In the waning hours of slinging pints, a few people asked me what is new. Usually, I would say not much, but given the impending reality that I am flying to Nairobi, Kenya on Monday it is hard to reply "same old, same old".
Honestly, I love to travel, but I hate douchebags who think that there is some hierarchy to travel. One night in a local bar some dork said that I was not a "real traveler" compared to him. Personally, I didn't know that there was an awards banquet for Traveler Of The Year. Nor was I aware, that a journey to Place A was more valid than a journey to Place B.
I just love travel. I love reading and hearing about travel, and I don't care if it is a trip to visit your family in Saskatchewan or an impromptu trip to Paris or New York or London.
Please regale me with the stories that you think are boring.
Mostly I like experiencing travel.
Prepare to be regaled by my own boring stories.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
What If?
I often find it difficult to reconcile the things I do with who I am, my travels being a prime example. Increasingly I come to the conclusion that I get a voyeuristic thrill by scaring the hell out of myself. I'm not some base jumper, I'm not Survivor Man, and I don't even like carrying large trays of drinks.
I would describe my general philosophy as a sort of incremental pragmatism, and dare I say it, slightly conservative. I tend to consider things very carefully before making a move, but for some reason travel has become a yang to this dominant ying.
I know someone who is currently learning how to parachute, something I would never do. Another friend bought a top of the line Harley, never having driven a motorcycle before. Even the sales staff at Harley Davidson were incredulous as he lurched his way out of the dealership. As for me, I travel, but the need is the same.
It is the basic human desire to feel alive, to get that rush of adrenalin while challenging ourselves to have new experiences, to escape for a time the routine and mundane that comprise a significant and necessary chunk of our lives.
,
Make no mistake, you need not spend huge amounts of money to shake off the horse latitudes of tedium.
The solution is simply to go do something that you've never done before, and accept the reality that no matter how small or large you may perceive your world to be, your experiences are dwarfed by the possibilities that remain.
As I write this, I am deeply stressed about my trip to Kenya and Tanzania, my mind at times racing about all the things that could go wrong. What if? What if? What if?
But then another question creeps in.
What if I don't?
Living with fear is one thing, dying with regret is quite another.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
I would describe my general philosophy as a sort of incremental pragmatism, and dare I say it, slightly conservative. I tend to consider things very carefully before making a move, but for some reason travel has become a yang to this dominant ying.
I know someone who is currently learning how to parachute, something I would never do. Another friend bought a top of the line Harley, never having driven a motorcycle before. Even the sales staff at Harley Davidson were incredulous as he lurched his way out of the dealership. As for me, I travel, but the need is the same.
It is the basic human desire to feel alive, to get that rush of adrenalin while challenging ourselves to have new experiences, to escape for a time the routine and mundane that comprise a significant and necessary chunk of our lives.
,
Make no mistake, you need not spend huge amounts of money to shake off the horse latitudes of tedium.
The solution is simply to go do something that you've never done before, and accept the reality that no matter how small or large you may perceive your world to be, your experiences are dwarfed by the possibilities that remain.
As I write this, I am deeply stressed about my trip to Kenya and Tanzania, my mind at times racing about all the things that could go wrong. What if? What if? What if?
But then another question creeps in.
What if I don't?
Living with fear is one thing, dying with regret is quite another.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Accidental Traveler
Honestly, I did not plan to go to Kenya. I had wanted to go to Kenya, but research had shown me that a trip to Kenya was a wealthy persons journey and far beyond my means.
I was actually considering Peru. Airfare to Peru was $800 and costs on the ground seemed manageable. Airfare to Kenya was $1700 and a low budget safari is $200 per day. But when Cayelle gave me a tip on a return airfare to Nairobi for $775, I found I could not resist the siren song of a cheap ride.
So I am off to Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar, but not in the accepted fashion. Finances dictate that I shall not be cloistered and pampered. I will crash at the dives, ride the buses, and eat on the streets.
I may not see all the animals that I wish, but I will have ample opportunity to observe the genus that most fascinates me; my fellow human beings.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
I was actually considering Peru. Airfare to Peru was $800 and costs on the ground seemed manageable. Airfare to Kenya was $1700 and a low budget safari is $200 per day. But when Cayelle gave me a tip on a return airfare to Nairobi for $775, I found I could not resist the siren song of a cheap ride.
So I am off to Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar, but not in the accepted fashion. Finances dictate that I shall not be cloistered and pampered. I will crash at the dives, ride the buses, and eat on the streets.
I may not see all the animals that I wish, but I will have ample opportunity to observe the genus that most fascinates me; my fellow human beings.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
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