10

This big budget Japanese superhero film borrows heavily from every other superhero film you’ve ever seen. There may be some fun stunts and wire work, but the plot is just plain horrible. Worst of all, this film is sloooow and is far far too long.

UNDER THE MOUNTAIN – Rating: 3 out of 10

Two annoying kids save New Zealand from evil underground aliens whose story doesn’t make any sense.

YATTERMAN – Rating: 9 out of 10

Yet another genre mastered by Miike! This time it is the comic superhero comedy. The story is awesome with a lot of genuine emotion. The CG is top notch (as compared to the disappointingly low budget look of The Great Yokai War). The action sequences are fantastic and reminded me of playing the Dreamcast classic Powerstone. Overall this film in f*ing fun!

CLIVE BARKER’S DREAD – Rating: 5 out of 10

There wasn’t a whole lot wrong about this very indie thriller – but there wasn’t that much right either. I’d call it pretty damn mediocre and it is not helped by the generally unsatisfying ending.

VAN DIEMEN’S LAND – Rating: 7 out of 10

This story of a grueling prison camp escape in 18th century Tasmania is a bit slow and cerebral, but overall it is a well told story with some very nice cinematography.

MANDRILL – Rating: 8 out of 10

Mandrill is the Chilean James Bond and it is amazing! Ernesto Diaz-Espinoza follows up Mirageman by again directing the incredible Marko Zaror – who has got to become an action star around the world. The film is fun and funny and really does everything right. On top of that, the filmmakers and stars are very approachable and cool guys. Way to go.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS – Rating: 6 out of 10

Terry Gilliam’s Heath Ledger swan song was the only “secret screening” I caught. I liked the performances and the way it all came together but was turned off by the very cheap CGI (where were the magic visual effects of Brazil?) and overall I was unconvinced by the plot.

DISTRICT B13 ULTIMATUM – Rating: 2 out of 10

This film was very disappointing after the awesome District B13. There with no semblance of a story and almost no parkour! What the hell?

LOVE EXPOSURE – Rating: 7 out of 10

While there is a very different 100 minute movie somewhere in there (remake?), the 237 minute version is certainly an ambitious and generally successful undertaking. Melding a coming of age story with many Japanese sexual elements and borrowing a lot of themes from A Clockwork Orange, this film goes all over the map but is quite satisfying in the end.

METROPIA – Rating: 7 out of 10

This is a pretty cool sci-fi tale about big brother, all very stylistically animated.

I just put together a mock-itinerary for a friend who is thinking of traveling to Turkey. This is how I would recommend someone spend two weeks. Most of the photos are from my 3 week trip there 2005 (full flickr set). The photos above and below are the Blue Mosque in Istanbul – where any trip to Turkey should start (clicking most of the images will get you a bigger view).

The city of Istanbul is built around three peninsulas that extend out into the Bosphorus. Unlike Rome where the marvels are spread out all over, pretty much everything to see in Istanbul is in one area – the southern peninsula known as Sultanhamet. For obvious reasons this is a pretty touristy area. I found the hostel area just SE down the hill from the main area a bit loud, even by backpacker standards. After the first night I found a comfy little hotel (Hotel Turkmen) with share rooms just SW of the Blue Mosque that was a couple bucks more (literally like $2 more) but much more peaceful.

You could pretty easily spend a week in Istanbul but remember you’ll be here at the end of the trip too, so try to see what you can in just a few days. I recommend spending the first day just walking around Sultanhamet. Go inside the spectacular Aya Sofya (above), one of the greatest churches in the world. Walk around the Blue Mosque and explore the shops just below it. I found the food right there near the main park to be a bit lacking. Venture a bit further West along the main tramway to an area called Aksaray for more options. The area around the University out that way is also cool to explore.

Spend the second day in the impressive Topkapi Palace (above) which occupies most of the horn of the peninsula. To avoid crazy lines, go super early in the morning and wait for the gates to open. You can then buy your tickets for later I believe. I think there are three different tickets – one to enter, one for the Treasury, and one for the Harem – the palace’s royal quarters. I bought a Harem ticket (lower of two photos above) but I think I just walked into the treasury. The Treasury was actually my favorite part – full of ridiculously gigantic gems. The big park underneath the palace is a nice place to relax and people watch. I also went into the Archeology Museum in the park and remember it being worthwhile.

If you can squeeze it in I definitely recommend going down into the Cistern – a very cool underground passageway for water storage and a particularly refreshing break from the hot sun.

There is enough to see in the Grand Bazaar that you could probably spend the better part of your third day tromping around it or you could push this until you come back to Istanbul so that you can get your souvenir shopping on.

After the Grand Bazaar, walk down to the Spice Bazaar and make your way through that. From there you can also explore the waterfront.

The northwestern peninsula is known as Beyoglu. This is the main city part of Istanbul. I walked all the way up the main shopping drag called Istikal Cadesi and wasn’t all that impressed. I’m sure there are hip parts of the city somewhere but I didn’t find them and wouldn’t put Beyoglu too high on the list.

While I have heard there are some nice spots around the NW corner of the country, I would head south on the fourth day to the town of Selcuk (8 or 9 hours via Izmir by bus). In Selcuk I stayed at the very comfortable Atilla’s Getaway – a true backpacker’s resort. For only a few bucks a day you get a bed and two great home cooked meals. I spent a whole week just chillin by the pool, relaxing in the little bungalows, playing volleyball, meeting travelers, drinking at the in-house bar – the place is a blast.

The real attraction of Selcuk are the nearby ruins of Ephesus – one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world. Head here early your fifth day and spend the morning exploring. It was really hot when I was there (August) and I found myself hugging the shade – but the sights are incredible and supposedly much better than Troy.

If you aren’t too tired after Ephesus, take a taxi into Selcuk for lunch, and then explore the ruins of St. John’s Basilica and the nearby Ephesus Museum. Apparently this is where you go to get hash too, because as I was walking around the ruins I had two different guys come up and just start a friendly chat, only to later whip out a little bag of black tar and tell me what a great deal it was. I’m sure it wasn’t all that great of a deal.

Day six is another travel day. Both Bodrum and Marmaris lie near Selcuk on the Southern coast, but I found both to be boring and overpriced European style resort cities with expensive souvenirs and tacky clubs (I went to Marmaris to catch the ferry to the Greek island of Rhodes – pretty cool but not worth it if your time is limited). Instead, I highly recommend going straight to Fethiye (photos above) which takes around six hours, probably via Dalaman.
Alternative: This company offers minibus trips from Selcuk to Fethiye via the very cool looking Pamukkale which I would have loved to have seen. It might be a bit expensive but they also do the blue cruises (see below) so you might be able to work out a deal.

On the morning of the seventh day, board your Mediterranean Blue Cruise to Olympos aboard one of the old wooden sailboats. This was my favorite part of the trip, by far! Shop around before you go or talk to the guys at Atilla’s about the best company to go with – there are quite a few. The cruise is four days of lounging on the boat, swimming, eating and drinking – and three nights of sleeping under the stars. The boat cruises around from little turquoise cove to cove and everyone jumps off and swims around, snorkels, hikes up to waterfalls, etc. This is truly one of the coolest things I have done in my life and I am dying to go do it again.

You will disembark on day ten and take a mini bus to the village of Olympos, famous for its Tree House Hostels. I stayed at Kadir’s and had a great time.

Within walking distance of the hostels is Olympos’s beautiful beach and some very cool ruins

Be sure to catch the mini-bus up to the Chimaera. A 20 minute hike in the dark gets you to this hillside where flames inexplicably lick out of the rocks. Very much worth seeing. If you have time you could spend an extra day in Olympos but you’ll probably want to leave the next day if you are going to make it to Cappadocia.

(photos via flickr 1 2 3)

You’ll have to leave early day 11 to make the 90 minute trip to Antalya and then grab a ten hour bus to Goreme in the center of Cappadocia. I didn’t get to do Cappadocia on my trip but certainly will when I go back. The incredible rock formations apparently still serve as dwellings and places of worship. It is said to be unlike anywhere in the world.

Spend two nights in Goreme and then catch an overnight bus back to Istanbul (11 hours) on the 13th night. This should get you back to Istanbul in time for another day of sightseeing/souvenir shopping before taking off.

I hope you find this useful – at least to fantasize over. Let me know if you anyone has any questions or if anyone who has been to Turkey has other comments.

I worked up this little animation in p.shop of some light effects on the HK skyline.

This is a 20MB file so you should really let it load in full in order to see it properly.

Go ahead, open another tab, we’ll wait.

Pic also on Flickr as part of my HK Set

(if this just says a url then it is loading…)

My photoset from Hong Kong is now up on Flickr.

I guess I was a bit bored by a number of the photos because I found myself doing a fair amount of heavy handed editing. I’ve grouped most of those shots towards the end of the photoset. Enjoy, and as always, please let me know what you think.

At last (hey, only 2 months) I have my full Nepal photoset up on flickr. I have done my best to add details in the descriptions. Check it out and please comment. Which are your faves?

Also, I have compiled my 12 favorite photos from the set which you can view…

Fast internet here in Darjeeling.

So the trip to India went like this: Crazy taxi ride through incredibly horrible Kathmandu traffic (some of the worst in the world – but I don’t get to Delhi until Friday) 50 mins Free – Incredibly beautiful flight from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, Nepal with views of the entire Nepali Himalaya 45 mins $156 – Shared taxi from airport to border town of Kakarvitta about 45 mins 300NRS = $4 – Nepali immigration then 15 minute walk across bridge to Indian immigration, both very relaxed – Shared taxi from Panitanki (Indian border town) to Siliguri a little over an hour 90RS = $1.80 – Shared Land Rover (sitting in the way back) from Siliguri to Darjeeling about 3 hours 120RS = $2.60. See, no prob.

I was Sitting at a nice little breakfast spot this morning, reading the Indian newspaper The Telegraph, when I came across this great Op-Ed regarding the election. Thought this would be a good view from afar at what the election means to the rest of the world. It is worth reading the whole thing, but here is the last paragraph:

So, at this Diwali and Kali Puja and Thanksgiving, let us join hands inside our souls and pray, pray hard to whatever god or human spirit that we will be delivered from the Bush-whackers without too much further damage, that we will be spared the McCain years (which will probably pale in comparison to the horror of the Palin years) and for a solid victory to brother Bar-Ob after which we can (cautiously) begin to welcome the United States back into the planet, and then, finally, let’s pray for the new American president to continue to have the courage, sense and genuine empathetic curiosity he has displayed so far, for him to grow rather than shrink in possibly the most important job in the world.

Amen and Happy Diwali!

(photo again stolen)

Back in Kathmandu as of this morning. Flying in and out of Lukla is really an interesting experience. Sitting toward the front of the plane you are basically in the cockpit. It is pretty damn cool to watch the pilots in action and to look out the front of the plane.

Coming up to Lukla, a tiny runway soon appears, perched on mountainside at 9000ft. The plane descends (only a bit as it cruises around 10,000) and heads straight for the mountain. The runway is sloped up so the force of gravity helps stop the plane on the impossibly short runway. The plane motors up to a little parking lot – everyone jumps out – new passengers jump on, and the plane takes off again – all without stopping the engines. Taking off is just as hair raising because it seems like there is no way the plane can get up enough speed in time. But again the slope works in the plane’s favor and somehow the tiny bird takes flight.

I have lots of photos and videos of the whole crazy procedure. My god I have so many photos!

I am in KTM for a couple days then a few days in India. I get home to LA on Nov. 1.

peeec

Back to the world of information – for today at least. It has been a blast so far – with more to come. thx for the emails. w00t!

Tashi Delek!

Signing on from the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazar at an elevation of somewhere around 11,400 feet. Flew into the crazy airstrip at Lukla yesterday and met our very friendly Sherpa Rinje. Hiked through a beautiful river valley to the town of Toktok yesterday and then way up the side of a mountain to Namche today.

Probably won’t see internet for 2 weeks or so until we get back to Namche. It would be great to have some emails waiting on the way out – so drop me a line in the next few days if you think of it with any news from home.

Namaste!

(Photo again stolen from flickr)