tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12187772014466698212024-03-12T22:20:23.056-07:00Georgia GlobetrotterElliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-40466895704263521302009-08-31T20:46:00.000-07:002009-08-31T21:27:57.915-07:00Neck pillows, claustrophobic tunnels and other tour essentials<span style="font-weight: bold;">Neck pillows</span><br />In the San Francisco airport, several of us bought neck pillows (I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsonite-Travel-Pillow-Pouch-Charcoal/dp/B000A7VRPK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1251776507&sr=8-3">this one</a>; because it was inflatable, it took up virtually no space in my bookbag). This may have been the best purchase I made on the entire tour. Rather than straining my neck and falling out into aisles, I slept calmly and quietly on our many, many flights.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Claustrophobia</span><br />On tour, I discovered that I suffer from a mild case of claustrophobia. In New Zealand, we took a glowworm tour in underground caves out in the middle of nowhere. About halfway through the tour, our guide led us through a narrow and long passageway that we had to crawl and squeeze through. With a person crawling in front of me and behind me, I was overcome by the fact that I could be stuck in a rock formation. I made it out, but the experience terrified me.<br /><br />In Israel, I had a milder fright when several of us visited Hezekiah's Tunnel. While the above-mentioned passageway took about a minute to go through, this tunnel took about forty-five minutes to walk through. After about ten minutes, I realized how long the walk would be. Rather than freaking out, I just kept telling myself out-loud that it wasn't that bad. Plus, I started singing my part to "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (I'm still not sure why that was my go-to song). Again, I made it out alive. Now I know that I should avoid those situations altogether.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Upon further review</span><br />Exclusivity aside, I think Bohemian Grove is just a summer camp for grown men.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">iPod</span><br />I definitely used my iPod as an escape during tour. It's incredible how closing your eyes and listening to one or two songs can mentally transport you. For me, I listened to southern hip-hop (e.g., Jeezy) to bring me back to the Atlanta area. I also used music to help me sleep on flights, in hotels, etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Running</span><br />Casey, Jesse and I ran in almost every country we visited. After a few years of going to the gym on my own, I had forgotten how wonderful it can be to exercise with others.<br /><br />I also had some magical times running by myself. In Tokyo, I ran several times in a park a few blocks from my host family's home. There, I watched as eighty year olds slowly made their way around the path and as tiny Japanese children waddled along with their teachers leading the way and bringing up the rear.<br /><br />In addition to the obvious benefits, running also served as a mental and physical escape.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading</span><br />Though I did enjoy reading, I mostly enjoyed watching almost half the group read my copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Color Purple</span>. I bought it in a San Francisco bookstore a day or two before we left for New Zealand. By the time we reached Europe, I think Brian, Casey, Jay, Jesse, Julian and I had all read it. You should read it, too. ( :<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks for reading my blog this summer. As always, if you want to reach me, shoot me an email at elliotjwatts[at]gmail[dot]com.</span>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-92118057437644138552009-08-31T20:02:00.000-07:002009-08-31T21:05:50.154-07:00Final days of tour<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31dmHRB4N5od4O_ctwq9FGpOqBTPEjS9I6HN_mtB4tEGSuxeIp3BW4g377hw9TS1Vb1DsW54WEGVTdruRJrVf3RWK0ZmI2qh4VKU3XsfyeUHNpZGlv5ikS-GYqu-rQ9YlFW8S6N8ibhbR/s1600-h/IMG_4984.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31dmHRB4N5od4O_ctwq9FGpOqBTPEjS9I6HN_mtB4tEGSuxeIp3BW4g377hw9TS1Vb1DsW54WEGVTdruRJrVf3RWK0ZmI2qh4VKU3XsfyeUHNpZGlv5ikS-GYqu-rQ9YlFW8S6N8ibhbR/s320/IMG_4984.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376344413563868290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChyPnX1mr9ZpC8HOpwubBcLkJ7aws_-_S6iBgg2_UehrUnE1gP5PoTLDZBR4BCke3rtJT1t9DbHzKhCluGwvcCLbXL89GAjYgyfVSuZqg-ISdkjHwQxgaHSGyOWL-zzfJQoWtFaLsJl81/s1600-h/IMG_5073.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChyPnX1mr9ZpC8HOpwubBcLkJ7aws_-_S6iBgg2_UehrUnE1gP5PoTLDZBR4BCke3rtJT1t9DbHzKhCluGwvcCLbXL89GAjYgyfVSuZqg-ISdkjHwQxgaHSGyOWL-zzfJQoWtFaLsJl81/s320/IMG_5073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376344253244271122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8M3xly_LfROSZ39oerNSE0bHz9gMu0AvtE-2BQvkjSatK-YMRQqkeCXBWb82MemNL095phZCNwOSu21H8KjfLmeR4N9QFYnnv8TsV0R0Eh8yO6z5fojT_MLKhXvJMRRB9XDD-ubl1Mhyphenhyphen/s1600-h/IMG_5145.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8M3xly_LfROSZ39oerNSE0bHz9gMu0AvtE-2BQvkjSatK-YMRQqkeCXBWb82MemNL095phZCNwOSu21H8KjfLmeR4N9QFYnnv8TsV0R0Eh8yO6z5fojT_MLKhXvJMRRB9XDD-ubl1Mhyphenhyphen/s320/IMG_5145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376343780677994594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgxlnCI9-Q1F8mwCWU3wkeWR_7CkZq_3gD__k-UrAwHd4kwju95ZGVdwKpchgADRnrudCOdhNTcz1UxNDGyLBcgWsh4nlL26E_LS1_5AeGHYMrQt-RDiKvqolOC1UKT2QIuH5V9Lv5QQL/s1600-h/IMG_5139.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgxlnCI9-Q1F8mwCWU3wkeWR_7CkZq_3gD__k-UrAwHd4kwju95ZGVdwKpchgADRnrudCOdhNTcz1UxNDGyLBcgWsh4nlL26E_LS1_5AeGHYMrQt-RDiKvqolOC1UKT2QIuH5V9Lv5QQL/s320/IMG_5139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376343770401128418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9nSRR6i5rS_cAl6nJbh_z1e9EpZ5Qo6JfKrdIjV3168hiXLBPFu4M2d2UJ4ZkWpuYDvWF2cOMTeptsf1nH7-q9vSr6VUlXJDe9O6JpAHnKcspuHIAPTdEy4fB87l6A0qh59HBLNPPm2u/s1600-h/IMG_5095.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9nSRR6i5rS_cAl6nJbh_z1e9EpZ5Qo6JfKrdIjV3168hiXLBPFu4M2d2UJ4ZkWpuYDvWF2cOMTeptsf1nH7-q9vSr6VUlXJDe9O6JpAHnKcspuHIAPTdEy4fB87l6A0qh59HBLNPPm2u/s320/IMG_5095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376343765448815042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFWl_2tkx-fgWVC9ZyEyxGFZN-IWlZ3SK6aH4yB8ccMqAkOgktYHLjbtOguayJwSoL7ZAzVaXwXkaUGi3SYI5v8WDb8FC6MStFJalfUYLy4r3ovicgPt9l2f_kpz6qd_zswQC8JD2k8G2/s1600-h/IMG_5051.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFWl_2tkx-fgWVC9ZyEyxGFZN-IWlZ3SK6aH4yB8ccMqAkOgktYHLjbtOguayJwSoL7ZAzVaXwXkaUGi3SYI5v8WDb8FC6MStFJalfUYLy4r3ovicgPt9l2f_kpz6qd_zswQC8JD2k8G2/s320/IMG_5051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376343758321488194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9ATe1XJm0PoEN8HJJConoldaEpoWbex7EXZ116vCjMkdP5vTEYHH0kCAyB8_rfWQzb2_in_InWJMtywsWUq88mmGrrKytGoAdDKu_pru4HawuhctPWSf3pipz38OuKg816GpfXrkixlK/s1600-h/IMG_5037.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9ATe1XJm0PoEN8HJJConoldaEpoWbex7EXZ116vCjMkdP5vTEYHH0kCAyB8_rfWQzb2_in_InWJMtywsWUq88mmGrrKytGoAdDKu_pru4HawuhctPWSf3pipz38OuKg816GpfXrkixlK/s320/IMG_5037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376343749386876322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, August 11th</span><br />Casey, Jesse, Rex and I visited the City of David. We walked through Hezekiah's Tunnel and watched a 3-D movie on the city's history (David and his army took it from the Jebusites! Poor Jebus)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wednesday, August 12th</span><br />We drove about twenty minutes outside of Tel Aviv to sing at a acoustically-masterful concert hall. Afterwards, our host took us to a relatively exclusive night club on the beach in Tel Aviv.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday, August 13th</span><br />We rode in a van from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Twenty minutes or so after we arrived, we took a guided walking tour led by two certified tour guides from the local Rotary Club. We visited the Western Wall, the path Jesus took as he carried the cross, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and other famous sites.<br /><br />That night, we sang to a sold-out crowd of over five hundred at what must be the <a href="http://www.jerusalemymca.org/ENG/Building/ArchDetailsCards/Auditorium/Auditorium.html">finest YMCA</a> in the world.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday, August 14th</span><br />In the morning, we drove outside the city to tour Masada. Later, we swam in the Dead Sea.<br /><br />When we returned to Tel Aviv that night, we celebrated our last day of tour at a classy restaurant.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, August 15th</span><br />After a couple hours of sleep, we flew from Tel Aviv to Kiev to New York City. Most of us drove to New Haven to spend the night. Missing Middle Eastern food already, I ate at Mamoun's.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, August 16th</span><br />Continuing at a breakneck pace, we drove to Blue Hill, Maine, that afternoon. There, we performed at the First Congregational Church. Henry Becton, the oldest living Whiffenpoof, hosted us.<br /><br />Some of us were fortunate to stay at the Becton's compound, which sat right on a lake and included both a pool and a pool house. After the show, Casey, Drew, Jay, Jesse and I sat poolside and stared at the perfectly clear midnight sky.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday, August 17th</span><br />After a delicious brunch provided by Becton's family, we drove from Blue Hill to Hyannis. There, we took a ferry to Nantucket Island. When we arrived, we sang a few songs for a Whiffenpoof centennial celebration which featured about fifty Whiff alums and their families.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, August 18th</span><br />We spent the day relaxing at the house we rented. In the early evening, we sang at a Unitarian church.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wednesday, August 19th</span><br />We said farewell to one vacation haven and hello to another. We made our way to a small summer getaway town in Rhode Island. Felicia R., Yale grad and native Rhode Islander, hung out with us at our own cookout and at a clam bake on the beach.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday, August 20th</span><br />The Wheeler family, who also hosted us in Cambridge during The Game, took us to the local beach. They also helped arrange our concert at their country club that evening.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday, August 21st</span><br />In the morning, we drove to New London, Connecticut, to take a ferry to Southampton, New York. We sang at Trevor K.'s family's country club. At night, we partied on the beach.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, August 22nd</span><br />Before driving out to a Long Island country club for our final concert of the year, the five Whiffendoox visited the current Duke's Men group in Sag Harbor as they prepared for freshman rush. Full circle ( :<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Second and fifth pictures -- from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Third and fourth: Masada</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sixth: The sixth place Jesus stopped on his way to Calvary</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Final: In front of the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock</span>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-48634935032328850022009-08-15T03:51:00.000-07:002009-08-15T04:08:09.290-07:00Back in the US!Hi all,<br /><br />Yesterday, we flew from Tel Aviv to Kiev to New York City. After nearly eighty days of international travel, we have finally returned to the United States.<br /><br />In two hours or so, we will continue our tour by driving to Maine and singing a concert there. For the next seven days, we will be performing around the northeast US.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">To close out this blog, I plan to post a few more pictures and to write more extensively about various world tour issues and answer some frequently-asked-questions. If you have any suggestions, please email me at elliotjwatts[at]gmail[dot]com.</span><br /><br />-ElliotElliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-66319441196556975062009-08-10T08:27:00.000-07:002009-08-10T08:41:59.019-07:00Israel and Palestine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhP1A1DjCHeUq_cOQn18o_h6rTwfdC2HkdvCs9FEyrqrUHwVQUrKx5Un04Xvzc8E3yGN4QwlJtb5prfZcct7xjEIAfgClEULpqKUGJLrDoZ_2WT4_qJg0IXwHaJuNMEJ2i6ZTdZlA-Gopq/s1600-h/IMG_1736.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhP1A1DjCHeUq_cOQn18o_h6rTwfdC2HkdvCs9FEyrqrUHwVQUrKx5Un04Xvzc8E3yGN4QwlJtb5prfZcct7xjEIAfgClEULpqKUGJLrDoZ_2WT4_qJg0IXwHaJuNMEJ2i6ZTdZlA-Gopq/s320/IMG_1736.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368360111755141314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFs7xdkD5Nt-joOkfVE5mp9HCGIfIcToV0YTjphddQZEU7V3enFMV4yE5SlyH3Nlc0wp2cZ7YhC5IEzUSwnH3vTIbbsD4rIgdvMCrQH_YDb4zNzwSFAmQYe0une3c0aEK0-CNem5xnD9p/s1600-h/IMG_4970.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFs7xdkD5Nt-joOkfVE5mp9HCGIfIcToV0YTjphddQZEU7V3enFMV4yE5SlyH3Nlc0wp2cZ7YhC5IEzUSwnH3vTIbbsD4rIgdvMCrQH_YDb4zNzwSFAmQYe0une3c0aEK0-CNem5xnD9p/s320/IMG_4970.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368360102731831554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9wYen5dnTcm0YVxSq8Knk8gv1cqw1Ktkfaj6oRSHdN6P_4xMIW8fK-_fKR4JGXfREt82qN3fEXA-qIUXJQdBxy_CfAuDmUmBIrLwQuoVPiB21nNRUm3x6WsPAT35fqp6ck2hfUyHqAHV/s1600-h/IMG_1717.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9wYen5dnTcm0YVxSq8Knk8gv1cqw1Ktkfaj6oRSHdN6P_4xMIW8fK-_fKR4JGXfREt82qN3fEXA-qIUXJQdBxy_CfAuDmUmBIrLwQuoVPiB21nNRUm3x6WsPAT35fqp6ck2hfUyHqAHV/s320/IMG_1717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368360095164322834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRTmtqm1L7kESEJLIZkuJg5gaqWf1uC1ry-_cMkModL0ItMAQF27wWM_9YjQsrgCQSw2Ky-jyaVsu1BHr1jcAEPBdN2n3kdj5CvQUdErn7i6in7rSibIT9UC9pAC9M6sjN0_FVLhjb6UU/s1600-h/IMG_4976.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRTmtqm1L7kESEJLIZkuJg5gaqWf1uC1ry-_cMkModL0ItMAQF27wWM_9YjQsrgCQSw2Ky-jyaVsu1BHr1jcAEPBdN2n3kdj5CvQUdErn7i6in7rSibIT9UC9pAC9M6sjN0_FVLhjb6UU/s320/IMG_4976.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368360099671832850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, August 9th</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I adapted this entry from an email I sent to my family</span><br /><br />Casey, Jesse, Andrew S. and I went into Bethlehem today. To do so, we had to cross into Palestine, which considers itself to be like the former apartheid parts of South Africa. Between the two lands is a giant, prison-like wall; graffiti (both peace-loving and unapologetically violent messages) were splatteredd across the Palestinian side. We had to pass through a checkpoint to get through the wall. The structure made it seem like Israel has prepared itself for an invasion. It was a harrowing but rewarding experience-- I got to see the place of Jesus's birth at the Church of the Nativity.<br /><br />I also visited the Holocaust museum. It's tremendous, terrifying, and just breathtaking. It just hits home that the Nazis sought to (and almost did) exterminate an entire group of people largely because of baseless stereotypes.<br /><br />On the way back to the bus station from the museum in Jerusalem, we were stopped in a huge traffic jam. Rather than paying the taxi driver to sit in traffic, the four of us decided to walk the final two or three blocks. When we walked about 100 meters, we saw the problem: police had barricaded the bridge. We quizzically watched from a distance for about five minutes. And then we heard an explosion. Apparently, the police found an unmarked object on a bus and, rather than checking it, blew it up, fearing that it was a bomb. About two minutes later, we were allowed to cross the bridge. The Israelis walking and driving did not miss a beat. One said that this kind of thing happens all the time.<br /><br />All in all, this has been an emotionally charged day.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday, August 10th</span><br />In a few hours, we will sing at the Tel Aviv Museum.<br /><br />Picture #1: Andrew walking into Palestine through the checkpoint<br />#2: The wall<br />#3: At the twelve-pointed star representing the spot of Jesus's birth<br />#4: Jesse and Casey at the Holocaust MuseumElliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-15006169018292161062009-08-08T02:39:00.001-07:002009-08-08T02:51:33.753-07:00Last few hours in Istanbul<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrdXIUNmfGgQAfMKrhdMIq4H0z6dotaIH-NyD7U_sjvXN5rF2A5sgbHW1hG4pr5GMPmIuBujuycP_DdXEY-f-kJFFIYZm3HA3ywU5E-4v6m3Wh_OLsHEc1ypyTLszb0JgJJLHSCMLRG2Q/s1600-h/IMG_4840.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrdXIUNmfGgQAfMKrhdMIq4H0z6dotaIH-NyD7U_sjvXN5rF2A5sgbHW1hG4pr5GMPmIuBujuycP_DdXEY-f-kJFFIYZm3HA3ywU5E-4v6m3Wh_OLsHEc1ypyTLszb0JgJJLHSCMLRG2Q/s320/IMG_4840.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367527508730313874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgI4XIRePb1KPhX6cGz8GwVfkLNvQZjgoBtWjOlUTvr4kozT4U_EIlv6W1vJET1IQpYSEOrzeKINGAD8kBF2JjnonYKjdSdlUeKMlEYtP0ygrJqDIAhPKg9MawfefSeujoqToS0Foxz6d/s1600-h/IMG_4863.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgI4XIRePb1KPhX6cGz8GwVfkLNvQZjgoBtWjOlUTvr4kozT4U_EIlv6W1vJET1IQpYSEOrzeKINGAD8kBF2JjnonYKjdSdlUeKMlEYtP0ygrJqDIAhPKg9MawfefSeujoqToS0Foxz6d/s320/IMG_4863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367527525688180002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncaksUdp_N88T1FgBTpFr6z_NLr4XjGZCm3KY7HlMOhY4n6dds5OvAGlbc7ej7dqmJ1jj6zatTrSkiv9A6xs26XXTJB8A61RJaucPNOEr8A0iNw33iBmzFaxCERzK29o5hUh9PmeWJmj9/s1600-h/IMG_4857.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncaksUdp_N88T1FgBTpFr6z_NLr4XjGZCm3KY7HlMOhY4n6dds5OvAGlbc7ej7dqmJ1jj6zatTrSkiv9A6xs26XXTJB8A61RJaucPNOEr8A0iNw33iBmzFaxCERzK29o5hUh9PmeWJmj9/s320/IMG_4857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367527521606432946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63v4PkC7cXgDaOoSppwXJFkAsz5GujJ0kVJ9U2ThsTxRe80KAgd2m2uaL4OdXW-Vu-QXrGODDBdnUqbSqf1HoWaSBsnC2gxfbE4y0SPu3dZYDDIH3IESBjVisUbmm-OxNMNZQHy8LwCUM/s1600-h/IMG_4851.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63v4PkC7cXgDaOoSppwXJFkAsz5GujJ0kVJ9U2ThsTxRe80KAgd2m2uaL4OdXW-Vu-QXrGODDBdnUqbSqf1HoWaSBsnC2gxfbE4y0SPu3dZYDDIH3IESBjVisUbmm-OxNMNZQHy8LwCUM/s320/IMG_4851.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367527514941715842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgrlZzW1S0DXa0t4HYV1vJCVIS4XIvm8EGyXZZl3o7UjzC0-DLLEC2iqj1XBg8lxGvE8ZwXhxwF1Z7RBRXTR7LRLpE_QCgDwXSzXfy596uuRBM9Jf0gfUpMQsTwDReZYjRJaHmjmmXCQ0/s1600-h/IMG_4877.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgrlZzW1S0DXa0t4HYV1vJCVIS4XIvm8EGyXZZl3o7UjzC0-DLLEC2iqj1XBg8lxGvE8ZwXhxwF1Z7RBRXTR7LRLpE_QCgDwXSzXfy596uuRBM9Jf0gfUpMQsTwDReZYjRJaHmjmmXCQ0/s320/IMG_4877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367527532295817634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, August 8th</span><br />Before flying to Israel this afternoon, Casey and I visited the Istanbul's archaeological museum. As we walked through town, we ran into a traveling Yale alumni group, which included Harvey Goldblatt, Master of Pierson College (my residential college!).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Picture #3: "Step on a kid..." -- a lyric from "Either Way" by Guster (and covered by the Duke's Men)</span>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-26393872830906580202009-08-07T17:18:00.000-07:002009-08-07T17:46:12.864-07:00Turkey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RsAdVoHkf2d6yFtd4nSuIq4N0jQ59PbYbOOs5hLAmjOzGUxYrM2C0ZMo9Qmij94g5GlI9rPDqbU9AlW9seJ92IuZQPHl04NpuyU4xz5kN5M7x7n4MIT5quY0H1ZD83-S-LSQKDS9LH-a/s1600-h/IMG_4710.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RsAdVoHkf2d6yFtd4nSuIq4N0jQ59PbYbOOs5hLAmjOzGUxYrM2C0ZMo9Qmij94g5GlI9rPDqbU9AlW9seJ92IuZQPHl04NpuyU4xz5kN5M7x7n4MIT5quY0H1ZD83-S-LSQKDS9LH-a/s320/IMG_4710.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367382702417778098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bloH_LdsfT3iFK9K0238FtRko5dTNAOfjHxDjZ_2Kuk6QKDzCAXZOyVZ8rBylpqpAVKr-9syNCNwII4jLmCh5LTPE1mBXXlT5_ky4GPnhHjRmQxj2MTk4PWwB8Ur-5NqZj0pYVeS87QU/s1600-h/IMG_4793.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bloH_LdsfT3iFK9K0238FtRko5dTNAOfjHxDjZ_2Kuk6QKDzCAXZOyVZ8rBylpqpAVKr-9syNCNwII4jLmCh5LTPE1mBXXlT5_ky4GPnhHjRmQxj2MTk4PWwB8Ur-5NqZj0pYVeS87QU/s320/IMG_4793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367382630060309442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVXYS8I6G9pwe6TkVoJtLHgq7nSdzX9zR5eSsEemtIdBLgDdYHTmd0F0IA3LArfGZKa6-cyolpctHPM8NWU4c3bGloP-2HyL5UAYJgiS-ReIUWU2IyZj_yMHdnuhfqYOyi88wWoC2Ylxj/s1600-h/IMG_4771.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVXYS8I6G9pwe6TkVoJtLHgq7nSdzX9zR5eSsEemtIdBLgDdYHTmd0F0IA3LArfGZKa6-cyolpctHPM8NWU4c3bGloP-2HyL5UAYJgiS-ReIUWU2IyZj_yMHdnuhfqYOyi88wWoC2Ylxj/s320/IMG_4771.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367382623782567698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoteRzink0GGXzAekmUFH7bXNtzUn0q3aCuKAgt-J3YmHXRpY2M60tubEqiKDC88r8L8nN-Mvt8DWRot5RguonK_Wo8lv7QJB15yYHfzCP45xj7VoFVN5yfcX92q9rCYKMoGvZlNU9OlLw/s1600-h/IMG_4744.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoteRzink0GGXzAekmUFH7bXNtzUn0q3aCuKAgt-J3YmHXRpY2M60tubEqiKDC88r8L8nN-Mvt8DWRot5RguonK_Wo8lv7QJB15yYHfzCP45xj7VoFVN5yfcX92q9rCYKMoGvZlNU9OlLw/s320/IMG_4744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367382627476584578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BXeCH66zVEBNnTPPOa7N9JigM5p4AebkHh0uPSDm7WTmdWUPGGLbu8vFcmIprXaANHMv-Cs_NS6l-mYazILeCn8tVCmiwCgv3NTT5QOfN49ZmB8JtYSrINO5PLm-sTBM-uBBMlxA3_zL/s1600-h/IMG_4716.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BXeCH66zVEBNnTPPOa7N9JigM5p4AebkHh0uPSDm7WTmdWUPGGLbu8vFcmIprXaANHMv-Cs_NS6l-mYazILeCn8tVCmiwCgv3NTT5QOfN49ZmB8JtYSrINO5PLm-sTBM-uBBMlxA3_zL/s320/IMG_4716.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367387662257148178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvfnHvpOBT_O0HdFNZlmY0Ysp7sWXE7ZP2PD3QD5XStvfXkKKEmoTQFxrzuzoR4D0qv2aSRnkXkOTcq6SbVTVyxPmvF9ctyRWnJc_AhXVuQyD3BL6UT5colOXL6Ees3Wvj482yGOMa19t/s1600-h/IMG_4714.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvfnHvpOBT_O0HdFNZlmY0Ysp7sWXE7ZP2PD3QD5XStvfXkKKEmoTQFxrzuzoR4D0qv2aSRnkXkOTcq6SbVTVyxPmvF9ctyRWnJc_AhXVuQyD3BL6UT5colOXL6Ees3Wvj482yGOMa19t/s320/IMG_4714.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367387666318971538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Wednesday, August 5th</span><br />In the same way that my friend Elizabeth had the right plan for Paris, <span style="font-style: italic;">Lonely Planet</span> had the right plan for Istanbul. Jesse used his guide to take us to the Blue Mosque, an ancient cistern, the Aya Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorous, and a whirling dervish performance at a hookah bar.<br /><br />Istanbul, an important city to any Duke's Man, surpassed all my expectations. It's beautiful, developed and has thousands of years of history.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday, August 6th</span><br />Several of us visited the city's ancient palace. In the evening, we sang a concert at Bogazici University. After the show, we hit the town as a group. While we walked the streets, the Whiffendoox (i.e., Whiffs who sang with the <a href="http://dukesmen.com/">Duke's Men</a>) sang our group's traditional closing song and alumni song, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_%28Not_Constantinople%29">Istanbul (Not Constantinople)</a>."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday, August 7th</span><br />Casey, Jesse and I took an hour-long ferry down the Bosphorus River. At around 7pm, we sang a concert in a cistern constructed in the sixth century. After the show, we had a reception on the top floor of a building overlooking the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sophia.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-75311616397675311722009-08-07T17:13:00.000-07:002009-08-07T17:48:13.575-07:00Greece<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjS-EbA4zakjq2NBjLup4V-_8fTz5la8VFuHefdkBiIK9A5D4D3wJ9M4EUNmOaUSVemjs-OMefXgg7ro5Gd2igUIk9WzGPYKYGV4TyUenn0oDtdO89rJrAc2OPmfhux1A4-HqNz4HPjkZ/s1600-h/IMG_4669.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjS-EbA4zakjq2NBjLup4V-_8fTz5la8VFuHefdkBiIK9A5D4D3wJ9M4EUNmOaUSVemjs-OMefXgg7ro5Gd2igUIk9WzGPYKYGV4TyUenn0oDtdO89rJrAc2OPmfhux1A4-HqNz4HPjkZ/s320/IMG_4669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367380055561051410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAFrhASLCb4qEAodlMXEXGt_bM1Wxz0NZLRw9rdHkBSIKUTKntWhL3z5DqbFbaq3nqKNutV2Vqj0_QVK-iNwmiy_hZR11VpX7iLy9B_2Cv0LtHfTyT0OqJR77lzQg-uIh3sKM_ZfNcO8O/s1600-h/IMG_4681.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAFrhASLCb4qEAodlMXEXGt_bM1Wxz0NZLRw9rdHkBSIKUTKntWhL3z5DqbFbaq3nqKNutV2Vqj0_QVK-iNwmiy_hZR11VpX7iLy9B_2Cv0LtHfTyT0OqJR77lzQg-uIh3sKM_ZfNcO8O/s320/IMG_4681.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367380051940862386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexmBa22T1OI4qo225IHkYwx5hhW50yooJ_q8hN5lTZ6VAhzE0D_768DdQL4qy_Pqd7oyqPo4KX7wRCrvMJucgf-jfljUMdHVHhgl9m7jRs7f_l4rlZx_YlTTHrhFjVrLAvcfjG0lqjJe6/s1600-h/IMG_4695.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexmBa22T1OI4qo225IHkYwx5hhW50yooJ_q8hN5lTZ6VAhzE0D_768DdQL4qy_Pqd7oyqPo4KX7wRCrvMJucgf-jfljUMdHVHhgl9m7jRs7f_l4rlZx_YlTTHrhFjVrLAvcfjG0lqjJe6/s320/IMG_4695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367380047950549730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDU_Y5EIt9NmqGsRjAZ8WKLEWJMna5lpfb24JKYS3nSIuMN5SXzVkNq-40-amtKL930uMZu_2idLsZxgv72Bkh5WEB-pRmfCHu72amvBe7rUxHad6cj2ZGKLNcASYRzgc17vXzx0L5U1U/s1600-h/IMG_4641.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDU_Y5EIt9NmqGsRjAZ8WKLEWJMna5lpfb24JKYS3nSIuMN5SXzVkNq-40-amtKL930uMZu_2idLsZxgv72Bkh5WEB-pRmfCHu72amvBe7rUxHad6cj2ZGKLNcASYRzgc17vXzx0L5U1U/s320/IMG_4641.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367380045819036178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgod21eJaMl6KdKMC40BF0CLvwqnZku_WXwEG9zTzlX12tUCW4W3E_Fx2CdUe-1QJlR1rMU3NeVUoNFI9qvX2XuQqUv_y3Rpb11xSv44FVAWo6uwDv6rIt2tfSfdgjX2CTFLHm8ZtthHk/s1600-h/IMG_4607.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgod21eJaMl6KdKMC40BF0CLvwqnZku_WXwEG9zTzlX12tUCW4W3E_Fx2CdUe-1QJlR1rMU3NeVUoNFI9qvX2XuQqUv_y3Rpb11xSv44FVAWo6uwDv6rIt2tfSfdgjX2CTFLHm8ZtthHk/s320/IMG_4607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367380041640508066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, August 1st</span><br />Before the sun rose, we flew to Athens. We were met there by our old pal Dionysius Bouzos, a Yale grad. He showed us around the Acropolis and imparted his vast knowledge of ancient Greek history.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, August 2nd</span><br />In less than twenty-four hours after our arrival in Athens, we jetted off again. This time, we flew to Kefalonia, a small island off Greece's coast. After a long nap, we headed to the beach for some rest and relaxation.<br /><br />When we left the beach, Dionysius's mother treated us to a gigantic and unbelievably delicious Greek feast. I think the meal made us forget our exhausting travel experience.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday, August 3rd</span><br />We spent most of this day on a larger beach in Kefalonia. After we ate dinner and went out for ice cream, we tapped Dionysius as an honorary member of the Whiffs. He has been helping the Whiffs plan tours for years-- this was just a small way of thanking him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, August 4th</span><br />We said so-long to Kefalonia and flew into Athens for a day long layover. First, we had to say goodbye to Julian, who starts his job in Boston in a few days. Afterwards, many of us checked out the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/arts/design/20acropolis.html">New Acropolis Museum</a> for a couple of hours. Before nightfall, we flew into Istanbul, Turkey.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-13814797936334264382009-08-07T17:03:00.000-07:002009-08-07T17:12:59.900-07:00Last days in France<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJvGHPlqI8JZKPrfvt5FlL39f8zLtVOXTvQfo_Oa13r3MSviZRmfefVwF95PSd_QXMTHs5j3MAqoSwA75DyfyzbmGMq232tF8bybDHO_KeHToepC8JyUByhAAkxnbCZbcouVJkx256qGK/s1600-h/IMG_4473.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJvGHPlqI8JZKPrfvt5FlL39f8zLtVOXTvQfo_Oa13r3MSviZRmfefVwF95PSd_QXMTHs5j3MAqoSwA75DyfyzbmGMq232tF8bybDHO_KeHToepC8JyUByhAAkxnbCZbcouVJkx256qGK/s320/IMG_4473.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367378083232032386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ5w6D5Q6B_bjVpr5jMi7OU6AKXrd-Qs0WuCXmJOw4yj91Rd_UqP7BD4FCWsWXe4bZv1XCsTCmjQm1fc0Fqyp-Fta48sUnKfU8w78bPmHQtoPSNQOuiRmn5H3mGph08jvw0nFHyQrU3Ee/s1600-h/IMG_4493.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ5w6D5Q6B_bjVpr5jMi7OU6AKXrd-Qs0WuCXmJOw4yj91Rd_UqP7BD4FCWsWXe4bZv1XCsTCmjQm1fc0Fqyp-Fta48sUnKfU8w78bPmHQtoPSNQOuiRmn5H3mGph08jvw0nFHyQrU3Ee/s320/IMG_4493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367378077016914210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmTOWQw73Ul7BqRV3NfaF5FnkqmQrOcIEJXYHvYVDGVqe_4tAumckVIPYEOikuBchXcNjJI5l-77HBE6cgHoHsEj6zLozeDA3ay8iJ5WNLJ0Vty2g1_VUmX0SFiVwTLEhO1QDCi7N4W-y/s1600-h/IMG_4430.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmTOWQw73Ul7BqRV3NfaF5FnkqmQrOcIEJXYHvYVDGVqe_4tAumckVIPYEOikuBchXcNjJI5l-77HBE6cgHoHsEj6zLozeDA3ay8iJ5WNLJ0Vty2g1_VUmX0SFiVwTLEhO1QDCi7N4W-y/s320/IMG_4430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367378074897706082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzgcK3JM84WhS6MLWPLRaanr0w9GQzfiMmCabjKL51JdE9r1KCPJ0omaFsbePYq8iW0V6oq7sU1ixnQEB5L2s17ihzvpHRKcmxv9gBUv2UgMoKaLO95amrIKwvwBYTg7syFG2shgfJHhw/s1600-h/IMG_4521.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzgcK3JM84WhS6MLWPLRaanr0w9GQzfiMmCabjKL51JdE9r1KCPJ0omaFsbePYq8iW0V6oq7sU1ixnQEB5L2s17ihzvpHRKcmxv9gBUv2UgMoKaLO95amrIKwvwBYTg7syFG2shgfJHhw/s320/IMG_4521.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367378065309477634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oFl_sYHiAhcbvAe_zUcOhleMxXUIY_0e0N75_SIX6tgs_a8UOjX0jZ52GUQAfm48SBVtjL-gYsLNsbGEX2oyMfXDUigzpooxbBv-Pk4zcXQV2htCAasr6YbegoEC8JQGolZ7PAbVnXzA/s1600-h/IMG_4569.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oFl_sYHiAhcbvAe_zUcOhleMxXUIY_0e0N75_SIX6tgs_a8UOjX0jZ52GUQAfm48SBVtjL-gYsLNsbGEX2oyMfXDUigzpooxbBv-Pk4zcXQV2htCAasr6YbegoEC8JQGolZ7PAbVnXzA/s320/IMG_4569.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367378581569272178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, July 25th</span><br />In the evening, the city of Le Mans put on a brilliant light show. For hours, they shined different combinations of lights and images using computers and advanced projectors. It was truly spectacular.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, July 26th</span><br />The next morning, we drove to our final stop before our group-scheduled break. We stayed at an enormous, newly reconstructed chateau. We sang a concert and, in a scene from a Fitzgerald novel, ate dinner with the audience under the stars.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday, July 27th</span><br />We drove to Paris and began our break. While some members traveled to Germany and Holland, Jay K., Julian and I stayed in Paris the entire time. When we arrived in the city that evening, we walked to the Louvre and rode a ferris wheel, which gave us a chance to see the city illumniated. Later, we hung out with some English-speakers on a nearby bridge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, July 28th</span><br />Our hardcore tourism began on this day. We essentially followed my good friend Elizabeth's guide to the city. First, we visited the Musee de l'Orangerie, which includes two of Monet's 360-degree whole-room paintings.<br /><br />After that, we spent several hours in the Louvre. We focused our attention its famous paintings and statues (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo) and also spent a considerable amount of time exploring its anthropologic exhibits. After walking around the enormous museum, we drank some hot chocolate at Angelina's and then walked to the Notre Dame.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wednesday, July 29th</span><br />We continued our touristy ventures by visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday, July 30th</span><br />While Jay, Julian and Brian, who had just gotten back from his short trip to Germany, checked out the catacombs in the city, I visited the Le Centre Pompidou. I loved its Kandinsky exhibit, which featured many of his finest paintings and manuscripts.<br /><br />I met up with Jay, Julian and Brian at the Louvre's park. There, we drank wine and ate cheese for an hour or two. We went out for drinks around town to celebrate Brian's birthday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday, July 31st</span><br />All the Whiffs returned from their break to perform a few songs for a wedding at the American Church in Paris. The lovely ceremony was followed by a reception at a golf course about a half an hour outside the city.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Picture explanations</span><br />3rd picture-- reading in the chateau's library<br />Last picture-- Jay examining the Notre DameElliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-59821141111766023102009-08-04T08:27:00.000-07:002009-08-04T08:37:35.020-07:00Update coming soon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMPQjFDzcwnU5Zl7y_bwGE2g9lW9qjKUfyXqCEtStky9Ng-0SHa2ZNLKfMuckQmLhCgFe_oZUF18N7uxRQEOn5eCejf7sqQItcmOB3hD6YnHa-BNtsjH8mV67RRhSMeeqU0JZsRe_Ca8E/s1600-h/IMG_4550.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMPQjFDzcwnU5Zl7y_bwGE2g9lW9qjKUfyXqCEtStky9Ng-0SHa2ZNLKfMuckQmLhCgFe_oZUF18N7uxRQEOn5eCejf7sqQItcmOB3hD6YnHa-BNtsjH8mV67RRhSMeeqU0JZsRe_Ca8E/s320/IMG_4550.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366133129638097522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkx6QecPw0PsQIvfdFF_UbHCm4mPSkjTavdyXiR1FCHNe38hI0MKlWK2MWSkoK4MzlgFdLvbOU_FiwWzN6Yk_dTowTR0GfJhRKEqgWxT9WjN3okarPFHNnFQUurQFUIsCpaU2HElvSmEMG/s1600-h/IMG_4414.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkx6QecPw0PsQIvfdFF_UbHCm4mPSkjTavdyXiR1FCHNe38hI0MKlWK2MWSkoK4MzlgFdLvbOU_FiwWzN6Yk_dTowTR0GfJhRKEqgWxT9WjN3okarPFHNnFQUurQFUIsCpaU2HElvSmEMG/s320/IMG_4414.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366133112586640370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgGoXx0xBlJTeFwnpa2iDzVX3wvupGo2W1IwSKIK_Lc7ZGFhGLS_7IU4w5NiuVJ6IV1ssfZDHtav0gLCXgIkfKrywCY4lBnqLpUGDe5gY35nEmsw2DCeRKD-SDgF8j6hjxYt1C0XtSDr1/s1600-h/IMG_4433.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgGoXx0xBlJTeFwnpa2iDzVX3wvupGo2W1IwSKIK_Lc7ZGFhGLS_7IU4w5NiuVJ6IV1ssfZDHtav0gLCXgIkfKrywCY4lBnqLpUGDe5gY35nEmsw2DCeRKD-SDgF8j6hjxYt1C0XtSDr1/s320/IMG_4433.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366133103688127330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzlnSvuKee_b77I7rHo4zCMnBV9yn4RhWtM5c_8wGWLR7NVk6w1duNu8YWCvsxXk-6LbJqnxdCzAASmqdTdBMRIkZ4sUpUVpDhBqTGhwiMgHS0Ic2nz5_bnQ6t_wU_M1PMZPbttKdKGxU/s1600-h/IMG_4677.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzlnSvuKee_b77I7rHo4zCMnBV9yn4RhWtM5c_8wGWLR7NVk6w1duNu8YWCvsxXk-6LbJqnxdCzAASmqdTdBMRIkZ4sUpUVpDhBqTGhwiMgHS0Ic2nz5_bnQ6t_wU_M1PMZPbttKdKGxU/s320/IMG_4677.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366133099947796050" /></a><br />Hi readers,<br /><br />Sorry for the delay. Our schedule has been a bit hectic lately-- more hectic than unusual. I'm going to update my blog with more photos from France and Greece soon.<br /><br />Today, we're flying to Istanbul (Not Constantinople).<br /><br />AAD,<br />ElliotElliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-60106628181471809372009-07-25T10:36:00.000-07:002009-08-31T21:19:18.026-07:00France, part deux<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihztFhQQmiISF2O-43mXTDrHbUb6TKdeQ3gk4j0xU4GJxmFexVGUOspwU7laI2OaTaFs9cSSdAZCd1IeqdoiHdhZDHS87IAdY5zwOB8SKkmer5wDB4iwXtsyyIFH2E_KLKcQbEB8APaDvK/s1600-h/IMG_4389.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihztFhQQmiISF2O-43mXTDrHbUb6TKdeQ3gk4j0xU4GJxmFexVGUOspwU7laI2OaTaFs9cSSdAZCd1IeqdoiHdhZDHS87IAdY5zwOB8SKkmer5wDB4iwXtsyyIFH2E_KLKcQbEB8APaDvK/s320/IMG_4389.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362458890532809618" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link style="font-family: georgia;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CVincent%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype style="font-family: georgia;" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype style="font-family: georgia;" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype style="font-family: georgia;" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype style="font-family: georgia;" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Helvetica; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536902279 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tableau Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>Wednesday, July 22nd<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In another can't-make-this-up moment of tour, the Whiffs stayed at the Chanel family's chateau in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Bordeaux</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>. This particular chateau has been around for hundreds of years and hosted both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson when they visited the region.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In the evening, we sang a concert at another chateau a few miles away.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>
<br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>Thursday, July 23rd<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">On this day, we took two wine tours, one at the Chanel's chateau and another at a top-tier winery. On the first tour, we walked through the entire wine-making process and learned how to properly taste wine-- a useful skill. The second tour involved more of the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">At night, we dined and sang at Chateau Canon, the Chanel family's other chateau.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>
<br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>Friday, July 24th<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In the morning, we drove for about six hours towards <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city>. When we arrived at a town outside of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Le Mans</st1:place></st1:city>, we met our homestays, ate dinner, and sang a concert at a stunning cathedral out in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>
<br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>Saturday, July 25th<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In the morning, I ran for about half an hour around my homestay's city, then biked to their family's store -- a Home Depot-style business that also sells clothes and pet food--, and then rode around the countryside.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Later, the Whiffs went on a tour of historic <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Le Mans</st1:place></st1:city>. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">About </span><span style="font-size:100%;">the photos above:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CVincent%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Helvetica; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536902279 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:37164738; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-336299894 67895311 67895321 67895323 67895311 67895321 67895323 67895311 67895321 67895323;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt;} ol {margin-bottom:0cm;} ul {margin-bottom:0cm;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tableau Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><ol style="margin-top: 0cm;font-family:georgia;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">A pigeon flying in Le Mans<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Le Mans’s St. Julian Cathedral</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Another cathedral photo</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">And another</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Performance poster</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Jesse consults with a grey goose in a fourteenth century home’s courtyard</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Before wine tasting</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">At the second winery we visited on Thursday</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">We sang right in front of the wine vats at Chateau Canon</span></i></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span lang="EN-US">The view from Chateau Canon</span></i></span></li></ol> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>
<br /></i></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Why did I include a picture of a flying pigeon? In every country we've visited, I've seen both pigeons and <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kentucky</st1:place></st1:state> Fried Chicken restaurants. Maybe I'll post a photo of a KFC later.</i></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></i></p> Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-29942783562130074542009-07-21T18:28:00.000-07:002009-07-21T18:42:13.771-07:00France<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizidq-h25TXMZbO1MzfNFBYQZc-4YgLulZyR_fzI_oxv9v0R5NFlwyPN9IJlU0GgMD_dnOCQpkOjhU-xmIh-aeCQhy3SZuiXQGG4aYcGe2DhLS61BQ3rrevPc3JUvAFNBK0z-y9T2iI3-a/s1600-h/IMG_4192.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizidq-h25TXMZbO1MzfNFBYQZc-4YgLulZyR_fzI_oxv9v0R5NFlwyPN9IJlU0GgMD_dnOCQpkOjhU-xmIh-aeCQhy3SZuiXQGG4aYcGe2DhLS61BQ3rrevPc3JUvAFNBK0z-y9T2iI3-a/s320/IMG_4192.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361092342081336562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1LxkHajPGinpUtwwNo0oABzwQge7Ggb2INYm5pD09WYJx6_18KAm4xV9jhVW4kZJtF3b6zYTwok8ZbdXdgWf3GDhPf3N0PqUQkVHRtHMJigQOS9u8bdqLfY6IN2g5shoQprL-qfkXMYR/s1600-h/IMG_4209.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1LxkHajPGinpUtwwNo0oABzwQge7Ggb2INYm5pD09WYJx6_18KAm4xV9jhVW4kZJtF3b6zYTwok8ZbdXdgWf3GDhPf3N0PqUQkVHRtHMJigQOS9u8bdqLfY6IN2g5shoQprL-qfkXMYR/s320/IMG_4209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361091543264784866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYez-bHzSMeqeOFaGBmCxk0yi29R1KKcf8iIrMhUsec7nvRl2k74IFG92PHwBS2bvYxL9FdwhDnWEOKUjbF6dVB7grb3cuB0icnIMS-LaWgwEZc6dzEi0jImU4RxcHdq-pWvi367G6-zI/s1600-h/IMG_4228.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYez-bHzSMeqeOFaGBmCxk0yi29R1KKcf8iIrMhUsec7nvRl2k74IFG92PHwBS2bvYxL9FdwhDnWEOKUjbF6dVB7grb3cuB0icnIMS-LaWgwEZc6dzEi0jImU4RxcHdq-pWvi367G6-zI/s320/IMG_4228.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361091539384186578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxZIhyphenhyphenIZzC4k__ekrXMRbEoU-WKIBIAwAAzVwPrRAvNio1GpuF2biN9ZaBNdrIX1l83pbHC9uJvbqau0zHljalhEwOMAZDTO8yH438kLJ6pgjJDAQ3M-7ZnpD5D2TwnY2E1PkYVTsLDX9/s1600-h/IMG_4219.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxZIhyphenhyphenIZzC4k__ekrXMRbEoU-WKIBIAwAAzVwPrRAvNio1GpuF2biN9ZaBNdrIX1l83pbHC9uJvbqau0zHljalhEwOMAZDTO8yH438kLJ6pgjJDAQ3M-7ZnpD5D2TwnY2E1PkYVTsLDX9/s320/IMG_4219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361091534748282178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblNc5MyWJBaZr8UPnpaIK1kPOW9O1c6Wb02jzxaFbms_cJ9piRJfXpfIyr2w8DptT-dSI6osjCVmIbEr6r5XmphZwyXLEIZKLdrZ55OicHVaeZfuoFwr0MS-znGZOqOgNI5GCQTCGm-Ef/s1600-h/IMG_4200.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblNc5MyWJBaZr8UPnpaIK1kPOW9O1c6Wb02jzxaFbms_cJ9piRJfXpfIyr2w8DptT-dSI6osjCVmIbEr6r5XmphZwyXLEIZKLdrZ55OicHVaeZfuoFwr0MS-znGZOqOgNI5GCQTCGm-Ef/s320/IMG_4200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361091529437463458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUmx1-OjsiwPgR-ULAAJsYsUQ4Bb1jpSZFauCzb7pcs7Slhb-xt75tmLPMDIIFPJ_5B7kvO9TzRcWIqhkF3n8WyAwiM6N-wXPYpdgnzzlbKB3AMLawagoz0KP4NbQDkjMnpnfz5fTViDT/s1600-h/IMG_4211.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUmx1-OjsiwPgR-ULAAJsYsUQ4Bb1jpSZFauCzb7pcs7Slhb-xt75tmLPMDIIFPJ_5B7kvO9TzRcWIqhkF3n8WyAwiM6N-wXPYpdgnzzlbKB3AMLawagoz0KP4NbQDkjMnpnfz5fTViDT/s320/IMG_4211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361091521656281410" border="0" /></a><br />Over the course of almost fifteen hours, the Whiffs flew from South Africa to Qatar to France. We landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport at around 2pm and left at around 4pm.<br /><br />Casey, Jay, Jesse and I ventured from our airport hotel to visit Paris. The city won me over almost instantly-- partly because when we stepped outside our metro station stop, the first building we saw was the Notre Dame cathedral. For the next five or six hours, we walked around, ate dinner, took photos, and just enjoyed the most beautiful city in the world.<br /><br />For the next week or so, we'll be staying and performing in chateaus in southeastern, northeastern and western France.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-87276188422847370822009-07-20T01:34:00.000-07:002009-07-20T01:48:33.094-07:00Table Mountain in Cape Town<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1K1JGZbFCQDpGlKoXqSkeeN-8eSrsFxHC5ZUMPSbR7ATd8U_w9kJ91bsTAGWD3mNarIdUALoqDzqvTG1zaC4dtojsrEHFDIGR2_stvc32UEz_kY3h-qlY0cAtBQpv2ej_zI1awEnjKVPH/s1600-h/IMG_4179.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1K1JGZbFCQDpGlKoXqSkeeN-8eSrsFxHC5ZUMPSbR7ATd8U_w9kJ91bsTAGWD3mNarIdUALoqDzqvTG1zaC4dtojsrEHFDIGR2_stvc32UEz_kY3h-qlY0cAtBQpv2ej_zI1awEnjKVPH/s320/IMG_4179.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360460085172921154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLkUcUWOaMS8DZZVa-R4t3UYkHSvX6Mhu1eqIdtwI3KOGajHfwNvpmjiritRrdDiZihxx9PsiGzw7qg-DD1ggR25GznGJKz2O7WJGLNc3H9R7-PbIx9Mvho0fx7FC4IQJ_cCJfPPKZXaC/s1600-h/IMG_4171.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLkUcUWOaMS8DZZVa-R4t3UYkHSvX6Mhu1eqIdtwI3KOGajHfwNvpmjiritRrdDiZihxx9PsiGzw7qg-DD1ggR25GznGJKz2O7WJGLNc3H9R7-PbIx9Mvho0fx7FC4IQJ_cCJfPPKZXaC/s320/IMG_4171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360460072687049170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIlv-Jd1-1zg2rh5eASMRHYC3q3xDAgilMtU4045LIS4aLfdLi7ChXID9kTN-D0n7IxwFETWZ7js6wQ5l0KqoJD1wEkfVmmf7AZxxxC4SWyfSM-MBJvE79ZqpPHFwMixyJAKWv4Th5Zsw/s1600-h/IMG_4170.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIlv-Jd1-1zg2rh5eASMRHYC3q3xDAgilMtU4045LIS4aLfdLi7ChXID9kTN-D0n7IxwFETWZ7js6wQ5l0KqoJD1wEkfVmmf7AZxxxC4SWyfSM-MBJvE79ZqpPHFwMixyJAKWv4Th5Zsw/s320/IMG_4170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360460070970513378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize8SPOyEl1LdFdKFuINun5w3zmtzUKhU0yHgDF4F801dPgQPNp_uc8Ibah08ezhLTw02zovhCcRHjMmOoFyMKoRLRPOgV4DD995aAIH1kVYxuEWZMrI7A7roHcMMOb4TFTqLXW5nrNnA9/s1600-h/IMG_4165.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize8SPOyEl1LdFdKFuINun5w3zmtzUKhU0yHgDF4F801dPgQPNp_uc8Ibah08ezhLTw02zovhCcRHjMmOoFyMKoRLRPOgV4DD995aAIH1kVYxuEWZMrI7A7roHcMMOb4TFTqLXW5nrNnA9/s320/IMG_4165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360460062590485090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEQkvBXDCtV5-CRFzwDCm_bNV7ZwQaMIbCD_UAl-G26qgMekhuo7cU7HeH_eTA7FlyhiEMgzbjrOD3nZsBBNdmHir6PvcWWxnnEhF0YWEf9jtpKCNc6IoJOswEjvEySnlAIY3b8PSs2sd/s1600-h/IMG_4159.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEQkvBXDCtV5-CRFzwDCm_bNV7ZwQaMIbCD_UAl-G26qgMekhuo7cU7HeH_eTA7FlyhiEMgzbjrOD3nZsBBNdmHir6PvcWWxnnEhF0YWEf9jtpKCNc6IoJOswEjvEySnlAIY3b8PSs2sd/s320/IMG_4159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360460058197084226" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday, Jay K. and I climbed Table Mountain. The three hour trek included a hike through Skeleton Gorge, one of the more challenging paths to the top.<br /><br />In a few hours, we're going to fly to Qatar and then to France.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-1964561673775340022009-07-19T04:46:00.000-07:002009-07-19T05:12:02.577-07:00Cape Town, South Africa<span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday, July 17th</span><br />Two of our cars got lost on the way to a concert at a township outside of Cape Town. The seven Whiffs who made it decided to perform on our own. We sang with several other choirs from Africa and the United States, including the Morgan State University choir.<br /><br />Morgan State simply blew us away. Their gorgeous, soulful and powerful sound rocked the house. They were simply flawless: their soloists were incredible and all the members sang with absolute conviction. I just enjoyed being in the audience.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, July 18th</span><br />Yesterday, on Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday, Brian E., Andrew and I visited Robbins Island, home to the prison that held Mandela for nearly three decades. It was especially poignant seeing his prison cell and the limestone caves where he did his hard labor.<br /><br />In the evening, we sang at a local university with the Morgan State choir and several other groups.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, July 19th</span><br />Today, Jay K. and I will head to the top of Table Mountain.<br /><br />Tomorrow, the Whiffs will fly to France.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-57897904584909173042009-07-17T01:09:00.000-07:002009-07-17T01:36:59.118-07:00An inauspicious start to our stay in South Africa<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Mumsie got mugged</span><br />When we arrived at the Johannesburg airport and passed through security, the officer there told me that when I get to Cape Town, I should avoid Long Street. No further explanation. Just avoid Long Street.<br /><br />When we got to our boarding house that night, a group of Whiffs wanted to go to Mama Africa, a restaurant/performance club on, where else, Long Street. I told the folks who wanted to go that the security guard without any provocation told me to avoid that strip. I more or less got blown off and told that I was being overly cautious. Rather than calling a cab, we walked the four blocks.<br /><br />Right when we set foot on Long Street, two African teenagers quickly approached us and asked for money. Casey, Jesse, Julian and I put our hands in our pockets and promptly walked away. Brian a.k.a. Mumsie, on the other hand, must have frozen up and shown fear, because they went to him and picked his pocket at knife point.<br /><br />No one was hurt, but we were all shook up by the experience.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I've got an ice box where my room's 'sposed to be</span><br /></span>During this year, we've stayed at some of the finest hotels in the world: the Ritz-Carlton in Santiago, Chile; the St. Regis in Shanghai, China; the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok. Here in Cape Town, however, we're staying at a boarding house that has no heating, broken windows in rooms, creaky floors, and questionable public showers.<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope</span><br /></span>Despite our struggles on this leg of the tour, we did make it out to the Cape of Good Hope yesterday. I'll post pictures soon.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Comments? Or just want to say hi? Email me at elliotjwatts(at)gmail.com</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-35535044906344353092009-07-13T23:23:00.000-07:002009-07-13T23:32:12.637-07:00Last day in Asia<span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday, July 13</span><br />We flew from New Delhi to Bombay/Mumbai during the afternoon. At night, we were treated to a delicious Indian meal by none other than Dionysios Bouzos. Frank Newman '08+1 and his cousin, who is doing AIDS research here, joined us.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, July 14</span><br />Today, we say farewell to Asia. While traversing the continent, we visited Japan, China, Thailand, Nepal and India. Late tonight, we will fly to our one stop in Africa: South Africa.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-75132866746837089062009-07-12T10:47:00.000-07:002009-07-12T10:53:36.817-07:00Taj Mahal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo0OUC5lnZ_YSO8VLdvwZyaFWbpfGHUW6h2Pr-n_CmSBMnVVjDmmeVorrSTbJYzH26ik5pvuVGs7UKP5h6UHzdBftt1-ORK3LDUx0ZqOiVjSzAPKhxURLKE4N4zSBUqdiel2t_L6PMfDn/s1600-h/IMG_4144.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo0OUC5lnZ_YSO8VLdvwZyaFWbpfGHUW6h2Pr-n_CmSBMnVVjDmmeVorrSTbJYzH26ik5pvuVGs7UKP5h6UHzdBftt1-ORK3LDUx0ZqOiVjSzAPKhxURLKE4N4zSBUqdiel2t_L6PMfDn/s320/IMG_4144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357633017916997394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHgIPmQWxb5UK9xR4KUwniVHA23soLgJaadXii0c5HMKmi57VHGr7umrYYK95_cYFBsLSgAOwHeJBrqjTt-NezrnLElsB8htX7pzR-X2amDTWqSMpP1f_RN7slRt096DJX2i4hBsYryNX/s1600-h/IMG_4157.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHgIPmQWxb5UK9xR4KUwniVHA23soLgJaadXii0c5HMKmi57VHGr7umrYYK95_cYFBsLSgAOwHeJBrqjTt-NezrnLElsB8htX7pzR-X2amDTWqSMpP1f_RN7slRt096DJX2i4hBsYryNX/s320/IMG_4157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357633017284556674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrFjYra_u8mvJLBmUIxnKtK5sX4pTM8mY18dAL26cHMQMYLpQSByrQGmqjnJSHTRvDuuhHobAZgs8v41q-eR27sAmpXXGOk1p9BKRyIASUnwjxJzBbcnYsWRZNbPYkxCLuv0fuk6RCAZ6/s1600-h/IMG_4154.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrFjYra_u8mvJLBmUIxnKtK5sX4pTM8mY18dAL26cHMQMYLpQSByrQGmqjnJSHTRvDuuhHobAZgs8v41q-eR27sAmpXXGOk1p9BKRyIASUnwjxJzBbcnYsWRZNbPYkxCLuv0fuk6RCAZ6/s320/IMG_4154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357633007454358898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ3pJ0wjms2gzBtbyyta0R5VJj-suQbjiqBjK2Y1qPTGsV1kbvA4kvpkeKuVe_BoMFYATyqUB_Z2mpuw7BCblukY6pNwq0o28DIfxxgEsuyAiuMdvHiannMjWcOXAz7091CT-sLLkCwTl/s1600-h/IMG_4147.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ3pJ0wjms2gzBtbyyta0R5VJj-suQbjiqBjK2Y1qPTGsV1kbvA4kvpkeKuVe_BoMFYATyqUB_Z2mpuw7BCblukY6pNwq0o28DIfxxgEsuyAiuMdvHiannMjWcOXAz7091CT-sLLkCwTl/s320/IMG_4147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357633002091466818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirK1WMzk8p4HTRHlvcLC-u5HOivnV-3nqNb3anF1oQ_QX85y7CwPpkSbfeWuuGUQ1qvXgiclAfwpXYRPL39An8hvz2qCZcLy9IDU_KTEFi90A8ShxziShwBQI22q5IMa_mQiLaMzUyWF7d/s1600-h/IMG_4145.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirK1WMzk8p4HTRHlvcLC-u5HOivnV-3nqNb3anF1oQ_QX85y7CwPpkSbfeWuuGUQ1qvXgiclAfwpXYRPL39An8hvz2qCZcLy9IDU_KTEFi90A8ShxziShwBQI22q5IMa_mQiLaMzUyWF7d/s320/IMG_4145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357632994648703522" border="0" /></a><br />Today, we visited the Taj Mahal. ( :Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-67922528134810235212009-07-10T03:04:00.000-07:002009-07-11T06:59:17.956-07:00India<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzshK5r3Ev1odkRefSoalfSTvx117nZIzQXnXIexQphlSLp5SWjtI_IE6KK-T8ViqZ0Yp-ULNRr-qqzf77YYssYixmwdgHHo_VAdHwjJCrbmc3Q4Tvy6pFTg6kV-o6c41albKVbQPMLAtB/s1600-h/IMG_4105+crop.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356780977898017138" style="width: 225px; height: 320px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzshK5r3Ev1odkRefSoalfSTvx117nZIzQXnXIexQphlSLp5SWjtI_IE6KK-T8ViqZ0Yp-ULNRr-qqzf77YYssYixmwdgHHo_VAdHwjJCrbmc3Q4Tvy6pFTg6kV-o6c41albKVbQPMLAtB/s320/IMG_4105+crop.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QiDlnfCH8PjMxSOvRG00fWSyri2UNAvJppxA0WqXGPDHQwoMwCtOH6ivLW6NgC_asAscB1FwQqWxLprBvxnMxfCcafTgOMASnQOVSsgI-u-G0QF6zTe0TcALeqPqAS75dw3xfGgwatl6/s1600-h/IMG_4098.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356779104296060354" style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QiDlnfCH8PjMxSOvRG00fWSyri2UNAvJppxA0WqXGPDHQwoMwCtOH6ivLW6NgC_asAscB1FwQqWxLprBvxnMxfCcafTgOMASnQOVSsgI-u-G0QF6zTe0TcALeqPqAS75dw3xfGgwatl6/s320/IMG_4098.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWzvMdRhdITeL7_UAFFJeFZrcX6T_qgdzupYGIxyFSccydPAoQGALiWJv3uSywocfHdVF3_A9w_TcW0pS14bMPDI_pe8q9Wd4bZZigvrET2t6vLN4aneLNlwZ6jFHgPcJfOBvO5q-OE8R/s1600-h/IMG_4095+crop.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356777187310395858" style="width: 307px; height: 320px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWzvMdRhdITeL7_UAFFJeFZrcX6T_qgdzupYGIxyFSccydPAoQGALiWJv3uSywocfHdVF3_A9w_TcW0pS14bMPDI_pe8q9Wd4bZZigvrET2t6vLN4aneLNlwZ6jFHgPcJfOBvO5q-OE8R/s320/IMG_4095+crop.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjO13n7pG3anjLYuLCYJqEXE7ARUxki4knF5tJ5TaIp3j53ucWV2MStX3vU5arIwO2_0R2SQp37PtahMOz4AeLn5xpPLB2AFjWedFwUbus1u4FKjxk3R1JAZWMSRYjBdnnn7OcdyqiPhDp/s1600-h/IMG_4085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356776149382514514" style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjO13n7pG3anjLYuLCYJqEXE7ARUxki4knF5tJ5TaIp3j53ucWV2MStX3vU5arIwO2_0R2SQp37PtahMOz4AeLn5xpPLB2AFjWedFwUbus1u4FKjxk3R1JAZWMSRYjBdnnn7OcdyqiPhDp/s320/IMG_4085.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICXhErmAzhHfPUH_S4YuC1tAcA_jxs8bOCRjeBaMu0td2BMjlNemKSh17FQNRfYnGEr6pm3QAvXPtIaEiIofnigsaEp70XmxbtGjDcDHVlO5wdpQslVAjUawXsS6blKxxXv_1CaXoNEpr/s1600-h/IMG_4072.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356775154540279682" style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICXhErmAzhHfPUH_S4YuC1tAcA_jxs8bOCRjeBaMu0td2BMjlNemKSh17FQNRfYnGEr6pm3QAvXPtIaEiIofnigsaEp70XmxbtGjDcDHVlO5wdpQslVAjUawXsS6blKxxXv_1CaXoNEpr/s320/IMG_4072.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>Tuesday, July 7</strong><br />After our final goodbyes to the Sherpa family, we left Kathmandu and flew to New Delhi, India. Upon our arrival, seven of us ventured into town for a delicious Indian meal at a somewhat bourgeois restaurant about twenty minutes from our hotel.<br /><br /><strong>Wednesday, July 8<br /></strong>We limped through this day. Our somnolent flight from New Delhi to Udaipur left at around 6am, so we had to leave our hotel at 3:30am. When we finally got to our hotel in Udaipur, most of the group chose to sleep rather than explore in a zombie state.<br /><br /><strong>Thursday, July 9<br /></strong>Jay K., Rex and I took a tour of the grand palace. We hired an officially-licensed tour guide, who showed us all the important parts of the palace in an hour for 150 rupees, or $3.<br /><br />Sadly, we haven't found much else to do in Udaipur. I've spent a fair amount of time in bed because of some stomach problems ) :<br /><br /><strong>Friday, July 10</strong><br />Because of the rain, our collective tiredness, and our limited options, I think most of us will elect to hang around our hotel today. Tomorrow, we're headed back to New Delhi for a full free day.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">July -- not August! O_o</span><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-6386159011241113862009-07-06T22:53:00.000-07:002009-07-21T08:07:49.985-07:00Off to India!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, July 5th</span><br />During the day, we visited many temples and other historical sights in downtown Kathmandu.<br /><br />Can't make this stuff up: the former Nepalese royalty had us over for a dinner party. We sang in a room decorated with pictures of the past rulers of the country. The food was exceptional. The Whiffs drank and enjoyed their company for hours into the night.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday, July 6th</span><br />We sang for a Buddhist nunnery up in the mountains. Some of the children escaped their terrible circumstances to go to this beautiful, well-run and peaceful school. We sang three songs for the little girls who all had smiled on their faces. I'll admit, I had to hold back tears.<br /><br />During the evening, we performed at a bar for our gracious host and Yale alum Kesang Sherpa. She showed us an excellent time in Nepal, and it was a pleasure to sing for her.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, July 7th</span><br />We leave for India this afternoon. Southern subcontinent, here we goElliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-31376015107890425092009-07-04T21:28:00.000-07:002009-07-04T21:37:06.410-07:00Everest!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Dr8leE_sVCSUYgtbadSd_6a0lu-FiK55l_43jr-9sdo2aX6lhao0_Gju6cmyybB6yoPvSa7Ar2lpEYoGb-W4qsvATILSQHBWxnpdMqWIWftZjZ1JYi6gcgLpEZR-N2W-K_YGWnJKhbcp/s1600-h/IMG_4058.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Dr8leE_sVCSUYgtbadSd_6a0lu-FiK55l_43jr-9sdo2aX6lhao0_Gju6cmyybB6yoPvSa7Ar2lpEYoGb-W4qsvATILSQHBWxnpdMqWIWftZjZ1JYi6gcgLpEZR-N2W-K_YGWnJKhbcp/s320/IMG_4058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354829589845360850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEvb5WSEJiZVB9x3Hw5c_j84v9kI0ucCdR5Xk910EGIJoABAEHKyLk7Uuxg8Qb-NT-_FjYYwZLf3UKUSVIEmAhgnDQktdvdGA3CAccAVcMJU8RN3urokw38Bo_GW8Hcw48vg0_pOX59dM/s1600-h/IMG_4054.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEvb5WSEJiZVB9x3Hw5c_j84v9kI0ucCdR5Xk910EGIJoABAEHKyLk7Uuxg8Qb-NT-_FjYYwZLf3UKUSVIEmAhgnDQktdvdGA3CAccAVcMJU8RN3urokw38Bo_GW8Hcw48vg0_pOX59dM/s320/IMG_4054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354829583576278546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCzQ1-nxmms32XbvZdVsqqdzP9KpFSUq5OL27ga7OQbYPkKp4ylY2frzIHXaxssc2Ei4bYUcGmv1G57VLbJrUks43iR3VvE9zRthDD3lnrS9RaH2jCDcHwnP0NAMQqt60GleyTK5RKh4L/s1600-h/IMG_4060.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCzQ1-nxmms32XbvZdVsqqdzP9KpFSUq5OL27ga7OQbYPkKp4ylY2frzIHXaxssc2Ei4bYUcGmv1G57VLbJrUks43iR3VvE9zRthDD3lnrS9RaH2jCDcHwnP0NAMQqt60GleyTK5RKh4L/s320/IMG_4060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354829580327866258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGodA9-0rLlKWAmQ5KuwjGT_UB7TtVLaOewh9FEgB3mH0X2jClaFMibQgdPSJGhUZucHOTDpsqMhkNHt4ntw927Evpi85QLJEd2JJUZaA6BBqzH4QdG7F0RLNj8grnzbnwb3ReAgQnWzg/s1600-h/IMG_4048.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGodA9-0rLlKWAmQ5KuwjGT_UB7TtVLaOewh9FEgB3mH0X2jClaFMibQgdPSJGhUZucHOTDpsqMhkNHt4ntw927Evpi85QLJEd2JJUZaA6BBqzH4QdG7F0RLNj8grnzbnwb3ReAgQnWzg/s320/IMG_4048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354829573759213858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGGqH36ARRS8YVUHDvpTlpwvF_weBiWFaU-VtYtY4GRuHDXtB7YbvrmJzQMynsOnt6o5HJ2nqiqFK6somzvRhghOWUrAOg1z-a-YVWuz3I3ah9EV7x-syqveFmRvxK0YNTDvcKBT-LI2k/s1600-h/IMG_4044.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGGqH36ARRS8YVUHDvpTlpwvF_weBiWFaU-VtYtY4GRuHDXtB7YbvrmJzQMynsOnt6o5HJ2nqiqFK6somzvRhghOWUrAOg1z-a-YVWuz3I3ah9EV7x-syqveFmRvxK0YNTDvcKBT-LI2k/s320/IMG_4044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354829569279703762" border="0" /></a><br />This morning, Casey, Jesse and I took a short plane ride to see Mount Everest and some of the other enormous mountains of the Himalayas! Amazing, amazing, amazing.<br /><br />Bottom photo: Everest is on the left. Lhotse is on the right.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-32915547097309778502009-07-04T21:20:00.000-07:002009-07-04T21:38:47.219-07:00The wats in Thailand<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYOTIlZHbWnELPu1SWm-vTmt8nff_Ev984wgI8ZGs6i4mKUnP_0LF3LTwLqdRPfTpg7SvhM11ozaqy59mM5rUrczxY1mglZ_iyibtH441TiV1yTx5uEgP7hiiYdWTxlhkpZKZnfwD2TNp/s1600-h/IMG_3995.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYOTIlZHbWnELPu1SWm-vTmt8nff_Ev984wgI8ZGs6i4mKUnP_0LF3LTwLqdRPfTpg7SvhM11ozaqy59mM5rUrczxY1mglZ_iyibtH441TiV1yTx5uEgP7hiiYdWTxlhkpZKZnfwD2TNp/s320/IMG_3995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354827795469433394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jDWdJNfPo1gW21TeRiY59JR_uY0nJ9uS3V8Q4BPNcIN3_3m-tTfQZuH8xQCTsGGBGgJDLrra8SVvrqyV2XNz1y4pNSqDXxPYJh_Ghzd_hOVvZgVL-E2kUF4HU-O3zZ8xFMafmvDeDs2-/s1600-h/IMG_4001.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jDWdJNfPo1gW21TeRiY59JR_uY0nJ9uS3V8Q4BPNcIN3_3m-tTfQZuH8xQCTsGGBGgJDLrra8SVvrqyV2XNz1y4pNSqDXxPYJh_Ghzd_hOVvZgVL-E2kUF4HU-O3zZ8xFMafmvDeDs2-/s320/IMG_4001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354827791224957602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6csDIma_ALxdmvjsQlVRoCOd0GWoLg9BoIpfJC5RDigkLumOKgOUxebox0Z0itSW1oiRq8RkGyP7SDoZZGyKWkUQb4NH5RRHJ-Km2fd4XexzDM0NxapZVNz1RPeHTi9dmJBMsRZIBKb-k/s1600-h/IMG_3998.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6csDIma_ALxdmvjsQlVRoCOd0GWoLg9BoIpfJC5RDigkLumOKgOUxebox0Z0itSW1oiRq8RkGyP7SDoZZGyKWkUQb4NH5RRHJ-Km2fd4XexzDM0NxapZVNz1RPeHTi9dmJBMsRZIBKb-k/s320/IMG_3998.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354827421653709570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8-fkBi7_Uvg03a_3UphUd2yYF1pQpcKPnNjP77gGeWp7gUtcJNuMoSsUP-xZvcSC1qwr0A8dztghmTVtnLCScyjaC8LkmO1wkyTEcx0jA8Jc9Xiu1wl5hJ73zAF2X_BOG4sntIWr8irW/s1600-h/IMG_3996.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8-fkBi7_Uvg03a_3UphUd2yYF1pQpcKPnNjP77gGeWp7gUtcJNuMoSsUP-xZvcSC1qwr0A8dztghmTVtnLCScyjaC8LkmO1wkyTEcx0jA8Jc9Xiu1wl5hJ73zAF2X_BOG4sntIWr8irW/s320/IMG_3996.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354827419383923266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxdLdTOX1A2u9ILMETZvATGEPD4r3PWmbIaRzTnnbLUHOseTik__t8RSd0nmy6DWYyGx7VoCe9I_wTixpilGytTCa27inFk6QZw8Vwuh5LRWleQFhgIQi7iv7LNmEKqj7h3rsxX5WaJli/s1600-h/IMG_4005.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxdLdTOX1A2u9ILMETZvATGEPD4r3PWmbIaRzTnnbLUHOseTik__t8RSd0nmy6DWYyGx7VoCe9I_wTixpilGytTCa27inFk6QZw8Vwuh5LRWleQFhgIQi7iv7LNmEKqj7h3rsxX5WaJli/s320/IMG_4005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354827411309228306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5UAPnUNuY6TPV8hc9qShiPvIWWVOC95KKEU79sOGb-VvEXkg7lsUwXhLqlRugsSf5tqrmZQOeMKwV8W4C4OkFeC6YgycjkP9ZvbAfWUvJqFRTfAYMUPg9cj2brW2bkrZ4dJjNSYQ2p0i/s1600-h/IMG_4014.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5UAPnUNuY6TPV8hc9qShiPvIWWVOC95KKEU79sOGb-VvEXkg7lsUwXhLqlRugsSf5tqrmZQOeMKwV8W4C4OkFeC6YgycjkP9ZvbAfWUvJqFRTfAYMUPg9cj2brW2bkrZ4dJjNSYQ2p0i/s320/IMG_4014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354827406005933634" border="0" /></a><br />Here are some photos from the Whiffs' visit to the wats (Buddhist temples) in Bangkok, Thailand.<br /><br />Last picture: Jay F., Brian, Jesse, Julian and I. We couldn't wear shorts, so we had to put on purple pantsElliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-66083416122318006292009-07-04T02:35:00.000-07:002009-07-04T02:45:28.460-07:00After a long airplane adventure, we're now in Kathmandu<span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, July 4th</span><br />Happy Independence Day! I'm sad to miss the fireworks and BBQ that I would usually enjoy on this day back in the U.S.<br /><br />Being in Kathmandu, Nepal, is just incredible. Despite the country's ubiquitous poverty, we're staying at a luxury resort in a gigantic forest. Tonight, we'll perform at the resort for its guests, the US Embassy, and other foreign ambassadors.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday, July 3rd</span><br />Before heading to the airport, I got a Thai massage, my third in as many days, at a parlor down the street from the hotel. Our flight took us from Phuket to Bangkok, then from Bangkok to New Delhi. We had to spend the night in New Delhi's airport, sleep on chairs and wake up in time for our 5:30am boarding call.Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-41142855441909417452009-07-02T05:15:00.000-07:002009-07-02T05:19:59.702-07:00A few more photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17Pzo8441o5Sr-54k8o3qWeedqKeDhPPZsjEZFI30ESlbSfd9ZyfGSc5ASQbGlqVtFSodayRq2ouiR7F0d3Bea5fOb7-y1pU-FzYZwqYL6tsbZvWn8cQjvwJZCGSkK3HnyvuiQUm6KVJl/s1600-h/Photo+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17Pzo8441o5Sr-54k8o3qWeedqKeDhPPZsjEZFI30ESlbSfd9ZyfGSc5ASQbGlqVtFSodayRq2ouiR7F0d3Bea5fOb7-y1pU-FzYZwqYL6tsbZvWn8cQjvwJZCGSkK3HnyvuiQUm6KVJl/s320/Photo+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353835748319398290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkZSXqAKBzBvIqghiGAR4rnfsWSbR57ovulSXNU0wR16AZZLjdpqGCA-qVrt00wf_EgrZxcgUcZ0GSPvuNBLJInsrLWoPwxS7eVhAV_CU2z_xooJHaBkV9ec2bdvGN1pk_6ycOyU9k9-P/s1600-h/IMG_3984.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkZSXqAKBzBvIqghiGAR4rnfsWSbR57ovulSXNU0wR16AZZLjdpqGCA-qVrt00wf_EgrZxcgUcZ0GSPvuNBLJInsrLWoPwxS7eVhAV_CU2z_xooJHaBkV9ec2bdvGN1pk_6ycOyU9k9-P/s320/IMG_3984.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353835745538439298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALgZpwIzVYohhuIqfXTp8gwh82ZVgsIRfQX8z1P5UPodtI2A15tksKIknPyI2-xVSfxIKSlxTDOwZF3rQxMsdv6_QBLzvfnRO9WxJV1zfXgUNyQq674WKfoTEIpqDpqFBUPSkc8zsxCKf/s1600-h/IMG_3981.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALgZpwIzVYohhuIqfXTp8gwh82ZVgsIRfQX8z1P5UPodtI2A15tksKIknPyI2-xVSfxIKSlxTDOwZF3rQxMsdv6_QBLzvfnRO9WxJV1zfXgUNyQq674WKfoTEIpqDpqFBUPSkc8zsxCKf/s320/IMG_3981.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353835740428666770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />1. The view from our hotel in Phuket. Gorgeous!<br />2. Our greeter at the train station in Shanghai. On the left is Trevor; on the right, Jamie.<br />3. Me inside the Water Cube!<br /><br />Feel free to email me at elliotjwatts(at)gmail.com<br />I'd love to hear from you!Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-78410936996188527552009-07-02T05:10:00.001-07:002009-07-02T05:15:47.109-07:00Photos from the past few weeks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ6cBnpwLGVP1gJ3kZORet6iS6SXD-96M-bXV6rbBlC4c0l3djRszNsyvdSUctyMKHu422NixJKbb5I-udkfOuozy5SzCr_mnKgaHc_PJ4Om5enbO3p74hwqxzoYoD80wOre6zAGvcFFi/s1600-h/IMG_3963.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ6cBnpwLGVP1gJ3kZORet6iS6SXD-96M-bXV6rbBlC4c0l3djRszNsyvdSUctyMKHu422NixJKbb5I-udkfOuozy5SzCr_mnKgaHc_PJ4Om5enbO3p74hwqxzoYoD80wOre6zAGvcFFi/s320/IMG_3963.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353834646982769554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVQAHfTXFcp46bsme1wWSxODqggDZpeztlLLRpe4BpDzBUYeiiWj7a5GC66wpBHDdmHhjrsEBRsXZ3Wqa7QrE5bkGE02Xxs3XjzysWCJ8qSwoh-4jJEobg66KOhME7h9A7X-Jovvr-XKk/s1600-h/IMG_3945.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVQAHfTXFcp46bsme1wWSxODqggDZpeztlLLRpe4BpDzBUYeiiWj7a5GC66wpBHDdmHhjrsEBRsXZ3Wqa7QrE5bkGE02Xxs3XjzysWCJ8qSwoh-4jJEobg66KOhME7h9A7X-Jovvr-XKk/s320/IMG_3945.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353834640581830946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUc7jcRGvnYo0ndwrz_DazF8yKU06wIDM9DQazoK3cXasawR5oxRVuDU_vmI_YtJ-PeJnfMGdd5x4LZXB1Z6a5HOW0tsrPfmilizN8N2tv9nXUUZvo5yxMzZ92LGk3KPOvK_g5iBXDP1I/s1600-h/IMG_3911.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUc7jcRGvnYo0ndwrz_DazF8yKU06wIDM9DQazoK3cXasawR5oxRVuDU_vmI_YtJ-PeJnfMGdd5x4LZXB1Z6a5HOW0tsrPfmilizN8N2tv9nXUUZvo5yxMzZ92LGk3KPOvK_g5iBXDP1I/s320/IMG_3911.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353834634981742898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMxNlSsqCoWsGGihjNDWsjnz2HgkOl1zFLoxzoO_LkqTWb-carQe0UkZH9_r3pNdFmiuOqw36fYLDUvAl3KOk4Ny2X2wsrg62Mde2e_VPhLbahmNhNhDX5N7sxT94Pg3OIyieSWUWvHkR/s1600-h/IMG_3888.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMxNlSsqCoWsGGihjNDWsjnz2HgkOl1zFLoxzoO_LkqTWb-carQe0UkZH9_r3pNdFmiuOqw36fYLDUvAl3KOk4Ny2X2wsrg62Mde2e_VPhLbahmNhNhDX5N7sxT94Pg3OIyieSWUWvHkR/s320/IMG_3888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353834633353333666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JfOjxvMxOOERtcehMYUgqwfOXd9LHmEmRBq_-6BS3MRsceJW-C4b-d4MCGdia75AMkvtKqRGVIEW_qnpyzIEozi7qUUK51-5vkh20OEqU4Ks73dSW59wSTw_SIKNy79zMNiLybeSyBqe/s1600-h/IMG_3819.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JfOjxvMxOOERtcehMYUgqwfOXd9LHmEmRBq_-6BS3MRsceJW-C4b-d4MCGdia75AMkvtKqRGVIEW_qnpyzIEozi7qUUK51-5vkh20OEqU4Ks73dSW59wSTw_SIKNy79zMNiLybeSyBqe/s320/IMG_3819.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353834625539218130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />About the photos above<br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">1. Jay Kim and I at the Beijing Olympic Water Cube (where Michael Phelps won eight gold medals)<br />2. Julian, Jay Frisby and I at the Forbidden City in Beijing<br />3. Me at the Great Wall!<br />4. Casey singing at karaoke in Tokyo<br />5. The Whiffs singing at an ancient temple in Kyoto<br /></span>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-82678777199316182992009-07-02T05:06:00.000-07:002009-07-02T05:07:21.796-07:00Phuket, Thailand<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Tuesday, June 30<o:p></o:p></b><br />In the morning, we said goodbye to <st1:city st="on">Bangkok</st1:City> and hello to Phuket, an island south of landlocked <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Essentially, we left a bustling metropolis for a tropical paradise. Our gorgeous hotel right on the beach agreed to host us for four days as long as we sang one concert for its guest. We happily obliged.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Wednesday, July 1<o:p></o:p></b><br />Rather than motor-biking around the island, I decided to just enjoy the beach resort. I ate the breakfast buffet, got a Thai massage and swam in the pool. In the evening, we sang our concert for about forty of the hotel's guests. Not a bad deal.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Thursday, July 2<o:p></o:p></b><br />Not much to report here: I got another Thai massage (this time with Jesse) and read (I'm currently reading <i>American Pastoral </i>by Philip Roth). Tomorrow, we leave this splendid island for a completely different country, at least topographically: <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Nepal</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></p>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1218777201446669821.post-6822149295862214432009-07-02T05:04:00.000-07:002009-07-02T05:06:08.505-07:00Bangkok, Thailand<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Saturday, June 27<o:p></o:p></b><br />Ready to move on to our next stop, we flew from <st1:city st="on">Shanghai</st1:City> to <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Bangkok</st1:City></st1:place> that afternoon. Not satisfied with just relaxing at the Siam City Hotel, a five-star hotel that has hosted the Whiffs for the past thirteen years and is owned and operated by a former Yale professor, most of the group checked out Bangkok's clubs and bars.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Sunday, June 28<o:p></o:p></b><br />Exhausted by a long day, Julian, Jay Frisby and I went to the huge market that is only open during the weekend. There, Julian bought some <i>authentic </i>Birkenstocks.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">Later that evening, we performed at our hotel for a lively and appreciate audience. Ten or so ambassadors from around the world were in attendance.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Monday, June 29<o:p></o:p></b><br />To satisfy our cultural needs, most of the Whiffs visited the truly incredible wats, Buddhist temples in downtown <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Bangkok</st1:City></st1:place>. I had never seen anything like those temples before; the radiant colors and materials had me spellbound.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">During the evening, our business manager treated us to a boat ride down a river that runs right through <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:City>. We ate spicy Thai food and enjoyed ourselves.<o:p></o:p></p>Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373259507074118808noreply@blogger.com0