http://www.kahunna.net/ A non-commercial site dedicated to helping budget travelers discover meaningful travel. Copyright 2005, Kolby Kirk. en-us 60 http://www.kahunna.net/graphics/rss_banner.jpg http://www.kahunna.net/ 144 60 34.129507118.031200This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use. http://www.kahunna.net/blog/09.04.06.html There is an interesting article at The Wall Street Journal online. The article reports our government's proposed attempt to cut down on "ugly Americans" traveling abroad by giving businesses "simple suggestions" for their traveling employees. Entitled "The World Citizens Guide," it is proposed to be included with every passport issued, but details have not been finalized yet... [cont.] Mon, 04 Sep 2006 09:15 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/05.09.06.html If this website was my kid, it would have been taken away by Child Services long ago. A friend pointed out that I still haven't added to the site all of my photos from my Eastern European trip, a trip I took two years ago this month. Treating kahunna.net in this way hasn't been done on purpose, though. Life gets busy. And until I refurbish my blogging with some sort of publishing platform (right now it is all coded by hand), things might continue to be slow. Nonetheless, working slowly is better than standing still. With that said, I'm here to provide you with some quick updates. Below are some short summaries to the noteworthy trips I have taken in the last few months. Click on the title to be taken to the ... [cont.] Tue, 09 May 2006 13:45 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/03.17.06.html It has been too long since my last entry. I have had quite a few things happen in my life during the last half year. Like a roller coaster ride, my life took its twist and turns. Now I'm back to dust off the site and give it that lemony-fresh scent. Plus, I've got a lot of great stuff to share with you! Travels: Since my last post some five months ago, I had gone on a few adventures. To celebrate my big three-oh birthday, my family and I stayed a week in a cushy resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was great to go on a "vacation" and spend time sitting around a pool with my sunscreen-covered nose buried in a book. It was one of my goals to just relax, after all. However, I did complete a couple other personal goals: be the only 'gringo' on a local bus, experience the local day-to-day lifestyle of the area, and explore the jungles of the Sierra Madre. Mexico was my only international trip, but I took some local weekend trips in the past five months as well: two trips to Death Valley and two trips to ... [cont.] Fri, 17 Mar 2006 22:33 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/10.24.05.html For the next couple of weeks, you might hear sounds of eHammering and eSawing coming from this webpage. I'll be working on a new section of my site that will probably take up way too much of my time to do anything else on here, but should result in a great addition to the ever-growing world of Kahunna.net. The section will be called The Explorer's Library and will feature vintage guidebooks and autobiographic travel books from my personal collection. With each book, you'll be able to read information about the writer and their journey, as well as view selected passages and maps. You will also be able to study ephemera found in the book, like train tickets, pressed flowers or marginalia left by the owners long ago but preserved between the pages. I have already begun construction on The Explorer's Library. At work today, I sketched out a map of the new section and how I want it to look and feel. In my mind's eye, I see it looking like a forgotten shelf of a traveler's library. I want it to feel aged, dusty, slightly-dilapidated, but with a strong sense of soul and purpose, like a child's favorite stuffed animal that's missing an eye and leaking cotton at a broken seam. Many of the books are torn, water-damaged, sun-damaged and missing pages, but these were not heavily neglected books, they were heavily loved books. I hope that The Explorer's Library can point out the distinction between these two by example of the latter... [cont.] Sat, 24 Oct 2005 20:52 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/10.22.05.html In what seems like nearly a lifetime ago, I was a huge fan of the Star Wars films. Like most kids of the 1970s, I grew up with the action figures, Luke Skywalker underoos and plastic light sabers. However, my obsession took on a life all its own in 1997 when the original trilogy was re-released in theaters. My obsessive- compulsive tendencies pushed me into a ream of fandom few ever see. I passionately studied the non-fictional aspect of the films: I read as many books I could find that discussed the production of the series. I traveled to Death Valley many times in search of the handful of locations used for small pick-up shots in two of the original Star Wars films. Before each trip, I would ask my Star Wars friends if they would like to go, promoting the trips out to the Mohave with the catchy slogan "Tatooine or Bust!," referencing the desert planet from the film series where young Luke Skywalker grew up. Back in November of 2003, as a birthday gift for a friend, I organized my sixth trip to Death Valley - "Tatooine or Bust VI." Fourteen friends and I set aside 3-days for the trip and good times were had by all. Unfortunately, four friends were out of the country at the time of the trip. When they returned, they had to endure the telling of story after story of the exciting adventures, which made appearances in conversations for months. Obviously, they knew they had missed out and wished another trip would be planed soon - one that they could be apart of. So, in October of 2004, we came up with a solution: let those who did not go the first time pick the date for the next outing. Calendars were carefully studied. Appointment books perused. Finally, the right time to go was decided upon: October 7-9th, 2005. A year passed and word had been spread among friends that there would be another trip to "Tatooine." Preparations were made: time was requested off from work months in advance, camping supplies were purchased, and transportation was organized. On the eve of the departure, we had close to 30 people ready to egress from all over the Los Angeles area in three separate caravans. What arrived into Death Valley was an eclectic mix of people. Most in the group were Star Wars fans. Among them, four pre-teenagers who were most likely first introduced to characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Artoo Deetoo in the 2001 Star Wars prequel, Episode One - The Phantom Menace. We also had a few older die-hard fans as well, who grew up with the franchise and who stood in line to see A New Hope in 1977. Some of those in their late teens and early twenties brought home-made Star Wars props and costumes for wearing at the sites. But not all in the expedition were fans of the films: some had reluctantly joined the excursion to keep their Star Wars-loving spouses and children company... [cont.] Sat, 22 Oct 2005 21:15 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/10.05.05.html A package that I've been excitedly awaiting for arrived in the mail today from the UK. It's a album of 198 different public transportation ticket stubs that I won on eBay recently. Most of the tickets are from Northern Europe, but there are a few from as far east as the former Soviet Union and as far north as New Jersey. The ages range from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s. Now, I know that some of you might be scratching your heads right about now, wondering why I would get something like this. I must admit that it seems pretty strange, but I'm a collector of ephemera, or historical documents like maps, books, or like this collection, tickets. I plan on scanning each ticket and adding them to my growing database. Who knows... when I become rich and famous (well, maybe just well-paid and recognizable to a few) as a graphic designer, you'll see one of these tickets in my artwork and you'll remember this moment. (wink) Here's some pics... [cont.] Wed, 05 Oct 2005 23:45 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/10.11.05.html I had an excellent time in Death Valley this past weekend. I'll give the full report later this week, but for now, enjoy the photos I posted for your perusing pleasure.[link] On the way out to the desert, we stopped briefly in the small town of Mohave where I had a few minutes to check out the local thrift store. I found the following photos. Thought they were unique so I scanned them for later use in a project... [cont.] Wed, 11 Oct 2005 23:45 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/10.05.05.html A package that I've been excitedly awaiting for arrived in the mail today from the UK. It's a album of 198 different public transportation ticket stubs that I won on eBay recently. Most of the tickets are from Northern Europe, but there are a few from as far east as the former Soviet Union and as far north as New Jersey. The ages range from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s. Now, I know that some of you might be scratching your heads right about now, wondering why I would get something like this. I must admit that it seems pretty strange, but I'm a collector of ephemera, or historical documents like maps, books, or like this collection, tickets. I plan on scanning each ticket and adding them to my growing database. Who knows... when I become rich and famous (well, maybe just well-paid and recognizable to a few) as a graphic designer, you'll see one of these tickets in my artwork and you'll remember this moment. (wink) Here's some pics... [cont.] Wed, 05 Oct 2005 23:45 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/09.29.05.html Wanderlust is an unpredictable emotion. Like love, you really don't know when it might creep into your heart and start factoring into every decision you make. You can't control it but if you're not careful it can control you. It was very unfortunate for me that my wanderlust seemed to leave with each throb of my toothache. By the time I was about to leave work and begin my two-week vacation - time off I requested three months prior - I had absolutely no desire to go anywhere except to see a dentist. I just reread my last entry and feel a bit embarrassed. This blog thing is a new experience for me and I tend to just let it flow onto the "paper" and not hold anything back. Nevertheless, I'm feeling a lot better now. That terrible tooth really affected my life! The pain made me feel miserable and very grumpy. Being inside for days at a time, working until the early mornings by the light of my computer screen brought me lower and lower. My mood festered and I fell into an addictive routine of sleeping in until 11am, working all day on the computer or watching TV, and then making my way back to bed around two, three, sometimes even four in the morning... [cont.] Wed, 29 Sep 2005 23:45 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/09.28.05.html Well, I haven't been traveling...at all. I did not go on the abbreviated trip I mentioned in my last entry ten days ago. No camping in the Grand Canyon. No hiking in my local area. In fact, I haven't even gone into work. What I have been doing is living much like a hermit would if he lived in Arcadia. For the last week and a half, I have been working on my website (more on that later), catching up on my reading, watching episodes of Lost and CSI, and only leaving my apartment to check the mail or grab some groceries. Am I in a state of depression? I really don't know. I've thought about it a lot this week. Sometimes there's a thin line between depression and just plain ol' laziness. I do know that I'm a bit sad and disappointed in how quickly my travel plans unraveled. It has been many years since I've planned for a major trip only to have... Wed, 28 Sep 2005 23:45 PST http://www.kahunna.net/blog/09.18.05.html I've been wearing my new aquatic shoes around town, but I hadn't yet made the time to test them out in the environment they were intended for. So this weekend, I went hiking up my favorite trail wearing my Sebago Wave Extremes. Sun, 18 Sep 2005 08:00 PST