Government Cover-Up: A Graphic Blog Episode

*[ a Fictional Graphic Blog Episode sprinkled with tidbits of truth?]

Excerpt from Travelouge: October 31, 2010

Something is going on. I’m sure of it.

The clues have always been right there, staring me dead in the eyes, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to put them all together.

I remember when it all started just earlier this year. It was a strange news story, but nothing to make a big deal over. I didn’t even give it a second thought…until now.

But looking back I see that it was a piece of the puzzle. And as the year progressed and more seemingly unimportant and trivial news stories aired, I began to notice a pattern. A connection. And when all these stories, all these puzzle pieces are viewed as a whole then you can really see how they paint a bigger picture. A shocking and horrifying picture that may very well rock the foundation of mankind’s civilization.

I first became aware of this revelation in April of this year. Stephen Hawking had just completed a documentary about the universe for the Discovery Channel. It was creating a mild buzz with little public interest, as most science news stories do. ‘Who cares what are the latest advances in cancer research. Just tell us when the next iPhones are coming out.’ The intrigue over Hawking’s documentary stemmed from some controversial speculations he made warning mankind to cease any attempt to contact extraterrestrial life existing elsewhere in the universe. Hawking theorizes that intelligent life would most certainly present a hostile threat to earth and its inhabitants.
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Common Pick-Pocket Schemes

WE LOVE TO TRAVEL! We love meeting new people, learning about other cultures, trying new foods and hearing new types of music. It’s part of what makes this world so great. We’ve also been fortunate enough to make some really good friends in the places we’ve visited. People in general seem to be warm, friendly and helpful; however, on the rare occasion you may cross paths with a “ne’er do well scoundrel“.

I was thinking (and laughing) the other day about the time I was pick-pocketed in Colombia. It was funny to me that when I was being robbed I had absolutely no idea. And later when I did discover my missing money I instantly knew the exact moment when it had happened. Those pesky pick-pockets are true masters of their craft. I even met a man who had both pockets picked while his hands were still in them.

I got to talking with other travelers about their experiences. This inspired me to create a helpful little infographic blog illustrating some common pickpocket schemes. So, for all you travelers and wanderers out there, here are some things to look out for.

The Point and Grab:

This method was made known to me by my South African chum, Otto.

In this two man operation, the victim is momentarily distracted by the first thief while the second thief grabs their goods. This method usually works best in crowded tourist areas, but it’s also useful for stealing your friend’s french fries.

A. The mark (or targeted person) is attempting to take a photograph of a friend, landmark, or event.
B. Thief #1 diverts the mark’s attention by tapping on their shoulder.
C. The 2nd thief stands close by to make the grab.

A. The mark turns to see who has been nudging him.
B. Thief #1 has already begun walking away unassumingly.
C. Thief #2 springs into action and grabs the mark’s camera while they are distracted.

A. Thief #2 then runs and attempts to disappear into the crowd.
B. The victim is surprised and hesitates long enough for the thief to make a get-away.
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Hop & Jaunt’s Funky Travel Store Now Open!!

Hi everyone!!

We’ve just launched our travel gear store! It’s been a creative outlet and fun side project for us and we wanted to share what we’ve made with you.

Alien Attack! Be Prepared With A Cool Tee

You will probably notice right off the bat, with the aliens and retro model shots, that this is not a typical travel store. The truth is this is our playground that we want to invite you in. While traveling we were disappointed with both the overall quality and lack of originality in the destination souvenir t-shirts. So while out roaming about, we began sketching ideas for shirts we wished we could have gotten. This site is where we will be showcasing the designs.

The store is a work in progress, we still have a sketchbook full of ideas and designs to put in. But we’re eager to get the feedback from our fellow traveler what they think! We are creating a contest (posted shortly) for our fellow travel bloggers where we will be giving away the TBEX 10 NY shirt. The rules will be quite simple, submit your top 5 unique things to do while in New York and from the entries we will choose the top five we think are the best, then we will have a poll on our facebook page for everyone to vote on the #1 top 5 unique things to do in NY!

TBEX 10 NY Shirt To Rock The City In

We’re working out the details and will post the official contest on our blog today.

Aly & John in: “Pirates of the Paria” (a graphic blog episode)

Excerpt from Travelouge April 1st, 2010

We were now somewhere in the middle of the Gulf of Paria. Alyson and I were both uneasy. Neither of us had stopped scanning the horizon since we had entered the “Boca del Serpiente” Channel just before sunrise. The Paria is a small body of water separating the isle of Trinidad from the Venezuelan mainland, and it’s notorious for pirate attacks. Passage through the gulf can only be made through the two separate channels leading in and out of the Paria. Entry from the south via the Mouth of the Serpent and from the north by the Mouth of the Dragon.

“In the mouth of the snake and out the mouth of the dragon.”

A route we would rather have avoided, but weather conditions dictated that we had to sail today…and this was the quickest passage. Sometimes it is hard to decide who to fear more…man or Mother Nature. Hopefully, if all went well we would be passing out of the “Boca del Dragon” Channel in a couple of hours.

The winds had been picking up steadily since day break. A 20 knot breeze out of the southeast kept us on a broad reach making between 6-8 knots. Despite the increasing winds, we carried on under full genoa and main. We were anxious to put the Paria and its rumors of pirates to our stern.
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Aly & John in: “Escape in the Night” a Graphic Blog

Excerpt from Travelouge April 4th, 2009

I doubled the sheet back under itself and fashioned a quick clove hitch, and then secured the knot with two half hitches. I gave a tug against the radiator. The knot was good, but would it hold?

Alyson scrambled in the next room quickly packing our gear. I could hear her hurried footsteps as she frantically plundered the room and tossed our few belongings into the open suitcase. Time was of the essence. But what time had we? a half-hour? a few minutes? I couldn’t be for sure.
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