karmatso profile picture

karmatso

I work to travel, I travel to learn, I learn to free my mind.

About Me

Nothing special. I work, I travel, and I always know where my towel is.

My Interests

Tibetan Buddhism, reading, astronomy, target practice, cooking, really good cigars, and baseball. I do some traveling when I have the time and money. In recent years, I have been to Tibet, China, Nepal, and Bhutan. I have also visited Mexico, Canada, and Thailand. I saw a little of Europe when I was younger, mostly West Germany. I have also lived in several states, and visited many more.

I'd like to meet:

The list is long, far to many to include here. I always enjoy meeting fellow travelers, either online, or on the road. Also, as always, I would love to meet any life form that lives outside of our solar system.CURRENT MOON moon phase info

Music:

The Clash, Ramones, Pretenders, Devo, Dead Kennedys, Violent Femmes, Talking Heads, X, B-52's, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, the Cars, David Bowie, Translator, Go-Go's, Psychedelic Furs. There are many others, mostly late 70's/early 80's bands along the lines of those listed above. I also enjoy classical. Actually, I can listen to almost anything, except Country and Rap.

Movies:

Anything from Monty Python, Casablanca, Ronin, Heat, Kill Bill 1 and 2, Kundun, Lost in Translation, 2010, Snatch, Repo Man, Orgazmo, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Travelers and Magicians, Pulp Fiction, Desperado, The Matrix, Blade Runner, Airplane, Clint Eastwood westerns, Samurai and Ninja movies, foreign films, plus many others.

Television:

I try not to watch to much TV, and I do not have cable. I enjoy the various travel, cooking, and nature/science shows on PBS, and try to watch David Letterman when I can. I love the new Battlestar Galactica (been watching it online and on DVD). Actually, I would love to get rid of my TV. I have spent far to much time in front of one for this lifetime.

Books:

Ernest Hemingway, Carrie Fisher, Robert B. Parker, Isabel Allende, Tama Janowitz, Robert Thurman, Hunter S. Thompson, David Weber, Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Joe Haldeman, Amy Tan, Tom Clancy, and many others.

Heroes:

There are many people whom I greatly admire, but I have a difficult time with the concepts of heroes and hero worship.

My Blog

A Kind Of Magic - Favorite travel stories - Pt. 2

It was the last night of my 2006 trip. I had spent some time in Lhasa and surroundings, and I was now back in Chengdu. I had a late night flight out of Chengdu, and was spending some time in the bar a...
Posted by karmatso on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:30:00 PST

Favorite travel stories - Part 1

Does anyone have any memorable travel moments they want to share? One of mine happened in Tibet a few years ago. I was taking the ferry boat across the Yarlung-Tsangpo river to Samye Monastery. The bo...
Posted by karmatso on Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:42:00 PST

Just call me Kwai Chang Todd

I have finally finished watching all three seasons of the old Kung Fu tv show. I don't recall ever seeing it when it first aired, for we never watched much tv back then. I have seen random episod...
Posted by karmatso on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 07:04:00 PST

I have returned

Well, my experiment is over. I have spent the last six or seven weeks without internet at home. When I lost my connection back in January, I decided to delay having it fixed. I was spending way to muc...
Posted by karmatso on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:31:00 PST

Sir Edmund Hillary

For many years, I have had a fascination with Mt. Everest. So, it was with great sadness that I read today of the death of Sir Edmund Hillary. As most of you probably know, Hillary, along with his par...
Posted by karmatso on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:22:00 PST

Liquid Karma

I have a new nickname. I have had many over the years, some good, some not so good, and some that were downright terrible. I work for a major sports drink manufacturer, and occasionally bring some of ...
Posted by karmatso on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:00:00 PST

The grass is always greener....

I have done some traveling in my life. One thing I always try to do is talk to the locals. A lot of tourists tend to avoid doing that, and I have often wondered why. They are missing out on a real exp...
Posted by karmatso on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:31:00 PST

Appeasing the Sky Gods

Before you read the news story I have pasted below, I have to add my own little twist. I flew this airline in 2004, from Bangkok to Kathmandu. It was known as Royal Nepal Airlines back then. I didn't ...
Posted by karmatso on Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:07:00 PST

Yes, it’s true.

A lot of people have asked if my last story was true. Yes, it is. I sometimes wonder what happened to the Traveler. Did he ever make it to Istanbul? Did he stay in India, and become a wandering mins...
Posted by karmatso on Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:15:00 PST

A short story for you.

Note. Whenever I travel, I keep a dairy of things that I experience. I have seen some incredible sights, and met plenty of interesting people. This is about one such person I met while going to Tibet ...
Posted by karmatso on Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:36:00 PST