Los Angeles

It has been great to spend time with my two Pacific coast brothers

They help me think of serious issues like cultural sensitivity in preparation for my trip.

Death Valley was beautiful and I recommend the trip although the ride from LA is LOOONNG. Some highlights include hiking through craters, walking over dry gorges, and doing yoga underneath the starry sky close to sand dunes. My mood was slightly spoiled one night by imagining that I felt some new worm eggs hatch inside my stomach (they are my friends from Peace Corps, Nicaragua, soon to be joined by other varieties .) My brother Jon, the ham of the family, congratulated me for bringing in new life into the world, offering me a hearty Mazal Tov, and I spent the dark walk back to the car singing simul tov o mazal tov, mazal tov oo simul tov—hey lanu ... as if it were simchat freaking torah. (my brother is having a very irreligious effect on me.)

I’m not sure what type of stomach problems I have. Perhaps they are just nerves and a figment of my imagination. I thought I saw something while using the bathroom in Tyrst Café in Adams Morgan, DC. But I was in the men’s room (the women’s room was occupied) and everyone who’s been in that place knows what a rancid state that men’s room is in with a stench to accompany it (what do you guys do in there?!)

Perhaps some crazy shit (literally) was already in the toilet bowl rather than it coming from me? In any case, I learned my lesson to always wait for the women’s room from now on. I’ll have to wait to implement my newfound wisdom, however, since the countries I’m visiting will likely only have holes in the ground.

New prospects for my travel include visiting the town of Cochin in India, where there is an ancient Jewish community I’ve done two research papers on in college. I also plan to visit the “pepper exchange” there, reminiscent of the New York stock exchange. In the wise words of Mr. Fodor, “Monitors in a small room display the going rate of pepper, and men sit by phones in cubicles that line the wall. When the bid comes in, the yelling and finger pointing starts. Then, just as suddenly, everyone goes back to reading the newspaper.”

I also heard of a fish market in Tokyo where they catch and skin the fish right in front of you, and serve the sushi with warm flesh. Haha, sorry to gross out you vegetarians. And may not be the best thing for my delicate stomach.

OK, happy new year to everyone and I’ll write more when I’m in NEE-HONG! (Japan)