Molokini

This morning I didn’t know about Molokini. Now, I want to go there as soon as possible. It’s a partially-submerged volcanic crater just off the coast of Maui, one of the best diving and snorkeling places in the world.

Fun Fact

By law, no building on the Hawaiian island of Kauai can be taller than a coconut tree.

Not-So Fun Fact

I learned something today: Skype credits expire.

I think I’ve sung the praises of Skype before. It’s a service that allows you to make very cheap, sometimes free calls to anywhere in the world using your computer. Sometimes calls have that echo-y, transatlantic cable quality to them, but it’s so inexpensive that it’s worth it in a lot of cases. I loaded my account up when I was planning my trip to Shanghai, and I still had a lot left even after bickering with the soccer-ticket salespeople several times. (I would have gone broke attempting this with my landline.)

I’ve barely used Skype since then, though, because I don’t need to call overseas very often. And today, I got an email saying that my credit would expire in a week if I didn’t make a call.

Curiously, though, you can call anywhere for any length of time and it counts. So I performed the curious ritual of calling myself from my desk. My home phone rang across the room. I picked it up and listened to myself breathe for a few seconds, and then hung up. This appears to be all it takes to keep the account active. Strange business.

Here be Dragons?

Did you know that 70% of Hong Kong’s landmass is rural? I’ve even been there and that surprises me. I guess I shouldn’t have spent all my time eating Indian food in Kowloon. (For one thing, getting out more might have made writing the H.K. destination summary easier.)

What do you suppose they're growing on all this land? Cameras?

Fun Fact

The Mall of the Emirates in Dubai has a Borders, a Virgin Megastore, a movie theater, and Starbucks. Oh, and a ski area. There is a man-made hill with actual snow and a 200-foot vertical drop in the middle of the mall. Strange place. If homosexuality weren’t punishable by death in the United Arab Emirates, I might just go see it for myself.

I Got the Gig

I’ve been asked to write 20 destination blurbs for the Perfect Escapes web site. This is a lot like work I used to do at Travelocity, only aimed at a readership with a lot of disposable income.

I kind of thought this would be a piece of cake until I started trying to write one on San Francisco. I’m so overwhelmed daydreaming about what I would do in the Bay Area if I had an expense account that I have hardly typed a word all afternoon. Maybe I should start with an easy one, like Dubai.

Busy for a Change

I’m working on two paying gigs this week, which is unusual for me. I’m editing, and I’m also writing a few destination descriptions on spec for a luxury travel company based in San Francisco. I have my friend Randy, a former Travelocity co-worker, to thank for that. Ideally, the two trial pieces I’m writing will lead to a request to do more. I’m hopeful. It would be nice to have something steady to count on for a little bit.

My First Fan

On Friday night I went to a reading at Book Passage, my favorite Bay-Area bookstore. It was a promotional event for Best Women’s Travel Writing 2008. I was in the 2007 edition, and at this reading, someone actually recognized me from the year before, remembering correctly that I had read a story about China. This struck me as pretty remarkable. There are lots of writers whose work I enjoy but whom I probably could not pick out of a lineup.

Spoke too Soon

I may be happily wrong about the supposedly abandoned train engine I saw last week. The Oakland Terminal Railway is still a going concern, operating on about 10 miles of track in West Oakland. It’s a switching line, owned jointly by Union Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroad. The headquarters are right on Engineer Street. So this little engine may still find work now and then.

Published

This is a pleasant surprise: Several months ago, I had an essay accepted by the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine. I had thought it would appear next Sunday, but it actually ran yesterday.

(Pipi saw it first and showed the page to me, and my first thought was “Oh, no, someone stole my title!”)

The Little Engine That Couldn’t

Some days it’s hard to think of a title for my blog entry. Other days, the title’s easy, but I don’t really know where to go from there.

This is one of those days.

I took this picture on scenic (not really) Engineer Street, which goes past the wastewater treatment plant. This sad little engine appears to have found its final depot here, hard by an Army Reserve center and a giant empty lot. I don’t think the tracks in this area are even functional anymore. The Army base region is criss-crossed with them, and Amtrak still goes through West Oakland on its way to Jack London Square and Emeryville, but I think this particular engine has whistled its last. I hope I’m wrong, though. What’s more lonely than a train without a destination?

Where the Names Have No Streets

The Oakland Army Base doesn’t have enough abandoned buildings left that you could call it a ghost town. But here’s one thing it does have: ghost streets.

I don’t know how long it’s been since A Street was a real thoroughfare, and I can only guess where it originally went. There’s a freeway on top of it now.

Slow Cooking, Fast Editing

I’ve got my editing cap on this week. I’m working on another cookbook. This one’s slightly shorter than the last one, so I shouldn’t be as crazed getting it done. Still, I might be a bit brief this week.

Over It

A few months ago, I wrote a post enthusing about a site called WAYN.com.

But I’m over it.

I still like some of the widgets, like the one that keeps track of how much of the world you’ve visited. And I like the idea of being able to communicate with travelers all over the globe. But the reality is starting to get really annoying. I’m getting several emails a week like this one:

HI MY NAME IS BEN,TO BE HONEST WITH YOU AM MUCH IN LOVE WITH YOUR PROFILE......SO I WAS THINKING IF YOU COULD GIVE ME THE PRIVILEAGE TO HAVE AN ONLINE CHAT WITH A GOOD LOOKING ANGEL LIKE YOU, AS TO KNOW YOU BETTER,

WE DO NOT MEET AN ANGEL IN OUR EVERY DAY LIFE SO NOW THAT I MET YOU, I WOULDN'T LET YOU GO TILL YOU BLESS ME WITH YOU BEAUTY

HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON ANGEL.

Ben is from Morocco, so I don’t hold the broken English against him. And I know he isn’t really angry, so I’ll let the caps slide. But…angel? Come on. Read the profile, people.