click! click! bang! bang!

amritsar: holy city of sikhism

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:22:03 GMT

The city of Amritsar is the most holy city of Sikhism, it is home to the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple. Unfortunately no photos were allowed inside, however I can tell you that the feeling I got from the place was very positive. We felt completely welcomed, everyone was extremely friendly and eager to communicate with us about their faith. This contrast strongly with the distinct feeling you sometimes get at mosques that you are not welcome...

It's not all sunshine of course, damage to the temple caused during Operation Blue Star lead to the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards... so to summarize... Sikhs, great people, don't fuck with them.

just the outside, no photos of the extraordinarily beautiful interior

On Pakistani-Indian border, a daily ritual of mutual taunting takes place, and is a spectator sport on both sides... shouting nationalistic anthems, various ritualized contests, and very dramatic flag lowing ceremony. all the make sure everyone knows that Pakistan and India are mortal enemies (despite having been the same country only 50 some years ago).

Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

I do bite my thumb, sir.

Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. (I couldn't hear anything from the stands, but that's what I imagined they were saying)

lets solve this like real men! STARRING CONTEST! (this may be the only example of a state sponsored starring contest in the world)

finally, the slam the gates in eachother's faces

streets and scenes

rajastan: behold the glory of the maharajas

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:44:16 GMT

Jaipur was a very different place than Delhi. Less dirt, less grit, more sun. Though the architectural style is still heavily influenced by the Mughal style, one can perceive the distinct influence of the local princes (maharajas). They still own most of these princely properties, having cooperated rather than fought the dominant forces that ran India during the ages.

the 'wind palace', where the maharaja kept his harem. These windows through which they could look out on the world but the world could not look back.

Ancient Observatory, where the accurate time was measured using the sun within seconds.

The City Palace, where the current maharaja still lives.

The Amber Fort

We also caught a bollywood movie "Love Aaj Kal" no English subtitles... but we got the idea... EVERYONE BUGRA!

streets and scenes

people

always wanted to do that... ON TO AMRITSAR!

Agra: the most beautiful monument to love in the world

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:10:57 GMT

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan to mourn the death of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. In the man's own words:

Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory.

monsoon delhi: trash and beauty in the rain

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:58:23 GMT

Living in China as I do, and traveling the world like I have, I feel like I have seen a lot. But I have never seen the likes of Delhi in a major city of millions. The chaos of it all, is at once totally shocking and also photographically brilliant. Unfortunately I am unable to fully bring the experience to you through the lens, as the smell of the whole thing is really an integral part. Never have I felt so many cows, monkeys, dogs, beggars, autorickshaws, and everything else just simply assault every sense at the same time. Yet even with the constant rain and through this chaos, there was something very unique and beautiful about this place; gateway to India.

Religion seem to be a dominant force in the Indian psyche in the same way that money and freedom is a force in the American one. The most interesting thing about it all is that not only is India the source of almost all major eastern religions, but rather that almost all of them coexist with and borrow from each other, and have done so for thousands of years, while the western religions were busily crusading against each other.

unfortunately many if not all of them banned photography inside (but there are so good pics in the amristar album to come)

Forts, monuments, tombs, most of which were left there by the Muslim Mughal Empire which dominated northern India for hundreds of years. Notice the heavy influence of late Islamic architecture in much of the construction.

National Museum (unfortunately the collection is not as good as British Museum or the Lourve, or maybe even SF Asian Art Museum)There were definitely very good pieces in there, but the place is kind of a dump and the collection is poorly lit, I give this place a C- overall, however the Indian miniature art section is spectacular

streets and scenes

thank goodness I bough a raincoat for my camera before this trip, really came in handy.

people , despite the rain making most of the Delhi pictures crappy, here I was deliriously happy. Indians are the most photographer friendly people ever! They LOVE getting their pictures taken, as a general matter, some will even come up to me to ask me to take a picture of them. Unlike in other countries where ppl will give you a look (Germany, US), avoid you (China, Japan) or try to ask for a tip all the time (Egypt, Peru)

This guy was HILARIOUS, he asked me to take his picture, then posed for this photo, even looking slightly askew to make it look candid! LOL

that's all for now! next up, Agra and the Taj Mahal

guilin: float through a chinese watercolor

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:22:26 GMT

there's a chinese saying about guilin: '桂林山水甲天下'. the approximate meaning of this saying is that one can see everything under the heavens in guilin's mountains and waters. this is attributable to the diverse geographic landscape of the surrounding limestone hills, which often resemble various animals or other scenery, especially when reflected in the li river.

truly, these hills live up to the reputation

float down the river li

no risk of piracy... but local vendors do attempt boardings at times... ARGH!

to say that these pictures are of guilin is really a misnomer, the city itself is just a regular mid-sized chinese city... mostly it's nearby yangshuo that steals the show

like any good tourist trap, yangshou has the local variety/ethnic dance show. however, this particular one that yangshou's got just happens to be direct by china's most acclaimed director zhang yimou (of olympics opening ceremonies fame). though his movie are sucking lately for lack of story, he did get his start as a cinematographer. did i mention how the stage is actually the mountains of guilin themselves lit up by giant flood lights and that the entire show is on water? yeah.. pretty cool even for a jaded tourist like me...

the next day was spent in the limestone caves, checking out the calcium carbonate formations.. yea i know that SOUNDS boring.. but get a load of this!

the harsh conditions of the local mountains meant that good farmland was scarce around guilin, which necessitated the making of terraced rice fields in the mountains by the local tribes some 800 years ago. ironically, this hardship has now created once of guilin's most famous (and beautiful) attractions.

streets and scenes

just in case you were tired of the majority's coffee...

why do chinese tourists cross the road? answer: they don't, they just stand in the middle of the highway taking pictures

people

"unknown thingys for sale!"

from china with love (and arrows), don

Canadian Winter: Snowstorm in Vancouver

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:47:14 GMT

Here's an entry that's late to the show, I completely forgot that I haven't posted pictures from my winter vacation to Vancouver. I know, I know, who goes to Canada on winter break, right? But just look at the beautiful snow! Actually it doesn't really snow much in van, but when I was there there were record storms. Just my luck?

Shanghai Redux

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:52:48 GMT

more focus on the details, less on the major landmarks (compared to 05 album)

FOOD! shanghai's varied street food

People

ultimate master of the asian squat

and my poor attempt at imitation...

wangle street view

WHERE'S DADDY AND WHO THE FUCK IS THIS GUY?

YEEEEEAAAAH BITCH YEAH

on the backs of giants, as always

Suzhou, dreams on the water

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:12:00 GMT

Suzhou is often known as the 'Venice of the east' (along with Amsterdam, 'Venice of the north') for it's charming cannels and picture perfect river scenes. Unlike Venice proper, the city is actually quiet the major urban center just to the east of Shanghai. I think the most remarkable thing about this city is the diversity of it's views, however, for the sake of my camera I have kept it mostly in keeping with what the post card Suzhou would look like ;)

the plum blossoms were in bloom

Suzhou's famous gardens, with emphasis on variation of views, and combinations of landscaping using plant features, stone features, water, and masonary to produce a great variation of scenary as you move around the garden

Suzhou museum had SOME interesting items, but really the real appeal of the new building was the minimal design style of the building itself

People

if you are wondering about the girl's in those traditional getups, they are newly weds taking their 'traditional wedding photo set', there are swarms of them everywhere in Suzhou, they come from all over the country

Streets & Scenes

all the traditional animals of good fortune are on sale in the market... the dragon... the ox... the turtle... and of course... the godzilla.

Hope and Change Comes to America

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:13:07 GMT

Sometimes you go around looking for history, sometimes history comes to you. This past week, the 44th president of the united states was swore in not 3 blocks from where I live, would I miss this opportunity to bring you the action? HELL NO!

The lines were long, the weather was cold, and I have never seen so many american flags in my entire life. But hope was in the air.

First, the concert at lincoln memorial, with a line up of the biggest names in entertainment, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington; and of course, the president elect himself.

Mary J. Blige was by far my fav of the day

Garth was the crowd pleaser

The big O cometh

Beyonce capped it off with american the beautiful

The main event

the way out

nananana, nananana, hey hey hey! gooood bye!!!! (this was the chant we started for bush when he came out)

HOPE you have a good year! HOPE america has a good year.

viva las vegas

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:08:59 GMT

so back in the fall i took a trip with my gf to sin city. sorry it took so long to post the pictures but i must do so now since i have new canadian winter pix to put up next :)

basically i wasn't all that impressed with vegas, tacky spot in the sand with nothing but materialism. next time we'll try to get out of the strip and maybe that'll be better. but hey, some of it still made for awesome pictures.

no particular order, just like vegas

One World One Dream: Beijing 2008

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:25:54 GMT

the eyes of the world fix on china as the XXIX Olympic games take place in Beijing. This city, also my hometown, was bursting to the seams with excitement, while the rest of the world looked on china's rise with understandable ambivalence, china celebrated their coming out party and the international spirit of sportsmanship in style.

the stage is set

there was 1 olympic volunteer for every foriegn visitor at the games, mostly college students on summer vacation

beijing welcomes you

know to the detractors as the pollution, draconian security and tacky commercialism games

2008 beijing internationl art biennile

pride and prejudice

faster stronger higher

one world one dream

i saw a lot of these 'i heart beijing' shirts... if only they thought of the other meaning of bj...

cheers from beijing

hong kong/macau: one country two systems

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:11:46 GMT

everyone says the air in hong kong is vented with cocaine. it's not hard to see why. the pace of life and shear energy here is just staggering. this is the most cosmopolitan place in china, a city with a feel more like new york or london than say shenzheng across the way in china. my time there was short, a few days, with a side trip to macau (only a hour away by speed boat). take a look.

as a tourist in HK, most of the time, your head is tilted up.

for me at least, the bank of china building, designed by I.M Pei, will always be THE jewel of this skyline, regardless of how much taller the uninspired IFC building (which, looks like a electric razor) is.

central district is at the ground level one giant high class shopping mall, and above, the financial heart of asia

the night

there was a live band performing on the avenue of the stars

but i guess not everyone is a fan...

people

streets and scenes

macau is like vegas, except full of chinese people and portuguese in origin...

inside of the casino is off limits to cameras, but that's never stopped me :D

yours truly:

bay area: redux

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:53:17 GMT

for your consideration, a snap shot of the last several weeks i spent working in the bay area. as this is not a 'trip' per se, i did not do the usual organizational categories, so that the snippet nature of the experience can show through more (and it's 3am and i'm lazy :P)

bonus points if you can guess where in the bay area some of the less obvious locations are :)

next, off to hong kong!

menacing, no?

lake titicaca, the highest lake in the world

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:46:47 GMT

south america's largest lake and the highest navigable body of water in the world, at 12,000 feet lake titicaca offers blistering sun even in the rainy reason, a plethora of birds, and some jaw dropping views. the surrounding town of puno was the launching point for our adventures, our luck could not have been better with the weather as we saw rainstorms, sunshine, and rainbows, all in a day on lake titicaca

puno, the launching point

lake titicaca

uros floating islands, made from 100% reeds, powered by 100% tourism

isla taquile, half way between peru and bolivia

This spring break peru trip was brought to you by the Soggy Guinea Pigs™

sarah 'mountain man' nealan

mission role:

all things outdoorsy
lobster impersonations
preachy environmentalism

quotable:

"hey guys, it's so late... like 9:20 already"

richard 'DBS' harris

mission role:

cheerleader/public relations
dodgy bowel specialist
puns... lots of puns

grace 'coma' so

mission role:

logistics
TP raider
cat naps

dave 'backside' freeburg

mission role:

mission ornithologist
wondering nomad
guinea pig fetishism

alice 'stretch' ahn

mission role:

peruvian culture appreciation (especially dance)
team calisthenics
bathroom scout/surveyor

quotable: "how do you guys decide who to make out with?"

david 'al moocho' wang

mission role:

staff photographer
chemical warfare
maker of rules for which people are thankful

quotable: "hey guys, have you seen my ______?"

inca trail: 4 days, 40 kms, 14,000 feet, 1 machu picchu

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:07:50 GMT

we started the historic trek from ollantaytambo, around 2500m above sea level, and made our way to machu picchu in 4 days, averaging 10 kms a day, going through high elevation grasslands to the cloud forests of washiwanuscca, to eventually end up at machu picchu. this was definitely one of the most physically demanding things i've ever done on my travels, but man was it ever worth it

the trail:

segment one, ollantaytambo valley and the andean grasslands

the highest point of the trek, 14,000 feet at widow's pass

camp at 12,000 feet

into the mist: through the cloud forest to machu picchu

the sun gate, entrance to machu picchu

city in the clouds

aquas calientes: the train tracks are the main attraction

next up: lake titicaca!

cuzco: heart of the inca empire

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:47:45 GMT

cuzco was the heart of the incan empire during the time of its prime, its position at 10,000 feet above sea level, and the inca's love for stairs made the first couple of days in this city hard on the body, but the charm of the place, and the excellent guinea pig definitely overwrote the downsides.

put inca history and spanish colonial legacy in a blender and you get cuzco

cultural activities; traditional textiles and dancing

streets and scenes

people

from team guinea pig!

nexts up: inca trail

santorini, the good ol white and blue

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:09:10 GMT

'the gates of paradise'

imagine running around the roof tops, jumping over the low walls that divide the balcony's of 1000 euro a night rooms overlooking a panoramic view of the ancient caldera, a volcano crater now filled by the rising ocean... the sun ripples in the sea, calm from afar but dancing with waves, as you jump from one white washed roof to another royal blue balcony, not a soul in sight or sound.

i know this is uber cheesy, but for a moment there in the light of the sunset i thought a little bit of heaven fell and i found it.

sea and sky

red beach black beach

churches and bells

doors and windows

people n' animals

streets and scenes

windmill of oia, said to be where the best sunset in the world happens.

when i said 'jump around the roof tops' i wasn't just waxing poetic... ok, so i was, but still, santorini in the winter is parkour paradise... the roofs are so accessible and you just can't beat the view

from olympia to meteora: the greek mainland

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:53:22 GMT

i thought this picture, 'olives grove in the rain' was very appropriate as the title shot for the greek mainland album, since it rained or was overcast almost the entire time we were there, and there were literally olive trees EVERYWHERE on the greek mainland. i'm sure that everything we ate that entire time had olives in it.. from the sacred grounds of olympia to the misty rocks of meteora. lol

epidauros, the birth place of medicine, but more famed for its amphitheater

fortress of mycenae and the tomb of agamemnon

the original olympic grounds

of course all the tourists at the original track of olympia had to pose.. i was pretty funny to see rows and rows of tourists walk up to the starting line, and then run off, as their family and friends watched on and flashed away.

delphi, the ancient temple of apollo, is overrun with cats

meteora, a hermit's ultimate retreat from the world

the road between

museums

tourist shenanigans

oracle this biatch!

NOT TOUCHING! can't stop me!

raw power!

column surfing

too bad crane style was not one of the original olympic sports

the helm of king leonidas

next up, santorini!

athens: more than the acropolis

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:57:47 GMT

about 40% of greece lives in athens. everyone knows of athens as the cradle of democracy, the center of western civilization for much of its formative years, but it is so much more.

old school greek smack down

mix in a bit of that byzantine/eastern orthodox flava

the absurd tourist trap that is the acropolis (i don't bash attractions often, but the acropolis is, in my opinion, totally spoiled by the HORDES of tourists crawling all over it and the constant construction, and this was the absolute lowest SEASON, by god, people must be falling off the edges in the summer)

new years in athens, a little rain an't gonna stop the party

the archaeological museum, neolithic > mycennian > archaic > classical > hellenic > roman, 10,000 years in a day (chronological order, well, roughly)

people

streets and scenes

word up to yo motha, up next is the greek mainland, olympia, delphi, meteoria

crete: a very minoan christmas

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:25:00 GMT

I know I promised you guys the holy land, but at the last min my parental units chickened out of going to isreal, so we went to greece instead. not to worry, i will be heading there to the land of yarmulkes and jesus next spring break.

for now i present crete, largest of the greek islands, home to the minoan civilization, where i spent the first part of my time in greece.

knossos, the fabled labyrinth of the minotaur, was where theseus supposedly killed the half bull half man monster and escaped by tying a golden string to the entrance and retracing his steps out.

minoan art was quiet dazzling considering how ancient they are (the early minoan works date from circa 2000 BC, then it gradually blends in with mainline greek art after the mycennian period)

xmas on the island of crete

street and scenes

'the two towers'

wanging all the way

next up, athens

san francisco: i left something there... i forgot what

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:06:26 GMT

tis well into law school interviewing season, as i fly back and forth trying to hook up a job in the bay area, i can't help but post some pictures of this city that i have decided to move to after school is finished.

sure is foggy around here...

rice-a-roni

city by the bay

botanique

streets and scenes

people

SUPERLAWYERS AWAY!

rio de janiero: girls from ipanema

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:41:19 GMT

rio, home to the sun worshiping cariocas, is a mix bag of tricks. its hard to sort out all the contradictions of the city, the beautiful beaches and pretty girls contrast heavily with the favelas and the constant reminders to be mindful of your safety. gliding over the city, speeding through the streets on a motorbike, or just tanning on copacabana, the only thing to do is to sit back and breath it all in.

rio, from the top

copacabana

modern art museum (photography not allowed, but i found a way ;)

maracana, the home temple of futbol

centro

cathedral

favela hocine, south america's largest slums

the favelas are completely run by druglords, there are no police in them, and everywhere we saw men wakling around with guns. the gang that runs favela hocinha is ADA (amigos dos amigos, or friends of friends)

at the entrance to the favela they have guards with fireworks at the ready, to warn everyone in the favela in case police is coming

a game the kids play here is called kite fighting, where they glue glass to kites and duel in the air

we visited an daycare in the favela, supported by UNICEF and donations

the best part of the tour was riding bikes to the top of the favela, dodging traffic in narrow streets at breakneck speeds

our guide, marcelo, without who we would have probably died a hundred deaths by the time we came out

cristo redentor

the rio funk

on the beach... oh the beaches

in and around

oiy, carioca!

fly, like an eagle

tourist shenanigans

amazonia: in the jungle, the mighty jungle

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 00:54:36 GMT

the amazon, where do i start? a river so vast that when you cross it, at points you cannot see the banks is home to life like i've never seen before. walking in the jungle, piranha fishing, or just floating down the amazon on a beautiful day in a little canoe. there's no place on earth like it.

meet me at civilization's end

you know how you always hear about the rainforest being cut down for farmland?

the world's greatest river

the sunsets over the amazon

the forest from the trees

fishing for piranhas

of course they just had to be kept right under me...

and yes, they were yummy

did i mention the part where we getting fucking LOST in the jungle?

"don't worry dudes, the directions say turn left at a big tree"

the birds and the bees... and monkeys... and spiders... and dolphins... ok i don't know what the fuck that thing is suppose to be but get it away from me... AND SNAKES!

guess what the monkey is doing? hint: its something monkey's are known to do...

people

the main cast:

our guide: george. yes, you heard me... GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE

the three amigos

chillin and illin

all cocky before being PWNED by the jungle

licking unknown substances

down by the river

'serious' paddling

'serious' whining

'serious' drinking

"man i could reaaally use a shower right now..."

WANG WANG WANG OF THE JUNGLE friend to you and me! duh duh duh duh duuh duh duh da duh! watch out for that tree!

after this picture was taken, the guide was like... oh by the way, that paint will come off in 2 weeks.. LOL

fly fishing, amazon style

i forget what george's exact comment on my fishing skills were... but i'm pretty sure it was something like "if you were born in the jungle, you would die." followed by swearing in portugues

next up: rio

fireworks on the national mall: born on the 4th of july

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 05:26:00 GMT

O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Digg This (i have a bet with a friend for a bottle of scotch that i can hit 10,000 hits by summer's end, help me out, i like scotch :)

upper egypt: curse of the pharaohs

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:13:59 GMT

the rest of my egyptian trip was spent cruising down the nile. while this would normally be a very tame adventure, due to some unauthorized picture taking inside the pyramids by my brother, our trip became cursed at this point. his camera memory card was erased by a mysterious error upon exiting the pyramid, and we were afflicted with all sorts of unfortunate events on our cruise down the nile (trip cancelations, boat delays, problematic rooms assignments, 2 car accidents, etc). i am still recovering from my sickness now, more then 2 weeks after the conclusion of the trip.

karnak

luxor temple

hey, guess what this god is in charge of

valley of the kings

hatshepsut temple

cursed, waiting for our cruiseship with military escort on the bank of the nile...

how we boarded the boat when it finally got there after 4 hours of waiting

temple of horus

temple by night

crocodile mummy

aswan dam and lake nassar

the nile

on traveling

lots of people ask me how i am able to travel so much. my travels have generally been in three categories, work abroad, cheap summer trips and visiting family

the one that i consider the best is working abroad. if you have the balls to throw everything to the wind, pack your shit and goto another country, there are plenty of opportunities out there for those who dare to risk it all. teaching english in korea for a year enabled me to goto 5 countries in less then one year while coming out ahead financially (traveling to nearby locales on plentiful vacations). not only do you really get to experience a culture in a meaningful way, it also opens your eyes to a whole new world, a world that most will never experience. the benefit of this approach is that you don't need anything other then a BA, time, and a sense of adventure. word of warning; its not for everybody. pick your employer carefully cause there are plenty of nighmare stories out there, culture shock can be overwhelming and i can't describe to you the changes one goes through by undergoing this type of experience, they were nothing less then life changing for me. once you leave, you may find that no matter where you go, you can never go home.

if you want to do this, http://www.eslcafe.com/ is a good place to get started, and yeah, it is seriously that easy, i went on, applied for a few jobs, phone interviewed and within 2 months of starting the process i was on a plane to korea with all my worldly possessions in 3 suitcases.

another way is the 'summer backpack tour'. i took 2 summer grand european tours (first one solo and second with one of my best friends). it mostly involve packing all your clothes in a huge backpack, staying in hostels and training it from one city to another on a europass. doing this kind of trip is a great and inexpensive way to travel if you know how to do it and don't mind smelling like a hobo. many web sites have great instructions on how to do it cheaply, and a self guide books such a europe on a shoestring is a must have. in general a 2 month trip will cost anywhere from 5-7 thousand depending on your spending habits. i saved for this by working full time while in undergrad, but there are other ways of doing it too. if you are willing to give up useless things like shoes or that new PS3, it is actually not hard to save 5 thousand if you work hard (and by hard, i mean really hard, nothing in life is free).

finally, a lot of it is just that i'm very lucky to be a member of a very international family, which gives me chances to visit them at little expense to many places. the last trip to the middle east for example was to visit my dad who works in oman, i've been to tokyo to visit my aunt, to new york to visit my cousin, my mom lives in canada and i live in DC, etc etc. while i can't really tell you how to make your parents move to an exotic place, i can tell you that moving is not as scary as many people seem to think it is.

see, not so mysterious. now go pack your bags :)