Adventures

"Oh the places you 'll go" - Dr Suess

We knew that a large part of the "Road to Bali" would involve travel. Filled with wanderlust we began to devour travel blogs. We had never traveled before for an extended period of time. What would that be like? How would it work? What could we see and do? And, importantly , we wanted to see how far we could go while we were both relatively healthy. As Colleen would say, "Go now, it's later than you think."

At first we simply made a check list of sites we wanted to see. We soon left that list behind. Instead, we immersed ourselves in the culture and tried to see what we could learn. When we started, we had no idea how much it would change us and the way we would see the world.

Sayonara

An entire store dedicated to Godzilla! November 17, 2025 “Listen, this is my death poem: Like dew I was born Like dew I vanish. Osaka Castle and all that I have ever done is but a dream within a dream.” – James Clavell, Shōgun: The Epic Novel of Japan “Oh my….” - The reported last words of Steve Jobs before he died Osaka was always on the list to try and see. Although we did not have enough time to really do it justice. Its too big and you can spend an entire trip here alon

gldobbs

9 hours ago4 min read

The Philosopher’s Path

November 14, 2025 “But hear me well: The future is unborn. The past is already dead. Only the present is alive. I am here, now.” A Buddhist Maxim There is a person we have seen at various temples and shrines over the past few weeks. They are usually wearing work overalls but carry only a primitive stringy broom. It is more of a large brush really. They are gardeners and their particular task is sweeping up leaf debris off the moss and rocks on the grounds. It is a never en

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3 days ago4 min read

A Fall Day in Kyoto

“Presiding over the Southern Higashiyama Sightseeing district, with a brilliant view across the entire city, Kiyomizu-dera Temple is just about everything a temple shouldn’t be: it’s noisy, crowded, crassly commercial (in its sales of amulets and fortunes), and as gaudy as an attention-starved peacock, but it somehow manages to transcend all of this to become one of Kyoto’s most worthwhile temples to visit.” -Chris Rowthorn Although Japan can be a pleasure in any season to vi

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5 days ago3 min read

Fushimi Inari-taisha

November 12, 2025 "...there was one city that they must not bomb without my permission and that was Kyoto.” - Henry Stimson, US Secretary of War, 1945 So it turns out that Kyoto was the top city on the list of targets submitted for the atomic bomb. All of this would be ashes if not for this guy. This is Henry L Stimson. He was a powerful member of Franklin Roosevelt’s inner circle and served as both the Secretary of State and later the Secretary of War (Defense). According

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5 days ago3 min read

The Crazed Monk

November 11, 2025 "Tomorrow the Golden Temple would surely burn down. That form which had been filling the space would be lost... And the Golden Temple itself, which had until then been constrained by its form, would be freed from all rules and would drift lightly here and there, scattering a faint light on the lake and on the waters of the dark sea." Yukio Mishima, from The Temple of the Golden Pavilion Their are 3 certain truths about Japan. The first is, the trains always

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7 days ago4 min read

The Weight of a Butterfly

November 7-8, 2025 “The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us an answer to this question?” ― John Hersey “I was against it on two counts. First, the Japanese were ready to surrender, and it wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing. Second, I hated to see

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Nov 86 min read

Going Dutch

November 5, 2025 "It ended up feeling a little bit like Disney world or a theme park, but every now and then you could find a quiet street, and it would feel like you were actually in Holland." - Alison Park-Douglas We traveled North from Nagasaki by train. The route was a lazy one that skirted Omura Bay. The last few days the weather has continued to be pleasant and mild. We are headed for Hiroshima. We stopped on a single platform across from Huis Ten Bosch. We got off t

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Nov 52 min read

The Fat Man

November 3-4, 2025 “‘I don’t know, Chuck,’ Ashworth said. ‘It’s better than dropping it into the ocean,’ I answered. ‘Are you sure of the accuracy?” Ashworth pressed. ‘I’ll take full responsibility for this,’ I assured him… From the IP, Van Pelt and Buckley started to coordinate the approach to the aiming point. The outline of the city appeared on the scopes in front of Van Pelt and Buckley. Buckley called out headings and precise closure rates to Beahan, who fed the data int

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Nov 410 min read

A Road Trip around Kyushu

October 30, 2025 "It looks so peaceful and yet you understand at first glance that a landscape like that could only have been created in the most violent way". -Anonymous It was dark by the time we got back from Korea. For this next bit of the trip we needed a car so bleary eyed we made our way to the rental car agency near the airport. After going through the endless paperwork we finally got the keys. Kyushu Island It is so tiresome, the menu of options you have to pick f

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Oct 314 min read

Bibimbap

October 28, 2025 "A bowl of bibimbap is like life—colorful, diverse, and packed with flavor.” Anonymous Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish of warm rice served with an assortment of seasoned vegetables, meat, and a fried egg, all mixed together with a spicy chili paste before eating. Bibimbap In many ways it serves as a great metaphor for our last 2 days here in Korea. We just did a little bit of everything. There was no real plan. We just looked at a small map and said, “Le

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Oct 283 min read

It Was Kinda Odd

October 26, 2025 “If the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had seemed to inaugurate a brand-new chapter in the history of warfare, supposedly making all other weapons obsolete and creating a world where military power rested only with the richest, most technologically advanced nations, then the Korean battlefield defeats of early July 1950 shattered that belief” ― David Halberstam, The Coldest Winter Very early in our marriage we had the opportunity for some overseas tr

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Oct 276 min read

First Impressions - Seoul

October 25, 2025 “Had the street lamps and neon signs always been this spectacularly bright? Why was Seoul so beautiful all of a sudden? Everything that was once nothing seemed special and amazing somehow.” – Sang Young Park Its not fair really. We have been here less than 24 hours and already first impressions form. I will take more time for the short few days I am here to see what settles and bear in mind the gleaming city of Seoul is hardly representative of everyone. A

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Oct 264 min read

The One We Didn't Bomb

October 23, 2025 “What do Japanese artisans, engineers, Zen philosophy, and cuisine have in common? Simplicity and attention to detail.” — Hector Garcia “Next time is next time. Now is now” - Kōji Yakusho. (From Perfect Days film) Curtis Lemay, the father of the modern U.S. Air Force in 1945 was the newly assigned general to head the American air campaign against Japan. Germany was defeated and the U.S. was moving its enormous bombing assets to the Pacific Theatre to “Finis

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Oct 234 min read

Center 4 Hamburgers - Takayama Days

October 20, 2025 “These days, all we ever really get are Days to dream, and days to lose. I just need to choose my time.” Ingrid Ellen Michaelson These past few days our pace has slowed a bit. The Russian Roulette of hotel rooms when traveling at last paid off with a comfortable room and bed. We decided to rest and take things slower for a few days. We are in a good place to accomplish that goal. This is Takayama in the Hida Prefecture of Japan. It is located in the Northe

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Oct 213 min read

Bells & Other Smells (A Dedication to the Swedish Dinner Club)

October 18, 2025 “If you encounter a bear while hiking, stand your ground and don’t make eye contact. If the bear attacks you anyway, fight for your life” Verbatim advice from The Lonely Planet Guide to Japan I will come to the Swedish Dinner Club in a moment. But first….. It sounds at first like an approaching ice cream truck. You are out on a hike and you hear in front of you the approach of tinkling bells. It is not an unpleasant sound just discordant here in the woods.

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Oct 184 min read

Bullet Trains, Wasabi Farming, & Crow Castles

October 16-17, 2025 “Don't dunk your nigiri in the soy sauce. Don't mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. If the rice is good, complement your sushi chef on the rice.” -Anthony Bourdain Bullet trains are extraordinary technological marvels. Through very powerful magnets they levitate on tracks achieving frictionless propulsion and astounding speeds. They can cover distances normal trains take in 1/3 of the time. Japan has pioneered this technology and leads the world in high sp

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Oct 174 min read

Senso-Ji

October 15, 2025 "It is better to travel well than to arrive." -Buddha We returned to Northern Tokyo for a brief visit to the Asakusa neighborhood. We initially considered staying here during our Tokyo days but it is not on the main metro lines and would have taken too long to get to other locations we wanted to see. Still the unique nature of the area warranted a look before we left Tokyo for good. The Golden Turd (Tokyo Skytree Tower in background) Perhaps the most un

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Oct 153 min read

Beautiful Things

October 14, 2025 “It’s no wonder Japanese find it so easy to worship nature” Colleen Dobbs If anyone else who reads this missive is as immature as I am, they are familiar with a video game called “Ghost of Tsushima”. It is a popular Playstation game in which a wronged samurai warrior seeks his revenge against tyrannical foes. As fun as the game is hacking and slashing your way to justice, there is a part of the game that elevates it beyond the usual fare. The animators have

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Oct 142 min read

Shrines & Temples

October 13, 2025 “Life is like a long journey carrying a heavy burden - there is no need to rush” Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu from The Testament of Ieyasu We left Tokyo by train for an excursion 2 hours north to the foothills of the Japanese Alps. Japan has large mountains that run through the middle and west of the country. Most, if not all, are volcanic in origin. We traveled there via a futuristic train called the SpaciaX. No, it is not the famed bullet train, that will come la

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Oct 134 min read

Tokyo in the Rain

October 11, 2025 遣らずの雨 (Yarazu no Ame): "The rain that doesn't let you go.” -Japanese Proverb It started raining around 8 am. Whether...

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Oct 114 min read

We Made It

October 8-9, 2025 “But anything that you hear about Japan is nothing like what you see when you actually go over there and see it, you...

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Oct 94 min read

Stupidly Happy

July 20, 2025 “ Beside the river there are two things you never forget, that the moment you look at a river that moment has already...

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Jul 204 min read

A Really Good Boy - A remembrance of Charlie

Charlie July 7, 2025 “You think those dogs will not be in heaven! I tell you they will be there long before any of us.” -Robert Louis...

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Jul 84 min read

Encuentros Cercanos

February 10-12, 2025 “You can dance, I promise” ― Tequila We are sitting in front of our tent, which in of it self is a weird thing for...

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Feb 1310 min read

Rolling in the Deep

February 4-5, 2025 “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the...

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Feb 76 min read

Isla Espiritu Santo

February 3, 2025 “I’m going on an adventure!” - Bilbo Baggins So the Whale Shark plans were a bust. And while I enjoyed a symphonic...

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Feb 63 min read

Learning To Walk Like A Dog

“The dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment” -Robert Falcon Scott February 2, 2025 So they left three days ago! One of the...

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Feb 34 min read

Wonders

“Today, I can assure you from my own experience that we are not what we eat, nor what we think: we are what we dream.” ― Sergio Magana...

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Jan 306 min read

Postcards from the Hinterland

Tulum January 26-28, 2025 “Do NOT throw the coconuts.” – Sign post at entrance to an archeological site We left the city of Merida ...

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Jan 285 min read

Uxmal

January 25, 2025 “Their were no aliens, wizards, sorcerers, magicians, or….witches. It was just we Mayans in our capacity for great...

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Jan 256 min read

The Day the Earth Ended

January 23, 2025 “Life will find a way” - Actor Jeff Goldblum from the original Jurassic Park film We took a taxi north of the city about...

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Jan 243 min read

The Second Tallest Man in the Yucatan

January 22, 2025 “It’s like Amazon.com …only alive” Colleen Dobbs We were crossing the street heading south across the now familiar Plaza...

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Jan 235 min read

Another City, Another Walk

January 20, 2025 “But I am not running away. I am running toward…toward adventure, toward discovery, toward diversity. And while I was...

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Jan 205 min read

Flyin’ South

“You cannot make everyone happy all the time. You are not a taco” Mexican Axiom January 19, 2025 It was so cold when we left. We...

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Jan 194 min read

In My Eyes

May 2024 “We said we'd walk together, baby, come what may That come the twilight, should we lose our way If as we're walking, a hand...

May 4, 20244 min read

There Are No Straight Lines

February 24-26, 2024 “People don't really go to museums in Rio. I shouldn't say it's not sophisticated, but, you know, they go to the...

Feb 26, 20246 min read

Walking in Wakanda

February 21-22, 2024 “won·der /ˈwəndər/ noun: wonder - a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful,...

Feb 22, 20243 min read

The JuJuy Highway

JuJuy ( - Pronounced “Who-whoie”) February 18-19, 2024 “There is no truth to the rumor that the local school mascot for the JuJuy...

Feb 19, 20245 min read

Quebrada de las Conchas

February 13-14, 2024 “This natural masterpiece stands as a testament to the remarkable forces that have shaped our Earth and invites...

Feb 14, 20242 min read

Good Food, Great Wine, & Giant Jesus

“‘Mendoza’ and ‘wine’, ‘wine’ and ‘Mendoza’. To an Argentinean, the words are almost interchangeable “ -The South American Specialists...

Feb 12, 20245 min read

Unexpected Pleasures

February 4-5, 2024 “In the old times, we made up rhymes To sing ourselves to sleep at night It was wild means, singing horse dreams Did...

Feb 6, 20243 min read

Covid, Colleen, and the 10% Moment

January 31-February 3, 2024 “We are going to have to agree to disagree” -Colleen Dobbs “Always remember in every situation your wife is...

Feb 4, 20246 min read

Three Volcanoes

January 31, 2024 “Finding fresh seafood in Chile is like finding chlamydia at Burning Man….it’s everywhere!”---Anthony Bourdain Next to...

Jan 31, 20243 min read

Chile

January 26-27, 2024 “These vast piles of snow, which never melt, and seem destined to last as long as the world holds together, present a...

Jan 27, 20244 min read

Ice (Patagonia Part 3)

January 23, 2024 “Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows...

Jan 24, 20242 min read

The Mountain (Patagonia Part 2)

January 21, 2024 “Surfing and climbing are both useless sports. You get to be conquistadors of useless. You climb to the summit and there...

Jan 23, 20243 min read

Stephen was right (Patagonia Part 1)

January 20, 2024 “I climbed a path and from the top looked up-stream towards Chile. I could see the river, glinting and sliding through...

Jan 22, 20245 min read

Snapshots

January 17-18, 2024 “Buenos Aires is my favorite city. I think it's fantastic - but is a troubled, sort of psychologically troubled...

Jan 19, 20244 min read

Uruguay

January 14-16, 2024 “The colonel stood up. “I hope you enjoy your trip to Uruguay. Its government is stable, democratic, and politically...

Jan 16, 20243 min read

Ghosts

January 13, 2024 “Don't cry for me, Argentina The truth is, I never left you All through my wild days, my mad existence I kept my promise...

Jan 14, 20243 min read

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