The Gardens of Ferrari-Carano

One of our many stops in Sonoma County, California, the winery at Ferrari-Carano is known for its landscaping as much as its wines (which were pretty solid too).

Loner

Captivated

On our way to a pretty intense hike/climb, Sturz and I walked by this elevated hut just outside the village of Vang Vien, in Central Laos.

I think these little ones were watching family members in the rice fields.

Railay Beach, Thailand

Messenger

Interlaken, Switerland

Took my moped really high into the mountains where a few isolated houses sat with an incredible view. I got weird looks from the locals, who clearly weren't used to seeing tourists on their tiny, curving one-way roads. I finally turned around when I arrived at a stretch of road covered in snow. But no worries, the downhill was more fun anyways. Who knew a moped could go 80kph?

Click on the image for the larger version... the little white vertical strip in the distance is a monster waterfall.

US Empowered

I'm running the Chicago Marathon this October to support my friend's organization, Urban Students Empowered. I took this pic of a few US Empowered fellows upon their high school graduation. Each of these students will be attending 4-year universities on full-ride scholarships in the Fall. Learn more about the cause by following the link at the top right of this page!

No Shoes, No Problem

Took this one on Railay Beach, which is near Krabi in Southern Thailand. Not a bad place to be...

The Merlion

Down by the main marina in Singapore stands a water-spewing version of the country's ubiquitous icon, the Merlion (as in Mermaid + Lion = a fish with a lion's head). Slightly bizarre, this thing can be found on t-shirts, key chains, etc. (anything a tourist would buy).

Concrete Monster

On our first day in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, Sturz and I walked around the city and did the standard sightseeing, which included a stop at the country's most identifiable landmark (not saying much), the Patuxay. As the tablet below states, this monument was built to resemble Paris' Arc de Triomphe, which was immediately apparent upon seeing the ceiling of the inside of the arc (right).
The tablet, by the way, is worth reading (click on it to enlarge)... hilarious. This thing is on the side of the monument and literally reads "From a closer distance, it appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete." Harsh words. I didn't think it was that ugly.