Official USA trip Journal, Part one

I land in San Francisco and wrestle my bags over to a hostel. After about a day in transit I land at a hostel in Union Square. Turns out Keith Knight used to work here, one of his cartoons is taped up on the wall. Looks like the area is becoming gentrified, the Hilton is one block over. Weird.

I’ve made plans to visit Che Gilson in Hanford (south of Fresno) the next day.

I crash hard and wake up the next morning. Just outside the hostel I’m stunned by a poster in a store window.

I’ve been away too long. Have things really gotten this bad?

I wrestle my luggage in the predawn hours past homeless people sleeping on the street. They look like coocoons, wrapped up tightly, navy and tan against sidewalk gray. Ah, if only I could show my Cambodian friends this. They think America’s paved in gold.

I find the terminal but miss my connection and have to wait two hours. It’s a treat though to watch the sun rise over the city, San Francisco is built on hills so I have a great view.

I savor a coffee and the local graffitti. Yes, this is a ‘blue state‘ all right.

Thailand, All Thumbs

“Sexy Video, Sexy Video” the touts whisper as I haunt Porntip Plaza (now there’s an appropriate name) to repair my camera and price out some tech gear. I’m struck by how Bangkok has some basic similarities to Yogyakarta – canals intersecting the city, the mix of big skyscrapers and sidewalk vendors, taxis and tuk-tuks, the rapidfire mix of languages and ethnicities. City planning has come late to Bangkok – it has a train and subway now but unfinished buildings and roads from the 1997 economic crisis still are visible. Curious to see if Kuala Lumpur and other big Southeast Asian cities have a similar sprawl.

Comics here are increasingly leaning towards manga, and many are now including a ‘copyright’ certified sign. I’ll scan it in later to share. (Also have more USA pix and fun too!)

Back to Phnom Penh next. Justin Hall (True Travel Tales, All Thumbs Press) is local, hope to have a ‘meet and greet’ !

Looking for some Christmas tunes? Tired of the same old stuff?

Here, for your listening pleasure, is ‘Bah and the Humbugs’.

http://www.fjordstone.com/fahrenheit1225/music.html

Visiting the USA. First San Francisco and the Museum of Comic Art! Then Los Angeles for family time.

Cheers to Jesse, Andrice, Lark, Che, Joyce, Andrew Farago for their hospitality.

Trip notes in maybe two weeks. Sometimes life has gotta take place offline.