A Chance to See Beyond Oneself

A Conclusion to this Chance to See Beyond Oneself

2009-09-09T17:43:38Z

A Conclusion

The Story

I will keep the story details concise because I wish to save my words for concluding travel reflections.

From Switzerland I took a train to Innsbruck in Austria to visit my aunt and second cousin who I didn't get a chance to see the first time I was there. I visited a beautiful small village, Hallstatt, that was set on a lake surrounded by mountains. After some nice walks through the forest and around the little village I took a train the next day to Vienna to visit the girl I had spent time with there on my prior trip to Austria. We went to a small town an hour south of Vienna to watch a families kids while their parents were in the Netherlands. We then returned to Vienna where we spent a few days enjoying the city, reading in the parks, and cooking good food. I then went north to visit my friend Lukas in the south of Germany near Lindau and the Lake of Constance. We had traveled together in New Zealand, Australia, and Cambodia and would now continue some traveling together. After hanging out with him in his town for a few days we took a road trip to Prague with his girl friend, who lives north in Nurnberg, and with a friend of his and her Australian boy friend who just flew over for some traveling in Europe. Prague is a beautiful city, old buildings, a large castle overlooking the river that splits the city in half, good cheap beer and tasty food. My only regret was that we didn't have more time to visit other cities in the Czech Republic. Lukas girlfriend had to get back to work and the other couple had a plane flight to Amsterdam. On our way back, we stopped in Nurnberg for a few days for Lukas and I to see the sites and for him to enjoy some more time with his girl friend who he lives about 2 1/2 hours away from.

Lukas and I returned to his small village in Bavaria and were trying to decide our next step. After talking to his father who he works for, he was able to get some more time off work to travel. So now the question was where did we want to go? I had seen most of the best spots within driving distance and surprisingly we couldn't figure out where to go. We had contemplated: trying to get a cheap last minute plain ticket to an island in spain but it would be to expensive, driving to Croatia but it was too long of a drive, flying to Moscow but definitely too expensive, hitchhiking and seeing where we end up but we didn't have enough time to really get much out of it. And then the genius plan hit us - a road trip to Luxembourg (because no one really takes a road trip just to see Luxembourg, which really makes it so great!). Its a small country in between Germany and Belgium just about 1000 square miles with a population under a half million; they have three official languages: French, German, and Luxembourgish. We had a few extra days that we didn't know what to do with but we decided we would figure out our next step while on the road. The capital city is called Luxembourg and is very modern, filled with business men and women dressed in suits, lots of nice cars, clean streets, good public art sculptures - in short, the perfect little city.

After Luxembourg we decided to head north to his some of Lukas friends in the north of Holland. What I didn't realize was how far away it was and that the plans would pretty much involve drinking all night. It being my last few days in Europe, I was not very interested in just drinking away the last few days; I was far more interested in seeing all I could of Europe before not knowing when I would return again. So after a long conversation, my friend was very understanding and willing to turn back to go exploring other avenues. We decided to go back to Nurnburg again because there were still things I did not get to see there and it gave the three of us one last chance to hang out. It turned out to be a splendid experience.

After returning to the south of Germany where Lukas lived, I took my last train ride of this trip to Munich where I would be flying out of in a few days. I stayed with a girl I met in Australia and also get to spend some time with her friend who I also met in Australia. Two days of site seeing around the beautiful city: enjoyed lots of art, serene parks, and the last of European architecture.

On July 4th I returned to the homeland, USA. I fly to New York to spend several days with a friend from college and see the city that never sleeps. Everything about New York is enormous, it is filled with so much energy with all of the people bustling about. Beyond enjoying the sites, it was a weird experience to be back in the States (I will expound later). From New York I flew to Maui where I saw my family for the first time in 9 1/2 months and went to a friend's wedding who I have known since I was a wee little one. (Daniel Bedingfield, a famous UK signer/song writer was at the wedding). I am still in Maui and will be returning to life in California on July 12. Its nice to be able to spend a few days here relaxing before getting back to responsibility.

And thus the story is finished. Yet it lives on every day in my memories and the endless ways I have been changed forever.

The Reflection

Was it all a dream? I have only been back about a week and my travels seem so far away. It is an odd feeling to think back to Oct 2, 2006 when I flew to New Zealand; uncertain about what the future would I embarked on this journey alone to come away with so many new friends and so many life changing experiences. Talking to my friend Charlene in New York made me realize the ways I have changed. She was really the first person I spent time with who knew me well before this trip and was able to see the resulting changes in me. Talking so some friends that are here in Maui for my friends wedding, I am beginning to realize how it is hard to understand how impacting traveling alone can be. All of the habits one has formed while around friends, all of the formation one has built their identity around, everything one has felt certain about are all subject to change. The social codes of behavior that one is restricted to in order to maintain their formed relationships are all open to be modified. One is forced to spend time with people they often wouldn't choose to be around in their daily lives and it opens your eyes to the many perspectives people have and what experiences led them to there.

Coming back to America was a bit of a culture shock. First of all it was very weird to hear only American accents around me. Remember this was the first time I was predominantly around Americans for the past 9 1/2 months. Every time I asked someone on the street a question or inquired with a store owner in New York, I would speak slowly and clearly because of the habit I obtained of never expecting the person I interact with to speak English well, if not at all. It was odd to have the person respond completely understanding what I said and to speak in an accent I could easily understand. For several days anytime I talked to a stranger, there was aways a slight feeling of hesitation that would arise when I would initiate the conversation from being so used to being surrounded by foreigners. I realized what a luxury it was to be able to read all the items in a grocery store or on a restaurant menu. I could easily read road signs and public transportation signs. I could order free tap water in a restaurant! I had to tip again :-(. I compared everything I saw in America with Europe, Europe felt familiar, American felt distant. I remember when I first arrived in Europe, I compared everything with Asia. I was using dollars again and I could have such a clear sense of value now using the same currency which is in my bank account.

I will miss it though. The adventure of never knowing who you will meet and what will happen the next day. Habits erased and the unexpected embraced. There was something fun about being the foreigner while traveling. It made you stand out, it made you special, it made people automatically interested in you. For example when I was in Nurnburg Germany, I met a guy who wouldn't give me the time of day at first. But once he found out I was in California, he wanted to be my best friend. California was his dream and he wanted to know everything to California slang to what the beaches are like in the OC. Now I am just another American Joe...but I suppose thats reality...I think. As I was a little relieved to be finally coming back to a settled life on a plane flight back from Germany, I was reading a travel magazine and realized that I had been to many of the places they pictured or discussed. I suddenly got the travel bug again. I wanted to go on adventures in new places I had never been, to see the mysterious, to learn about new cultures, try new food, and talk to strangers who I would befriend and never see again.

Living out of a backpack for 9 1/2 months sleeping on peoples couches, staying in hostels and cheap hotels in 24 countries on several continents traveling west from New Zealand to the USA - over 40,000 kilometers: This has been my life. Everything will change now. I will start graduate school in san diego in the fall. I will be busy. I will plan things and create schedules. I will stay up late writing papers and experience work related stress. I will no longer be able to go where I please when I please. Responsibility. Regardless, though, of the differences my new life will have from traveling it will still be an adventure. It will always be an adventure. I want to choose to make it an adventure. I will see the world with new eyes and choose to not let habit or expectations control my dispositions. It is our choice. We can choose to be bored or ecstatic with life: we can spend our days sending text messages, checking our myspace pages, and watching reality tv shows. Or we can choose talking to a stranger, going places in our own city backyards we have never been before, looking around the corner that we have never seen, walking instead of driving, talking in person instead of on the phone, stopping to listen and look, doing something alone we would usually do with someone else, doing something with someone we would normally do alone, try new foods, go into a store we would never set foot in, do things for the sake of experiencing them, and constantly considering how we could see things differently. This is change. This is life. I saw a great tshirt someone was wearing while in Europe, it said: "The Only Saint is Change." A quote a professor of mine always has at the end of her emails from Proust goes: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes." Let us choose to accept our lives as a voyage and an adventure and be present to every experience that comes our way so we may see truth and better come to know ourselves and others.

Bless you
Thank you
I miss you
and I look forward to seeing you

Karl

THE END

A Conclusion to this Chance to See Beyond Oneself remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Chocolate, Banks, Clocks, and the Matterhorn

2007-06-18T13:18:10Z

Switzerland thus became the next destination for a chance to see beyond myself. I spent almost three weeks in this country of limited proportions but found each location I visited to contain its own special features which placed Switzerland among my top 3 favorite countries. The culturally and artistically inclined city of Basel was my first stop; my accommodation was a comfortable mattress in the loft of a swiss architect´s apartment (a recent member of coucsurfing.com). The small city has some great architectural features and is home to the two famous architects, Herzog and de Meuron (my couchsurfing host took some classes with them). I spent the day exploring the town, which was fairly quiet and empty as Sundays most shops and museums are closed, getting a feel for the city, crossing back and forth over the bridges spanning the Rhine, and eventually meeting up with my couchsurfing host in the evening. We had some great conversations about European politics, swiss culture, and traveling. Since it was raining out we decided to stay in and eat chocolate, drink tea, and have some guitar duet sessions which turned out to quite melodious and complimentary to the solitude of the falling rain. The next day I spent some more time visiting the picturesque corners and alley ways as well as some museums and art galleries before catching my the train to the largest city of Zurich.

A friend of a roommate in college named Jonas, who visited with us for about two weeks in Santa Barbara, lives in Zurich and was more than happy to host me for a few nights. We enjoyed each others company in Santa Barbara and looked forward to spending some time together again. His flatemate and the two fo us all got along so well. While they were in classes at the university I would stroll through the rain contemplating life and soaking up all of the feelings that arose while walking around this moderately sized modern yet antique-like city that was statistically found to provide the best quality of life anywhere in the world. When my hosts would return from class we would meet up for a beer and they would show me around some of their favorite parts of the city. At night we would relax in their apartment and Jonas and I would talk about art, intentionallity, film, and music - it was quite a pleasant stay. One of the days while they were in class I went to visit my aunt who lives about an hour south of Zurich. It was both a satisfactory and sobering experience because her husband was sick with cancer in the hospitable and I could tell it weighed heavily upon my aunt Maria. It is always a pleasure to meet new family members but I was also glad it was only for one day - after a while the stories of old and the pictures of friends and family can exhaust one´s interest - namely, my interest.

And so from Zurich I purchased a train ticket to Lucerne. Why Lucerne you might ask? Well I´ll tell you: I heard it had a nice lake and a big mountain, a combination that always awakens my senses and reminds me there is a reason for living. Upon arriving I stored my belongings in a train station locker, got the lowdown at the tourist information office, bought some cheap sandwiches for my hike, and hopped on the first ferry that would take me across the lake to Mt. Rigi. My ferry ticket also included a ticket on the train that went the steep mountain side to the peak of the hill. Since I loathe hiking to the same locations people can reach by car or train, I decided I would enjoy the peak by train and find a remote spot to venture by foot. The view was stunning from the top: large dark blue lake below, endless snow covered alps in the background, small mountain towns in the distance, a small isolated moutain in the near distance I would conquer - happiness was guaranteed. From the peak I set off towards the pasture land that would lead me up to a small snow covered mountain top that was free from the other tourists wayed down by cameras and nordic walking poles. I enjoyed my packed lunch on this pristine peak, with the warm sun on my back, and my feet cooling off on a grassy patch bare from snow. It was a great reminder of why I travel. It was this moment that I knew happiness in its purest form; the feeling of being alone in nature, the straining fatigue that the peak rewards, that blissful knowledge there has to be more than just physical matter, the taste of bread, meat, and lettuce, the chorus of the cow bells below, the fusion of the green hills topped by the frosting of white snow - it is a sweetness that can almost be tasted.

After getting down the mountain and heading to meet my couchsurfing hosts I suddenly realized, upon finding my hosts not at home, that I was day off. I had arranged to meet my couchsurfing hosts the day before and this day I had a hostel reservation in Interlaken that I had made several weeks earlier. Woops! After my profuse apologies to my hosts, via phone, I booked it to the train station to make sure I could make it to Interlaken before my hostel reception closed and they would charge me for a room regardless of me getting a bed. After several hours on the train and wandering through the city by the light of street lamps, I finally arrived at my hostel Interlaken dead tired and ready for bed. After trying the local brew and chatting with the bar tender and two of my roommates from Wisconsin, I was off to bed.

The next day, as planned, I met a good friend and future housemate, Cameron Sublett, and his girlfriend Jamie, who were also traveling in Switzerland. We spent the rainy day talking about our lives, recent experiences, some of the lack of comforts that come with the travelers lifestyle, and made some plans for the next few days. In the evening I met an Austrlian traveler who I hung out with whenever I wasnt with my friends from home. Come the morning we were off to go walking in a pristine valley visiting several waterfalls and enjoying the solitude only that fresh alpine mountain air can provide. The day was mellow but stunning, lots of walking, and lots of good chatting. The following day we took a train high up into the mountains to look upon one of my favorite views of this trip. Green hill sides with scattered swiss mountain houses topped by dominating rock cliffs on all sides and snow covered mountain in every vertical direction. Breathtaking. Its the sort of view the keeps a smile on your face and a sigh in your lungs. Superb. No more words necessary, it will only hinder the imagination that such a sight should instill in our hearts.

It was sad to leave Interlaken because I almost felt like a local by the end of my time there. We had our favorite cafe where they would recognize us, all the people at the bar of the hostel knew me because I had to keep changing rooms every night because they were so full, and we had a favorite kebab place we ate a few times. Alas. From Interlaken I was off to stay with a girl I met Australia in the lakeside town of Thun. She spend the day teaching in school while I procured one of the free bikes that many swiss cities will provide and rode all over the perfectly small and story-book appearing town and into the country side. It was a day when I heard the voice of truth speak to me of the adventures to come and they were thus revealed in a fashion that reminds one that the mind is not the only one worth listening to. I met my friend Julie and her boyfriend in the evening, we talked for a while, went to bed, and I slept in and met Julie again for lunch the next day before I was off to the capital city of Bern.

And my goodness this is turning into one damn long blog. I apologize for my verbose disposition at this moment. I shall limit my words for now on!

Bern. Just grand. Old town was beautiful in its own medieval villiage type of manner. Stayed with two fun couchsurfers guys. My highlight with them was a BBQ we had on a big hill that was over looking the city. We laughed a lot. We knew how to transition from serious conversation topics to laughing about ridiculous subjects, good times.

Lausanne. French part of Switzerland. (There are four parts of Switzerland, the German part in the north, the French part in the West, the Italian part in the South East, and the Romansh part in a few eastern parts). Makes for quite the diverse country, each part is very unique, and has its own culture. I met up with a couchsurfing girl who couldnt host me but offered to show me around a little while my host was at school - very friendly and interest. I really got along well with my couchsurfing host though. She was a phd student in robotics and we had some great conversations about ethics, biotechnology, cultural relativism, anthropology, and on and on. That evening we went out with her boyfriend, flat mate, and a few other guys to go see some bands that were playing at the university campus. It was a jolly good time. Slept in late the next day, I was given a friendly reminder why I dont like drinking a lot of white wine, enjoyed the sites of the town that overlooked lake Geneva, and then met up with my hosts and their friends for a traditional dinner of cheese fondue on my behalf (cheese fondue is reserved for the winter time but they consented for the sake of a foreigner such as myself).

Next stop, Zermatt, the town closest to the Matterhorn - practically right below it. Obviously lots of big mountains all around. I made my own trail up a quite steep mountain side and found joy overlooking the valley and town below. Sore legs and knees kept me from hiking again the next day so I was off to the Italian part of Switzerland - Locarno. Small town, quiet lake, a place for middle aged tourists, but pleasant enough to visit for a day. Next day on to Chur in the Romansh part of Switzerland. I didnt do too much site seeing here, mostly just hung out with my couch surfing hosts. The town wasnt anything too exciting and I was a little tired from being on the go so much. We went out for dinner at one of my hosts friends house and then for a few drinks after. Fun but nothing to toot the horn over.

Next day I was off to Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is the sixth-smallest independent nation in the world, population of about almost 34,000 people. Its on the eastern border of switzerland next to Austria. Its small and full of money. It has more registered companies than citizens - there are great tax benefits, so consider starting your business there. Also, open a bank account there if you get a chance, its even better than switzerland because they dont withhold 34% of your interest like the swiss do. Its almost like a little utopia town. Clean streets, nice modern buildings, artistic modern sculptures about, some few small parks, a big castle where the Prince lives overlooking the town. Funny little place. The evening was enjoyable. There were four californians, including myself, and an austrlian girl; we all went out for some drinks and found we had a whole room to our selves in one bar so we could pretty much do and say as we pleased. The other kids wanted to make a real night out of it while I knew I needed to wake up early to go visit my aunt the next day in Innsbruck in Austria. So at about 2 am or so I wandered back through the rain to the hostel that was on the outskirts of town.

And that was that.

Thanks for reading. I have no more words. I am very hungry and wish to keep the acids from eating through the walls of my stomach. So enjoy the truths you find and dont hurt the environment or animals or other people.

Cheers!
Karl

Chocolate, Banks, Clocks, and the Matterhorn remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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With Friends by my Side

2007-06-06T10:23:14Z

The Story

After having my eurail pass stolen while I was on my way to Denmark, everything was changed. I planned to use that pass to travel all over scandanvia and then back down to central europe but alas, it would not be so. I was kicked off the train in a small town in the north of Germany near the larger city of Hamburg. I decided to make my way to Hamburg and check in to a hostel there to mentally sort things out. I was expecting to spend a little time site seeing and trying to make some sort of plan for the rest of my time in Europe. But as soon as I checked in I met an Australia girl who was on the last few days of her trip throughout Europe. She too was also a little low in morale, tired from her long trip, and ready to return to normal life in Australia - we agreed it was a mutual comfort to be with each other in our current dispositions. We spent two days going for walks throughout the city, taking long coffee breaks in cafes, eating lots of bratwurst and pasteries, and our highlight of going to see a show at the newly built planetarium (a little hard to follow at times as it was all in German). As I didnt know where I was going next, I decided to join her on her way to Lubeck where she would be flying out of the next day. It was a quaint little town with a few historical buildings; my highlight was hanging out with a california guy who was playing at an open mic in an Irish bar that I was able to accompany on percussion. I still had not had any time to myself to think my travel plans over but Bel, my Australia friend, helped convinced me I should just leave for Berlin the same time she leaves for her plane, which turned out to be a great idea!

My time in Berlin was fantastic. I felt so at home there, mostly from the experiences I had with people I knew there. I stayed with a couchsurfer I contacted at last minute who was so friendly, welcoming, and quite interesting - we could certainly relate on many topics. My first day there my couchsurfing host and I enjoyed a long afternoon picnic, some enjoyable dinner conversation with her boyfriend and housemate, a house party hosted by another couchsurfer who was a really fun guy, and then some late night life. The next day, after some morning valley ball with my couchsurfing host, I met up with a girl I had met in Australia and planned to see again in Berlin. We had a rather pleasant day walking all over Berlin and then relaxing during the evening in a hookah bar with a friend of hers. The next day I met up with another couchsurfer who offered to show me around with her guests and saw some different places in east Berlin and learned more about the history of the city. It was so fascinating to hear about the stereotypes of the east that the western Berliners held even years after the wall fell. Even today there is still much higher unemployment in the east than in the west; the problem is also only being exacerbated by the many students who leave east berlin and go to work in west berlin where there are better paying jobs leaving the infrastructure of the east still to be fully developed. While walking about the city, I would seemlessly pass from east to west never really knowing which side I was on. The primary signifier are the cross walk lights which display different walking icons in the eastern part and in the western part. I also had another friend who I had stayed with in Australia but was originally from berlin and she had just moved back to the city. We really felt a close bond between us while in Australia and were overjoyed to meet again and share the stories of our travels together. One of my highlights was a night a group of us all met to see a Lithuanian jazz band play in a very alternative bar/lounge. I could have stayed in Berlin for the rest of my trip and been completely content. I felt so close to all these new people I had met and had such a wonderful time with each person. Many of them were as sad as I was when I had decided to move on.

From Berlin I went to stay with a couchsurfer in Dresden. Upon arriving he was nice enough to feed me lunch and then show me around the city and country side on his motorcycle. I was surprised by how old the city still looked, knowing that most of it was all rebuilt after the war because America and England bombed it to the ground. It is so sad to see that it is so often covered up by the holocaust statistics. For those who are not familiar with the history of it, the number of deaths (uncertain because of the large number of refugees in the city) was estimated anywhere in the 30,000s to 100,000s - horrific. Besides learning about the morbid history of what happened in world war II, I had a great time. The first night we met up with some other couchsurfers and went out to a few clubs and bars. The next day I slept in pretty late, explored the city for a little while, and then found a great jazz/blues/funk band playing in a hip jazz club in the more alternative part of town. I met a piano player there who I started chatting with about music and then found that his uncle is in actor in LA - one of his more famous roles was as the German pilot that brought the guns to El Guapo in Three Amigos. (Oh the joys of the random people you meet traveling...I also met a girl who's great grandfather invented cellophane).

Something I must mention is that I found the German people to be incredibly hospitable and kind. They were so friendly and always willing to help me out whenever I had a question. For example one evening I was looking at a bus time table and an old couple came up and were asking in German if I needed any help. Some fun cultural differences is that everyone drinks beer on the streets. Beer and Germany go hand and hand. There are also some other funny different things like in the same vending machines you can buy candy and soda you can also buy condoms and cigarettes as well as beer (or at least nonalcoholic beer in the ones I have seen); I always enjoy those different sights. Another thing that I was impressed with was how many Germans speak English fairly well.

From Dresden I moved on to the small town of Offenburg right near the Black Forest in the south of Germany. Yet another wonderful experience with a local couchsurfer. Out first day we went for a bike ride and a picnic at the local lake that was certainly one of the most relaxing days I had in a long time. We walked around the town, went for some dinner, had a few drinks, and called it a night. The next day we went to Strasbourg which is right over the border into France. It was a lovely little town that fit many of the stereotypes of cute european towns. In the afternoon her mother picked us up and gave us a ride to her fathers house that was out in the countryside near Freiburg. Even though only her younger brother could speak a little english, I really enjoyed spending time with her family. Her dad and I got along quite well, regardless of the language barriers. After a night of bar hopping in Freiburg with my host and her friend, I was off the next day to the much anticipated land of Switzerland.

I feel that Germany is a country I gained the most authentic experience of in Europe due to spending so much time with locals. Even my transportation was often with locals as I used an online ride sharing service for most of my transportation throughout Germany. Many times the people giving me rides were surprised an American even knew about it. I met so many people I hope to stay in touch with, the friends I made while traveling in Germany cultivated such a meaningful experience. While in Berlin I finally arranged my plans for flying back to the states, as I didnt know when I would even be ending my trip. On July 4 (kind of ironic) I fly from Munich, Germany to New York to spend a few days with a friend who lives there. I will then fly to Maui to see a very good family friend getting married as well as meet my parents there for a few days. I then will fly back to California, spend some time getting my things together, and then take about two weeks to slowly make my way down to San Diego, seeing friends along the way, where I will be moving for graduate school. I am currently in Bern, Switzerland and am absolutely in love with everything about this country. I will try to update you soon on the swiss travel. I will spend about another week in switzerland, go back to Austria to see some extended family and some friends there, hopefully make it down to Slovenia, then up to the south of Germany where I will meet a friend to take a road trip to the Czech Republic and back before I fly out of Munich.

The Reflection

The people I spend time with mean more to me now than the sites of the cities. I love the environments I am immersed in but am progressively starting to miss the settled life. I miss being able to have order in my life and the capacity to do what I want when I want. While traveling, especially while staying at other peoples houses, I dont have the same freedoms I would have if in my own flat, to come and go as I please, to go to bed when I want or stay up as late as I want, etc etc. But this is an important opportunity for me to let go of my desires, to instead be present to the here and now, and live without focusing on the past or present. I recognize more and more how vital these experiences are for the growth of my character. One will not be transformed unless they place themselves in challenging environments. One must change their perspective to see each challenging moment as a way of dealing with their own inadequacies and as a means of self improvement to embody our potential as an enlightened being free from the restraints of desire and misconceptions of time. There are parts of this trip that have been a complete breeze and others that have really stretched me. I am so happy that I decided to take this journey alone because it has forced me to reconsider my perspectives and identity. I have learned so many things about the world on this journey but also realize, humbled by my many limitations, it is a mere glimpse so beyond my ability to truly comprehend its myteries.

Karl

PS - sorry if there are typos, I had to write fast and no time for proof reading.

With Friends by my Side remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Unexpected Changes with a reminder to never expect at all

2007-05-24T10:27:56Z

The Story

Italy
From Austria I traveled to Venice, Italy; I must say it is just about the most picturesque city I have ever seen. Lots of art, lots of churches, lots of getting lost in the maze of alley walls and endless squares, lots of pictures, lots of American tourists (oh wait, I am one of those too...damn). Enough said. From Venice I ventured south to Siena in central Italy. The views of the Tuscan countryside inspire one to quite their 9-5 job, work at a vineyard, take life at a slower pace, sip wine throughout the day while walking through the green meadows, and spend the evening sitting under your porch staring at the stars. It is quite peaceful. Siena´s center is a mix of old, almost medieval-looking, tall buildings bordered by small countryside houses. When you walk through the city walls you feel transported a few hundred years to the past. One of my roommates in the hostel was this Romanian man (in his 60s) who also spoke Spanish, Italian, and a little German (no english). Since everyone else in the hostel was Italian, we both felt the odd man out and attempted to communicate with my limited knowledge of spanish and german. It was surprising how much time we spent actually learning things from each other (hand gestures always help). I must say though that I was both intrigued and a little afraid of this man I had met. I gathered that he had been in prison for a number of years, it was somehow related to people being shot, he had then lived in monasteries fall over europe, he was married, had kids, and was a truck driver now but also couldnt return to romania for some reason, and our conversation concluded by him calling his wife and telling her everything we had talked about. Even though some of the details were a little peculiar, he was so friendly and it made for such an interesting cross cultural experience.

From Siena I headed south to Rome. I stayed with a couchsurfer there and from the interaction with her house mates and her friends I feel I had a very authentic experience of Roman life. My host was great in showing me all around some of the tourist sites and then also to the more alternative neighborhoods. And the Vatican, oh the Vatican...I have nicknamed it the Roman Disneyland. You wait in large lines to get in to St. Peters Basilica and once inside it is full of tour groups and hoards of people constantly flashing their cameras. It is hard to appreciate the beauty of many of Michaelangelo's and the variety of other incredible artists art. Incredible but packed. It was a similar experience at the vatican museum, especially in the Sistine Chapel. But despire Rome being highly populated with tourists, it was still a wonderful place to visit. I wasn't too thrilled by the many ancient roman ruins because I was able to see so many while in Greece but the good ol colloseum was a worthy visit, despite its morbid history. Italy is great place for art and I do declare by the time I left Italy, I had a pretty heavy overdose; but it was absolutely worth it, very inspiring. But then again, as I have mentioned in other entries, it is hard to appreciate all of it at times.

From Rome back north to Florence. One highlight of my time in Florence was spending a few hours just laying on a grassy lawn in a hidden little garden enjoying the birds singing, the warmth of the sun of my back, and the variety of the color green displayed in all of nature's wonder. It reminded me of days back in Santa Barbara. It had been a while since I had just sat and done absolutely nothing and it was marvelous. My days were filled with art and old scenic buildings. The statue of david was quite impressive and it was even better that I was able to skip the hour wait to get in by sneaking in the exit. I visited Dante's house, saw a great exhibition on Cezanne, lots of works by Bottocelli, and as always some big old churches (but a note to the reader, even though Italy is the home of the catholics, the austrian churches were far more impressive than the italian). A really enjoyable evening followed the contacting of a couch surfer I had met in Melbourne, Austrilia who was now studying in Florence. Her two friends from Melbourne happened to be visiting as well, so the four of us went out for a grand evening of drinks and dancing and me getting locked out of my hostel - I ended up sleeping on some couch cushions we put on the floor at my friends house. The event reminded me again of how important human relationships can be. When traveling all alone, constantly meeting new people and then leaving just as you are getting to know them - familiarity with another person becomes a much desired experience. One more note about Florence, dont go there unless you really like Americans. They are everywhere. As beautiful as Florence can be, too many Americans in in a foreign country is problematic for me. Just about every other young there is spending a month or two studying art history there, its become quite cliche in my mind.

Oh yes, and I went to Genoa for half a day on my way to france. it was quaint.

France
The start of my experience in france was very rewarding. I was able to hang out and stay with two friends from Westmont who were living in Aix in the south of France. It was fun to take a break from site seeing and just hang out in a city. We did a variety of activities together, lots of cooking, drinking, meeting other students living in Aix, learning some french (for me at least), jumping in a rather large fountain in the city center that is strictly forbidden but another big group of people all jumped in right when we were thinking of doing it...so that was good fun. We went down to Marseille for a day trip to go swimming in the Mediterranean and see the city. One night we went to a free choral concert in an old church and highly enjoyed the conclusion of the night with Mozarts requiem, so beautiful. My last day we went for a hike near a large rock mountain outside of town that is featured in many of Cezannes paintings. After walking a while we went for a dip in a remarkable sky blue colored lake, it was refreshing to say the least.

And Aix gave way to Tours. It is a small town about an hour south of Paris in the Loire Valley that is known for its many chateauxs. The town was nice enough but my highlight was meeting a group of three english travelers at a bar one night. We were both at this amazing show of a music fusion of jazz, dixie, and a bit of gypsy flare. We ended up talking and the next day I drove with them to go see the town of Angers and several chateauxs. While cooking dinner with them in their sizable tent that night, we decided, due to our enjoyable experience together, that I would go to Paris for a few days and then meet them Nantes to spend some time camping and traveling with them.

This is where things get interesting

So the next day I took a train to paris. I was planning on staying with someone I met in Greece, but during the day of I couldnt reach him, so I stored my stuff in a locker in the train station and figured I would go see the city until he called me back. Paris is amazing, so many old scenic buildings, beautiful parks, and boulevards. The Louvre was incredible, overwhelming amount of art work, mona lisa and I spent some time together, so that was nice to catch up with her. Arc de Triumphe was impressive, large churches were nice, walking along the river Seine was pleasant, enjoyed the modern art museum, impressive parks, and then it hit me, right there underneath that eiffel tower of theirs (which is pretty ugly in my opinion) - I needed to go to Scandinavia. I had really wanted to go but I wasnt sure if I would have the proper amount of time. But I knew I had to do it, I felt the mysterious voice of direction inside of mine. I knew I wouldnt be able to meet up with my english friends but alas, it was fate. So spontaneity took control, what a fun adventure it would be...or at least I thought it would be.

I made my way to the train station, which also brings up the odd coincidence (obviously there is no such thing, so take my words as jest) that I decided to store my things in the same and only train station (different from the one I arrived in) that has outbound trains to Scandinavia. I had met a girl in Laos from Copenhagen that I knew I could stay and that would make a good starting point to see Sweden and Norway, so I reserved a bed about 40 minutes before the train left. All seemed like it was going perfectly. I started some great conversations with my two roommates in my cabin and then the third entered, also bringing an extra element to our journey, "what an enjoyable trip this is," I thought to myself. One of the guys in our cabin we found was Iraqi and he too was on his way to Scandinavian but for the purpose of seeking asylum in Sweeden. His family had all been killed, how I never really received an answer, but found that our new friend here had been through a lot trying to get out of the country. He traveled by land from Iraq to france, taking a dangerous cramped boat ride to Greece, getting arrested by police several times for not having proper documentation, he got a fake passport from the Ukraine that was also taken, he had people take advantage of him taking a lot of money from him without returning their promised assistance. One of the guys in our cabin was from Ghana and had friends he knew who were also illegal immigrants throughout europe and he began to tell us about all the different regulations of European countries and how some are very helpful with immigrants and others very harsh. It was sad to see the Iraqi guy constantly afraid that someone might be overhearing our conversation, every time the train stopped he asked us in his broken english if police were going to come aboard to check for passports. The past few nights he had slept in train stations because he had very little money left and was getting sick, so it was quite sad to see.

I by no means advocate illegal immigration but I could tell he was in need of some help. So we decided to join together to try to get to copenhagen and then from there it would be easy for him to get to sweeden to meet his friend there. We had a stop off in Hamburg in germany the next morning and I was suppose to immediately transfer to the next train but I thought I might have time to help him buy his ticket for the same train before it left. Unfortunately we missed it and spent some time talking and sitting waiting for our next train. The real problem we were worried about running into was that they would check for passports on the next train ride because Denmark is more strict about that then other EU countries. We got on to the train and after putting our stuff down my friend was worried he had the wrong ticket and so he went to ask the conductor outside. I could see the conductor wasnt understanding too well so I went out to help real fast before the train left. What I didnt realize though is that I left my 2 month eurail pass sitting on the seat in plain sight. After about 5 minutes or so of making sure my friend has the right ticket we got back on the train. I didnt even recognize my ticket was gone. When the conductor came by about an hour through the ride asking to see tickets, I then realized my rail pass was stolen. All I could think was, shit! That was my pass for traveling throughout europe, now it is gone and I still have a lot of time before I fly home. I thought there may have been some chance I had left it with the conductor we had talked to at the last station so I got off at the next stop (I had no choice actually since I had no ticket), wished my iraqi friend good luck on his risky trip to sweeden, took another train back to the Hamburg station, and found the conductor and finally came to the hard realization it was stolen and gone for good (no insurance policy available).

So what happened next? Tune in again sometime...

...ok so its nothing too exciting worth a cliff hanger like that, I stayed in Germany and thats where I am now. Bitter at the wasted money of my stolen rail pass but trying to accept that there is a reason for it and attempting to be positive about what will come my way.

The Reflection
As usual all of these stories take place within the context of taking lots of train rides, wandering through cities, attempting to adapt to foreign cultures and languages, eating different food, meeting random locals, experiencing different environments, figuring out city transportation systems, packing my backpack, unpacking my backpack, eating as much as possible from kebab stands before I return home and am without such splendorous tastes. I wander and wonder. Perhaps the tourist sites are really just the background for all of these day to day activities that are my realities of living as a traveler. A wondrous journey this is.

Unexpected Changes with a reminder to never expect at all remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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A Traveler Anew

2007-05-07T15:10:28Z

The Story

Hungary
Leaving my recent friends behind in Cluj, Romania, I embarked on my bus journey to the Romanian city of Budapest. Despite the annoying couple sitting next to me who couldn't keep their lips apart, the journey was smooth and painless. Upon arriving in my hostel in Budapest, a group of individuals, myself included, joined together to create an innovative and powerful site seeing collective. Similar to my last group of comrades in Cluj, we all got along great despite our age differences and national diversity. This group would be comprised of a Swedish couple in their 20s, a late 30s New Yorker who filmed fashion shows, a 40 something English bloke who was an outdoor adventure guide, and yours truly ( i.e. me). We all had an interesting conversation with the hostel manager about American government and corporate imperialism in the world as well as the many problems of the EU and eastern Europe - quite a stimulating conversation. Our group united the first night and enjoyed an evening of exploring the bar scene in the jewish quater and trying the locals brews. After some intense rounds at Foosball at one of the bars we visited, we decided it was time to hit the hay.

The next day I decided to go exploring by myself. The European architecture (for I have no other words to call it) was a joy to encounter; Budapest was probably the first major city I had been to on this trip that really stirred those feelings of fantasy we all have of European. One of my favorite sites of the day was St. Stephan's Basilica - the interior was massive, lined with gold on all curves and corners - it spoke beauty. Another important site was the largest Jewish synagogue in all of Europe. It was interesting to learn about Jewish sabbath customs as well as the history of how the Jews in Budapest were oppressed during WWII from the holocaust museum.

I spent a significant amount of time visiting the castle and museums on the prominent hill of the Buda side (the city is divided into two sides by the Danube: Buda and Pest). One quite humorous site was the underground labyrinths. At first one descends into the caves expecting to simply see some underground tunnels and historical monuments from when it was used during world war II. But after some time I came to realize they have transformed this historical location into an opportunity for dry humor - something I am always fond of. In the beginning of the tunnels they have some neolithic cave paintings with some cave man drums sounds in the background. First impressions: a little odd but maybe they are doing it for the kids. Then I come across some quite odd shaped statues and cave formations, placed as if they are supposed to be native to the ground. Later I pass by a fountain that is flowing with wine. The highlight though was their satire on western consumerism. They create fossil-like imprints throughout a series of tunnels that are difficult to decipher at first but one soon realizes are imprints of tennis shoes, laptops, cell phones, coca cola bottles, microwaves, and other house hold items. They create a whole story line of how these imprints were from a past civilization giving each item unique terminology that mocks modern consumerist tendencies. (This probably wasn't worth elaborating on but it really made my day). In the evening the crew went out to see a jazz/dixie band play at a bar called Fat Moes.

The next day I found that the English couple I traveled with in Romania came to stay at the same hostel I was at. What a joy it was to spend some time with them again. During the day the posse of travelers visited the old communist statue park, which was pretty run down by still gave us a good smile enjoying the cubist style of sculpting of those great heroes that ruined their countries infrastructure and economy. We hiked up another large hill near the city center and explored some streets before all going our own ways. That evening the english couple randomly met the two Canadian girls I had met several times before and we all went out for dinner and drinks together. The next day I took a day trip to Szentendre, just about an hour north of Budapest along the Danube river. I spent a considerable amount of time sitting and enjoying the nature of the outdoors surrounding the town as well as browsing several art galleries that the town is known for. It was a very relaxing day that was definitely needed.

Slovakia
The next day I took a train to Bratislava, Slovakia. I only spent one day seeing the sites of the city because I was running short on time for Europe. The city didn't really stand out compared to the many other sites I have seen. Some nice churches, beautiful buildings, large castle on a hill, slower pace of city life than other cities, and so on and so forth. It was a stopping point on my way to Austria. I wish to one day return to Slovakia to see the eastern portion of the country; the mountains are supposed to be spectacular.

Austria
From Bratislava to Vienna and oh what excitement. I am half austrian and from the beginning of this trip I have developed this internal gravitation towards anything Austrian. Upon arriving I was supposed to stay with a rather enlightened individual, Patryk, who I once met in Santa Barbara and became immediate friends with (his grandmother is the famous Austrian artist Valie Export). He ended up getting sick from some food he had eaten so I stayed with a couchsurfer I had previously contacted. Before meeting up with Lara, my couchsurfing host, I wandered around the city visiting many churches and beautiful parks. From the moment I arrived I fell in love with Vienna, I could certainly see myself moving there one day. The city has a very modern feel but the archictecture is absolutely stunning. Lara and I spent a lot of time visiting museums and city sites, enjoying cafes and traditional Austrian food. Every corner you turn there is another amazing building to see, after a while it just becomes normal to be surrounded by so much beauty. The names of the many churches and buildings start to lose value as there are so many and it is more the image, history, and feelings of the location that changes a person, not necessarily the name. While walking through the city one day I again unexpectedly met the two canandian girls who I have now seen in about 5 countries. We spent a little time seeing the sites together before they left to go back to Hungary. That evening Patryk joined Lara and I for dinner and we had some stimulating conversations about universal energy, alchemy, astrology, and art.

As Lara had some time off from school, we decided to travel together to Salzburg and Innsbruck. I suppose it was be deceptive to the reader to not clarify that the relationship between Lara and I soon developed into that of a more romantic nature. We had so many things in common and such similar personalities, it made for quite an enjoyable opportunity on both of our parts. I suppose I should also clarify, seeing that I have not mentioned before, that this was not the first experience on this trip where a relationship with a woman has developed into a more intimate manner. I am not very fond of expounding on such details as I see them as more of a private matter but since my whole experience of Austria is linked to my time spent with Lara, I see it as worthy to share with the few readers out there. After a few days together in Vienna, we took an afternoon train north east to the picturesque town of Salzburg.

The ride to Salzburg was comprised of fantastic views of many mountains covered with green grass and large pine trees often complimented with a rock peak sprinkled with snow. I was smiling the whole way. The old town was streaming with baroque architecture and historical buildings. The city is the home of Mozart and the setting for every one's favorite film: the sound of music. Everything about our time in Salzburg was perfect except for the fact our hostel was filled with a large french school group of loud highly energetic pain in the ass teenagers. After two days of seeing Austria's past in this historic town we took a train out to the countryside to visit with a couple that are good friends of my father. They own a restaurant looking over a peaceful valley filled with green pastures and touched with a variety of colorful flowers. Lara and I took a walk through through a forest and peaceful meddow before they treated us to a fantastic lunch of white asparagus soup, a well cooked steak for me, vegetable dumplings for Lara, a pancake crepe ice cream creation for dessert (don't know the name), and some good schnapps to top of it off. They were fairly busy with other customers so we didnt get too much time to talk but it was fun to hear about their lives and friendship with my parents.

From Salzburg we traveled onward to Innsbruck, a smaller city nestled at the base of several towering mountains. The city is famous for holding the winter olympics in the1960s and 70s. Again we were confronted by a city with so much history and the remaining architecture and historical monuments. The many bright colors of the Tyrolian art and architecture style gives the city goer a full spectrum of positive feelings. What can I say, I love Austria. Lara and I had to sadly seperate as I went on to Venice (where I am currently traveling) and she back to school in Vienna (but we may be meeting again in a month or two).

The Reflection

I feel the traveling starting to wear on me. The past 7 months have been amazing but I feel my curiosity starting to fade. With so much history constantly begging to be known and so many splendors of man-made creation and natural beauty to be explored, I feel I cannot hold it all in. I am sad to be losing the enthusiasm I had earlier in my trip but I think I am finding my limits. It was great to travel with Lara, as it completely changed the environment to have another person to share and reflect with. But alone, the environment sometimes loses value just because I have been overwhelmed with so many sights and sounds and people. I will most likely continue onward from Italy to France, Switzerland, and Germany and from Berlin fly to Iceland, New York and back to California in mid-July. I would not have expected to start losing interest at this time in my trip but it is a reality I am confronted with. At the same time I feel so incredibly humbled at this opportunity and so grateful for every moment I have on this trip. It is a unique fusion of feelings. But I shall do my best to find the muse who will speak words of inspiration that will lead me onwards to grow and be transformed by these many foreign environments. There is always hope. I will learn about myself through this process and will become a traveler anew.

With each step we are guided, all we must do is stop and listen in order to know.

Karl
Venice, Italy

A Traveler Anew remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Jumping on that Eastern European Train of Goodness

2007-04-26T18:08:09Z

The Story
Bulgaria and Romania

From Thessaloniki, Greece, I took a train north to Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. On the train ride I met two Canadian girls I would meet again in Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungry. Blagoevgrad is a small town that is fairly characteristic of most crumbling cities in eastern Europe. My main reason for stopping there was that it is the best way of getting to the Monastery of St. John of Rila, the largest orthodox monastery in Bulgaria that dates back to the 10th century. The magnificent interior was very peaceful and inspiring; after exploring the premises I hiked up a trail behind the church to get a nice view of the surrounding snow caped mountains and valley. I hitched a ride back to the small town of Rila where I wondered about for the rest of the day before returning to Blagoevgrad.

The next day I took a train to Sophia, the capital of Bulgaria, where I would spend the rest of my time in Bulgaria. I met two cool guys, one german and the other dutch, who convinced me to stay in the city a little longer than I expected. During the day I visited the sites, which were few in number, and spent the rest of the time relaxing before going out at night with the guys. One site that I made sure to visit several times was the Aleksandar Nevksy Cathedral. This massive Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral is one of the largest orthodox churches in the world. Each time I walked inside inside, I was enraptured to an awe of peace and silence.

One night one night the two guys and I went to a bar called The Apartment that had such a great unique environment. It was essentially a large apartment flat that was turned into a bar/lounge, with lots of art on the walls, big couches, great music, and very friendly locals (the beers were in a fridge that you could go and get out yourself). One night the two guys and I celebrated with some of the hostel workers as one of them just found out his wife got pregnant; they introduced us to this slightly sour yogurt drink that you sip along with your alcohol as well as with meals – at first the taste is quite unappealing but after a few sips you get used to it and really enjoy it (or at least that’s the way the three of us felt). One funny thing about Bulgarians is that they shake their head to mean yes and nod to say no, which makes for some difficult communication, even if someone does know a little English (English is not known very well throughout the country).

While on a train back in Greece, I had met a Croatian guy who lived in Bucharest, Romania, and offered to take me with him hiking on a weekend in a mountain town a few hours outside of the city. He called me and told me a friend and him were going during the coming weekend so I skipped the rest of Bulgaria to meet up with them. Unfortunately, upon arriving in Bucharest from a long overnight train, I found his friend got a cold and that Marko (the Croatian) was pretty tired from a long work week – so no climbing in the mountains. I spent a day visiting the sites of the city which consisted of a mix of historical picturesque European buildings as well as the old cement dark crumbling communist apartment/office buildings blocks (quite common throughout eastern Europe). Even the really nice neighbourhood of Bucharest was looking like it was half falling apart. One massive building I visited was the Palace of Parliament which is the third largest building in the world: not incredibly ascetically pleasing but certainly impressive in size. After going out for a great traditional meal with Marko, I was ready to head to bed to wake up early for a train ride to Brasov.

Brasov is the capital of Transylvania; and yes, that’s the place where Dracula is from. First off, let me explain what I learned about this legend of Dracula: he was no vampire – he, being Vlad Tepes or also known as Vlad the Impaler (his surname is Drăculea), was a brutal, yet still highly thought of, dictator from the 15th century that is known for his excessively strict reign and harsh punishments with impaling (quite a miserable way to die). There were stories of him hiding in civilian’s clothes, pretending to not notice he dropped money on the ground, and then watching whoever would pick it up, and then arresting and impaling them for their theft. People would be harshly punished for just about any small crime. But crime became virtually nonexistent. To prove this, he left a golden chalice next to the cities water well for people to drink with and guess what, it was never stolen. Another story I read was that when he heard the Turks were going to make a further advance into his country, he impaled 20,000 prisoners of war and other criminals in an area of 1 kilometer by 3 kilometers to scare off his enemies – it worked. Bram Stoker and a few other authors were the people who created this Dracula myth. Despite the distortions of history by modern story tellers, Romania still is able to make a profit from the tourists on this nonexistent Dracula.

Brasov, specifically the old town, is small and quaint, set in the southern portion of the beautiful Carpathian Mountains. Unfortunately some fool/s (don’t worry, I don’t mean that objectively, just subjectivel ) decided it would be a good idea to put a large sign in white letters, similar to the Hollywood sign, with the word “Brasov” on the top of the hill bordering the city – it is just about the tackiest thing I have ever seen in a city. I spent my first day wondering around the town and hiking up the mountain with the “Brasov” sign to overlook the town. That night I had some great conversations about film and travel over dinner with an interesting Australian girl who was living in Norway and travelling around Eastern Europe. I also met a young English couple who I would go on to travel with throughout the rest of my time in Romania and meet again in Hungry. I also met the Canadian girls from the Greek train ride here as well. The next day the couple, one of the Canadian girls, and I ventured off on some bus rides to see the two local castles: Bran Castle (not Vlad’s castle as it is often said to be) and Rasnov Castle (which unfortunately also has a large tacky Hollywood-like sign).

The English couple, to be specific: Adam and Kelly, and I took a train to another small picturesque town called Sighisoara. Our first evening led to great conversations about politics and eco-friendly lifestyles over some rather tasty pizza and beer. The next day was spent exploring the many old streets of the old town up on the cities main hillside. The sites were nothing that really changed our lives (even though essentially every moment of experience changes our lives…but this was a rather minor life changing experience in this city); we did get to see the birth place of Vlad aka Dracula, so I suppose that’s my claim to fame: I saw where the supposed sharp toothed blood sucking seducer of necks lived…and this is why I travel…

The depths of our experiences in Sighisoara gave way to the joyous company of a town known as Cluj – a place where Adam, Kelly, and Karl made new quality friends (life is empty without the third person) (and parenthesis). We had some fantastic conversations about the meaning of life, value, the search for truth, and so many other topics over dinner the first night in the hostel lounge. Most were initiated/provoked by some of the comments made by a 60 something ex math professor. Some of his catch phrases were: “just about all people are stupid, me included,” “lets seek the truth on this,” and whenever you would question his premises that seemed faulty, he would state “I don’t know the truth;” it made it rather hard to make progress, ie actually search for the truth, in the conversation. But he certainly had a more educated view of the world than most. It was also fun to have a very educated british bloke, who studied and practiced psychology but quite to be a plumber and a musician, add his input to the conversation. The other people in our large new group of friends (in addition to the English couple) was an American female traveler, a French girl living at the hostel and working with an ngo helping gypsies, a Scottish guy doing some carpentry work, and an odd swiss man who was quite the linguist and cultured traveler (we had also met him in Brasov). During the day we would all do our own things. I mostly hung out with the America girl, as we had a lot of interests in common and had similar personalities. One day she and I rented a car and drove a few hours out of town to a countryside village and went for a hike up a steep rocky mountain (probably more of a large hill) and enjoyed the magnificent view overlooking the surrounding country pastures and towns. At night everyone would join together for drinks, dancing, and darts (we started quite the international dart tournament between all of us). We had so many fun bonding experiences everyone was sad when the group started to break apart. One by one we each had to move on to our next destination. But I suppose that is the transitory nature of meeting travellers – you meet, you great, you laugh, you love, and you say goodbye. The English couple I was with wanted to stay longer in Romania but I needed to keep moving because I was short on time schedule. After saying my goodbyes I was off to Hungry.

The Reflection

When I got to Bulgaria, I was getting slightly tired of seeing so many sites; I hit a bit of a travel low. Towns and cities all started to look alike; the impressive sites appealed for the first few moments but then no longer held my interest. The feeling still remains to some degree. Sometimes it just feels like I am seeing a slightly different angle of the same painting. But then there are times when I see something new in it, something special that catches my eye and reveals a new truth in the beauty of the world or of people. This always reinvigorates me to continue observing and exploring. In some ways I do look forward to moving back to the states for the sake of just being able to enjoy the sedimentary life for a while.

Speaking of America, I had an interesting conversation with the American girl from Cluj that helped name some of my feelings. We both recognized that each time we shared with other people that we were Americans, we felt a sting of guilt. We were both ashamed of being associated with this country that much of the world doesn’t have a clue about but thinks they understand because they hear USA on the news or in movies. I fully realize I too don’t know anything about America. I have lived in California my whole life and only been to about a quarter of the states. That is not nearly enough to make any claims of true knowledge of the reality of such a large mass of land and people. And yet so many people around the world who have never even been there and have negative views of it – quite unjustified. But the funny thing is that people will also usually affirm that the American people are great but the government has just really fucked things up. We both wondered where these feelings come from, if people only disliked our government, why should we feel so bad as we know we didn’t vote for them? There are certainly a large majority of people who think most Americans are a little too ignorant for such a rich country, which, I must say I partially agree with from a certain percentage of American travellers I have met. But again, I know I am not one of them, well lets say it this way, I am pretty ignorant about a lot of topics but at least I feel I am trying to eliminate my ignorance as opposed to the many who don’t care. So now I will be returning to this place that I feel guilty about being associated with but why should I feel bad about returning to my homeland - I know that I haven’t personally contributed to many of the sins of American imperialism, ignorance, destruction of the earth, etc. Perhaps I am not confident enough in the many values of Americans and allow my own perspective to be dominated by the ignorance of others. I don’t really have an answer and these feelings still exist in my mind but this is something I really wish to consider more before I return in late July.

Thank you for reading and existing – if it weren’t for “you”, there probably wouldn’t be a “me”.

Karl Smerecnik
Writing from Vienna, Austria.

Jumping on that Eastern European Train of Goodness remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Among the Ancients

2009-07-01T21:34:27Z

The Story
Greece

Yet again I am far behind on updating the blog, I can only hope your forgiveness can extend beyond my inconsiderate nature ;-). At least I have some pictures to supplement my stories (look at the last blog entry for access to the pictures).

From Marmaris, Turkey, I took a ferry to the island of Rhodes (Greece)that stopped right next to the remarkably picturesque old town where I would spend almost an hour trying to find my hostel. The hostel was well worth the search through the many cobble stone alley ways as the owner was very hospitable with sharing home made pizza and his original music. I spent the first day on a rented scooter cruising along the coast, visiting old ruins and small towns that made me smile from their combination of tranquility and remarkable history. At one point the strong winds from the approaching storm made me reconsider my route through the mountains as I often was blown from side to side. The storm proved to be quite ready to transpire for as soon as I returned to the hostel it started to rain; and rain it did for the next day as well. After exploring a little more of the old buildings in the old town during the few dry pathes, I prepared myself to catch my 3 am ferry to the island of Santorini.

After the long ferry ride, having spent most of it conversing with a Canadian English professor, I arrived to Santorini late in the evening to find the first accomodation available; unfortunately the local hostel didn't pick up their phone and I didn't have their address to give to the taxi driver. After a good night sleep I hitchhiked to the other side of the island to book a room in the quite cheap hostel and rent a car (most people always rent a scooter or car when arriving to the island, the car was the same price so I decided on the latter). I met a chinese couple who shared in my explorations of the island; after dropping them off at a black sand beach they wanted to visit I made my way to the famous location of Oia where the famous pictures are taken of white dome like houses with blue doors overlooking the dark blue sea. I don't know if there is anywhere in the world like it. It is exactly what you would expect it to look like from the pictures, it meets the greatest of expectations. I bought some groceries and had a fantastic picnic watching the sunset from one of the empty roofs of the houses. Quite an evening. Sadly, three days after I left Santorini I found out that a cruise ship sunk only about a few thousand meters off shore. Luckily everyone made it off board but all of their luggage went down with the boat (happened right before Easter, quite a mess). I met other travelers who saw it happened, quite a sight, even though it took about 20-some hours to sink (it made international news).

After two nights on Santorini, I took a ferry to another very popular Greek island, Mykonos. After negotiating a reasonable price for a room with a guest house owner (still in the bargaining mood from SE Asia), I rented a scooter and was off to explore the island. Besides the beautiful rocky coast line and rolling green hills, I most enjoyed the pleasant maze of alleys in the main city portion. Its a fairly touristy place but luckily I was there before the summer season starts, so I had the benefit of enjoying the well-kept buildings without the crowds.

From Mykonos I took a ferry to Athens to meet my cousin for the first time. Angelica, 7 years older than myself, and I hit it off right away, we could relate on so many different perspectives and interests. My father is originally from Austria so there are many relatives that live in Europe that I have never met. It was weird to see the connection of my personality to the Smerecnik family , especially in my cousin. I visited many sites in the city during the day (the highlight being the Acropolis) and Angelica and I would hang out at night. After two days in the city, we made our way down to Corinth in Peloponnesus to meet my aunt and other cousin for the easter weekend. Again, in my aunt, I could see so many ways in which I am like the Smerecnik family, many of whom are also travelers. My aunt was so hospitable in always making me great food and showing me around and giving some indepth history lessons on all of the ancient sites in the region. My highlight being the Corinth Canal (see pictures). As about 90% of greece is orthodox, they took me to an easter midnight service (on saturday) in a church where Peter and Paul from the Bible taught. There are many fascinating practise in the orthodox faith that were interesting to observe. One of the most interesting was the lighting of the candles from a flame that was brought from Jerusalem. I am fairly uneducated on it but basically they light a candle in Jerusalem, fly it to Greece, light other candles from the Jerusalem flame upon arrival, fly those candles to main cities by helicopter, and then from there they get distributed to even smaller villages. Congregations then lights their candles at the beginning of easter and take them home.

After a few days of being utterly spoiled by my aunt, I moved on to see the historic six monasteries of Meteora, daiting back to the 11th century, which are lodged into massive rock cliffs with some incredible views. Upon further research of the location, I found that the band Linkin Park named their second album after this place...after finding this out, the euphoric memories I had of this significant location were slightly scared (lets just say I am not a big fan of bands that remix their debut album). I hiked up to two of the monasteries near the town I was staying in and explored the mountain side until my legs were too tired to go on.

The next day I took a train north to the city of Thessaloniki where I ended up only spending half a day before taking a night train to Bulgaria. The city was fairly average, nothing that stood out too much in my mind. On the train ride to Thessaloniki I met a Croatian guy who was living in Bucharest, Romanian that I ended up staying with when I made it there.

The Reflection

I am short on time, as seems to be usual these days while I am rushing through Europe, so no time to express a full reflection. One thing I have been considering, coming from Turkey which was 95% Muslim and arriving in Greece which is about 95% Orthodox, is religious pluralism. In my experience, it seems religions are derived as a cultural means of attempting to connect with the mystery that is beyond us (as some may have recognized, I really like that phrase). If this is the case, each culture will have different value systems which are tied into their religious dogmas. I have been researching some interesting cultural values gathered by Geert Hofstede that seem to often compliment the manner in which the predominant religion of a country is practicted. Here is a good website where you can see some of Hofstede's research in cultural values:
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/geert_hofstede_resources.shtml

For example some interesting correlations can be found if you look at the uncertainty avoidance of certain countries and then compare that to the manners in which the predominant religion's dogmas are followed. Arabic countries often have a high level of uncertainty avoidance. Compare that to the way that Muslims are often very strict about observing the literal translations of the Koran. Or even if you look at the very structured liturgies and very specific practices of the Greek orthodox and compare that to their countries high level of uncertainty avoidance. Perhaps these are simply correlations and not causes but still seem interesting to me. You could also make the argument Hofstede is creating an unrealistic dichotomy with his study that is simplifying the complexity of human identity and cultural identity. Just some thoughts, no real conclusions thus far.

One observation in Greece was that a large majority of older men have these things called worry beads (at least thats the translation a greek guy told me they were called). They look like rosary beads or some type of orthodox prayer beads but really have no religious significance. They are simply used to keep your mind off distractions or maybe as some type of anxiety toy - men will flip them around in their hands, count through the beads, click them together, or just hold them wrapped around a hand. In some ways it seems so silly that grown men need these little things to play with, it reminds me of a child who needs his toy to keep him/her from getting bored. But my concepts of "silly" are derived from my own cultural values which are incredibly limited. And maybe there are a lot of health benefits to flipping around some beads in your hand, they can possibly keep you more focused and provide a release from stress.

So those are some thoughts. I am currently traveling with an English couple in Romania (after coming up through Bulgaria) and will be leaving for Hungry in a few days. I will try to update soon on these other travels.

And in the words of Bobby McFerrin:
"Don't worry, be happy!"

Among the Ancients remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Pictures Have Feelings Too

2007-04-13T13:51:58Z

So its about that time I share some pictures. Here are the links to each country or you can just navigate to the other countries after clicking on the first link. I am currently in Bulgaria and will hopefully have a blog entry for Greece soon.

Bahrain
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/size/M/users/lost%20again/tags/Bahrain/

Turkey
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/size/M/users/lost%20again/tags/Turkey/

Greece
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/size/M/users/lost%20again/tags/Greece/

Bulgaria
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/lost%20again/tags/Bulgaria/

Pictures Have Feelings Too remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Europe Begins

2007-04-13T07:27:08Z

The Story

Europe, what a splendor. It has all of the old roads, narrow alley ways, historic sites, and assortment of rather expressive individuals you can ever want.

Turkey

First off, this blog entry is way over due as I have been out of Turkey for a while now but I figure better late than never. This entry will be a little rushed and lacking in details because I am also working and writing the details for my more current travels.

After flying from Bahrain to Istanbul, Turkey, I took some buses and subway connections to meet the couchsurfers I was staying with in the city. We spent the night talking about traveling and life in Istanbul, nothing too profound. The next day I met up with Hakan, a friend and professional tour guide I traveled with in Laos. He gave me a fantastic private tour of the highlights of the city explaining the history significant to each location we visited. It was probably one of the most informative experiences I have had in a city thus far. Between that day and the next I visited the beautiful Hagia Sofya, the Topkapi palace, the grand blue mosque, the vast grand bazaar, a trip up the Bosphorus river (which divides Asia from Europe), as well as a number of other mosques and important sites that probably weren't too important to me because I don't remember them now...but I suppose importance is relative....

The Hagia Sofya was once an early church, then became an eastern orthodox church, then a mosque and now a museum. For hundreds of years it was the largest enclosed space in the world. In the Topkapi palace, where important rulers once lived (there is so much history it is difficult to keep it all straight after a while), I saw the preserved arm and a piece of the skull of John the Baptist as well as the spoonmaker's diamond, which is the 5th largest diamond in the world. The grand bazaar is the largest market area I have ever seen (perhaps one of the largest in the world), it consists of over 4000 shops; quite easy to get lost in the maze of tiny shops/stands. I quite enjoyed Istanbul, it has a very european feel while still including some elements of asia. Great food and fun loving people, not to mention a unique night life scene.

From Istanbul I took an overnight bus south to the town of Izmir where I stayed with another couchsurfer. Izmir doesn't really have much to see but it is the best place to take a day trip to see Ephesus - one of the best preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean. It was amazing to imagine what it once looked like while strolling along the old roads and gazing at the marble pillars and remnants of stone houses and large amphitheaters. I also visited the house Mother Mary died in and a quaint hill village that is known for its wine making. After the day of sites, my friendly and hospitable couchsurfing host took me to see some turkish folk music at one of the many laid back bars.

The next day I took a bus south to the sea side town of Marmaris (I traveled pretty fast through turkey because I was eager to get to greece and I am on a tighter schedule to attempt to balance breadth and depth in my experience of europe). The town of Marmaris was a nice enough sea side town (more of a bay actually) that most people use as a base to take day trips to Rhodes (Greece). But little did I imagine the pristine day that awaited me. I found out that the ferry to Rhodes left only on certain days so I had to leave the next morning to Greece - that gave me one day to see the area around Marmaris. I quickly checked into a cheap hotel and rented a scooter to head out to see a combination of natural sites that would lead me to conclude it was one of the most beautiful days of my travels thus far.

After riding through a few small towns, I made my way up over the pine tree covered hills curious to see what was beyond. I descended to a road that winded along a series of peaceful bays and small towns. The rays of the sun kept me warm from the cool ocean breeze, the road was fairly empty, and I was progressively getting more excited about what was to come. After riding over a few hills I arrived in a completely different environment. The pine trees gave way to pasture filled farm lands with scattered rolling hills all about. The sea provided the background as well as small villages and farms. It was a breath taking view too witness. After riding through several small picturesque towns, I stopped for a few small walks along the ocean side - it was incredibly peaceful. I then headed out into the isolated country roads not really knownig where I was going but enjoying ever moment of it. I decided I better start making my way back Marmaris as I had return the scooter by a set time. Since none of the towns really had any signs I didn't know where I was on the map and pretty much picked what seemed like the best road and asked people along the way simply pointing with my finger and inquiring "marmaris?" (not many people in turkey speak english, especially outside of the large cities).

I started to head back up into the hills. As I came over a pass leaving the farm lands behind me, I arrived at a grass and rock covered plateau that closely reminded me of the Irish countryside. I couldn't remember a time I had such a large smile on my face for such an extended period of time. It was such a happy moment. I was alone in the middle of this beautiful scenery, long flowing grass and large oddly shaped rocks, on a small country road, surrounded by complete serenity. After this I was further blessed to arrive back at the forest covered mountain tops to look down on what looked like villages from the alps nestled in the mountain sides. I never expected to see such sites in Turkey, my expectations were quite wrong but I was over-joyed with the experience. The next morning, I would have to say goodbye to this fascinating country I was just getting to know.

The Reflection

While in Turkey I was pressed to soon make a decision about graduate school. It really brought back the reality of a life with responsibilities. Traveling for such an extended period of time makes one forget about all the work that it took to save to get the point of being able to travel. At times when I think about returning to life in California, I can become slightly depressed wondering if I will find as many occasions for happiness as I have found on this trip. I love the accomplishments that arise out of the settled life but I also enjoy the uncertain events of living one day at a time while traveling. I decided about a week ago I would attend San Diego State University to attempt to obtain my masters in Communication Studies. As I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity for graduate school, it is still difficult to know how I will adjust to normal life. I suppose one can get used to all things even if it is difficult at first.

I am continuing to explore the topic of mysticism as I have found that many of my views have naturally developed into that of a mystic without even being very aware of mysticism. Is that not a sign of truth when one develops in a direction that is unknown to oneself but has been vastly explored and named by others? But perhaps truth is relative to each person's experience and just because one finds their way to similar beliefs of others does not mean there is anything universally true about it. Alas. I am reading another book on the topic called Exploring Mysticism which I just happened to find in a used book store - is it perhaps fate that my eyes have several times landed upon books on the topic of mysticism during this trip? I am also reading Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust (the first two books - it is a 7 book novel) who has now became an absolute favorite author of mine. He reminds me, through his power of his words, how language can be such a beautiful art form that can inspire in so many ways.

Oh yes, and an unfortunate bit of info, my Camera broke while in greece. It can still take picturse, but the screen is cracked so I can't: tell how many pictures are left, see how a picture turned out, turn off the flash, see the batterly level, etc etc. Give me your pity. Life goes on. Hopefully I can share some pictures soon. I will try to finish my update on Greece soon and then I will add some info about Bulgaria where I am currently traveling.

To infinity and beyond!
Karl

Europe Begins remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Transitions

2007-03-27T16:17:36Z

The Story
Disclaimer: I am typing on a Turkish keyboard which is a slightly different format than western keyboards, so the i`s might look weird

After moving on from Laos, I traveled, in the company of an English girl I met on the Gibbon Experience, to the very laid back city of Chiang Mai ın Thailand. My tıme ın SE Asia was soon to conclude so I had to rush my experıence of Chıang Maı to get back to Bangkok ın tıme. Chıang Maı ıs a great base for trekkıng but unfortunately I was feelıng a lıttle sıck from somethıng I ate and dıd not get the opportunıty to see the mountaıns. My englısh frıend and I spent two days explorıng the cıty and then I took an overnıght traın back to Bangkok. In Bangkok I spent my tıme runnıng some last mınute errands before catchıng my flıght to Bahraın.

It was actually a rather sad experıence to be fly out of Asıa. There were so many thıngs I came to love about the people`s perspectıves on lıfe, the food, the beautıful landscapes, and of course the cheap prıces. Throughout SE Asıa I was always so ımpressed by how happy people appeared; for example there were countless tımes when a shop owner would gıve me the most genuıne smıle and thank you for purchasıng an ıtem. The people are also so laıd back about everythıng, the stress that exısts ın so many of people`s lıves I wıtness ın Calıfornıa doesn`t exıst ın most of SE Asıa. SE Asıa wıll be mıssed.

From Bagkok I flew to the smallest Arab natıonö Bahraın, whıch ıs sıtuated between Saudı Arabıa and the Unıted Arab Emerıtes. It was my first tıme ın the mıddle east and a most unıque experıence. Upon arrıvıng at Bahraın late at nıght, the surroundıng cıty envıronment felt lıke I was dropped ın the mıddle of a new housıng and shoppıng development. Most of the buıldıngs ın the maın cıty of Manama all look brand new, seem to have the same archıctural desıgn, and, for the most part, are eıther whıte or a lıght tan color. It gıves a very bland ımpressıon. The fırst nıght I had to spend ın a hotel (quıte prıcey for me) because the cab drıver dıdn`t know where the local hostel was and they werent pıckıng up theır phone. After some ınternet research and some help from a local couch surfer, I was fınally able to fınd the run down hostel rıght near the Amerıcan mılıatary base. It was odd comıng from Thaıland where everythıng ıs so cheap to Bahraın, where the dollar ıs quıte weak compared to theır currency (dınar).

Bahraın ıs a very modern and wealthy mıddle eastern country; there are many Amerıcan stores scattered throughout the developed cıtıes as well as a large number ımmıgrants leadıng to a large degree of cultural dıversıty and many bılıngual/trılıngual speakers. There ıs a large populatıon of Indıans, Phılıpınos, Srı Lankans, and Europeans and Amerıcans. Many Amerıcan and European companıes have taken ınterest ın Bahraın as the country`s populatıon ıs rapıdly expandıng. The country ıs about 85% Muslım whıch makes for an ınterestıng sıght; there are a large number of women wearıng the full body coverıng (black dress wıth only eyes showıng) as well as a large number of men who wear the whıte robes (for lack of the approprıate name). One nıght I vısıted one of the large malls whıch made for an ınterestıng experıence. I am used to seeıng these men and women ın tradıtıonal dress on news clıps or fılms; to walk ın to a shoppıng mall that looks exactly the same as any ın the States and see many of the women ın the full black head and body coverıngs (wıth only theır eyes showıng) as well many of the men ın whıte robes remınded me I am ın such a completely dıfferent culture yet wıth elements that are so sımılar to my own. The medıa so often portrays the more conservatıve muslıms as thıs extremely dıfferent people group yet ıf anyone were to walk ınto one of those malls, they would fınd the same types of people you would fınd anywhere else ın the world. Perhaps thıs ıs quıte an obvıous lesson that most people would recognıze wıthout comıng to the mıddle east but I found ıt so ınterestıng beıng a whıte foreıgner ın thıs very dıfferent/same envıronment.

Most of my tıme ın Bahraın was spent explorıng the small cıtıes/suburbs and attemptıng to fıgure out the transportatıon system. The bus routes are not very clear and taxıs are quıte expensıve so I certaınly walked a lot as well as got lost a good amount. The people are usually very frıendly and helpful though and used to seeıng foreıgners. One day I met a local couchsurfıng member for coffee, an Indıan woman who moved to Bahraın wıth her husband, and also met agaın later that nıght for a sufı musıc concert at the contemporary arts center. Thge Iranıan band played some ıncredıble musıc ın a genre I had never really heard before; the ınstrumental and vocal styles were unlıke anythıng I had really heard before whıch made ıt a very enjoyable occasıon. I spent some tıme vısıtıng the cıty sıtes, such as the largest mosque ın the country (quıte ımpressıve actually), the natıonal museum, some market streets, etc. Because of the run down state of the hostel I was stayıng ın, I attempted to move to the newly buılt hostel a few suburbs away. Upon arrıvıng I found the whole hostel was booked by a kuwaıtı muslım gırls retreat, so I was back to my old hostel where I was the only backpacker there. Because all the couchsurferıng members (as well as hospıtalıtyclub members) were all busy and I was the only backpacker at the hostels, I thınk I can almost safely say I was the only backpacker on the whole ısland for my stay ın Bahraın. I found out the manager of the hostel I was stayıng at was a polıce chıef from a large town ın Iraq whıch led to some fascınatıng conversatıons about the sıtuatıon there (he left Iraq because ıt was gettıng to dangerous for hım). I also met some Amerıcan guys statıoned wıth the coast guard ın Bahraın; whıle we were hangıng out they got a call from theır frıends tellıng them about the Iranıan capturıng of the Brıtısh Marınes that just happened. They began tellıng me that could have easıly been them that were captured whıch led to some ınformatıve conversatıons about mılıtary presence ın the mıddle east.

It was an ınterestıng experıence to vısıt Bahraın but such a small ısland gets pretty borıng after a few days. I am certaınly more ınterested ın the mıddle east after vısıtıng Bahraın and hopefully wıll one day see more of the countrıes. I am currently ın Istanbul, Turkey and wıll now be makıng my way through Eastern Europe and eventually on to Western Europe. My trıp ıs more than half way over and I am currently ın the process of fınalızıng my decısıon for a graduate school (I have to let the schools know by mıd next week). Cross your fıngers or knock on wood or say some type of rıtual chant for me, I am quıte an ındecısıve person and all the schools seem lıke a good opportunıty.

The Reflectıon

Don`t spend too much tıme reflectıng or you won`t have any tıme left.

Some wıse words by Aldous Huxley:
- We lıve together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and ın all cırcumstances we are by ourselves.
- Most men and women lead lıves at the worst so paınfuli at the best so monotonousi poor and lımıted that the urge to escapei the longıng to transcend themselves ıf only for a few moments ıs and has always been one of the prıncıple appetıtes of the soul.
-We are for ever attemptıng to convert thıngs ınto sıgns for the more ıntellıgıble abstractıons of our own ınventıon. But ın doıng so, we rob these thıngs of a great deal of theır natıve thıng-hood.
-To see ourselves as others see us ıs a most salutary gıft.

cıao!
Karl

Transitions remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Since recent inflation, a picture is now worth 2942 words.

2007-03-19T06:15:16Z

Here are a few pictures from my time in SE Asia:

http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/size/M/users/lost%20again/tags/asia/

Since recent inflation, a picture is now worth 2942 words. remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The One and Only Amazing Land of Laos

2007-03-18T08:05:55Z

The Story

What a pleasant surprise Laos has been, it is tied with New Zealand for being my favorite country of the world. The people are incredibly friendly and laid back and the landscape is spectacular. It is an incredibly poor country though, very sparsely populated, communist, and is the most heavily bombed country in the world. The weather has been perfect though: warm sun during the day and a cooler breeze at night.

I believe it was the 6th of March I took a 20 hour bus ride from Hanoi, Vietnam to Vientiane, Laos. I met a fun group of people (five Swedes, two Turks, and two Aussies) on the bus that I would end up traveling with throughout most of my time in Laos. After the tiring bus journey we arrived in the capital city and decided to combine our efforts in finding a guest house. As we found the capital city to be fairly small and not very impressive, we booked a bus for the next day to the infamous southeast Asia chill-out town of Vang Viang. The next day, after exploring a little more of what we agreed to be the smallest capital city of the world, we all headed off on the bus.

Vang Viang's highlight is the river that flows right next to the very small town lined with guest houses, restaurants, and bars. Across the river are large vertical rock hills that spring up through a dense jungle canopy creating a spectacular view from the river. What makes the river so great is that the locals have set up a variety of very high rope swings and zip lines for travelers to stop over and use while tubing (using an inflatable tire tube to float on water) down the river. There are also plenty of bars along the way playing lots of loud music selling a variety of very cheap alcohol (as well as other substances); they also setup volleyball courts next to some small restaurant huts which makes for quite an overall entertaining location. One can imagine what this place turns into when there are groups of 20-somethings all floating in the same direction looking for a day of fun. It was quite the wild place but the aspect I loved most about, other than the 10+ meter high rope swings, was that everyone had the same feeling of amazement at where we were and what we were doing. We were all independent travelers having the time of our lives in this tiny town in the middle of Laos, we came from all different parts of the world with various ways of life and yet we were collectively blown away by the beauty and opportunity we were having in this one day of our lives. No one had to say it, we simply just saw it in each other's smiles and knew everyone was thinking the same thing.

After a few days in Vang Viang I was pretty ready to keep moving. Its a fun little party town, where you can get literal buckets of alcohol for dirt cheap and just about any drug you fancy off a menu at a restaurant, but the place traps people. Many people go expecting to stay three days and end up staying three weeks: partying till all they can do is sit exhausted and watch a Friends marathon all day at one of the TV restaurants. I took a little hike into the jungle with a group of people on the afternoon of my last day and was absolutely amazed at the jungle scenery. The Australian girls we were traveling with decided to stay longer, the Swedes took a bus to Thailand, and the two Turks and myself moved on to Luang Probang.

The bus ride was one of the most beautiful journeys I had taken in Asia. We drove through many rural villages, by jungle laden rivers, and looked over vast cone-shaped rock mountains covered in vegetation. But also on this bus trip, I saw some sights that reminded me of the countries drug problems. (For the readers information, SE Asia is notorious for being a drug tourism region; its pretty easy to get any drug you want for probably one of the cheapest prices in the world). Every once and a while you would glance out the window and notice a dirt road leading up into the jungle and see several men (sometimes kids) standing in front of the road with AK47's around there shoulders - that is a pretty much a sure sign they are likely growing opium poppies, coca plants, or cannabis. The further north you get in Laos, the closer you get to the Golden Triangle. This refers to the triangle border of Burma, Laos, and Thailand where a lot of drug trafficking takes place, especially with opium.

In Luang Probang, the two turks and myself met a french woman who joined us for our explorations. One night, as I was wandering the streets, I met some Laos guys playing guitar on the street side and was able to join in. I mostly just played along to the thai and laos pop songs they were playing but it was quite a fun experience. After two days of seeing the city sites which was mostly composed of more temples (Luang Probang is a significant religious site for the country) and visiting the beautiful 7 tiered waterfall outside of town (which also had a bear sanctuary there, we all went our separate ways. My two turk friends made there way to Thailand and I arranged for my transportation to get to the much anticipated Gibbon Experience (more to come on this).

I took a long bumpy cramped minibus ride to Luang Namtha, arriving at 2:30 am, and planned to quickly hop into bed at the guest house right near the bus station; I had to catch a bus in the morning to Houayxay which was right next to the Thai border. The few other foreigners and I on the bus came to find the guest house full. So myself and three Israelis wandered the streets looking for a guest house that was still open. Finally we just kept knocking at one and we all got a chance to sleep from about 3:30 am till 6:30 am when someone can knocking at our doors seeing if we wanted a massage. I had to get up at 7 anyways to go and book a bus ticket before it filled up.

Another bus nightmare was about to begin though. There were three small buses all going to Houayxay and far too many bus tickets sold. After about two hours of waiting for our bus drivers and having people rearrange the bus passengers, I was able to sit on the side of a storage area in the bus, luckily near a window to get some ventilation. After a few hours of driving our bus stops to let us buy some lunch. We also find they have to change a tire which takes end up taking about an extra hour. After several more hours of driving the bus pulls over to give us a toilet break on the side of the road. We find again our bus has a problem. No one really tells the few foreigners on the bus what is going on, we just see the driver getting out his tools, crawling under the bus, and begin taking apart the engine. The locals and foreigners on the bus realize after about two hours of waiting, there is no hope for the bus. So an Irish woman I was sitting near, two germans, and I decide to start hitchhiking. We eventually get a lift with a very slow truck heading the direction we need to go. Myself and the Irish gal find out we are both going on the Gibbon Experience and remind each other that we have to check-in in Houayxay before 6 pm to be able to reserve our spot. Eventually we get to the small town before Houayxay and have to thumb another lift. We get picked up pretty fast and luckily find that the Gibbon Experience office is still open (even though its 8 pm now) and so we are safe for keeping our places for the adventure the next day. It was a long day of almost 12 hours of transportation.

The Gibbon Experience is part of a conversation project in the Bokeo National Forest Reserve. What the experience consists of is sleeping in tree houses about 30 meters off the ground deep in the Laos jungle, zip lining (some almost as long as a kilometer) from one platform to the next (sometimes as high as 100 meters off the ground), and hiking through the jungle with local guides. We were a group of 12 that is split up into three three houses, separated by several kilometers. We took a bus from Houayxay to a remote village and then trekked into the jungle where we met our Laos guides who introduced us to our home for the next three days. Our guides wake us up early in the morning to go and attempt to spot the endangered gibbon monkeys which make an incredible howling, almost siren-like, sound. Our whole group meets up for breakfast which is brought via zip line from the guides kitchen and then we are off to go out and zip through the jungle and hike as we please. We meet for lunch as a group and then have our own dinners in our tree houses and then get to do it again the next two days. The zip lines are quite a thrill as you feel like you are utterly flying, sometimes you are high above the jungle canopy and other times you are soaring between trees barely missing you on each side. It was an amazing experience that each one of us will never forget. One highlight was the ability to play with a baby bear that the guides had rescued from poachers as well as the pet monkey they had; the monkey especially liked me because of my hairy arms and legs. She would jump up on me and pick through my hair looking for lice as if I was another monkey - quite a humorous encounter. The majority of the money we spent on the experience goes towards preventing slash and burn farming and keeping poachers out of the reserve, its a highly renowned eco-friendly experience that can't be missed if you are in laos. Its widely known among most travelers in laos and is almost always full unless you have booked two weeks in advance.

Laos has been spectacular, I wish I could see more of the country. I am back in Thailand now (which I actually, at first, illegally crossed over into without knowing - thats how loose their border system is) and will soon be leaving for Bahrain and then Eastern Europe. I will dearly miss South East Asia, it is such a special place in the world; I love so many things about this place. I am out of time as usual and no time for sharing reflections. Pictures to come soon!

ciao!
Karl

The One and Only Amazing Land of Laos remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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A Taste of Vietnam

2009-09-09T17:38:01Z

From Phom Phen in Cambodia, I took a combination of bus and boat to the border town of Chao Doc in Vietnam. It took over 20 hours of travel to get to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), the first of my many long bus trips in Vietnam. While in transit, I had an interesting experience that hopefully I will remember for some time:

There was this one man on our bus who certainly stood out from the rest. He was quiet, traveling with a german friend, dressed in mostly black, long hair, tattoo's all over, an array of skull rings and sharply pointed necklace ornaments, chain smoking whenever the bus stopped, and a pair of eyes that you simply wanted to avoid. He looked the type that you might find to be a serial killer or a deranged heavy metal fan that has drawings of dead (or dying) people on their walls. He and his german friend kept to themselves and didn't really interact with the other passengers. After the bus stopped in Chao Doc (border of the vietnam side) we had two hours till our bus left to Saigon so I found a bicycle taxi and asked for a place for dinner. After chatting a while with the driver, I arrived at a restaurant where it happened all bicycle taxi's brought tourists (that means the taxi drivers receive a commission from the meals). When I walk in, I see the two german fellows as well as a fairly average english bloke sitting next to them. As I walk in, we recognize each other and both nod and say hello. Before I sit down at an empty table, the three of them ask if I want to join them. I take the last available seat next the supposed mass murderer figuring dinner conversation will be about new places to pierce one's body or etc. But I was soon shocked to find a man with the most pleasant of personalities, laughing about cultural differences in SE Asia and always ready to add a humorous annotation to all conversation topics. He completely contradicted my first impressions. It is amazing how many learning experiences traveling exposes one to; you learn that people you assume to be one way, due to certain characteristics, end up rejecting your assumptions by their other character qualities. You learn to suspend your judgements of people and come to realize that what you think might be contradictions in personalities, lifestyles, or appearances, are really just unique lifestyle choices that make people beautiful in their own manner.

Vietnam was overall pretty rushed. I spent only one day in Saigon: I visited and crawled through the underground Chu Chi tunnels (spelling?) that the Vietcong used during the war, went to the War Remnants museum, explored the city sites, and saw an amazing jazz band play in a posh downtown club.

From Saigon, I went north to the small beach side fishing town of Mui Nei and explored some of the beautiful beachs and amazing sand dunes on a rented scooter. I then went on to the mountains of Da Lat where I spent a day (with the company of a dutch girl I met) seeing the markets, a very odd hotel being built similar to the Madonna Inn in San Louis Obispo, some small minority villages, coffee plantations, and waterfalls. The next day I had a great experience abseiling, which is similar to rappelling but down waterfalls instead of just rock faces. It was a beautiful sunny day as we climbed through the jungle and waded through river streams getting from one waterfall to the next.

From Da Lat, I traveled on by myself (my dutch friend wanted to see more of Da Lat) to the old capital city of Hue where I randomly met the other people I went abseiling with in Da Lat. We wandered around the town, visiting old imperial palaces, and other historical sites. We had a great dinner at this restaurant who's owner was deaf and mute but still able to always make us laugh and had such an enjoyable personality - all, of course, communicated through body language. The next day the four of us hired motorcycle taxis to take us around the outskirts of the city to some beautiful countryside villages which were surrounded by rice fields; we also went to some ancient tombs of past emperors and old palaces.

I took an overnight bus to Hanoi and upon arriving at 6 am, arranged for an immediate trip out to Ha Long bay. It is a world famous site where there are almost three thousand little limestone vegetation covered islands that spring up all over a region right off the coast of north vietnam - it was a peaceful and quite beautiful place to spend two days. I met a fun group of english blokes and canandians on our boat; we all spent the night on board playing cards and drinking to celebrate one of the canadian's 22nd birthday. It was amazing to see, hidden within many bays, small floating fishing villiages composed of multiple houses where families would live, send their kids to school, and prepare fish to sell.

Upon returning Hanoi, I wandered around the town and hired an english speaking motorcycle taxi driver to show me the sites of the city, which ended up being the craziest ride I have ever been on - one of the first times I was actually afraid for my safety on the ride. He knew I was taking a bus in a few hours to Laos and so he decided to make sure we could fit in all the sites that he enthusiastically encouraged me to see (especially the old prison where John McCain was a prisoner of war). So we raced through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic; down side allies almost running into people and all the while he was making jokes and telling me about the city.

I had to rush Vietnam as I am getting low on time in SE Asia and still have Laos and the north of Thailand to see. I am currently in the capital of Laos, Vientiane. I am quite content at this time in my life and am traveling with a group of people from Sweeden and some people from Turkey I met on the 20 hour bus ride from Vietnam here. No time to share my reflections but many new topics keep me busy ranging from mysticism to pluralism to relativism of values etc etc. - I do miss the wise input from friends. I wish you all peace and joy in that which you pursue.

Thank you for your interest!
Karl

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"Same Same. But Different"

2007-02-22T14:22:15Z

The Story

Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in Asia, has been a beautiful and educational place to visit. It was my fourth stop in Asia and has been just as fascinating as my other stops. A good friend who I traveled with in New Zealand and Australia, waited for me, with his girl friend, in the city of Siem Reap. He and his girl friend where also traveling in SE Asia and we had planned for over month to meet somewhere over our mutual travel times here; Cambodia was our country of crossing paths. After spending a night in the Thai border town (forgetting the name at the moment) I took a hired taxi with three japanese guys I met at the border over the worst road I have ever been on. Imagine a dusty dirt road filled with large pot holes, rocks, and far too many cars; each time a car passes going the other direction so much dust is thrown in the air you can't see if there are any cars in front of you for several seconds. The road rules, like most countries in asia, are rather flexible, if defined at all. I must say though that I was thoroughly impressed by our little speeding Toyota Camry and the way it handled such a harsh road (the suspension was raised a little higher than normal).

In Siem Reap my friends and I spent two days exploring the beautiful ancient temples of Angkor Wat, which are best imagined as temples seen in an Indian Jones film. Parts of the movie Tomb Raider were filmed in one of the temples here. One of unforunately aspects of such a beautiful location that is visited by pretty much all tourists to Cambodia, is that you are constantly hassled by street children trying to get you to buy books, bracelets, drinks, postcards, etc. It is a good opportunity to empathize because after being asked by five children in a row (even though they see you say no to the other children, they still follow you and ask if you want to buy), you start to get a little annoyed. It was important for us to remember that the children were either forced to do this by their parents or needed the money for food (and some for drugs, as many of the young street kids start early).

To explain the title of this entry, when at the markets and you compare quality or prices with other vendors, they will often use the term, "same same" to indicate how their product or service is just as cheap or just as good as the others. And if you ask why their is more expensive if the quality is the same, they will say "oh but it is different." In short, like I have stated before, you never really know who to trust but it is the price a tourist pays for getting everything so cheap. Interesting fact as well, in Cambodia, they use the US Dollar for most transactions and instead of US coins, they use their currency, the Riel (it is 4000 Reil to the dollar).

From Siem Reap we traveled to the capital city of Phnom Penh to see the many historical sites related to the brutal Khmer Rouge. It has been a very sobering experience to learn about the many genocidal acts that occurred doing the Pol Pot regime and how so few people around the world are taught about it in school. Another unfortunate fact is that many of the Cambodian schools, by pressure of the government, are no longer teaching the students about the khmer rouge so many children will grow up never knowing of the atrocities that took place in their country. We also learned about how Cambodia still has several million unexploded landmines in the ground and how at one time the amount of landmines exceeded thenumber of their population. While we were in Siem Reap we went to an unofficial landmine museum where landmine victims told us about how their organization is working to teach villiages how to clear landmines as well as the progress their founder has had clearing landmines since he was 15.

After Phnom Penh, we embarked on an exciting trip we had all wanted to do for some time. We had heard there were many uninhabited islands off the coast of Cambodia and after seeing the movie The Beach, we all wanted to go explore our own island. We found a diving company that would be driving right next to a particular island that we decided we wanted to go to. So after negotiating a price and shopping for supplies we headed out to what we thought was Ko Rong. When we arrived, we realized they had misunderstood us and brought us to Ko Rong Salem, the island right next to it. We found that this island actually had a small fishing village where the boat dropped us off at. There was an english speaking Cambodian on our boat who also was stopping off at this village, which turned out to be a great addition. We started walking off down the coast line to find a secluded beach where we hung our hammocks and setup camp. Little did we know though a few locals lived in the jungle several hundred meters off the other end of the beach, so we had plenty of passerbys. Often people would come up and just sit and watch us and we would try to communicate as best as possible using body language. Eventually the english speaking man, Bora, came and began sharing his story and telling us more about Cambodia. We learned so much from him about corruption in the government and military, as well as the many problems of poverty in the country. We spent our days swimming, exploring, reading, napping, and cooking. After several days the boat came back to pick us up, all of us departed sad to leave our beautiful beach and turquoise ocean view as well as the generous locals who were always offering us alcohol and food.

I am back in Phnom Penh getting ready to leave tomorrow for Vietnam and depart from my close travel friends (but I will see them again in Germany).

The Reflection

My mind has been deeply occupied lately. After finishing Robert Pirsig's second book and currently reading The Power of Now, I see endless possibilities of valid perspectives on life. Where do our value systems come from? What type of filters do we use when presented with new knowledge? If the knowledge rejects our perspective because it is not highly valued, then we are presented with a crisis. We either change our belief or maintain it, somewhat of a flight or fight reaction. But how do we justify what is valueable and what is not? Our experiences are so limited and how many times in our life have we been sure of things we later reject?

In our daily activities, we so often are quick to judge those who choose different lifestyles or hold different beliefs. But what makes our belief any better than theirs? Traveling opens your eyes to so many different ways people see the world. I never cease to be surprised by the amount of superstition in Asia. For example, on the island I was staying on in the south of Cambodia, the English speaking man (Bora) was telling us that there were king cobras on the island (highly venomous snakes) but that the villiagers believed that as long as a person acknowledged the spirit of the cobra, that they would not harm any humans. He said the cobras only came into sight once a year and that was to remind the villiages of their spiritual prescence on the island. The villiagers would not understand a scientist coming to them and explaining the the nature of snakes based on observation. Spirituality is part of how they see the world, they wouldn't understand any sort of "objective" science. I can't remember the other stories right now but I have heard so many superstitious beliefs that are stricly held to the same way scientists relentlessly hold to their views.

Right and wrong belief? Perhaps thats a myth. Right and wrong ways of believing? Maybe there is no such thing. Objectivity? That could be a word we created to give priviledged people more power. If more people would allow space for subjectivity in their outlooks and admit their experience has limited them to a very narrow realm of belief, we would have a world where conflict was no longer a method to disprove the other. Perhaps I am wrong though, perhaps there is a right and a wrong. But everything I have learned leads me further to believe that those terms should only be used in considering our own actions or the actions of those who seek our wisdom. If we started to think less of how the other person is wrong and more about how we could be wrong, we would create so much more room for growth and allow ourselves to learn from others. If we wish to prove to others that our experience is worth hearing, we must first live that example by open mindedly hearing out other people and be more concerned with how they came to make those decisions than if those decisions fit our value system.

...Perhaps

what do you think?
Karl

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Time for Thai?

2007-02-24T12:01:51Z

The Story

Thailand has been so wonderful. I arrived in Bangkok on the 29th of January and spent a few days exploring the city, eating lots of wonderful food (I love thai food and its so cheap), visiting many temples, seeing the Grand Palace - which consists of a variety of grand and beautiful architecture, and meeting interesting thai people (as well other travelers). After a few days in Bangkok, I went out of the city to visit Kanchaniburi (west thailand near Burma) which was such a joy to get out of the bustling city. I visited the bridge over the river kwai and a variety of other war related museums and historicaly significant sites. The significance of the bridge, beyond a film being made of it, is that the Japanese forced the thai and war pow's to build this bridge in the 1940's for them to be able to bring supplies throughout the country and into Burma. The bridge was bombed several times and eventually finally destroyed, with many thai workers forced to stand on it to attempt to persuade the pilots to divert their course (in short, a lot of people died for this supply line). It was quite sad to hear about all the harsh treatment of the thai and pows working on the bridge and nearby railways.

I spent a few nights sleeping along the kwai river on some floating huts which was very relaxing to finally be in nature. One night I had a great time hanging out with some aussies, a french, and two germans who were also staying at the same place I was. We had some great conversations about life in a world so full of so many differences yet so many similarities along people, cultures, countries, etc. The next day I visited the Tiger Temple, which is a monastery where they have a variety of animals ranging from water buffalo, boar, peacocks, horses, tigers, and plenty of other animals. All the animals roam free, except for the tigers. But if you visit you can have a chance to go up and sit next to and pet the tigers. They are all chained down but it certainly wouldn't stop them from being able to pounce on you if they desired it. It is actually quite safe though, the tigers have been raised by the monks and so they are not hostile towards humans in the least bit. While in the area I had a chance to ride an elephant and go bamboo rafting down a river.

When returning to bangkok I took a trip to see the floating markets outside of the city. Set among multiple canals shooting off in every direction, there is specific canal that has markets set on the land as well as on a number of small boats selling everything from fruit, to poultry, clothes, a variety of Thai trinkets, etc. As the markets were a little overpopulated with tourists, I was happy to go exploring around several of the waterway neighborhoods near the markets. It was fascinating to see the way of life on the water. People drink the water, drive their boats in it, wash their dishes and clothes in it, bathe in it, some shit in it, but regardless of how dirty it may appear to a westerner, it is the source of life for these people. Later that day, as I was exploring Bangkok, I came across a temple where a monk was being ordained (I believe that is the right term); I sat in midway through the ceremony to see the last hour of his ordination, which was quite fascinating. The next day I took a ride up a more secluded neighborhood with a private boat to see some more of these unique neighborhoods built along the waterways. I joined a new york photographer, and fellow couchsurfer, who has been living in Bangkok for almost a year now. She is working on doing a photo exhibition of life on the waterways, so it was a treat to go with her and her usual boat driver and hear about life on the river.

The next day I took a bus and ferry to Ko Samet, an island off the coast of eastern Thailand. Before I got on the bus, I ran into a girl I met in Australia; its funny how there are usually at least a few travelers that have very similar routes and it is almost inevitable that you will run into a few that you have met somewhere along the way. I spent the three days I was there, in the company of an Australian girl I hung out with, relaxing on the beaches, reading, and exploring the island by motor scooter - which was quite the adventure as the roads there were terrible: filled with large rocks, potholes, sand, and loose gravel. It was a beautiful place that I will certainly miss.

After Ko Samet, I took a bus to Cambodia on the 11th of Feb., where I am currently traveling (updates to come hopefully soon).

The Reflection

Time is short, so I must be fast. Thai people are very friendly, usually always smiling and interested in foreigners. If you are in a larger tourist area, as usualy, they are always trying to rip you off, giving you overpriced quotes for their services. It can get annoying to walk down the street and constantly have people calling after you to buy this and that; but after being in Asia for over a month now, I am pretty used to it. Compared to china, SE Asia is so easy to travel in; so many people speak english and the culture is so much more laid back than china. It is nice to have so many cheap options for eating and sleeping yet as a foreigner, you pay the price of always having to be suspicious of the information you are given. It is fascinating to see the religious influence in Thailand as there is majority of Buddhists. There are beautiful temples all across the landscape which is interesting to see their unique style of architecture. When I end my trip in SE Asia, I will return to Thailand and see the northern portion of the country.

All is good, besides the occasional upset stomach with the food. And some great news, I just found out I was accepted to the grad school I applied to in Paris. So hopefully within the next few weeks I will hear from the other grad schools I applied to and make my decision, giving me some direction for the future.

ciao!
Karl

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A Shorter Conclusion

2009-07-01T21:37:18Z

The Story

Things took a turn for the worse (relative to real tragedy though, its really nothing to complain about) with the oncoming of the afore mentioned cold. It turned out to be a pretty nasty cold that would last me the rest of my time in China. I was absolutely miserable and therefore spent my time sleeping, watching movies, and reading when capable. I barely saw any of Chengdu besides the giant buddha outside of the city in Leshan (see pictures). After the worse of the cold, I got a stomach flu that made it difficult to keep food down for a 2 days. I needed to keep heading East as I was soon due to fly out of Shanghai on the 29th of Jan.; I flew to the lake town of Hangzhou. I tried to take a few walks to enjoy the scenery but unfortunately was just knackered after being out more than 30 minutes. I also had the misfortunte to get an ear infection while in Hangzhou, making things even worse; at least I could properly eat though - you learn to appreciate the little things traveling (more to come on this topic). So now I couldn't even really enjoy watching films while resting because I could only hear out of one ear. I continued to live simply spending my time trying to hear/watch films, sleeping, and reading.

I took a 5 hour train north east to Shanghai where I stayed with another couch surfing member, a canandian girl who was teaching english in primary school. It was nice to finally be recuperated enough to be able to walk around and see some of the sites. Shanghai is a very modern international city; I could actually walk the streets and notice that I wasn't the only westerner (which in many towns usually isn't the case). Things were pretty mellow as I spent most of my time just seeing a few of the major sites, ran a few errands to prepare for changing countries, and of course, being the film buff I am, bought a lot of DVD's (usually about $1.50 or less a piece).

On the train to the airport to fly to Thailand I took the fastest train in the world which reached a soaring maximum of 430 Km/h (267 miles per hour). Quite a fun experience. I am currently in Bangkok, Thailand and will be leaving in about a week to meet my friend I traveled with in New Zealand in Cambodia (I will come back to see more of Thailand at the end of my trip in SE Asia).

The Reflection

When I think of China, I am still amazed at how different the culture is from the West. I have had many conversations with travelers and people teaching english in the country that share this same view; most people from the west are amazed. Being in Thailand, even just a few days, feels far more Western already than China. (Plus so many people speak English in Thailand, such a drastic difference from China).

One lesson learned from my time in China is appreciation. Appreciation for speaking the same language with people, western cultural norms, insulation/proper heating, open mindedness, toilets you can sit on, freedom of speech and press (China has definitely embraced a capitalist economy but certainly has not embraced the all freedoms that usually go along with it), and fewer people (China is crowded, plain and simple). It has been great to experience so many differences in China but I am content moving on to a new country.

Because China brought so many new experiences to my senses, I did not spend as much time reflecting on the nature of my existence as I usually do. I have just started a new book by Robert Pirsig though, which will most certainly provide new grand reflections. His first book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, was an incredibly profound book for shaping my current perspective. I look forward to the growth that will occur from his second book. In a few days it will be my 4 month anniversary of the start of my trip. I am in good spirits and look forward to the new places I will see and people I will meet.

I certainly miss all of you!
K

A Shorter Conclusion remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Asia Captured in Film

2007-01-27T04:52:15Z

The first link is pictures to Malaysia:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/size/M/users/lost%20again/tags/Malaysia/

The second link is pictures to China:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/size/M/users/lost%20again/tags/China/

enjoy,
Karl

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The Mysterious East

2009-09-09T17:38:17Z

The Story

I can't even begin to know how to adequately describe my experience here in China thus far. It is a completely different world that has brought so many new experiences, feelings, and reflections; it is difficult to summarize.

I arrived in Beijing, China on the 8th of January very enthusiastic about what a unique place it was appearing to be. After settling in to the hostel I unintentionally found, I began to wander around the city, seeing Tienanmen Square and The Forbidden City. My first shock was the weather; I came from the humid 26C degrees in Malaysia to the -5C degrees in Beijing. I met some interesting art students in Beijing that showed me there work on special display in the Forbidden City and learned about the meanings behind many of the images in traditional chinese art. I was intrigued by how I was given so much special attention as a white foreigner from random Chinese. Multiple people throughout the day would come up and just start speaking to me for the purpose of practicing english as well as the opportunity of meeting a foreigner. I would receive many "hullo's" from strangers that would follow me with their curious stare. China is not a very popular tourist location for westerners, so foreigners are still a rare sight (especially outside the larger cities)

My first night of dinner in China I ventured out with some other travelers to try some fried sea horse, snake, and cricket - not too bad actually. The next day I went to an unreconstructed section of the Great Wall of China. There was a group of 9 of us from the hostel and we were the only one's in sight. Most parts of the great wall are full of tourists and people trying to sell a variety of overpriced trinkets. We had a guide from the local town show us where to hike up to the wall and then lead us along it. Luckily some people in our group spoke Chinese so we could get some details about when parts of the wall were built, what had happened over the years, etc etc. After walking on the wall for about 2 1/2 hours, we went to our guide's house for a big lunch, obviously a wonderful experience all together.

After a few more days in Beijing, seeing Mao Zedong's preserved body and the emperor's summer palace (which was spectacular). I took an overnight train to Daton to see the famous Hanging Temple and Yungang Caves. The temple consists of several wooden buildlings lodged on a cliff side supported by what appeared to be unstable wooden posts - quite a nice view but also a steep drop. The Yungang Caves were carved into the base of a hill and contained several huge buddhas carved out of stone and an impressive variety of story based carvings, some dating back over a thousand years.

Before I continue, I must first add some cultural inserts to remind the reader of how these activities all take place in such a different environment. I hate making generalizations and these are all made with the utmost respect for the Chinese culture as unique and different from my own; they come from someone that is from a completely different world and not used to China. In short, the things I find difficult to cope with is that the Chinese are often very loud when talking with each other, pushy when in line or going places, often close minded to new ways of doing things, men will smoke everywhere (buses, cabs, restaurants, bathrooms, etc), they will also spit everywhere (and I mean real loud spitting, full mouthfulls of saliva and flem), and so on. In praise though, the chinese are often incredibly friendly, also very giving, helpfull, and hard working. The reader must remember as well, few Chinese can speak English, so everywhere I go takes twice as much effort to communicate through body language/nonverbals or using a few phrases from my guide book. People are always trying to sell stuff to foreigners and whenever buying necessities I always have to figure out what the real price is as opposed to the foreigner price given. Traveling in China is fairly cheap, as a hostel room only costs about an average of $6 US dollars a night, food usually ranging a few dollars, and transportation a 1/3 of what it would cost in the states; regardless of the exchange rate though, it certainly seems the money go fast here. And I never know if information I am given is reliable or just a way of someone trying to scam me; so I never really know who to trust. There is probably a lot I am leaving out, perhaps I will mention it later on.

From the ugly industrial town of Datong (which about sums up the majority of larger towns in China) I took a 6 hour bus ride to the holy buddhist mountain town of Whuti Shan. I took a small local bus that had no heating and was filled with mostly chain smoking older men. The scenery along the drive was beautiful but the fact I couldn't feel my toes (even with three pairs of socks) slightly distracted me from the views. After checking into my hotel I explored the local buddhist temples and was probably the only western traveler I saw in town. I also couldn't find anyone who could speak english in town, so it made for an interesting experience to try to communicate I wanted to take a bus the next morning to my further destination. That night, my hotel room got down to a temperature of about 2C degrees (just about 35F) according to my little thermostat I have. There was a little heater that really did nothing to heat the room; there was frost on the inside of the metal door to the room and ice along the inside of the window. It was certainly a cold night but with the thick heap of covers I had I was at least able to keep the covered portions of my body warm.

The next day I took a very uncertain series of busses to Piangyao, an older preserved historic city. From Whuti Shan I was directed to change buses in a town several hours away. After about 5 hours of driving, the driver pointed to a small van, and the driver of the van was yelling "Piangyao, Piangyao" and waving for me to come over. I supposedly bought a direct ticket to Piangyao but this man wanted me to pay for his van (which I didn't know if it was bringing me all the way to Pingyao or to another bus). So not really having a clue, I handed over some money and was just hoping the few rough looking men in the backseat of the van weren't going to drive me to the edge of town and take all my money or some rather grime experience. They drove me across town to a bus sitting on the side of the street (not at a bus station) and said Pingyao pointing to it. So I hop onto that bus, not really knowing when or where to get off. They ask me to pay and I then realized I payed the last van driver way too much thinking he was going to be taking me further. So this point in the day, I am pretty tired and quite ready to get off buses and just have a conversation with someone in English (as it had been about 48 hours since talking to someone beyond a few words in Chinese I learned - it really is amazing how essential proper communication is to maintaining sanity). Eventually I made it and at least got my own room (the dorm room was full) for a good price and have my own shower with consistent hot water.

Pingyao is indeed a beautiful little old town (a little run down though) surrounded by ancient walls and looks what you would think of when considering a traditional chinese town. It was a pleasure to have a hostel owner who could speak english and I could ask questions about exploring the town. It was good for a day but I was ready to start moving again. Starting during the last day of travel, I got get into a bit of travel rut, really not enjoying traveling for the time being - this would last several days. So I was a little annoyed at everything and just having a hard time enjoying the various discomforts of being in such a different culture.

I took an overnight train to Luoyang where after I booked into a hotel I took a bus straight to Song Shan, a Holy mountain where the Shaolin temple is located (Kung Fu originated here). The temple had been destroyed many times, so the rebuilt version wasn't anything too amazing but there was some beautiful scenery. I took a steep hike up to the grave of a famous monk behind the Temple and then walked along one of the most spectacular rock cliff sides I have ever seen (sheer rock cliffs shooting straight up hundreds of meters from the base of a canyon). I also had my first and probably last celebrity experience up on the cliffs. There were hundreds of children there who were studying kung fu at the Shaolin temple and visiting this cliff side; when I walked by they would all yell "hullo, hullo", they took pictures of me, and reach out to shake my hand - all for being a western foreigner. Quite a unique, blushing, shocking, slightly enjoyable, slightly embarrasing expierence.

I took a 5 1/2 bus ride the next day from Luayong to Xi'an, which is a modern city but has a very old history as one of China's earliest capitals. I made a decision that I would take some time to relax and take some time to do nothing to try to get out of this travel rut. I was pretty weary from the fast pace travel schedule, the vast cultural differences, and the work from dealing with language barriers. I saw the Terracotta Warriors (8th wonder of the world) which were an impressive collection of stone carved human figures that were made to commemorate the emperor Qin's (I believe that is his name) accomplishments of uniting China (if I remember right). Besides seeing some other city sites, I took things very slowly, watching movies, playing the guitar at the hostel, actually having conversations with people in English (something that has been very refreshing), and just going with the flow. I finally felt ready to keep moving.

I arrived in Chengdu today (south east of Xi'an) from a 16 hour train ride and will be going to see the largest sitting buddha in the world. I only have 8 days left in China and am hoping to have a good conclusion in this country before moving on to South East Asia. Unfortunately I just got a cold, so my progress will have to continue to be slow. This was certainly a long entry, so no reflection today. Pictures to come soon though!

go well,
Karl

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Finally a Foreigner

2009-07-01T21:36:08Z

The Story

I spent my new years in the Melbourne Airport awaiting my overnight flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - not exactly the most exciting new years ever but I somehow found a way to keep on moving. I spent my first day in KL exploring the city, seeing the botanical gardens, the Petrona Towers (one of the largest twin towers in the world), the local markets, the national islamic art museum, and saw a few night clubs with the few guys I was staying with who were from the large national Islamic University.

My second day I took a bus to Penang in the north and stayed in the historic region of Georgetown. I rented a scooter and enjoyed the adrenaline rush of driving in an environment with very few road rules (at least followed rules). I was constantly swerving in and out of traffic, often surrounded by hoards of other motorcyclists. Quite risky but good fun when you return home safe at the end of the day. I saw a few heritage sites,a nice coast line with a mix of fisherman villages and hotel resort areas, and was completely let down by the snake temple, which only had three snakes wrapped around some mantel pieces.

After two days in Penang I took a bus to the Cameron Highlands to see the beautiful tea plantations surrounded by jungle. Myself and an Argentinian guy I met hiked to the highest peak through a dense jungle watching the mist blow up around the mountain sides. When we were not exploring the town and surrounding jungle, we were entertained by a humorous german guy staying at our hostel who had been staying in this small town for a few months.

After two days in Cameron Highlands I left for Melaka to see some of the beautiful old colonial buildings that the town is renowned for. I had an interesting encounter with a restaurant owner who began trying to convince me of the validity of his beliefs in Hinduism; always a fun experience to see how other people believe; too bad we couldn't speak the same language very well. Had a great conversation about travel styles and concepts of careers with a Finnish girl at the islamic guest house I was staying at. After two days in Melaka I took a bus back to Kuala Lumpur to catch my flight to China where I am currently traveling.

The Reflection

I have now become a foreigner. I don't speak the language, I don't know the food; sights, smells, sounds, and tastes are all new; I am the object of observation, requiring the humility to constantly admit I don't have a clue of what is going on - but it is amazing!

Malaysia consists of a great variety of ethnic groups from traditional Malaya people, to Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian, Portuguese Malaysia,and a fusion of other ethnic groups. This makes for such a variety of food, culture, and religion. Islam is the largest religion, closely followed by Hinduism, and then a smaller mix of christians, buddhists, and taoists. When eating at local markets or restaurants, I rarely had a clue what I was
eating - I would either point to a word on the menu, point to food sitting on a cart waiting to be prepared, or just saw yes to the first thing they offered. Mind you I was only in Malaysia for 8 days, so I didn't really have the time or motivation to thoroughly prepare my knowledge of how to get by.

Asia provides the opportunity for a completely different travel experience than Australia and New Zealand. I have only been to Asia once before, when I traveled to Nepal and Tibet so there are many things I am still new to. Something you have to watch while traveling in Asia is being ripped off by just about everyone. It is tiring to be always worrying about getting a fair price, not knowing how to find the places you want to see, attempting to use public transportation, and getting used to the different weather (its quite humid throughout Malaysia).

Despite the difficulties, it wouldn't be a great adventure without them. And if there is one thing I am passionate about, it is exploring and seeing new things. Asia, thus far, is proving to be a great place to see how different the eastern world is from everything I am used to.

China's update is coming soon!

ciao!
KS

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The End to Things Down Under

2007-03-07T14:27:46Z

The Story

Short Summary of Events
Went to the outback, saw the big red rock of Australia, realized how ridiculously large Australia is as well as how empty, and made my way back to civilization to end my trip of Oz in Melbourne. Will fly to Malaysia in the next few days...

A Slightly Longer Version of Events

The outback is a beautiful, harsh, and strange place. A german guy, a dutch girl (the driver and owner of the car), and myself set out to drive north into the center of Australia to see the desert regions of the country and the crazy people who actually live there. The drive would be over 3000 kilometers total, so we were getting ready to being in the car together for a long time. After the first day of driving through farm land and only mild desert conditions, we arrived in port agusta, a small port town but large in comparison to towns we would be visiting next. My self and Timo (the german) slept in the car while Kirsten (dutch girl) camped in her one person tent. I had the opportunity to have a great conversation at the campground we were staying at with a very wise man from south africa who was also traveling in Australia (also now lived in australia). We talked of things we have learned from traveling, uncertainty in life's experiences, vocation and perspective, and other similar topics. We both shared in struggling to name the exact lessons learned but certainly knew change was occuring.

The second day of driving in the outback was when we really started to realize the barreness Australia. There would be 100 kilometer stretches where we would only see a few cars on a two lane road surrounded by flat desert with minimal vegetation as far as the eye can see. The towns, often separated by about 300 kilometers of nothingness often only consist of a gas station, a pub, and occasionally an area to camp or a few rooms to spend the night if needed (you can't drive at night in many parts of Australia because the kangaroos will jump into your headlights. Occasionally you will see dirt roads leading off into the desert with a small sign that says a towns name and usually the +70K's it takes to get out there...who actually lives out there, its probably best not to know...

Our next major stop was in the opal mining town of Coober Peddy. This place has definitely stood out in my experiences thus far in Australia. It is the first place where I encountered a large number of aborigines. Prior to this point I attempted to cultivate an empathetic perspective towards aborigines when discussing their predicament (their predicament being that many don't work and have a problem with alcohol) with Australians. Upon arriving in the town we were shocked to see a large number of aborigines aimlessly wandering the streets, sitting around the shade of trees drinking, some passed out on sidewalks, others wandering about and shouting each other obviously drunk. This was within the 1st minute of driving through the town (only takes a few to drive around the whole town (probably a population of only about 200-300 people at most). This would be one of many experiences that have made it very difficult for me to respect aboriginal culture. I greatly empathize that their land was stolen, their culture destroyed, and their people systematically killed or enslaved by various means. But it is diffuclt to think in this same manner when confronted with most aboriginals appearing very dirty and with little concern for contributing to society. It was very difficult for my travel companions and I to keep from making jokes about experiences with aboriginies. I suppose it shows I need to work on better understanding their past and present social situation.

The next day we arrived in Alice Springs (almost exactly in the center of the country) where we continued to encounter similar aboriginal experiences. We spent two days in Alice Springs (greatly enjoying the airconditioned room and an actual bed as opposed to sleeping in the car) seeing the town and surrounding mountain ranges. The temperature was about 45 degrees C at the peak of the day (113 F) even getting up to about 52 C once or twice (about 120 F). Myself and Kirsten were having some trouble with the heat. Going from the airconditioned car/room to the heat outside messed with both of our bodies, so we took things pretty slow.

We then went to see Uluru (Ayers rock), the large famous red rock of Australia - it is about 350K's from Alice Springs. It was quite magnificent, we went to visit it several times seeing the sunset there and sunrise. We also went to see the Olgas which were just as spectacular rock formations, if not more, than Uluru. After spending a night camping about 2K's from the rock, we travelled to Kings Canyon which is a vegetation filled canyon you walk through ending at what is normally a large waterful (no water this time of the year). After a night camping we were ready to start making our way back to civilization (Adelaide).

The drive back was long and tiring as the barren desert ceases to captivate us after a while. We spent another night in Coober Peddy meeting a hilarious man from Hong Kong who created an odd look out center (right next to the official look out center - which was quite a sad sight) over the town and tried to sell us his Opal that he got from his personal small mine. We spent some more time talking to an opal miner who we met last time in town at the campsite we were staying at. He had some great perspectives on travel, ethical business practices, and Australia's overprice economy. We attempted to discuss the gray areas of business ethics which led to some fun disagreemnts. On the way back to Adelaide we stopped for a night in the Flinders Range National Park where we saw, by far, the most Kangaroos ever. At our camp site they would literally just jump right up to us and watch us set up camp. We fed them a little kangaroo food and they decided to follow us around for the evening, quite a fun experience. After a beautiful hike the next day into the Wilpeana Pound (a dry basin surrounded by mountains in about a 5k radius) we drove back to Adelaide ending our 9 day trip to the outback and enjoying Christmas in Adelaide.

I took a bus to Melbourne (SE Australia) and am just relaxing and preparing to head off to Asia (specifically malaysia) on new years eve. I am currently staying with someone from couchsurfer.com and exploring the city, running errands, and hanging out with random aussies. I saw this spectacular experimental fusion band two nights ago that played quite some strange but very talented/difficult music. Last night I had a fun time hanging out with a large group of hippies all in their mid/late 30's. They brought over about 8 acoustic guitars and we spent the night jamming to old folk and blues songs.

The Reflection

I still have been pondering memory.

How should I utilize memory saving devices in specific relation to travel experiences? I encounter a variety of travelers who will have fellow travelers write in their guest book, some will write all their experiences in a journal, some will take pictures of practically everything even minimally noteworthy things they see, some will take video of places they stay, and then there are some who don't take pictures or write about any of their experiences. A large diversity of options for an obviously large diversity of personal values.

I have the opportunity to attempt to record my experiences so I can one day look back and read remember all of the same feelings and encounters I am having now. But how important is it to cultivate memories of the past? Obviously our past has formed who we are today but how much of that is due to us attempting to remember? It seems our past experiences form who we are in their respective present moments. For example people's lives are changed with the encounter of a new person or place at that very time and moment, not so much in the memory of the moment. But that really brings up the interesting topic of phenomenology, a topic I am becoming increasingly interested in. What is experience? How are we impacted from our senses. How does the interplay between memory, our senese, and cognitive activity form our concepts of identity and reality? ...

But getting back to memory, another possible perspective is that since we experience so many things in our lives there is no way to possibly remember every encounter. So if we truly value our experiences we will attempt to save the important ones in whatever means possible so that we may never forget the lessons learned. Perhaps that is truly respecting the opportunities we are given.

And yet another perspective is that trying to use memory saving devices is an attempt to control our environment and not trust in the mystery which is beyond us. Perhaps we will be reminded of our past experiences in the appropriate times and that our attempts to save each moment is based in a fear that we will not have the opportunity to experience the same feelings yet another time in life. Is fear the basis of trying to capture experience?

And perhaps there is no proper perspective - each moment we must listen within/without to hear how to chose in that specific time. Personally speaking (that is if it is even possible to not speak personally...and what does that even mean?) I struggle to know how much time to devote to writing my experiences and trying to capture my experiences. It seems I either forsake experience now for the sake of saving only a portion of it later. Some people advise me to try to capture everything while others advise to focus on the actual experiences and if they are important enough, they will remain in my memory.

So many perspectives, so little Truth. Perhaps we have to let go of Truth and embrace the truths that become realities to us in our daily experiences.

ciao!
Karl

The End to Things Down Under remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Australia in Color

2006-12-31T05:49:07Z

Here is a link to some pictures from my time in Australia, they can also be seen in my picture gallery on my profile:

http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/size/M/users/lost%20again/tags/Australia/

-Karl

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Delayed Communication

2009-09-09T17:37:40Z

The Story

After sailing around the Whitsunday Islands I made my way north to Townsville to catch a ferry to magnetic island. The island was fairly small, consisting of a few small townships but mostly geared toward tourism. While there I went on a few hikes to beaches and lookout points. It was a great opportunity to see wildlife as I was able to see several koala's eating eucalyptus leaves in the trees as well as a mother walking with her baby on her back just a few feet in front of me. I was able to see some wild kangaroos (pretty common in Oz), tree kangaroos, wallabies, and other wildlife species I don't know how to classify. I also had the cool experience of being able to ride a horse bareback up the beach half submerged in water. The night before I left I met up with a German guy and a french guy who I traveled with up to Cairns (a larger town with access to the great bearer reef, jungles, tablelands, etc). There were also some Swiss girls from the island that we also ended up meeting in Cairns.

Arriving in Cairns brought quite a surprise as I happened to meet a friend from college who graduated the same year I did - Sara Park (its also good to know our graduating class was only about 400 people). Neither of us knew we were going to be in Australia and we just happened to be right next to each other in a line inside a large club when she turned around and recognized me...what are the chances. We also both happened to be going north to Cape Tribulation and staying at the same hostel up there the next day. After a while though, these sort of things loose their shock value as they surprisingly happen to a lot of people.

The next day I took a bus up to Cape Tribulation which is a small town, if you can even call it that - more like several hotels/hostels, "where the jungle meets the reef" as the slogan says. It was a quite beautiful place to take walks in the jungle to swimming wholes and stride along the mangrove bordered beaches. We were able to see some wildlife such as crocodiles, unique rodents, parrots and cassowaries (big birds like ostriches but a lot meaner). Cairns is quite the party town so you get to know a lot of people, enjoy a lot of fun late nights, and spend lots of money on alcohol - probably a good reason to keep on moving.

I fly down to Sydney after exploring Cairns for a few days to meet up with my good friend Lukas who I traveled with in New Zealand. My original plan was to stay in Sydney for about three weeks to work and save some money and spend Christmas in Sydney. I started working at a hostel but on my 5th night I decided to leave the next day. It is amazing how things never really work out as expected. I enjoyed the city but felt the need to keep moving - can't really explain it but you have to follow your feelings.

I took a 14 hours overnight bus ride to Melbourne, which is a large city on the south portion of the Australia. I met a Dutch girl and German guy on the bus and we wandered about the city looking for a hostel at about 5 am when our bus arrived. After finding a hostel we further explored the city, enjoying the architecture, parks, galleries, museums but the heat discouraged extended exposure to the sun. I went to a Tibet film festival and met up with my friend at a jazz club on the other end of town. The musicians recommended we go to this latin club later in the night where it turned out that some of the best musicians in town were playing there that night. The band was large and so talented, a great experience to see a free good latin band.

The next morning I saw a flyer of people looking for someone to help share gas on a drive up the Great Ocean Road which is a beautiful coastal drive along the southern coast of Australia (you see the 12 Apostles along this drive which is often seen in pictures of Australia). So I called them up and they picked me up 15 minutes later to drive to make our way west to Adelaide - another unexpected experience. It was a relaxed ride with an english guy, english girl, and two german girls. All the hostels on our half way point stop only had room for the three girls so myself and the english guy slept in the car and sneaked into the hostel to cook and shower.

When arriving in Adelaide we spent the day exploring the city and visiting some beautiful hidden botanical gardens outside of the city as well as a wildlife park, not to mention getting attacked by a vicious black swam. When we returned to the hostel I noticed a flyer advertising a trip to Kangaroo Island, off the coast of Adelaide. So I called them up and we left the next morning to go spend two days on the sparsely inhabited island. We saw plenty of kangaroos everywhere and did some spectacular walks through eucalyptus forests and on to rugged coast lines inhabited by seals and pelicans. Unfortunately we were unable to see any platypus which lived around some water holes we walked around. I was given the fun opportunity to sheer a sheep at a hostel/farm we stayed at the first night on the island. We also saw these rocks, titled "remarkable rocks" which were...well quite remarkable. These very oddly shaped boulders were once part of a large dome overlooking the ocean and has been slowly eroding over thousands of years (or however many). They look like some type of extra terrestrial related shapes...whatever that means.

I was then planning on making my way to the west coast to see the highly renowned city of perth but instead decided to make my way up to Alice Springs to see the world famous ayers rock. So myself, a dutch girl, and a german guy (two of the three people I went to kangaroo island with) are making about a 10 day trip into the outback. We leave in about an hour...it should be quite hot and barren the whole way but an incredible sight to see.

The Reflection

Unfortunately I don't have time to relay my recent contemplations (and the experiences above are long enough). Things have been fairly rushed lately, going from one place to the other, not knowing where I will be from one day to the next. It makes it difficult to ponder and make any progress on a single topic.

Christmas has been pretty much nonexistent for me. There have been all the usual decorations and music surrounding the city space but I feel completely removed from it. I have never been very festive so I don't mind, I think I will be driving on the road back from the outback on christmas. It still does make for a unique feeling, realizing the rest of the world has this significant day of the year on their mind right now and that many in the traveler community give little value to the celebration of it. Most of the travelers all went to Sydney already to celebrate Christmas and new years.

Something I have slightly been pondering is how virtues should be manifested in the vocation of a traveler. Sometimes traveling can be very selfish because everything is planned around me: what I want to see, where I want to go, what I want to do, etc. There is often very little sacrifice that needs to be made - obviously always the little compromises when traveling with other people but so little compared to the compromises that need to be made when you live in some type of structured community. Sometimes it feels selfish to travel because I have no responsibility, so much freedom, and the rest of the world is working 9-5 (or more) and often don't have the privilege to travel. In another perspective it is important because you learn so much from it...I don't really know, like usual I don't feel to strongly one way or the other, just passing thoughts.

Its time to head to the outback...hopefully we won't hit a kangaroo with the car.

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Travel?

2009-07-01T21:35:24Z

The Story

Australia has become my new frontier to explore. I flew into Brisbane on November 16th and stayed with a couple from couchsurfer.com. It was a great experience to get to know Beni (Australian), a musician and factory worker, and Wencke (German), recent imigrant to Australia, as well as their friend Eva (German) who were so hospitable to let me stay at their apartment for several nights and show me around the city. We tramped through the city, enjoyed some view from several mountains, and highly appreciated the warmth of the Sunshine Coast (just north of Brisbane).

From Brisbane I hitchhiked north intending to go to Hervey Bay but ended up staying with a lady who picked me up that lived in a small beach town just north of the city. As her husband was at sea and her kids with their father, she was happy to have the company and show me around her small town. It is such a pleasant experience to stay with locals and obtain a glimpse of the similarities and differences with my experience of an American lifestyle.

When I arrived in Hervey Bay, a rather dull beach town, I made plans to set out on a four wheel drive excursion to Fraser Island which was right off the coast. Myself and nine other people rented a large jeep and explored the all sand island for a few days. The interior consists of mostly dense forest, with the occasional crystal clear lakes for swimming (Fraser's coast line has sharks and jelly fish that sting), and coast line has become the freeway for getting around on the island. Our group got along quite well, poking fun at each other's nationalities and enjoying our similar interests - a pleasant journey.

After taking an over night bus north I arrived in Airlie Beach, a beautiful but wretchedly touristy town. I took two day cruise into the Whitsunday Islands where were able to enjoy the warm waters of Whitehaven Beach (picture perfect beach) and snorkeled at several of the reefs. The scenery was nice but the company was mediocore; occasionally on group attivities you will get small two's and three's that have been traveling together and prefer to stay in their little group without meeting other people. My bus ticket allows me to ride all the way up the east coast, so I am leaving this morning for Townsville (what a name) to catch a ferry out to Magnetic Island and spend some time in nature, as I haven't really had the chance to do that thus far.

The Reflection

As I have been considering my vocation as a traveler for this time in my life, I have been vexed by some internal struggles with my exposure to other travelers (especially inspired by this over touristy town I am in that seems to be filled with only billboard travel advertisements and practically no locals).

I am confronted by a large backpacker community that prefer bus tours, partying day and night, and prefering only a slight taste of their new environment with no discomfort or risks. I have met a large majority of travelers who often leave a country remarking that they haven't met any locals, besides the bar tenders or tour guides yet had the "best trip" and love "traveling."

I am struggling to understand why I have feelings of disaproval and a lack of respect for their value system and style of travel. It seems the basis of differences is the varying value of embracing hardship and striving for that which is difficult to achieve. Is the difference between the words "tourist" and "traveler" really just a means of priviledging those that value their style of travel of the others? Often there seems to be a consensus of similar tension among those that travel in less convential ways with the camera addicted, bus touring, backpacker bar going, occasionally obnocious, tourist/travelers. Perhaps my frustration stems from the fact there are few people to relate with...

What does it mean to be a traveler? Is a true traveler defined by experiencing the new culture in as many ways as possible? Or rather is the term "true traveler" an individual expression for achieving personal growth in the breadth and depth of travel experiences? We are all tourists, whether or not we pay large sums of money to do preplanned activities that are more about excitement of the senses than experiencing a new land, people, and culture. I have many questions and no time left to finish my thoughts on this tension of traveler vs tourist, the ways power priviledges one term over the other, and how to better respect those of different travel styles choices.

The end
KS

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Pictorial Representation

2006-12-26T06:45:47Z

Look in the gallery to find pictures, here is a link:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/lost%20again/tags/New%20Zealand/

Pictorial Representation remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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An Opportune Time to Slow Down

2009-09-09T17:38:57Z

The Story

Bungee jumping down a gorge with a river 440 below...ya...quite a good thrill. I was surprised that I wasn't really nervous about jumping out off the suspended gondola where you watch others fall to their doom only to be rescued 10 meters above the water by the elastic savior. But it all goes so fast you really don't have a clue what is going on. You are just gasping for breath on the way down shocked at how fast you are falling and then thoroughly relieved when the tension of the bungee chord kicks in and you fly about half way back up. It was a fun experience but I don't know if I will do anything like it again - I can't ethically spend so much money on such experiences for less than a minute of pleasure.

After Queenstown we (my german travel companion and I) took the incredible drove to Milford Sound where we were surrounded by snow capped mountains with waterfalls coming down all sides of the hillside as the snow was melting in the sun. After spending the night there in a hostel we took a cruise around the sound enjoying the view of the steep hillsides meeting the water of the sound. There were dolphins swimming along side of us part of the way and vast water falls filling the sound from the mountains above.

The next day we took about a two hour hike back through a forest to find ourselves at a secluded lake surrounded by jagged mountains all around us - it was one of the most serene places I have been in a long time. We spent a few days driving along the southern portion of the south island which were spent mostly in the car and outside on occasional walks and tourist stops. The further south we got, the weirder we found the people and places to be. For example, there was a sign for a national park that had the skins of several dead animals draped over it and a cows head situated on one of the posts. There was a supposed water fall called "Niagara Falls" and it ended up being nothing more than a small rapid in the water that we went out to see in the pouring rain. When we got to the falls, there was a sign explaining that someone made the falls official on all the maps for the humorous sake of playing off the name's relation to the US's Niagra falls. Another odd site was a man that sat in an old bus that he converted to an invention/trinket/odd-things you-have-never -seen-before tourist site. He sold a few post cards and jewelry but the rest was all for simply observing his nick-nack creations. To give an example, there was a train that goes around the room that has a sticker on it that says "of thought" and a button near the front door that says "press out of curiosity" that causes a little statue to squirt water at you. Both my travel companion and I started getting a little crazy as things in the southern portion of this island just felt odd.

We made our way to Christchurch (largest city on the south island) where Lukas (my traveling friend) flew to Australia and I began work at a hostel here until I leave for Australia on the 16th of November. It has been interesting to live with the family that owns the hostel and experience all their idiosyncrasies and family dynamics. I have met some interesting people here but I mostly hang out with an Irish girl that is staying at the hostel right around the corner. I have loved my time in NZ but am ready to move on to Australia.

The Reflection

This has really been the first time that I have been settled in one location for more than two or three days. It has been nice to be able to slow down, reflect, read, and wander. Something I have always struggled with is pinning down what exactly I "know." What does it mean to "know"? There have been so many times in my life when I supposedly knew something to only find out I had it completely wrong - or perhaps misunderstood. Perhaps there is no wrong way to know, only different ways to know...perhaps better ways of knowing is simply dependent upon individual value systems. I am reading a book called The Man Without Qualities and I often feel I can relate as the main character who lacks defining qualities. I feel quite uncertain about how to perceive the world in which I live. Each time I hear an opinion or perspective, I feel as though there are so many other valid perspectives that could be "logically" argued in the same manner. I state "logically" in quotes because logic has come to be such a relative concept in my mind as I have trouble declaring a right and wrong logic, it simply all depends on value systems (a lot of this is coming back to my earlier reflections).

So...what do I know? I can't really say much of anything to answer this question I have experienced a western education that has taught me a few valid things but do I completely comprehend them...no. There are obviously degrees of knowing which means I have a vague idea about a few things in life but I feel I can't really say anything for certain about them. I could say the color of my shirt is grey, I could say that I am typing on a keyboard right now, sure that is all great and peachy but beyond my physical senses, can true knowledge exist in the mind? Are questions really the answer? (haha I like that one). A quote from the book I am reading goes as such: "So it must be said that if a man [or woman] just starts thinking a bit he [or she] gets into what one might call pretty disorderly company" - Robert Musil.

So how is one suppose to live without knowing a whole lot? Tricky business this living thing; but that's how it goes. All I really have are questions and I am clueless if that itself is a good thing or not - sure some people might say it is, others say it isn't and is there actually a way of proving who is right? Maybe...maybe not. So hopefully travel will continue to give me new questions because after a while some of the usual meaning of life ones get a little tiring to cope with.

conclusion:
And so we change. we breathe new air from new places and see different shades of color in the old places. we feel and we think...or at least try to. and we usually don't know a whole lot about anything except for when we are hungry and when we are lonely. but sometimes we smile while on a stroll at the park and breathe a sigh of relief that our minds still have some room for life's humorous moments. our quiet rooms know us better than our best of friends and the Sunday afternoon silence finally gives us some space to sit. and so it goes that with each sunset comes a new death of ourselves and each morning brings a rebirth of opportunity (...to paraphrase someone famous). and that's how it is, one day, one hour...one moment of a chat with a stranger, one coffee with two sugars, one panting dog waiting to be pet, and a wee bit of everything else thrown in...

Karl

PS - Pictures are coming soon!

An Opportune Time to Slow Down remains copyright of the author lost again, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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