in the woods behind the house

there are trees that stand tall in eerie circles

moss that grow thick on waist-high stone walls

and tree tops that seem to reach higher than the moon

back in the southland for the holidays

driving through downtown - opened the moon roof - and looked up

a large list of specials scribbled in chalk at a japanese-italian restaurant

a short-staffed restaurant kitchen crew working on a holiday weekend

a store sells all manners of mexican wrestling masks to anyone with ten dollars and a dream

a city in south east asia

in a sprawling metropolis as far as the eye can see

the city is a mix of old and new

i seemed to have chosen a hotel in the more developed part of town

where costs for luxuries can rival anywhere in the first world

a nice martini on this rooftop bar commands first world prices

but the nice breeze in the tropical weather and the view of the early christmas shopping is a nice perk

there are french colonialization influences - here the central post office offers tourists and post users a reason to visit

notre dame church in the high-rent district stands out amongst the newer glass and steel structures

the food is tasty and comforting in this part of the world

fish for sale at a local market - perhaps sorted by geneology ....

this is the center of the back-packer district - where cafes and restaurants place their customers facing the entertainment provided by the cacophony of passing scooters and street hawkers

an impromptu sunday morning concert by a flamenco troupe creates a jam of moped music-lovers who stop in the middle of the large intersection to listen for a while

passed a small family on a moped in the countryside just outside the city

an old man cycling along the dirt road pulling his cargo of plant matter

a father and son sharing a moment on the streets near the main marketplace

everywhere i go - there are always brides and grooms posing for wedding photos alongside municipal parks and monuments

not the most aerodynamic form of transportation - someone should have told him that there was a rather large bundle of helium-filled balloons attached to his bike

half the local people wear face-masks to ward off some of the larger particulates in the air but the air pollution is quite severe and unavoidable

i think the city is named after this man

i think i had walked past him earlier in the day by the market

happened upon a calendar photo session where i snapped a couple of photos myself

passed a row of shops with artisans that make the most amazing model sailing boats

a photo of a photo on exhibit at the war remnants museum -

a picture from times past

bowling, occupy oakland, food

took off a few hours in the afternoon for beer and bowling

a scene from the encampment of civil protesters in front of city hall

with a smile hard working volunteers serve hot meals to protesters and the homeless

a narrow building downtown

a rather large bowl of cut noodles at a very reasonable price

pork belly and spinach salad with a ginger soy-sauce dressing

taro balls wrapped in bacon and charcoal grilled

salmon sashimi posed on a chiso leaf

rice salmon pickles seaweed and wasabe in green tea

a few pictures no words

bay bridge

walked out of a restaurant in the city late on a saturday night and took in the view of the bay bridge

back in the neighborhood

last day of spring at baker beach looking out at the golden gate bridge and the great blue yonder