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wizards815
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Country: United States
Birthday: 8/15/1982
Gender: Male
Interests: Jesus, Soccer, Cooking, Watermelon, Fireworks, Thinking.
Expertise: Teaching middle school kids! Oh yeah! I also do a little laundry for the Wizards soccer team, and I used to be a model.
Occupation: Education/training
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  Wizards815
Member Since:
3/31/2004
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| Followers,
The spring semester finds me actively involved in multiple ventures. I am in two graduate level classes for teaching English to speakers of other languages. I met US Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver last weekend. I had ACL and meniscus surgery six weeks ago. I go to Salt Lake City and Chicago in two weeks for a lovely spring break that I am already loathing not receiving in the spring of 2010. Then to Chicago again on the Megabus for a Wizards game April 17-19. The Megabus comes calling again on May 1-3 for a trip to St. Louis. All of that for $2.50 roundtrip on the bus!
The tickets are purchased and airline miles surrendered for South America month of fun 2009. Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from June 7-July 4. Join us.
Random thoughts: The desire to change as a society demands an awareness of those environs in which we surround ourselves. The senses that become numb and desensitized are now brought into the forefront to find the necessity and eliminate the folly. We outconstructed our needs and wants. What an amazing task! We wondered how we affected the world on a daily basis while sitting at home. Now we know. My belief is that we are saturated and in a capitalistic society that demands production and consumption, we have no more closets, refrigerators, or garages for those products.
Believe it or not, my Dutch tulips grow fast. I will begin from the start instead of the last. The minute I plant them, they grow one full inch. By the end of two minutes, they are creating a stench. At three, four, and five, they grow without reason. When they reach ten inches, I believe it is tulip season. I call my friend Els, the duchess of Dutch flowers. She says "You better cut them or they will grow for hours." At the tenth minute, they cut down to seven. Their desire is to keep growing at minute eleven. At thirteen and fourteen, they reach the red blossom plateau. Finally at seventeen, they go from tall tulips to low.
Thanks for reading.
David Tolson Smith
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| Readers, The travel sick bug hit me yesterday and I was in my room and bathroom from 2pm-6am. Hence, no travel updates from Siem Reap yesterday. The day started out with such promise as I had lunch at the butterfly garden restaurant and was surrounded by butterflies. Today, another epic travel day began with me keeping breakfast down, tuk tuking to the bus, sitting on the bus for an hour and a half as more people than feasibly possible, and all their bags, crammed on. We then hit the dirtiest, bumpiest road in northern Cambodia to the Poipet border site, where the weather was timely and poured on all of us. I crossed the border, got some more stamps, then took a van with some Brazilians, Swedes, and Americans to the heart of Bangkok on a five hour ride. Total travel time today: 13 hours. The intent was to get here much earlier to be a part of the full moon festival, but that did not happen. Tomorrow demands a good meal or two, a trip to the eight-story shopping mall complete with ice skating rink, and an early bed time as the flight leaves Saturday at 8am. Thanks for reading. David Tolson Smith | | |
| Sua s'dei from Siem Reap for day three! Today I arose to the sounds of birds and the MLB home run derby. After a whole bunch of deliciousness last night at the dessert bar (believe it, a dessert bar for 50 cents with a smoothie for 75 cents!), I hit the pastry chef for some breakfast and a huge bike tour called the Grand Tour. The tour passes Angkor Wat, through the gates of Angkor Thom, and right up to these lovely elephants at the Terrace of the Elephants. Imagine a wall four times what you see with gates and beauty. I loved it. 
This photo is my best attempt to shoot while riding through the north gate of Angkor Thom. This was before it got hot and my shirt magically turned brown. 
Next on the lovely tour is a continuation of the elephant theme for the day. This is Ta Po temple on the far northeast corner of the park. Even though it was a 20km bike ride to arrive here, it was well worth it. Just prior, I had a lunch of fried cucumbers, chicken, rice, and an hour long nap in the hammock provided by the restaurant! 
Here is Preah Khan that seems to be overtaken by nature. 
The dichotomy of this photo gets me every time. 
For the afternoon snack, I shacked up at the Blue Pumpkin for a mango shake, spring rolls with a peanut sauce, and the house specialty, pork and pumpkin with spicy red peppers and rice. I am sitting on a three-foot tall couch loaded with pillows and the table is just about the lap. What a place! 
Tonight, maybe a return visit to the dessert bar and some pool with the locals on the front patio. Thanks for reading and hold those hands up high! David Tolson Smith | | |
| Letterman Fans, Greetings from Siem Reap, Cambodia, a small town with a couple major roads, one of which leads to the largest temple in the world at Angkor Wat. I ran into a big traffic jam on foot yesterday and shot this photo. 
After a six hour bus ride yesterday, I landed in Siem Reap and found the Hilton Angkor Hotel. Luckily, there was some extra money in the budget for the five star service. In fact, I am lying as it is a $5 service per day, not a five star service. I have a nice room and shower next to the largest market in the city. This morning was hot to the touch. I rented a one-speed bicycle to race Greg LeMond around the temples of Angkor and headed out on a 40km ride with lots of extra walking. The main road leads directly to the reason my top ten list is now altered. Angkor Wat is so big that the moat surrounding it looks more like a lake. The photos shall prove the greatness. Please remember that when the Khmer Empire under King Sayavaraman II built this place over 1000 years ago, they trucked all the rocks into this middle of nowhere city from kilometers around. The size is unmatched. 
I hit Angkor Wat. This was the center of the Khmer Empire and the largest religious building in the world. It sat dormant for hundreds of years until a Frenchman, haw haw haw, rediscovered it and developed a plan for restoration. 
The Bas Reliefs surrounding Angkor Wat are massive and tell many different stories. This is one of the eight reliefs. 
I hit the Bayon Temple. This is quite famous for all the massive heads that are at the top, as well as for the expansive entrance and steep steps to reach the top. I will affectionately denote them as "Double Diamond Staircases." 
I hit Ta Prohm Temple. This is where many of the famous temple walls have either crumbled or been overtaken by the Earth. 
I also had a great bike ride around, had some pineapples with pork and rice for lunch, and three 1.5 liter bottles of water. Thanks for reading and it is off to my one dollar dinner with some newfound friends out of Ohio. Go Markets! David Tolson Smith | | |
| Arachnophobiacs,
If you are one, please stop reading. For dinner, I went to Romdeng, a lovely indoor/outdoor restaurant that is the second step for street kids who are put back in school and given a restaurant job in Phnom Penh. The food was great and so was the service, especially since the kids grew up on the streets. However, the minute I saw #7 Grilled Tarantulas with cucumbers and a lime sauce, I had to get it. The order came out as an appetizer and the woman walking into the restaurant shrieked in French and ran away. I also had a beef stew with peanut curry and French bread, as well as coconut dumplings filled with peanuts and sticky rice, covered in a mango sauce with sesame seeds. Hopefully, nobody drug tests me this week.It was awesome. Photo proof!
 
In other weird news, I approached a Wat today near the National Museum, took a photo, nd was invited into the inner room with this old man who lived there. He blessed me with a shower of water and some incense and said crazy stuff in Khmer to me. It was awesome. The buddha had humongous neon lights streaming from behind its head. Photo proof shows that I do not make up these stories.
Finally, in honor of The King Father Norodom Sihamoni, I visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. It was not worth the admission fee, but nonetheless well worth a look. Here is the front of the Royal Palace. Most of the floor at the Silver Pagoda was covered or taped and not well taken care of. Neither building allowed photos so just believe me.
Thanks for reading and hopefully you kept all eight legs on.
David Tolson Smith
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