I became seduced by the world–and the freedom that television had given me–to travel it as I wished. I was also drunk on a new and exciting power to manipulate images and sound in order to tell stories, to make audiences feel about places I'd been the way I wanted them to feel.
Andrew Zimmern and the Transformative Power of Travel
I've been a big time fan of Big Tony B. since the No Reservations series began in 2005. His approach to travel television and subjective, experiential authenticity abroad felt so relevant amidst a sea of market-y documentation. His conceptual thread continues to be pretty darn obvious, which makes it easy to instantly jump on the Bourdain train. But for his fellow Travel Channel host (and our Creative Council member), Andrew Zimmern, I had a harder time identifying what truly made him tick and drove him to produce what he does. Thankfully, I had a recent opportunity to hear Zimmern clarify his concept in an illuminating way. Poised and ready with my notepad, I asked my mom sitting next to me at the IUPUI convention center what she knew of Zimmern.
Consume & Update: Opportunities for you!
$10,000 and a trip to Bhutan. I'm so generous this week.
Getting Paid to Talk to Bourdain
I don't consider myself a foodie, but I've been thinking a lot lately about the question Tony Bourdain posed to his fellow food-lovers.
What does it mean to cook well?
Coming from a sustenance culinary tradition, I'm not used to always eating the most delectable dish or denying something less than favorable. Frankly, I'm surprised I haven't shot my taste buds yet. I find this topic intriguing, and if you do too, you could very well win $10,000 just for documenting that opinion.
Not only do you get a big ol' pay day but a spot in the paperback edition of Medium Raw. To be published and rolling in the dough...what a surreal concept. Go for it!
And speaking of Tony, his post this week on the death of his good friend Michael Batterberry and his big break in writing is insightful and compelling.
Snap Your Shutter for Bhutan
This opportunity rolled around last year and got me salivating. A trip to Antarctica sounded fantastic, but the application seemed simplistic and, therefore, intimidating. Tell a story with 5 or less photographs...STRONG photographs. Should have gone for it; it's a trip to the last continent, by golly!
Bhutan Travel Scholarship
And now it's 2010, and a new travel scholarship from National Geographic and World Nomads has rolled into town. Tell a story with 5 or less photographs, and you could travel to Bhutan for a week alongside a NatGeo photographer, a truly once-in-a-lifetime learning experience for a budding shutter-snapper.
This year, the photographer is Jason Edwards, and he's got some words of advice for hopeful applicants:
The application deadline is October 17th (in Australia), so you've got some time to think about this opportunity and let your photographic story inspiration come to you.
Burma in Photos
Brave New Traveler sported a great photo essay on religious life in Burma. It's worth a look-see.
Burma Photo Essay
A Word from my Favorite Book
Rolf Potts quoted my favorite book this week at Vagablogging, and I believe the whole world would be enriched by a simple glance:
If our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest — in all its ardor and paradoxes — than our travels. They express, however inarticulately, an understanding of what life might be about, outside of the constraints of work and of the struggle for survival. Yet rarely are they considered to present philosophical problems — that is, issues requiring thought beyond the practical. We are inundated with advice on where to travel to, but we hear little of why and how we should go, even though the art of travel seems naturally to sustain a number of questions neither so simple nor so trivial, and whose study might in modest ways contribute to an understanding of what the Greek philosophers beautifully termed eudaimonia, or ‘human flourishing’. –Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel
Other Discoveries
Problogger has some great words of wisdom this week: Build your Blogs Voice, Monetization Ideas for the Little Guy, and the Content Producer's Copyright Checklist.
Join this discussion on Vagablogging: What pulls you back to the road?
Update on Nomadderwhere
August 8
I took a week off from Consume & Update due to a lack of compelling material on the net. It was weird. Normally there's always something worth sharing with others, but last week...dang, slim pickins. These weekly postings are for sharing good work, complimenting content producers, and contributing to the internet travel community. If you ever desire to be featured in these Sunday posts, feel free to contact me, so last week's debacle never happens again!
Anywho, guess who's back from the small town! I'm plunging head first into ProjectExplorer.org work and Nomadderwhere redesigning and content creating. I slapped May with a slew of work and left June starving. I need to get back to a regular schedule of good stuff. Your input is always encouraged.
And the future? Alexis Reller, my potluck roommate from Semester at Sea, is visiting next week, and I'm going to show her a gay ol' time in Indianapolis. We just may boast all of our fun times online!
And here's the work of the last two weeks:
As You Like (To See) It, A Traveler's Melancholy: Learning from Bill Shakespeare on the correlation between travel and happiness
The Art of Reinvention, Anonymity, and Self-Discovery in Travel: I certainly did some deep thinking while living out my Summer Seclusion Project
Journeys of a Lifetime in August: Offering you your monthly dose of travel inspiration, courtesy of National Geographic Traveler
Reviewing Dean Cycon's Javatrekker: Reflecting on a great compilation of travel stories from the coffee lands
Consume & Update: Museum Roommate and Deep Thoughts
This week's outreach into the world of travel may pack a wallop for some of you eager to do something amazing.
$10,000 to be a Museum Live-in
Live in the Museum of Science and Industry for one month, learn something, write about it, and receive $10,000 for your efforts. This is not a shabby gig.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has launched a competition for tech-savvy, learn-happy extroverts that seems like the perfect position for a world traveler. We're interested in the world around us, in need of money, and often well-versed in online media and marketing (a.k.a the travel blogging type).
Month at the Museum
This seems to be yet another marketing campaign that doubles as a fantastic pooling of like-minded, lifelong learners. To live in the museum of science and have your mind revolve around discovery for four whole weeks would be a treat for anyone curious about their surroundings on this planet. Of course, the lucky individual isn't allowed to work elsewhere during that time period, nor are they given total freedom to their normal social lives, but this is an experiment in itself, an opportunity to be one with the universe and grow an ever deeper appreciation for how all things work.
There are a lot of wanderlusters out there looking for ways to do what they love and still sustain themselves. Not every opportunity out there is a "Best Job in the World" or a "World Traveler Internship," but there are plenty of other ways to learn about the world and craft your voice of expression, this definitely being one of them. Therefore, I'm here to pass this great opportunity along to you, the Pavlovian salivators to all things exploration.
Make a video application (and you know how to do that), write a lil' essay, complete an application form, throw on a photo, sign a waiver, bing, bang, boom, you're in the running. Let me know if you go for this!
Other Discoveries
Chris' Guide to Travel Hacking
Take the Seven Link Challenge: I know I will soon!
Bourdain is awarding an unpublished writer $10,000 and a spot in his newest book's paperback edition.
This Brave New Traveler piece touches on a topic I've been thinking about these past few weeks: home mind and travel mind.
The 2010 State of the Travel Blogosphere
Update on Nomadderwhere
Isolation
This week has revolved around deep thoughts, cinematographic research, trying to NOT cut my fingers off with freshly sharpened knives, and, of course, work for ProjectExplorer.org. Here's what I've created in the last two weeks (since the last Consume & Update).
Video of the Week: Summer Seclusion Project: Taking off to my hometown for a month of nothing but work, cooking good food, and thinking about the art of travel
Journeys of a Lifetime in July: The on-going series that gives you inspiration for 365 days from now, thanks to National Geographic Traveler.
A Not-So-Good Ambassador: ProjectExplorer.org's encounter with a not-so-nice celebrity chef in Merida, Mexico.
Video of the Week: Seclusion Musings: Bringing up deep thoughts on travel that I'd love your feedback on!
Disgraceful Tourism: Letting you know that sex tourism is more widespread and active than you think. Be a responsible traveler and be informed.
Stunning news from the world of Nomadderwhere: I'm going full steam ahead on my redesign for Nomadderwhere, to be scheduled for September 23, 2010. I would love to hear your feedback in any way, shape, or form. Video feedback is always best, but you can also contact me with a simple message or leave a comment below!
Consume & Update: Fear, Soccer, and Post-Production
Back from Mexico and once again with enough time to consume the best travel gummies on the net this week. Sorry my schedule is all higgilty piggilty. Chew away.
Guillebeau Talking for TED
If you're a fan of Chris and his charisma, check out renowned non-conformist's TED talk from Carnegie Melon University. He discusses fear with some intriguing metaphors. What do you think about his message?
Most Celebrated Travel Books
Though I believe Frances Mayes should give it a rest with her lists of flower types and Italian herbs...and Ernesto Guevara could have cut his diaries a couple weeks short...and Elizabeth Gilbert got a wee too much publicity for her travel trifecta, I think this comprehensive list of travel books covers some great titles. Check out the entire list on World Hum and let me know which ones you would recommend to fellow narrative-hungry travel readers (cough, cough...me).
Most Celebrated Travel Books
Why We Call It Soccer
Thank you, Nat Geo Traveler, for finally solving the mystery. Why do we call football soccer (or, inversely, why do others call soccer football)? Alas, we have an answer:
After some digging, I'm happy to report the following: Apparently American's word for football is a shortened version of Assoccer, an abbreviation of "Association Football," the term given the game as it was played at elite British boys' schools in the 1860s. "Assoccer" became "soccer" and the name somewhat stuck as it served to distinguish it from rugby-rules football.
As players, coaches, sailors, and the enthusiastic exported the game around the world courtesy of the British Empire, local languages appropriated "football" as a loan word. For example, the Spanish fútbol doesn't literally combine the Spanish words for "foot" and "ball" but is an approximation of the British word for the ever-popular game. The game came to U.S. shores in the late 19th century and was called "football" in the U.S. until after World War II when the increasing popularity of the National Football League (NFL) prompted a change in name. Where English is a country's first language, "football" often refers to the most popular form of football in that country. Only three English-speaking FIFA countries refer to the game as "soccer": the U.S., Samoa, and Canada.
Now we know.
Tony's New Book and 100th Episode
I compulsively document Big T's new blog posts, this one being no exception to the rule. I love the flow of his travel writing - even his travel writing that isn't about travel per se. After releasing his second book, entitled Medium Raw, he reflects on the tiresome, yet pivotal, regimen of self-promotion across the country, as well as the ambiance during production of his 100th episode (in Paris).
I've heard Tony didn't necessarily meet the expectations of various travel bloggers with the new book, and I'm sort of glad. If he's a cook, a traveler, and a writer, why can't he write about cooking (and the unexpected celeb chef phenomenon) without focusing about travel? Why would people assume his book would be about his travel tales and woes when the blurb on the front reads:
A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
Lay off, people. He's still a better writer than the vast majority of us.
Other Discoveries
Lion Burgers? Really, Arizona? Strike two.
This guy's just walkin.
The Michael Palin interview with World Hum
“Backpackers aren’t the bad guys. It really boils down to how we travel, and what the legacy is of that. We are guests in another culture, so the issue isn’t how do we stop tourism, the issue is how do we get it right.”
Problogger: 8 Habits of Highly Excellent Bloggers
Update on Nomadderwhere
Back Home Again
Judging purely by my intense slumbers upon returning to Indiana, you'd think I slept not at all throughout production in Mexico. I was entirely pooped, and to compound it, my mom dragged me to the Indy Night Ride, which started at 11pm and took us for 20 miles around downtown Indianapolis by night. My butt bones hate life today.
Since I was too busy to read up on the gems of the internet over the past three weeks, I also wasn't able to recap the work I churned out. Hence, here are the pieces I wrote (or photoblogs I compiled) over the course of production with ProjectExplorer.
Bear with me, people. I'm hoping to get back on schedule soon!
Consume & Update: 101, Maroon, and Onslaught
Today's post came out a bit late, but that is due to the high quality of work I found this week. I also have lots to share...
How's The List Coming?
101in365
Do you have a bucket or life list running? Are most of your goals doable, or are they unattainable? Don't you wish you had that gratifying feeling of accomplishment more often than once a year or so as you near your bucket-kicking age? Allow Jenn to make it easier for you.
101in365 is all about "avoiding mediocrity, one to-do list at a time." And though I know this contradicts a post I've listed below (see Other Discoveries), I love making and completing these mini-goals to reap that sense of accomplishment. Jenn's been expanding on this web concept for a while now, and has recently pumped it up to admirable heights, offering even more awesome!
What a Maroon--ed Novel...
Speaking of my 101in365 list, one of the goals is to read a classic book this year. And from the way I'm feeling these days, I'm thinking that classic novel will either be the Lord of the Flies or Robinson Crusoe, thanks to this lovely list that reminds me of my time in the South Pacific. Any opinions on a good classic novel to read this year?
Big Tony in Chicago
Apparently, Anthony Bourdain spoke in Chicago last week about all topics on which he's verbose: food, travel, TV, and just about anything that could conjure opinions. Prior to the talk, he spoke to the Chicago Tribune to drumroll his performance. The interview was food-centric and classic Big T, with a couple comments I found amusing:
The big takeaway from the first book [Kitchen Confidential] are the rules, like don't order seafood on Mondays. Any new rules in the years since?
"Kitchen Confidential" was about a career that took place mostly in the 70's through 90's. When I wrote "don't eat fish on Mondays," the guy writing it didn't think anyone outside New York City would even read the book.
Things have changed so much in the industry. The behavior in any good kitchen has changed a lot. Certainly the business still attracts the same kind of personality types, but a lot of the behavior I was talking about — snorting cocaine or having sex on the cutting board — would probably be frowned upon, particularly in open kitchens, which is a relatively new development. There's so much genuine hope for a real future in kitchens that didn't exist back in the early part of my career. An Irish pub on Monday, I'm not sure I'd go for a seafood salad. But I wouldn't have a problem at the sushi bar at Le Bernardin.
What would you do if you were given control of the Food Network? Let's say profits were no issue, and you had editorial and creative control of the network.
I'd bring back "Molto Mario" right away. I'd have Mario Batali do a standard instructional show that would be the cornerstone. I would make it more chef-centric, of course. I would make sure Sandra Lee was never allowed near any cooking utensil or food item. Immediately. I'd have a long talk with Rachael Ray. I'd say, "Look, Rachael, you're bigger than food now. You're in Oprah territory. You don't have to cook anymore. Move on."
The Molto Mario comment excited me, as I will actually get to dine in his restaurant in a month! No idea if he will be gracing us with his presence, but since he's on the creative council for ProjectExplorer, the possibility is out there!
Eyes on Cambodia
Nice snap, Gary. Speaking of Cambodia, my friend Cathleen is enjoying her last month in Phnom Penh after five months of developing her Fighting For Futures initiatives. It's truly a place that could suck you in and put you in a trance. Subtly lovely.
Other Discoveries
Some great ideas on how to develop products for your blog without a massive business plan
Also, a little help making your blog more experiential...a favorite buzz word of mine
Oddly enough, this interesting post helped me get this late issue of Consume & Update out today! Kill your To-Do list!
And finally...thank you Amar for giving us 7 Steps toward scoring free travel from your blog
Update on Nomadderwhere
If you've made it thus far in this post, you're a trooper. I have a lot to tell you about my future plans for Nomadderwhere and for myself. I'll start by reviewing what went out this week:
This month's Question and Answer post on grooming for the World Traveler Internship - ways to prepare for next year.
The big news on my future plans and how I got the new travel gig...through my blog
A story on SCUBA diving in Fiji over the holidays
The final Nakavika Project video, which took place on the Yasawa Islands in Fiji
As always, plenty of daily photographs to satiate your eye candy needs
Prepare for the Onslaught: As you can tell, I'm all over the place with my postings. My schedule is odd, because it's important to me to publish various forms of content: video, written, photographic, as well as displaying the work of others.
I have roughly one month until I head to Mexico on my new job, and it's been said to read more current accounts from my travels is more thrilling than the flashbacks (like I'm doing with Fiji at the moment). And though I'll be incredibly busy in Mexico, I would like to attempt more real-time postings in my favored various media forms.
Therefore, I'll soon be amping up my written postings from The Nakavika Project, telling the elaborate tales more frequently in the week in order to fit it all in before the bulk of Mexico. I'll also be covering what I'm up to in present day while still offering timeless advice and perspectives on all things travel. The videos will become more current, expansive, and interactive.
This is going to be one ca-razy month!
1 Minute or Less Moments: This week on my Nomadderwhere Facebook Fan Page, I've published raw video clips of Garrett and I enjoying the Coral Coast on New Year's Eve.
Nomadderwhere's Facebook Fan Page
Consume & Update: Tony, Mallory, and My Glory Days
For those of you who follow me on twitter, you may know my grandmother passed away two weeks ago. I apologize if my quality of work falls a bit in this next month or two, because this is one death that will keep hitting me for a while. Soon to come is a post about her and the side of her I don't yet know all about: her world traveling side. The research begins this week. She was one cool lady.
Consume & Update: Women Travelers, Thai Protestors, and April
This is the third time I've written this post. Maybe I should draft these in notepad first...oh well, here's this week's reading material!
What All Women Travelers Should Know
I often forget the rare instances when I'm harassed or blatantly violated because I am a woman while traveling, because it's never the intention of a traveler to fill their minds with the disheartening side of their worldly experiences rather than focus on the amazing. However, when I get frequent e-mails from young women hoping to blaze some trails solo and are worried about being a victim, I really should be recalling these occurrences in order to prepare them for what could happen.
My friend, Amanda, has taken care of this for me, and thankfully so, because she knows quite a bit about the topic. One thing that I really appreciated reading from her piece was that it is ALWAYS culturally acceptable to stand up for yourself if someone violates you as a woman. Bookmark this article and hope you never have to utilize its contents...though sadly you may.
How Female Travelers Can Deal With Sexual Harassment and Assault Overseas
Thai Protestor in Bangkok
Thanks again, Gary, for supplying a great visual of the current situation in Bangkok.
Landing On Your Feet in a New Place
Migration Mark guest posts this week on AlmostFearless.com about how to acclimate yourself quickly to a new place. I see lists like this all the time, but Mark's appealed to me for the - apologies for this description - "realness" of his tips. Seven in total, Mark's ideas for getting "in" with the new digs offer great advice, and here are the two I like most:
1. Find and Eat at a Small Local Eatery Frequently (everyday if delicious). This is a simplistic way to instigate an overall winning situation, benefiting you and the servers involved. First, you get to know a local person (or people), who works an average or normal local job. Second, you are purchasing their food and they are exuberantly excited every time you eat, or when you just pass by their storefront/street stall. Third, when you build a lasting relationship with your chef, he/she is bound to start hooking you up with specials, teaching you local terms, and offering advice about non touristy things to do. Lastly, you find yourself happily satisfied while you smile upon indulging in authentic local cuisines.
7. Do Things Others Don’t Take Time to Do. Sit on a spontaneous bench, recline in a grungy market, drink copious amounts of mate in Montevideo at sunset, or be patient waiting hours for your nyama choma (grilled goat) to roast in Nairobi. Get out of the fast lane and maximize your precious time by letting it go and making the best of it.
Other Discoveries
Big Tony explains why last Monday's episode was about basic techniques of cooking...an hour that did not disappoint.
Zen Habits has some advice on how to make big life decisions amidst the infinite choices of life
Problogger is the guy to help you improve your blog today
Update on Nomadderwhere
My April festivities have begun! Weekends in Chicago, watching horse races like a classy broad, and reliving the glory days are all on my itinerary. And in other good news, I've been featured and/or mentioned in a couple travel blogs this week!
Nomadderwhere on MatadorTV
Nomadderwhere on IGORoamandreport
Nomadderwhere on Spoof or Truth
Spoof or Truth: Stuff of the World
Potential Facelift: I'm in the process of giving my site a facelift, since my tabs above will soon not accommodate the vast array of info to come. I'd love to make this process of reformatting my site a little transparent. By that, I mean I'd like your input. Give me a little help by telling me what you like about this site, why you come back for more, and what I can do better in the future. It takes about 30 seconds...unless you're an overthinker.
Give Me Your Input
Updated This Week: New this week are more of my static pages that needed a little "zest." Don't look just once and forget about them. They're always changing! Check out the following this week.
Behind it All, Cambodia's Hope
1 Minute or Less Moments: This week on my Nomadderwhere Facebook Fan page I have published three more videos, and are they cool or what?
- The serving of green kava at a wake in traditional Fiji
- The "finishing" of a chicken during the cyclone
- The frothing, muddy waters after the storm (don't fall in!)
Nomadderwhere's Facebook Fan Page
Consume & Update: Football, Fishing, and Facelifts
The amount of reading and weeding I did this week compared to how much I displayed below is amazing. I spent hours on this one...you had better enjoy it. No really, enjoy :)
The Ongoing Football Debate
I think soccer is swell. American football is also a snazzy game. I think the American distaste for soccer on the ultra-popularity scale is confusing, and our "jump on the band wagon" mentality when it comes to World Cup fever makes us look all the more silly and stereotypically hard headed. AFAR magazine takes a moment to comment on this debate, but what I especially appreciated was the John Cleese rant at the end. Enjoy.
Heavy, Heavy Thoughts
I know I had issues in Fiji with communication and staying true to my belief in how humans should coexist and relay information. My friend, Amanda (see her Interview a Traveler), is struggling with similar issues in Bangladesh, a country that has real trouble in the verbal sector.
Alarmingly, what I found myself doing was adapting to another way that Bangladeshis communicate: through force...After several seconds of this “masculine” throw-down as I screamed, “Go, uncle, move on,” I raised my own hand and smacked the wallah in the back to snap him out of his red-blooded trance.
I hit another human being. I resorted to violence, the sort of violence I am trying to combat in my work. In all reality, he didn’t even respond to my hand smacking his back. He just pedaled forward, yelling at the man behind him. But was it appropriate? Though it is culturally acceptable, should I have hit him?
I admire her for vocalizing a phenomenon that surely comes up in many people's travels - probably something most try to repress. I know at one point I got caught up in a rowdy moment with the kids and thwacked my host sister with the back of my hand just as all the other kids did. She didn't flinch...she actually found it funny and smiled at me. I was silently horrified with myself.
Have you had any moments like the ones Amanda and I have had abroad?
Fire Dancing in Fiji
Nice work capturing the moment, Gary.
Sierra at Sea
Listen to this story...My friend, Sierra, is a world traveler, star documentarian, and commercial fisherwoman in Alaska. Right now, she's on board her father's boat, wrangling herring and braving an intense fishing season, one which recently put in her a whirlwind of drama. Check out this video she shot while on her father's boat, which was recently assaulted by another vessel, and then follow that with her story of how it all went down.
Other Discoveries
Help Gary Arndt plan his trip to Spain...where should he go?
I love Anthony Bourdain for his determination to get his shows RIGHT - especially after knowing what we went through in Fiji - and I'm also a big fan of his writing style...and when he writes about writing.
Schrute Farms on TripAdvisor...it's performing mighty well
The Ethical Traveler's Guidelines, in case you thought you were getting sloppy
Update on Nomadderwhere
As you may be able to tell, I've been busy this week. I hope you enjoyed my Carnival of Blogs, and thankfully no one realized I made a lingo error with the use of "Blogs" instead of the more apt title of "Posts." I said the wrong thing in my video and went with it. Eh.
A Big Thank You: I'd like to say thank you to Rusja Foster, who helped me photoshop my Carnival of Blogs icon. Yes, this is actually a picture of me circa the 1987 New Year, and I wanted to have a fun visual for the week-long event. Rusja got it done and done fast. She's also in the top 50 for UK's STA World Traveler Internship.
Potential Facelift: I'm in the process of giving my site a facelift, since my tabs above will soon not accommodate the vast array of info to come. I'd love to make this process of reformatting my site a little transparent. By that, I mean I'd like your input. Give me a little help by telling me what you like about this site, why you come back for more, and what I can do better in the future. It takes about 30 seconds...unless you're an overthinker.
Give Me Your Input
Updated This Week: You may have noticed new icons on the right sidebar that link to different topics of interest. I'm trying out some new button ideas for my future reformatting - plus, I think it's easier to navigate to what you want. What do you think about these images? Also updated this week are more of my static pages that needed a little dusting. Don't look just once and forget about them. They're always changing! Check out the following this week.
About, Garrett, Baby Steps, Travel Advice
1 Minute or Less Moments: Fiji is still unfolding before your eyes (in the form of video and written posts), which is why I'm on week five of posting raw video files onto my Nomadderwhere Facebook Fan page. This week, new videos are ready for your viewing eyes. Click on the icon below to watch the view from my bedroom window of Cyclone Mick, me "reporting live from the eye of the storm," and a coffee break amidst the worst of the wind and rain. Always a good time...
Nomadderwhere's Facebook Fan Page
Consume & Update: Red Dust, Stupid, and Countdown
I'm on the road in Northern Indiana but here to offer you some great material to couple with Sunday's newspaper and buttery toast.
Describing the Difficult
Big Tony does it again.
...I've seen a lot of things. But no place has so utterly confounded me, intimidated, horrified, amazed, sickened, depressed, inspired, exhausted and shown me--with every passing hour--how wrong I was about everything I might have thought only an hour previous. This is a country, founded by freed slaves from America--and intended to be very much in our image-- but recently emerged from civil wars so brutal, so surrealistically violent as to defy imagining, where drugged gunmen in wedding gowns and wigs once shot hacked (and frequently cannibalized) their way into power. It is also a place where mothers and grandmothers stripped off their clothes and naked and unarmed, confronted those same gunmen mid-massacres, getting them to stop. It is now the first African nation with a woman president. It's a country where you find 28 year olds proudly graduating from high school--the school system having evaporated during the many years of conflict. There's a church on nearly every corner--but underneath it all, traditional "masked societies" still rule the hearts and minds and behaviors of many...
I love the way he describes a place with incredible, raw honesty and accuracy of thought. Read this blog post by our traveling man, Anthony Bourdain, on the country he recently visited and claims is the location of the hardest episode in the history of his show.
Travel Yourself Stupid
Usually, I like to highlight Gary Arndt's photography in these Sunday posts, but today I'd like to bring attention to his recent post about an awareness of ignorance heightened only by experiences on the road.
Do you think it's true that the more you travel, the stupider you feel? Donald Rumsfeld is among those that do.
Here are a few excerpts from Gary's musings:
Walk Your Eyes Through India
Well, not all of India but certainly an amazing facet of the Subcontinent.
Other Discoveries
A quick read on prioritizing financially when you're traveling on a budget
Keep your writing compelling even in the middle with this blogging advice
Pico Iyer speaks of traveling to the soundtrack of anything but what naturally surrounds a place
Ever ridden on a hell-bound, over-packed, speeding vehicle through pedestrian-littered streets? Get a feel for it.
Update on Nomadderwhere
This week was a little rough, equal parts celebratory and sad. But I'm very excited for what's to come in the next month at Nomadderwhere. I hope you are, too...even though you don't know what I'm referring to.
1 Minute or Less Moments: There's still so much you haven't seen from our trip to Fiji, which is why I'm on week three of posting raw video files onto my Nomadderwhere Facebook Fan page. This week, new videos are ready for your viewing eyes. Click on the icon below to watch a 7 year-old weeding with a machete, walk with us to see the cyclone damage, and admire a landslide and the surrounding Fijian landscape.
Nomadderwhere's Facebook Fan Page
8 More Days: Are you ready for my upcoming Carnival of Blogs? My domain's "birthday" is coming next week, and I'm wrapping up my daily posts, which start publishing Monday, March 29th! Highlighting the year's best stuff, a wide range of media, and a couple brand new ideas and series to Nomadderwhere.com, you won't be bored. And if you're a fan of my Facebook page, don't worry; you'll receive a little reminder so you don't miss the good stuff.
Consume & Update: Blogtoons, Stress-Free and Flying Home
I'm back! And some of you will be pleased to know that Consume & Update is also back and temporarily on steroids! This edition will be bursting at the seams due to the hundreds of articles I missed while in Fiji that I just browsed all in one intense sitting. Grab a Red Bull for this one...
Good vs. Evil vs. Crazy
Brave New Traveler's editor Ian MacKenzie lets this cartoon open up the age-old conversation of humanity, while then linking it to a traveler's belief in people to do and be good.
We're Getting Soft
"Savvy traveling is all about the tentative and skilled balance between confidence and caution." Natalie Grant gives us something to think about in her article entitled "How to Defy the Definition of Dangerous." If we allow ourselves to be completely turned off a country for fear of a publicized threat, among many other great countries, America wouldn't see one tourist...and would probably lose some paranoid residents.
As someone who developed a somewhat fearful mentality of the world growing up, I feel a great deal of triumph every time I travel and overcome something that was seemingly tough and scary. Makes me feel like I'm putting my dull blade up to honing steel and becoming a "badass."
Sometimes it feels like self-induced stress, self-flagellation, or just plain unnecessary, but giving yourself the opportunity to realize most worries are unfounded is a liberating experience that allows the world to open up beyond your predetermined agenda.
Blogtooning
Problogger's Tips
I've missed my daily readings from Problogger and how to improve upon my wobbly, self-taught skills. In this post, he uses Andertoons to explain why animating your post could be a nice way to freshen your blogs drink. Not sure if I'm interested in doing this, but I really like the idea and wanted to pass it on. Check out the post, fit with six cartoons illustrating his wise points.
Tips for Stress-Free Travel
Hey! What a title! Even if you're flying in Air Force One, getting rubbed down with coconut oil, and completely drunk, you're going to have some stress while on the road. However, Chris Guillebeau offers some good tips, some of which are fairly obvious and others that come with experience, perfect for applying to a budget backpacker's travel style. For instance:
Spend more money. I often get stressed out spending small amounts of money. Overall, this isn’t always bad—it’s led to a healthy paranoia about debt and a lifelong adherence to frugality. However, it has its downsides too, in that I can spend hours walking around trying to decide what to eat, or hours trying to figure out the public transit system somewhere instead of just flagging down a taxi.
It only took me about 100 countries—I’m a slow learner—but I finally created a $10 rule for myself that has been rocking my world. The $10 rule is that when I’m traveling, I deliberately avoid worrying about most things that cost $10 or less.
Tony's at the Keyboard
Anthony Bourdain
Before I left for Fiji, Anthony Bourdain hadn't updated his blog in months, sadly. I felt like one lucky little girl with a stuffed stocking when I saw many a posting from Tony in my reader. His writing style is so expressive of his personality and certainly has a modern storyteller, sarcastic tone to it. Check out three of his most recent tales, including one on Bill Murray's haphazard driving skills: Backstory, Working in a Coal Mine, Crystal Blue Persuasion.
Metropolis?
Who took film history in high school? Doesn't Shanghai here look like Fritz Lang got his hands on it? Lovely shot, Vagabondish.
Other Discoveries
30 Funny Travel Quotes to Make You Smile...including #22. “I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places”. – Henny Youngman
Just heard about this...lucid dreaming and dream control
In Defense of the Introverted Traveler. Something that makes me feel better for spending so much time writing instead of clubbing.
Problogger claims to have the Best Writing Advice. Ever.
Get a discount on the new AFAR magazine, thanks to Martha.
Update on Nomadderwhere
At this moment, I'm flying over the East coast in search of my home land: Indiana. Soon, I'll revert back to "home mode," where I work online for about 16 hours a day, babysit on occasion, and plan for the next big event. I may pick up a part-time gig involving singing, dancing, and oodles of smiling, but the primary focus of this period will be reworking The Nakavika Project and preparing for what could be my ideal work situation.
I'll be making a few changes on the site in the coming weeks, including a new series inspired by readers. More updates to come!
Consume & Update: Global Citizenship and Geography
Ahh, back from Chicago and back to my armchair office. And here are the interesting tidbits for this week!
Being a Good Global Citizen
Brave New Traveler brought my attention to a website this week that barks right up the tree I'm climbing these days. Project Explorer makes free educational videos for school children as a non-for-profit organization, and a dialogue they've opened up to the world is on the topic of "global citizenship" and what it means to people everywhere.
Here are some of the well-known participants in this conversation I thought you'd find interesting.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu discusses how we can only be human together...
Andrew Zimmern refrains from chomping on scorpions and large intestines to talk about being a global citizen...
Russell Simmons talks about giving as a part of your job on this earth to be a global citizen...
Anthony Bourdain shares his thoughts on how travel can change your perspective...
Find more videos like this on ProjectExplorer.org's Good Global Citizen
Other Discoveries
The artist culture is returning to my old Florentine neighborhood: Oltrarno
Thanks, Intelligent Travel Blog, for reporting on the new fruit labeling technique, soon to sweep the nation.
Next week is Geography Awareness Week!
Update on Nomadderwhere
I've got a lot of things to cover, I tell you what!
Someone's gotta tell this guy he's in Chicago
1. I returned from my six day trip to Chicago and am thoroughly pleased with what I accomplished. My activities ranged from touristy to local favorite to rare and offbeat. I saw friends and family and ate great food. Chicago is a comfortable and dynamic city, and you can expect a few blogs and videos to come in the next couple weeks.
2. My writing challenge is off to a predictably slow start, especially since I wasn't at home this week and the Nakavika Project is just launching (and taking up all my time). I'm still on for the November 30th deadline of 20,000 additional words to my manuscript. Is anyone else pushing themselves on a challenge this month?
3. Many of you have been click on the Nakavika Project page above and presumably found disappointment in its password-protected status. These pages will soon be public as soon as plans are finalized with my travel partner. This should occur this following week, so stay tuned for the launch date of the NP!
Clark Gallery Photo Show
4. I am giving a small talk at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, Indiana on Tuesday (the 17th), which will focus on some of my better travel photos and the stories behind capturing them. If you're in the area, come check out the Clark Gallery Photo Show going on right now, and then stick around on Tuesday for the reception! I'm flattered they wanted me to talk, as I am far from even pretending to be professional, but I hope to give them something to think about. The coolest part about all this is that the gallery is named after my late grandfather.