Nude Beach Etiquette

One of the coves in Cabo de Gata

Growing up, I learned a lot of etiquette. From my parents, from TV, in university, and at work. Traveling around I've been exposed to cultural differences with regards to etiquette. For example, in the states, people usually order their own meals, and eat from their own plates, however in many countries, communal dishes are ordered and shared, sometimes eating with the hands. In fact, it would be rude to want a plate for yourself. In the last few days, I have been made aware of my ignorance in a whole new area: nude beach etiquette.

The "glamorous" world of hitch-hiking

Hitching in Poland

The first time I hitch-hiked (or autostop as it is known in Spanish) was in Poland. Correction: the first time I attempted hitch-hiking, was in Poland back in September of last year. It was a really strange experience. My host at the time had recommended I do it to get to Prague and he knew a good spot to do it. Although he wasn't going to travel with me, he "escorted" me to the location and stood by providing moral support - which I definitely needed. In certain parts of Europe, hitching is a viable mode of transportation. It is somewhat romanticized among the backpackers and I figured since I was backpacking in Europe I should try it. However, in my memory, I had a very different stigma about hitch-hiking. Growing up in Southern California, I don't recall seeing what I would have classified as "backpackers" trying to hitch a ride. What I remember is middle aged men sitting at freeway on-ramps looking disheveled and stinky.  Surely I've seen younger cleaner versions, but those don't stick out in my mind.  Perhaps it's because they always got picked up quickly before I saw them?

Regardless, my first hitching experience was a tough one. I stood out there for nearly two hours without a single offer. Discouraged but still upbeat, I ran back to the train station to catch the last train of the day that would have gotten me all the way to Prague without missing the connecting train at the border, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere. The day was not a complete failure because for I learned a lot. I learned what it felt like to be on that end of the hitching sign, and it wasn't as easy as I thought. Since then, I have hitched a number of times in various countries, and each has been a great experience.

Make mistakes? Time to quit.

I have gotten sloppy and made mistakes. It may be time for me to quit traveling. Ha! If I took the approach that some people take in life (if you screw up, give up) then I would probably hang up my trekking shoes and call it quits. But I prefer to take a different approach!

In nearly 10 months, I had gone with only losing one article of clothing. A long sleeve Columbia Sportswear zip-top thing that I left that on a bus in Poland. That was in September. Since then, I hadn't lost anything else… until a few weeks ago. That’s when everything started turning south.

On my last night in Sydney, I went out to the bars and wore my one and only rain coat - that I had actually purchased in Estonia when I finally got tired of being wet. When I got back to the hostel, I joined the few remaining drunkards still up playing guitar and singing in the lounge. I took off my wet coat and set it on the back of the chair to dry while I hung out with the gang. My poor coat was never to be seen again. Now, I’m sure that one of my “hostel buddies” took it to their room for “safe keeping” intending to deliver it to me the next day, but alas, I went to the airport without ever giving them the opportunity. Just the other day, I lost my Oakley sunglasses (real ones!) that had lasted me from Africa in 2008 until now, and my coolio hat that my brother gave me. Both were lost on the same day, at two different locations. I lost them both while hitch-hiking, so the lucky drivers got a parting gift. I then lost my bright yellow "party" Ray-Ban sunglasses (totally fake) so now I am left with NO eye or face protection. Finally, this morning, I left my host with my quick-dry shammy towel. Time to air dry!

At this point, I would say that I  am a very experienced traveler; some would even call me an “expert”. However, (and here comes the moral!) no matter how expert you get at something, how naturally something comes, or how easy it is, you can still screw it up. It is important to pay attention to what you do every time, because when you slip into a rut of routine, you are bound to make mistakes! And in some careers, when you get sloppy and make mistakes it may be taken as a sign to take a break or retire from the game, but in most cases, it can, and should, be taken as a sign to wake up and refocus. It's as easy as taking 10 seconds to double check before walking away. But ugh, that's such a long time!

Is social media making us smarter or more stupider...

Just to be clear, the grammatical error in the title is intentional; however, fifty percent of people wouldn't realize it. All of MY readers did though I'm sure! ;) I thought of this question the other day when I was walking around town (I generally get my blog inspirations during general wanderings) thinking of my next blog post. I had recently tried posting a Status in Facebook and was informed that I had surpassed the 420 character limit. I then remembered that Twitter limits to a mere 140 characters. That got me to thinking: if we are limiting our  thoughts to think in short bursts are we making our brains more efficient and concise, or are we stymieing our creativity and deep thought? One could argue that we do in fact still have those deep thoughts and creativity, it's just that we pull out the nuggets and what's important. That could be, but if you browse through Facebook's Live Feed, or Twitters Tweets, how much of that stuff is "important nuggets"? "Really craving a blueberry muffin" "Wish the kids would go to bed"... and so on. 

There is another power at play here: accessibility to information. No doubt, social media has helped spread important information globally in just minutes. Take for example the uprisings in the Middle East. Facebook not only helped with the organization of demonstrations, but it also brought the event to the world. Previously, we would have had to wait for the reporters to tell us something on the evening news. Now, we simply look at the status updates and the articles and pictures being uploaded, shared and "liked" around the world in REAL TIME. The internet allows everyone the opportunity to be heard; that includes people that have nothing of value to say, or that can barely speak. It is my thought that reading should bring me "something": either make me smarter, make me ponder something new, or stimulate my brain in fun ways. Too much of the crap I read does none of the above. In fact, with all the grammar and spelling mistakes that I am inundated with, I might in fact be getting "stupider"! 

Truly, I have no right to be preaching here. When I write, I surely make grammatical errors, and if I don't, then it is just dumb luck. I can't tell you the rules of when to use who vs. whom, or when to use a semicolon vs. a simple comma or basically any English writing rules. The bottom line is this: In the "olden" days, there was a professional editor that was responsible for reading anything that came to the public's eyes. Now, we are constantly bombarded with raw, unedited, often pointless material every minute of every day. It's a double edged sword, and I'm not sure which side is sharper. Are we getting smarter or stupider? Did this post stimulate your brain, or was it just a waste of time?