On Laziness

Every once in a while it is nice to have what we long-term travelers (yes, we are a tight knit community) call an "admin week". During this week, one might catch up on emails, blogs and phone calls, manage finances, and plan future travel. When I arrived in Dahab I thought "what a perfect place for an admin week!". It was a nice relaxing place, with free WiFi everywhere (not at all common in Egypt), good food and beautiful scenery.

It was a perfect place to do everything that needed to be done, and also get in some relaxation time. While I did do most of what needed to be done (I planned my next six months of travel, I managed my finances, and I emailed a bunch of people) I did neglect a couple things - namely updating the blog.

Thanksgiving: for a good fortune [cookie] and sales

In the very beginning of this year, I was out to lunch with some coworkers, and I got got the following fortune in my cardboard tasting cookie:

Most of the time, I would have a laugh at the generic words of the fortune and leave it there on the plate or stuff it in my pocket to be thrown away when I emptied my pants for the night. This time however, I put it in my wallet. I had plans brewing in my mind that I had mentioned in passing to some people, but hadn't really set the wheels in motion. A couple of weeks ago, I was searching the depths of my wallet and stumbled upon this piece of paper. Rediscovering this simple, generic fortune brought a big smile to my face. It was a reminder of the plan that I had made, the steps that I took, and the reality was created.

Boat ride

I will be sailing down the Nile for the next couple of days, enjoying a hopefully relaxing journey affording me time to write another post! It has been substantially harder to find internet connectivity here in Egypt than it was anywhere in Europe. I was fortunate to have free WiFi most of the places I went in Europe, but now, even if you can find internet, you usually have to pay for it! I had the opportunity to post some pictures already, so those of you that are friends on Facebook can see them there! After the Nile boat trip, I go straight to a weekend trip to an oasis East of Alexandria. Thus I will be out of connectivity for roughly a week. I am sure to post some things upon my return, so stay tuned!

Leaving Europe

Train schedule first day in Cairo

Greece - land of the Gods, originators of democracy, the olympics, and the marathon. Destination for party-going youth, and romantic couples alike. It is a country rich in culture, food, and scenery. The daily strikes, and the graffiti everywhere are just as much a part of Greece as are gyros,ouzo and the Parthenon. I had the privelege of spending three weeks there - one week on the island of Rhodes, and two weeks on the mainland.

During my time, I ate my fair share of gyros, greek salad, souvlaki, and other wonderful food. The weight I had lost on my trip (about 6 pounds) I'm sure I gained back in Greece! I do love to eat and I did it well while I was there. I witnessed various strike demonstrations, I visited the ever-famous Acropolis (Fun Fact: practically every city has an "acropolis" but the one in Athens is so famous it is commonly known as "The Acropolis"); I visited a couple of islands and went to Delphi. I also watched runners finish in the 2500th Anniversary of the Marathon going from the city of Marathon and finishing in Athens. I didn't run because by the time I heard about it registration was full!

For the week before I left Greece I was trying to figure out my next step. Since my Schengen Visa was running out (a total of 90 days for practically all of Europe) I needed to leave the Schengen zone if I wanted to remain legal. I looked into applying for a residency visa, but it wasn't worth the money or the hassle so I figured I would leave the zone, but to where?? I had Turkey on my list, Croatia, and at the bottom of the list was Egypt. So on my last Tuesday in Greece, I went to the Oracle of Delphi to ask where I should go! I returned Athens sure that my next stop was Egypt, and on Wednesday I booked my flight to Cairo.

I have now been in Egypt for over a week and will update with info and pictures when I get the chance!

Cheers!

Theory of [Beer] Relativity

Einstein's Theory of Relativity was something that boggled the minds of scientists for decades, therefore, I am not going to attempt to discuss it here. Instead, I am going to address a traveler's concept of relativity as it relates to price differences in countries. And the easiest benchmark in this case is Beer - common currency in [almost] every country!

The most I have paid for a beer is in Norway - $12, and the cheapest was in Czech Republic - about $1.30. For my examples, I use .5L (half a liter is a little more than one pint, or 16.9 ounces), of draft beer, seved in a decent bar, not purchased at a store. As you compare to prices in the US, then you think the $12 beer is REALLY expensive, and the $1.3 beer is REALLY cheap!  (This obviously depends on where you are - a $12 beer in a Las Vegas nightclub is about normal) However, if I sold you a beer in Czech Republic for $1.50 it would be an "expensive beer". If I sold you a beer for $10 in Norway it would be a "cheap beer". Thus we get into the relativity of it all.

I won the lottery!

One week ago, I crossed the official two month mark since I started my journey. I have traveled through Scandanavia, the Baltics, Poland, Czech Republic, and am on my way to Greece. I am just two months in to a planned one year tour around the globe - that is completely arbitrary by the way, it could easily be more or less than a year. Most people are genuinely happy for me and wish they too could travel around for a year and want to know how to do it themselves. Some just wonder (either out loud or just with their eyes) how I can afford to do it - am I independently wealthy, a trust fund baby, or a bank robber. My answer often times is: "I won the lottery!" Alas, this is not the case, I am in fact spending my own hard earned (or easily earned) money. However, I can still say I won the lottery, or perhaps it is more accurate to say "I hit the jackpot".

While I prepared for this trip during the past two years - both mentally and financially, most of the time I kept saying, "I don't have enough, I need more". The reality however, is that I haven't spent nearly as much as I expected. In fact, it is surprising how little money you actually "need" to travel! Now, some people have written books on how you can do it on $2 a day, but that's not me. I definitely spend more than that, it IS Europe after all, but I also don't splurge... often. I save where I can, so if and when I really want to, I can spend somewhere else. But the biggest savings is probably what I have saved on lodging.

Train ride - Airing out laundry and sleeping

Believe it or not, in the 67 days I have been traveling, I have only paid for lodging five nights.  Thanks in large part to CouchSurfing.org. (This is not meant to be an advertisement, however I will shamelessly plug the organization because it is just THAT awesome!) I have met some amazing people and had some really wonderful experiences that are definitely worth every dime I would have spent in a hostel or hotel and yet, in essence, it is free. I rely on the generosity of people, most of whom I have never met or have any connection with, to open their homes to a complete stranger. Outside of CouchSurfing, I have stayed with friends, friends of family, friends of friends, people I've met at a bar, people I've met on a bus (yes, really)... I've also slept under a tree, on a bench, on busses, trains and boats. So when I say I have won the lottery, what I really mean, is that I have had a better experience, spending less money, thanks to the generosity of complete strangers. People all over the globe really are good! :)



Sidenote: Interested in connecting on CS? Here is a link to my profile: Me!

What money-saving travel tips do you have? Share your ideas/comments!

Singing Revolution

Tallinn - the capital of Estonia. A country who's entire population is less than Los Angeles, Phoenix, Indianapolis. At roughly 1.4 million inhabitants, it has a population just a little smaller than Milwakee. I only planned on staying in Tallinn for two days, but it turned into six. I always said that during this journey I wasn't going to stick to a solid timeline; that I was going to allow myself the flexibility to come and go as I wish. If I desired to stay longer, I would, and if I wanted to leave sooner, I would do that as well. It started in a bookstore: the day before my original proposed departure I went to the bookstore to get some new reading material for the four hour train ride I had. There I met an Argentinian/Swedish guy with whom I exchanged numbers and met up with later that night.

Shots in Tallinn

 I met his friends, one Spanish, one Estonian, and spent the night on the town. I met some American basketball players that are in the European league who invited me to a game the next day, I met some locals and other travelers, and was convinced to stay at least another night. It continued to unfold and turned into a great week; all of which was made possible by my generous host allowing me to stay with her some extra nights. But alas, I tore myself away and went to Tartu, which is where I learned about The Singing Revolution!

"Welcome to beautiful Finland - #1 country!"

According to Newsweek, I just spent the last week in the World's Number One Country! The United States ranks number 11. Judge for yourself here: (http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html) 

I stayed with the family of the wife, of a friend of mine from the Marines. When he found out I was in Norway, he said that he and his wife would be visiting her family in Helsinki during the first couple of weeks in September. I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet up with an old friend and see the town with some locals, so I coordinated my travels to be in Helsinki while they were there. I had no idea what I was in for!

I was welcomed with all the warmth often reserved for family. Within minutes, I was offered a drink: vodka or whiskey - I opted for the whiskey... And so began a long week of indulgence... or perhaps it was more than a week? The family is originally from India and emigrated to Finland over 30 years ago for education and work opportunities. They were able to create a very comfortable living owing to many of the reasons the country is now Number #1 overall in the world. This is something we were all happily reminded of multiple times a day with nearly every toast. "Welcome to beautiful Finland - #1 country!" It was said with such joy that I never got tired of hearing it, and in fact started saying it myself! 

For 6 days I ate like a king, drank like an unruly prince, and laughed like a hyena. I gained 4 pounds, have new laugh wrinkles on my face, and I'm pretty sure I need a new liver. But it wasn't ALL fun and games. I did actually see the city, learn history, and talk economics and politics.  I spent time with an amazingly generous and fun loving family that took me in like part of the family. I was sad to leave, but had I not left when I did, I may have just ended up moving in! Now, on to Estonia and the rest of the Baltic nations.

As the old Norwegian Proverb goes:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes". I also found it said by Sir Ranulph Fiennes - the guy that was the first to visit both North and South poles, walk across Antarctica, and climb Mt. Everest at 65! But, this isn't about him. You can read more here if you like. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranulph_Fiennes
Anyhow, this is a quote that I first heard here in Oslo, and have heard many times since. The Norwegians live by it and are proud of it. No matter what the weather, they are out and active. People don't generally make plans around the weather, they just continue on - I'm sure there are some exceptions. I've seen people running, biking, street skiing, walking, and just sitting in the rain. I even talked to people that were fishing in the cold rain just for fun. And that was without beer. Wow.

The other day I went hiking up a small mountain in the rain. (It wasn't exactly my idea, but I figured it would be fun). I went up with the same couple I hitched a ride with from Bodø. He is from the Czech Republic, and she is from Oregon. We were just making a "pit stop" before we continued the drive. We were told it was an easy hike, taking about 2 hours up and back. It went from sea level to roughly 2300ft. Piece of cake. Well, little did I know that the Czechs are like mountain goats. As he ran up ahead, I huffed and puffed my way up with his girlfriend. She told me they had gone on a hard hike the other day and that the Norwegians are even faster. No sooner had she said that than we ran into a few Norwegians on the trail. On their way down. One pair was a couple in their 60s, dressed in running gear (spandex type stuff) and they were jogging down. I am really glad we caught them on the way down, since I don't know if my pride would have survived them running past me on the way up! But I digress.

Moving on up

Nearly two weeks ago I began my journey, starting in Oslo and knowing that I would continue on North. Norway is a long country, not very wide, but long. From Oslo to Tromso (where I was going) is about the same distance as Oslo to Rome. In other words, it is pretty darn far away.

Tromsø is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle at 60,000 inhabitants. By American standards it is a town, but here in Norway, it is considered the "Paris of the North". It has one University, one hospital, and MANY bars and nightclubs. For comparison: I grew up in a town of 125,000 people and there were a handful of bars, and only two were ones that you would go to. Here, there are bars for the the ones that want to strut their stuff (think Scottsdale), there are bars for the ones that want to watch an underground band, and there are bars for those that just want to enjoy and be themselves. There are festivals, and there are concerts. It is a vibrant town where there are only two the three months of true summer meaning the sun actually shines and the rest of the time it is dark most of the time. But it is actually ALIVE at night, not to mention beautiful during the day.

View of Tromsø

Downtown Tromsø

I had a dream...

No, this is not a Martin Luther King reference. I really did have a dream while I was sleeping. When I had it (about a year ago) I was already planning my adventure around the world. At the time, I had no idea where I was going to start or even exactly WHEN. One day I was thinking about starting in South America, and the next day, I was sure it was going to be Asia the next. As my friend Steve said, I was a "candle in the wind" - and he always said it complete with hand movement flickering back and forth. Anyhow, this dream was very vivid. I was in a smallish town, or even a village, along the water. It was a slightly overcast day and I just walked down onto the pier and got onto a small ferry/boat. it was a short boat ride that took "us" on calm water in between/among islands or coast with trees. I got off the boat at a stop and walked towards the trees... And that's where it ended. To me, it was just another dream. I have many dreams, although not always as vivid, so I thought nothing of it. 

A few days ago, in Oslo, I went for a ferry ride to one of the many islands in the Oslofjord. Initially, I was not hit with an overwhelming reminder of the dream. In fact, it was the furthest thing from my mind! Part of it was that I was running late so I was running to catch the boat. I knew what time it left, but I didn't know the exact departure location as there are many boats on this long dock. Even when I asked somebody, I was given well-intentioned misinformation, but I made it anyway!

The $12 beer

I've been in Oslo for a little less than a week now and it has been great. I knew it was going to be more expensive here, but little did I know when I first planned this trip that Oslo was THE most expensive city in the world! This of course depends on which list you consult - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo. I did however cross reference the Per Diem rates and found that the daily meal allowance set by the US Department of State is $168. As a comparison,Abu Dhabi is $157, Hong Kong is $144, and NYC is a whopping $71. And here I thought New York was expensive. Ha! Thankfully, I am staying with family and have many meals at home.

One however, must go out and experience the nightlife and even daylife. On the first day here, my brother took me to a spot that could be compared to Scottsdale. A number of restaurants to chose from, some higher class than others all in a row set in with nice modern (expensive) condos along a cobblestone road. We went to one that was very casual called the Beach Club. He said it was neither the cheapest nor the most expensive. So we ordered our first afternoon beer. When I calculated the conversion, I realized that it was just over $11 USD. Once you factor in tip (tax is included) it is a $12 beer. By the way, tip is a lot less here, 10% would be generous. Nice. Being the trooper that I am, I ponied up time after time. After all, I am saving money on lodging right? 

The silver lining is that every place after this will seem very inexpensive! Yay!

From fantasy to reality

Two years ago I had a vision. I was snowboarding in Mammoth, CA and I came around a bend and saw a breathtaking view. I thought of how few hard working people take advantage of the small wonders all around us. Two days later I was watching the sunset in San Diego, sipping a beer and thinking that I had to be back at work in two weeks. How awesome would it be to enjoy that view without that "work" thought in the back of my mind? I made the decision then that I should go travel, now the only thing I had to do was quit work, the Marines, sell my car, rent my house, store my things... Piece of cake. Two years later, I've taken the plunge!