snap

!!!! spent a weekend at mammoth. did some snowboarding and drinking. you really do get drunk faster at higher elevations!! ;) the bus from the lodge to the town is convenient to go out for a bite to eat.

we stayed at both rims for a couple nights and then backpacked down to phantom ranch and stayed a couple more nights and came back out. if you are luck you can get steak down at the ranch (they mulepack food down)! bright angel creek (i think that’s what it’s called) is a nice cold stream to take a dip into. bright angel was one of the trails we were on.

we did the trip in June and it was hot as hell. we brought a tent with us, but we ended up not using it. Ive heard the scorpions come out at night, but didnt feel any. I recommend going when it’s a little cooler and/or hiking at night/early morning, especially when you are coming out. ;} either way, you’ll have a good time… good scenery, some wildlife, and a good workout.

the trails we were on were crowded at the top of the canyon—with people gathered around the watering holes, but there were long stretches of secluded hiking as you get further down too.

if you are not up for backpacking, I think you can take mules down or even a raft through the canyon on the Colorado. My neighbor has walked to the bottom and back in a day without anything other than food and water, so that might be an option too. any way plan your trip and you will have a good time.

I want a house in the ozarks!!!!

... I couldnt imagine that it would be an all too attractive tourist destination for those that need to prioritize. But it is certainly worth visiting and a great place to live though!

The night-life has changed a bit in downtown HArrisburg in the past 3-4 years with the addition of some clubs and bars (disappearance of some unique personal favorite spots—i.e. the vault, the wyre); good or bad there are more drunken 20somethings out and about raising hell in the streets.

There is also city-island where you can go catch a minor league ball game or soccer game or go for a bike-ride or walk. if you are into camping and hiking, there are lots of trails (e.g. appalachian trail) and parks in the area. there are museums, a movie theatre that plays indie/foreign flics, the forum where you can see/hear the harrisburg symphony or other shows—for that matter there is always live music throughout the week somewhere (e.g. http://www.hbgonline.com/), or if theatre is your thing there are play houses (e.g. gamut) etc, etc.

you can get Indian food and sushi/sashimi among other kinds of food. Harrisburg is also close to Lancaster (Amish country) and Hershey (home of Hershey Chocolate). Philly, Pittsburgh, State College (Penn State), and Baltimore are all with in a 2-3 hours drive too.

in the mean time… it seems like renting a house is a popular thing to do. Can anybody recommend a rental website? Approximately what are the prices to expect, for what length of time?

?? I think I might visit China for a couple of weeks this upcoming March. Does anybody have any suggestions for must see parts of China for someone with only a couple of weeks to spare?

I just want to go here because I keep falling for Czech girls… what is this all about?

maybe it was the time of year, the occasion, or the fact that I’m from the NE, but this place is beautiful!

It’s been about five years since I’ve been there, so maybe it’s changed. Koh Samed was never really known for their full mooon parties, but Koh Phanagn is, so I’m kind of curious about Malachy’s comments. There are restaurants on the beach (actually on the sand), the water is/was clear and clean, you can do some swimming and snorkeling, and while it’s not a completely tourist-free area, it was much better than a place like Pattaya or Phuket during the same time of the year. If you look, you can rent fairly nice and clean bungelows too.

There is a forest monastery in Ubon Ratchathani called Wat Pah Nanachat in the northeast (quite a ways from the city) that has attracted many western monks and lay practionioners. It is a nice place to visit to enounter the old-style Thai Buddhist forest-tradition. I think they prefer if you call ahead if you would like to stay overnight as they do not always have lots of room.