Land, Air, and See

Tulum, Mexico: Part Three

2011-07-26T16:15:00.000-04:00

One of the defining features of Tulum is the collection of ancient Mayan ruins that line the coast. For a few pesos, you can enter what used to be a bustling mecca of Mayan culture. Plan on spending at least two hours exploring this one-of-kind marvel. Here's another shot from inside the Tulum ruins:

Less than two hours away (by car) from Tulum is the area of Coba. There you can rent a mountain bike for approximately one US dollar and explore jungle paths even more ancient ruins.

While you're exploring the jungle in Coba, do yourself a favor and climb this pyramid:

It's almost 150' tall! Here's the view from the top:

Tulum, Mexico: Part Two

2011-05-20T11:37:00.001-04:00

The best place to stay in Tulum is right on the beach. The narrow beach road contains miles and miles of small motels and cabana rentals. We chose an ocean view cabana at the Piedra Escondida . This gorgeous property is nestled between two large rock outcroppings, giving you the feel of a private beach hideaway. Here was the view from our room:

During peak season, it's best to book your accomodations in advance. However, if you travel to Tulum in the off season, you can usually drive down the beach road and have your pick of many available rooms, some with negotiable prices.

Tulum is home to one of the world's most beautiful coral reefs. For less than $30 (USD) per person, you can charter a small boat to the reef, complete with a dive guide and snorkeling equipment. In the first picture above you'll see Manny, our dive guide for the afternoon, working on the boat that took us to the reef.

After a long day in the ocean, we headed to the coolest restaurant in Tulum, El Tabano.

El Tabano is located on the jungle side of the beach road, tucked behind a row of palm trees and huge cactus plants. It features an open-air kitchen where traditional recipes are given a gourmet twist. The staff are incredibly welcoming and really goes the extra mile to make you feel at home. We recommend a fresh mojito paired with the mouth-watering ceviche, full of fresh caught local seafood.

In the third and final post on Tulum, we'll show you some of the incredible ancient ruins that you can tour while you visit.

Egypt, Anyone?

2011-02-08T13:15:00.000-05:00

From Death and Tazes Magazine:

"It may not seem like a great time to head to Cairo, but if you’re looking to travel on a budget and don’t mind possibly dying, Egypt awaits."

Full article here: http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/49698/flights-to-egypt-are-crazy-cheap/

France by Bicycle

2010-11-10T12:57:00.001-05:00

This picture was taken in St. Emilion on our 2009 trip through France. It was one of the most tranquil and charming places we've ever visited. I wish we would have known about this company when we visited though.

DIGnGO offers what they call "Gourmet Bike Tours" through many of France's most beautiful regions, including St. Emilion. Check out their amazing inteneraries which include the best accomodations, meals, and wine tastings.

http://www.digngo.com/

Tulum, Mexico: Part One

2010-09-02T16:49:00.000-04:00

Tulum sits on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. Once home to a thriving Mayan civilization, Tulum is now growing in popularity in the destination and eco travel market. Land, Air, and See recently spent a week in Tulum and we want to share our highlights and tips with you.

To get to Tulum you'll most likely fly in to Cancun Airport. The tourism agencies at the airport will bombard you with brochures, coupons, and other to-good-to-be-true offers. It can be overwhelming at times and many of the "deals" come with strings attached so be prepared to firmly decline their pitches and stick to your plan. Cancun is overcrowded and overdeveloped so we recommend getting out of the city quickly. Tulum is just over an hour from the airport by car. A one way cab ride from the airport will cost $60-$70 (USD). For the cost of a round trip cab ride, you can rent your own car and have the flexibility and convenience of a car for the duration of your trip. Driving in this part of Mexico is easy and safe. Just watch out for the incredible amount of random speed bumps that dot the roads. You'll know they're coming when you see this sign:

Tulum has two main sections: the oceanfront and the pueblo. The main road from Cancun runs a straight shot into Tulum Pueblo. There you'll find several square blocks of markets, restaurants, hostels, gift shops, local artisans, and tourism kiosks. This is a great place to pick up essentials for your trip and souvenirs to take home. Remember, it's acceptable to bargain with the local merchants when shopping. The first price they quote you is rarely their final price and only the inexperienced tourist falls for the initial offer. Be sure to learn a little basic Spanish before you arrive. Most of the locals speak some English but it's nice to greet them and chat a bit in their language. That simple gesture goes a long way to enhancing your travel experience.

In Part Two, we'll talk about lodging and then hit the beautiful beaches of Tulum.

Airplane Etiquette: Making Friends

2010-08-04T12:22:00.000-04:00

Pretty much all you need to know about making friends on a plane.

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen: Things

2010-07-20T12:14:00.000-04:00

In case you missed them, PEOPLE and PLACES.

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen: Places

2010-07-06T11:35:00.002-04:00

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen: People

2010-07-01T14:02:00.001-04:00

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen

2010-06-30T11:36:00.000-04:00

Close friend and talented photographer, Brook Maikut, recently took a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. My original idea was to have him and his fellow travelers do a write up on the trip, accompanied by a few pictures. That all changed when I saw the way Brook's camera captured the true spirit of their time in Denmark. Brook's postcard to us supplies the only words necessary to set the stage for the next few entries...

In the following posts we'll feature photos of Copenhagen's people, places, and things, hand-picked by the artist. Enjoi!

Nowhere

2010-06-23T14:15:00.000-04:00

http://nowheremag.com/

Very cool, original travel stories. Check it out!

Get It While the Gettin's Good

2010-05-18T14:03:00.000-04:00

Oddly enough, it's a pretty good time to be an American tourist right now (unless you're in Greece or Thailand). Thanks to the dark cloud of debt issues that surround the Euro, now might be the best time in a long time to take your dollars on a trip to Europe. Compared to even just six months ago, you'll get more bang for your buck on food, lodging, transportation, and shopping.

Head over to XE and check the current exchange rate.

P.S. - If your looking for more bargains, I hear Iceland is lovely this time of year...

So That Explains It

2010-05-17T16:59:00.000-04:00

Fascinating article by Jonah Lehrer on how your mind responds to travel.

"When we escape from the place we spend most of our time, the mind is suddenly made aware of all those errant ideas we'd previously suppressed. We start thinking about obscure possibilities that never would have occurred to us if we'd stayed back on the farm."

Read the full article here.

http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/12/why_we_travel.php

Aloha!

2010-05-11T10:46:00.000-04:00

I'm always looking for ways to save money on travel. NPR just did a story on the rising homeless population in Hawaii due in large part to the state's generous, taxpayer funded homeless assistance program. I hate to say this but after reading the article, it kind of sounds like a good deal.

"...full health care benefits and more for just $3 a day...chopped beef steak with vegetables, mashed potatoes, bread, a fresh apple and cake... Gary Phillips...was homeless in San Diego for years, but is now earning cash from Hawaii's 5-cent redemption program for plastic bottles and aluminum cans. 'I recycle here,' he says. 'I make money doing that.' Some days, over $40, he says. And he sleeps at the IHS shelter for $3 a day, with three free meals, $200 worth of food stamps and the state's free health care program. 'I went to the dentist today, and I had a tooth pulled,' Phillips says. 'It cost me nothing.'"

But it appears the gig is up.

"Connie Mitchell says the resource drain caused by newly arrived single male transients is getting more acute. She says Hawaiian lawmakers need to develop policies to address this problem. 'I think that we really need to begin to look at who's really homeless — not by choice and by misfortune — and who's really homeless by choice, and have a different solution for the two different populations.'"

Maybe we could meet in the middle.

Read the full article here, and while your at NPR.org, why not make a small donation to one of the best sources of unbiased news in the world.

A Major Reward

2010-05-06T15:22:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who voted for my story The Kiwi Drug Trafficker and the Serbian Hooker (click to read) on XTREME TRAVEL STORIES.com. The story was selected as the quarterly winner and I was awarded $100.00 which I put to good use during a recent visit to Mexico.

180 South

2010-05-05T09:59:00.000-04:00

New release from Woodshed Films

California to Patagonia. Get inspired. More at http://www.180south.com/

Festivals

2010-04-28T11:29:00.000-04:00

Film, book, and music festivals are a great way to travel. SXSW in Austin, TX; Sundance in Park City Utah; Primavera Sound in Barcelona; Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in New Orleans; Cannes Film Festival in (where else?) Cannes, France - to mention just a few.

It's not just the festivals that brim with activity and excitement. The host cities ramp up the fun during festival dates too. Schedule a few dates on either side of the event and make the most of your time away.

Land, Air, and See will be taking our own advice by visiting this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, June 10-13, in Manchester, TN.

Quote

2010-04-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

A Sad Day for Travel Lovers and Moose Everywhere

2010-03-25T10:05:00.000-04:00

The Discovery Channel is giving Sarah Palin her own cleverly titled travel show called, "Sarah Palin's Alaska." Bummer.

Hop Off of the Career Track and Travel

2010-03-18T10:28:00.001-04:00

I'm inspired by this article I found called, "Why It’s Not Crazy for Working Professionals to Quit Their Jobs and Travel the World." We are persuaded to believe that our lives should play out like this:

1.Graduate high school

2.Go to college

3.Start your career

4.Get married

5.Buy a house

6.Have children

7.Watch them grow up

8.Send them off to college, then to start their careers

9.Become a grandparent

10.Retire, travel, and enjoy life

It's an assembly line mentality applied to human life. This article clears up the old-fashioned misconception that you can't move step 10 up a bit on the 'ol required adult life duties list. And who knows, if you go ahead and go for it, maybe you can just ditch the traditional adult life checklist all together and do your own thing.

Read it now, here.

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-03/why-its-not-crazy-for-working-professionals-to-quit-their-jobs-and-travel-the-world.html

Travel Like a Journalist

2010-03-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

Insightful and comical article from the Economist. An excerpt:

"You can manage for a week out of a laptop bag, so long as you fold your shirts neatly. It is good to have one with three compartments as it is embarrassing if you have to rummage for a pen and notebook at a meeting and find your dirty laundry emerging from the bag. The bag itself should ideally cost nothing—the kind given out at conferences are ideal, especially the World Economic Forum ones.

Reading material: a photocopy of a good poem, preferably in Russian or some other foreign language that you have to think hard about, folded in the wallet just in case you are stuck with no electronic or other diversion."

Full article here.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/03/packing_tips

Mustaches 'Round the World

2010-03-01T15:03:00.000-05:00

I saw this comprehensive photo gallery of global mustache awesomeness over at WEND's website and just had to share. Be sure to check out Maldives!

http://www.wendmag.com/blog/2009/12/19/mustaches-round-the-world/

"Thanks TSA, I haven't been touched like that since prom night" - and 24 other funny travel tweets.

2010-02-25T10:11:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with Twitter. But as all respectable turbulent affairs go, here comes Twitter to sweep me off of my feet again with a bouquet of 25 hilarious travel tweets. Enjoy!
http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/none/25-hilarious-travel-tweets-might-make-you-pee-little-908942

Thumbing, Tramping, Hitching

2010-02-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

I saw a hitchhiker on my way to work today. A lot of people look at hitchhikers and immediately (and often times mistakenly) think bum, hippie, addict, serial killer. But today I saw in this man freedom, courage, and adventure. I thought back to stories of my relatives who during the Great Depression took to the rails as professional hobos, looking for work in a new town and "seeing America right" on their way. I thought back to articles I've read about how hitchhiking culture is promoted in Hawaii, The Netherlands, and New Zealand. Then came thoughts of Jack Kerouac, Chris McCandless, even Kilgore Trout. There is a romance to hitchhiking. An unpredictable, caution-to-the-wind way of traveling that can't be rivaled by any cruise line, tour package, or resort stay. Could the falling dollar and poor economic situation force a shift back to the days when hitching a ride or hopping a train was more of a necessity? I have yet to venture in to the world of hitchhiking but it's on my list. In the meantime, I'm going to read lifelong hitcher Irv Thomas' account of a life on the road, Derelict Days. You can preview the book here on Amazon.

Quote

2010-02-23T11:44:00.000-05:00

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

Sinatra's "My Way" + Philippine Karaoke Bars = MURDER?!

2010-02-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

Land, Air, and See is issuing its first official travel warning:

Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to sing Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in a Philippine karaoke bar.

Karaoke bars across the Philippines are removing the song from their roster due what are being called the "'My Way' Killings." In the last ten years there have been over a dozen people murdered while singing, what we would have to assume to be, terrible renditions of the song. This is especially troubling to me because when I'm at a karaoke joint that doesn't have "Luck Be a Lady," "My Way" is my second choice.

I could see this happening over Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A." but not over 'Ol Blue Eyes.

In case you think this is a joke, check out The Guardian's coverage of it here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/feb/09/sinatra-my-way-killings-philippines

Australia's Harvest Trail

2010-02-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

We talk a lot about the seemingly high cost of travel. One way to defray expenses and extend the duration of your trip is to pick up a little work along the way. The Australian government is making it easy for you. From grape harvesting in Berri, to mango picking in Darwin, each year thousands of people find work helping to bring in the fruit and vegetable harvests in Australia. Harvest Trail links job seekers with harvest jobs Australia wide. It offers a great way for people to travel around Australia at their own pace while working and earning money.

International visitors are welcome on the Trail and are often an important source of labor, considering the short-term nature of the work. Overseas visitors wishing to work in Australia simply require a Working Visa which can be obtained from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

http://jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail/default.aspx

The Benjamin (singular)

2010-02-09T14:34:00.000-05:00

I'm in the running for $100.00 in cold, hard, slowly depreciating United States currency. My story, The Kiwi Drug Dealer and the Serbian Hooker, which appeared on the blog you are currently reading was chosen for a travel writing contest by the fine folks at XtremeTravelStories.com. I'm up against some pretty good stories so head over to the site, check out my competition, and vote accordingly (you can grade my story on the 1 through 5 stars system at the top of the page, 5 being the highest and most desirable star you could give me).

I'll post the results of the contest when it wraps up.

Allison Otto's Sexy Vintage Travel Trailer

2010-02-04T10:01:00.000-05:00

Click here to check out a short audio slideshow, an ode to the vintage camper, from travel filmmaker/writer Allison Otto.

http://www.worldhum.com/photos/audio-slideshow/the-sexy-vintage-travel-trailer-20100105/

Dirty Hotels

2010-02-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

A bad hotel can ruin a good trip. TripAdvisor has compiled a list of the Ten Dirtiest Hotels in the U.S. based on user reviews. If you can stomach it, click the links to each hotel and read horror stories like this one (mind the spelling):

"This hotel is like in a horrible horror movie! I have never seen a hotel like this. We arriverd in the room and immidietly a urine smell was getting over us. We opened the window, but we could not close it anymore. The carpet was verry dirty and had strange spots on it. That nite I could not sleep. Everytime the smell was waking me up. The bed was the a nightmare. It smelled to urine and had strange spots. There were bedbugs in it. I catcht one and showed it the next morning to the lady of the reception. She was not nice to me and told me: Maybe in your country it is not normal to have bugs in bed, but in our (original) country it is, so I don't know why you are complaining.

We wanted our money back. We already paid with the creditcard. She gave us an undecipherable form from to refund of our costs and promised we get our money back from the creditcard. She had no cash to refund she told us. She was angry we din not trust here. We were right. When we came home there were no refund, but the amount of money was taken from our creditcardaccount. We contact the creditcardcompany and eventualy we get our money back.

We left to a very nice motel near San Fransisco and there I washed all my clothes, because I was afraid I take the bedbugs or other bugs home. When I got my T- Shirt where I slept in from the plastic back, there was a terrible smell of urine on it. So the smell in the hotel came from the bed, where some one had urinated on, I think.
SO WARNING: DO NOT STAY IN THIS HOTEL!!! IT IS DANGEROUS FOR YOUR HEALTH!!

Oceanic Flight 815

2010-02-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

Whether you are a fan of the TV series LOST or not, you have to admire the clever marketing tactics of its creators and writers. To fuel the flames of anticipation for tomorrow night's season premiere, travel search engine site KAYAK made a one way trip on Oceanic Flight 815 from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, California available in search results. Here's what the flight details look like:

Very cool. Those familiar with the show will recognize Oceanic as the airline in the series, Flight 815 as the ill fated plane that crashed on, you guessed it, September 22nd, 2004. A closer look at the price of the flight, taxes/fees, and the flight's duration reveal a sequence of numbers that have served various cryptic purposes on the show. I heard about this on Sci-Fi Wire, a site that just for the record, I do not frequent very often ;)

ANECDOTES. Entry Number Three: The Kiwi Drug Trafficker and The Serbian Hooker

2010-01-26T13:23:00.003-05:00

Molly and I had been walking the damp streets of London all day and decided it was time for a well deserved pint. We found a crowded corner pub in Earl's Court and quickly ducked in out of the rain. The room was wall-to-wall with people but we quickly snagged a newly vacant high-top table and two stools in the center of the floor. We ordered our pints and leaned in over the table to discuss the events of our day. On all sides of us were more high-top tables and stools, all smashed together in an uncomfortable, claustrophobic cluster. Next to us sat a real bruiser of a guy. Muscular, with a tattered All Blacks rugby jersey, shaved head, and one swollen black eye. In our peripheral vision we could see that he was eavesdropping on our conversation. We leaned a little closer to each other and continued talking. He craned his neck in our direction. We leaned in further. He slid his stool over and was now perpendicular to our table. Molly and I, with our foreheads almost touching at this point, turned to acknowledge him. Smiling, he set his beer down on our table. A table barely big enough for two glasses of beer and four elbows. A table now breaking all the rules of size and space with three glasses of beer and six elbows.

"Hey Mates! Where you from?" he asked in a thick, possibly Australian accent. He was smiling even wider and revealing a few broken teeth.

I hesitated, wondering if we were in for some sort of trouble. He looked back and forth between Molly and me, waiting for our answer. Impatiently he guessed, "I bet you're from the United States!"

"Um, yeah. Yeah, we are," I replied cautiously. He looked satisfied with our answer and pleased that his first assumption was correct. He tilted his stool back and enjoyed his triumphant moment of accurate guesswork. Molly and I attempted to lean back in and pick up our coversation where we left off but a burst of energy struck this guy and he thrust his head in between ours before we could close the gap of private conversation.

"I'm Charlie, from New Zealand," he announced as he offered an open palm for a friendly handshake.

"Jonathan." Hand shake.

"Molly." Hand shake.

"What brings you youngsters here? You on holiday?" he asked.

"Yeah. We're here in London for a few days and then we're heading to France," Molly explained.

"How long you going to be in ol' France? Two, three weeks?" Charlie wondered.

"No. We only have eleven days for our whole vacation. We'll be in France for maybe five or six days and we are hoping to stop in Dublin on our way back to the United States," I said.

Charlie sprayed his beer out of his mouth and on to the floor. "You've got to be f***in' kidding me! Why are you cramming everything in to such a small f***in' holiday?"

We seemed to have hit a nerve here. I explained that typically in the United States we only have two weeks of vacation every year, three if you're lucky, and this was our one big trip for the year.

"Two weeks?! Two f***in' weeks? Really? That's it?" asked Charlie, gradually calming a bit from his intial outburst.

I felt slightly insulted. A little embarassed. So in a skeptical tone I asked, "Well, Charlie, how much vacation time do you get in New Zealand?"

"Four to six weeks for the average bloke. But I have a system of my own. Work six months, travel six months."

"How do you afford to do that?" Molly asked.

"I don't keep a car or a flat. I work for six months, hard yakka, save all my money, and then pick a place and settle in for a while. Been doing it for almost thirty years now."

"Where all have you traveled?" I asked.

"All over Europe, South America, Africa. Oh, Singapore! I had some good times in Singapore just pissin' about. You want to see the most beautiful red sunsets? Spend some time on the beaches of Singapore. One time I lived in a little shack on the beach there. Drank beer and fished all day. I had a little scooter that I would ride into town to get food and supplies.You can live there for practically nothing. If you start to run out of money you can teach the local blokes English for a couple of hours a day and make enough to stick around for a while longer."

Charlie was showing a soft, almost romantic side as he talked about Singapore. I looked at Molly and could tell that we were both starting to like this guy.

I asked Charlie, "What kind of work do you during the six months that you are actually working?"

He searched for an answer. "Um...construction," he said unconvincingly.

"Really?" I questioned.

"Well, no. Not actually. I do a little bit of odd job stuff. Just enough to afford a plane ticket to Columbia." He reached both of his arms out, pulled us in under his wings, and whispered discreetly, "I move drugs from here to there."

We tried to not to look too shocked. I'm not sure we did such a good job hiding our surprise. Now all these thoughts were racing through my mind. How did he get that black eye? I assumed it was from playing rugby but maybe it was a drug deal gone bad. Is he dealing drugs in London? Is that why he's here? Is he going to try to bring us into his scheme? Will we be accomplices? Does he have a gun?

Charlie must have sensed our nervousness because he sat up straight and said, "I'm just here in London visiting a friend for a while. I'm on holiday too."

"Oh...that's...nice," Molly and I said simulataneously.

"Look, here comes my friend now," Charlie said as he pointed across to the room to a middle-aged blonde lady maneuvering through the crowd with two full glasses of beer. She approached our table and set a beer down in front of Charlie. "This is Natalia. Natalia, meet Molly and Jonathan. They are here on holiday from the United States."

"Hello," she said in a thick Eastern European accent as she nodded politely.

"Natalia is from Serbia. She used to be a f***in' prostitute! That's how we met," Charlie said as he laughed happily.

As uncomfortable as Charlie's no-secrets-at-this-table approach to conversation was, I had to appreciate that he just saved us the embarassment of having to ask Natalia what she did for a living.

"I don't do so much anymore," Natalia made sure to add in slightly broken English. "When I was young girl, Serbia was dangerous place. My family was so poor. I came here because I want better life. It's not better life here. Things so expensive and it hard to make good wages."

As Natalia told her story I looked closely at her face. The deep creases and lines of a hard life where dusted over with lots of makeup. In her eyes was a sweet sadness. She continued, "I miss Serbia. I miss my family. I have not many friends." When she mentioned that she didn't have many friends she put her arm around Charlie as if to assure him that she counted him as one of her few actual friends.

The mood of the conversation was getting too solemn for Charlie so he brought up the subject of his travels again. "I spent a lot of time in your United States in the 80s. Have you guys heard of Escobar?"

"Pablo Escobar?" I asked.

"Yeah! Pablo Escobar! I worked for his operation. The Americans loved the cocaine. I would travel with shipments and help with distribution. When my work was done, I would get paid and then usually just stay in the country for a while. Miami! That's a great f***in' city!"

We were at a loss for words. Charlie was not. "Things were good until the United States got serious about the War on Drugs. In the late 90s they really came down hard on Columbia and business has been tough ever since. It's easier to transport and sell in places like Thailand and Mexico now."

We didn't have much to offer at this point of the conversation. Neither did Natalia. Clearly, Charlie was the only globetrotting drug trafficker at this table.

Charlie turned to Natalia and said, "You know, these two here only get two weeks of holiday." Natalia looked at us with pity in her eyes. "What a shame," she said. After all she had been through in her life, she felt bad for us because of our limited quantity of vacation days. Go figure.

We told Charlie and Natalia about how much we love to travel. How even with the challenge of shortened vacation time, travel has opened our eyes to new possibilities and helped us meet so many unique and interesting people, present company not excluded. They agreed with our sentiments and shared wildly beautiful stories from their own personal adventures. Here we were, two twenty-somethings from the United States, a Kiwi drug smuggler, and a Serbian hooker, all finding some common ground and enjoying each others' company.

After a few more stories from Charlie and Natalia, and a couple more beers, it was time for Molly and I to head back to our hotel. As we stood up to leave we thanked the couple for a memorable evening. Natalia approached and gave us each a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. Charlie gave Molly a hug and then stepped sideways and placed himself firmly in front of me. He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me toward him so that our foreheads were touching. He looked intently in to my eyes and I could see that he was beginning to get misty-eyed. His voice was shaky when he said slowly, "You have the ability to do whatever you want. Take your wife and go see the world, brother!" He quickly embraced me and gave me the kind of hug usually reserved for long-time comrades. As we exited the pub we turned back and Charlie and Natalia were standing side by side, watching us leave. They offered one last wave goodbye. Molly and I floated back to the hotel, high off the pleasant fumes of the experience.

By Way of Camper

2010-01-21T10:18:00.000-05:00

One of our travel goals is to buy a camper, leave everything behind, and tour North America for an indefinite period of time. During the process in which we were drafting just how we would go about doing this we came across The Wanderlusters, a young couple that was already living our dream. They gave us even more inspiration and practical ideas on how to make it work. We have a few other places we want to visit and a few tasks we need to accomplish before we embark on this type of journey. Until then, pictures like this will keep us motivated...

Get High

2010-01-18T16:36:00.001-05:00

Turn on the black light, toss a Pink Floyd record on, and watch this satellite-based video of global flight patterns. Pay special attention to how the flights correspond to the way the sun moves over the earth.

Mapping America

2010-01-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

We had some friends over for drinks last night and got into a discussion about the perception of the 48 Continental United States through the eyes of a life-long New Yorker. Everyone around our table had just spent some time in New York City and noticed that many New Yorkers have very little understanding of how the rest of the country is laid out on the map. Granted, they have a pretty decent comprehension of the upper East Coast. Pennsylvania is close. California is all the way to the left. Ohio, Idaho, and Texas are all in the middle somewhere. Is Las Vegas a state? You can drive to Hawaii, right?

New Yorkers, prepare to have your minds blown as Senator Al Franken draws the entire US map freehand.

Crystal Balling for 2010

2009-12-31T10:08:00.000-05:00

What can we expect for the travel world in 2010? More airline debacles? The death of business travel? Super cheap package deals for budget-minded travelers? Check out the forecast from USA Today right here.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-12-30-trend-predictions_N.htm

Holidays in New York City

2009-12-23T10:46:00.001-05:00

Land, Air, and See is heading to New York City for the Holidays! When I was growing up, it felt like the world ceased to rotate on Christmas. Grocery stores, gas stations, and hospitals (?) all boarded up their doors and windows at 5 p.m. on December 24th and didn't open back up until December 26th. If you celebrated Christmas, you were too busy to notice that nothing was open. If however, you did not celebrate Christmas (like yours truly), preparing for December 25th was like gearing up for an impending natural disaster. You stocked up on enough movies, board games, and food to ride out the perfect storm of joyful gift giving and merriment that was certain to bring your town to a grinding halt.

It's not really like that anymore. Even in the smallest of towns you are sure to find a greasy spoon diner, 24 hour gas station, or Chinese restaurant that keeps the torch of commerce burning on Christmas Day. But we aren't taking any chances this year. We're heading to the city that never sleeps, even on Christmas. We've been to New York plenty of times but this will be the first time we've gone on Christmas. The knee-jerk reaction to traveling on Christmas is, "Will anything be open? Will there be enough to do?" If you google "things to do In New York City on Christmas," you'll get lists like this one from LoveToEatAndTravel.com:

1. "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" - Best Holiday Show in NYC
2. "Top of the Rock" Observation Deck 70th Floor at Rockefeller Plaza
3. New York City "Holiday Lights" Tour
4. Ice-Skating at Rockefeller Center
5. Horse-Drawn Carriage ride through Central Park
6. Manhattan Island Cruise
7. New York City "Hop-On Hop-Off" Double-Decker Bus Tour
8. Empire State Building Observatory
9. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
10. Museum of Modern Art or American Museum of Natural History

Not too shabby but not daringly original either. The web is full of similar lists. When we get back, well do a FIVES on what we think are the best things to do in New York City on the Holidays - Land, Air, and See style.

"I Miss the Earth So Much, I Miss My Wife..."

2009-12-11T11:19:00.001-05:00

"I'm a rocket maaaaa-aaaa-aaaaa-aannn." And you could be one too, for a cool $200,000.00. Meet the Virgin Galactic Spaceship...

Climb to 50,000 feet, travel at three times the speed of sound, experience the silence of space, view the earth as a big blue map, and float in zero gravity.

Check out more at Virgin Galactic's official website.

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

Travel on the Cheap

2009-12-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

"I would travel more often but it's just so darn expensive."

If you have heard, or have uttered those words, think again. Authentic Thai food, in Thailand, for $1. Beachside bungalows for $5 per night. The gang at Deck Chair suggest four exotic locations for the thrifty traveler. Check out the article here.

http://www.deckchair.com/top-4-sub-1000-per-month-travel-destinations/

The Plane Rides From Hell and How to Make the Best of Them

2009-12-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

I have had some fairly unpleasant experiences with airplanes. Getting stuck on the runway for what feels like days. Nose dive bouncy landings on sketchy regional jets. Luggage that, unbeknownst to me, had it's own plans to visit Mexico while I'm visiting Las Vegas. Bombastic Bollywood films played at full volume on an Air India red eye. The list goes on and surely, you have your own list too. But the most reoccuring airline irritant has, for me, always been disruptions from other passengers. The loud family with the loud little children who, to be properly settled and behaved, need to play with really loud musical toys that when shaken, replicate the sound of a fire engine crashing in to a buildling full of small, silver bells. Or how about being seated next to the morbidly obese, extremely sweaty guy who should (can we be honest without getting upset?) have purchased two seats. Or maybe sharing a row with the lady with the flu who can't stop coughing and sneezing and who also has a frightened poodle in bag stuffed under her seat.

If you can relate to my frustration, then you may enjoy this article from SmarterTravel.com. It might help you become a better person in potentially annoying airline situations.

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/the-best-ways-to-deal-with-annoying-seatmates.html?id=3868027

Dan Balosanu's Ireland

2009-11-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

We visited Ireland for the second time this past May. Our first visit was centered around Dublin only, which was a grand time, but left us wanting more. So this year, we rented a car and saw the country right. My wife Molly captured some amazing pictures during our driving tour but sadly lost her very nice, very new, kind of expensive camera during the last 48 hours of our trip. With the camera went many of the best photos she captured. That's why I was glad to find Dan Balosanu's blog, indepth panoramics. Dan uses beautiful panoramic shots to display the scenic coastlines, misty mornings, and living history of Ireland. These pictures take me back to some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen.

Check out Dan's blog here.

http://indepth-panoramics.blogspot.com/

Rick Steves Is Pretty Sweet

2009-11-16T15:43:00.000-05:00

My wife got me in to Rick Steves a few years ago. Her adoration, (and insistance in stopping on public television every time he was on) eventually led to my love of the man too. Our travel has been enriched by his TV show, comprehensive guidebooks, and amazing step-by-step audio tour podcasts. If you live in or around Edmonds, Washington you can even attend Rick's free weekly travel classes.

Get to know Rick Steves.

http://www.ricksteves.com/

The Wanderlusters

2009-11-10T14:23:00.000-05:00

Inspiration to do something new and exciting is everywhere. Just in case you haven't come across any good inspiration in a while, check out what these two fine folks did.

"We're spending the year on a spiritual quest, a re-prioritization of life priorities, and really digging into what it looks like to invest in a marriage."

And they're doing this road trip style...in a camper.

http://thewanderlusters2009.blogspot.com/

Twittering While Traveling

2009-11-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

For the record, I am not a Tweeter, or Twitterer, or whatever the politically correct phrasing is these days. I will however admit to random voyeur sessions of reading people's tweets. Thanks to worldhum, interesting travel tweets are now easier to find. Each month they compile a list of the eight best Twitter posts from travelers all over the world. Check out the current list here.

My favorite...

"Say what you will about swine flu & drug gangs—you have to love a country where pork tacos are for breakfast."

These Are Just Two of My Favorite Things

2009-10-29T09:04:00.000-04:00

Beards and travel.

Going On Holiday

2009-10-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

Depending on where in the world you call home, the amount of vacation time you receieve from your employer will vary. Here in the US the average worker gets ten days to do with as they please, with a few national holiday observances thrown in throughout the year. For a travel enthusiast, ten days is not a lot to work with. When my wife and I went to France last year, we used our entire ten days, in the beginning of the year, leaving us nothing for the rest of the year. To add insult to injury, the French we met pitied us for our lack of time off. "It's so unfortunate," they would say with sympathetic eyes and warm pats on the back.

Turns out, France has the highest amount of minimum vacation days required by law...SEVEN WEEKS! No wonder they felt sorry for us. Denmark comes in second with six weeks. Germany, Finland, and Austria also rank high.

You can check out the country-by-country comparison here.

Our lack of usable days in the US has really bothered me for the last year. But hey, at least I'm not in China where employers aren't required to give their employees any days off.

The Only Way to Fly, Part Two: CREEPS!

2009-10-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

A hoax?!
Seriously. Creeps.

The Only Way to Fly

2009-10-15T15:38:00.000-04:00

As I type this, there's a six year old kid flying high over Colorado in a runaway home made balloon. It seems as if his family built some sort of flying saucer shaped experimental aircraft, the kid climbed in, it accidentally took off, and now authorities are scrambling to catch the balloon. It's possible that the craft could reach altitudes of 10,000 feet.

That kid is probably wetting his pants right now.

Here's video:

FIVES. Entry Number Two: Five Things To Do In Austin, Texas

2009-10-06T15:43:00.000-04:00

Last September we visited Austin, Texas to see some old friends and attend the three day Austin City Limits Music Festival. While we were there we totally fell in love with the city and it's people. Definitely good vibes all around. Here's a list of five "must-dos" while visiting Austin:

1. See Live Music - Austin has declared itself "The Live Music Capital of the World" and it's a fitting title. In addition to the popular Austin City Limits and the annual music/film/arts event South By Southwest, Austin also boasts the Latin inspired Pachanga festival and the more recent Urban Music Festival. But large scale events aside, this town just breathes music. Almost any downtown restaurant, bar, or coffee shop has some form of live music every day of the week. In our visit we even saw a very small, modest taco stand with an elaborate stage and seating area built beside it to host live shows.

2. Eat Local Food - You won't see too many McDonald's or Starbucks around downtown Austin. That's because Austin puts great effort in to promoting unique local businesses. Two of our favorite places are the extreme sports themed Wahoo's Fish Taco, and the very quirky Amy's Ice Creams where you can get the incredible flavor creation "Mexican Vanilla." Oh, and I hear they have some good BBQ in Austin too ;)

3. Shop SoCo - South Congress Avenue features some of the most eclectic shopping in all of Austin. Antiques, hand made jewelry and kitsch, trendy boutiques, vintage clothing, chic home decor, and more . Be sure to check out Allen's Boots to satisfy your inner cowboy and the wild everything-but-the-kitchen-sink store Uncommon Objects.

4. Get Outdoors - The people of Austin tend to be an active, health conscious bunch and they don't have to travel far to engage in all sorts of exciting outdoor activity. Lady Bird Lake offers kayaking on the water and ten miles of scenic hiking and biking trails that wind all through the city. If you need a break from the heat, take a dip in the three acre Barton Springs Pool that is fed from under ground springs and is an average 68 degrees year round.

5. Congress Bridge Bats - The Congress Avenue Bridge spans Town Lake in downtown Austin and is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. About 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats emerge each night from mid-March to November and flood the sky in search of food. This event has become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in Texas and pays proper due to the local creed, "Keep Austin Weird."

For more on Austin, Texas check out http://www.austintexas.org/

ANECDOTES. Entry Number Two: Gypsy Cab

2009-09-17T16:16:00.003-04:00

It is a chilly Easter Sunday morning in Paris and today Molly and I are preparing to depart from Beauvais Airport to Ireland. Last night, to prepare for our morning commute, we walked the route from our hotel to the Metro station and took the necessary sequence of underground trains to the central above-ground train depot where we would catch our ride to Beauvais. Beauvais is a little town about one hour north of Paris and because of the distance, we have to take the train. It's worth it though, as flights from Beauvais are almost half the cost of the larger Charles De Gaulle Airport. We were careful to note the exact amount of time it took to get to the bus depot. When we set our alarm before bed we allowed for a few extra minutes in case checking out of the hotel or packing our bags took a little longer than usual. As usual, we needed those extra minutes and a few more. Nothing that we couldn't handle though.

One thing we didn't plan on however, was the Easter Sunday Metro schedule.

It seems that on Easter Sunday, the Paris Metro only runs half of the regular number of subway trains. We have three trains to catch on our way to the depot. Instead of five or ten minutes between arriving trains, we are waiting almost twenty minutes for each train. We didn't figure on this. Easter Sunday is devouring our alotted bank of time. We're starting to get anxious as we look at my watch and see the hands cranking their way to the departure of our above-ground train to the airport. If we miss that train, we might miss our flight! As the final Metro Train stops at the depot, we rudely push our way to the sliding doors and with a death grip on our luggage, burst from the platform and run to catch our train. Something isn't right, though. This is not where we got off during last night's practice session.

WE GOT OFF AT THE WRONG STOP!

We're on the opposite side of the depot, but it's fine. We'll just follow the signs and we still have...seven minutes before our train leaves the station. The signs say the station is up on the next level. Just run! Not so easy. The escalators are broken down and roped off for repairs. Where are the stairs? How can there not be any stairs?! Let's find someone to help us. We are spinning in confused circles. Nobody in sight! How can there be no one working in this place today?! Oh, Easter Sunday.

My watch reads seven-oh-five and that means our train is gone. We're deflated. We're exhausted. We're lost in a train station.

It's twenty minutes later and we are staring at the place where our train to the airport sat less than one half hour ago. The next train won't leave for over an hour and it will be too late to catch our flight. Molly is waiting sadly in the cafe' and I am in line at the ticket window attempting to exchange our train passes for the later train, a train that will not get us to the airport on time but will get us there nonetheless. The girl at the ticket window could probably care less about our predicament but I am telling her every grisly detail anyway. She is smiling and saying that I'm in luck. The later train just happens to be an express train directly to Beauvais. It's twice as fast as the other train and has no stops. She says it will arrive only twenty minutes later than the first train that we missed.

WE CAN MAKE IT!

Molly and I are now sitting in the plush comfort of the express train, snacking on croissants and sipping coffee. The French countryside is whizzing by in a blur and we are happy again. Once we arrive in Beauvais, we will catch the shuttle bus for a short twelve minute ride to the airport. Next stop, Beauvais.

Wow, Beauvais is a tiny little town. It's peaceful and quaint and totally silent. Departing the train we post up at the shuttle bus stop. Looking to the right we can see an older man standing slightly hunched, wearing a newsboy cap and smoking a hand rolled cigarette. Across the street we see a suspicious looking middle aged guy with a pencil thin mustache wearing a Member's Only jacket. He's pacing the sidewalk and watching our every move. We hope that the shuttle comes soon. We are getting impatient and a little freaked out by the constant staring of Mr. Member's Only and decide to head in to the train station to inquire about the shuttle.

The shuttle doesn't run for another three hours. We are reminded that it's Easter Sunday. Thanks, we almost forgot.

We are handed a list of cab companies and we head to the pay phone to call for a ride. This one looks good. No answer. Try the next one. No answer. How about this one? Nothing. Every cab company appears to observe the Easter Sunday transportation blackout. Mr. Member's Only is waiting outside of the phone booth like a chubby, poorly mustachioed vulture. He offers us a ride. We decline and walk away. The cigarette smoking old man, who I just noticed has a patch on his jacket shaped like a car and some official enough looking logo, looks at us and says two words, "Taxi? Aeroport?" Oh yes, thank you. Mr. Member's Only is disappointed. As we walk with the old man to his car Molly is tugging my sleeve and whsipering that she doesn't feel good about this. We get to the car and see that it's not a taxi at all. It's a faded blue beat up two door hatchback from the early 1980's. He pops open the trunk and we detect the faint smell of urine. He points for us to put our bags in. I ask him how much the ride will cost. He wants twenty euros. Molly's nervous panic rubs off on me and we give him the universal facial expression for thanks-but-no-thanks and start back to the station. He looks angry as he waves us away with a flip of his hands.

Mr. Member's Only has been watching this whole exchange and he now makes another attempt to lure us in to his car. He is undercutting the old man by five euros. But he is just too darn creepy and we decline again. Another check of the time reveals that we need to be at the airport in thirty minutes or we miss our plane. We have made it this far and I don't want to give up. I am going out on a limb and against Molly's wishes as I approach the old man and signal that we'll take his offer. "Twenty?" he says. I reach in to my pocket and to my horror pull out only twelve euros and change. He flips his hands in disgust again. I scan the area for an ATM but there is none. There doesn't seem to be a bank or business in the entire town. We have been defeated. Twelve minutes away is the plane that we almost caught. The morning has been a rollercoaster ride and now we are sick to our stomachs with hopelessness. Molly and I exchange heartbroken glances and head to the station to take a seat and mourn our loss.

All of the sudden we hear someone whistle. It's the old man. He is waving us over to his car. I approach humbly and hold out the twelve euros and change. He gives me a look of pity and shakes his head as if to say, "I can't stand to see you two stupid kids stuck here. Come on." I am grateful and excited. Molly is still terrified. She is convinced that this is going to turn out bad.

What if he takes us out in to a field, steals our stuff, and then leaves us? Or even worse...KILLS US?!

We can't think like that now. We have to get to the airport. Let's go!

Our luggage goes in the back. I ride shotgun. Molly clears the garbage off of the rear seat and hops in. The old man gets in and I make sure he knows we need to get to the airport in a hurry. I speak in French but he doesn't seem to understand. I try English but he doesn't comprehend that either. I have no clue as to his nationality. Maybe Italian? He just nods and says, "Aeroport," then out of nowhere adds, "NO POLICE!" That doesn't sound good. He repeats, "NO POLICE!" and raises his eyebrows in anticipation of my agreement. I say, "Oh no, no police." He seems pleased. He rolls another cigarette and we're off. The windows don't roll down and the smoke and urine smell are making us ill. I try to hand him the money but he won't take it. He lifts a pile of envelopes and newspapers from the dashboard and motions for me to stash the money under the pile. Turning to look at Molly I can see that she is still awaiting our robbery and possible murder.

Like a gift from heaven, the road signs indicate that the next exit is the airport. We still have time to catch the plane! We exit the road and can see the airport to the right. The old man makes a left. We can see the planes getting smaller as we head in the wrong direction. Was Molly right? Are we going to end up dead in a gutter somewhere? I start to squirm in my seat and Molly's knuckles are turning white as she grips the door handle. The old man pulls in to a residential neighborhood. Oh great, we'll end up dead in someone's basement! He brings the car to the curb, turns off the ignition, exits the car, and unloads our bags on the street. We're confused. We get out and meet him behind the car. Before I can ask what is going on, he stoops down, looks past us, and points to a worn out dirt path that leads to a small patch of woods behind the houses. "Aeroport." We thank him, grab our bags, and head down the path. We trek through the small wooded area until it opens up to a big field, revealing the airport in all of it's half-priced glory. We have five minutes before the flight check-in desk closes. We sprint to the facility and reach the check-in desk with only two mintues to spare.

We made it.

Molly tells me to look out the big windows to the passenger drop off area. A police car has pulled over an illegal taxi, a gypsy cab, driven by Mr. Member's Only. They have detained the driver and passengers and are searching the car and luggage. That could have been us if we went with Mr. Member's Only. We would have made it to the airport only to be stopped just short of checking in. Instead, we were delivered to a secret path by a dirty old professional who gives discounts and who knew to avoid the police and hide the money. Suddenly, the beat up car, the smoke, and the urine smell didn't seem so bad after all.

Staying Connected

2009-09-03T10:59:00.000-04:00

What gadgets can't you travel without? Phone, camera, GPS, MP3 player, laptop? In Europe last Spring I found myself sitting on a plane, tangled in devices and cables and batteries and headphones - all in an effort to stay connected. I needed to simplify.

PC World just put out a helpful "best-of" article on travel-friendly netbooks, laptops, and smartphones. Read it here:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/169351/the_best_laptops_netbooks_and_smartphones_for_travel.html

When I travel I want to stay connected and document my trip while struggling to keep my packing weight and my expenses to a minimum. Recently I took up the task of finding a new travel-friendly smartphone for domestic and international trips. After weeks of research and awkward visits to the mobile phone store ("Oh, you again. Are you ever going to buy a new phone?") I decided on the Samsung Omnia:

Con: This is not a GSM (global-ready) phone. I thought a GSM phone was what I wanted but after looking at several I found that they lacked a lot of the key features I needed. In addition, the cost of maintaining the monthly global calling plan, plus the increased per-minute rate, was just too expensive. The simple solution for international calling is to buy a cheap pre-paid calling card and use public phones to make your calls. I estimated that by using a calling card on my last week long trip out of the United States I saved over $100.00 compared to having made the same calls on a world phone.

Pros: Tons of features that eliminate the need to carry five or six different devices. 5 MP camera - one of the highest for camera phones, 16 GB of storage - perfect for music and video, full HTML web browsing with WI-FI connectivity - great for e-mail and blogging, Windows Mobile 6.1 - if you need to keep up on work while you're away, full QWERTY touch screen keyboard, GPS, tons of apps - Facebook, Google Maps.

This is the only device I take with me now. Everything I need in one small package. I look forward to taking a break in a little coffee shop or bar that offers free WI-FI. I'll sit for an hour or so, listen to music, catch up on e-mail, update blogs, edit some photos and videos and upload them for friends and family to see, then throw the phone in my pocket and move on.

Don't Let Flu Season Get You Down!

2009-09-02T14:18:00.000-04:00

With all the talk of the impending doom about to be let loose in the form of H1-N1, a.k.a. "THE SWINE FLU," us fellow travelers need to watch out for each other. Nothing would ruin your next trip like finding out you are riddled with SWINE FLU and not allowed to board your plane to wherever. On that note, I present the authority on flu prevention, Elmo:

Gypsy Cabs

2009-09-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

Illegal taxi service, sometimes referred to as a "gypsy cab," can be found in most major worldwide cities. These cabs wait at busy tourist areas like city centers, airports, bus depots, etc. In a pinch a traveler may feel that an unlicensed taxi is the way to go. There are pros (convenience, negotiable price) and cons (unregulated safety standards, potential theft, impact on legitamate taxi service) so the savvy traveler should exercise caution.

In the next installment of ANECDOTES, you can read of our first hand account with illegal taxi service in France and decide from our experience if it's worth it or not.

PHOTO FICTION. Entry Number One: Charles Kelly

2009-08-20T22:40:00.005-04:00

My name is Charles Kelly. I am seventy-three years old and reside in Fingal at the doorstep of Dublin City in Ireland. Every Thursday I charter a taxi to Trinity College, purchase the day's newspaper from the street vendor, and take my post at the foot of the statue of poet, singer, songwriter, and balladeer Thomas Moore. The monument graces the busy sidewalk near the entrance of the college. I read the newspaper from front to back, only avoiding the obituary pages.

When I finish my reading I like to sing out loud the songs and poems of Thomas Moore. I am often mistaken for a drunk, a loon, or a man without a home but in reality I am just an old timer confident in his loneliness. It saddens me when young people hear my proclamation of Thomas Moore's most notable works, squint their eyes at me, then turn to each other with curled lips and wrinkled noses and say in disgust, "What is he going on about?!" It also bothers me that most people nowadays only recognize Moore's song Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms because it is often used as a popular gag in a number of cartoons, usually involving a piano rigged to explode when a certain note is played. The hero, typically Bugs Bunny, tries to play the melody line of the song, but always misses the rigged note (C above middle C). The villain or rival, finally exasperated, pushes the hero aside and plays the song himself, striking the correct note and blowing himself up. People know the tune, but not its composer. My appreciation goes much deeper.

Despite Thomas Moore living a handful of generations before me I have a special relationship with him not only through his poetry and music but through a strange similarity in our family lives. Moore had five children, two boys and three girls - as did I. Moore lost all of his children in his lifetime to untimely death - as did I. Moore received word of the death of his last surviving child on a Thursday - as did I. He wrote in his diary, "The last of our five children are gone and I am left desolate and alone." I couldn't have phrased it any better. Perfect and simple.

That's why Thursdays are for Thomas and Me, Charles Kelly.

ANECDOTES. Entry Number One: Jonas

2009-08-18T14:09:00.003-04:00

He was buzzing all over the reception hall. This young, dark man in a baby blue short sleeved dress shirt tucked neatly in to chocolate brown slacks cinched tight around his narrow waist. From the kitchen to the tables and back again, he moved with purpose and precision. Expressionless except for a sweet smile flashed at those whom he passed on his short, repeated routes. In a room full of old familiar faces, his was new. I heard the event coordinator mumble something to him in French to which he nodded acceptingly and continued his busy motion.

Dinner time arrived and the assigned seating placed this stranger to the right of my wife and me. A few introductory words were delivered over the public address system by the event coordinator as to why we were here (a thirtieth anniversary celebration for a couple we know) and what was being served for dinner (lasagna, salad, ciabatta bread with olive oil for dipping, Sangiovese wine). As the food was dished up I turned to the young stranger and asked his name.

“Jo-NAS,” he answered in a deep French accent.

I gave my name, my wife’s name, as well as my mother and father’s names who were sitting across the long table from us.

“Where are you from Jonas?” I asked.

“Benin. In West Africa.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“What brings you to the United States?”

“I move to Cincinnati. For good,” he replied in just slightly broken English.

We tried to impress Jonas with what little French we knew. After four years of French in High School my father can only remember how to say, "Shut your mouth." Our French vocabulary being what is was, we returned to asking him questions of general nature. Each of his replies were met with the angled head nods and eyebrow raises of genuine and eager interest from those at the table.

I could not help but notice the distinct characteristics of Jonas’ face. Bright, almond shaped eyes; a vibrant white smile; smooth skin the color of a coffee bean. One feature stood out from all the rest though. On the apples of Jonas’ cheeks were a series of scars. The scars numbered three to each cheek, perfectly spaced from right to left, about one inch in vertical length. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but these scars gave this otherwise reserved and quiet young man a sense of depth and wisdom.

After busying ourselves with eating for a few minutes I presented Jonas with another question.

“What did you do for work in Benin?”

“I was a Youth Advisor.”

“Is that a government assigned job or something?”

“No, it is NGO job.”

I showed a look of confusion.

Jonas picked up on this and elaborated, “S-O-S – N-G-O.”

“Oh, OK I understand,” I lied.

“What was your responsibility there?” questioned my mother from across the table.

“In Benin I help children. Girls from age of twelve, boys from age of fourteen. From this ages children becoming adults. They have changes in mind and body. I help them learn about next steps in life. ‘You try this job. You learn to do this skill. This is what to expect next.’”

“I see,” I said as his role became clearer. “Do you work with their parents on this?”

“You see, the children and the parents do not…discuss…communicate about these things.”

“Is that a part of the general culture?”

“Yes. The parents and children do not talk close about things. Most of children at that age leave home and come to live in small…it is like a small village. It is job of Youth Advisor to listen to the children and help them from then on.”

I could tell that my mother was taking this information in, processing it, and allowing it to hit her emotionally. She and I have always had an open dialogue, especially through my teenage years and she was having trouble grasping the idea of a parent sending their child off to gain a close relationship with a total stranger who would then help release them in to adulthood. Then, Jonas delivered this:

“Sometime though, the parent drop off baby to us,” he said as he made the gesture of laying an infant down to rest. Both arms stayed extended, hands turned up as he continued, “One, two weeks old. They have baby and they are scared. They don’t know what to do. They just leave it outside of door for us to find.”

My mother gasped as her face saddened. “Oh no! Just a little baby?! Does this happen often?”

Jonas lowered his eyes and softly whispered, “Yes.”

Jonas’ expression showed that no matter how many times he had seen a baby abandoned, he never got accustomed to it.

He continued to open up with confidence. “As a boy, my parents were separated. I am the oldest child. I had to raise my three sisters.”

“How old were you?” asked my mother, almost breathless with emotion.

“Eight years old,” stated Jonas with a proud smile, a smile so big that his scars almost disappeared.

Loudly, my mother exclaimed, “YOU WERE ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD AND YOU RAISED THREE LITTLE GIRLS! I am going to have to hug you!”

Jonas was surprised and laughed out loud.

I leaned over and told him, “She’s serious. You had better get ready.”

With that, Jonas stood up and walked to the end of the table with outstretched arms to meet my mother half way. He stood about a foot taller than her and as she wrapped both arms around his core and buried her head in his chest, he turned back and looked at me with that big, beautiful smile. He patted my mother’s back as she squeezed him tight and then returned to his seat next to me. I put my arm around his shoulder. Jonas was now my brother.

Jet Blue Shall Know Our Velocity

2009-08-13T09:40:00.002-04:00

Jet Blue Airlines' current promotion makes me wish I didn't have a full time job. In fact, it makes me want to quit my full time job just so I could take full advantage of the offer and blog about the whole experience.

What is the promotion, you may ask?

For $599, Jet Blue customers can purchase an unlimited travel pass that lets them fly for free to any of the airline's 56 international and domestic destinations as often as they like between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8.

Seriously.

In Dave Egger's book They Shall Know Our Velocity, two young men purchase promotional plane tickets that allow for unrestricted flight to anywhere in the world as long as they keep going in the same latitudinal direction. I often fantasize about what I would do with such a plane ticket. Granted, Jet Blue is not a full service international airline. However, for $599 I would take advantage of destinations like Jamaica, Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica. Tempting!

Get greedy with this one, kids!

AFAR Magazine

2009-08-11T09:34:00.003-04:00

The new magazine and online travel resource, AFAR, contains more of what I want to see in travel media. AFAR focuses on "experiential" travel and challenges its readers to go beyond pre-packaged consumerist jaunts in favor of genuine, authentic, and even unexpected trips. AFAR's mission:

"Our mission is to inspire and guide those who travel the world seeking to connect with its people, experience their culture, and understand their perspectives."

I especially like how AFAR was born:

"Greg Sullivan is a globe-trotting serial entrepreneur. Joe Diaz is a former teacher who grew up in a bi-cultural family, with one foot in Spain and the other in California. These seasoned travelers hatched the idea for AFAR Media over a beer on a beach in Goa, India."

My kind of guys. Support this venture by visiting their website and signing up for a FREE issue of the magazine.

http://www.afar.com/

Be Careful!

2009-08-05T10:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's news about the release of two American journalists from North Korea got me thinking about safe travel. Another recent news item, the arrest of three American backpackers who strayed over the Iran border from the Kurdistan region of Iraq, points to the dangers of being too confident when visiting an unfamiliar land.

The U.S. Department of State is great resource for making travel plans. Click the link below for tips on everything from packing to preparing to visit a high risk area of the world.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html

Laura Ling and Euna Lee Pardoned

2009-08-04T15:40:00.003-04:00

At Bill Clinton's request, North Korea's Kim Jong II has issued an official pardon of two American journalists. Way to go Bill!

Read the breaking news story here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090804/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_journalists_held

FIVES. Entry Number One: Five Things To Learn To Say In a Foreign Language

2009-08-03T16:38:00.003-04:00

When traveling it is essential to make an effort to communicate in the native language of the place you are visiting. From the moment you decide on your destination, you should begin learning and practicing the basic greetings and expressions of the locale you'll be visiting. Under no circumstances should you assume that the locals will understand your language. I've seen many Americans make this mistake and it can be both embarassing and frustrating for all parties involved.

Which brings me to the first installment of FIVES. If you are going to learn FIVE words or expressions in the language of the place you will be visiting, I suggest starting with the following:

1. "Hello" - You'll say this to almost everyone you come in contact with and it's a great way to share a few head nods and passing smiles with the people you encounter daily.

2. "Please" - All cultures value good manners. Even if you are ordering food from a menu that you can't read, the least you can do is point to the selection and say, "Please."

3. "Thank you." - Again, basic manners. If someone opens a door for you, serves you a drink, or gives you ride to your next destination, always thank them graciously.

4. "I'm sorry" - Being unfamiliar with your surroundings or the local customs, you are bound to make some mistakes. Most often though, mistakes will be overlooked if you can simply apologize for your misstep.

5. "I don't speak much (insert language here)" - This explanation should be delivered with humility after you have said all that you can possibly say in a particular foreign language. The key is to show through your tone that you really wish you could speak more of the language but unfortunately cannot.

These five expressions are simply a starting point but you will likely use these more frequently than most other words and phrases.

Features

2009-07-31T13:08:00.004-04:00

In addition to the regular musings found here, Land, Air, and See will have several reoccurring features.

FIVES: Lists, countdowns, tips, and rankers brilliantly and conveniently arranged in groups of five.

ANECDOTES: True travel tales from personal experience written in vivid story form.

PHOTO FICTION: Each entry will feature one photo taken by my lovely wife and travel partner, Molly Grace, accompanied with a fictional account about the scenes and subjects found in the photo.

About Land, Air, and See

2009-07-30T14:41:00.004-04:00

The more I travel, the more I want to travel. The more I see and experience, the more I realize how little I know about the world we live in, other cultures, even myself as a person. It's so easy to fall in to the patterns and routines of everyday life. Through repetition, these cycles can become all we know. Eventually, we are lulled in to a comfort zone. Inside this comfort zone we become soft; de-conditioned for challenge, change, and anything that would push us out of the comfort zone.

Travel keeps me from getting too comfortable.

This blog serves as an outlet for me to document and share my travel experiences with those who have a similar thirst for stepping outside of the comfort zone and learning more about themselves and the world in which they live.

Read. Share. Enjoy.

Land, Air, and See

Tulum, Mexico: Part Three

Tulum, Mexico: Part Two

Egypt, Anyone?

France by Bicycle

Tulum, Mexico: Part One

Airplane Etiquette: Making Friends

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen: Things

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen: Places

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen: People

Brook Maikut's Copenhagen

Nowhere

Get It While the Gettin's Good

So That Explains It

Aloha!

A Major Reward

180 South

Festivals

Quote

A Sad Day for Travel Lovers and Moose Everywhere

Hop Off of the Career Track and Travel

Travel Like a Journalist

Mustaches 'Round the World

"Thanks TSA, I haven't been touched like that since prom night" - and 24 other funny travel tweets.

Thumbing, Tramping, Hitching

Quote

Sinatra's "My Way" + Philippine Karaoke Bars = MURDER?!

Australia's Harvest Trail

The Benjamin (singular)

Allison Otto's Sexy Vintage Travel Trailer

Dirty Hotels

Oceanic Flight 815

ANECDOTES. Entry Number Three: The Kiwi Drug Trafficker and The Serbian Hooker

By Way of Camper

Get High

Mapping America

Crystal Balling for 2010

Holidays in New York City

"I Miss the Earth So Much, I Miss My Wife..."

Travel on the Cheap

The Plane Rides From Hell and How to Make the Best of Them

Dan Balosanu's Ireland

Rick Steves Is Pretty Sweet

The Wanderlusters

Twittering While Traveling

These Are Just Two of My Favorite Things

Going On Holiday

The Only Way to Fly, Part Two: CREEPS!

The Only Way to Fly

FIVES. Entry Number Two: Five Things To Do In Austin, Texas

ANECDOTES. Entry Number Two: Gypsy Cab

Staying Connected

Don't Let Flu Season Get You Down!

Gypsy Cabs

PHOTO FICTION. Entry Number One: Charles Kelly

ANECDOTES. Entry Number One: Jonas

Jet Blue Shall Know Our Velocity

AFAR Magazine

Be Careful!

Laura Ling and Euna Lee Pardoned

FIVES. Entry Number One: Five Things To Learn To Say In a Foreign Language

Recommended Reading

Features

About Land, Air, and See