The Sights of Sri Lanka

One of the great things about traveling, and only having a fairly loose agenda, is that it allows for expectation free, spontaneous decision making which can end up taking you to random and amazing places. With the lengthy planning which usually precedes most vacations, we frequently go into each vacation with elevated expectations. With those expectations comes the risk of a vacation that could actually turn into a crushing disappointment. Conversely, going to a destination with only very limited planning, as we did during our trip to Sri Lanka, a scenario exists where every day is an expectation free adventure. The potential for disappointment is far less with this more ignorant version of travel, but it's quite freeing. You do run the risk of missing something uniquely beautiful to a specific region, but if you didn't even know it existed prior to arrival, can you really miss it in the first place?

Manic Wednesday

I've never really experimented too much with time lapse photography. The photo of lightning over the Colosseum in Rome was actually my first foray into the style. This video is a compilation of the 800 photos I took in 3 second intervals as we were packing for an international flight from Sri Lanka to Ireland. We thought it would be fun to use time lapse photography to chronicle what its like for a backpacker to get everything in order as they leave yet another place of lodging. Enjoy.

The Colors of India

Hello everyone. I'd like to take a moment to personally thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I spent the better part of 20 hrs editing these photos during down time, train rides in Sri Lanka, and long airport layovers. I'm now in Ireland amongst my people but I loved the photographic opportunities which India presented. So many colors, unique landmarks, interesting people, and festivals. I don't know if I've ever enjoyed taking photographs in any other country as much as I did in India. So while this sexy child molester-esque mustache no longer exists, the memories of the time we shared in India linger on. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Is it Possible to Love India?

India is a place I never figured I'd visit. Whether it was fear or laziness, as mentioned in my previous post, I never felt like dealing with the crowds, noise, garbage, and wasn't too keen on figuring out how to navigate their public transportation system either. Armed with that pre-existing negative mindset towards India, I figured I would take note of what I was seeing and how I was feeling during each day of the trip to see if the country would grow on me, have the opposite effect, or be somewhere in between. Some of the phrases will only mean anything if you've been here, other phrases will just speak for themselves. This experiment proved to be an interesting exercise and I'm a bit surprised by the result.

The Problem with India

What's the problem with India? Which is to say, why has a seasoned backpacker like myself never had the desire to visit this vast and colorful country? What is it about India that terrified me, and why have I visited such countries as Bulgaria and Serbia before finally making my way here? I've always felt India is a rite of passage for backpackers, but to make it part of our 2014 itinerary was due mainly to my wife Sara. Without her desire to see India, I might never have made it part of my travel plans. Why?

Slow Motion Thoughts

I've been a bit bummed that I haven't really had any real moments of self-enlightenment on this trip, or at least not like I had back in 2012. I learned so much about myself during that year-long trip and was thinking I would have similar revelations on this trip, especially since I would now be traveling with my wife. But I really haven't. This 2014 journey has felt like it's been going in slow motion, which isn't a bad thing, it's just a product of having done so much traveling, that I'm used to the lifestyle. You hear athletes say all the time how the games go so fast when they're rookies and that when they get more years under their belts the games start to slow down. Well, the same holds true for travel. I've seen and done so much that I generally know what to expect and am more than used to dealing with the unexpected. I never thought I'd travel to such an extent that I would ever feel this way, but I have, and it's an interesting state of being to which I am slowly becoming accustomed. Here are some other thoughts which have been running around between my ears lately.

Drunk Traveling

Back in 2012 I wrote a post about travel hangovers. Similar to an an alcohol induced hangover, it described that 'blah' feeling you get after an amazing travel experience where you don't really want to get out of bed and see something new because you need to recover from the time that just was. I now present to you another drinking related travel comparison: Drunk Traveling. While my sleeping in the lobby of a 24 hour bank ATM way back in 2007 was the culmination of a day spent at Oktoberfest followed by a train ride to Fussen, the drunk traveling which occurred back then is not what I will be discussing here, though this post is inspired by the sequence of events following another long day of drinking at this year's Oktoberfest. Funny how that works.

It's Gonna Be a Montage

I hadn't realized how long it has been since I last posted pictures from this trip. Since I last posted photos I've been to Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Germany, China, Nepal, and now have just arrived in India. I'll be posting pictures of Nepal in a future post, but before we get to the photo montage of those other countries, let me give you a summary of my time in those countries.

Be Advised

Hello again. Been almost 2 months since my last post due busy days in Italy, Oktoberfest in Munich, and internet censorship in China. I promise to post some pictures when I again have some reliable internet, as the signal here in the chaotic city of Kathmandu, Nepal is often infuriatingly inconsistent. In the meantime, here is a post about how best to use guidebooks and travel sites when planning your next getaway.

The Night I Slept with a Princess

Arguably, the most enjoyable part of a trip is the planning for the trip itself. Generally, you've been working for months on end with only the occasional day off providing relief from the daily grind. The prospect of a whole week away from your boss while spending time in the wilderness, exploring a foreign land, relaxing at an all-inclusive resort, or catching up with infrequently seen loved ones, makes it hard to contain your excitement. You've planned the trip for months, and the time has finally come to enjoy the fruits of your planning labor. Then it rains. Your bags get lost. Everyone gets food poisoning. It becomes painfully obvious why those relatives are infrequently seen. Reality has let you down to the point you're disturbingly and somewhat sickeningly thankful to actually return to work. Expectation and Reality share an interesting relationship in that regard. When reality meets heightened expectations (see Tanzania safari), the fruits of your labor will never taste sweeter. When reality clashes with heightened expectations (see Morocco), you feel cheated and betrayed. Very rarely would you ever willingly put yourself in a situation where you would want reality to confirm lowered expectations. That just seems like a depressing waste of time. Which leaves the final relationship: an unimaginable reality stemming from lowered expectations. Or for the purposes of this blog entry: The Night I Slept with a Princess.

A Day in the Life: Serengeti

While I didn't give the name, "A Day in the Life" to other posts, I am probably going to start a segment of posts with such a title to give a little snapshot into what can happen in just 1 day as a backpacker. Not every day is glamorous, nor is every day at home. In the 4 days since the safari ended, I did very little but lie down in a bed in my hostel and just decompress. Arusha, Tanzania isn't exactly high on sights, so I didn't miss out on much in my laziness. The 2 weeks prior to my time here was full of adventure, including 4 days in the Serengeti. Here is what happened in one 24 hour time span during that trip.

Sand Blasted

I finally made it to the Sahara desert while in Morocco. It was a singular day on this worldly journey which I was highly anticipating. A camel ride in the desert terminating at a Berber campsite, we were to camp there for the night in a home made of dunes and an infinite number of twinkling stars. It was supposed to be an escape from the chaotic souks, a chance to exhale and reconnect with nature. But by the time I actually had a chance to exhale, all that came out of my mouth was Saharan sand.

The Long Overdue Latvia and Norway Pics

Fjords of Norway

It Took the Length of an American School Day to Upload These Pics. THIS IS AFRICA!

Well it took nearly 7 hours to upload these pics. Woke up around 3:30am to ensure slightly faster hostel internet speeds. Started the uploading process while reading the last few innings of the O's win over Toronto. Endured some loud Spaniards in our hostel dorm doing their worst impression of a couple trying to have a quiet whisper conversation while rustling around with plastic bags in their skivvies. Waited for others to eat their breakfast and leave the hostel so that upload speeds would again be faster, and here we are. Pictures of Lithuania and Morocco. Perhaps if I wake up early tomorrow I'll try to get some animal pics posted. Hope you enjoy.

Uzupis, Lithuania

Like Sands Through the Hourglass, So are the Days of our Lives

Ahhh soap operas. Early afternoon weekday appointment TV for the masses who live at home. A respite from reruns and judge shows. Story lines which seem to recycle every generation. I wonder what kind of conniving Victor has been up to lately? Not really my idea of Must See TV, but the opening line to that iconic soap opera is a fitting description of my time spent in Morocco.

Sensory Suffocation and other Free Time Conclusions

It may seem as though my entire life is nothing but free time these days, and for anyone who's not retired or on summer break, I'd be hard pressed to argue with you. But in actuality, I probably have the same amount of free time on the road as I do at home and fewer things to do during my free time. I know. Boo hoo for me, right? But it's kinda true. After a day of work I can lay on my couch, watch TV, hang out with friends/family, participate in sports, go to the gym, go see a movie, go to a bar, read, watch my wife organize the house and do chores, etc etc. Now obviously, I can still do some of those things after a day of sightseeing, but Sara and I are on a budget, and for destinations not found in Africa, Asia, and the former Soviet Union, once we pay for lodging and food for the day, there generally isn't much left of the daily budget to go on excursions or go out for a night on the town. That isn't to say we don't occasionally splurge, but as we have made the conscious decision to try and prolong our travels for as close to a year as possible, generally our nights are spent sitting in a hostel common area or dorm bed in a room with 4-8 other people. And while I did actually finish a Jack Reacher novel the other day (first book I've read since Oct 2012), most of my free time is spent thinking. All of this is a long winded way of saying, "Here are some of my thoughts and conclusions made during the trip to date."

Breaking Up is Hard to Do...

...especially when you've been married as long as I have. But sometimes in life, you have to know when you've outgrown each other, and just move on. And so I write this letter to you, as an homage to the important role you've played in making me the person I am today.

Images to Date

The quirkiness of Reykjavik

I Look Good for 60

While my 35th birthday isn't until June 16th, I did turn 60 on June 8th upon arrival into Estonia. 60 countries visited. It was a festive occasion. The captain of the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn gave me a hug and a hearty handshake. There was a parade through the streets of Old Town Tallinn, and to top it all off, the Prime Minister of Estonia gave me the key to the City of Tallinn for the day. Or none of that stuff happened and upon leaving the ferry I had to schlep about 1/2 mile on the cobblestone streets of Tallinn with my large backpack in tow and then climb 4 flights of stairs to get to my hostel.

Packing it In

One of the questions friends and family most frequently ask me is, "How/What do you pack for a trip like this?" The answer often repulses them, but you can't pack an outfit a day and a pair of shoes to go with each outfit like a lot of people would do for week's vacation. You have to be practical and learn to make a little go a long way.

I'm Back

Although I guess that depends on to whom you talk. If you ask family and friends stateside, they'll tell you I'm leaving them again....for a year or so....again. But this time, I will be sharing my worldly experiences with my wife, Sara.

Most of you know I am now married, and for those of you who don't, now you do. Here's a recap of how the whirlwind romance unfolded: