The Top of America

Greetings from the continental divide.

Rob Fowler Wedding

We made it to Minnesota with two days to spare before Rob Fowler's wedding. In the meantime, we stayed with Thidawan's Hmong friend from Thailand, Supamat Vang and her family.

Stopped to Fix a Flat Tire in Chicago

We just drove from Pittsburgh to Chicago on a donut. Most of the trip was through the night, except for Indiana and Illinois. Stopped at the Wizard of Oz Museum in Indiana in the morning and went up the Sears Tower while a mechanic put on a new tire. Just a minor setback. We're already in Wisconsin, and we should be in Minneapolis by tomorrow, on schedule.

Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin

Unfortunately, I missed the peak bloom of the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin this year, as well as the festival events over the weekend due to other plans, but I headed out around sunrise this morning to see what was left of them anyway. Most of the petals were already scattered about the ground and floating in the Potomac, but there were still a handful of trees that were still in full bloom.

Despite the wind, it was nice to get out for some early morning fresh air and exercise. The advantage of going early in the morning on a weekday is that there's not so much of a crowd of tourists blocking the view and making a lot of noise. Also, there's plenty of parking that time of day right along the basin.

Super Pollo in Arlington, Virginia

Super Pollo is located on the 600 block of N. Randolph St. across from the Ballston Common parking garage. It is not visible from any main road. If you have never eaten at a Peruvian chicken restaurant, you are missing out on a unique taste. While the atmosphere is nothing to write home about, this is by far the best tasting pollo restaurant that I have been able to find in the DC area. The spices used to season the chicken are perfect, and the chicken is good quality and cooked rotisserie style. Along with the best tasting chicken, the Super Pollo also has the best selection of sides, including yucca. I highly recommend the coleslaw, as well. I don't ordinarily like my colesslaw runny, but this dripping slop-style coleslaw is absolutely delicious. Be sure to try an Inca Cola, which tastes similar to the pink variety of Fanta.

Self Portrait

Self portrait in the sand. Greetings from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Making Moonshine in the Ozarks

Today, we stopped to visit my Uncle Michael in Arkansas (after visiting a real Ozark still). We packed him in the car and drove him up to Branson, Missouri, where everything was closed except for the family amusement park. Rode the bumper boats and go-carts while Uncle Michael played some shoot-em-up video games.

Anna Rexia Awarded Track of the Day

Weekends With Dan's song "Anna Rexia" was awarded "Track of the Day" on GarageBand.com.

A critic in Toledo, Ohio writes:

Whoah, wait, this doesn't suck like the rest of them...
Ok, I'm not a fan of guitar lead music, but this guitar player is good. His leads fit perfect and do the job; LEAD, not show off. Now, the criticism is that this is really a country song with a halftime beat and an electric guitar instead of a lap guitar. This song is hilarious once you figure out what it is that redneck is saying :) By the end of this song, I love Anna-Rexia. This rocks simply because it takes guts to play it.

In addition to the "Track of the Day" selection, the song also recently received the following awards:

*Best Male Vocals in Punk
*Best Guitars in Punk
*Best Lyrics in Punk
*Best Melody in Punk
*Most Original in Punk

Introducing Weekends With Dan

My new band "Weekends With Dan" began recording the "Big Sexy Single" at Big Blue Meenie studio in Jersey City today. The tracks "Anna Rexia" and "Sexual Harassment" are being recorded over the next few days, with a tentative mix date next week. At least three more songs will follow next month. The lineup features me, under the alias "Big Sexy" on guitars, "Dan Damage" on vocals, Jeff McManus of Pist.on (Atlantic Records) on drums and Jim Frint on bass. The genre of the project is somewhere between pop and punk. The sound quality is expected to be superior to all of my prior recorded music projects, as artists such as INXS, Pet Shop Boys, Jodeci, Guy and Queen Latifah, Helmet and Rage Against the Machine have all recorded or mixed albums in this studio. Tim Gilles who works regularly with Island and Virgin Records will be mixing some of the tracks.

Carter Caves State Resort Park

Today, I took my family horseback riding at Carter Caves State Resort Park, located in Carter County, Kentucky, along Tygarts Creek. While the ride was relaxing, they gave me the biggest, oldest, slowest horse, and I tore my pants trying to get my legs around it.
Me (top), my wife Thidawan (center) and our son Jaras (bottom)

Clarendon Cup

My son Jaras competes in the Clarendon Cup bike race.

Rutgers Law School Graduation

Today, I received my law degree from Rutgers University.

Malaria

I wasn't so out of shape as I thought. I just caught malaria. Staying at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. Parents flew in from the USA today and wife flew back from Thailand. Doctor told them I have a 50% chance of living. Feeling good, albiet delerious, in Kenya. Will report back shortly.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

It was a beautiful morning in Tanzania, and a great day to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I started out early by catching a taxi to the base of the legendary mountain. When I arrived at the entrance to the park, the taxi driver and I walked up to the guides' booth and negotiated a price. Unfortunately, I only had one day to get back to Kenya, and I was informed that climbing all the way to the top and back would take at a minimum three days, even for the most enduring of hikers. Nonetheless, I purchased a ticket and hired a guide to at least take me on a tour through the rainforest level of the mountain.

It was a very nice hike, and I learned a lot about the mountain's rainforest habitat. As a sidenote, I had never seen so many ants crawling around in one place. I think that if you stood in one place without walking for just a few minutes, you would easily have ants crawling up your pant legs!

There is much talk about foresting the area to support the development of the nation's industries, but I hope the park remains wild and natural for at least a few more generations to see. Already, through the trees, you can hear an occasional chainsaw grinding away.

At one point, I had a great view from the side of the mountain down to the countryside below. The landscape was mostly unoccupied, with scattered farms here and there. I couldn't help but think what incredible real estate those farmers have. But, I'm sure they price for it. No doubt, they're on the fringe of poverty and strugling to make a living with their crops. I wonder if they appreciate that they have one of the world's greates natural wonders outside their door.

I felt a little nauseous by the time I had come back to the base of the mountain and I was glad to be done with the walking. I guess I need to be in better shape before I try another high altitute adventure.

Fishing Near Lamu

Captain Kevin catches the big one. Kenya (except for Nairobi proper) is a fun place to be. Saw the Indian Ocean for the first time today.

Bujagali Falls

Enjoying myself on the Nile River in Uganda. Staying at a camp with hosts from the U.K. Their potato salad is incredible. Pictured in photo is fellow law student Meena Ra.

Honeymoon in Dubai

Dressing up in Arab garb felt kind of fake, after having disguised myself in local clothing to get out to the war laden Sahara terretory last year. The honeymoon was nice though. Stayed at the Admiral Plaza hotel and went out to the dunes via Land Rover brigade. Will return back to the States in about 3 months.

Kevin as Lunch Lady in Thailand

I tried my hand as a lunch lady at a grade-school in rural Thailand. I also gave some English lessons to some of the locals. Even speaking decent Thai, I stuck out like a sore thumb, especially since I towered over the average villager by about a foot. The children were receptive, and eager to try out the few English words they learned at school. I also tried my hand at rice farming, digging drainage ditches, and arm wrestling. My height advantage rendered me undefeated against even the most buff of rice farmers.

Catch of the Day

Ate at a restaurant in Indonesia and ordered the catch of the day. Restaurant worker literally went back behind the restaurant and netted a fish. Very yummy. Also visited Singapore and Malaysia today.

Just Married

Just married, Thai style. Ms. Thidawan Ruasamran is now Mrs. Thidawan Borland. The family package includes Thidawan's 6 year-old son, Jaras.

Down and Out in Sin City

Took my uncle Michael to Las Vegas. No winnings to report.

Burma by Taxi

This week's voyage has been an interesting one, so far. The nation of Myanmar has been oppressively ruled by a military junta for quite some time. I hired a taxi driver (a.k.a. a disgruntled student of a university shut down by the military) who spoke English, requesting that he show me his country. His response, in reaction to providing him all of my military government vouchers was, "Can I bring my cousin?" My guide and his cousin (names not stated to ensure their safety) have been excellent hosts, driving me hundreds of miles around their country, showing me temples, stopping at towns to sing karaoke, and taking me to dinner theater shows. In the last couple of days, we took a trip to Golden Rock temple (through the jungle and up the mountains), and to an island pagoda near Rangoon.

Good people. Unfortunate circumstances.

Pacific Rim in Taiwan

Stopped in Taiwan for three days. This is Damshui, a very picturesque location north of Taipei.

Arrival in San Jose

Stopped to visit my fried "Dan Damage" out in San Jose on my way to Asia. Had a great time. I'm leaving my car here and continuing on to Taiwan.

Great Northwest

I visited my Uncle John in Williams, Oregon, after a detour in Seattle where I ran into Matt Pinfield from MTV. In the photo is my uncle's yin-yang garden. I spent the night in his recording studio, where he showed me some of his new material.

May in the Rockies

Drove through Gallatin and Yellowstone. Saw lots of buffalo and antelope. I even saw a moose in the middle of the road and a grizzly in the distance.

Driving Along the Northern US Border

Greetings from Fargo!

Safety in the Sahara

If you want to ensure your safety from the side effects of the Y2K bug, then let's do it right. I risked my life to smuggle myself from Morocco to the Western Sahara into a war zone. Not a computer in any direction for about 1000 miles (save for my watch, camera and camcorder). Disguised as a Saharan, I easily made it out to the dunes and spent much of New Years Eve in a tent with nomadic Saharans. Come midnight (Morocco time), I was on a bus to Rabat. It was a beautiful moment. Nearly all of the other passengers did not appreciate the fact that we were entering a new millenium. We're talking about nomadic desert dwellers with camels. I'm not sure they're on the same calendar, or if they had ever seen a calendar. However, there was a girl on the bus, who was checking her watch as intently as I was, excited about the memorialization of the passing of a thousand years. She was about 25 years old, dressed in traditional Saharan fashion (see picture above). There was no Dick Clark or Times Square. At the same moment, when our watches reached T minus zero, we both looked up and smiled at each other. I know I didn't explain it well. There were no words exchanged. I doubt she spoke English, and I didn't speak Arabic. You had to be there. We both understood eachother completely.

Ramadan in Fes

Ramadan in Fes, Morocco.  The owner of this tiny shop gave me his hat.

Three Hour Tour of Paris

The challenge I faced was this: a three-hour lay over in Paris, just three hours to see as much of the city as I can without missing my plane to Africa. I decided that my best bet was to commission a taxicab driver to assist me with my mission. I found a cab driver, who despite thinking me quite insane, agreed to give me a personalized tour.

My biggest goal, which was not to be compromied under any circumstances, was to ascend the Eiffel Tower. After all, what would a trip to Paris be without checking out the city's most famous monument? I have to say, the view was spectacular, both from the ground and from the deck. also, the tower was already decorated for the upcoming millenium celebration. Much to my dismay, I could not get my new digital camera to work. However, I was able to get some good video footage.

My second goal was shopping. I didn't have anything in particular I wanted to buy, but memories of watching the Griswalds' shopping spree in National Lampoon's European Vacation were running through my mind. I had the driver take me around the Arc de Triomphe, and then let me out on Champs Elysees. There was everything chic that you could imagine. I ended up buying a new Parisian perfume for my mother.

The clock was running, and there was a bit of traffic on our ride to the Musee du Louvre. Unfortunately, I did not have time to enter and see the artwork. Perhaps an adventure for a different day.

Last stop: Notre Dame Cathedral. The line was short and I was able to see the interior without difficulty. Finally, I got my new camera to function, and I was able to snap a shot of the building on the way out-my only still photograph of Paris.