Taken while driving through Kaesong. For whatever reason, most people who owned bikes weren’t actually riding them, just walking them through the streets.

This is part of the giant mural that is displayed at the entrance to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang. At the center is Kim Il-sung, who is known in North Korea as the saviour of the nation who led the DPRK to victory in the Korean War. That, of course, couldn’t be further from the truth.

This is President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s UH-13J. Not quite as impressive as Marine One, but it was groundbreaking as it became the first helicopter to to be used by a President when Eisenhower took off from the White House lawn in July 1957. The helicopter is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Photos from last month’s West Coast road trip. Over 1,400 miles up the coast from San Diego, CA to Vancouver, BC.

This photo was taken at Playa Tamarindo, a little after 6am. As you can see, the fishing boats and surfers are already out at this time, competing for the best seafood and waves, respectively.

Although many people complain that Tamarindo has become too crowded and “touristy”, I would tend to disagree. With a mere population of 3,500, Tamarindo is certainly no South Beach. It remains, for the most part, a small town with one main street that is dotted with small restaurants, hotels, travel agencies, and souvenir shops. I have visited Tamarindo in both the low and high season, and even during the high season, it was incredibly laid back and not at all overcrowded. You can always find a spot on the beach to spread out, and the surf lineup remains mellow (not at all like those found in my home state of California). Before heading to Tamarindo, however, be sure to purchase some sunglasses online, as the sun is out bright and early.

If you are heading to Tamarindo, I would highly recommend staying at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, which offers excellent packages that include lodging, surf lessons (or excursions for advanced surfers) and free breakfast. Or, if you are staying somewhere else in Tamarindo, definitely stop by the WRSC restaurant, Eat at Joe’s, for the amazing sushi and “Nachos as big as your ass” that you can wash down with a cold Imperial.

Trying to get back into the swing of things as far as posting daily and figured this would be a good photo to highlight due to the recent situation in Egypt. The above photo was taken in April 2005 at a police checkpoint outside Dendara, Egypt. The giant poster is of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was recently ousted. I imagine that these posters and other assorted cult of personality items are long gone by now.