Rome 101

Upon arrival, head out the door of departure area, go up escalator on left to the train station. Buy a ticket on the Leonardo Express and head over to Roma Termini. Leave train station by the main entrance, to Via Vulturna, turn left on via Catalafimi to Papa Germano hostel. Stay the night and the next day return to Roma Termini,take train to Bari.........

Travel plans

I was on Marylebone street, London a few years ago and toured some of their cute stores. We went into a Cath Kidston's store and took a lot of pictures before we got called out for not asking permission. I was told to erase the pictures, I said, ok but never did. I did buy a scarf from the store from the irate clerk. This was not the store but looking back, it was a lovely sunny day in London. London and England never disappoints.

Bringing work home

I'm leaving for Rome this weekend so I can bring home more stories to write about. It puts a new twist to 'bringing work home.' I think you're not supposed to do that but I'm into a different kind of work now.

The Grand tour

Only for the young? Not so. Baby Boomers can embark on their own Grand Tour. We are scared and apprehensive. I am too even though I have traveled so much. It is a little overwhelming, to be in a different part of the world, where the language is different, the food is different and we keep getting lost. The mind and body just refuses to undertake such a daring feat. It takes too much out of us. Why don't we just pick up the TV remote, put our feet up and watch others do it. But little do we know that the fun and thrill is on the other side of the television screen! If we don't put on our walking shoes and pack our belongings into a small tote, head out the door, for the airport, we'd be spared the expense. The money will still be in our bank account and not dispersed among the airlines, the pensions, the restaurants, the train companies and whoever else. Well, that's another way of looking at life. Sure we can live like that. In the end, the decision is ours to make. The Grand tour was a much later invention, late 18th C. The first visitors to Rome were the Barbarians whose main intent was to plunder and pillage. Then the pilgrims came since this was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire. Then the English people followed, the earliest guidebooks were written by Murray and by the 19thC, you are not educated unless you've been on the Grand tour of the major capitals of Western Europe. And people became enamored with ruins, the older the ruin, the better. They haven't stopped. Visitors continue to trample all over Rome. It's a wonder to see the numerous groups all over the major sites in Rome, following a leader holding up a flag or an umbrella. These days they have clipped on microphones. Besides the ruins, there are wonderful palaces which are now museums and hold some of the world's most beautiful art whether they be paintings, sculptures or furnishings. Rome is incredible. Rome has older history than Paris or London. Try some 'dolce far niente', the sweet doing of nothing! Drink some coffee and just watch life go by in front of you! Don't forget the famous Tiber river!

Rome, Italy

Oh, to be in Rome again and very soon. I can't wait.

Biot, near Nice, France

Once in a while in our travels we bump into weddings. We've bumped into weddings in Avignon and in Rothenburg, Germany and it is a lot of fun. Here we were enjoying the pretty pastel colored village of Biot when suddenly church bells rang for a wedding. Imagine walking in your heels on those cobbled stones, lovely!

Barcelona, Gaudi

As I wrote this morning about Barcelona, I realized how I have forgotten how much fun this city was. I had forgotten how brilliant Gaudi was that there is still no one like him.

Sunday musings

I love Youtube not so much for the entertaining aspects but more to learn stuff that people do to make money on the Internet. Some of them just wants to sell a program or a subscription but I just watch the free stuff. Its fun to learn what the top Kindle publishers are doing to make money. I learned a few things today. So maybe my next Kindle book is for the baby boomers of which I am one. 'How to still travel when your financial portfolio has taken a hit. I think many of us boomers are in this category and we probably think the times when we can still travel is over. Do not despair. We may not be able to stay in those 4 or 5 star hotels or eat fancy meals but we can still do hosteling. Its no shame for an older person to be in a hostel. I've met lots of them because I'm a hosteler myself. I have stayed in all kinds of accommodations and many are hostels. I can only say, stay fit because you might find yourself climbing up to the top bunk and I've done that many times even when I travel with younger people. For some reason they always stick me on the top bunk! This was a hostel in Vienna.

Winter blues

We're in the middle of winter and while it is so mild in Southern California, one still feel the winter blues and experiences cabin fever. I try to get out under the slightest pretense, get some milk, some toilet paper, some something just so I get to get out, walk to the nearest store. I can't help dreaming of the trips I will take as soon the weather warms up in Europe. Here I am dreaming of sunny South of France.

So Bloomsbury

Keep a part of Bloomsbury in your house. Put a bouquet of meadow flowers in a jug or any chipped vessel, place on top of some old books and display it. Keep an altar for Bloomsbury in a corner of your house and your heart.

Charleston, the Kindle book

This was supposed to be the cover but for some reason, it did not load. I think Kindle doesn't like pictures that stands tall, it wants those that are just taken horizontally. So from now on all paintings and photos are to be taken just as they can uploaded on Kindle. I was able to add a photo in the ebook. Its very exciting, am working on a couple more ebooks, then I go to Italy and be back with more. Then I have to build up my author's page on Amazon, update my Link in page, print and distribute some business card, work on my website. This is work!

Charleston farmhouse

Next Kindle project by popular demand. So I'm going to be really busy. Writing is my job now since I lost my other job.

The creative life, now

'The creative life, now" is now available on Kindle. This is not the cover. I forgot to create a cover and had to take out my camera to shoot a picture and use that as a cover. Its a steep learning curve and I'm still learning.

Home for a while

I'm leaving for Matera, Italy in a few weeks. 2014 was my break out year. I have been writing a lot lately for my Kindle library. I have four books published by Kindle already and am waiting to hear from them regarding my fifth which I submitted this afternoon. Its turning out to be a great year, lots of ideas flowing in my head.

Fourth Kindle book

That was the ping on my phone that I was waiting for. My fourth Kindle has just been published. For $2.99 less than the cost of a sandwich, you'll get all the tools you need to fine tune your personal finances. All are tried and tested by me. I live it all these years from making a lot of money to making none at the moment. I'm living the good life and on very much less.

Third Kindle book

My third book on Kindle is now available. Please go to Amazon and buy with I-click. I'm working on more right now since it has become my full time job. My website is still under construction, annechung.com but hopefully later this year it will be fully operational.

Sicily, the book

My second book is on available on Amazon Kindle. Buy with i-click from Amazon wherever you are and it will be delivered to your mobile device.

Happy New Year

The year is over? I almost forgot its another end of the year. I've been so busy trying to upload some books to Kindle. Don't you love Youtube University, you can learn a lot from these young people. I'm amazed at what they know and I'm trying to learn from them. One thing about ebooks especially Kindle books is they should be short and sweet and to be the point. We're not writing our opus so why does it take so long. True, true, I'll get it. I'll take tomorrow off to cook and then its back to the books! Happy New Year. Here am I years and years ago, maybe more than ten, in Carcassone, France.

Kindle, buy with i-click

My first book is now on Amazon's Kindle. Buy with i-click and for $2.99 you can download it to read it. OMG, after 9 years of writing, the times are finally ripe, no need for book proposals, no agents, with just a pc and a program to format the manuscript and I'm being published. This is so awesome. I have 4 other manuscripts being formatted as I write with many more to come. I even designed the cover. How great is that?

Matera, Italy

It's official, just booked my flight to Rome leaving Feb 1 and then heading down South to Matera. I have a reservation to see 'the crypt of original sin' on Feb 4th. I'm excited.

Kindle publishing

I have a mac and a new pc. The Kindle publishing software only works with the pc. I have five manuscripts waiting to be formatted and uploaded into Kindle. I completed the uploading of one a few minutes ago. Kindle says it will take 12 to 48 hours before it'll appear on Kindle. This is so exciting. I've been too excited to sleep lately. Got to get back to work to upload the rest of the manuscripts.... what a year it has been, full of new and strange things. I hope I'll be able to share what happened to me lately. It's too painful to share right now.

Matera, Italy

Picture of Matera taken in 1951 by the French photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson. This picture, at a recent Christie's auction has the price tag of 20,000 euros on it. Matera was poor and miserable but his photos of it raised the impression of Matera that a group of locals decided to search and document all the cave churches in the area. They discovered at least 147 and most of them still has frescoes in them. Their most important find is the 'cave of hundred saints' or the 'crypt of the original sin. A lot of the frescoes were fast disappearing because of climatic conditions and a group of Germans were suspected of stripping the walls of the frescoes, it became a case for Interpol. Now Matera is protected under a UN charter being a Unesco World Heritage site. Now everyone wants to return to live in Matera when once they couldn't wait to leave. I was in Matera in 2007 after watching the movie 'the Passion of the Christ' which was filmed on location here. I'm returning on February 1st and I have a reservation to see the crypt of the original sin on February 4th.

Merry Christmas

This is not my picture but I got it from Seventeen doors at lovelylife.se. Thanks.

Kindle publishing

I just now signed up to be published on Kindle. I now have my own account. How great is that. Now all that is needed is to format all the manuscripts I have already made ready onto the Kindle format. These are exciting times.

Merry Christmas

Have a very merry Christmas.

Monreale, Palermo

I made this sketch in 2007 while on a trip to Sicily. This is the exterior of the cloisters of Monreale cathedral. They closed for lunch, we had already eaten and am waiting for the church to reopen. I made a quick drawing. Three things I learned about life....it goes on! This year is almost over. In spite of whatever is happening in my life, its been a great year.

Morocco, a sensual journey

The manuscript is ready, need to type it out on word then convert into KDP and it'll be ready. Phew, what work!

Kasbah Ait ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Kasbah like this dot the Moroccan countryside. They are made from rammed earth, the same earth where they are situated, consisting of clusters of houses built closely together and surrounded by high walls. Inside is a self contained village with water supply and whatever is needed for daily life. This is the famous Ait Ben Haddou just a few miles outside Ouarzazate and is a Unesco World Heritage site, fully restored.

Berbers of Morocco

I'm doing research on Morocco for my book. Fascinating history that I found on Youtube. The Berbers ruled the Maghreb long before the Arabs. They were the Moors who conquered Southern Spain. One time they had two capitals, Marrakech and Seville. Now they are relegated  to the fringes of society. Their language and cultured is being wiped out and they are being arabized. Berber means 'wild' or 'from the forest.' They prefer to call themselves 'Amazigh' which means 'free' or in Taureg  'noble'. Now they've become tourist attractions, both them and their culture. I remember running after them to take their pictures. Now I feel very ashamed.

Rabat, Morocco

Today I'm starting my ebook on Morocco.

Startup

 I've become an author, an illustrator and a publisher. I've become my own startup! I'm making my own zines, with just paper, ink, water colors, a copier and a long reach stapler and you're in business. Its a lot of work and also a lot of fun.

Don't log in annechung.com yet. I hope by January 1, 2015 it will be online. I've owned my own name for 8 years. Each time I call to renew the registration, I'm always asked what I do. Nothing yet but its coming soon.

Working on a few zines

There's a lot of avenues for the selling and trading of zines even in Los Angeles. I just found this out and I'm hard at work making more. It's a lot of fun.

Zine fest Los Angeles, Feb 15, 2015

What's a 'zine"? It is a handmade book. With just paper, a long reach stapler, some color and pen, we can write anything to make a zine. Some are comics, it could be anything. They are usually sold on websites and at fairs. There is going to be one on February 2015 which I'm going to participate in. I'm hard at work now truing to finish at least 5 for the show and for sale. I'm really excited.

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Pope Francis is visiting the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul right now.

Happy thanksgiving

I saw this cute picture and just had to swipe it. Contrary to popular belief that French bread is the best, I choose to disagree. Sicilian bread is the best because of the durum wheat flour grown only in Sicily. I remember being in Catania and saw the bread makers putting freshly baked bread in the late afternoon and you know that the bread at dinner just came out of the oven. In any restaurant you'll find a selection of bread. I miss Sicily. Anyway have a wonderful thanksgiving tomorrow.

Israel, a travel journal

In Israel, on the trail of the wild anemones, the journey

continues. I'm finishing the illustrations, the writing is done.

Petersham nurseries, England

The trip to Petersham nurseries in Richmond, England was in 2011 but it looked like so long ago. I looked so young then but it was only 3 years ago. Time flies and this year is almost over.

Matera, Italy

 I was here in 2006, imagine almost 10 years ago, after the release of the movie, 'the Passion of the Christ' which was filmed on location here. After seeing the movie, I just had to come here and visit. We stayed in a cave hotel, a very beautiful place. We wandered up and down the Sassi and was so enthralled by it. The thing we didn't get to do was visit the Ruprestrian churches, numerous rock cut churches with beautiful frescoes.

Recently a German friend reminded me of the numerous frescoed churches in Matera. I think its time to return to Matera.

Israel, my next project

I've already started my next project, a zine on my trip to Israel. My new work schedule has allowed me to do a lot more work on my private projects. Its a lot of work, I have a full time job and I have my zine projects and am thinking up more to do.

Essaouira, Morocco

A restaurant without a menu, how great is that? Well, here we were a few years ago at just that restaurant in Essaouira, Morocco, a nondescript fishing village with more atmosphere than monuments. We took the local bus from Marrakesh, the grand taxis and the tours were just too expensive. The bus costs us a couple pf Dirhams but it took forever. We finally reached it, walked around a little bit and sat down for lunch. The only food available were platefuls of fried fish. You can order as many plates as you want and just eat with your fingers, dipped the fish in a chili sauce. It was the greatest experience. You don't even need to clean up, just wipe the bones down to the floor, the stray cats will help you clean up. We saw some fishermen come in with more fish. So you know these fish just came from the sea outside.

The tannery, Fez, Morocco

The souk or market in Fez, Morocco is about the oldest in continual use in the world. Nothing has changed, its still a maze of narrow lanes, only large enough for a donkey to pass through. That's how stuff are hauled in and out of it, by donkeys. Once in a while one has to make way for the donkeys to pass. The place is crowded and I became claustrophobic, I had to run out of it. That was a few years ago but its a memory I shouldn't soon forget. In it is also the age old tannery, dirty and smelly. One climbs up a viewing area to see the action where cow hides are being processed in vats containing  chemicals, pigeon shit and animal urine. The stench was so nauseating. Mint leaves are handed out to mitigate the foul smell. Its a wonder to see, a one of its kind still at work in todays' modern age.

A sky burial in Tibet

Here I was a few years ago in a Tibetan part of China, witnessing a sky burial. For years I've read about what happens during a sky burial and what it is. Upon arrival at a little dingy hotel in Litang, we were asked if we want to witness a sky burial, its now become a tourist attraction. My previous reading of it was more respectful. So some 17 of us were waiting the next morning at the reception desk in the hotel. We came from England, Holland, Israel, the USA, Hong Kong, Poland and China. we went in 2 mini vans to the site, a small hill where colorful prayer flags flap in the breeze. It was a clear and pristine morning, the air was so clean, at that altitude, unlike the air in the big cities of Chengdu where we originated from. We waited for 2 hours not knowing if there will be a sky burial. Then in the horizon a few mini vans appeared but towards the back of us a solo mini van also appeared. This was the van that carried the body. The Tibetan Buddhists believed that the soul if it has done enough good deeds on earth goes into nirvana and no longer inhabits the body. The body is now being used to feed another living thing, in this case, the vultures. The body breaker then comes over, slices the body and called on the vultures to feed. He then breaks the bones, mix it with tsampa and continues to feed the vultures until the whole corpse is consumed. Strewn all over that hill are pieces of human hair, fragments of skull and other bones, knives and scissors. The whole area where we were standing to witness the sky burial was an open cemetery. None of us could speak after what we saw. As I explained to some in our party, they felt better, asked if I was a believer. No, I am not, I'm not a very curious person. So what do you think?

Death and dying

 This is how much wood needed to burn an average size corpse.

Unless we travel we'll never experience these events. Here I was in Kathmandu 2 years ago and my first day to a famous temple had me seeing these images. I saw dead bodies being carried on the streets towards the temple. I saw bodies reposing by the river, to be cleansed before the burning.I saw corpses being burned. To us this might be strange and squeamish but to the believers this is the right and honorable thing to do. The Hindus believe in it. Here in Nepal, Hindus and Buddhists live and practice their religion alongside each other.