vegan Portland, Or Review....

I saw this on www.happycow.net.
This website is so perfect for finding vegan places to visit in your city or when you travel.
check out this review by a user who went to Portland....

Subject: 'Vegan Mecca, The Greatest Vegan Trip Ever!'
Now granted I'm half way into my Portland Adventure, but I can't help but share the heaven I have discovered with everyone. Pretty much the whole place is vegan. They ride their bikes to vegan bars, vegan grocery stores, vegan breakfast, vegan lunch, vegan dinner, vegan bakeries. Every corner has an awesome vegan place. I can see why so many vegans are moving here like its the mother land or something. I don't know even where to start. Portland is such a cool and beautiful town. Its divided into 4 parts really - NE NW SE SW and once you figure that out you can find everything EASY. Addresses will be like NE Alberta St, so you know you need to cross the river and head north. The highlight of my trip has been Casa Diablo's vegan burger. Its off the chart, like the BK Whopper only better. Everything else about that place is awesome if you don't have a stick up your arse. But Sweetpea for Sunday Brunch, Nutshell for a nice diner, the Tube/Bye and Bye for vegan boozing, Red and Black Cafe and Backspace for vegan music, it just goes on and on and on and they have these amazing Food Carts... Watch out, you'll def not fit in your pants by the time you leave here! Better join them on the bikes!


What a cool idea!!!!!!!!!.........
Should we change the name of fishes???

Would people think twice about ordering fish sticks if they were called sea kitten sticks? Would sea kitten soufflé be a hot seller at the local seafood restaurant? Does fillet o' sea kitten sound even remotely appetizing? Learn more about the new campaign to save fish by changing their name.

Many people have never stopped to think about it, but sea kittens are smart, interesting animals with their own unique personalities—just like the dogs and cats that we share our homes with. Did you know that sea kittens can learn to avoid nets by watching other sea kittens in their group and that they can recognize individual "shoal mates"? Some sea kittens gather information by eavesdropping on others, and some—such as a type of South African sea kittens that lays eggs on leaves so that they can be carried to a safe place—even use tools.

www.fishinghurts.com

Entered the Philippines, "This Is It"

Been here in Philippines a few days now. I am in Angeles City waiting our flight to Davao. Chris and I have been walking around the city, eating Amazing Durian at the SM supermarket, using internet, getting $6 Massages, sleeping in a Pension house for $5/night, eating Tundan and Lakatan sweet bananas, eating sweet Mangos (season is May/June, but still have plenty around), chatting with many girls (nice change from some other asian countries where girls seem to be hiding), eating Durian inside the huge SM shopping Mall and getting lots of smiles (Philippinos are known for being the most happy out of all the world and smiling and laughing and singing lots! Its very true so far).

Chris and I saw the Michael Jackson Movie, This Is It. I loved it. Very moving, touching, inspiring. Made me dance in my seat most the movie.....I Loved hearing "Beat It", Billie Jean, "man in the Mirror the most. What a message Michael had and still has. GIVE LOVE, Save the planet, Be the change you seek in the world, Love everyone, He really tried. He was such a perfectionist, I could feel this as he was directing things in the movie.
I loved that beautiful Feminine girl he was with in one song. The way she walked and moved and smiled blows my mind. She was afro American, tall sexy, adorable. They follow each other across the stage, as he sings about her...WOW.
GO SEE the MOvie asap and spread the word if you like it.
People that see the movie here in Philippines seem to all be huggin each other on the way out. It made me give My friend CHris a big hug too.

I found a big casino here in this City. I am craving to play Black Jack, so I may succomb to this tonight.

I found a Big Park to jog in here and watch all the people exercise and play sports.

I feel so wonderful in Philippines. Something extra special about the people here and they way they treat foreigners and of course the amazing FRUIT is sooo abundant here..rambutan, mangos, papaya, dragon fruit, Marang, soursop, mangosteen, Pomelo, Wickedly delicious Durian.

D

Funny Vegetarian Quotes

durianrider:hunting real food...

my good buddy eatin watermelon.... i love this way of eating it..

MY surfing pics and cooking show description

I love to see photos of me surfing. This wave was very fun. Great size, speed, and rippableness. All you surfing buddies of mine like Jamie and Paul and Juergen would absolutely LOVE This wave!! Rocky bottom, not sharp...very deep water...I never touch the bottom....barrels seldomly but soo fun and fast.




AFter surfing I enjoy a nice walk up the beach to our lovely beach hut at MARY's Beach hut place (wonderful charming place owned by an English woman who has retired here).

I love watching the locals prepare foods in the countries I travel. Here in Sri Lanka the 'staple' is Rice and cury made 100 ways. ONe man works a stall outside a little store on the beach. I love to stop and chat with him after a surf. He is a lovely Sri Lankan man, tall slim and smiley. He takes pride in his cooking. He knows I am eating fruit now and cant eat his food, but he appreciates my interest as I watch him artfully create things for people to eat.

Besides Rice and Curry, there is another type of creation that the people enjoy. NOt sure the name but here is how it is pepared:
hot skillet
add one tablespoon of 'ghee', (glorified butter)
add chopped onions, garlic, tomatos, and cabage
add two tablespoons of palm oil on top over the hot skillet making loud noises
mix and scrape and stir and scrap
add two eggs
mix and scrape and stir and scrape over the hot skillet making loud noises
add chopped up chipattie breads (which are made with oil, flour, salt)
mix and scrape and stir.....
add one cup of curry sauce (which was made with coconut milk, oil, salt, sugar, spices)
mix and scrape and stir (hopefully not scraping any of the metal from the old skillet into your food)
Serve on a plate if eaten there or on a plastic wrapper if take away(careful of the leeching of plastic chemicals into your steaming hot food).
Eat after adding some condiments like (msg ridden catchup, salsa, sauce with salt, etc)
Trick question.....
What part of the meal is healthy?
Answer is below


I love watching the creation of cooked foods that look sooooo delicous and yummy and smell sooo wonderful....it helps me to not eat them when I see what is actually in the ingredients and watch the process, but I admit it looks and smells great.

Answer:
tomatos and cabbage only
and a tiny amount of coconunt milk

photos of Darrick surfing Sri Lanka waves

pictures are Compliments of Daniel the Isrealian Photographer/surfer friend with Dreads

Surfin Aragum Bay

A fellow Surfer named Daniel was taking photos this day. He got a couple of me. ITs great to see myself surfing in a Photo!

After one week of not eating durian, I decided to get creative. I called our tuk-tuk driver in Kandy (7hours drive away from here). He was interested in bringing Chris and I 10 durian for a price of $30USA labor fee. I paid $80usa for the transportation taxi, and $60usa for the 10 durian. Next thing I knew, Cris and I are devouring delicious durian from sri lanka at our beachhut watching waves crash and birds fly....This durian love affair I have needs satiated at any price ($15/per durian is still reasonable to all the USA and AU durian lovers, and it is fresh and organic). I have found Sri Lankan durian to be sweet with very little bitter, but it has a hint of movie popcorn taste and aftertaste. The buttery salty popcorn that tasts so good at the amc theatres if you will. With out the cholesteral, msg, transfat!! it is great feeling...it puts me back to the comfy seats, A/C, and digital sound technology, and the feeling of my wonderful Brother and family with me sharing a hot afternoon movie.

Sri Lanka - Beach of Arugam Bay

quick 20second clip of the area out front our beach huts here in Aragum Bay...............

Surfing again...Aragum Bay, Sri Lanka

Aragum Bay, Sri Lanka is aquaint fishing village, dirt roads, very few tuktuks and cars and motor bikes around, smiling interested Sri Lankans around, few cafes and restaurants, coconut trees, wildlife, cows, goats, elephants, reptiles, birds singing, chilled out accomdation, white sandy beaches that go for miles and miles, AND Fun, consistent, Reeling, long, warm, Right Point Break to enjoy for hours............
Yes, its my new little paradise for about 3weeks (until Sri Lankan Visa expires....but can extend it for $30 for 3months back in Colombo).

Chris and I have found a place to stay put for a bit and get into a nice routine of:
Waking at sunrise, surfing, naping in the sun, eating:papaya, delicious mangos, pineapple, perfect tomatos and cucumbers, avocado.(durian far away, but delivery coming soon), napping/reading in the hammocks, surfing, eating, chatting, hangin with the locals answering many questions about why we aren't married, Why we eat mainly fruits, why we don't eat animals,
why we don't eat Rice and Cury which is their main food, eating 3times perday, spicy curry for breakfast anyone? (believe me I do link tons of pleasure to the curries I am seeing around here and I fantasize about eatin them, but I must remember they are predominately made with Palm Oil (which is devistating the environment, and toxic to my body), SALT, many spices that are irritants to my body, and occasianal Msg's are added...I feel soo wonderfully clean, healthy and energetic eating Fruits,
but the temptation is present unless I eat Enough fruits and then make a huge bowl of my famous....................... RAW Guacamoli
(ingredients: one avocado, 10 small tomatos, one small red onion, 4 limes squeezed, 1/4cup of diced pineapple....and WOW...hold on folks..we got a biggie here...this tastes exceptional to me..

Sri Lanka Civil War?
DONE... after 30 years of lameness, most the locals are saying they feel safest ever and are claiming it is over..the top leaders have all been captured or killed....way different vibe here it seems like than it would have been last year.....This is great for the people and they are soooooo happy to see more tourists.....so interested in us...lots of english spoken here.

Chris and I are wonderful travel buddies...we are always talking about how we can improve it tooo....like last night we decided not to talk to each other if one person is doing something (preparing food, cleaning up, organizing, walking, etc..)..only one thing at a time..we wait until the other is seated and attentive and ready..this is soo great! we enjoy silence around each other soo much and then we love our long converstations over delicious juicy fruity meals.

Many surfer girls are in this area...most people from Europe, Au, Brasil, Isreal..

padang earthquake

Mentawaii trip postponed...., but Im Alive and kickin!! I made it through the massive earthquake in Padang, Sumatra..... 7.6 rictor scale I believe.....I was very scared, I hang on to a tree with another terrified Indonesian man, because I thought it was a tsunami coming by the loud sounds around me... I saw many casualties and hundreds of buildings were collapesed, fire, auto crashes etc... My good AU Friend Chris was outside too, so he is fine.

We organized a flight quickly as we could and made it out of that fault lined area today...I am in Kuala Lumpur for a while then headn to find some waves hopefully somewhere safer in the world.

This was my most scary experience ever, and I am very grateful and happy Chris and I and many others we had met are OK with no injuries.... We felt like more quakes are coming there soon. IT seems they have lots of people who will help, but more heavy machinery is needed to free people. I didn't feel brave enough to stay there and risk death by another quake to help others, if any of you readers are, let me know so I can help pay to get you there.
Chris and I are lucky we could afford to buy a flight and get away.
life changing for sure.
no complaints from me ever again, I hope.