Start 2024 off right, read The Life Brief by Bonnie Wan

 Skip to 01:55 to hear Sara Gelman's mini-review of The Life Brief, then go to TheLifeBrief.com for more.

Morocco Day 6: Fes, Day3

Explored more of Fes today, on our own.  It rained on us a bit, but not too bad.  It felt like a tropical island type of rain, where it rains for a bit, passes on, and repeats.  It was never too heavy and when wandering the souks, there was often overhead cover to keep us dry.  We walked all the way back to Bab Boujloud.  Again, we were foiled many times by places being closed.  We can't figure out if places close for prayer, or what?  But we seem to be exploring during the worst times.  Also, we can't help but wonder if some places that charge an admission fee are official: could there just be enterprising people hanging out in front saying you need to pay them (Jim Kerker, my high school physics teacher, says he used to do this when he was growing up: they'd set up some folding chairs at the entrance to the school parking lot and charge drivers a parking fee to attend football games).  Anyway, the reason I wonder this is because the official sites all give you a stamped receipt, but these other places don't.  Maybe the difference is between government-run vs. private?

Did I mention yet how there are oranges everywhere in Morocco?  The train stations, palaces, public parks, etc. all have orange trees growing.  And you get freshly squeezed OJ everywhere.  Here is an orange vendor.

And tajines too...

Late lunch after walking to Bab Boujloud.  Ordered another sandwich, but it costs more in Fes.  I guess big cities always cost more than small ones.  One thing we observed here is that the locals were eating in this sandwich place, but the fish guy across the way was sending stuff over too.  So, you can eat in one place and order stuff from another.  Quite convenient.

Boubouches (sp?)

After we got back to Place Seffarine, we decided to take a juice and cookie break at the Cremerie.  Here is an avocade, apple, orange juice, though it didn't have enough avocado in it.  The guys that run this place are fun and nice.  They also own the restaurant across the plaza.  These cookies were the best.  They also have the crescent shaped ones, but they weren't as good.

View of metal workers from Cremerie la Place

view from Cremerie la Place

We asked Mohammed at Dar Seffarine to make a hammam reservation for us.  The local hammam was under renovation (though I'm sure there were plenty of others nearby), so he recommended a place in the new city.  Sort of a mix of European spa and traditional hammam.  We figured that would be a good intro.  The place was fairly expensive (average Western pricing, I think it was like USD$70 per person for hamman and 1-hour massage).  I always find it hard to figure out what to do in these places when I can't speak the language (I had the same problem at the Korean spa in Garden Grove, CA the first time I went).  I basically just went wherever the workers told me to go, except I may have made one mistake in the beginning, where instead of going downstairs, I went to some window to get my robe and towel.  Somewhere along the way, I failed to get the full-body clay mask (the receptionist swears she told them to give it to me, but I didn't).  Also, the weird thing about this place is that my locker key broke, and they charged ME for it.  The receptionist says that if I didn't pay, then the towel/locker boy would have been responsible for it, so that's why the kid was insistent that I give him money.  Oh, if any of you have ever had a body scrub at the Korean spa, the Hammam is similar.  They scrub you down with a super-abrasive glove, though they weren't as thorough as the Koreans, who literally cleaned *every* part of my body.

After the massage, we were going to try a restaurant recommended in Lonely Planet, but the receptionist said it had closed down (again, why are we always finding places that are closed?).  So, we went with another LP rec, even though it didn't get very good reviews on Trip Advisor.  The place is called Zagora, and I think I have to go with the Trip Advisor ratings.  Not bad, but not great either.  Pretty average.

Steak.  I assume it is grass fed in Morocco.  I'm very happy because it is not tajine. ;-)

Morocco Day 5: Fes to Fes

We changed accommodations today, moving to Dar Seffarine.  What a beautiful place!

Relaxing on the rooftop

Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the courtyard, but you can go to their website.

We decided to hire a guide to get an "official" tour of Fes.  Definitely a good thing to do at least once, particularly in Fes, since the medina is so huge.  We got to see some stuff we wouldn't have ventured into if we were on our own, like:

 The alley where they dye fabrics.

water wheel

dyeing cactus silk (from agave)

Or the tanneries (ok, we probably would have found them on our own, but not sure we'd have found the leather co-op.

The stench is fairly bad, so they give you mint leaves.

These guys are around the smell all day 

Getting dirty

Or the guys who tend the fire to the communal ovens.  What a job!: they are underground all day, just feeding the fire.

Our first rug shopping exprience.  We learned quickly how to bargain, after buying a couple of leather poufs from the co-op above.

 Don't be afraid to bargain, it is expected.  Also, don't worry about offending them with too low an offer.  They generally won't be offended, particularly if you are nice about the low offer.  They won't sell you anything at an unprofitable price, so it's just a matter of figuring out the price point.  Some vendors will open with a ridiculously high bid.  There is no general rule, you can even go as low as 25%.  And be willing to walk away.  It's amazing how quickly the price drops as you leave.

Morocco, Day 4: Fes - Volubilis - Moulay Idriss - Meknes - Fes

Today we hired a driver (through our hotel), Hamid, to drive us to Volubilis, Moulay Idriss, and Meknes.  The rate was the same as the "teacher" we met on the train said it would be (800 Dh).  Still wondering if he was for real.  It was raining today, but luckily it wasn't heavy, and we really didn't need to use the umbrella that Hamid lent us.  The only time it was heavy was when we were outside the stables, and even then Hamid was able to drive right up to the doorway so we didn't get too wet.

Anyway, Volubilis is an ancient Roman settlement.  I believe the guide books say it was the furthest Roman outpost here, but I could be wrong.  While on the subject of guide books, we are finding that the Rough Guides (2010 was the most recent edition) book is better for maps and descriptions, while the Lonely Planet (2011 ed) is better for transportation options.  Good thing we got both books.  Too bad there isn't one book that covers everything well.

We spent a good 2 hours at Volubilis; a bit longer than Hamid thought it would take.  I guess we really enjoyed the ruins and the old mosaics that are still visible.  There's something about ruins that I enjoy.  It's fun to imagine what they may have looked like back then, and also to marvel at how they constructed everything without the use of heavy motorized machinery.  Here's a picture of a statue that was not mentioned in either guide book (according to my friend, these were used to mark whorehouses):

After Volubilis, we did a quickie drive through of Moulay Idriss.

Not much to see here, except the view down to the valley.  There is a mausoleum here, but it is in the mosque and we weren't allowed to go in.

This guy was not happy to have his picture taken, albeit accidentally.  He bumped Yoojin with his donkey as he rode by. 

After Moulay Idriss, we headed to Meknes.  Didn't have much time here, but were able to grab a bite to eat at Dar Sultana (Sweet Sultana).  We were the only ones there, probably because we got there pretty late.  The small sampler was probably the best thing we had.  I got a tajine that was just ok.

Visited the museum for a quickie look.  We had like 15 minutes before we had to meet our driver.  Once inside, though, a guide started talking to us and explaining things.  We couldn't tell if he was a real or faux guide (assume real since he was inside the museum, but I don't remember seeing him wearing a badge).  He was nice and took our photo, but soon we decided to ditch him, using the fact that we had to meet our driver as a convenient excuse to high-tail it out of there.

Morocco, Day 3: Fes

Stayed at a "hotel" we found through a group called "Ziyarates", which means "visits" in Arabic. We found this through Lonely Planet.  This is a mix between a home stay and a hotel.  The Ziyarates organization helps families turn their homes into a source of income.  We randomly chose the Family Korriche based on the online photos, and couldn't be happier.  The location was great, just outside Bab Bou Jeloud.  The daughter, Manal, spoke the best English and so we interacted with her the most.  We ate dinner there on our first night and it was delicious (and we got lucky and they had couscous, even though it was not Friday).  The portions were huge: we couldn't believe they normally ate this much (we swore they were giving us larger "American" sized portions).

Morocco Day 3: Rabat to Fes

Warned about people getting on the train at Meknes. Sure enough, some guy gets on and I'm immediately suspicious. He enters out cabin, say hi, says something to the woman next to us. He asks her a question then several minutes later she gets her baggage and leaves. Strange, since we just left the station. He starts to chat with us. Tells us he had his heart broken by a girl in Ca. That he teaches Arabic at the ALIF language school, where he met said girl. Asks us where we are staying (we tell him). Tells us not to hire any guides, official or otherwise, but also that he can hook is up with a driver to Meknes/moulay Idriss/Volunilis for 300 dh less than the riad would charge us. Asks us if we want to join him for a drink at a restaurant he recommended. Wary, we say we'll think about it. When we arrive at Fes, he says bye and leaves without further offer of meeting up. Did he sense our skepticism?  Was he genuine?  Was he a hustler?  I guess we'll never know. We don't like this feeling of immediately being suspicious of people. We want to be open and meet new people, but it is hard to figure out right now. We are too fresh.

Morocco Day 2: Rabat

Checked into Riad Kalaa last night. They had our room set up for our Honeymoon:

This first full day in Rabat has been a learning experience.  Petit (blue) taxis, as in most places, you should always demand they use the meter.  The tram is quite convenient: one fare regardless of distance. Clean and modern trains.

It's hard to trust people here, as we never know if they are being helpful or trying to get money out of us (or both).  So far, our only experience has been a faux guide in Sale.  He supposedly helped us out with directions, then  when we followed his directions, he whistled at us saying we were going the wrong way and then led us where we were going, saying he was going that way anyway. After he started telling us a bunch of trivia, I got suspicious.  Cut him off a little late, but at least we smartened up after our morning hustle that we insisted on only giving him 15 Dirham rather than the 100 dh he was asking (keep in mind, the train from Casablanca to Rabat cost us 125 dh each).

Visited the Medersa (Koranic school). Intricate tile, wood, and ceramic work. The study rooms look like prison cells in Cambodia.  Before heading back across the river to Rabat, we ate Tajine at a touristy looking place which was actually pretty good.  In Rabat's Central Market, we strolled past the various meat and produce stalls. The most interesting was a couple of animal carcasses hanging. We couldn't tell what they were, but now think they were camel.

Dinner was at Le Petit Beau, a Lonely Planet 2011 top pick. I thought it was ok. Not much better than the little touristy place in Sale. We were not able to try the couscous, as they were sold out. Which brings me to another thought: we keep coming across things that are closed, like the mausoleum: we went during prayer time, so we would've had to wait until after to see it.

Oh, Senna at Riad Kalaa referred us to a great website:
http://www.espace-morocco.co.uk/

We are finding it has many of the same riads you'd find on Trip Advisor or Booking.com for less. We just booked a place in Marrakech for half off!

Morocco Day 1

Arrived in Casablanca after ~18 hrs of travel time, including getting to SFO.  Arrival was smooth and it was easy to find a train to Rabat. Most people in the airport spoke some English, and many people in people in general speak it as well, so it was easy to figure out how to get to Rabat. The taxi driver didn't  speak much, but he got us where we needed to go. Explored the Medina a bit at night, but didn't want to get lost in the dark, so we pretty much just stayed to the main streets. Had my first street food: a pita like sandwich made of hollowed out bread stuffed with ground beef, cheese, paprika, and hot sauce. Sort of your Mexican hit dog cart slash hamburger joint in one.

Fondant Covered Cheesecake??!

The next time a friend asks you to make her a wedding cheesecake, covered with rolled fondant, don't fret.  It can be done, and I'm going to tell you how I did it.  You have probably performed countless internet searches (I assume that's how you ended up here); received contradicting information (yes, you can cover a cheesecake in fondant; no you can't; don't refrigerate or freeze fondant; yes you can).  Well, in my experience, YES you can not only cover a cheesecake in fondant, you can also freeze it.

The problem with freezing or refrigerating fondant is once you remove it from the cold, water vapor in the air starts to condense on the surface (think of an ice cold beverage and the condensation that forms on the glass).  Since fondant is mostly sugar and other water-soluble ingredients, the condensation that forms starts to dissolve the fondant and creates that sticky surface you've read about.  Eventually, it will just start to disintegrate like this:

The picture above is of a cheesecake I froze, then thawed at room temperature for several hours.  The fondant did not begin disintegration until 1.5 to 2 hours later, but you can see what a mess it becomes.  The left side of the picture is where we cut into it to taste.

After this disaster (expected), I decided to test whether using a fan would help.  I covered a ramekin with fondant then put it in the refrigerator for 3 hours.  I removed the "cake" and just fanned it by hand.  This worked surprisingly well to keep the fondant dry.  I then put the "cake" into the freezer overnight, defrosted in the refrigerator for 4 hours, then put at room temperature in a brown paper shopping bag.  I aimed an electric fan at the "cake" (I put it in the bag so it would get air circulation on all sides) and let it warm to room temp over the course of 2 hours or so.  Voila!  The fondant was nice and dry; no disintegration.

My next debate was: am I really going to try this on my friend's wedding cake?  I wasn't that crazy, but almost.  Here's what I did.  Baked the 3 cheesecake layers.  Let them cool to room temp.  Spread a layer of swiss meringue buttercream to smooth out the rough spots and level the top and sides.  Note: occassionally put in the refrigerator to harden the buttercream; this will help you get a really smooth surface.  Roll out the fondant and cover the cakes.  Immediately put them in boxes and put in the freezer.  I kept them frozen for one week.  The reason I froze them is the drive to the wedding site was four hours long and involved curvy mountain roads.  I packed the cakes in a cooler with dry ice (~2-3 pounds?) and transported them to the wedding site the morning of the ceremony.  Once at the site, I removed half of the dry ice and we left to check-in to our hotel.  Just before the ceremony, I removed the remaining dry ice to allow the cakes to slowly warm up (as if in a refrigerator).  About 2.5 to 3 hours later, my fiance and I went in to assemble the final cake.  We removed the cakes, one at a time, from the cooler, and immediately placed them between two box fans running on high speed (you can just see the fans in the pictures below).  I could see the fondant glistening, but no actual droplets formed.  To my surprise, the fondant was actually drying out, enough to touch without feeling sticky.  We were able to bring it out to the reception tent and display it for an hour without problem.  The top layer was cut-able, and the middle layer was just barely still frozen inside (I did not get a chance to try the bottom layer).  I suspect the cake would have survived several hours following this procedure. 

 Assembled tiers.  Cake stand is on a turntable to make decoration easier.

 Cake topper on and adding flowers.

 Final product.

 Me and the final cake.

Safely delivered to the reception area.

Top Chef prices increased

Just noticed that iTunes is now charging $23.99 for the season. I wonder how high it will go. Seems like in most cases, the older a product is, the cheaper it gets. Not so with iTunes. I guess in the tv subscription case, it is like the drug model. Give a free sample to get them hooked, then charge exorbitant prices later.

Censored by Apple!

Since I still don't subscribe to cable, and I had a $15 iTunes gift certificate, I decided to finally try out the iTunes "Season Pass" subscription model for the latest season of Top Chef (Season 7). To my disappointment (and maybe I should have done more upfront research before buying), I found out that even as a paid subscriber, I do not gain same-day access to episodes. I, like everyone else, have to wait until the next day. Maybe it's not Apple's fault. Maybe it is entirely Bravo's fault. But either way, I'm upset. If I'm paying, shouldn't I get added benefits, relative to non-paying customers? I mean, that's how it works when you subscribe to cable. You pay (indirectly to Bravo) and you get it live, or DVR it and watch whenever you want. One might argue that I'm more valuable than a cable subscriber, since Apple has more personalized data on me than the cable company would.

I could subscribe to Comcast for $29.99/mth on a promotion (though when I look now, it is $39.99/mth) and get way more content. If I work the numbers on the Top Chef Season Pass, it is ~$20 for 16 episodes (based on Season 6). Assuming that is one episode a week, it'd be 4 months worth of programming, so $5 per month. I guess the question becomes, would I get 6X-8X more programming or value from a cable subscription? In my case, probably not, as I don't watch that much tv anymore.

So, why the title of my post? I tried to leave a review on the Top Chef Season 7 iTunes page, basically saying what I did above (but more emotional and more of a rant). So far, my review has not appeared. Granted, my review was more a critique of iTunes than of the show. And there is a disclaimer that the review is subject to editorial review by Apple. But hey, it's not like I was using profanity or saying anything inappropriate. In hindsight, after cooling down for 5 days and now writing this blog post, I realize that for my particular case, it is probably better to do the season pass. It's just hard to justify early in the season because I can watch for free (legally) on Hulu right now. I know later on, Bravo will stop offering free episodes and then I'd have to either resort to illegal downloads, paying (either cable subscription or iTunes), or waiting until the season comes out on DVD.

Just planted (and removed) my first tree

I finally got my free fruit tree from the Albany City Share; a bare root nectarine. They also had bing and ranier cherries as well as some peaches, but I didn't want to get greedy. So, I just grabbed a nectarine tree. I thought it might be harder to chop down the existing tree (both physically and emotionally), but with the time pressure of limited light, I just got to it and it was quite easy to do the entire process. Now I wait until Sept. Guess I should go test my soil soon, if I'm gonna.

Find more photos like this on Hyperlocavore - A free yard sharing community

Ant Control

Now that the weather has turned wet, the ants decided to invade the house. I thought I could try and live in peace with them, but soon they began their slow spread throughout the kitchen, sometimes congregating in seemingly bizarre places, only for me to discover a crumb. After hosting a dinner party, they invaded the living room, which finally prompted me to take action. For years, I've heard of using boric acid and sugar; I even tried it once when I lived in Oakland, but wasn't patient/consistent enough to perform adequate treatment. This time, I searched Google and found a site at the University of Rhode Island which says to use a 1% Boric Acid, 20% sugar solution. Working in a lab, I interpreted that as 1g of Boric Acid per 100mL of water, and 20g of sugar (sucrose) per 100 mL of water. If you want to do this at home, just follow the recipe given by the website. They say to soak cotton balls in the solution, cover slightly to prevent drying, and replenish the solution when needed. At work, the pest control company uses soda caps (like you find from 2-liter plastic bottles). I decided to try both; soda cap in the kitchen, cotton in the living room. I found the soda cap much easier; not only can you leave it uncovered, but you don't have to refill it as often. The cotton required more attention.

The treatment takes several days, during which you will have to endure a constant stream of ants, but

1. It's actually fascinating to watch them
2. They tend to figure out where the easy source of food is, so they leave the other areas and concentrate on the soda cap. So, if you are strategic, you can put the cap in an area that is out of sight if you don't find 1) above to be true.

I think within 3 days, the ants were gone from the kitchen. It's been like 5 days since I put the cotton in the living room, but there are still ants. I decided to replace the cotton with the soda cap and am already seeing progress. One thing that amazes me is that there are very few visible dead ants. Growing up, I'd noticed ants carrying dead ants, so I think they must carry the dead back to the nest; they are like the US military these days, not leaving the dead behind.

I've joined the Jeremy Lin bandwagon

Rich does a much better job, so go read his post:
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2009/12/15/1201646/bow-to-the-jeremy-lin-movement-b-o

Locker Room Report: O'Neil: Immigrant's dream plays

Locker Room Report: O'Neil: Immigrant's dream plays

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California Academy of Sciences, Sneak Preview

Just got back from a sneak preview of the new California Academy of Sciences. Amazing. I was really looking forward to seeing the Living Roof:

I was wondering how long it would last, considering the roots would be digging in. The roof is actively managed to keep out weeds and plants with deep root systems (i.e. a pine tree sapling was found and removed).

The aquarium is awesome. Believe it or not, I've never been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. After this, I need to go.

I can't ever remember going to a planetarium, so I can't make a comparison, but I could spend hours in there. The show I saw had the planet Earth, with us rotating around it, with the constellations marked out and the Sun . It is the largest, all-digital, planetarium in the United States (in the world?).

Bikes in Portland

Bikes everywhere. Fixed gear are very popular

Please excuse any typos or general terseness, as this mail was sent
from my phone.

Jace gace

Sweet/Savory. Art/Food/Beer. Strnge combinations but strangely good!

Road Rash - Haleakala Cycling Summary

View of Haleakala from the Hana Hwy, just before the turnoff to Haiku. Must have been an amazing sunrise that morning; no clouds on the mountain.

We got to the Maui Cyclery bike shop right about on time, at 8am. Donnie, the owner, was there to greet us. BTW, Donnie is a great guy; lots of advice, super friendly; totally hooked us up with some Litespeeds for the ride and set me, the novice, up with pedals and a helmet. Note to self: buy a new helmet -- that rental got awfully stinky once I started sweating (and the stink wasn't from me). I'd recommend renting through this shop again.

Back to the ride...

Elevation: 512 feet
Maui Cyclery sits in the town of Haiku, Maui, Hawaii. Katie was already waiting for us, albeit at a different bike shop. We told her the shop was next to the post office. Who knew the other shop is located next to a postal center. Anyway, that other shop was a tourist shop, for riding down the volcano. Katie eventually found us and we were on our way.

First part of the climb wasn't so bad. I almost fell at a stop sign, but unclipped in time (I got distracted talking and this was only my second time riding in cleats). The 11-12% grade section up Baldwin actually didn't feel as long as it did when we scouted the route the previous day. Thank goodness. We made it to the Haleakala Highway junction in about an hour. The weather was perfect. There was a cloud covering the sun most of the way, so we didn't get baked. Yet, the rest of the sky was blue, mostly. I'd eaten a granola bar and a banana at this point. Katie had separated herself from the pack, followed by Kei, Howie, and way in the back, me. Arriving at the stop, I fell after forgetting to unclip. Note to self: practice unclipping a few more times before the next stop. Note to others: I didn't make that mistake again.

Elevation: 2500 feet
Arrive at Sunrise Market at about 10:30 AM. Howie says we left the bike shop at about 8:30 AM, so 2000 feet in 2 hours. At this rate, there's no way we'll get back in time, so I'm obviously holding Howie back. No sign of Katie, so we send Kei to chase her. See previous post. The woman working here is super nice (notice a pattern forming here?). Asks me and Howie if we are training for the Cycle to the Sun race, but we are not. I down the rest of my second water bottle, and eat an energy bar. Howie buys more water and hooks me up with more cytomax. I take a leak, which thankfully was clear, meaning I'm not dehydrated. Kei still doesn't appear, so we assume he just kept heading up.
Elevation: 3200 feet
The Crater Road (Hwy 378) begins here. Not very encouraging to see that I have 22 more miles to go.

Elevation: ~5000 feet?
We are on the switchbacks now, Howie and I. He is about half a switchback ahead of me. I hear him talking to someone. Kei? Nope. A white car approaches, and it is Alice returning from the summit. I ask her where she's heading and she says the Grand Wailea Spa. I think she is joking. After the turn, when he's in sight, I yell that I need to rest. I think I'm around mile 5 or 6 at this point. Kei phones and says he's waiting for us ahead, about 4 switchbacks up. I ask him what the route is like (i.e. does it get any easier) and he says it's pretty much the same. So much for hope. After I round the corner and approach Howie, I hear Kei yell to us. He's a small red dot up near where the para- and hang-gliders' launching pad.

Elevation: ~6000 feet
Join up with Kei. I eat some of my dried fruit, down the rest of my cytomax, and Kei refills my bottles. Kei says he talked to Alice (on the phone, she apparently didn't see him b/c she was watching the gliders launching) and she really was going to the spa. Her landlady insisted she go and take it off the rent. Why don't I have a landlady like that? ;-)

Somewhere around here, Kei gives me a few pushes up the hill. Amazing. Shortly thereafter, I tell them to leave me or else they won't summit in time. We're not quite at the park entrance, so this might be around 6800 feet elevation. I eventually catch them at the ranger kiosk. Perfect timing actually, as they just finished paying for me and all I had to do was ride by and grab my receipt from the ranger. Haha, I actually passed some cars on the ascent. Granted, they were waiting in line to pay.

Elevation: ~7000 feet
Stop at the Visitor Center. Go to the bathroom, refill the water bottles. Contemplate waiting for the guys, but decide to push on.

Elevation: ~7200-7500 feet
Mile Marker 14. It's about 2:27pm and about time to turn around, but I decide I'm going to ride until my original turnaround point, 2:30pm. Make it a little past the mile marker, then call Kei to say I'm heading down.


The Descent
Now the reward.
Elevation: ~7000 feet
Reach the Visitor Center in 9 minutes. Go to the bathroom again, top off the water. Hang out a bit at the Visitor Center, then decide I should just head down to warmer weather and find Katie.
Reach the Hwy 377/Hwy 378 junction in 25 minutes from the Visitor Center. I wonder how fast I was going. I got lucky and didn't have any cars in front or behind me the whole way down. I was even luckier I didn't crash. At one point, the wind and flapping of my jacket were so loud that I was convinced there was a car behind me. I looked, but no car. Headed into the left, outside turn faster than comfortable. Rear wheel locked up and washed out a bit, but I recovered.

Met Katie at the store a little ways below the Sunrise Market. Got some chocolate and a sports drink with her, used the restroom, then waited for the guys. After they arrived, we headed down together, Howie in the lead. Not far after the Kula lodge, I crashed. Rewind: we see a car at the intersection. We pass and the car pulls onto the road behind us. We keep to the right and then on a left, outside turn, it happens again. I go in faster than comfortable, brake, and the rear wheel locks up. I guess I hold the brake longer this time because Howie is in front of me, and I have traffic behind me (Kei, Katie, then the car). Next thing I know, I'm off the bike, land on my left butt cheek, and slide 10-20 feet. See water bottle roll down the hill. I feel fine. Kei comes to check on me and I start to stand. I feel my ass and realize I'm touching my skin, or what's left of it. My shorts have torn right through and my cheek is hanging out. The car stops and the driver comes out to check on us. She offers me a ride. At first, I'm thinking I can ride back to the shop myself, but a few seconds later I come to my senses and take her up on the offer. I don't think I want to ride with my ass hanging out of my shorts, and who knows how bad it really is. I learn the driver's name is Kachina and she's on her way to the Katchafire concert. I'm going to make her late to pick up her friend. She's had a strange day, and this tops it off. I tell her it will improve, as her good deed will be rewarded with good karma. She drops me at the shop, gives me some supplies from her first aid kit as well as the towel I'm sitting on, and I send her on her way. Surprisingly, Katie, Kei, and Howie ride up within 5 minutes. They must have been hauling ass down the hill. Once they arrive, I go to clean myself up.

Donnie was totally cool about the crash. Luckily, I didn't scratch up the frame or derailleur. Just scratched up the grip tape, pedals, and rear quick release.

WARNING: what you are about to see may be graphic and inappropriate (not). But, if you don't want to see my road rash ass, look away now.











So, now it's Tuesday, and I'm still trying to heal. I've applied some of the Johnson and Johnson Advanced Healing pads. Cool stuff. My ass actually doesn't hurt too much. My leg hurts more. I guess that's why kids get spanked on the butt, fewer nerve endings.

Oh, the most surprising thing about the ride is that I wasn't sore the next day. I thought I wouldn't be able to walk, but I was fine. I think because I drank so much fluids and ate a lot. I think I had 2 granola bars, 1 banana, 1 protein bar, 8 ounces of dried fruit, 2 clementines, at probably 6 liters of fluids, at least. Not exactly light and fast, and maybe I could have summitted without all the extra weight (I doubt it), but I'm glad I did it this way. Much less pain during and afterwards, which makes it more likely that I'll attempt something like this again.

On the ride, I got a phone call from United Airlines saying my upgrade request was approved. I was getting upgraded to first-class, using my miles. I was glad to hear, as I was expecting to be super sore on the way home. More on this later....

Stuck in Maui

I suppose there are worse places to be stranded, but it's like being
imprisoned at San Quentin or Alcatraz: you are surrounded by a
beautiful location, yet you can't enjoy, except the view from your
cell. At least I'm drinking a mai tai and it's Raining outside. Would
be worse if the weather was beautiful, but then again I wouldn't be
doing much besies nursing the road rash on my ass. Maybe this means an
extra night in paradise. Battery getting low so will write more later.

--
Kenneth Wan
Dream League
http://www.dreamleague.org