“In traveling, I don’t want to be counseled on what to enjoy. I cling to the hope that visiting a new place can be about more than what’s hot and what’s not; that I can still do a few things without mediation. After all, I travel partly to escape the sort of place where knowing the names of obscure bands has become a substitute for enjoying music, and getting into the newest restaurant a stand-in for appreciating food.”
–Elisabeth Eaves, “My War Against the War Against Clich

It’s somewhat surreal to be sitting here in New Orleans and following all the BTK Strangler coverage on the news ever since a Park City, Kan. resident was arrested as the suspect.

Having grown up in Wichita, the BTK Strangler was my vision of “the bogeyman” for as long as I can remember. So many instinctive childhood fears are tied into the BTK, and the case struck home at many levels — from the fact that his 1986 victim, Vicki Wegerle, went to my childhood church, or the fact that I was interning in the KAKE TV newsroom (where the killer sent most of his letters) when he killed his last victim in 1991, to the fact that several people I know (including my father, my high school history teacher, and our family lawyer) were among the 4000 men swabbed for DNA by Wichita police in the last year.

Even as recently as last summer, when I was visiting my family in Kansas, I would feel a slight twinge of fear when, say, I couldn’t reach my mom on the phone, or when I’d forget to lock the front door when I went out. It’s weird how intuitively something like that can haunt you. It’s nice to know the suspect has finally been captured.

BTK stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill”, and the strangler purportedly killed 10 people between 1974 and 1991. Online articles about the case are all over the place, but I’ve included the next of the New York Times‘ coverage below.

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[Um, could you remind us again what we've been warned about?]

Rolf Gibbs’ Travels in India blog recently had an amusing entry called “Great Signs of India“, which included the image above. Another great shot (of a “joy-riding” camel) can be found by clicking here. Rolf’s full entry can be found here.

I last blogged about Rolf Gibbs when his farewell party in LA resulted in an unprecedented gathering of three Rolfs at once.

“Decisions are far more difficult to make than actions are to take. We often put off doing something for as long as possible, then as we finally make the decision and step into the action, we’re surprised by its relative ease. We’re left to wonder why we dreaded doing it until we realize that most of life’s actions are within our reach, but decisions take willpower.”
–Robert McKee, Story (1996)

A recent post-tsunami USA Today article alerted me to the fact that American travelers can now register their trip itineraries with the State Department online. Registration allows you to record information that the Department of State can use to assist you in case of an emergency.

Full information and online registration forms are available here, and I’ll outline a few frequently asked questions from the state.gov website here:

Millions of Americans travel abroad every year and encounter no difficulties. However, U.S. embassies and consulates assist nearly 200,000 Americans each year who are victims of crime, accident, or illness, or whose family and friends need to contact them in an emergency. When an emergency happens, or if natural disaster, terrorism, or civil unrest strikes during your foreign travel, the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can be your source of assistance and information. By registering your trip, you help the embassy or consulate locate you when you might need them the most. Registration is voluntary and costs nothing, but it should be a big part of your travel planning and security.

U.S. consular officers assist Americans who encounter serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties. Although consular officers cannot act as your legal counsel or representative, they can provide the names of local attorneys and doctors, provide loans to destitute Americans, and provide information about dangerous conditions affecting your overseas travel or residence. Consular officers also perform non-emergency services, helping Americans with absentee voting, selective service registration, receiving federal benefits, and filing U.S. tax forms. Consular officers can notarize documents, issue passports, and register American children born abroad. Most embassies and consulates have web sites with more information.

Register as a Long-Term Traveler. You then have the opportunity to provide information about your foreign residence, and you can opt to receive information from the nearest embassy or consulate. If you create a password, you can update your personal information on this website at any time.

If you have a residence or contact address in the U.S., use that address as your Personal Information address, and your foreign residence as your Long-Term Trip address. If you do not have a U.S. residence or contact address, use your foreign residence as both your Personal Information address and your Long-Term Trip address.

“The Islamic doctrine of apostasy is hardly favorable to free inquiry or frank discussion, to say the least, and surely it explains why no Muslim, or former Muslim, in an Islamic society would dare to suggest that the Qu

Drive Around the World, the international Land Rover expedition I was involved with last year, has almost completed its trans-global journey to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s Disease research. A welcome-home party will be held at the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, Calif., a week from today. For the full scoop, read this announcement from DATW director Nick Baggarly:

After 16 months, four continents and countless cans of Red Bull, your LONGITUDE Expedition has some exciting news to share. After reaching the northernmost point of the journey Feb. 5 at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, our Land Rovers turned south and are pointed toward the finish line at the Parkinson