After I came back from traveling, I found it even easier to approach strangers and take time out do things I would have considered ridiculous. But it's been good for me.
This morning, at around 8 am, I was outside the apartment taking Madden (the dog I am dog-sitting) out to empty his bladder. After he peed, we walked around for a bit and were about to head in when a young man approached us. He was wearing plain black vans, black pants, and an inside-out solid black tee. He came to me and did not try to elaborate too much or win me over. All he said was, "Hey brotha, I lost my job at P.F. Chang's a while ago and I was wondering if you could spare a few bucks so I could get something to eat at Del Taco." I had Madden with me and did not have my wallet, so I told him I would be back in a bit and take him to eat. I took Madden in, fed him, put him in his crate for a nap, then grabbed my wallet and went down.
The man (still waiting outside) introduced himself as Andrew, and he began to tell me his story. I know people in need often butter up their stories, but this guy was real with me. He did have a hard time, and he was unfortunate, but he had the right attitude and didn't try to push his limits in getting something out of me. When we got to Del Taco, he even refused to get anything more than three of the cheapest tacos on the menu! He only spent $1.77 despite my efforts to buy him more, and as I listened to his story, I was again reminded how amazing people can be. Andrew had gotten his car stolen, lost his girlfriend to another man, gotten fired from his job, been evicted from his apartment, and lived on the street for a while. He used to have a stable life but it had crumbled and now he had nothing, but he wasn't giving up. He was not on the street begging but, the way I saw it, he kept his dignity and was working to work his life up from scratch all over again, even if he did have to ask for a little help. He told me, "I refuse to give up. I had a lot back then and I have nothing now but I'm praying hard and things will get better." What a trooper.
Coming back from traveling, I've seen and learned a lot. Back at home, the next step in growing has been applying my lessons to real life but it's really hard to apply every little thing right away. Meeting Andrew has been a great reminder for me (while I've been in the States) that lives do not adhere to the same pattern. One person's life can be so different from another, but because we choose to associate ourselves with like-minded people in similar environments, we tend to forget this. Just because we feel secure and always have what we need doesn't mean our lives couldn't have been any other way. We are so lucky, but it's so damn hard to feel blessed when we've been comfortable all our lives. We all have so much that everything has come to mean so little. Andrew cried and hugged me when I gave him twenty dollars (he asked for 5 so he could get deodorant and a t-shirt). How many of us can appreciate 20 measly dollars that much?
Taiwan
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I finally made it to Taiwan. I put up with back to back red-eye flights (8 hours and 5 hours), no sleep, and lots of rude Asian families, but I finally made it.
Let me deviate from my train of thought for a bit to elaborate on the annoying Asians. Every line I stood in (I'm counting about 10) was filled with large groups of Asians. There were tour groups with matching neon polo shirts, families with way too much luggage, old people, young people, and for some reason a lot of people whose genders I could not determine. Oh, and a ton of old ajushis who kept making lugi noises. Every single one of these groups seemed to hate me! They all would just cut in line and push me around to get past me. I mean, seriously, I can't understand how they have no shame. Do I look like I want to be pushed or wait longer in line than I have to? I'm slightly embarrassed and guilt-filled to say that I elbowed some ajumas back when I had enough, but seriously. It's annoying. And then I was writing in my journal on the plane and this dude next to me kept staring at my face, then reading what I was writing, then staring at my face, etc. Finally, I was like, "Can I help you?" but he just gave me the death glare and kept on staring. I was kinda cornered in the window seat so it got really awkward and I just stopped writing. I hadn't eaten since last night (with the time changes it had been roughly 24 hours) and I was starving, sleepy, and physically drained from walking around with my 19.7 kilogram backpack. But I pressed on because I wanted to see some of Taipei before I called it a day! Ugh so annoyed.
Okay back to my arrival in Taiwan.
Upon arrival, I paid for my room and headed out to FINALLY get something to eat... but I had no more money. Just some loose change and American dollars. So I set off to find an ATM, which took about 30 minutes. I was getting hungrier and hungrier, but I was really excited to eat all the cheap street food that I was passing by... I just needed money... but I had forgotten that my bank doesn't let me withdraw from two different countries on the same day. Earlier this morning, I had used my card to buy a bottle of water in Malaysia and now I was suffering for it. Just a freaking bottle of water! So then I went to find a bank or currency exchange center. I found both in the next 45 minutes. Both were closed. Now I was miserable and hungry and I didn't know what to do. Then I went into super brainstorm mooooode!
I remembered that I had an old lamyun sitting in my bag from back in the Gold Coast. It had been sitting there for about a month just waiting for an emergency. This was definitely an emergency! So I ran back (not really, I walked... I'm just trying to stress the urgency I felt at the time) and cooked my lamyun and ate it all. That's all I've eaten for over a day now, but at least I won't die of starvation. Tomorrow morning, I can withdraw money again!
Traveling moral of the day: Always carry emergency rations. And also, avoid Asians in airports.
Let me deviate from my train of thought for a bit to elaborate on the annoying Asians. Every line I stood in (I'm counting about 10) was filled with large groups of Asians. There were tour groups with matching neon polo shirts, families with way too much luggage, old people, young people, and for some reason a lot of people whose genders I could not determine. Oh, and a ton of old ajushis who kept making lugi noises. Every single one of these groups seemed to hate me! They all would just cut in line and push me around to get past me. I mean, seriously, I can't understand how they have no shame. Do I look like I want to be pushed or wait longer in line than I have to? I'm slightly embarrassed and guilt-filled to say that I elbowed some ajumas back when I had enough, but seriously. It's annoying. And then I was writing in my journal on the plane and this dude next to me kept staring at my face, then reading what I was writing, then staring at my face, etc. Finally, I was like, "Can I help you?" but he just gave me the death glare and kept on staring. I was kinda cornered in the window seat so it got really awkward and I just stopped writing. I hadn't eaten since last night (with the time changes it had been roughly 24 hours) and I was starving, sleepy, and physically drained from walking around with my 19.7 kilogram backpack. But I pressed on because I wanted to see some of Taipei before I called it a day! Ugh so annoyed.
Okay back to my arrival in Taiwan.
Upon arrival, I paid for my room and headed out to FINALLY get something to eat... but I had no more money. Just some loose change and American dollars. So I set off to find an ATM, which took about 30 minutes. I was getting hungrier and hungrier, but I was really excited to eat all the cheap street food that I was passing by... I just needed money... but I had forgotten that my bank doesn't let me withdraw from two different countries on the same day. Earlier this morning, I had used my card to buy a bottle of water in Malaysia and now I was suffering for it. Just a freaking bottle of water! So then I went to find a bank or currency exchange center. I found both in the next 45 minutes. Both were closed. Now I was miserable and hungry and I didn't know what to do. Then I went into super brainstorm mooooode!
I remembered that I had an old lamyun sitting in my bag from back in the Gold Coast. It had been sitting there for about a month just waiting for an emergency. This was definitely an emergency! So I ran back (not really, I walked... I'm just trying to stress the urgency I felt at the time) and cooked my lamyun and ate it all. That's all I've eaten for over a day now, but at least I won't die of starvation. Tomorrow morning, I can withdraw money again!
Traveling moral of the day: Always carry emergency rations. And also, avoid Asians in airports.
Travel Update: Australia
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I've been in Australia for a while, but I haven't shared much about what it's been like. So, here goes. I go to a lot of museums because they're free, and they have a lot of interesting stuff here. Did I mention that they're free? That makes a big difference. Australia costs a fortune to stay in. I've been eating a lot of junk food to save money (sorry, Umma) and staying in the crappiest hostels. The one I'm at right now has the most disgusting bathrooms I've ever been in. They constantly smell like condensed urine (I don't know if there's such a thing, but it's really pungent) and more than one stall has human poop on the floor. They don't clean up very often. Their "security" is a joke. It's a huge hostel so late at night security roams the halls and stairways. But they don't do anything. Except wait outside the girls shower room, acting like they're patrolling... but I think they're just gross old dudes looking for some skin. But on the plus side, I've gotten to stay in lots of random locals' homes for free so I'm not always stuck in these nasty hostels. Yay for hospitality! Australians are all really laid back, but they're also really scared of America. Apparently our "right to bear arms" law really freaks them out. They seem to think that every American is a gun totin', trigger-happy madman that's going to shoot them if they ever visit. I'm trying to change this image whenever I meet Australians, but it's not easy.
Food here is whatever. Well, it's good and very diverse, but there's not much that's really Australian except kangaroo steaks (not that special, its like a buff version of a cow) and Vegemite (yeast extract, similar to Marmite). The stuff that is pretty good is from other places (they have pretty good Asian foods all over) and it's generally overpriced. Like everything else in this country. But that's because they all get paid a lot. Minimum wage goes up as you get older, and I met 18 year olds making nearly $20 an hour, saying that was pretty normal. So in the end the tourists are the ones that get screwed over. But I do like the fact that plumbers and electricians aren't looked down on here. In America, I always felt that these vocations were not quite seen the same as medical practices or law. But here, they're not looked down on and they make bank. Apparently, Australia is a bit short on hairdressers as well, so it's easy to get a working visa if you apply as one.
My favorite things about Australia are it's laid-back culture, the accent, and the sky. True, Australia is really expensive and the lodging is gross, but people are laid back, happy, and hospitable. It feels great. Although I wouldn't say Australia makes it to the Top Vacation Destination list (not saying it's not amazing, but as a vacation destination I think other places are more action-packed), it is one place that I wouldn't mind living. I feel really comfortable and I enjoy the atmosphere. People just don't seem that stressed. The accent is also a major plus because it's a lot easier to understand than heavy British accents, and it's way hotter. Seriously, I want to marry random girls I see (then hear) on the street because they sound so cool. Last, but not least, is the sky! No one else I've met seems to notice this, but I think the sky here is really gorgeous. It's really blue, but it kind of changes shades as you look higher and higher. The clouds are also really vivid and fast-moving, so cloud watching is actually a really cool thing to do here. I could take a picture of any random building and it would be beautiful simply because the sky is so magnificent here.
Australia is a nice place to wander around since the cities aren't too crowded and there's plenty of nature. Parks, gardens, and random green patches in the city are all very common. Venturing outside the city provides even more wildlife. There are lots of natural reserves, beaches, and parks in the suburbs and beyond. I highly recommend Australia for anybody who doesn't want too much of a culture-shock (it's like America... but still different), but at the same time wants to see a different culture over a longer period of time without a language barrier. If you stay here for several weeks, you'll start to see little differences that make you really notice aspects of American culture that you probably took for granted. Also, the weather is awesome. No cold!
Food here is whatever. Well, it's good and very diverse, but there's not much that's really Australian except kangaroo steaks (not that special, its like a buff version of a cow) and Vegemite (yeast extract, similar to Marmite). The stuff that is pretty good is from other places (they have pretty good Asian foods all over) and it's generally overpriced. Like everything else in this country. But that's because they all get paid a lot. Minimum wage goes up as you get older, and I met 18 year olds making nearly $20 an hour, saying that was pretty normal. So in the end the tourists are the ones that get screwed over. But I do like the fact that plumbers and electricians aren't looked down on here. In America, I always felt that these vocations were not quite seen the same as medical practices or law. But here, they're not looked down on and they make bank. Apparently, Australia is a bit short on hairdressers as well, so it's easy to get a working visa if you apply as one.
My favorite things about Australia are it's laid-back culture, the accent, and the sky. True, Australia is really expensive and the lodging is gross, but people are laid back, happy, and hospitable. It feels great. Although I wouldn't say Australia makes it to the Top Vacation Destination list (not saying it's not amazing, but as a vacation destination I think other places are more action-packed), it is one place that I wouldn't mind living. I feel really comfortable and I enjoy the atmosphere. People just don't seem that stressed. The accent is also a major plus because it's a lot easier to understand than heavy British accents, and it's way hotter. Seriously, I want to marry random girls I see (then hear) on the street because they sound so cool. Last, but not least, is the sky! No one else I've met seems to notice this, but I think the sky here is really gorgeous. It's really blue, but it kind of changes shades as you look higher and higher. The clouds are also really vivid and fast-moving, so cloud watching is actually a really cool thing to do here. I could take a picture of any random building and it would be beautiful simply because the sky is so magnificent here.
Australia is a nice place to wander around since the cities aren't too crowded and there's plenty of nature. Parks, gardens, and random green patches in the city are all very common. Venturing outside the city provides even more wildlife. There are lots of natural reserves, beaches, and parks in the suburbs and beyond. I highly recommend Australia for anybody who doesn't want too much of a culture-shock (it's like America... but still different), but at the same time wants to see a different culture over a longer period of time without a language barrier. If you stay here for several weeks, you'll start to see little differences that make you really notice aspects of American culture that you probably took for granted. Also, the weather is awesome. No cold!
my movie
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This past week, I learned how to walk slowly.
I walk kinda fast when I want to go somewhere, or even when I'm just wandering. Since I'm alone, I completely forgot that the journey is as important (if not more) than the destination. So I rushed and rushed and rushed. Don't we all?
Then I was reminded that I was traveling for the sake of traveling and not for the sake of getting to each destination. So, I slowed down. Now I remember what's so special about being in between point A and point B.
You know in 500 Days of Summer when Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in the happy stage of his relationship and he goes out through the park, dressed all snazzy? Everyone is happy to see him and people start dancing and the whole world is revolving around him. Or in Enchanted, when Giselle takes the main character guy (forgot his name) through the park and starts singing and everyone starts singing along and dancing around them... that's what it feels like! When I walk really, really slowly from place to place I feel like everything is about me. Little kids in strollers (or prams, as the Australians call 'em) stare up at me, I have time to say hi and smile to strangers, I notice all these cool looking things I would never have noticed normally, and it feels like the world is practically begging for my attention. At one point, a ginormous cockatoo even landed on my head! Okay, to be honest it was kind of gross and I hate birds but still, walking slowly makes me feel like the whole world is ALL ABOUT ME! Walking around is SO much more enlightening when you take it easy and radiate happiness to people as you move along. I feel like the main character of a really happy movie. I pretty much look like Joseph Gordon-Levitt's better looking brother anyway.
Vision
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Traveling around the world has allowed me to see more than I can possibly recollect and I feel like my vision has been upgraded. My eyesight isn't any better, but the quality of what registers seems to be completely different and I feel like I see more fully. Never before have I felt that my various Canon Powershots have fallen short of what I wish to accomplish with my pictures, but now I constantly feel the need for equipment that can capture everything I notice. I think I need one of those IMAX 3D cameras. And it really pisses me off that all the Asian tourists have such baller cameras but half of them can't take pictures for shizz. I should steal one.
I've been given so much time alone lately to do little more than think about my life and it really blows me away how crazy the things I've seen really are. Frozen waterfalls, stretches of desert, ocean all around you as far as the eye can see... I've really seen some amazing things, and it's not just the quantity of images that has increased. The quality has changed too. I guess it can be argued that it's not really vision, but what's changing is all in my interpretation of what I see. Still, it's the way the images I see are taken in and to me it's still my vision thats changing. Vision is just our perception of light anyway... so if my "perception" is changing than my vision is changing, right? It's kind of embarrassing that I'm so easily impressed (I've caught people staring at me because I'd just be sitting there taking pictures of such mundane things for a long time) and I often feel childish but I think it's a good thing most of the time. Well, even if it isn't... I'm happy to be amused by stupid things. At least I'm not bored.
I've been given so much time alone lately to do little more than think about my life and it really blows me away how crazy the things I've seen really are. Frozen waterfalls, stretches of desert, ocean all around you as far as the eye can see... I've really seen some amazing things, and it's not just the quantity of images that has increased. The quality has changed too. I guess it can be argued that it's not really vision, but what's changing is all in my interpretation of what I see. Still, it's the way the images I see are taken in and to me it's still my vision thats changing. Vision is just our perception of light anyway... so if my "perception" is changing than my vision is changing, right? It's kind of embarrassing that I'm so easily impressed (I've caught people staring at me because I'd just be sitting there taking pictures of such mundane things for a long time) and I often feel childish but I think it's a good thing most of the time. Well, even if it isn't... I'm happy to be amused by stupid things. At least I'm not bored.
mah puppiez
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I couldn't sleep last night. I went to bed around 12:30 but I was awake, tossing and turning, until a little past 4. What could possibly be on my mind for that long, causing me to lose precious sleep?
My rovery dogs! My current dog, Mimi, is not that nice to people. She's not extremely playful or even that cute. But I miss her so much. And honestly, I kind of like the fact that she only loves a few people. She loves my dad most, then me second most... and after that she doesn't really love anyone else. She doesn't jump up to greet my sister or brother or mom. Just me and my dad. Maybe Matt, now that he lives in my house, and maybe my Halabuji... but I'm not even too sure about them. I kind of like that her love isn't cheap and she's only loyal to few.
And once upon a time Mimi got knocked up by the dog across the block. I forget what breed he was but Mimi had some damn cute puppies. And since Mimi isn't that hot of a dog, I figure he must've been like the Brad Pitt of gangajis. Anyways, back to the puppies. I think there were four. And Mimi was such a good mama-dog, and we'd play with her little munchkin puppies that couldn't even walk. And then they grew bigger and smarter and were SO playful. The puppies actually loved everyone and were pretty smart and I remember teaching one of them (the one we kept, Coco) how to sit and shake in just a couple weeks. Freaking awesome puppy. I think we named Coco after her fur color, although she did have some caramel streaks as well. There was also Pico, who we gave to Yoontae and his family but they gave him to a mushroom farmer. And Boots, who we gave to my dad's boss Pat but she ended up living with us again until we gave her and Coco away. I think Pat wasn't allowed to keep dogs or something, but she really loved Boots and cried when they parted... So sads. And I don't even remember the fourth one. I guess he/she was the unloved one. Poor thing. Ugh, all the puppies were so cute and I don't even know what happened to them. Who did we give them away to? Will I ever see them again? Do they remember me? These questions haunted me last night and prevented me from resting!
I also started thinking about all the dogs I've met around the world. Chapchae the skinny little puppy (I named him) in Haiti, Ayshee (cutest misbehaving beagle puppy ever) in France, Chinga (the rapelling dog) in Costa Rica, Mystery Genius Dog (that led horses and attacked other dogs on command) in Argentina. They were all really cool but I just want Mimi and her puppies. I didn't know I ruved them so much until last night. Ugh.
puppiez, i miss youzz
My rovery dogs! My current dog, Mimi, is not that nice to people. She's not extremely playful or even that cute. But I miss her so much. And honestly, I kind of like the fact that she only loves a few people. She loves my dad most, then me second most... and after that she doesn't really love anyone else. She doesn't jump up to greet my sister or brother or mom. Just me and my dad. Maybe Matt, now that he lives in my house, and maybe my Halabuji... but I'm not even too sure about them. I kind of like that her love isn't cheap and she's only loyal to few.
And once upon a time Mimi got knocked up by the dog across the block. I forget what breed he was but Mimi had some damn cute puppies. And since Mimi isn't that hot of a dog, I figure he must've been like the Brad Pitt of gangajis. Anyways, back to the puppies. I think there were four. And Mimi was such a good mama-dog, and we'd play with her little munchkin puppies that couldn't even walk. And then they grew bigger and smarter and were SO playful. The puppies actually loved everyone and were pretty smart and I remember teaching one of them (the one we kept, Coco) how to sit and shake in just a couple weeks. Freaking awesome puppy. I think we named Coco after her fur color, although she did have some caramel streaks as well. There was also Pico, who we gave to Yoontae and his family but they gave him to a mushroom farmer. And Boots, who we gave to my dad's boss Pat but she ended up living with us again until we gave her and Coco away. I think Pat wasn't allowed to keep dogs or something, but she really loved Boots and cried when they parted... So sads. And I don't even remember the fourth one. I guess he/she was the unloved one. Poor thing. Ugh, all the puppies were so cute and I don't even know what happened to them. Who did we give them away to? Will I ever see them again? Do they remember me? These questions haunted me last night and prevented me from resting!
I also started thinking about all the dogs I've met around the world. Chapchae the skinny little puppy (I named him) in Haiti, Ayshee (cutest misbehaving beagle puppy ever) in France, Chinga (the rapelling dog) in Costa Rica, Mystery Genius Dog (that led horses and attacked other dogs on command) in Argentina. They were all really cool but I just want Mimi and her puppies. I didn't know I ruved them so much until last night. Ugh.
puppiez, i miss youzz
My New Famiry
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Brisbane is a city in Queensland, Australia. Most of you probably didn't know that. I know I sure didn't... just a few weeks ago. All the residents I met said it was boring or that there was "not much to do." True, it was small, there weren't a lot of tourist attractions, and there 's nothing that special that I hadn't seen somewhere else in the world. Being there alone might be boring for most people. Even their ferris wheel, the Brisbane Eye, sucked compared to the London Eye. So why even bother mentioning this seemingly mediocre Australian city? Because it's awesome! Here's why.
Brisbane is home to the Brisbane KSDA Church that came up in my online searches for a local church. When I visited, I was offered a home to stay at by some of the members. So, I joined the Chae family. A family of four plus John, who recently came from Korea to work here in Australia, they treated me like a celebrity. I got to crash a wedding with them (I did the crashing, they were actually supposed to go) and I felt so loved by them. It meant so much to me to be taken care of so well, especially since I haven't seen my own family in forever and I had been a bit lonely lately. Umma Chae cooked delicious food for me, Appa Chae spoke rarely but always spouted words of wisdom, Harry (son, my age) told me awesome stories of his life (seriously, you could make a movie out of it), Julie (daughter, my brother's age) played piano for me whenever I asked and provided fun conversation, and John always talked to me and forced me to practice Korean... everyone was so awesome. Their family also seemed so similar to mine... Umma Chae's favorite perfume is even the same as my Umma's (Clinique Happy, it's not weird for guys to know this stuff, right?). I stayed with them for a few nights and when I left, Umma Chae made me dakdoritang and it was HEAVENLY. So mehwuh and dericious. Thank you, Chae family, for making Brisbane one of the most memorable cities of Brandon's World Travels '09-'10. You guys should get an award.
I really owe this family more than I'll probably ever be able to repay them for, but it just goes to say how awesome some people in this world can be. They were my saving grace when I was starting to really miss home. And I've been REALLY starting to miss home (this hasn't hindered my ability to have a good time traveling, don't worry). I MISS YOU US OF A.
If you're reading this, I probably care about you and miss you a ROT (if you understood that, thats pretty much a guarantee you fall in this category). Hopefully, you care about me and miss me dearly as well.
And if you're just a creeper who's stalking my life, that's cool too.
Brisbane is home to the Brisbane KSDA Church that came up in my online searches for a local church. When I visited, I was offered a home to stay at by some of the members. So, I joined the Chae family. A family of four plus John, who recently came from Korea to work here in Australia, they treated me like a celebrity. I got to crash a wedding with them (I did the crashing, they were actually supposed to go) and I felt so loved by them. It meant so much to me to be taken care of so well, especially since I haven't seen my own family in forever and I had been a bit lonely lately. Umma Chae cooked delicious food for me, Appa Chae spoke rarely but always spouted words of wisdom, Harry (son, my age) told me awesome stories of his life (seriously, you could make a movie out of it), Julie (daughter, my brother's age) played piano for me whenever I asked and provided fun conversation, and John always talked to me and forced me to practice Korean... everyone was so awesome. Their family also seemed so similar to mine... Umma Chae's favorite perfume is even the same as my Umma's (Clinique Happy, it's not weird for guys to know this stuff, right?). I stayed with them for a few nights and when I left, Umma Chae made me dakdoritang and it was HEAVENLY. So mehwuh and dericious. Thank you, Chae family, for making Brisbane one of the most memorable cities of Brandon's World Travels '09-'10. You guys should get an award.
I really owe this family more than I'll probably ever be able to repay them for, but it just goes to say how awesome some people in this world can be. They were my saving grace when I was starting to really miss home. And I've been REALLY starting to miss home (this hasn't hindered my ability to have a good time traveling, don't worry). I MISS YOU US OF A.
If you're reading this, I probably care about you and miss you a ROT (if you understood that, thats pretty much a guarantee you fall in this category). Hopefully, you care about me and miss me dearly as well.
And if you're just a creeper who's stalking my life, that's cool too.
blah blah blah
,
This is my favorite HSBC ad. Every time I took an EasyJet flight in Europe (and Morocco), I would see this ad and, as I left Morocco, I realized that it summed up a very important lesson in traveling.Traveling is important because you get to see the world, and seeing the world is important because it helps you realize that different is not necessarily bad. Spain, for example, came as an offensive shock to me because of the seemingly racist comments we got from everyone, including children, but we learned (slowly) that the Spanish meant no harm (most of the time). People do value things differently all around the world, and traveling allows you to break away from priorities that have been enforced by your culture and surroundings. That way, it's YOU who decides what's important to you.
Sometimes it can be difficult to suddenly jump into a place that radically different from what you're used to. Not only is it hard to force yourself out of your comfort zone, but there's always the issue of time and money. If you can work up the courage, time, and money, though, it makes you more appreciative and open towards people. And, in my opinion, this allows you to love life more fully.
Cool Stuff I Am Doing
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Dedicated to Mattypoo.
So I haven't been updating my blog much, and when I do I kind of oversee the general gist of things without really addressing many specific details. This post will just cover random cool things I have been doing without really connecting them.
Cool thing #1:
When I got to Marrakech, Morocco, I went on a trek to the desert. We crossed the Atlas mountains by van, stopping sporadically to see the sights, which included an old fortress, a Moroccan cinema museum, and numerous panoramic views of valleys and oases. At one point, we stopped in a town with a population of 350 families. The only thing to see there was this one building that Jean-Claude Van Damme once visited. After about half a day in the car, we got off in the middle of nowhere. As we exited the van, we were greeted by a few men wrapped in cloth from the tops of their heads to to their ankles and also a large group of camels. We mounted the camels and went for a ride to another middle-of-nowhere location where a tent (it was like a Moses and the Israelites kind of tent) was waiting for us. Camels are not comfortable to ride so we were all sore and stiff by the time we got there, but we were all happy 'cause it was awesome. Then some desert boy served us tea and talked to us in French and we ate dinner which was served in giant community pots. After eating, we gathered around a big bonfire outside (this part didnt feel so awesome because they kept the fire going with lighter fluid... desert people FAIL). We listened to off-pitch Moroccan singing, but it was still cool because they did funny dances. We slept, then woke up to beautiful, picture-perfect views of mountains and dunes (there are pictures on Facebook). Along with my two new Spanish friends, I went dune jumping until breakfast time and then we rode camels back to middle-of-nowhere location #1 where we got back on vans and drove back to Marrakech.
Cool Thing #2
Arriving in Bangkok without any plans would have been a bit difficult... but luckily I met a British engineer named Ella on my plane and she had visited Bangkok before. We became friends on the long plane ride from London to Bangkok and so we decided to travel together for a bit. Although we didn't stay at the same guesthouse, we were both staying on the same street (the famous Khao San Road). After two days of going everywhere we could think of via Tuk Tuk, train, ferry, and walking, we decided to book a tour that would take us outside of Bangkok. On our third day there, we took a tour van to some random cemetary where they dropped us off and pretty much just said, "Look!" Using amazing detective skills (we just read the headstones), we deduced that the cemetary was a WWII cemetary housing POWs from Britain and America. This seemed pretty random, but we shrugged it off and moved on to some WWII bridge and the Jeath Museum. I'm not sure what a Jeath is, but I think it's just a misspelled version of Death. This museum again addressed issues about WWII and POWs, and again we used our amazing detective skills to discover that the WWII bridge was a bridge built by POWs and was somehow important during WWII, and that the cemetary we had visited housed the POWs that died building it.
All this stuff was actually pretty boring 'cause we didnt really learn any facts, we just kinda guessed stuff... but it was still cool because I got to pet a baby leopard and our tour guide named Eddie talked really funny.
Next, we went on to a big, tree filled area with lots of elephants. We went, two at a time, into this elevated hut structure where we got on elephants and went for a ride through this random excursion into the trees. After taking pictures, getting sprayed with elephant snot, and feeding our elephants, we went to our next stop at this restaurant where we got food for FREE. I guess it's not free since we paid for the whole tour, but the whole tour was less than 20 dollars! And it's not over yet because after lunch we got onto these bamboo rafts and went down this river. Pictures of this awesome activity are on Facebook as well, though they are not that exciting.
After our raft ride, we went on to a waterfall where local children were swimming and then we took a train (I think on the WWII POW-built tracks that start near that bridge). Though the tour was pretty bad about informing customers about important information, it was still cool. I mean, I rode a freaking elephant.
Cool Thing #3
From Bangkok, I took a 13 hour bus that was filled past capacity to Krabi, a town on the southern coast of Thailand. From there, I took another 1 and half hour ferry to Koh Phi Phi, the island where The Island was filmed. This movie apparently boosted the tourism industry on the island immensely, and now it's practically just for tourists. After two days of just going to beaches (I think I went to 7 different ones), I was going to sign up for a full day snorkeling tour where we visit various nearby islands and bays to see local ocean life. While walking around, I ran into a guy named Gareth who was temporarily living on the island to obtain his PADI Diving Master certification. I told him about my plans for snorkeling and he told me I should go diving instead. He convinced me, so the next morning I woke up bright and early and signed up for my Open Water course. I started right away. I paid my $400 (I looked up prices in the States and they usually run about $600 for a small-group course... and I got a private course) and began by watching videos for my Diving Theory course. After learning basics, I was instructed on equipment and taught to assemble my own diving gear, then I suited up with my instructor and we went to the beach. For most Open Water courses, you're supposed to start by diving in an enclosed space like a swimming pool, but since Koh Phi Phi has no enclosed spaces big enough for diving training, I got to go straight to the beach. I learned basic diving skills in the water, seeing several fish in the water during my lessons. I finished the majority of my Theory Course the first day and the second day was real diving. We took a boat out to two different islands and did two separate dives into the reefs. For my first two dives, I saw two large leopard sharks, two moray eels, a ton of clown fish in anemones, hundreds of thousands of fish, sea cucumbers, sea stars, water snakes, and much more. I finished my Theory Course the second day and passed my Theory Exam as well as my swimming test and flotation test. The day after (today), we got on a boat and went on two deeper dives in new reefs and I saw five sea-turtles (one of them had only three fins), a poisonous lion fish, a mantis shrimp, more sea cucumbers, huge schools of fish, a few small jellyfish, and some neon-colored nudibranches. And much, much more.
Of all the new things I have tried, I must say that diving is one of the things I am happiest I've done. The bottom of the ocean is one of the most amazing things I have seen. And I don't want to sound like a douche or anything, but I've been traveling since July and seen a lot of things. I don't think ANYTHING beats the reefs. It's seriously like you're on another world. I've seen documentaries with divers on TV where I've thought, "That looks really cool!" As often as that's run through my head, nothing prepares you for the feeling of being able to breathe perfectly on the bottom of the ocean while being close enough to sharks, urchins, and schools of fish that you can reach out and touch them. But you shouldn't because you might die. Anyway... as of today, I am a fully certified PADI Open Water Diver! Now I can go on dives that I plan myself as long as I have a buddy. So... friends, it's time to get your licenses too so we can go diving!
And Milee, just because I went diving, I'll still go snorkeling. And to Sea World. And to the Wild Animal Park. Loser.
So I haven't been updating my blog much, and when I do I kind of oversee the general gist of things without really addressing many specific details. This post will just cover random cool things I have been doing without really connecting them.
Cool thing #1:
When I got to Marrakech, Morocco, I went on a trek to the desert. We crossed the Atlas mountains by van, stopping sporadically to see the sights, which included an old fortress, a Moroccan cinema museum, and numerous panoramic views of valleys and oases. At one point, we stopped in a town with a population of 350 families. The only thing to see there was this one building that Jean-Claude Van Damme once visited. After about half a day in the car, we got off in the middle of nowhere. As we exited the van, we were greeted by a few men wrapped in cloth from the tops of their heads to to their ankles and also a large group of camels. We mounted the camels and went for a ride to another middle-of-nowhere location where a tent (it was like a Moses and the Israelites kind of tent) was waiting for us. Camels are not comfortable to ride so we were all sore and stiff by the time we got there, but we were all happy 'cause it was awesome. Then some desert boy served us tea and talked to us in French and we ate dinner which was served in giant community pots. After eating, we gathered around a big bonfire outside (this part didnt feel so awesome because they kept the fire going with lighter fluid... desert people FAIL). We listened to off-pitch Moroccan singing, but it was still cool because they did funny dances. We slept, then woke up to beautiful, picture-perfect views of mountains and dunes (there are pictures on Facebook). Along with my two new Spanish friends, I went dune jumping until breakfast time and then we rode camels back to middle-of-nowhere location #1 where we got back on vans and drove back to Marrakech.
Cool Thing #2
Arriving in Bangkok without any plans would have been a bit difficult... but luckily I met a British engineer named Ella on my plane and she had visited Bangkok before. We became friends on the long plane ride from London to Bangkok and so we decided to travel together for a bit. Although we didn't stay at the same guesthouse, we were both staying on the same street (the famous Khao San Road). After two days of going everywhere we could think of via Tuk Tuk, train, ferry, and walking, we decided to book a tour that would take us outside of Bangkok. On our third day there, we took a tour van to some random cemetary where they dropped us off and pretty much just said, "Look!" Using amazing detective skills (we just read the headstones), we deduced that the cemetary was a WWII cemetary housing POWs from Britain and America. This seemed pretty random, but we shrugged it off and moved on to some WWII bridge and the Jeath Museum. I'm not sure what a Jeath is, but I think it's just a misspelled version of Death. This museum again addressed issues about WWII and POWs, and again we used our amazing detective skills to discover that the WWII bridge was a bridge built by POWs and was somehow important during WWII, and that the cemetary we had visited housed the POWs that died building it.
All this stuff was actually pretty boring 'cause we didnt really learn any facts, we just kinda guessed stuff... but it was still cool because I got to pet a baby leopard and our tour guide named Eddie talked really funny.
Next, we went on to a big, tree filled area with lots of elephants. We went, two at a time, into this elevated hut structure where we got on elephants and went for a ride through this random excursion into the trees. After taking pictures, getting sprayed with elephant snot, and feeding our elephants, we went to our next stop at this restaurant where we got food for FREE. I guess it's not free since we paid for the whole tour, but the whole tour was less than 20 dollars! And it's not over yet because after lunch we got onto these bamboo rafts and went down this river. Pictures of this awesome activity are on Facebook as well, though they are not that exciting.
After our raft ride, we went on to a waterfall where local children were swimming and then we took a train (I think on the WWII POW-built tracks that start near that bridge). Though the tour was pretty bad about informing customers about important information, it was still cool. I mean, I rode a freaking elephant.
Cool Thing #3
From Bangkok, I took a 13 hour bus that was filled past capacity to Krabi, a town on the southern coast of Thailand. From there, I took another 1 and half hour ferry to Koh Phi Phi, the island where The Island was filmed. This movie apparently boosted the tourism industry on the island immensely, and now it's practically just for tourists. After two days of just going to beaches (I think I went to 7 different ones), I was going to sign up for a full day snorkeling tour where we visit various nearby islands and bays to see local ocean life. While walking around, I ran into a guy named Gareth who was temporarily living on the island to obtain his PADI Diving Master certification. I told him about my plans for snorkeling and he told me I should go diving instead. He convinced me, so the next morning I woke up bright and early and signed up for my Open Water course. I started right away. I paid my $400 (I looked up prices in the States and they usually run about $600 for a small-group course... and I got a private course) and began by watching videos for my Diving Theory course. After learning basics, I was instructed on equipment and taught to assemble my own diving gear, then I suited up with my instructor and we went to the beach. For most Open Water courses, you're supposed to start by diving in an enclosed space like a swimming pool, but since Koh Phi Phi has no enclosed spaces big enough for diving training, I got to go straight to the beach. I learned basic diving skills in the water, seeing several fish in the water during my lessons. I finished the majority of my Theory Course the first day and the second day was real diving. We took a boat out to two different islands and did two separate dives into the reefs. For my first two dives, I saw two large leopard sharks, two moray eels, a ton of clown fish in anemones, hundreds of thousands of fish, sea cucumbers, sea stars, water snakes, and much more. I finished my Theory Course the second day and passed my Theory Exam as well as my swimming test and flotation test. The day after (today), we got on a boat and went on two deeper dives in new reefs and I saw five sea-turtles (one of them had only three fins), a poisonous lion fish, a mantis shrimp, more sea cucumbers, huge schools of fish, a few small jellyfish, and some neon-colored nudibranches. And much, much more.
Of all the new things I have tried, I must say that diving is one of the things I am happiest I've done. The bottom of the ocean is one of the most amazing things I have seen. And I don't want to sound like a douche or anything, but I've been traveling since July and seen a lot of things. I don't think ANYTHING beats the reefs. It's seriously like you're on another world. I've seen documentaries with divers on TV where I've thought, "That looks really cool!" As often as that's run through my head, nothing prepares you for the feeling of being able to breathe perfectly on the bottom of the ocean while being close enough to sharks, urchins, and schools of fish that you can reach out and touch them. But you shouldn't because you might die. Anyway... as of today, I am a fully certified PADI Open Water Diver! Now I can go on dives that I plan myself as long as I have a buddy. So... friends, it's time to get your licenses too so we can go diving!
And Milee, just because I went diving, I'll still go snorkeling. And to Sea World. And to the Wild Animal Park. Loser.
I'm baaaaack
,
It's been two months since I've written in this. Sorry, devoted readers (pretty much just Milee).
As of December 8, I had started to travel alone. Occasionally, I would meet up with people I knew and enjoyed their company, but the majority of my time was spent alone or with people I met and hung out just for a day or two. I was hesitant about travelling alone since I knew I would get lonely, but I found that it was more than just tolerable... I was enjoying it most of the time. It was (and is) very liberating.
For about two weeks, I traveled through London, Manchester, and Liverpool, coming back to London to fly out to Zurich. Once I got back to London, I was supposed to fly out to Zurich to meet up with Yoontae and his family for the holidays. After a 6 hour bus ride, a train to the airport, and several hours on the floor of Gatwick airport, I was next in line to check in and my flight was cancelled. Due to weather-related issues, a bunch of flights were either delayed or cancelled and the airport was chaotic. Several hours later, I was finally told by an EasyJet representative that I would have to find a new flight if I wanted to reach Switzerland in time, but that they would reimburse me for any extra expenditure. I took another train back to central London, found a new flight for the same day for only 200 dollars (a miracle), and half a day later I was on a plane to Basel. It wasn't where I wanted to go, but I could take a train from Basel to Zurich, so I had settled for that. This flight, though, ended up getting delayed a whopping 6 times and then I got to Basel too late to get into my hostel (what kind of hostel CLOSES?). Apparently the reception closed at midnight. I landed at 12:05. In addition, buses stop running from the airport stop running at 12:04. Lovely. I managed to meet a man who wanted to share a taxi though, so I headed towards the train station thinking about the movie Taken the whole time. He was old though so I figured I could take him if he tried to subdue me and get me addicted to heroine so he could sell me as a sex slave or something like that.
Anyway, I got to the train station in Basel while it was raining so I dried off and slept on a bench with some hobos (no joke), got up at 5 in the morning, took a train to Zurich, waited 7 and a half hours in various McDonalds and benches, then met Ben and Jullie and went with them to Austria. After that it was nice and pleasant and full of fun activities like snowboarding in the Alps, dragging Yoontae's mother up a mountain, finding out Yoontae's dad speaks German, and listening to the soundtracks to Jersey Boys and Wicked repeatedly in the car.
After New Years, everyone was gone and I was back on my own. I decided in a matter of a few hours that I would go to Morocco, and I did (I'm in Morocco right now). I can't say it was all smooth from there, but I haven't had to sleep in any train stations with bums so I can't complain.
There are aspects of traveling alone that I realize are not that great. I definitely don't laugh as much, and I haven't had a "I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts" experience in a really long time. You don't really have those kinds of experiences except with close friends in very comfortable situations, I realized. I do miss that alot. But thanks to the fact that I'm alone and more inclined to meet new people, I've hung out with all sorts of folks and even learned how to play Backgammon from some Germans!
And yeah, sometimes I really wish I could travel with a good friend... someone that I don't just meet on the road and hang out with for a few days. I saw a Facebook status one time (forget who put it up) that said something about how its not about what you do, its about who you do it with. To an extent, that's very true. It would be nice to be able to share these experiences with another, but I guess some of these experiences can only be had alone. For now, I'll just have to share what happens through emails and sporadic blog updates!
As of December 8, I had started to travel alone. Occasionally, I would meet up with people I knew and enjoyed their company, but the majority of my time was spent alone or with people I met and hung out just for a day or two. I was hesitant about travelling alone since I knew I would get lonely, but I found that it was more than just tolerable... I was enjoying it most of the time. It was (and is) very liberating.
For about two weeks, I traveled through London, Manchester, and Liverpool, coming back to London to fly out to Zurich. Once I got back to London, I was supposed to fly out to Zurich to meet up with Yoontae and his family for the holidays. After a 6 hour bus ride, a train to the airport, and several hours on the floor of Gatwick airport, I was next in line to check in and my flight was cancelled. Due to weather-related issues, a bunch of flights were either delayed or cancelled and the airport was chaotic. Several hours later, I was finally told by an EasyJet representative that I would have to find a new flight if I wanted to reach Switzerland in time, but that they would reimburse me for any extra expenditure. I took another train back to central London, found a new flight for the same day for only 200 dollars (a miracle), and half a day later I was on a plane to Basel. It wasn't where I wanted to go, but I could take a train from Basel to Zurich, so I had settled for that. This flight, though, ended up getting delayed a whopping 6 times and then I got to Basel too late to get into my hostel (what kind of hostel CLOSES?). Apparently the reception closed at midnight. I landed at 12:05. In addition, buses stop running from the airport stop running at 12:04. Lovely. I managed to meet a man who wanted to share a taxi though, so I headed towards the train station thinking about the movie Taken the whole time. He was old though so I figured I could take him if he tried to subdue me and get me addicted to heroine so he could sell me as a sex slave or something like that.
Anyway, I got to the train station in Basel while it was raining so I dried off and slept on a bench with some hobos (no joke), got up at 5 in the morning, took a train to Zurich, waited 7 and a half hours in various McDonalds and benches, then met Ben and Jullie and went with them to Austria. After that it was nice and pleasant and full of fun activities like snowboarding in the Alps, dragging Yoontae's mother up a mountain, finding out Yoontae's dad speaks German, and listening to the soundtracks to Jersey Boys and Wicked repeatedly in the car.
After New Years, everyone was gone and I was back on my own. I decided in a matter of a few hours that I would go to Morocco, and I did (I'm in Morocco right now). I can't say it was all smooth from there, but I haven't had to sleep in any train stations with bums so I can't complain.
There are aspects of traveling alone that I realize are not that great. I definitely don't laugh as much, and I haven't had a "I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts" experience in a really long time. You don't really have those kinds of experiences except with close friends in very comfortable situations, I realized. I do miss that alot. But thanks to the fact that I'm alone and more inclined to meet new people, I've hung out with all sorts of folks and even learned how to play Backgammon from some Germans!
And yeah, sometimes I really wish I could travel with a good friend... someone that I don't just meet on the road and hang out with for a few days. I saw a Facebook status one time (forget who put it up) that said something about how its not about what you do, its about who you do it with. To an extent, that's very true. It would be nice to be able to share these experiences with another, but I guess some of these experiences can only be had alone. For now, I'll just have to share what happens through emails and sporadic blog updates!
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