There's an article on Matador Travel that got me thinking:
How to Deal With Friends While Traveling
I left a comment, but there's one more piece of advice I'd like to offer.
If you and your friends reach a point in your travels where you just can't stand each other, duke it out. I'm serious. Find a nice, open area and have at it. FIGHT.
I'm not saying beat your friends up till they're a bloody mess. I'm just saying both of you need to let some aggression out. So there's nothing wrong with putting your backpacking buddy in a headlock. Just don't break any bones.
A wide open area works well for a fight. St. Mark's Square works well. The Inca Trail does not. Outdoors would be preferable, although if you're in an English pub, you could get away with it. You might get help from the patrons.
Consider your surroundings when you grapple. You don't want to fight in high altitudes, since you'll get tired easily. Again, the Sacred Valley is No Fighting Zone. Is there a fountain close to where you're fighting? That's even better. First one to get completely soaked loses. This works best on a hot day. Oh that reminds me, make sure you're hydrated. All that slap-fighting and such can take a lot out of you.
If there is more than one person in your traveling party that you have a beef with, consider a Battle Royal. Last man (or woman) standing is the winner. Or, if you'd like to foster team dynamics, a tag team battle works well here.
If you decide to follow my advice, it's best to pack accordingly. Make sure to bring three very long pieces of nylon rope; Enough rope to from a wrestling ring. You can be creative with your surrounding and use trees, stop signs or statues as ring posts. To be inclusive, convince a local to officiate your bout. And if your new-found referee declares you the winner, buy him a drink.
Some people might find this advice barbaric. Whatever. This isn't about them. This is about you and your friends hashing out your differences the way men and women have done for years. By senseless physical horseplay.
It'll work. Trust me.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
L.A. Adventures: Chelsea/Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl
On a hot Pasadena evening, I caught a football match. You know, real football. Not that American kind. I'm talkin' FOOTBALL. Where guys don't touch the ball with their hands and dive on the field without anyone touching them.
Chelsea played Inter Milan, as part of the World Football Challenge. Also part of the challenge, but playing elsewhere in the States, are AC Milan and Club America. These matches are friendlies played in round-robin style. This is hardly Champions League levels of prestige, but hey, you can spend part of your summer in sunny Southern California.
I went to the match with my friends Nate, Giulia and Ken. We arrived at the Rose Bowl 30 minutes late. It happens. This is LA.
Our seats were close to the pitch (Ooh look at me with my football terminology). Having never been to a match before, I had no idea that the majority of the time is spent standing up. I was exhausted from the drive in, so I chose to sit. This hampered my view a little.
This is Inter making a run...
...and this is Chelsea about to take a corner kick. I was rooting for Chelsea because part of my tour of London included a visit to Stamford Bridge, which remains a highlight of my time there.
While missing the first 20 minutes of the game (oops, sorry, MATCH), we saw the halftime entertainment in its entirety. According to Nate, the singer's name was Andy. Andy from Aremenia. I looked up at the Jumbotron and saw this. She wasn't so bad...
...until I realized Andy was the dude with the tight black jeans and yellow shirt. He wasn't so bad either. There were also belly dancers on stage, but I was too stunned to take any pictures. Sorry.
The second half proved uneventful, except for a lone Chelsea goal on a penalty kick. The rest of the match was spent taking in all the sights (such as the two Inter guys in the picture above doing ab workouts throughout the half) and listening to Nate and Ken talk football formations and English Premier League news. Now I know how my friends feel when I talk about UCLA basketball. They're probably thinking, "What is this guy talking about? He's speaking but I can't understand a WORD he's saying!" Yeah, that's how I felt. Sorry guys.
The match ended at 10. We didn't get out of the Rose Bowl until 11:15. That's actually pretty good. The night was capped with a jaunt to the Red Lion Inn in Silverlake. Bratwurst never tasted so good.
Did I mention this was on a work night? I didn't get home until 1:45 AM. I don't do that often, but the following day as I sit at work in a daze wondering what the hell just happened, I question my choice to stay up late. And then I plan for the next outing.
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Niche
I found this article on my twitter feed last week.
Why Travel Writers Really Need a Niche
The article suggests to "find a specific topic that you are passionate about (and no, “travel” is not specific enough), and focus on writing about that topic."
I read this article and became disheartened. While I love writing about travel, I don't have a niche. I haven't been abroad for that long to be considered an expert in anything.
While I'm sad that I can't think of a niche right away, I realize the niches are found over time. And the more I try to find a niche, the more frustrated I'll become. And the desire to write will die.
Screw that.
In the meantime, I'll keep writing, honing the craft, finding my voice. Although I will say that after some thought, I have a feeling my niche will be somewhat related to this picture:
I think I'll rename my blog "Me and the Cuy." That's pretty precise, right?
Why Travel Writers Really Need a Niche
The article suggests to "find a specific topic that you are passionate about (and no, “travel” is not specific enough), and focus on writing about that topic."
I read this article and became disheartened. While I love writing about travel, I don't have a niche. I haven't been abroad for that long to be considered an expert in anything.
While I'm sad that I can't think of a niche right away, I realize the niches are found over time. And the more I try to find a niche, the more frustrated I'll become. And the desire to write will die.
Screw that.
In the meantime, I'll keep writing, honing the craft, finding my voice. Although I will say that after some thought, I have a feeling my niche will be somewhat related to this picture:
I think I'll rename my blog "Me and the Cuy." That's pretty precise, right?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Stateside
A year ago on this day, I was riding an elephant in Chiang Mai.
Two years ago, I was on a plane to Lima, ready to hike the Sacred Trail of the Incas.
Today, I'm in L.A., minutes away from meeting with friends, watching fireworks and eating pulled pork sandwiches.
This is the first time I've celebrated Independence Day stateside in three years. I enjoyed being abroad every July 4th. It made me more aware of my place in this gigantic world. It made me proud to be an American. But it also made me more aware of cultures that are not my own.
But there's nothing like a Fourth of July BBQ. I've missed those.
Two years ago, I was on a plane to Lima, ready to hike the Sacred Trail of the Incas.
Today, I'm in L.A., minutes away from meeting with friends, watching fireworks and eating pulled pork sandwiches.
This is the first time I've celebrated Independence Day stateside in three years. I enjoyed being abroad every July 4th. It made me more aware of my place in this gigantic world. It made me proud to be an American. But it also made me more aware of cultures that are not my own.
But there's nothing like a Fourth of July BBQ. I've missed those.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Kokoreç
There's a section in the Rick Steves guide to Istanbul devoted to street food. Along with mussels,kebabs and sandwiches, you can also get something called Kokoreç.
*Credit: Turkish Politics in Action*
Kokoreç is basically grilled sheep intestines, seasoned, and served with tomatoes and peppers. I don't know how it tastes, but I aim to eat one of these bad boys. Hold the tomato.
Could it be any worse than balut? Or cuy? I doubt it. I'll try most foods, especially if they're sold by street vendors. Am I crazy? Probably.
Has anyone had Kokoreç ? What's it like? Should I be warned?
*Credit: Turkish Politics in Action*
Kokoreç is basically grilled sheep intestines, seasoned, and served with tomatoes and peppers. I don't know how it tastes, but I aim to eat one of these bad boys. Hold the tomato.
Could it be any worse than balut? Or cuy? I doubt it. I'll try most foods, especially if they're sold by street vendors. Am I crazy? Probably.
Has anyone had Kokoreç ? What's it like? Should I be warned?
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Wandering
I ordered Rick Steves' Guides to Istanbul and Athens, as well as the Lonely Planet Guide to Egypt. Guidebooks maybe considered "old school" nowadays, with the proliferation of Twitter accounts, online forums and blogs. The traveler has so much information, that lugging huge books in their backpacks is inconvenient. Whatever. I still get the guidebooks.
Rick Steves' books are big on self-guided walking tours. One of my fondest memories of Amsterdam is the taking the Jordaan walking tour. I wandered down canals, passed people's homes, all in relative peace. Those are the experiences I long for.
*Taken on the Jordaan Walk*
When traveling, don't forget The Wandering. Wandering works best when you're traveling independently, but some organized tours have time in their itineraries for walking around and taking in the scene. Beware the tours that limit your wandering time.
Unless you're in North Korea. Then don't wander.
Rick Steves' books are big on self-guided walking tours. One of my fondest memories of Amsterdam is the taking the Jordaan walking tour. I wandered down canals, passed people's homes, all in relative peace. Those are the experiences I long for.
*Taken on the Jordaan Walk*
When traveling, don't forget The Wandering. Wandering works best when you're traveling independently, but some organized tours have time in their itineraries for walking around and taking in the scene. Beware the tours that limit your wandering time.
Unless you're in North Korea. Then don't wander.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Travel Keywords
This month, I've been learning how to be a better man.
The Art of Manliness has a 30-day challenge on how to be a better man. Each day, men (and women, should they choose to accept the challenge) are given a task to complete. The tasks vary from shining your shoes, to taking a woman on a date, to writing your own eulogy. Each task is geared to equip males to become better...males.
The task for Day One was Define Your Core Values. What are the values by which you live your life? For example, my core values are Humor, Humility, Honesty, Integrity and Love. With everything I do and say, I try to adhere to these values.
Why not apply this concept of to travel? When we plan a trip, we want to do too much. We pack our itineraries to the brim. Then our trip becomes more about crossing off things on our to-do list, than enjoying our surroundings. That's no fun.
What if we did some thinking before we plan? What if we came up with a short list of Travel Core Values? Core Values may not be a good fit here, so let's say Keywords; What do we think of when we see "travel"? What phrases or images come to mind? Once we define those Keywords, our planning can now be centered around these words. We don't have to plan everything. Just the things that matter to us.
Here are some sample Keywords:
Food
Culture
Music
Fun
Partying
Adventure
Politics
Community
Environment
History
Art
Volunteering
...and there are so many more Keywords out there.
A fun exercise you could do by yourself, or with your travel companions, is to come up with three to five Travel Keywords. From there, when you plan, you can spend your energy researching activities that are centered around those Keywords. Your trip can be a quest to find the perfect Italian gelato, or a week secluded in a Tuscan villa. You get the most out of your vacation, and peace of mind, to boot.
What are your Travel Keywords? I'll put mine up shortly...
The Art of Manliness has a 30-day challenge on how to be a better man. Each day, men (and women, should they choose to accept the challenge) are given a task to complete. The tasks vary from shining your shoes, to taking a woman on a date, to writing your own eulogy. Each task is geared to equip males to become better...males.
The task for Day One was Define Your Core Values. What are the values by which you live your life? For example, my core values are Humor, Humility, Honesty, Integrity and Love. With everything I do and say, I try to adhere to these values.
Why not apply this concept of to travel? When we plan a trip, we want to do too much. We pack our itineraries to the brim. Then our trip becomes more about crossing off things on our to-do list, than enjoying our surroundings. That's no fun.
What if we did some thinking before we plan? What if we came up with a short list of Travel Core Values? Core Values may not be a good fit here, so let's say Keywords; What do we think of when we see "travel"? What phrases or images come to mind? Once we define those Keywords, our planning can now be centered around these words. We don't have to plan everything. Just the things that matter to us.
Here are some sample Keywords:
Food
Culture
Music
Fun
Partying
Adventure
Politics
Community
Environment
History
Art
Volunteering
...and there are so many more Keywords out there.
A fun exercise you could do by yourself, or with your travel companions, is to come up with three to five Travel Keywords. From there, when you plan, you can spend your energy researching activities that are centered around those Keywords. Your trip can be a quest to find the perfect Italian gelato, or a week secluded in a Tuscan villa. You get the most out of your vacation, and peace of mind, to boot.
What are your Travel Keywords? I'll put mine up shortly...
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