Oh come on now.....

Just look at this photo.....

This place can't be for real.....

Someone made this up for sure....

Just a image from a travel agency....

Nothing really looks like that.....

It's just a travel poster image.....

This place is a true world wonder.......

A gigantic leftover from ancient history.......

Only the Great Pyramids at Giza gets more tourists than this amazing place right here....

I'm going in.....

HUGE.... HUGE..... HUGE.....

These columns can be 33 ft. around....

They are 80 feet high.....

There are 16 rows of these.....

134..... gigantic columns.....

Just to hold up the roof.....

What a place this must have been.....

They sure did not think small .....

Ancient "THEBES" in Egypt.....

Karnak Temple Complex....

Luxor , Egypt... May 2009...

The Great Hall is like the worlds biggest outdoor maze.....

There are so many huge Columns.....

All have heiroglyphic stories on them....

A completely overwhelming place....

I'm at The Great Hypostyle Hall......

In the Precinct of AMON-RE......

Karnak Temple Complex.....

Luxor, Egypt.... May 2009.....

HUGE HUGE ANCIENT TEMPLE FUN

Lots of awesome heiroglyphics around here.....

I'm in the Precinct of Amon-Re.......

One of four sections here at Karnak......

And the only one open to the Public.....

So only 1/4 of Karnak is open to see.....

Of course AMON-RE is really enough.....

Just the Great Hall covers 50,000 sq. ft.

The other three areas of the Karnak Temple Complex are closed but are.....

Precinct of MONTU......

Precinct of MUT....

Temple of AMEHOTEP......

Karnak covers 100 sq. acres +.......

The Great Hypostyle Hall was built originally by "SETI 1st" in the 13th century B.C.......

An ancient 4,000 years old......

Overwhelmingly huge and heavy......

Decorated with legends and history.....

The Great Hypostyle Hall.....

Karnak Temple Complex.....

Luxor, Egypt..... May 2009...

I read that just the Architraves on top the Columns weigh 70 tons all by themselves.....,

Well...... That's it again for now.....
From The Karnak Temple Complex....
Luxor , Egypt.... May 2009...

Karnak Temple Complex

I'm at The Karnak Temple Complex in Southern Egypt....

Where it is always warm and sunny and beautiful.....

Along the Nile river Valley in Northern Africa......

EGYPT is AWESOME...... May 2009.....

This place must have been something.....

4,000 years ago.....

100 square acres......

Somewhere within The Sacred Bark Shrine of SETI 2nd....

Karnak Temple Complex..... Luxor, Egypt.... May 2009

I wonder what a single-person tomb under a palm tree went for back in ancient Thebes......

Somewhere around 4,000 years old.....

Well...... The good new is..... They still have some of them.....

From Ipet-Insut...... Avenue of the Sphinxes.......

There were three kinds of Sphinxes connecting the Temples......

These are the Ram-Headed ones ...... Found only here at Karnak...

Great Egyptian souveniers if ever there was one......

Lots of different Temples and areas to see here.....

Only about 1/4 of the Complex is open to the public......

Over 100 acres of Temples and Coutryards and more ......

Temples dedicated to Gods, Pharohs, Kings and Queens......

The Biggest.... The Oldest.... The Best.....

Karnak Temple Complex..... Luxor, Egypt....

May 2009....

Everything here is Ancient and Huge and Awesome.....

Around every turn is another piece of Ancient History.....

World's Biggest Ancient Religeous Site........

Karnak Temple Complex..... May 2009....

What a absolutely amazing place.....

That's me..... Somewhere in The Karnak Temple Complex....

Luxor, Egypt..... On the Nile river.... Africa.... May 2009

GREAT KARNAK FUN

Ancient Heiroglyphics cover everything and everywhere....

Looks like a passageway to the interior of the Temple.....

Time to do some inside exploring.......

Some very old images...... Very old.....

Inner Chamber at The Temple of Ramesses 3rd.......

Karnak Temple Complex......

Luxor , Egypt...... May 2009......

SHANGHAIED........
I should mention that although being Shanghaied was most prominant here locally.....
The West Coast U.S. in the 1800's was Shanghai City......
When you woke up ..... out to sea..... and forcibly signed on.....
You were required to finish that trip under penalty of prison......
So your first chance to get your life back was the ships destination Port.....
In the 1800's on the West Coast most sea trade was done with CHINA.....
So ...after being Shanghaied.....your stuck going to China.....
That Port being SHANGHAI , China ...... of course......
Where you were free again......in Shanghai, China...
They called it Being Shanghaied.......
Good luck getting back home.....
Maybe you can sign on for a trip to the West......
Maybe you'll just get Seattled.....
Or Portlanded......
Maybe San Franciscoed.......

There's always Las Vegas........,

YES......

WELL......

BITE ME........

.

.

IF YOUR LUCKY.......

MAYBE........

I 'LL SEND YA A POSTCARD......

O.K. THEN......

LETS GET THIS RIGHT.....

.

SHANGHAIING....

Refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive means , such as trickery, intimidation or violence......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing

.

SHANGHAIING took place predominantly in the NORTHWEST UNITED STATES....

.

Shangaiing resulted from a situation brought about by laws and economic conditions on the WEST COAST of the UNITED STATES in the mid 1800's....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing

.

CRIMPS (as they were known) or BOARDING MASTERS who did this type of kidnapping .....flourished in the the port cities of the AMERICAN WEST COAST......

Mainly in SAN FRANSICO,... PORTLAND,......ASTORIA,,....and SEATTLE.....

.

They were paid (By the Body) count.....

Usually it was simpliest to render a stranger unconcious, forge his signature on ships documents and bring him aboard ship....

For this service a CRIMP would recieve BLOOD MONEY (as it was known)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing

.

Once a sailor was signed on aboard a vessell........

Laws made it illegal for him to leave the voyage untill it's finish .....

Under penalty of imprisonment.....

.

The practice was purposely forced out of existance by The Commissioners Act of 1872.....

Under this Act,.... Sailors had to sign on to a Ship in the presence of a Shipping Commissioner....

This forced the end to the practices of the CRIMP......

.

Let's not blame EVERYTHING on CHINA........

.

Some things are a LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME.....

YES.....

SHANGHAI is the biggest city in China.....

YES.....

SHANGHAI is one of the worlds biggest Metropolitan areas.....

YES.......

One the most populated places on the planet........

Of course.......

You simply have not been to TOKYO , Japan yet........

What.... Shanghai....? C'mon, It's the 21st century.....

Just look at that beautiful and modern city Skyline.........

Looks more like a future 22nd century city.........

This is not the Old Shanghai from books and stories.....

The place looks just like Las Vegas......

Probably not what you were expecting.......

Look....... There are no more dark streets or alleyways......

This must be the NEW 21st century version......

Of the OLD 18th century Shanghai Highway......

I like the new one.......

Shanghai Times Square...... Nanjing Road.....

Of course..... Shanghai is a world-class big city.......

You still may not want to wander around the docks after dark......

March 1st is PIG DAY