One for the Road: Mundane Journeys

by Kelly Amabile on

I can’t quite recall how I came upon Mundane Journeys, but I’m certainly happy to have stumbled upon the explorations of Kate Pocrass, a conceptual artist with an eye for the overlooked. Kate kindly sent me a copy of her new book: Mundane Journeys: Field Guide to Color. It arrived in a dark chocolate envelope with my name in bright lemon yellow, encircled by fancy squiggles. It’s the most delicious delivery I’ve received in a long time!

And paying attention to details (like how something is packaged) gets to the heart of Kate’s message in her alternative guide to San Francisco. Whether it’s bubblegum, owls, spray painted dots, tree stumps or odd-colored macaroons, Mundane Journeys nudges urban explorers to look closer at the city around them. It suggests a delightfully inviting way to move through a place, uncovering colors and mysterious treasures with child-like curiosity.

Watch a video of a recent tour with Kate, or take one with her. She hosts 4-hour bus tours several times a year, usually once a season. But don’t wait for a scheduled tour to change your perspective — grab Kate’s guide and set out on your own! You’ll be sure to discover something magical among the mundane. And although her book is geared to San Francisco, the concept can be applied anywhere. It’s simple — as you travel, look with intention at the miscellaneous, and see what reveals itself to you.

Creation Museum is paving more parking lot

by Jamie Rhein on

I am curious about the Creation Museum that’s not too far from Cincinnati in northern Kentucky. I pass by a huge billboard for it every time I head to visit my relatives who live near there. The billboard is stuck out in a field next to I-71. Most billboards between Columbus and Cincinnati are set out in fields. That’s all there is between the two cities. It’s a fairly flat and BORING ride.

The Creation Museum’s billboard is tasteful. There are silhouettes of dinosaurs on it. One might think the museum is about dinosaurs. Not exactly. It’s about the Bible and how it’s literal. Dinosaurs and humans existed at the exact same time according to the museum’s thinking. I’ve written about this museum before. It’s not a rinky dink place from all I’ve read about it. As a sociological study of human thinking, I’d find it interesting. People’s beliefs always interest me. It’s one of the reasons I like to travel.

When I went to Salt Lake City, I visited the Tabernacle on Temple Square and went on the tour that explained the history of Mormonism. I still remember how genuine and friendly the tour guide was when she led us through displays about Joseph Smith and the golden tablets found near Palmyra, New York. Every time I pass a Mormon church I look for the Angel Moroni on the top of the spire.

I’m sure at the Creation Museum people are also friendly. They must be. Crabby people don’t attract visitors, and there have been 250,000 people who have come to the museum since it’s opening in May. That’s one of the reasons there needs to be a bigger parking lot.

State quiz: How much do you know because of where you travel?

by Jamie Rhein on

According to the All-American State Trivia Quiz, I’m in a “State of Confusion.” I knew that before I tested my mettle. My distinctive category is due to my 30 correct, 30 wrong answers to the questions that led me around the United States in a flurry of trivia. Some answers I knew because of my travels. If you’ve been through a state, there are some logical responses.

For example, the three stars on the flag of Tennessee represent the 3 geographic regions of the state. If you’ve driven through there, you know there are mountains and lowlands. I had no idea what the three stars represent before the quiz. Since I’ve never lived in Tennessee, and I’m not in the 4th grade when such things show up on a quiz, why should I care?

Some of my travels confused my answers. I always thought that the mystical Bali Hai of the musical “South Pacific” was Tioman island in Malaysia near another island I used to go to. Perhaps, it is. But, according to the quiz, it’s off the coast of Hawaii.

I found this quiz a fun way to gather a list of places I’d like to go to later. Shell, Wyoming is one of them. Take the quiz yourself to find out why.

Here are some random answers to give you a jump start.

  • lentils
  • 6
  • 103
  • World’s only ass-kicking machine

How did you score?

One for the Road: Shaolin – Temple of Zen

by Kelly Amabile on

Although this book is not about a particular travel experience, it reveals an intimate look at the culture of a place that most do not see firsthand. Justin Guariglia has been studying and photographing the martial-arts monks at Shaolin Temple in Henan Province for the past eight years. He was the first photographer to get permission to photograph the monks inside the temple, and his new book, Shaolin: Temple of Zen, allows all of us an insider’s view of the stunning mastery that these warrior monks have perfected over the centuries.

These guarded monks belong to a Chinese Buddhist sect dedicated to preserving a form of kung fu known as the “vehicle of Zen.” Guariglia, a National Geographic photographer, received the blessing of the main abbot, and earned the trust and full collaboration of the Shaolin monks for his project. The result is a fascinating and valuable record of the Shaolin art forms and the individuals who consider themselves the keepers of these traditions.

The book includes an introduction by “American Shaolin” Matthew Polly and has a beautifully designed companion website. According to the Aperture Foundation website, it looks like several exhibits of the photographs are scheduled for 2008, in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

Buses from the Devil Himself

by Iva Skoch on

One of the coolest things I´ve seen in Panama so far is the crazy bus-art. Now, it´s not uncommon to see buses painted wild colors all over Latin America, but Panamanians have this stuff down to fine art.

Just about every local public bus is in the style of an old American school bus, but painted the craziest colors, festooned with religious sayings and multiple chromed horns. And, if the bus is lacking two large chromed rear exhaust pipes running up the rear corners of the bus, pumping diesel fumes into the sky, it just won´t do. I can´t think of a cooler thing to look at while stuck in Panama City´s insane traffic jams. The detail of the paintings will take your breath away… even more than the horrific exhaust fumes blanketing this modern city.

They call them “red devils,” but the government is banishing the devil. This blog reprints a story from the Miami Herald saying that the buses will soon start disappearing, this year.