Judgement Day

I think it's dead, Jim.

Day Whatever - New plans

Quick update, new travel plans.

The next few months of my life should look as follows:
Cambodia
Thailand
Malaysia
Indonesia
East Timor
Australia
New Zealand

I have no idea when I'm coming home.

Day One Hundred Fifty - Five Months and First SEA Update

Hey folks!

Sorry about my lack of activity on the blog. I did warn ya, didn't I? I haven't been on the internet too much since I arrived in Asia, I've been trying to stay away from it mostly. It's quite nice to be disconnected.

Today marks the five month mark since I have left home. It certainly doesn't feel that way. Since I have been in Southeast Asia (SEA) I haven't been thinking about home as much as before. That could be attributed to two things: the excitement of being somewhere new and my disconnection from the internet. A nice side effect of not keeping up to date with all of you back home is that I don't miss you so much, or should I say, I don't think about it as much and therefore don't get bummed about being away from friends.

My six month goal is fast approaching. I had no idea it would come this quickly. It doesn't feel too long ago that I was drinking in Irish pubs at the beginning of my trip. I have a really skewed conception of time now. Time is measured very differently when I am traveling.

Thailand is a little different from what I expected; it is way more tourist oriented. I knew that tourism is a big industry here but I guess I underestimated how much business it created. In some cities you can't walk five meters without passing a tourist agency. This is made worse by the fact that I have not had a lot of chance to get out of the main tourist circuit. But the country is extremely beautiful, I've never seen any place that is more green in my life! The people are also quite nice most of the time and they have a great sense of humor. I just wish I could speak to them a bit more, I have been pretty lazy with learning the language and because of this have only picked up simple greetings. I am going to give it more effort from now on though.

Here is a quick summary of my time in Thailand:
I spent a few days in Bangkok. This place sucks. If you're ever in Thailand leave Bangkok as soon as you can and DON'T stay on Khao San Road where all the other backpackers stay. It's a shitty place to be that is extremely commercial and touristic to the point of making me sick. After Bangkok I went to Phitsanolouk, which is a regular Thai city virtually devoid of farang (the Thai word for foreigner, they use it all the time even when speaking to you). It was nice to see a genuine Thai city but there really was nothing to do there. I then went to Chiang Mai which is city I enjoyed a lot more than Bangkok. It's a lot smaller and the people are a lot nicer. I spent five days here trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to do, I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do while in Thailand and I had been here almost a week. I rented a motorbike for the first time in Chiang Mai. It wasn't anything sexy or fast, only a 125cc city driver, almost like a moped. It was a bit nerve racking riding one for the first time, especially in the city, but I quickly got the hang of it and was enjoying myself immensely. Once I left Chiang Mai I went to Pai to chill out for a few days which turned into a week because I liked the place and met some cool people there. In Pai I rented a motorbike again and checked out the nearby waterfalls and a really awesome cave called Tham Lot. This cave was incredible and exploring it with the only light coming from a gas lantern was awesome. Originally I was going to head to Burma after Pai but I met a German guy named Andy that I got along with well and we decided to go to Lao together.

So here I am in Lao. I have only been here for two nights, this being my first night in Luang Prabang, one of the bigger cities. I took a two day boat ride down the Mekong River from the Thai border, it was pretty fun. It's a cool way to meet some people since everyone is stuck on this small boat for two whole days. So far the Lao people have been extremely nice; my friend Andy is feeling a bit under the weather and when I told the guy at our guest house he went upstairs to check on him. We have no idea what we are going to do in this country, we know of only a few places that sound good to visit. We have a month here so we should be able to find some interesting stuff to do.

After Lao we should be heading for Cambodia. From there, I don't have a clue what will happen. The monsoon rains will probably be really heavy in a month or two so traveling in this area may not be so fun if I can't even go outside without getting drenched. When that time comes I will have to make the decision of staying or leaving, going home or going somewhere else. Australia, perhaps? I've entertained the idea and especially since I could work there with my Aussie passport it would be really easy for me. We'll see what happens. For now, I'm going to try and learn some Lao.

Yours truly,
Vance.

Day One Hundred Twenty Eight - There is no such thing as permanence.

I have been somewhat putting off this post for a while because I don't like to be the bearer of bad news. But really it is not bad, it is only change. As some of you may realize, most of you probably don't, there is no such thing as permanence. We live in a world that is constantly changing, always rearranging itself. It is important not to get too attached to any one thing lest when that object of our attachment disappears we should suffer because of it.

Why am I getting so philosophical? First of all, because I've been studying Buddhism a lot lately, as you may be able to tell by my opening paragraph. But the real reason is because my blog is about to change quite a bit. But first, I have something to tell you.

I'm going to Thailand on Friday.

I had a bit of a change of heart and instead of continuing to travel in Europe I want to change locales. I'm going to explore the southeast Asian region, ie. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor. That's my wishlist at least, we'll see how far I actually get with it. I know some of those countries are a bit hard to even gain entrance to, like Burma for example.

Why does this entail a change in my blog? In preparation for this second leg of my journey I am downsizing my equipment. I am changing to a much smaller backpack, almost half the size, and discarding what I don't need. I've done a lot of honest thinking about what it is I need and my netbook has not made the cut. It's a wonderful luxury but it's just that, a luxury. It's heavy, relatively, fragile, and valuable. Three reasons I don't want to carry it with me. And without my netbook my blogging habits will change considerably. Not to mention this portion of my journey will be much more introspective and less about sharing my experiences with everyone. I will be periodically in internet cafes and I will try and update when possible. But I foresee less frequent and less in-depth posts in the future.

Initially this saddened me a bit. I have really enjoyed blogging for all of you and your encouraging words have been invaluable to me. But this is the path I find myself following and there is no reason to fight it. Needless to say, I will still be making copious notes in my notebook. There's always the time I have when I get home to share anything that you will miss out on.

I hope this post doesn't make me sound pretentious. And I want to reiterate that this is not the end of my blog. So keep checking back every now and then, I should have some really interesting things to share from this exciting part of the world that I'm going to.

Peace be with you,
Vance.

Day One Hundred Fourteen - Holy Photo Update Batman!

As promised, admittedly many days later, here are all the photos from Morocco thus far that I have deemed worthy of viewing by you glorious legion of readers:



As you are undoubtedly drooling over my exceptional photography prowess there are about an equal number of photos from Germany being uploaded. Stay tuned for them in the near future.

Day One Hundred Thirteen - Weddings.

Funny things can happen to you when riding the bus. Take for instance two events that happened to me recently. The first was about five days ago. I was dozing off on a bus taking me to Meknes, a big city in the central region of Morocco. A nice young lady sat next to me and asked me if I was British or French. Neither, I replied, I'm from the US. We got to chatting about this and that, her English was good enough so that we could hold a conversation but at times it was difficult. She was with her friends on their way to an oasis in a town nearby called Meski and she invited me to come with her. It was a really hot day and I felt a dip in a pool would be really nice, so I went with them.

We had a good time hanging out at the oasis but all the while I got the feeling that this little girl, she told me she was 18 but I have some doubts, was way too forward with me. She was extremely flirtatious to the point of making me a bit uncomfortable. I wasn't interested on account of her being too young for me, but she didn't seem to care. Her friend, Hicham, invited me to stay at his home in their town, Goulmina. I saw it as a great opportunity to get off the tourist track and accepted his invitation with gratitude. His family's home was incredible! These people must have been loaded. Unfortunately Hicham spoke zero English so this complicated the matter of holding conversation. But we did the best we could and managed to communicate somehow.

The next day I was determined to get to Meknes. I had to leave Goulmina because I knew this girl would not leave me alone while I was here. I hung out with Hicham at his hanoot, a tiny shop that sells a little of everything, and showed off the photos that I have accumulated over the past 4 months. Of course the girl showed up, after she got out of school, and hung out with us until I had to leave to catch the bus. Her friends kept joking around about me marrying her and taking her back to the US. That was pretty weird. It almost seemed like that might have been her plan all along. While on the way to the bus station she gave me a gift. It was one of those metal charm bracelets; this one had all hearts for charms. Cute. It was a very kind gesture on her part but I wasn't really sure what to do. Awkward to say the least. I could see that she was visibly bummed out that I was leaving. I kept thinking I've only known you for a day! How could you care so much that I'm hitting the road? We barely speak to each other about anything important since you don't really speak English. I didn't get it.

Soon enough the bus arrived, much to my excitement. I bid farewell to her and tried to let her down as easily as possible. Luckily for me the language barrier actually helped in this situation since she couldn't articulate what she wanted to say as a goodbye so it was a quick and simple parting. I sure was relieved to be out of that awkward situation and on my way to Meknes.

After spending a couple days in Meknes I caught a bus to Fes, possibly the most historical city in Morocco. While in transit to Fes I met a nice guy named Abdessalam. He was from a small co-op farm 20 km outside of Fes. He spoke the slightest amount of English and I tried all the Arabic I knew in order to hold a conversation with him. Unfortunately neither of us we very good at communicating in these foreign languages. But we had a good time trying our best; apparently he enjoyed it enough to invite me to his family's house for lunch. Of course I accepted, how could I miss the chance to have lunch with a real Moroccan family? I met his family and tried my best to speak with them but they spoke no English at all. It's situations like this that photos are the perfect remedy. I busted out my netbook and started showing them my photos from around Europe and it was a great way to communicate without words.

After thoroughly stuffing myself for lunch Abdessalam and I went for a bike ride through the countryside. It was really neat to check out this area that I'm sure sees very few foreigners. We stopped under a tree and ate a bunch of berries that looked like white blackberries. They were incredibly sweet, just like everything in Morocco. Abdessalam showed me all the areas in which his family lived on the co-op; this guy's family was huge! A couple hours passed by and I started thinking I should get to Fes before dark so that I may find a decent hotel. It took a few minutes to get that message across to Abdessalam but after he understood he took the opportunity to tell me one last thing. He was going to be married on the 10th of June and he would love for me to come. How awesome is that? As much as I would absolutely love to go to a Moroccan wedding by the time the tenth of June rolls around I'll be in Spain. Abdessalam was sad but he understood. Maybe I'll give him a call on his wedding day.

This just goes to show, when you travel, ride the cheap bus! Whatever the locals use for travel you should use. Then you can get little girls to fall in love with you and also get invited to weddings. Fun!

Day One Hundred Three - Solo Once More

Tomorrow will bring the separation of myself and my travel companion, Daniel. While he wishes to stay here in Marrakech in order to sort out his financial situation I have more grand plans: the desert awaits me! It is not completely without sadness that I will bid my new friend goodbye but all things must come to an end at some point. It will be interesting to continue in this country alone. Things will be especially different since Daniel can speak some French, a very helpful skill in Morocco. Almost all of the people here speak French as well as Arabic or Berber. Myself, I know nothing of this nasal language. Perhaps it is time for me to learn. My apprehension of even basic phrases would go a long way in making my life in this region much easier. Although it may not be very necessary since the farther I go north the more useful my Spanish will become. And I have never spoken Spanish better than I currently do on account of my conversations with Daniel in the language, of which comprises about fifty percent of all our speech to each other.

The desert being my next destination I've been trying to mentally prepare myself for my surroundings being blazingly hot all the time. Even here in Marrakech today it's really hot, so much so that Daniel and I have retired to our hotel room until the sun goes down. The desert can only be worse. But there is some comfort in knowing that I will be going to the high desert which is not as hardcore as deep Sahara. I will be traveling near the Atlas Mountains mostly. I have plans to go to the Todra Gorge which is supposed to have some awesome slot canyons for hiking. My time in the desert should last about four or five days, I hope, then I will finally be in the Fes/Meknes region, finally in the north of Morocco, making my way towards Spain.

A couple nights ago we were at the Cascades D'Ouzoud, a beautiful waterfall in an equally stunning valley. If you're in Morocco you have to check this place out. You can camp at the bottom of the falls and literally watch the Cascades from your bed. It's a really cool place. Watch out for the dude with crazy jerry-curls (did I spell that right?) though, he's only trying to get money out of you, no matter how friendly he seems to be. He acted like some kind of Moroccan gangsta thug. A weird character to encounter at a place like the Cascades D'Ouzoud.

Yesterday came and went like most days. If it wasn't for all the wonderful birthday wishes I received from Facebook, email, and various other means, there would be no way of knowing it was my 22nd birthday. I'm pretty sure that's the first birthday I've had outside of the US and it sure is different that way. It really made me homesick. But a friend told me during a chat on Facebook that, "I would give my left nut to do what you're doing. Everyday is like a birthday." That got me thinking about the whole situation and helped me to remember that I really am in the midst of quite the opportunity. So what if my birthday was a bit uneventful, party wise? It was in Marrakech! How many people from the US can say that? I'm doing my best to not sound like I'm boasting. That is surely not my intention. I'm just trying to say that I realized since I'm having many unique experiences all the time I need to remember that they are all special even if they are common. Since I've been traveling for three and a half months now all these experiences have just become daily occurrences. Sometimes I forget that other people would love to have the opportunity to travel like I have been doing. I lose perspective of that sometimes.

I swear I have a million and one awesome photos to share but it takes bloody FOREVER to get these uploaded. I certainly can't be paying for that time at a cyber cafe. I have to wait until I can get free internet access somehow. I really want to show you guys what Morocco looks like and I also have some great ones from Germany.

Day One Hundred Two - 22

Happy Birthday to me! It's weird when nobody realizes and/or cares about my birthday.

Day Ninety Nine - Quick Update

Recent happenings as of late:

I came to the coast to celebrate my birthday which is in three days. Instead of partying I got food poisoning and spent most of yesterday either hating my life or sleeping. Gotta love Morocco!

Got my wallet stolen in Marrakech the other day. I was boarding a bus, an activity not at all similar to getting on a bus in the states. Basically you need to shove and push everyone out of the way in order to actually get on the bus because there is not enough space for everyone. So while I was doing my best to push every mother, child, and elderly man out of my way some crafty bugger got away with my wallet! Not a big deal though considering it only had 200 Dirhams in it, the equivalant of 24 bucks.

I've been hanging out with a lot of Peace Corps volunteers lately. Morocco has the second largest number of Peace Corps members in the world, after Ukraine. I CSed with one and then she gave me the number of another that was nearby. He's from Berkeley! I come all the way around the globe and stay with a guy from Berkeley. Crazy business. Here in Essaouira, the town on the coast that we came to in order to celebrate, I'm hanging out with 8 other Peace Corps volunteers, all mostly from California. Good people.

I've been learning some phrases in the native language of Morocco, Berber. It's really fun to speak with the people here in their own language. But there are so many dialects that some people don't even sound like they are speaking the same words as me.

We were detained by the police in a small village in the mountains because Daniel is from Mexico and the Moroccan government thought he might have the swine flu. Although they didn't tell us this until the ordeal was over. So we sat in the custody of the police for three hours with no idea as to why this was happening. Finally they summon Daniel into this hotel and give him a quick physical to make sure he is clean.

That's a quick rundown on some of the more interesting events as of late. I'll try and write more details some other time.

Day Ninety Three - How did this happen?

Day ninety three. Over ninety days abroad. Of course you realize that means that the three month anniversary of my departure has come and gone. The 1st of May marked that milestone. On that day I was thoroughly enjoying my time relaxing on the coast of Morocco in a small village named Imessouane. Our room was literally on the coast. I open the door and am greeted by the sea. So, naturally, I spent an entire week there. I loved it. I'm also now thoroughly brown from all the sun I soaked up. The part of the village I was staying in didn't have electricity or running water. It was a little like camping. Until this morning I hadn't showered in 10 days. Yeah, I know that's pretty bad, huh? I did wash myself in the sea though! Needless to say my shower this morning was amazing, even if the water was near freezing.

And speaking of the sea. The sea! What power! I was in a constant state of awe when in the presence of Neptune's strength. Imessouane is known for good surfing. There are very strong winds that create a constant state of crashing waves. In certain parts of this coastal area one can find waves that crash so triumphantly onto the rocks that water sprays 10 meters into the air! That's about 30 feet for all you Yankees out there. This of course is not the strongest show of the sea's great power but for me it was very impressive. I just know that I would stand no chance in the throws of that great beast.

I have been in Morocco for 11 days now. My first two days were spent in Marrakech. This city is hectic, to say the least. In the parts of the old city one must constantly be aware of little motorbikes speeding by that come within inches of one's body. There are constantly people spouting words at you trying to attract you to their shop or food stall. It's quite the experience. There are many tourists here but they somehow manage to mix in with the locals decently enough. This is one city in which despite heavy tourism there is still a strong native culture. Not a feat that many cities around the world have been able to accomplish.

Upon my arrival at my hostel in Marrakech I met a guy named Daniel, from Mexico. We were both solo travelers with no plans in Morocco so we decided to pair up. He's a really nice guy with some interesting stories. Although he is not quite the sharpest crayon in the box. But his kindness makes up for it. We have had a great time together. It's good to have some company. I've also been able to practice my rusty old Spanish! That's been really fun. I guess I actually did learn something in high school, despite my best efforts to the contrary.

Now I'm back near Marrakech, staying with a CS host in a village 30 km outside the city. This is a really cool area and I'm excited to go exploring a bit. Although on my way over here, while boarding a bus, I was pickpocketed and lost my wallet. Luckily for me there was only 25 dollars in it and my driver's license, which is easily replaceable. An important lesson learned. We are near the High Atlas Mountains which contain the highest point in North Africa. I'm eager to get into this region and hike around. I believe that will be our next destination.

There was a time when I first arrived in Morocco that I was extremely excited and wished to travel more in Africa. I was prepared to abandon my plans for Europe and continue in this marvelous continent. But of course I was blinded by my excitement, as usual, and once I looked into what it would take to get prepared for Africa my enthusiasm slowly fizzled away. Because of the vaccinations, medications, and equipment that would be necessary for me to procure I am abandoning my plans for Africa at the moment. I feel I would enjoy it more if I were to outfit myself from the beginning for a region such as this. There are also many parts of Europe I still wish to explore.

My plans currently are to spend a couple more weeks here in Morocco then cross the Strait of Gibraltar in the north in order to reach the southern region of Spain. I am excited to travel in the country and to use the only other language I know besides English. Hopefully the people will be able to understand me.

I have a ton of photos to share. I just need to upload them all which is quite a long process. Once I get them up I will post them for your enjoyment.

Day 82 - An Old Post

So I wrote this post almost two weeks ago in Hamburg. I couldn't get any internet access to upload it but finally here it is. Enjoy! I'll try and write another, more up to date, post in the next few days.

Day 71 – Deutschland ist good!

Scene opens. Day seventy one. Vance is sitting in a beautiful garden at his CS hosts' home on the outskirts of Hamburg. A light breeze brushes against his bare feet as he types on his netbook. The birds are chirping, their soft song is pleasant background music to this neighborhood known as Volksdorf. Vance is listening to music as he relaxes in a lounge chair. A bumble bee the width of an adult's thumb buzzes by.

“Life is good,” Vance declares.

There was a short time when I didn't feel this way. This time was the few days after Ezra had left me in Freiberg. With his departure thoughts of home occupied my mind nonstop. The people, the ease of life, the stability, the burritos. I couldn't get it out of my head. I longed for home. I was in a bad spot, mentally. I stayed in Freiberg for a few extra days to relax. Maybe I was just tired of moving around, I thought. Ezra and I did have a breakneck pace when we were traveling together. The few extra days in Freiberg helped but I still didn't feel quite right. I still could not stop thinking of home.

My next destination was Heidelberg, a beautiful town a few hours north. I had searched for a hostel in Heidelberg ahead of time but found that although I planned to spend two nights in the town there was only a spare bed for one night. There are only two hostels in Heidelberg, one independent and another that requires one to be a member of Hosteling International, which I am not. The independent hostel was completely booked for Friday night so I just got a bed for Thursday. My plan was to wait until Saturday morning when I would catch a cheap train ticket to Hamburg (there are special tickets on the weekend that allow one to travel all of Germany for a day for only 37 Euros, a steal really). So if I was to stay until Saturday morning I would have to sleep in the train station for the second night. This prospect made me wish to be home even more. I don't know if any of you have attempted the act but I would hardly call it “sleeping” in a train station. There isn't much sleep involved. Just a lot of shivering from being cold. But I couldn't afford the 100+ Euro ticket to leave a day earlier so what was I to do?

After seeing some sights in Heidelberg, of which the castle and Philosopher's Way are highly recommended, I took advantage of my hostel's free wifi to do some searching for tickets to Morocco. I scored an awesome deal on a ticket from Frankfurt to Marrakech for a fortnight hence. At the same time I got a tip from a fellow CSer about a ride share program in Germany. I checked it out and found that I could get a ride to Hamburg for only twenty Euros. Fantastic! I used my newly acquired mobile phone to call the people that had ads listed but everyone told me that their cars were full. I finally talked to a man named Jorn that said he had space for me. We made arrangements to meet the next day at the Hauptbahnhof, the main train station. I was also told by my CS host in Hamburg, Sophie, that it would be okay for me to arrive a day early, Friday instead of Saturday. The triple threat of a cheap ticket to Morocco, a cheap way to get to Hamburg, and not having to sleep in a train station greatly lifted my spirits. It was exactly what I needed at that moment. My thoughts of homesickness vanished immediately. How could I be sad about home when I was going to Morocco? It is one of my most desired destinations of my trip! I left my hostel with a rejuvenated love of travel. Suddenly everything in Heidelberg was that much more amazing. Everything was amazing. Life is good, I thought to myself.

So that brings me to where I am today, a garden in Hamburg. Yesterday on a bike tour of Hamburg I went to an awesome part of the city that reminded me a lot of the Mission District in San Francisco. There was a small park that Sophie and I hung out in for a while talking to her friends that were there. We grabbed some beers to enjoy in the park (it is legal to drink in public in Germany, yay!) while we hung out. I met a friend of Sophie's, a man named Juan whom was from Columbia. Sophie had met him a few weeks earlier and told me many positive things about him. Juan's friends shared their Turkish bread and salad with us immediately after we sat down while Sophie offered her beer to share. The salad was delicious. Juan and I conversed about a cacophony of topics, most of them related to philosophy of living. We discussed what is important in life, a topic in which we had many of the same views. It was really great getting to know Juan and learning about Colombia.

After the sun had gone down Juan, Sophie, and I decided we wanted to go out and do something. All day Sophie had talked about her itch to dance to reggae so we went in search of a good place to do just that. We found a club that was empty even though it was 11:30 at night. Juan said if we wait a bit people should start to show and fill up the place. We went down to the port of Hamburg and killed time for a while, finishing off our beers. Sophie busted out the hammock that she was carrying in her backpack and set it up right on the stairs. I thought that was a great idea. A little after midnight we checked out the club again to see if anything was going on and it was still empty save for a few people sitting on the sides. Damn, now we need to find something else to do for a while. That activity turned out to be urban climbing. We strolled around the area for a minute and then saw some scaffolding on the face of a building that looked ripe for climbing. As we were climbing I noticed a girl on her bike stop and pull out her camera to take a picture of us. Unfortunately we didn't get too high before we came to a locked trap door on the next level up. Down we went and on to the next adventure.

Around the block a little we ended up near the Red Light District of Hamburg and went to a couple bars there. Sophie and I decided to go home a bit before 3:00 AM but Juan wanted to stay for a while and dance some more. This guy was an animal. He had so much energy that never stopped. We bid him farewell, myself telling him I hope to see him again before I leave the city. Because of the distance we needed to cover it took us an hour and a half to get home. I was immediately in a deep sleep once I laid down.

In the coming days before I leave Hamburg I hope to see some more of the inner city, possibly go to a museum that I read about that sounded interesting. I don't leave until Thursday so I've got a good amount of time. Then it is off to Berlin!

Day Seventy Two - I Swear I'm Alive!

Yeah, yeah, I know. I haven't posted much here lately. Trust me, I did write a very long and insightful piece yesterday that I just haven't uploaded yet. I can't get internet for my netbook so I can't get it uploaded since the file is saved there. But soon!

Day Sixty - Anniversary!

Today marks two months that I have been abroad. It sure doesn't feel that way. Also, looking ahead at the next four months still sounds crazy to me. It's a weird feeling that even after all this time I'm not even halfway done with my trip.

I feel really disconnected with everything back home lately. That I'm sure is due to my lack of a good internet connection for the last few weeks coupled with my activity with Ezra. We have rarely spent more than three days in any city. I tried to get back into writing the other night, I even wrote quite a long post. But I just couldn't finish it, I didn't have the drive. Maybe I need to get back into the habit. I do have many stories to tell!

I also bought a mobile today! Very exciting because this should make my life much easier to meet up with people and make arrangements at hostels. It's a little expensive, thirty Euros for the phone and then I bought a ten Euro prepaid card, but it should be worth it.

Too tired to write more, maybe next time...

Day Fifty Seven - Inactivity

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Stay tuned for stories of excessive wine drinking, beautiful cliffsides, sleepness nights in train stations, and partying with Scots in Amsterdam.

Day Forty Five – Touts and Working Girls

An aspect of travel that one must inevitably face is the existence of touts. For any readers that aren't familiar with the term a tout is basically anyone trying to sell you something, whether the item being peddled is a cheap trinket or some kind of service. Most touts are extremely devious. Often times they are desperate to earn money and will do almost anything in their power to achieve that goal. A strong will is required in situations in which one is confronted by skilled touts. The pressure they apply can be very great, that is part of their tactic to get a person to part with their money. But this pressure normally is displayed in a friendly way, touts always try to appear to be your best friend. One can easily find touts at any major tourist destination, such as the Roman Colosseum or the Duomo in Milan.

It is at the Duomo that I had my first run in with touts. I normally steer clear of them but this guy reeled me in like a pro. I was coming out of the train station via the stairway right into the square in front of the Duomo, Italy's oldest cathedral. This guy started trying to talk to me and by my friendly nature I listened for a second or two before realizing he was trying to get some money out of me. He had a handful of colorful string that he was “giving” to people as a bracelet.

“No thanks, I don't want to buy any,” I told him as I started to walk away.
“No no no sir, free! They are free!” the tout yelled back at me.

After hearing this I paused. Free? Hey, I love free! I thought to myself. This is where I made the mistake. He got me, hook line and sinker. So I turned around and told him I'd take one. He proceeded to tie one of the strings around my wrist, all the while asking me questions to make him seem like my friend.

“Where are you from? Do you have a girlfriend? This string will give you great luck with the ladies!” were the lines he was using on me while finishing up his knot.

Once he completed tying my bracelet he then asked for a “donation.” Donation, sure, I understand now. Free bracelet with an expected donation. I figured, Well I got this bracelet on now, might as well give him something. I pulled out some change. Once he saw the few Euro coins and some Euro cents in my hand he started almost commanding to me to give it all to him.

“Just give me all.”
“Here, take this Euro and some change, that's all I want to give,” I replied.
“No, just give me everything you have. Come on man, it's for Africa!” he informed me (it may help to mention that he was of obvious South African origin by the sound of his accent).
“I don't know, just take what I gave you.”
“Come on, just give it to me!”

So to get the guy off my back I just gave him my full pocket of change. It wasn't that much, maybe a little over two and a half Euros. But to pay that price for a simple piece of colorful string? Definite ripoff and I was the sucker. Realizing my moment of weakness I made a point to not let that sort of thing happen again. In front of the Duomo there was a horde of touts, many with the string bit, one guy had bird seed for taking pictures with pigeons, and others were selling worthless junk for kids. It was tout paradise.

The guy with the bird seed walked up to me and started attracting the pigeons. With my recent lesson still fresh in my mind I preempted him.

“No thanks, I don't want whatever you are selling.”
“Free, free, no money!”

So, again, I like free. But this time I was not going to cave in and pay. He lifted my hand, without me expressing that I wanted him to, and put some seed in my palm. Five or six pigeons immediately landed on my arm and started feasting. The only thought in my head was, I hope these damn birds don't shit on me. He then asked for my camera so that he could take a picture. I let him know that I'm capable of taking my own picture and proceeded to do so. After taking a lovely photograph I dropped the remaining seed to get those flying rats off of me and that's when the tout put his hand out for some money.

“Hey you said it was free!”
“Just give me a little. One Euro, just one.”
“No I told you I didn't want to pay. I am not paying.”

His face turned slightly angry and his tone changed considerably.

“Give me something! Just one Euro.”
“No, nothing. I'm sorry.”

And I walked away. I figured if he says free then he can't fault me for not paying. One more encounter with a tout and I swore off of them for good. I met my second bracelet pusher. He had the exact lines as the first guy. I realized maybe that is all the English they know. He started to tie the bracelet and I told him I wouldn't pay a cent. He said free. Okay, I know this routine. Once he got to the part of the script where the “donation” is given I said sorry and walked away. He tried to yell something at me but I wasn't paying attention. I realize I can't push my luck with these types, I don't know what may happen if you piss them off. So from now on I'm staying away from these guys for good. I'm not even going to listen to what they have to say because it is always just a ploy to lighten my pockets.

There was another brief experience that taught me an equally valuable lesson. It was on the subway in Milan. I was tired from hauling my pack around all day so I was carrying it with one hand while my other hand was holding onto a rail for stability. This train was packed, it must have been rush hour. I noticed a woman peering at my pack with an unusual interest. She then glanced up to my hand on the rail. I noticed both of these actions but didn't think much of either. She then got really close to me. Uncomfortably close. Yet this train was full of people so I figured she must have been shifted around by someone else. But then I felt a tug on my pocket. Perhaps just someone's bag getting caught on my pocket, I thought. I shfted my feet a bit to move away from whatever was pulling on my pants. I felt the sensation again. Okay, this is getting weird. I shift once again. And a third time I feel something. Definitely too much coincidence. I look at the woman and notice that her bag is covering her free hand, her other hand is holding onto the rail like everyone else. Suddenly it all clicked. I moved a few steps away from her and kept my eye on her like a hawk. She moved around the train to a spot far away from me, all the while never looking at me straight on.

I'm a little sad that I didn't confront her in the act but maybe it's better that way. No point really in giving her grief, it won't stop her from doing it to someone else. But now I know to be much more careful on trains or in any crowded area. Luckily for me this lesson came at no cost, my pocket was empty so there was nothing there to pick.

These are the kinds of lessons that one is warned about before traveling. Yet even with the knowledge that there are people out there that are looking to take advantage of me it somehow doesn't sink in until it really happens. I can read about it a hundred times but it isn't until I'm actually part of the story that it sinks in.

But all is not doom and gloom here in Italy. These are two isolated incidents that sound much worse than they really were. I'm glad to have left Milan, it wasn't my kind of town. I spent two nights there and really there was only enough to see to fill one day. I'm not the type attracted to Prada, Louis Voutton, or Armani so Milan didn't have much value to me. I feel good taking it easy here in Rome and it's great to have actual sights to see, and Rome sure has a lot. It's a good feeling to know that I'm going to spend almost a week here. A nice pause in my travel pace to get some much needed rest.

Since leaving Basel I ventured to Locarno, a Swiss city in the south but I wouldn't have known it from the people there. Locarno is basically Italy, which makes sense considering it's only a ten minute walk from the Italian border. To get to Locarno I took a beautiful train ride across all of Switzerland. I have come to realize that I really enjoy travel by train. It's speed is great when compared with other forms of land travel but it's more comfortable due to the extra space in the train cars. Traveling by land is so much nicer because of everything that one can see compared to flight's never ending sea of white. The train went through the Swiss Alps which was stunning, especially on the southern side because the weather cleared up considerably. It was warm enough to wear a t-shirt yet there was still snow on the mountains.

After spending a night in Locarno with my fantastic CS host Remo I left for Milan on my way to Rome. So that brings everyone up to date on the happenings up to this point. Tomorrow Ezra arrives! I will be meeting him at the train station, Roma Termini, around 9 AM and we will have to figure out what we are going to do. There aren't any plans formulated yet but it looks like we will need to decide if we want to get a good view of Italy for a whole three weeks or try to see some of Italy and some of Germany, and hopefully a tiny taste of Amsterdam. Either way, it will be a blast as long as Ezra is around.

Time to go eat my free pasta dinner! Ciao ciao.

PS. No photos yet. I have taken a ton but my internet connection isn't reliable enough to upload them. Keep an eye out for a few days from now and you will see some really beautiful stuff.

Day Thirty Nine - Travel Musings

Being on the road constantly is an interesting way to live. I make friends much more quickly than I normally would at home. This is honestly out of neccesity. I'm never in one location for all that long which causes my relationships to grow at a faster pace than I am accusstomed to in a life that is static. I must trust people more than I ever have in my life. This is not a problem at all, just a fact that I have accepted and embraced in order to enrich my experiences abroad. Without the ability to make friends quickly and the trust that is required for that to happen my time on my Odyssey would be much less fulfilling and very much so lonely.

There is no better example of this than my couchsurfing experiences so far. It is difficult to predict what will happen when first walking into a stranger's home but what follows has been, and will probably always be, fantastic. I have skanked (a dance, it's not as dirty as it sounds) in a ska club with Brits, drank absinthe with a man in Brussels, learned about pizza box conspiracies from an American expat, went bar hopping until 7 AM with two Belgian gents, and discussed philosophy with the Swiss. A fairly good list I must say. And I'm just getting started! It has been over a month since I have stayed in a hostel, all my time has been spent couchsurfing. The experiences had when in the company of fellow couchsurfers are the kind that one cannot find when in hostels. It's the local experience, sometimes the bizarre experience. But the fact is that couchsurfing is always an experience. The time I spend with these people, at their home, out on the town, or seeing the local sights, is time that I will remember. Even days where I accomplish nothing but getting to know a new person better are days that I cherish.

Sure, seeing one of a kind sights are great. There is a part of me that wants to travel the world to lay my own eyes on Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Roman Colliseum. But I am learning that my main motivation for travel is to learn. Learn the amazingly varied ways that people live, learn their language, learn their customs, learn what they like, learn what they don't like, and learn what they know about my culture, if anything. This knowledge feels so much more valuable to me than having the ability to say, "Yeah, I've seen [insert tourist attraction here]."

It is because of this realization of what I am truly looking for that drives me to venture off the beaten path. I want to explore, go to a land that doesn't see many outsiders. Unfortunately for me, this can be somewhat difficult in Europe. This is a part of the world that is well traveled. But I will always be keeping my eyes and ears open for an opportunity. I will be looking to have an experience that I have never had. My quest is to challenge myself to take a risk and leave the world of comfort behind me. Sometimes the risk will not pay off and I will have unsavory days and nights. But for the bad it only takes one amazing time to make it all worth it. And when that day comes you can bet I will have a smile on my face.

Day Thirty Seven - TRAGEDY!

So I just might have to kill myself. Really. No, not really. I may have damaged my iPod beyond all hope today when I went cycling in the rain. Apparently my waterproof jacket from REI is not actually waterproof. Maybe the jacket never was supposed to be waterproof but I was under the impression that anything covered by it would be safe.

I had my iPod in a pocket of the jacket, not even listening to it. I brought just in case I wanted to but never felt like it. When I got home I pulled it out and was surprised to see it quite damp. Weird, this jacket is supposed to keep everything dry, I thought. It didn't look that wet so I wiped it off and turned it on to test it out. Big mistake. After some research on the interwebs I discovered that the worst action to take when suspecting iPod damage from water is to turn it on. Of course, that is what most people naturally do to see if the device survived the torrent. I didn't even suspect that my iPod was damaged, it didn't look that wet.

The best course of action to take will be to let it sit without using it and pray to Steve Jobs that it will live to make me dance another day. The odd aspect of the situation though is that it plays music just fine. I can browse through all my artists and play anything on there. But Smitty, the name I christened my iPod with when I got it, thinks that he is constantly plugged in and being charged, when in reality he is just laying on the floor not connected to anything. He also will not do anything when connected to my computer. Hopefully that symptom will go away after a day or so. Or else I don't know what I'm going to do without any music.

I suppose it's not the end of the world. My trip will continue, honestly not changing much. It will just be devoid of music. A terrible fate indeed, a prospect which saddens me immensely. I could buy a new iPod, at great cost, and use my netbook to put music on it. That would be a solution in a way but not something that I want to do. I do not want to spend money that should be for my trip to buy a replacement iPod. Ah, life is cruel. For now, I'm going to wait it out. Your prayers for Smitty's speedy and complete recovery would be very much appreciated.

Day Thirty Six - Still Alive.

As the title suggests, I'm still alive. I just haven't had much internet access lately. I definitely have stories to tell and experiences to share but for now I'm going to explore Basel. It's my first day in Switzerland and I wish not to spend it on my netbook. I'll update again later tonight probably.

I want to leave you with this amazing song. Anyone who plays Rock Band or Portal will know what I'm about to show you. For the rest, sit back and be amazed. Lyrics are under the video if you wish to sing along, as you definitely should!



This was a triumph.
I'm making a note here:
HUGE SUCCESS.
It's hard to overstate
my satisfaction.
Aperture Science
We do what we must
because we can.
For the good of all of us.
Except the ones who are dead.
But there's no sense crying
over every mistake.
You just keep on trying
till you run out of cake.
And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are
still alive.


I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me.
And tore me to pieces.
And threw every piece into a fire.
As they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data
make a beautiful line.
And we're out of beta.
We're releasing on time.
So I'm GLaD. I got burned.
Think of all the things we learned
for the people who are
still alive.

Go ahead and leave me.
I think i prefer to stay inside.
maybe you'll find someone else
to help you.
maybe Black Mesa...
THAT WAS A JOKE, HA HA, FAT CHANCE.
Anyway this cake is great.
It's so delicious and moist
look at me still talking when theres science to do
when i look out there
it makes me glad I'm not you
i've experiments to run
there is research to be done
on the people who are
still alive.


and believe me I am still alive
I'm doing science and I'm still alive
i feel fantastic and I'm still alive
while your dying ill be still alive
and when your dead i will be still alive
still alive
still alive

Day Thirty One - Stranger in a Strange Land

Wow, what a difference language makes! I'm writing here from Brussels, Belgium and am feeling quite inadequate. Being alone in a country that speaks a language other than the only one I know is a very daunting experience. This is my first day away from English so I suppose I just haven't gotten accustomed to the situation. I can't even read my map! My CS host Steven was kind enough to outfit me with his map of Brussels but it's in French so reading the names of the places I'm going is sort of hard. The street names are of course all the same language as on the map so at least that part is easy enough.

I expected it would be difficult at times but it has just been a shock to me today. Although in reality there are probably many people around that speak at least passable English. But even knowing that, when I see all the signs, billboards, and even my map, that are in French or Dutch makes me feel like I am in way over my head. I don't know a lick of either of those languages. Not to mention it does make reading food labels to make sure they are vegan very difficult. Lucky for me there are some labels that have many languages on them and I just have to keep searching until I find the labels that have an English portion. That makes my life that much harder, not only do I need to find vegan food but I have to find vegan food that is in English. Great, just what I wanted to have to deal with.

Despite my negative tone so far, I am happy to be here in Brussels. Yes, it's different. Yes, it's difficult. But that's all part of the experience. I'm very glad to be on the move again. London was fantastic, I really loved it, but I'm here to travel so travel I must. At first I was bummed about leaving my temporary home in Shepherd's Bush with my friends Rhea and Matthew but now being in Belgium has reignited the excitement of travel within me. Now if only I could figure out where the hell I was going...

I suppose being a stranger in a strange land will become second nature after a while. Plus I will probably pick up bits of language here and there. I already have the basic greetings and polite phrases memorized in French. It's great to be using them on a regular basis, it really inspires me to learn a new language. I've always thought that would be great to be multi-lingual; yet back in California the only other useful language is Spanish and if I didn't use a language on a regular basis I would forget it. People in Belgium usually know at least some of four different languages! French is mainly spoken here in Brussels and southern Belgium, Dutch is spoken mostly in northern Belgium, German is spoken near the German border, and many people also know some English. That's crazy to me.

For now I'm going to head back out into the concrete jungle and brave the elements to see some more sights. I can't stay cooped up in this apartment for too long. Wish me luck!

Vance the Lance.

Day Twenty Six - All Quiet On The Western Front

It's been a relaxed week or so lately. I haven't been up to much since I already checked out most of the sights that I was interested in. I think I visited most of the major museums, saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, and also wandered some of the more interesting neighborhoods here in London. A pretty good list I would say. I've been enjoying taking it easy after all that.

I have two CS hosts lined up for Belgium. So my entire time in Belgium is already organized, accommodation wise. That is a very good feeling, knowing I don't have to worry about getting a place to stay. I'm also eager to meet my hosts and spend some time hanging out with them.

After Belgium I'm not sure where to go next. I'm thinking maybe Switzerland but I can't decide. I could also do some of eastern France. I just want to make sure I keep heading south towards Rome. Anyone have any suggestions to help an indecisive traveler out?

I'll leave you with some of my most recent photos. Big Ben isn't as big as I imagined him to be but is still probably the most impressive clock I've laid eyes on. Enjoy!

Day Twenty Three - Belgium Bound

As the title suggests, I'm going to Belgium! The land of waffles and delicious beer. Actually, after a quick check on my favorite website Wikipedia it turns out that Belgian Waffles are not Belgian at all! Of course, leave it to the Americans to make shit like that up. The beer on the other hand is very real and very Belgian and VERY delicious. Very exciting, indeed. It will be nice to have a beer that I truly enjoy, as opposed to settling for the one I dislike least as I have been for the past few weeks. Don't worry, I'll take it easy there. No more stories akin to my last post.

I shall be departing London next Tuesday evening and will be arriving in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday morning. It's going to be over a nine hour bus ride, not looking forward to that. But it's only going to cost me £18 to get to Belgium, a steal really. I was able to pounce on a ridiculous deal being offered by the bus company. I will also be saving the trouble of working out accommodation for the night which is nice.

Speaking of accommodation I finally got a host to agree to have me stay with him via the CouchSurfing website. For the uninitiated CouchSurfing is a website in which travelers from all around the globe connect with fellow travelers. One way in which this connection occurs is by having those that are at home host those that are traveling. Some people are not able to host but still like to meet up with those that are traveling to show them around or just meet someone new from a different culture. It's an unparalleled way to meet up with locals from different parts of the world. I highly recommend the organization to anyone that travels that enjoys meeting new people.

Back to my experience with CouchSurfing (herein to be referred to as "CSing"), I have had a very difficult time connecting with anyone. I have sent out numerous requests to hosts telling them I am coming through their city or town and have been rejected every time. Mostly the reasons are the same, the hosts I selected are too busy to accommodate me. Understandable of course but nonetheless a frustrating experience. But lucky for me I have found a nice guy named Steven to host me in Brussels. He even offered to meet up with me after my bus arrives at 7 AM so that I can put my bag down at his place or possibly catch some shut eye after my long bus ride. What a guy. I am ecstatic to be able to meet up with a local and hopefully learn more about Brussels and Belgium than I would had I been completely on my own. I'm sure it will enrich my experience there.

After Belgium I suppose I will continue to head south in anticipation of meeting my good pal Ezra in Rome on March 18th. I can't wait to see a familiar face in person. By the time I meet up with him it will have been almost two months since I had seen any of my friends from back home in person, something I am not accustomed to. It will be a joyous day indeed.

Which reminds me I must get in contact with my friends Luke and Stefano that I met in Galway. I will be heading to Italy soon and we had plans to meet up again once I got into their area. I can't wait to see them again as well.

Goodnight and farewell.

Day Twenty One - Alcohol Is Bad, Mkay?

Well, I sure had an interesting night last night. It started out at a club and ended with me being robbed, I think, and having blood all over my face. Check it out!



Good times, huh? I woke up this morning trying to piece together what memories I was able to retain. The night started out grand. Being Saturday night I thought it would be fun to go out and have a few drinks. Apparently by a few I really meant a lot. I was at a club called The Walkabout, an Aussie hangout here in Shepherd's Bush. I figured it would be nice to be around my people. I met a bunch of Aussies there which was awesome. Fortunately for me, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, they had a deal going where you could get a can of Victoria Bitter, a tasty Australian beer, for only two quid. What a deal! I thought.

So after a while the club started to close down. It must have been either two or three in the morning at this point. On my way out I started talking to this girl and her friends and we went walking, where we were going I have no idea. This is about where my memory gets really foggy. Next thing I know I'm in a neighborhood somewhere trying to find my house. A police car pulled up and a couple cops got out walking my way. I'm fucked, I thought. Here I am, drunk as a skunk, in another country about to get thrown in the drunk tank. To my surprise and delight they were real nice blokes.

They asked me what I was doing. I told them trying to find my house. The next question was, where is your house? I answered with in Shepherd's Bush. They informed me that I'm about a mile away from Shepherd's Bush. In my drunken idiocy I had wandered into a random neighborhood thinking it was Shepherd's Bush but in reality I was way off. The cops then asked me if I knew that I had blood all over my face. I touched my forehead and, sure enough, there was blood. What a surprising thing to discover! I must have fallen over, face first, at some point. I also had scrapes on the palms of my hands. Boy, did I feel like an idiot. The cops gave me directions to Shepherd's Bush and said I'll be home in fifteen minutes. I apologized repeatedly to the police officers and thanked them for helping me out. I then made the shameful walk back to my flat.

On my way home I realized that my pockets were empty except for my house keys. That was weird, I thought, because earlier there was fifteen quid as well as a prepaid public transport card that had ten pounds on it. I tried to remember what may have happened to it but my brain was utterly useless at this point. I had done too much damage to it in the course of the night. The most plausible story I could come up with was that I got robbed at some point during my wanderings. It would have been very easy to take advantage of me in that state and it seems that someone noticed that and seized the opportunity. Lucky for me all I lost was twenty five pounds. A bummer to be sure but not the end of the world. And besides my forehead injury, which I believe was self-inflicted, I was unharmed. I am very grateful for that.

After getting home and taking a good look at myself in some light I realized I really did look like shit. I washed up and ate a bit of food then immediately fell into a deep sleep once I laid down. In the morning I was able to take a look at myself with sober eyes and reflect upon the lesson I learned the hard way: don't get drunk and go out late by yourself, you'll get robbed. Really, I already knew that. But after a bunch of pints my judgment is a bit skewed. I just need to exercise more caution when going out at night by myself.

And to top it all off, I ripped a hole in my pants.

Day 15 - L.O.N.D.O.N.

I must apologize for my inactive blog-ness lately. I have been meaning for a few nights to write up a new post but have either gotten distracted or too tired to power my brain enough to formulate sentences and paragraphs and such. Good news about that though is I have had a fairly active last few days which translates into interesting stories and some strikingly beautiful photos.

To pick up where my last post left off, I arrived in London on Saturday morning at about 1:00 AM. Rhea and her husband Mathew picked me up at the bus stop and surprised me with a quick tour of London's biggest sights at night. I had a quick glimpse of Big Ben, the House of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, and Camden Town, among a few others I can't quite remember. It was a fantastic introduction to London.

The flat I am staying in is located in a neighborhood dubbed Shepherd's Bush. This is a wonderfully diverse part of London, culturally speaking. It is home to many first and second generation immigrants from the Middle East, the Carribean, various Asian countries, and Australia (booya!). The mix of all of these backgrounds brings a great amount of character to this area. I absolutely love it. Not to mention there are falafel shops aplenty, a fact I could definitely get used to were I to live here. Speaking of which, being able to stay with Rhea and Mathew in their flat has given me great insight into what it is like to live in London, as opposed to being in a hostel that would not be located in the heart of a real London neighborhood. I truly do love what I have seen of this city. Yesterday I even looked into what it would take for me to renew my Australian passport which in turn would allow me to get a job in London for up to a year. Australian citizens are allowed to obtain work visas much more easily because of Commonwealth laws. Despite Australia's independence from Britain long ago there are still some ties to the Queen, one of which is the aforementioned long work visa for those from down under. Alas, obtaining my passport while in the UK would prove to be prohibitively difficult. I can always come back to London after returning home, which is what my plan currently is.

The museums in this city are unparalleled, as far as I've seen. The British Museum has so much history contained within it's walls that I am going to have to visit it a second time to see what I missed when I went yesterday. I was up close and personal with the Rosetta Stone, the famous key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. That was really amazing. To see an artifact so important to Egyptian history, arguably the most important find for understanding Egyptian culture, blew my mind. Without this slab of stone 4,000 years of Egyptian culture would still be a mystery to us today. I don't know about you but that sounds like a pretty big deal to me. Some of the other artifacts I admired were almost 4,000 years old. Four thousand years! That's nuts. Although, I couldn't help but think while examining all of these pieces about my time spent in Egypt when I was just a wee lad. I was impressed by the museum's collection but didn't find it as impressive as seeing similar artifacts actually in Egypt, within the pyramids. I cannot wait to go back to the British Museum, something I will likely revisit tomorrow, as long as I wake up early enough, something that is easier said than done for me.

Yesterday was the British Museum, today was the Tate Gallery of Modern Art. HOLY SHIT. I love this place. Such an inspiring collection of art. I saw original works by Picasso, Matisse, and Kandinsky, to name a few. Those were just the big names. There were heaps of pieces by less famous artists that were absolutely fantastic. I was totally in awe of some of the genius of these artists. The Surrealists were particularly amazing. There was also a room dedicated solely to Russian propaganda posters, a particular interest of mine. That was a great surprise to see and I spent a good deal of time in that section. I saw a room of Viennese Actionists that was very disturbing. A major theme of these Austrian Actionists was self-mutilation, a very odd form of art. But who am I to judge?

Seeing all of the pieces contained within this massive gallery really pushed me to pick up painting. I've only done a very limited amount of painting in my short artistic history, but seeing such beautiful works brought something within me to life that can only be appeased by expression through artistic creations. I have always told myself that when I have a home, whenever that may be, that I want it to be covered in art. Paintings, sculpture, posters, whatever. The only problem is that purchasing original pieces of art is often very expensive. So I got to thinking today that what I could do is just produce these pieces myself. That way I don't have to spend all the money on buying this stuff plus my home can be a sort of informal gallery of my own works. The only thing to do now would be to actually get into all this art crap on a regular basis in order to have enough pieces to spread around my home. I'll put that on my to-do list once I get a permanent, or at least semi-permanent, home.

Earlier this evening I went out to a pub with my generous hosts, Rhea and Mathew, as well as their flatmate Wayland. I hope I spelled his name right, my apologies if it is incorrect. I continue to have a grand time every time I go out with these wonderful people. Rhea has her own blog that you should check out. She writes about her experience as a 'Merican expat here in London. The small differences in culture are quite interesting. It's familiar enough to function in but different enough that I get really confused sometimes. It keeps things fresh though.

After seeing the British Museum last night I went for a night walk along the Tower Bridge. This must be the most beautiful bridge I have ever laid eyes on. I know I'm from the Bay Area but sorry Golden Gate, you ain't got nothin' on this shit. The Tower Bridge is truly amazing. At night it is very striking. Just take a peek at the pictures and you shall see what I mean. I also took a walk along the Thames River which provided a very tranquil setting accompanied with some jaw dropping night backdrops. London really is a good looking city. I am constantly amazed by the sights that I see. And people that live here see this stuff everyday, that is awesome!

Tomorrow I have plans to go back to the British Museum to see the rest of the exhibits that I missed. Perhaps, time permitting, I will also go to Camden to check out that neighborhood. I think it may be an area of London that I will really enjoy. If I don't have time tomorrow I have plenty of time to see Camden another day. Man, I love this city.

Check out my England, mostly London, photos so far:

Day Twelve - In Limbo

One of the unfortunate things about traveling is...traveling. What the hell am I talking about, you ask. This vegan must have gone mad. I'm talking airports, people. They suck. HARD. They take forever, are a royal pain in the arse, and are very boring. I'm currently sitting in a cafe at one such location named Kerry Airport. It's a small airport not far from the town of Killarney where I have spent the last few days. In about 2 hours I will be aboard a plane transporting me to London. What is inconvenient about that is the latest bus I could catch here arrived just after 6:00 PM, a full three hours before my flight. So here I am, blogging to pass the time.

I'm very excited to be moving on to my second country. Ireland has been sweet to me, she is a very kind mistress. Yet I have been eager the last few days to move on to something new. Sorry girl, it isn't you, it's me. I swear! On my walk to the bus station I couldn't help but have a spring in my step, to sound a bit cliché (this UK keyboard layout on my netbook makes it easy to do this character: é, neat!). Killarney was getting a bit stale. If one isn't doing tours or venturing out of the city to see the sights there is not much left to do except go to pubs. And drinking every night gets awful expensive, real quick. So I laid low for a few days in order to save some money. This is another reason a change of location would be good for me.

I have heard negative opinions of London from some Europeans but I have a feeling I am going to like it. That feeling may be in large part thanks to my contact in London, Rhea. She has been kind enough to invite me into her home, without personally knowing me or having met me in person (thanks Rhea!). She even offered to show me a few things while I'm there. I am still constantly surprised by the kindness that I have been shown by so many people while on my Odyssey. The wonderful treatment I have received from people that are basically strangers has reaffirmed my belief that humans are naturally kind creatures, it is society that corrupts them. It's a damn shame.

While in the hostel today killing time I watched many backpackers arrive. Their packs were fucking huge! I only use naughty words in order to emphasize the size of these things. I saw one on some kids back that I swear I could stand upright in, have it zipped up around me, and then this kid could carry me around. I cannot explain how grateful I am of the research I conducted before leaving. My choice of pack couldn't have been better. I couldn't imagine lugging those huge bags around. I just laugh as I see them struggling trying to lift them up. That isn't mean, is it? I do laugh quietly if that helps.

If my memory wasn't completely shot, I would say goodbye with the Gaelic Irish word I learned a few days ago. But it's lost in the far reaches of my mind. You'll just have to be content with a regular goodbye.

Goodbye.

Day Eleven - Ireland's End is Near

So it's been 10 days now that I have been away from home. I have had more activity and excitement in these last 10 days then in the 6 months prior to my departure. For my own sanity I feel the need to slow down the pace a bit. Tonight will be a quiet one at the hostel.

I had the same plan for last night but a funny thing happened to me. After arriving here in Killarney, a small town situated near the Ring of Kerry, I was stricken with a bout of hunger. To appease the stomach gods I ventured out into the streets in search of a tasty bite to eat. I was just wandering around, as I usually find myself doing in new locations. I chanced upon an alleyway that really didn't look particularly promising in regards to my search for food. Yet I still felt
a need to explore. Shortly after turning into the alleyway I glanced to my left and couldn't believe what I saw. In the window of a small hostel I recognized the face of my German friend from Galway, Henning.

I ran up to the window, excited to see a familiar face. Henning looked up as he heard me rapping at his chamber door, yet at first he did not realize who I was. When he walked closer his excitement matched mine and he quickly let me in. We decided that we must go out for some pints in celebration of our chance meeting in this town that is in a completely different area of Ireland from where we originally met. We both caught up on our adventures since leaving Galway and then went out to a pub christened The Grand. Henning told me that there is live music there every night of the week. After having a fantastic time at The Grand we bid what will truly be our final farewell, that is of course until I reach Munich where we have plans to meet up again.

So going back to my original opening bit about having a quiet night tonight, I am very much looking forward to it. In the last few days I have been in a new city pretty much every day. That starts to take it's toll on you after a while.

I originally had planned to have a one week anniversary list of the things I have learned while being abroad. Since I missed that milestone I will have to change it to a ten day anniversary list. So here it goes, some of the interesting lessons I have learned so far:

- The Gaelic Irish language is very important to very many Irish citizens, yet only a very small portion of people are able to fluently speak and understand the language. Still, 99% of signs are bilingual, listing both English and Gaelic words.

- Doing your laundry in a sink not any bigger than a shoe box can be messy. I apologize to all of my hostel roommates for the wet floor in the bathroom.

- Guiness tastes a million times better in Ireland. I actually have grown quite fond of that beer. It may only be because everything else that is served at pubs is crap.

- Irish people love to wear my hats. I lost count of how many times I have been at a pub or a club (ha! that rhymes!) and have had my hat stolen from me by some intoxicated Irish person. This goes for girls and boys.

- People from around the world are not as foreign as I once believed. After speaking with travelers from Brazil, Germany, Australia, Belgium, and France I have learned that we all have much in common. Language is usually the only major difference.

- It is not easy to take a decent picture when it's overcast all the time. Many of my photos look better in person. My camera is not able to capture the light all that well sometimes.

- Cooking a decent meal for yourself is so much more satisfying than eating out constantly. I already knew this one from back home but this lesson has been relearned since eating out in Ireland can cost one a pretty penny. I should probably say it cost me a pretty Euro but that isn't as catchy, is it?


- I thoroughly enjoy blogging. Now I can see why this has caught on so much in the last few years. It is a great way to share my experiences while at the same time organizing my thoughts.


- Bus rides almost always make me fall asleep, no matter how awake I was when boarding the bus. There is something about the constant hum of the engine coupled with the vibrations of the bus that just puts me out every time.

- Hostels are great places to meet people. I was told before my trip began that this would be the case. Now I just wish the United States would catch up with Europe as far as the number of hostels goes.

- Living in the Bay Area really is expensive. One can get a room in an apartment in the city center of big places like Munich for about what I paid to live in the suburbs.

- I write long blog entries when I am waiting for my photos to finish uploading to Flickr. You readers are lucky it takes so long to upload these damn pictures or else you wouldn't have this great long list to enjoy.

I suppose that covers some of it. I have learned so much more than that but I didn't exactly write every lesson down as they happened to me so it isn't so easy to recall each one. I will leave you now with the updated Ireland photo extravaganza. There are some really good ones now since I went to the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a very scenic drive through Irish countryside that has some of the best sights in Ireland. Unfortunately the weather was pure crap today when I went so the fog is prominently featured in almost every photo. Although I did particularly like the way it hung around the mountain peaks, as you can see in a few of the photos. Other photos of note are a couple castles I have seen. I'm glad I was able to see at least one castle here in Ireland. One more thing I would like to mention is I have really enjoyed discovering stencil graffiti in the different cities and towns I have visited. I am glad to see that there are stencil artists out here.

Until next time, kids.

Day Five - MMM....Wine.

Well, this has been an active day, blog-wise, huh? You have my lovely little EEE PC netbook to thank for that. Blogging is so much easier when I can do it at my hostel. I just finished eating dinner, which consisted of canned Heinz spaghetti which cost me a dollar along with some gourmet sun dried tomatoes which cost three times as much. An odd pairing but it was delicious. Now I'm having a nice glass of South African Shiraz. Quite a nice dinner indeed. Cooking at the hostel really is the way to go. Food here is pretty expensive if you eat out all the time. Luckily the hostel has a full kitchen, refrigerator, and everything else I would need to make a decent meal. If only I actually knew how to cook...

Tonight I believe I will be going out with my new friend, Henning. He is a young German lad whom was studying abroad in Belfast, a large city in the north of Ireland, but not in Northern Ireland which is pretty much a different country. I'm not sure what we will be doing but finding fun in Galway is not terribly difficult. Especially if I have had a few glasses of wine ahead of time.

I must be going now, I believe my French acquaintances from my first night in Galway will be using my computer soon. Why make them pay for an internet cafe when mine is free?

Day Five - Photo Redux

Here are those photos I attempted to upload yesterday, plus some new ones I have taken since.

Day 5 - New toy!

So I bought a netbook today. It's basically a very small laptop that is fairly inexpensive. The reason I bought it is because internet cafes were proving to be expensive. Even with the 280 euros I spent on this device I should be saving money in the long run. Plus, it is so much more convenient. Every hostel and internet cafe I've seen so far has free wifi so now I do not have to pay for internet use! This is good news for all of my viewers back home because now I can make more comprehensive and frequent updates without worrying about how much time it takes me. And I can do it all from the comfort of my hostel instead of having to trek out to a cafe.

I w0uld update all of you on my recent adventures but I'm too excited about my new toy so I'm going to go play with it for a while.

Day 4 - Some Photos

Here are some of those photos I promised earlier. I have much more but uploading takes a long time. Note the "Emo" gas station.

EDIT: Nevermind, the photos aren't uploading for some reason. I'll try again later.

Day Two - Polish People Kick Ass

So day one was not so exciting. Day two on the other hand has been full of adventure. It started off with my decision to leave Dublin. I just got too lost there and I didn't know what was fun to do. I decided I would try my hand at hitchhiking to Galway, a small-ish town on the west coast of Ireland.

I figured if I'm going to hitchhike, I should buy a knife. Just in case, you know? I went to Tesco, the local grocery store, and grabbed myself a knife and an empty cardboard box from one of the employees. I made a sign stating my intended destination. While sitting on a bench in a mall constructing said sign, an old man named Gerry walked up to me and started chatting. I could tell he was a bit off but he invited me to get some tea so I felt it would be a good opportunity to chat with a local. This guy was a weirdo. He kept going on about nude beaches on the Catalina Islands. I heard stories about how he went to these beaches, took his clothes off, and how much he loved it. This guy would not shut up about these damn beaches. He then advised that I should take my clothes off if I find myself in such a situation. The whole time this bloke was chatting with me I kept getting the feeling he wished I would take my clothes off right then and there in the cafe. It was weird.

After drinking tea he guided me to the street I needed to walk down in order to catch a ride to Galway. Gerry felt inclined to give me his contact info so that I may send him correspondence while on my trip. I politely obliged but all the while in my head I was secretly thinking about my chances of outrunning him if I were to just bolt off. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be able to catch me, even with my backpack on. At what appeared to be the end of our encounter I wished him well and mistakenly gave the man a hug. Gerry then almost kissed me. For some reason he thought a hug meant a make-out session. Awkwardly, I gently pushed him away and said my final goodbye and quickly walked in the opposite direction as him, even though he was going the way that I needed to be going. Before I left I wondered how long it would take to have my first truly bizarre experience. Two days is the answer to that one.

After bidding Gerry farewell, I headed down to the edge of town to catch a ride. I walked for maybe 20 minutes then decided to try my luck with my makeshift sign and raised thumb. It didn't take long for a taxi to stop next to me. I assumed the man was trying to get me into his car so that he could charge me a fare to take me where I wanted to go. I told the man that I wasn't looking to get a taxi and he responded that he was off duty and on his way home and he would be happy to take me to a better spot to get a ride. He had a petrol station in mind that was right at the edge of Dublin that he said would be perfect for hitching a ride. After getting dropped off there I thanked him very much and rejoiced in my first successful hitchhiking attempt.

The second try was a bit harder though. I waited about half an hour in snow and cold winds for a ride. Nobody wanted to pick me up even though there was a lot of traffic going past. Finally a woman in an SUV stopped and I ran to get into her car. It is unusual for a single woman to pick up a hitchhiker so I was very grateful that she would take a chance on me. We talked the entire way about how she was from Poland, how she moved to Ireland to work, US politics, Irish economy, all sorts of stuff. She couldn't take me all the way to Galway but the town she lives in is only 20 km from my destination. She dropped me off and I raised my sign and thumb once more. Within a few minutes another car stopped, this time a single man. He was polish too! What are the chances of that. Apparantly polish people are more apt to pick up hitchhikers because hitchhiking is more common in Poland than some other countries. Ireland also has a very large polish population, so I was in luck! Unfortunately this ride would only take me within 8 km of Galway, so I needed to get one more. Only a minute or so passed before my final driver showed up, a younger Irish lad. He took me right to the city center, gave me some advice on Galway, then we parted ways.

Galway is a cool little town. It has a population of about 70,000, largely made up of young people. I believe there is a college around here somewhere. I feel much more comfortable here then I did in Dublin, and I'm sure I'll have more fun too.

I'm very excited to have successfully hitchhiked the width of Ireland, even if it only takes two hours to drive it. I have pictures but I can't seem to figure out how to upload them to this internet cafe's computer and the time here is expensive so I'll upload them later. I'm having a blast so far. I feel like I'm starting to get into the routine of my nomadic lifestyle.

Day One - Lost in the Big City

Well folks, I made it safe and sound. The plane had barely anyone on it so I got to stretch out on four seats to sleep, it was awesome. When I first got off the plane I was greeted by the brisk Irish cold. I got spoiled from my 70 degree California winter weather, I wasn't quite ready for the drop in temperature. It's not snowing right now but 15 minutes ago it was and it sure was dumping. I was even getting hailed on for a few minutes. The pilot told me it was two degrees Celsius when we arrived. That should be in the ballpark of about 34-36 degrees I think. Pretty cold.

I spent a good chunk of my day today just walking around, trying to figure out where I was, where I was going, and what I was going to do when I got there. I have so much time on my hands I'm not even sure what to do with it. I'm going to have to come up with some kind of strategy for figuring out the interesting things to do in all the new places I'm going to go to. For now, it's 7 PM and I think I'm going to go get my first Irish beer.

Side note, the beer selection at most stores is sorely lacking. Maybe I'm just spoiled by being from California. Guiness is about the only beer I've seen that I would purchase and I don't even like Guiness! Apparently shitty American beer is popular here. All the stores carry Bud, MGD, I've even seen Corona. What are these people thinking. For a nation that is known for drinking, they sure do drink garbage.

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so here it is. the travel blog for all of my wanderings.