Like Potato Chips With Wings

Fried crickets aren't as bitter tasting as one might think. In fact, properly seasoned, these insects are actually pretty tasty, and they're a popular snack sold by street vendors all over Thailand.

Never mind the rumors that abound that these crickets are harvested en masse with the help of DDT. Because once you put one of these crunchy critters in your mouth, there's no going back. Meaning, they're so addictive, you can't eat just one. Kind of like potato chips, but with wings.
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These Shoes Ain't Made For Walkin'

Riding public buses in Bangkok affords one the opportunity to soak in the city in its rawest form. That means hearing the roar of the bus engine, feeling the heat and sweat and hearing the exasperated groans of your fellow passengers, and experiencing a sort of collective resignation to being stuck in such an uncomfortable situation.

And, on occasion, it also enables the rider to observe things that they might not normally pay attention to -- like what kinds of footwear people are sporting.

These passengers' footwear are clearly designed for the short haul, and also reflect the fact that it's just so gosh darn hot in Bangkok. Flip-flops are common in the Thai capital, especially during the rainy season when floods are pretty much a daily occurrence, and the sounds they make are something that visitors remember and identify with their time in Thailand.

But what's up with the shoe on the left side of the photo? That certainly doesn't look like a very comfortable footwear experience.
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Hold On Tight!

Ooooh boy this is going to be a scary motorbike ride, I can just feel it. And even though I'm just a three year old little boy, I want my daddy to go really fast! And, as soon as the light turns green, we're going to!

You see, my mom's late for work, and the only way for dad to get her to work on time is to weave back and forth between cars in Bangkok's morning rush hour traffic jams. It actually makes me dizzy, but that's OK, because I think it's fun. And my hair blows around and gets messed up too.

After my dad drops mom off at work, he'll take me to pre-school. I like pre-school a lot, and I spend the whole day there playing with other kids and learning about stuff. I like all the teachers there. Well, except Mr. Somchai, because he never smiles, and he doesn't seem to bathe much either.

Well, the light just turned green, and my dad just told me to hold on tight, so that's what I'm going to do. I always do what mom and dad say, because when I don't, they don't let me have desserts!
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My Baby's Going To Be President

Every parent-to-be wants the best for their child. Well, I'm stepping that up a little bit: I want my baby to be president. President of what, I'm not quite sure. But definitely someone important; someone who brings meetings to order, and without whom things simply wouldn't get done.

Yes, that's right, you heard me -- PRESIDENT. It's a bold ambition, but why not? What am I supposed to do, sit here, in the last couple of months before my child is born, and hope for anything less than the best? I'm aiming high with my hopes, and my baby's going to rock the world, just you watch.

And so I'm performing this little ceremony here at the temple, to make some merit and hopefully ensure that my vision becomes reality. It's the least I can do for the kid who's going to change my world in ways I haven't yet even begun to imagine.
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Can You Believe That Bullshit?

Did you hear about the stunt that Old Lady Zhang pulled the other day at the fruit market? Apparently she fondled all the mangos in the entire place in her search for the ripest, juciest ones. The only problem was, she squeezed them so hard that many of them burst!

From what I hear, she ruined a couple hundred perfectly good ones. And mango juice was running all over the place, covering the fruit stalls with stickiness and making them veritable fly magnets.

The fruit sellers at the market were understandably upset. I heard that one of the guys called Old Lady Zhang an annoying, high maintenance bitch! Well, she didn't take too kindly to that, and word has it that she immediately turned to a cart full of watermelons and kicked it over! Can you believe the gall? Who does she think she is, some kind of freaking blue blood?
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Good Thing We Brought These Blankets

I'm happy to have jobs doing road repairs, but man, what kind of bad karma did I have in the past life to get sent to work at Khardung La, the world's highest motorable highway? At 17,500 feet, the air is thin up here, and it ain't exactly balmy either. And this is in the middle of August!

I must have done some seriously bad stuff in my previous life. Maybe I was a serial killer or something. Or a Neo-conservative.

Still, working in such an inhospitable place does toughen me up, which is a good thing, because when I head back down to sea level, I can basically kick anyone's ass in a fight. I just wear them out physically and mentally. Not that I go around looking to fight, but hey, sometimes the fight comes to me.

Speaking of fighting, I'm actually fighting to breathe right now. Does anyone know where a guy can get some hot cocoa around here?
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Hazardous Place For Nesting

Viking Cave on Thailand's Phi Phi Island is home to thousands upon thousands of nests of the cave swift, a bird whose nest is actually edible. It's the main ingredient in Bird's Nest Soup, a dish that inspires shockwaves of gustatory delight all across Asia, and is one of the more expensive delicacies on the planet.

That's why the bird's nests of Viking Cave are under 24-hour watch from local security guards, some of whom are believed to be packing heat. It's an odd juxtaposition to consider in such a peaceful, visually beautiful place, where the loudest sound one hears in the lapping of the waves against the limestone cliffs.

If it weren't for the waves, one might be able to hear the tinny shrieks of 300,000 cave swifts asking "Who the F--- stole my nest again?"
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Pluto Is Still Pretty Upset

Pluto -- the celestial body, not the cartoon dog -- is still pretty upset about losing its planetary status a couple of years ago. If you didn't hear about this, Pluto, which since its discovery in 1930 had been considered the smallest and most distant planet in our solar system, in 2006 was reclassified as a 'dwarf planet', a new category that includes similarly-sized bodies like Eris and Ceres.

Not surprisingly, being relegated was pretty upsetting to Pluto, as well as to Charon, its moon, both of which had grown accustomed to their planetary status, mainly because it gave them access to the best parties. And to be frank, Pluto and Charon's melancholy still hasn't subsided, although the heavy drinking and compensatory late night carousing have tapered off.

To help forget the pain, Pluto and Charon are actually planning on taking a pottery class, and they've even been entertaining the idea of doing a little traveling -- perhaps to Earth, in order to exact some revenge on the astronomers responsible for the demotion.
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Searching For Meaning

This is a face that has never not known a world of instant communication, that has never not known email, or the Worldwide Web, or an existence that doesn't include being able to pick up the phone and have a pizza delivered to your place in less than 15 minutes.

But the thing about kids is that they're always inquisitive, and long before the Internet arrived, they were making the best out of their situations, finding intrigue in the most mundane things.

For proof of this, you really don't have to look any further that the phenomenon that happens when a kid gets a gift, plays with it for 15 minutes, and ultimately ends up spending more time playing with the box, or whatever packaging comes with it. This is insight into the human mind, and a wonderful window into our tendency to always -- always -- look for meaning in the most ordinary things.
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I Have Something To Tell You...

Hey, I bet you're wondering why I've asked you to meet me way out here in the middle of nowhere. Well, it's because I have to tell you something, and I didn't want to say it in front of everyone else.

I'm going to leave the village and start a new life in the city. I know, I know, it sounds like a rash decision, one that I might later regret. But frankly, I'm kind of bored up here, there just isn't enough going on to satisfy me. And there's a whole big world out there that I'd like to catch a glimpse of.

What's that? I've been watching too many Hollywood movies? OK, fair enough, you may be right. But it's more than that, it's about me wanting to learn more about myself, and while it's peaceful up here in the Himalaya, I want to challenge myself more, and the city sounds like just the place to make that happen. Wish me luck!
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Landing At LAX

Runway 24R and 24L at Los Angeles International Airport are actually two of the most frequently filmed airport runways in the world. This is due to fact that there's a public park less than a football field away from where the runways begin, which allows people to stand and gawk as giant aircraft go screaming overhead. So next time you're watching a movie or TV show which includes a landing scene, it was probably filmed right in this little park.

It's a pretty humbling experience when you see a 747 materialize in the distance, growing slowly larger and larger as it approached the runway, until it eventually fills your entire field of vision, not to mention your ears. After the WOOSH of its passing, the next sound you hear is the squeal of the dozen tires that a 747 needs to cushion its 100 ton bulk.
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Dreaming Of The Grandkids

Meet Mei Ling, a 57 year old seller of notebooks and other stationary items. She's been playing her wares on the streets of Shanghai for the past 17 years, and has made a pretty decent living from her toils. The job isn't exactly exciting, but Mei Ling does enjoy watching people, and there are no shortage of those in the teeming markets of China's most commercially crazy city.

Right now, though, Mei Ling is taking a little sidewalk siesta. She's actually recoveing from what ended up being a pretty late night. Her daughter is in town from Shanxi province, and brought the 2 year old grandkids for a visit. Those little devils crawled all over Mei Ling's house, and she found herself continually running after them to avoid different disasters, particularly ones involving her treasured China collection.

That's tiring work, and is a big reason why Mei Ling is snoozing. But she does adore her grandkids, and hopes her daughter stays in town a while.
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You Want A Piece Of Me?

Wait, am I understanding you correctly? You want to fight me? You want a piece of this?

You CANNOT be serious. I beg you to reconsider. You have absolutely no idea how badly you would get beaten in such a scenario. All's I know is that you are asking for trouble, and if you really want it, I will be happy to oblige.

What would happen, you ask? First I would peck you with my razor sharp beak. I actually file it every night before I go to sleep. Then I would stomp the hell out of you with my scaly claws. These puppies are pretty rough, like sandpaper! Sharp, too.

Anyway, are you sure you want this? If so, let's do this! I'm so down for it. Right now!
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Rainy Strolling

It's a Thursday afternoon at the Shwedagon Temple in Yangon, Burma, and the skies have just opened up, drenching the devout with buckets of rain that even super strength umbrellas can't stop. But no one really minds, since they're strolling in one of the most ornate, colorful -- and for Buddhists, most sacred -- temples in the world.

Just Minutes From The Glitz

This little patch of developing suburban joy is situated east of Las Vegas, Nevada. It probably has a name, since it's far enough away to not be part of the city, but I just shot this from a plane, so don't hassle me, man.

It must be strange to live here, just far enough away from the big neon glitter of Vegas to not have to participate, yet close enough to sense its throbbing Hedonism. It looks like there's one big road, the rest are itty bitty little roads that have more tumbleweeds than cars.

Some gamblers who've had some moderate success at the tables might even keep a condo here, just so they can catch a breather from time to time. Y'know, to get away from the glitz.

Careful Dude, She Might Notice You're Staring

Wenyan had been watching the young lady selling trinkets in the little waterside market for weeks, but had yet to muster the courage to say hi. That wasn't unusual for Wenyan, because even though he'd already reached 34 years of age, he still hadn't... y'know. Why not? Because he basically had no game. Zero.

Wenyan is, however, very skilled in the art of staring. He's pictured here staring down at the pretty girl, completely unaware that this kind of behavior freaks girls out. And that this is true in China, and pretty much anywhere.

In fact, once Wenyan's friends told him that girls equate such behavior with freaky stalkers they hear about pretty much daily on the 11 o'clock news, he decided to take a different approach: He joined an online dating service.

But after a couple of weeks, Wenyan realized that his one true love was right there beneath the bridge. So he stopped staring, and started talking, and despite his lack of game, she ended up falling for him. I wonder, though, if she just wanted to get this freaky guy to stop staring at her from above?

Heidelberg Man's Old Stomping Grounds

This alley in the old town of Heidelberg, Germany, looks like a quiet, unassuming place where nothing much going on. OK, maybe that's true now. But between 400,000 and 500,000 years ago, a Neanderthal called Homo heidelbergensis, also known as "Heidelberg Man", roamed this region.

Heidelberg Man came to light in October 1907, when a worker digging a hole found a piece of fossilized jawbone in the dirt, which was later confirmed to be that of Homo heidelbergensis. That remained his name for several years, until one night, the ghost of Homo heidelbergensis visited a professor at Heidelberg University and begged him to petition for a name change.

These days, Heidelberg Man keeps a low profile. You might see him darting furtively between buildings at night, but he's had his time in the spotlight, and prefers to avoid it.

"Three More Trips To Go"

Anil and the boys had been hauling away dirt all afternoon in the 100 degree heat of a Calcutta summer, and by his estimates, they had about three more cartloads to go before the job would be finished.

It was dirty work (obviously), and after three months, Anil was getting sick of it. But with all the construction going on, piles of excavated dirt were appearing all over the city, and companies kept calling Anil and asking him to move it. At least the money wasn't bad... wait, actually, it was bad -- a paltry few rupees a day.

Anil was bored with the work, but he had a plan to save up and one day buy an air conditioned cart to haul away the loose dirt. "Yes, that would make the work a bit more bearable," Anil thought to himself. "Maybe I could even get these guys to push the cart, and I could read while they worked."

Car Stereos Are Way Too Loud Today

Well, there goes another one of those damn noisy cars again, with the vibrating bass that you can hear from 5 blocks away. Who needs to listen to their music that loud? I can't imagine that these kids are going to have any eardrums left by the time they're 30.

Why does everything these days seem to be trending toward louder, more obnoxious, and more annoying to us old folks? Are kids just trying to annoy the hell out of us? If so, it's working really well.

I'll tell you, if I ever get my hands on one of those young kids, I'll... well, I don't know what I'll do, but it'll be pretty bad.

I Am So Not Giving You A Ride

Oh, look, it's a tourist! Wow, you came all the way up here in the mountains -- must have been a bumpy trip. I hear those Land Rover seats are a real pain in the ass, no pun intended.

Wait, what's that? You've always wanted to ride a camel? Well, forget about it pal. Too bad.

First of all, I'm on break. Second, I don't give rides to tourists -- it's in my contract. Just ask my handler. He's the guy selling bags of pine cones, which happen to be my favorite food.

I'm not in the mood to go traipsing around the dunes with some brain dead idiot on my back taking photos, so he can show all his friends back home how cool Jammu & Kashmir was, and how he rode a camel.

Go ahead and buy me a bag of pine cones though -- I'll eat 'em right up. However, just be aware that your gesture will in no way help convince me to give you a ride. I might spit on you though -- hey, that'd be something to tell the guys about, wouldn't it?

The Godfather Of All Hangovers

Godfather is one of the few beers available in Jammu & Kashmir, the northern most state of India. And even if you don't like beer, it's so "super strong" and "high powered" that you won't notice what it tastes like after just a few sips.

Note that the label says this bottle was brewed in July 2004 and is 'good' until January 2005. Pretty short shelf life, huh -- wonder why that is?

It's unclear who the guy on the label is meant to be, but it looks like he's having a pretty good time, so I guess that's reassuring. However, after drinking a few bottles myself, I'd have to say that this guy might not be smiling the morning after.

"This Traffic Is Getting On My Nerves"

"This is ridiculous. I'm pretty used to being stuck in traffic jams in the Pahar Ganj district of Delhi, India, but today, it seems even busier than usual. What's really annoying is that no one has hired me in more than an hour!

Why is that, I wonder? Is there something wrong with my rickshaw? It's got a nice new seat, I just replaced it a couple of months ago. So what gives?

In any event, I've about had it with these people wandering aimlessly into the street right in front of me. I'm going to ring my bicycle bell so loudly at the next person who does that! Damn, I really need to find a new line of work.

Off The Wall

Hi, I'm an alleyway in Amsterdam, and I just got spray painted -- again -- by some young punks who stumbled out of a nearby coffee shop and decided to let loose with some mindless scribblings. And this cartoon face reflects my own feelings about the situation.

Now, I'm no crotchety old alley -- I actually like graffiti, provided it's tastefully executed and serves a purpose. But lately, all these kids can do is just write their names, or spray paint cartoon 'thought bubbles' with nothing meaningful inside them. And to me, that's just a reflection of the dumbing down of the global society that's all too apparent these days.

I remember back in the day, when I first came into being as an alleyway. Kids back then would spray paint their graffiti thoughtfully and carefully, and it always had a message. Never would you see some moron spray painting his name -- the other artists wouldn't allow it.

I remember one time many years ago, Vinny Van Gogh himself came down and painted an early rendition of 'The Starry Night' on one of my walls. That was cool. I wish the kids these days could bring that kind of passion to their work.

Ice Cream Related Tantrum

Zihao had been having a pretty good day for an 18 month old. He'd been on his best behavior, only throwing one tantrum earlier that day, which his mother admitted was way less intense than usual.

But around 2 p.m., as Zihao and his mom were strolling along The Bund in Shanghai, Zihao spotted an approaching ice cream vendor and demanded -- in a shrieking high pitched tone -- that his hunger for sweets be satisfied.

The problem was, he hadn't eaten lunch yet. His mom had fed Zihao a late breakfast, and they'd gone out immediately after his nap. So when the ice cream man came, Zihao's mom refused to buy him the frozen treasure he'd requested. Unsurprisingly, this led to an epic tantrum.

Watching The Procession Of Life

This golden Buddha isn't the biggest Buddha at the Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. Actually, he's not even close. Last time I checked, he was 437th.

But no matter, because this golden Buddha has one of the best vantage points at the Sule Pagoda, which is situated right in the busy center of the city and gets a constant stream of foot traffic. From this position, the golden Buddha likes to sit and watch the people walking round the circular path of the temple, stopping sometimes to shower him with praise and devotion. Not bad work, if you can get it.

Dueing much of the year, at about 4 p.m. each afternoon, dark clouds gather above the city and the skies explode with torrential rain, lightning, and soul-gripping thunderclaps. But the golden Buddha is never phased by any of this. He likes to sit there and watch the chaos and take it all in, because it's all part of the deal.

And after some time, the rains stop, and the people come back, and the cycle begins again.