Leave a light footprint.

I wonder how it is I became obsessed with travel? I guess my travels started in the forest around my house, near the Wapiti River, in Northern Alberta, Canada, with my father.

He had particular rules for traveling.  Never, ever, leave garbage on the trail.  If you see garbage, pick it up.  It doesn’t matter how long you have to carry it; the path behind you must be clean.

Every now and then, stop, and really listen.  Stop in your tracks, and fully take in your surroundings.  Listen so carefully, you can hear the wings of a bird, or a branch crackle.  An ant crawl.. well maybe not, but try..  Sniff the wind, feel the freshness of the air near the water’s edge.  Notice the pattern of sound in the leaves of the tree as they rustle.

Actually, my dad implied we were listening for bears, or mountain lions, and this scared me out of my wits, but nonetheless I was grateful to have instilled in me a strong desire to observe my surroundings carefully, and a good sense of self-protection, to boot. But most of time we realize, the fear of what’s “out there” is really just in our head.

 

I took that kind of awareness out into the world, and became a traveler.  I didn’t get my first passport until I was twenty-one, when i was preparing to finish my BA.  My travels began in Africa, then to Asia, and a bit of the Middle East and Europe.  When does it stop?  When I die.  I’ve relinquished the need to live in the future constantly, but my window to the world, though I nurture my ambitions, is in the present.  My experience of this world is through me, but I often think of the people I have met in the steps along the way.  If I am to begin telling my stories, I have to revere all the people I met along the way.  I don’t suppose to represent them, but I can give my version.

Let’s get serious for a moment.  In our course, we looked at four contingencies for successful travel writing, according to David Spurr:

1) The question of language.

2) The conditions of observation.

3) The consciousness of interest.

4) Other voices.

On the question of language, lets consider how flag words like “terrorism” are repeated and distorted in our media, until the meaning is “displaced simultaneously onto so many different contexts that it loses its authority as the name for a specific phenomenon and is instead revealed as an instrument of rhetorical and political strategy”(190). A reversal, by an official of Iranian hierarchy: “You westerners… why do you always talk about us as having power struggles while you yourselves merely have politics?”(190).  Language is twisted to favor the mothership.

On the conditions of observation, he states “the hiatus of perception is literally a matter of interest; one sees what it profits one to see, what one has a share or stake in, a claim upon”(192). He quotes George Orwell from “Marrakech”: “In a tropical landscape one’s eye takes in everything except the human beings.. it always misses the peasant hoeing his patch”(191/192).

On the consciousness of interest, he uses the words of Edward Said: “there is never interpretation, understanding, and then knowledge where there is no interest“(192).

On other voices, he hints that the barriers of providing other voices lies in problems of translation.  My favorite quote (which I think encompasses all four above principles concisely) is here when Spurr shares the words of T.D. Allman, reporting on El Salvador forHarper‘s:

“It is good that journalists come to El Salvador,” one of the men with machetes said, “but you should not just visit our country.  You should live here.” I agreed that journalists wrote much better stories when they lived in the countries about which they wrote, but that had not been what he meant. “If you lived in El Salvador,” he explained, “you could hide Christian people in your house and the Guardias could not find them, and you could bring us food and medicine and guns in your car.”

So what do I want to do as a storyteller? I wish to share, to entertain, to impart, to be respectful, to see not the other but see me in the other.

The plain fact is that the world does not need more successful people, but it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as our culture has defined it.                                                                              

David Orr

The Voice Gallery II

Traveler: Katie Mines

Bio: Katie is a 35 year old New Zealand woman who previously taught ESL in South Korea for 7 years before travelling for another 2 years. Now she lives back in New Zealand with her 2 year old daughter, teaching art to children and working part time wherever she fancies. She loves painting, enjoying the beautiful landscape of New Zealand and working in animal welfare where possible.

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip? The impetus for my trip was simply the need to travel. I was 24 years old and it was my first solo backpacking trip from South Korea where I was teaching.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met. / Q3: How did this trip change your life? The person I met was called Bpat. That is all that I really know about him…except that he is a kind soul and my first ever friend in a foreign country aside from Korea where I lived at the time. It was literally my first night in Bangkok and I was so excited but it was early evening and I simply needed some food before settling down in my simple hotel room. Jet lagged, tired and hungry I ventured out in the streets just to find something for dinner and having no idea what to expect. It turns out I was in a pretty run down, dark and dismal part of the city. I walked a few blocks, but most shops were closing up and there didn’t appear any hope for a meal! Then I see an old man pushing a cart with steaming metal buckets and all sorts of interesting jars and food containers rattling on top. He stopped to serve a man nearby. I was curious, so was watching and wondering whether I should ‘risk it’ and buy some of this mystery food! I had been in Thailand only a few hours and hadn’t yet learned any phrases. The sole customer saw me staring, then paid the man and received TWO bowls and gestured to me to sit down. He was simply perched on the side of the road, against a shop window…no seats. I decided that I could not turn this down…it was clearly street food, but coming from a steaming hot cart which ‘looked legit’ I thought….well, only one way to find out! I saw the food being served straight from the cart, and saw the old man continue down the street, so in that sense I knew where the food came from at least! I decided to join my new friend to eat. He couldn’t speak a single word of English (neither could the old man), and I couldn’t speak any Thai except for Sa-wa-dee-ka (hello), so it was a VERY interesting meal. He punched his own chest and said “Bpat” and I punched my own chest and said “Katie” and then we ate. I have no idea what the meal actually was, but could take a pretty good guess in saying offal soup. Something I would never normally order otherwise, but turned out pretty good, even though I was almost vegetarian at the time! I was talking to him in very slow English “delicious” “thank you!” “what is this?” etc and he was speaking to me in very slow Thai, however it was all pointless, and both of us clearly had no idea what the other was saying. However….we shared a hot bowl of broth on a lonely, dark evening, on the side of the dirty road in the middle of Bangkok: a lone Kiwi and a lone Thai man, with no other agenda, than to share a bowl of broth. It was beautiful. He took my bowl, shook my hand, bowed a little and I stood to return the bow. That was the first person I really ‘met’ on my first night of traveling ever in my life. And after that trip, I travelled alone through all of Thailand (4 times), Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia (twice), China, Japan, 42 States of America, the South of Canada, England, Scotland and most of Africa. I have met literally hundreds of people along the way, and will never forget Bpat, for showing me the simple and kindest gesture, of a handshake, a smile, and a kind deed, even if you can’t share a single word in the same language.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip? I had one carry on bag on this trip (it was just one month) and about 4 changes of clothes, so I can’t really think of a must-have to be honest.  I was safe in the sense that I had previously had all my inoculations for disease, obviously had a passport, but everything else (mosquito repellant, toiletries, hats, clothes etc) could be purchased in Thailand for much cheaper than home. So to answer this question, I will say: the ability to ‘make do’ and rough it sometimes (Asia can be testing for 5 star travellers as well as backpackers!) and two more qualities: courage and spontaneity (the latter, to make the most of situations like I described).

Q5: What was the best foreign word you learned? The best foreign word I learned on that trip was: Kap-kun-ka (thank you).

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

There should be a Nobel peace price for those amazing people who have made gains in the rights of animals and the planet.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

If I could be transported to one place at one time, I would choose….my 9 year old self, when I used to worry about things that only adults should worry about; and tell myself that everything was going to be ok.

Bpat.

Traveler: Daniel Rodriguez

Bio: Daniel is a global citizen currently living in the west side of Toronto, Canada. He owns a beautiful 5 bedroom 3 bathroom, townhouse in the High Park neighborhood where the Walk Score is 100/100. He is a primary school teacher at an affluent, eco-friendly TDSB school. He rides his bike to school in just 3 minutes and is part of an auto share program when he needs a car for an out of town excursion. Daniel must travel to one new country each year that he lives. Daniel is 35 and has been to 35 countries thus far. He has been achieving all the goals he has set over the past 10 years and will continue doing so until the day he passes on. Daniel also suffers from body dysmorphic disorder and is borderline anxious and borderline obsessive compulsive.

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

My most recent trips have been Florida in March 2014 and my most recent trip to another ‘new’ country was Brazil in July 2013. The inspiration for the California and Florida trip was simply to obtain heat during a long harsh Canadian winter. Toronto and most of eastern Canada was facing the truth of extreme weather of climate change. It was an extra-ordinarily cold and long winter and Daniel needed to get away for some sunshine (Vitamin D) and some warm, Atlantic ocean vibes not too far from home (3 hours directly south).  My impetus for my trip to Brazil was purely the need to be surrounded by hot Brazilian vibes and to practice Portuguese; my linguistic hunger was high and English was boring my tongue. I also needed to get away from North American culture for a while with my partner and explore the world a bit without the regular routines we have in place at home in our community.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

We met many people on both trips but of the two countries I would say that my most memorable person was a homeless child on the streets of Rio de Janeiro feeding her 2 homeless kittens on a sidewalk in the bright heat of the day. She was sharing some scraps of food she had scavenged from a rubbish bin. She seemed very content and comfortable out in the open in this condition and was smiling and happily at us as she fed her cats. I wanted to hand her some money or some of the fresh food I was enjoying but the bus I was on drove off instantly. I had been arguing with David earlier that morning and was distracted from my anger upon watching the girl and the kittens. I learned from that moment that happiness is a state of mind not something you can possess from consumerism (which is what North American values seem to otherwise teach).

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

I think I answered this above. It was immediate awareness that we create our problems, and that emotions can easily be altered by changing your focus.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

I am taking this question very practically and literally…Passport, wallet and a flexible, open-mind.

Q5: What was the best foreign word you learned?

The best foreign word I learned was “obrigado,” which is thank you in Portuguese.  

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel prize for?

I think there should be a Nobel prize for Earth Rights Activism (encompassing Humans, Animals, Plants and ALL living things on)

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

Hawaii…I had travelled there 15 years ago for a summer during my undergraduate years and completely enjoyed the climate, the relaxed life cycle and the joys of being surrounded by the largest ocean on this planet. The air, water and plant life was pure and clean. I felt a sense of isolation but also great comfort in my surroundings. Picking fresh fruit off the highway, swimming in pools of water and jumping from waterfalls, drinking water from springs and camping on the beach. Being carefree was that experience and I would like that right now. Being an adult with responsibilities can sometimes be daunting. So please teleport me right now to my youth that summer in Hawaii.

 Traveler: Jessica Karpinski

Bio: Jessica is a teacher currently traveling in South America who enjoys trying different kinds of foods and drinking coffee.

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

The impetus for my trip was to see sights that I have never seen before and practice speaking Spanish.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I met a woman from Argentina during a lunch stop on the way to Machu Picchu.  When I asked her if she was scared of the narrow roads which the bus was taking to Machu Picchu, she just laughed and said she was used to them because the roads are similar in her area of Argentina.    I thought the roads were very narrow and I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff for hours.  I suppose it is all what one is used to.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

It hasn’t changed my life but there are still three more weeks in the trip.  Let´s see what happens!

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip? Sun screen, reusable water bottle, passport.

Q5: What is the best foreign word you learned?

The best foreign word I learned is “apu,” which is Quecha for ´mountain´. It means more than just mountain and refers to more of the spirit of the mountain.

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel prize for?

There should be a Nobel Prize for anyone who works hard for the progression of green energy.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why? 

I would be transported to Ancient Rome to not only experience the life of an Ancient Roman, but to also see if I remember any of my high school Latin.

Traveler: Amit CV

 Bio: Amit CV is from Kochi, India and currently living in New Delhi.  Amit is an artist by nature, a biker by influence & a yoga practitioner/teacher by choice, who constantly craves for the saltiness of the sea & sweet smell of mountains.

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

I have a huge wish list of places to see before I die, from Bhutan to Patagonia. I take my trips to tick them off one by one. The last one was to Cyprus & Croatia.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I got introduced to an insanely talented sunglass designer in Croatia who is constantly on the high of art & life. The energy was so much, it keeps me inspired still.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

Every trip makes me appreciate how the locals take pride in their culture, cuisine & way of living. It reinstates every time the love for my own culture.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip? Smartphone, Sunglasses & Swim shorts.

Q5: The best foreign words I learned are Grazie, S’il vous plaît & Gracias…very very handy!

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel prize for? There should be a Nobel Prize for Mother Earth for its brilliance in evolution without asking for anything in return.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

To any mediterranean coast in summer, just for the joy of a dip in the sea & simple tasteful food. La dolce vita.
 

Traveler: Joo Seong Park

Bio:  Joo Seong is studying English to prepare for college abroad,  and is interested in other foreign languages as well, including Japanese which he speaks fluently. Joo seong says he is a sort of wanderlust person.

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

In 2012 I went to Canada and traveled around the Rocky mountain range. It was so impressive.  I have never been to such spectacular, beautiful places as the glacier and those lakes. After I came back to Korea I felt had to go abroad again.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I met a woman who came from Seoul in Korea. She was attractive, because she is one of the most enthusiastic people I’ve met. She works for Toyota and goes to a lot of countries for business trips. Her style of work and travel is what I want for myself.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

Because of the person I met in Canada, I made up my mind to study English for getting my ideal job, so I can visit a lot of countries for work and travel.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

1. A local guide book and phrasebook.
2. phone
3. camera

Q5: What is the best foreign word you learned?

The best foreign word I learned is “akan which is a Japanese word from the Osaka dialect meaning “no” or “impossible.”

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

I think there should be a special prize for animal conservationists. So many animals are dying out, or in danger of becoming extinct.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

I want to be transported to Tibet before it was invaded by China. Tibetans are pure and innocent.  I want to learn their wisdom, from the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.

 

Traveler: Chris Ciosk

Bio: Born in Toronto, and a graduate from Ryerson’s film program, Chris Ciosk can usually be found somewhere or other teaching scuba diving, working on a film, getting out for an adventure, or occasionally just being a bit silly.
You can check out some very sporadic blog posts at:
http://chrisciosk.com/wordpress

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

I’d always wanted to get away for a year of traveling before I settled in to some sort of “career”. So, after graduating film school, when I was making a documentary with my roommate about our quest to become the perfect elves so we could appear in The Hobbit movie, I made sure the project included eight months of travel before arriving in New Zealand. I’d be doing things like hiking into a little village in Nepal and learning archery from the kids there to help build my portfolio of ‘elven skills’ for this movie. But when I got to New Zealand, The Hobbit got delayed beyond the scope of my visa, and my eight months of travel turned into five years.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

Once I met an Israeli acrobat in Morocco, who’d cycled down from the north of Spain on a half-year trip. He’d been so long without someone to talk to, that our meeting turned into him doing what was basically an incredibly physical and more than a bit intoxicated eight hour performance of everything that had happened to him, basically in his entire life. He’d always talk about what he did recently in the first person plural (we, us), and for ages I expected to meet his travelling companion, but it turned out “Cesar” wasn’t actually a person, but the name that he gave to his bike that he had started talking to over the course of his travels.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

It has had the rather unfortunate effect that I seem to be always homesick for somewhere no matter where I am! But I’ve learned so much and met so many cool people that it’s just opened up thousands of ideas about what life could be like, I’m sure that I’m a completely different person in too many ways from when I left. Even when I’m staying still these days, I still like to stay in the travelling state of mind by having couchsurfers stay over every once in a while.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

Backpack, clothes, and sunscreen. You wouldn’t always want to travel that light, but it’s a lot of fun once in a while.

Q5: What is the best foreign word you learned?

I like the Indian phrase that you say before drinking: “Jai Ho!” Not only is it fun to say but it also literally translates to “Victory, let it be!” Which is what we all really want to toast before drinking, none of this ‘to your health’ or ‘cheers’ nonsense that you get in other languages.

Also, as a bilingual dive instructor, I’m rather enamored with the French word for buoyancy: “Flottabilité”

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

Outstanding oral hygiene.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

I’d probably head back to the late 50s and make friends with Ringo so I could spend the 60s hanging out with The Beatles and getting up to all sorts of nonsense.

 

 

 

Traveler: Gary Goodwill

Bio: Gary is a passionate adventurer and spiritual seeker in Canada who loves to explore the wonders of nature and to work towards global peace. I love dancing, singing, reading, writing, traveling, adventure, laughing… all the good things in life! J

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

I was traveling to the Amazon in Peru to work with shamanic plant medicines… and to radically change my life.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I met a lovely woman from New Zealand who was a part of our travel group. She was so good to me while I wasn’t feeling well. She was also a lot of fun. We are still friends today. J

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

Oh my lanta… it really opened my eyes to different cultures and styles of living. I also left everything familiar behind to pursue this trip and through this I have learned to trust, let go and have faith!

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

-Essential oils to repel mosquitoes (didn’t really work though :P)
-Shorts (I LOVE TO SWIM – THE AMAZON RIVER WAS AMAZING!)
-Journal

Q5: What is the best foreign word you learned?

Poquito – little. Very cute.

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel prize for?

LOVE and HUMILITY.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

I would love to see the world when the dinosaurs were alive because the world was so new and pristine. And plus, dinosaurs are awesome (though I far prefer the herbivores.

 

 Traveler: Eugene Smith

Bio:  Eugene Smith is a British-Korean Rock musician currently studying History in Portland, Oregon.

 

 

 

 

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

In December 2004, my family embarked on a trip to Phuket, Thailand. It was during our Christmas break and initially appeared to be just another small trip to South East Asia.

Q2: How did this trip change your life?

The day after Christmas my family decided to go to the beach early. We strolled down from the hotel but then realized that my mum had forgotten her wallet. We returned to the hotel to grab the wallet before we resumed our journey. Suddenly we heard an explosion. I thought it was a terrorist attack since it had only been two years after the Bali Bombings. The sound actually came from the underground water pipes exploding from massive quantities of pressure. We could see everybody running, even trucks reversing. I looked towards what people were fleeing from and I saw the wave. It towered over the distant coconut trees. My dad grabbed my hand and we immediately ran for it. We were extremely lucky. If my mother would have remembered her wallet, we would have been on the beach and would not have survived. Our hotel was up in the hills and was not destroyed. Once our trip was finished and we were at the airport to leave Thailand, we found out that Korean Air cancelled our flights back home, since they did not want to send empty planes to Thailand. Every other airline accepted profit loss and instead prioritized rescuing their citizens. After staying in the airport for an irritating amount of time with my mother screaming at the booking agent, we managed to catch a free first class flight back. We were extremely lucky that none of us got hurt or lost anything. Needless to say, we have never flown Korean air internationally since.

Q3: Tell me about a person you met.

A few days before the tsunami we were at a lovely restaurant run by a Norwegian couple right on the beach. We visited them a few times and enjoyed their service. After the first wave we couldn’t identify where the restaurant was in the rubble. I hope they weren’t running the business on that fateful morning.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

A Swiss Army Knife, a clean bottle of water, and a ticket to a foreign country that isn’t from Korean Air.

Q5: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

There should be a Nobel Prize for individual acts of heroism conducted by people without an official profession. Tilly Smith was a 10 year old girl who knew that a beach that initially empties itself of water is a sign of an incoming tsunami. She saved many lives by warning a beach that a tsunami was about to strike.

 

 

Welcome to the Voice Gallery.

In my last post, I discussed the importance of not hearing a single story, but for a reader, observer, traveler or participant in life to take in all kinds of stories to develop a multifaceted perspective, rich with voices.  When we have too little information, are disconnected, or not fully present in the moment, we can misjudge a person or a situation and take on a belief that is akin to imperialism, in which we unconsciously and erroneaously perceive ourselves  as superior to another.  Or, we can romanticize or unwittingly be patronizing to elements of others which to us are unfamiliar or exotic, and thus limit the power of the other. The first step in safeguarding from these attitudes is cultivating awareness of said attitudes, and then consideration may follow naturally.  It is beneficial to appreciate differences in others as a richness that contributes to the bounty of expression of life, while simultaneously recognizing the similarities in others to establish a connection that ensures just humanity, equality, and fosters equanimity.  In certain languages, when we are close to another, we address them as our brother or sister.  Every contact is powerful and has a special purpose which we may not fully understand but must respect and appreciate, and attempt to assist on their journey. If we travel with a graceful attitude, and remain present in the moment, we can treat our brothers or sisters as we would like to be treated. This has not always been so in history, but history is in the process of being rewritten.

In this post I wish to create a gallery of voices.  I wish to engage travelers in the process of reflection and creativity about their experiences, and to open a channel for discourse to express a full range of emotions related to travel, and possibility it creates. These travelers share details about a particular travel experience, or commentary on their philosophy of travel.   I especially am interested in the impetus or inspiration which motivates people to travel, and how travel helps us make meaningful contacts and inspire life changes.  I want to emphasize interconnection of audience and speaker. This post will continuously be updated with new additions by a variety of contributors who have graced my life with their presence. Thank you to them.  I hope you enjoy these stories as well, and I encourage you to leave questions and comments.

The Voice Gallery:

Traveler: Tony MacGregor

Bio: Tony is a Canadian editor/journalist/film maker living in Chiang Rai, Thailand with his Thai wife and  eight-month-old daughter. He is currently working on a film about a 7^th Century Korean monk called Wonhyo, who walked across the Korean Peninsula and found enlightenment in a tomb/cave on the western side of the peninsula.

http://inthefootstepsofwonhyo.com/

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

My trip was a pilgrimage across the Korean Peninsula to honor Wonhyo’s journey of the 7^th Century. It took place in September of 2012.  It was the first pilgrimage to honor the saint in more than 1,300 years.

I became fascinated with Wonhyo, Korea’s most beloved and controversial Buddhist saint, after stumbling across him while reading about Korean Buddhism. I wanted to understand what happened to him on his journey in the mountains. By honoring Wonhyo, a kind of patron saint of Korea, I was also honoring the Korean people and saying thank you for the three wonderful years I spent there.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

The person who had the biggest impact on me was a monk, Jeong Gwan Sunim of Gimryongsa. His humility and naturalness and the simplicity of his approach really impressed me. I could see that his spiritual practice really worked for him. I made up my mind that I would go back and study with him, but I haven’t had the opportunity so to date.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

It made me realize that life is a pilgrimage and not to lose sight of the ultimate goal; to focus on what is really important and not to be sidetracked into dead-end paths no matter how attractive they look.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

Every pilgrim needs an open mind, an inquiring mind and a desire for spiritual enlightenment and real peace.

Q5:  What was the best foreign word you learned?

The best word I learned is kamsamida (thank you). It was a word I used often on the trip because the kindness of the people we met was overflowing. I felt very thankful for everything I experienced.

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for? There should be a Nobel prize for unwarranted acts of kindness.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why? I would like to witness the Buddha’s enlightenment and listen to his first sermon at Deer Park in northern India.

 

Traveler: Chae Hyun Lee 

Bio:  Rachel is a student at a Foreign Studies University in South Korea who enjoys singing and traveling.

 

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

I think it’s seeking for new experiments. Also sometimes people get sick of being the same, in being with myself in the past. However, with new surroundings, with new people, there are always chances to change.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

When I traveled to China, I met a Canadian who works as teacher in an elementary school in Korea. There was a guide for him and my family but the guide only spoke Korean and Chinese. So I helped him by translating Korean into English although I wasn’t fluent. I’ll never forget that trip.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

Traveling makes me to think like I’m not alone wherever I go. There must be someone who will help me when I’m in trouble. In other words, I should help the travelers in trouble.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

Money, cell-phone, water

Q5: What was the best foreign word you learned?

ありがとう   which means thank you

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel prize for?

For parents who endure everything for their children.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

“Salar de Uyuni,” the salt desert in Bolivia

It is the only place people can walk in the sky. Not actually but it seems so.

I always dreamed to go there.

 

Traveler: Danny Melhado

Bio: Danny Melhado has a guest house, surf / sup / snorkel guide and school in Okinawa    www.happysurfingokinawa.com

 

 

 

 

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

My first trip to Okinawa was with a boss / friend who invited me along for a surfing magazine shoot in Okinawa.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I met Mr Keiichi san 15 years prior in Florida surfing. I offered him and his wife to come to my home for a bbq. We had not seen each other for 15 years when he came and found me at a surfing contest in Shikoku Japan. He offered to take me to Okinawa where we met many great local people of Okinawa. We surfed for 1 month in many great locations. I am forever in debt to him for changing my life.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

This trip changed my life as it opened doors for me to come and live and make business in Okinawa.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

Three things to bring for me where surfboard, surf trunks, and spirit to charge whatever waves we found during our stay.

Q5: What is the best foreign word you learned?

The best foreign word I learned was arigatogozaimasu. The first word to learn in any host country…Thank you.

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel prize for?

There should be a Nobel prize for Mr. Kelly Slater….The king of surfing!

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

If I could be transported to a place it would be back to Florida to see my mother and give her a big hug 🙂

 

Traveler: Cheryl Kim

Bio: Cheryl is an athlete, a college English teacher and lives with her daughter Kai and husband Byung Sung in Korea. Kai is already in training to be a pro surfer!  She is learning swimming, skateboarding, surfing, skateboarding, hapkido, and piano.  Cheryl assists Byung Sung in managing his surf/SUP/skateboarding shop in Busan with his business partner, Lee Jihun. www.facebook.com/kaisurfschool

 

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

I went to Puerto Rico for off-season training in beach volleyball. It was a ten-day trip.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I met one of the Puerto Rican national team players named Willie Dejesus. He said to me that in life you have to live in the moment, and don’t let anything hold you back from the things you want to do, because at the end of your life, your friends, your money, your family – they won’t be there, but your memories will be.  So, it’s important to live your life to the fullest and make memories.  He also said that it doesn’t matter what the outcome is, whether you’re successful or you fail, because it’s the memory that counts.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

Well, it inspired me to try to fulfill my dreams, regardless of whether I was successful or not.  It also gave me the courage to do things that I never thought were possible. Such as playing for the Canadian national beach volleyball team, and later, moving to Korea without any thought. From that point, pretty much everything in my life, I’ve just gone with the flow.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

A toothbrush, passport, and a sense of adventure.

Q5: What was the best foreign word you learned?

The best foreign word I learned is “chingu.” It means “friend” in Korean.

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel prize for?

There should be a Nobel prize for abstract thought.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

I would go to a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, just to experience some untouched nature and see and feel the raw beauty.

 

 Traveler Gabriel Pettyjohn

Bio: Gabriel Pettyjohn is a graduate student of International Relations in Seoul, South Korea who enjoys reading constantly and regularly visiting art museums and galleries, as well as music and dance performances.

 

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

In 2010 I took a three and a half month trip to China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

One of the reasons this trip turned out the way it did was that my Malaysian friend Pearl, who works as film director in Shanghai, needed to return to Malaysia and Singapore to renew her passport and visas.  She suggested that I join her on her trip, so that she would be able to show me around Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. I met up with her in Shanghai and stayed for a week while she wrapped up a project. Then we stayed with her cousin’s family in KL, her friend who managed an international modeling agency in Singapore, and then I was off on my own for two months traveling through Indonesia.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I was able to meet my friend Kiki on this trip.  Kiki was a friend who I had made online years before my trip.  I was very happy to be able to meet her in person.  Her father had been a famous Indonesian rock star in the 1970s, so she was able to take me to some very fun parties around Jakarta and show me an incredible side of life in that city. She is a super energetic and works as a designer and as the fashion columnist for the Jakarta Post.  She is a very well connected and cheerful person to know.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

It was an extended exposure to languages, lifestyles, foods, cultures and landscapes I had never seen before. It was a challenging and lovely time.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

1.  Some books and a notebook for journaling.

2.  One comfortable backpack for all my things.

3.  Some flexible clothing that can be worn in either informal or formal situations.  I pack a lot of black clothing as it blends well. You never know what you might be invited to.

Q5: What was the best foreign word you learned?

The best foreign word I learned is Selamat pagi, which is an Indonesian greeting.

Q6:What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

There should be a Nobel Prize for the art of translation.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?
I would be in Berlin with my Japanese friend Noriko, as she is currently undergoing cancer treatments and I think she could really use a friend to help her out in this difficult time. I could cook and clean and help around the house. I think that would be appreciated. Friends should be there for each other when things get rough.

 

Traveler: Francis Cheol-Hyun Park

Bio: Francis Cheol-Hyun Park is an Electronics and Programming major at Korea University.  He served in the Korea Air force as a sergeant, and is currently studying English in New York.

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

I wanted to improve my English so I wouldn’t have to worry about English in my life. To get a good job, a high level English is required. In addition, I thought traveling to NY for somewhere in the neighborhood of  an year was good chance to learn about other cultures, too.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

I met a lot of teachers who have a strong desire to make their students talk like native speakers. They taught me not only English but also cultural and historical things about the US. I met many friends from all over the world. Each friend showed me their culture, stereotypes, and fixed ideas.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

First, through the veil of my own conceit, I thought I was good enough to show off my English. This trip broke my high self-esteem. Second, I learned to tolerate differences. I am getting a wide view of the world and kinds of people with different cultures, sexual orientations, and points of view. Third, I got great friends from all countries.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

Smart phone, money, I.D.

Q5: What was the best foreign word you learned?

The best new word I learned was “concede” (accept).

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

I think there should be a Nobel Prize for freedom which is behavior about their belief.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

To NY. Because it’s competent for living based on my personality and character. And job welfare is better than Korea in my university major field. Just I like NY’s life style.

 

Traveler: Kari Taylor Atkins

Bio: Kari is a scuba instructor and health IT consultant who enjoys underwater photography, golf, coffee and home-grown tomatoes. www.atkinsscuba.com

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip?

It’s difficult to choose one trip, so I’m going with one of my first: a cruise I took with my husband in March, 2001. The impetus for the trip was to achieve our scuba certification. We had done the pool and class work at home in Edmonton over the winter, and needed to complete 4 open water dives to become certified. Turns out it was a life-changing experience.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

Catherine. She was our instructor in Cozumel, Mexico, for our first two ocean dives. She is a kind, gentle soul and one of those people who, when you meet them, you instantly feel you’ve known forever. I fell for her instantly. The following year when we were deciding on a destination for a scuba vacation, it was an easy decision: I wanted to go wherever Catherine was. She still lives in the area, and while we don’t communicate often, I think of her very frequently and am grateful for the influence she had on my experiences.

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

It’s the trip where I learned to dive, which became an avid hobby, and then a part-time profession. For the past nine years my husband and I have been leading dive groups, mostly back to Cozumel, and have our own following of divers who we’ve trained and who we love to dive with. He is now a PADI Course Director, which is the highest trainer rating there is, and I’m working my way toward becoming a Master Instructor, the rung just below that. Diving has offered me the opportunity to translate my “boring business skills” into real life passion. We transformed a sleepy dive shop in Mexico to a top-notch training facility, and are in the process of working with another shop to do the same. It’s exciting. It’s liberating. It’s true what they say: if you love what you’re doing, you’ll never work a day in your life. And that first trip was the kick off to all of that.

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

I’ve often said all I need is a credit card and my toothbrush. I’d add a device – I do most of my communicating through facebook, and all of my business activities can be done on my iPad.

Q5: What is the best foreign word you learned?

The best foreign word I learned is “mañana.” It doesn’t mean “tomorrow” – it just means “not today.”

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

There should be a Nobel Prize for patience. It’s a quality so many travelers lack.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

Scotland in the late middle ages. Kilt wearing, clan loving times. “As long as only one hundred of us remain alive, we will never, on any conditions, be brought under English rule.” Then.

 

Traveler: Jae Seong An

Bio:  Jae Seong is a classical musician in Busan, South Korea who enjoys Mahler and Mozart, plays bassoon and saxophone, and likes to play and watch baseball, especially Lotte Giant games.

 

Q1: What was the impetus (reason/inspiration) for your trip? I went to Germany for an internship with a musical instrument company.  I lived in Nauheim, and took train trips to Frankfurt, Heidelberg,  and Bad Nauheim. I learned that Elvis Presley did military service in  Bad Nauheim.

Q2: Tell me about a person you met.

On the train, I befriended the person in the seat next to me, and we traveled together around Heidelberg.  In Heidelberg, I found “Goethe,” or a “thinking street.”  The promenade had a sign that said it was specially designated for a stroll and a ponder.  It was a cobblestone, walled walkway with a view of Goethe castle.

 

Q3: How did this trip change your life?

It made me interested in living abroad again.  For my graduate studies in music, I lived in Pittsburg for three years.  Since this trip to Germany, I’ve been daydreaming about trying another country.

 

Q4: What three items are must-bring things for you on your trip?

My cell phone, credit card, and an open mind and feeling to behold completely what I see in front of me.

 

Q5: What is the best foreign word you learned?

My favorite foreign word is “entschuldigung.”  It means “excuse me” in German.  I just like the way it sounds.

Q6: What do you think there should be a Nobel Prize for?

I think there should be a Nobel prize for good parenting.

Q7: If you could be transported to one place at one time, what would it be and why?

I would meet myself in middle school to give advice to myself in life.

Gathering.

“I couldn’t let the false accusations of one foolhardy man endanger the entire society of miniaturists.” (15)

The previous quote is from My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk.  In this book, each chapter is written, in turn, from the perspective of a different character.

Don’t you think it’s fair that everyone should have a voice?

I began thinking about this after plunging into the condensed writing of Homi K. Bhabha in his chapter The Location of Culture, which emphasizes the necessity for all voices to be heard.  It is better to identify as a global citizen than as a national, and consider not just one voice, but all when considering one’s identity.  Our history is not in the past as it is not static, but it is a story that is being written simultaneously by many.  If our story were to be written in keeping with this theme, like in Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red, each character takes turn giving their account, and so the readers may see everything for themselves.

As this is often not the case, the unheard voices become liminal. A multitude of voices can be divided between the powerful and the oppressed.  We can think of Freud’s model of the conscious and the unconscious when thinking of our nation state.  This polarity exists until a temporal shift reigns; one which grounds us into the present moment, and this multiplicity of histories being written, right before our eyes.

So yes, this book of Orhan Pamuk’s quite impressed me with its multiple voices evenly shared.  It also inspired me to go on and read more of his work, including Istanbul, a story of his city.  In turn, it made me want to go there.

How is it we make choices?  Have you ever read a book and wished to crawl into the pages, or better yet, go to the place written about?

He wrote about the diamond-like sparkling of the Bhosphorus Strait through the middle of this city perched on the center of Europe and Asia’s divide.  He wrote how houses are pushed right up to the edge of this water, and how people prize living right on the edge, despite how boats sometimes crash through living room windows in storms.

So by and by, I had to go see it for myself.  We make decisions and plans evolve, but how is this? In Sheena Iyengar’s TED talk, The Art of Choosing http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing?quote=785 she suggests that making choices is an art, and that when we are faced with a decision, it can be to our best advantage not to make that decision alone. I often travel alone and quite like it, for I find I am more open to meeting new people that way.  However in this case, as I chatted about my plans and got excited over it, other voices got involved.  At first, it was only me, but when two friends overheard my plans, then there were three. So with our collective and individual agendas together we  traveled.   We all arrived at different times, and left at different times.  I, being the greedy one, added Romania and Bulgaria into my trip as well, while my friends explored a bit out of the capital.  But that is a story for another time.

We combined our group wish list, including a Bosphorus boat tour, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Dolmabahce Palace, and eating these kind of good/terrible fish sandwiches, from fish fished from the Bosphorus.

I am very spontaneous but not ambitious in building itineraries, so we were a great mix: synergy at it’s best. We got in enough sight-seeing, socializing with each other and with people we met, and I still made my train Bulgaria/Romania bound with more seconds to spare than when I plan on my own.

One must-see in Istanbul is the Hagia Sophia.  (from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, “Holy Wisdom“; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya)The Hagia Sophia was first a Greek orthodox basilica, later an Imperial mosque, and is now a museum.  Let me remind you earlier I was talking about history. Not unlike Bhabha, David Spurr, in The Rhetoric of Empire, is quite concerned with attitudes that trample on with colonial, postcolonial, and imperial attitudes.  I like to think of the Hagia Sophia as a beautiful example of how our constitutions morph, in the perspective of history.  In Bhabha’s view, it is a church, a mosque, and a museum, all at once, whispering from the walls all the stories it has seen.

What stories would your walls tell if they could whisper?

In my next blog entry, I’ll be interviewing others and sharing their stories.  Adieu.

 

Where am I and what am I doing here?

If Paris is the City of Lights, North Korea is the country without lights.

For nine years I lived in Seoul just below it, and the past two years I’ve been in Busan, on the SE coast in South Korea.  I am always asked about North Korea when I explain where I live, and to me, this map explains a lot. Take it in.  I will let the image speak for itself.

Two good non-fiction books I would recommend for a glimpse would be Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Rigoulout, Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy, as well as fictional Your Republic is Calling You by Young Ha Kim.  Aquariums is the standard book to get into the topic.  Your Republic captures the imagination of possible dynamics, following the would-be life of a spy from the North living in Seoul, but if you were to choose just one, read Demick.  She was a reporter from the LA Times who lived on the peninsula for ten years, given the charge of covering the two Koreas.  At first she was stationed in Pyongyang, but found she wasn’t able to gleen much about the inner-workings of society.  Later in Seoul, she extensively researched and put together the stories of six residents of Chongin, North Korea’s third biggest city, and weaves together the story of their lives.

If you want to go deeper, check out Rescue North Korea, who work on moving refugees out through China and Mongolia or SE Asia and help them settle in the south:  http://www.libertyinnorthkorea.org/rescue-refugees/

Where am I, and what am I doing here? I am a traveler who set up camp here in Asia.  I am one of many.  Here is my current city, Busan, city of 3.5 million:

Busan, according to the City Tourist Association:

Busan, as Marines see it (I’d really like an over-the-shoulder explanation of this one.): As

Busan as it was seen in 1872 (I like to remember there were tigers living here then):

Busan as I see it:

So as you know, travel is more than observing.  Travel is making footprints and meeting people.  If you step up to Dalmaji Hill in Busan, overlooking Haeundae beach, this is what you see:

 

David Spurr, The Rhetoric of Empire: Colonial Discourse in Journalism, Travel Writing, and Imperial Administration, in which he says “any visual artist knows, the gaze is also the active instrument of construction, order, and arrangement. What one might call the ideology of the gaze takes on one of its clearest forms in the convention of the com­manding view(15)”.  Spurr tells us that, an aerial view, the power to construct an image, is the power to create a reality.  Here, I am giving you versions of this aerial view.  So what is this place? At this point, am I an observer anymore?  Or part of the landscape, part of the observed? South Korea is a relatively homogenous society, so I am a visible minority, and any expat living here has a lofty collection of moments when we have been pointed out.  Literally.  Who wants to be like everyone else? Whether or not we want to be like them, it may be nice to be with them.

In Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation Mary Louise Pratt describes the contact zone, a bridging point of understanding between two cultures, or the observer and the observed.  For me, to access this zone, I have to be grounded in the present moment.  I recognize the different cultures or perspectives, and focus my awareness on our commonality.  Oh, it is a messy process.  I am tested sometimes, and sometimes I fail.  Often.  I become humbler in the process usually.  The contact zone comes with sharing a meal together, with a mutual life pattern such as work, or play, and sometimes, in a moment.

Since my arrival in Korea, the expanse and intricacy of my connections to people has been growing non-stop.  I would like to relate one of the first, synchronous meetings I had, when I was flushed into the contact zone in a magical way.  Before my move to Korea, I had a brief interlude of employment at an ESL school in Canada, Vancouver.  On my first weekend in the megalopolis of Seoul, I was ventured into the downtown area.  Walking in awed stupor at the immensity of the population and intensity of the urban activity around me, I heard a voice:

“Hey, I know you.”

The voice was talking to me.  By chance, I bumped into An Young Won, to whom I had given a class a few times in Vancouver.  I felt like a trapeze artist, caught on the other side of the abyss.  “I know you.”

At times, life abroad, or life anywhere can be lonely.  But loneliness is a temporary affair, a good driving force for reflection, and at any rate, sweetens the arrival of friends.

Here I am with An, when I visited him years later in Beijing, where he moved to do his MBA at Peking University:

 

Herodotus, Africa, me, and writing.

“Men trust their ears less than their eyes.” Herodotus

Travelers want to see things for themselves. Herodotus was touted as prone to exaggerate, or even lie about his travels. Regardless, he was magnanimous, and his impact on the world beyond compare, as he became known as the father of history.  So why write about travel?  How to write about travel, with truth? To write what matters?  This blog is inspired by a grad studies rhetorical writing course, in which I will explore and define travel writing as a genre, and work on defining my own voice as a travel writer. My intention to travel wasn’t apparent even to myself until I started doing it, and found myself unable to stop.

After my undergraduate degree, I participated in a cross-cultural volunteer experience that took me from my birthplace in the prairies of the Canadian interior to a Southern Africa for six months. I volunteered with Canadian Crossroads International ( http://www.cintl.org). The program is designed to promote awareness of global issues through cultural exchange.  With other volunteers in my community, we prepared for our journey a year in advance, hosting events to promote issues affecting the developing world and settle the details of our placement.  A few months before departure our posts were disclosed to us and I learned I would work  in Swaziland.  When I was first told where I was going, I actually didn’t know where Swaziland was.  I checked the map.  Swaziland is a freckle-sized country within the country of South Africa.  So away I went and my overseas voyages began.

I was placed in Mbabane with SASO, an organization created by local Swazis living “positively” who advocated for a positive attitude, healthy lifestyle, vegetarian diet, and a supportive community for people living with HIV/AIDS.   One amazing person I met while volunteering was Albertina Nyatsi.  I don’t know many people in the world with her strength, intelligence, and resilience.  She is still doing health education work, based in Swaziland, and traveling around Africa.  In Swazi language, I would call her my sisi, or sister.

While living in a village called Lobamba, I also met a local artist named Lucky Mlotsa.  In a fireside gathering sharing music and dreams, he confidently told me, “We are all citizens of the world.”  It took me some years to grow into his statement, but now I feel that motto is the garment that fits most comfortably.  Now he is running his own school teaching art for free to local youth. https://www.facebook.com/stiknmudartists

My work in Swaziland spurred lifelong interests in health issues, languages and cultures, the environment, and especially, learning to relate to new people.  I learned that to travel is to open myself up to change.  It is a personal journey in which we learn to define our own boundaries, and redefine them.  We learn the boundaries of humanity as a collective whole, and our perception of those boundaries.  Ethnographical exploration becomes more than an academic perusing; we are fused with our surroundings, and melded by them.  Basic questions about what and who I am and we are emerge.

After Africa, I didn’t settle in my home country for long.  Again without intending to, I kept going,  as travelers do.  Several countries and years later, I have spent my adult life abroad.  At this point, my home is where I am. Where I am from and where I am going counts, but to varying degrees, I consider my home the view behind my eyes and heart.  So this is the perspective I write from.  This blog is inspired by my academic work and I will make references to readings I explore, but moreover it is a search for my writing voice. The tone may be philosophical and anecdotal.

The other day as I was thinking about this course I  wrote: “We are a work in progress. A human is a living art form. I will never stop working on myself. Sometimes there is joy, and sometimes tragedy. Live and die, live again. We keep breathing. The lines between bliss, chaos, and peace blur.”  In Traveling Cultures, James Clifford poses important questions I will be considering: “Some strategy of localization is inevitable if significantly different ways of life are to be represented.  But ‘local’ in whose terms? How is significant difference politically articulated, and challenged? Who determines where (and when) a community draws its lines, names and its insiders and outsiders?” In my class we ground our ideas in historical travel which has colonial and commercial motivation.

Here in NE Asia where I currently live, I see disputes over island territories and country boundaries, such as Dokdo between Japan and Korea, and several islands between Japan and China striking heated disagreements.  Tibet has been swallowed up by China.  In Canada, there is always the question of whether Quebec, the French province, will separate and take the maritimes with them.  Where are the lines between culture?  Are they geographical? Linguistic? Ethnic? These questions circle.

Perhaps the Empire of England brought me to my current post teaching EFL in Asia.  In the future, there will probably be Chinese teachers in my stead.  This video features the history of English, which I teach to EFL learners.  It is captivating.   A quarter of English speakers are native; a quarter speak it as their second language, and the last half have a smattering.  The best part is at the end. They say as a result, English has evolved so much and is so far changed from its origins, that it probably shouldn’t be called English anymore.  If it does have a new name, it should be probably be given a name in Chinese:  http://youtu.be/rexKqvgPVuA

As I consider this global identity, for me personal ecological issues become of greater concern.  However it is we decide to draw the lines on the Earth, we must not neglect it as our greatest and richest home that we all share.  Economic actions and choices we make impact communities on the other side of the globe.  Unsustainable energy sources and wasteful use of resources impacts global warming, and makes storms that ravage villages and devastate communities.  If entomologists like Charles Darwin, whose writing we looked at, were alive, how would his motivation for writing change?  He wrote as a scientist, documenting his work.  In keeping with his era he was culturally obtuse, as he referred to local Brazilians as “savages.” His strong points surrounded his vibrant descriptions of nature. Nature is worth investing in protecting.  As a citizen of the world I become more concerned with how my dwelling, transportation, and food choices impact the planet as a whole. I think the power rests in these daily choices, much as the richness of our relationships rely on each time we encounter or share with another.

So how to tell this story? My compass looks like this:

In my next blog post I will be getting more acquainted with this compass, and looking at what it is that defines territory in more detail.

Tofo Beach, Mocambique 2000.

The air smelled like coconuts, and the sand swirled around my feet. I can’t believe that was more than a decade ago..