Travel Sabbatical Insights, A Poem

The Holstee Manifesto.

As our transition back into "real life" approaches, it's natural for any extended traveler to begin having a personal philosophical debate about their experiences, trying to somehow articulate it into some deep meaningful expression before it all gets drowned out by the rat race of life all over again.   After all, doesn't it seem somewhat shallow if we didn't at least entertain the idea that we learned some life lessons from our travels rather than treating it as just one big vacation?

The following is an interesting excerpt from Notebooks by Albert Camus, a French writer and philosopher that spent his life addressing this conundrum between human need to seek inherent value and meaning in everything and the reality that we sometimes don't.  His philosophy of absurdism (no joke, look it up), may have made him cynical, but I appreciate this less romanticized explanation of the value of travel.

"What gives value to travel is fear.  It is a fact that, at a certain moment, when we are so far from our own country...we are seized by a vague fear, and an instinctive desire to go back to the protection of old habits.  This is the most obvious benefit of travel...This is why we should not say that we travel for pleasure.  There is no pleasure in traveling, and I look upon it more as an occasion for spiritual testing.  Pleasure takes us away from ourselves in the same way as distraction...Travel, brings us back to ourselves."

However, towards the end of our trip, my mind - under pressure - did begin racing with the inevitable (and usually unanswerable) heavy-hitting questions: what does this all mean, did I learn anything, did it change my life, etc.  Ironically, writing down any thoughts in complete sentences and paragraphs didn't always capture the correct sentiment without losing the simple meaning in all of the rambling.  I really didn't intend for a poem to develop (especially since I'm ignorant of any guidelines on how to write a proper one), but it seemed the most organic way to jot down my Travel Sabbatical insights. 

Certainly, I will cringe at my own sentimentality when I re-read this in the future.  Oh well, it's how I saw it at the moment.

Happy New Year everyone.

Travel Sabbatical Insights, A Poem

I want time to stand still,

To stay in perpetual freedom.

I want time to pass quickly,

To escape from this vagabond life. 

Responsibilities, 

Schedule, 

Routine, I can't recall.

Discipline, I left it all behind.

How ignorant I am.

How naive I've been.

In my world view.

My cocoon.

Ecuador.  You surprised me.

Jerusalem.  You enlightened me.

Buenos Aires.  You nourished me.

Chiang Mai.  You cast a spell on me.

Cambodia.  Your resilience inspired me.

Vietnam. Your beauty stunned me.

Istanbul.  Your grandeur seduced me.

Tangier. Your impenetrable facade mystified me.

The Balkans.  Your ongoing struggles challenged me.

Witness to history unfolding.

Sometimes repeating.

"Those who cannot remember the past

are condemned to repeat it."

Repeating. 

Personal Freedoms.
Due Process.

No longer just words to me.

I've seen a lot.

Not seen enough.

Done a lot.

More to do. 

Met many.

But only a few.

Learned daily.

Experienced much.

Took less for granted.

Left with more appreciation.

How alive I feel.
For my mom who couldn't.
For my friend who didn't.

This was no vacation.

A career break.

A gap year.

A trip around the world.

Was it a life changer?  
Or a life staller? 

Only time will tell, but right now, 

I want time to stand still,
To feed my curiosity.

I want time to pass quickly,

To acknowledge that new perspective.

Only time will tell.

The insights from our

Travel Sabbatical.

-Akiko Kubo

Things We've Never Said in Tokyo Before (Our Travel Sabbatical)

As we prepare our transition back to "real life" after 7 months, we are unwinding in Tokyo and catching up with Akiko's dad.  Tokyo is Akiko's second home and Mike's 6th time visiting, so this place is not a new experience for us.  We thought we had Tokyo figured out, but how funny that everything is relative and subject to perspective, especially after experiencing all the places we've been on our Travel Sabbatical.  

Here's a few things we've never uttered before on our trips to Tokyo...'til now:

• "Wow, it's so calm and orderly here."
• "Why are we waiting for the light to turn?  I think we should just cross the street now."
• When approaching any shop, vendor: "Irasshaimase (Welcome!) is so much better than 'You buy sometheeeeeeng!'"
• Observing cars driving down narrow streets: "Pretty sure they could squeeze in one more lane and at least 2 buses, and 50 motorbikes into that street."
• On riding the bus from the airport: "Really? It goes directly and non-stop to Kichijoji?  That's amazing."
• "I bet I could negotiate that train ticket down from ¥160 down to ¥40."
• "What do you mean it's a fixed price?!"
• "Hmmmmm.  $10 beer versus 50 cent beer.  Missing the sidewalk beer in Saigon."
• "The streets are so clean, organized, and the shops so pretty, I feel like I'm on a movie set."
• If Southeast Asia adopted Japan's trash separating system: "These boxes get thrown in that street; these plastic bags get thrown on another street; and styrofoam can only be thrown out the window on Mondays and Thursdays."
• "Dear tap water: I will never take you for granted again."
• "Are you sure they're open during their siesta time (usually noon until 1 or 2)?
• "I feel like a paranoid freak, holding onto my travel pouch like someone cares.  I forget no one wants my shit.  Everyone has a better iPhone, a Japanese passport, and way more money in their wallet than I do."
• "They could soooo accommodate more customers at this restaurant if they exchanged their nice furniture for short red plastic tables and stools."
• "Why not."
• "Can't believe those dogs are on a leash."
• "Seriously?  You actually have plenty of change for my large bills?  Weird..."
• "When the train conductor says its a one-minute wait, it's probably a true 60-second wait, instead of a one-minute-means-at-least-ten-minute-wait."
• "Toilet paper.  Oh, how I love thee."

There's probably more, but here it is.  Welcome back to civilization.  

Cambodia, Exciting Times For This Frontier Country

At the Cambodia Stock Exchange (CSX)

We are proud holders of a Cambodian bank account and in process of getting an official Investor ID through the Cambodian Securities Exchange Commission to obtain a brokerage trading account to start trading stock in Cambodia!  

Hit the brakes!  What?!  Okay, back up for a second.  Allow us to explain...

This is an unusual write up for a travel blog in that we want to talk about the emerging Cambodian economy and stock market.  

Before you hit the snooze button, let us say that this is a very exciting time for Cambodia.  It's more civilized than the wild-wild East that it used to be about 10-15 years ago.  However, it is still a sleepy, raw, unrefined frontier country, starting to wake up to the 21st century. 

What Happens in Bangkok, Stays in Bangkok

Khaosan Road during the day

The Vegas rule of engagement applies here, too.  What happens in Bangkok, stays in Bangkok.  So, don't expect any Hangover Part 2-esque accounting of events.  However, we can share a few observations to keep our blog going!

Ironically, we just left Jerusalem, the holiest and most religious city for one of the backpacker capitals of the world - Bangkok, Thailand.  Long gone are Jesus's sites, prayer books, wailing wall, churches, synagogues, mosques, and pilgrims.  

Now, we are surrounded by bars, clubs, tattoo parlors, Thai massage joints, pad thai street vendors, plastic buckets full of cheap booze, piercings, beer girls, lady-boys, hippie flowy clothing, tuk-tuks, and a sense that practically anything goes in this city that makes Vegas look like an amateur, as evidenced by the ping ping girls in Bangkok's Red Light District, Patpong Street (look it up, or read this R-rated article: Ping Pong Show by Adventurous Kate's blog).  

Reflections: 4-Months Gone By!

September 2012 marks our half-way point in our 8-month journey around-the-world.  You'll see that it's been good to escape our sanitized, over-scheduled lives and inject some grit and soul into it.  

Our experience has been an interesting dichotomy.  The travels have been slow yet fast; exhilarating but exhausting; temporary as our permanent state of being; nature's silence to offset the city chaos; unreasonable expectations causing unnecessary disappointment; pure freedom in the midst of utter helplessness (or cluelessness!); feeling so small in this big world; and the complexity of accomplishing the most simple tasks in a foreign environment.  

Serbia, The Bad Boy of the Balkans

To understand the ongoing conflicts in the Balkans, you have to get to know Serbia's roots, its complex history and people.

For example, the Serbs occupied the entire Balkans Peninsula in the early centuries until the Ottoman-Turks conquered and ruled for 500 years.  In the 20th century, despite being part of a larger socialist federation of Yugoslavia, Serbia continued to be the political center of the federation and called the shots.  Yugoslavia's collapse in 1992 opened up 'opportunities' for extreme Serbian nationalists to push their  'Greater Serbia' agenda forward under the leadership of the infamous Slobodan Milosević, resulting in bloodshed, wars, and atrocities such as ethnic cleansing.  As punishment and disapproval, the world isolated Serbia in response to their behavior. 

Ecuadorian Sunset

No, we're not back in Ecuador, but we did have a layover in Quito on our way to Madrid and saw the most beautiful sunset from the plane. We think it's fitting that our last visual of South America is from our first South America experience about 3 months ago. Funny how after only been in a place just one time, there is a sense of knowing and comfort about that place already discovered...even Quito. We suppose that's one reason why we travel. The world becomes more familiar.

Day 88: Random Buenos Aires Adventures

This is a random assortment of events in one blog with buses, Kansas Grill, Thai Embassy, etc., but it all happened in one day, and it was quite adventurous so read on!

We thank our lucky stars that we can do this kind of traveling without hassle by virtue of having been born in countries that allow their citizens to roam freely around most of the world (We don't take it for granted.  Our freedoms CAN be taken away).  There are others that require their people apply for visas to leave their own country, and plenty of nations that require visitors from certain places to apply for tourist visas before entry.  That's a lot of embassy hopping.  For the most part, our journey doesn't require us to obtain special visas.  Except, if we want to stay in Thailand for longer than 30 days in October, which we do.  

It seems premature to apply for a tourist visa in July (for October), but looking at our next 2-3 months, we will frequently be on-the-go without the benefit of a Thai Embassy nearby.  Since we're hunkered down in Buenos Aires (BA) for 3-weeks, why not get this business taken care of now?  We did have to consult our calendar because we cannot be too hasty...we must enter Thailand within 90-days of issue, or else the visa expires.  This happens to be the perfect window of opportunity.  

Quote: What Gives Value to Travel is Fear

"What gives value to travel is fear.  It is the fact that, at a certain moment, when we are so far from our own country...we are seized by a vague fear, and an instinctive desire to go back to the protection of old habits.  This is the most obvious benefit of travel...This is why we should not say that we travel for pleasure.  There is no pleasure in traveling, and I look upon it more as an occasion for spiritual testing.  Pleasure takes us away from ourselves in the same way as distraction...Travel, brings us back to ourselves." -Albert Caymus, Notebooks, 1935-1951

Under most circumstances, fear seems to be too strong a word, especially traveling in this modern age where we continue to be connected and not too remote from any part of the world; but we do identify with this quote. We have rarely felt physical fear for our lives (so far) but have felt fearful of our own limitations, mental stamina, and the unknown. Perhaps "discomfort", "anxiety", or "uncertainty" occurs more often than actual fear. It's true that travel is not always pleasurable. There has definitely been plenty of frustrations, annoyances, mistakes, illness, etc.; however, all is worthwhile for the authentic experiences for which there is just no substitute. If you want more pleasure and less fear, take a vacation. Otherwise, embrace the fear and travel.

Day 67: Mixed Feelings About the Town of Machu Picchu Pueblo, Peru

Despite the beautiful setting, we don't have all positive things to say about this town that has, for the most part, been developed to meet the tourist influx to the famous site.

Machu Picchu Pueblo, formerly called Aguas Calientes, is a very small town that sits in a narrow valley flanked by the tree-covered granite faces of the imposing mountains rising above.  Río Aguas Calientes runs through the valley in which the town surrounds.  The main access is by train or by foot along the Inca Trail.  We have no idea how the buses and cars arrived here because there seems to be no roads leading in and out of the town.  Therefore, it is quite isolated and similar to living on a small island.  Because the town was built over the shores of the rocky river banks, there is no grass and not a lot of trees in town.  They built one fútbol field with faux grass for recreation, and the kids just play on the concrete streets and stairs.  There are lots of stairs!  Although the town is surrounded by nature, the nature seems difficult to access since the mountains are so severe and the river is too swift and strong to get in.  

Our lukewarm feelings about Machu Picchu Pueblo may be due to our not-so-great hostel stay, or getting price-gouged for mediocre to bad food at almost every restaurant we ate at.  This town is clearly in the business of tourism, but also in the business of taking advantage of tourists, which is not a very welcoming feeling.  They do have the upper hand, however, because most tourists have to go through this place to get to Machu Picchu.  

Our initial immersion into Machu Picchu Pueblo was at a restaurant where we ordered our a la carte meals and got charged for the more expensive platter versions (that was almost double the price).  Then, they added 20% service fee on top of an already outrageous price, so this meal ended up being one of our most expensive meals we've had in South America and the worst tasting.  It was just easier to pay than to try and argue in Spanish that this isn't what we ordered, etc.  

We also found our hostel, Margarita's House, to be rather mediocre for the price and felt there was almost a bait-and-switch because the experience was so unlike the reviews we read online.  We knew that there would be situations that didn't meet our expectations, but since we have had great hostel experiences thus far, perhaps this made it more difficult to accept our disappointment.  Regardless, the whole experience was just strange.  Read our rants about it here.  

For such a touristy place, we only found 3 ATM machines: one required their bank card to access the locked door; one was broken; and one that actually worked. And, why do ATM machines only spit out large bills that no business can provide change for? Not helpful. 

However, any tourist staying at one of the nicer hotels like Inkaterra Lodge for $800/night would have found this town very charming, quaint, and beautiful to look at.

The silver lining to Margarita's House was its close proximity to Inkaterra Lodge, where we ended up spending quite a bit of time in their lounge, enjoying the ambience, service, and free wifi.  We also ended up eating a few meals at the Lodge restaurant because unexpectedly, the price was comparable to the tourist restaurants in town, but far better quality.  

We also unexpectedly stumbled upon the biggest outdoor party at Plaza de Manco Capac on Saturday night.  It was the 50th anniversary party of something major in Machu Picchu.  There was live music, food vendors, beers, Pisco sours, and people dancing everywhere.  Families with small children were still partying when we went to bed at midnight.

We are not traveling in a bubble, so these mixed feelings will occur again. Overall, the experience - good or disappointing - is all part of our collective memory and we are glad to have had the opportunity to visit this town.

Wifi Connection - More Than Just a Convenience

Skype. FaceTime. International phone plans. Options are good in this day in age for keeping in contact with our family and friends. With the miracles of a wifi connection, just yesterday, we FaceTime-d our parents and some friends. There was free public wifi in the Larcomar entertainment complex, so we were able to show our parents the coast and surrounding scenery of Miraflores. Then, we FaceTime-d our friends who happened to be getting dinner ready, so we talked for almost an hour while they cooked in their kitchen...just as if we came over to hang out. So cool!

Also, as long as there is good wifi connection, we've been able to use our Skype phone credits to make necessary calls, which is a whole lot cheaper than having to use our AT&T international roaming plan. With Skype, we've made contact with most of the airlines to confirm flights (no online check-ins available), check our voicemails everyday, discuss billing issues regarding home expenses, etc. After being on the road for 2-months, we've only recharged our Skype account once for $10. Can't beat that.

Yesterday was the first time we had to actually use our AT&T international roaming plan to connect with Star Peru Airlines to confirm our flights to Cusco. After trying several phone numbers published for Star Peru using Skype, we recognized that Skype phone has difficulty connecting to a toll-free number, and the other published number was a fax line. We finally located the local Star Peru number, and successfully connected. The automated voice in Spanish came on, not having a clue as to the menu options. Mike pressed "0" on the chance that this would get him to a live person...and it did, who started speaking in Spanish. But, when asked if she spoke English, she said "yes" - music to our ears! We were able to confirm our flights.

Skype came in very handy recently when we had to make many phone calls to our banks after recognizing unauthorized charges. We've been very diligent about checking our credit card and bank statements almost daily. We use VPN on top of the existing wifi for encryption, then we access our financial statements. As a result, we've been able to catch these unauthorized charges while still in processing.

Of course, wifi also helps to keep this blog up-to-date and post photos along the way! The ability to do online research on our next destinations, lodging, and transportation alone, have been invaluable.

As you may have guessed, wifi has been somewhat of a priority item for us, everywhere we go. It's not just for entertainment, but also for travel planning and to be able to manage the home front while we are away. As Akiko says, "[If I had to choose] I'd rather have wifi than a hot shower."

Last Day in Baños: Random Thoughts and Observations

Reluctantly, we are leaving this lovely town of Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador.  We could easily grow roots here, but the remaining 6-7 months beckons us to pack up and continue on to new adventures.  Here's a few random thoughts and observations from two career-breaking gringos:  
1.  We'll definitely be back to do all the things we didn't get around to doing/seeing.  We would love to come back here with friends for a 1-2 week vacation.  The biggest expense would be the flight into Quito or Guayaquil, but after that...it's cheap cheap everything!
2.  To have an even better experience, learn conversational Spanish so that we could get beyond superficial communication of basic needs and really get to know the friendly locals.  For next time, there's a couple of language schools in town.
3. ...however, English and our broken Spanish is getting us pretty far. :)
4.  Baños is an electic mix of locals, ex-patriats, adventure travelers, backpackers, and Ecuadorian vacationers.  
5.  Baños is very inexpensive, but also has luxury accommodations.  Both of us can easily live off of $60/day (or less if renting an apartment/room and cooking for yourself). 25-50 cents for bottled water; $1-2 for a large bottle of beer; less than $5 for a full meal; $20 gets you decent lodging for 2; $1/kg for laundry service; $1/hour bus ride; $5 haircut and shave; $5-10 to rent a bike for the day.  
6.  Ecuador is on the US $, eliminating the need to do any currency conversions. We've been paying mostly by cash. Example, there is a 10-15% up charge when paying the hostels with a credit card.  ATMs are easily accessible with a bank fee of $5 plus 10% of the total withdrawals.  Best not to hit the ATM everyday.
7. Women of all ages love to wear their ultra-tight pants and spandex.  Contrast that with the backpackers in their ultra-baggy tie-dye clothes...
8.  Stray dogs that look nourished, happy, relaxed, and BALANCED - as Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer, likes to say.   Ogi (our dog) needs to come here and let the strays school her on how to be a more balanced dog.
9.  Young kids hang out at their parents' businesses, but they are well-behaved, don't interrupt, and keep themselves entertained. 
10.  Jack Daniel's is almost as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola.  Very strong brand presence in most countries.  Did you know, Coca-Cola is in every country except 2?  Guess where?  Cuba and North Korea.  I'll take a Jack and Coke.
11.  We haven't missed or even thought about TV since we left.  I have all these books on my Kindle, too, but haven't even had time to read.   What the heck are we doing?  Nothing really, except walking around, people watching, enjoying nature, soaking in hot springs, researching our next destination.  It's tiring 'work', but someone's gotta do it.
12.  Everyone seems to have their own little mom-and-pop business selling food, beverages, souvenirs, services, providing lodging, etc.  They don't have 'staff' either.  The same person who takes your order cooks your food.  The same person checking you in also cleans, cooks, and manages the lodging.  
13.  The weather is PERFECT (to Akiko's standards) and there are no mosquitos.  Sunny and in the 70s during the day; misty and in the 50s at night.  
14.  We could tell that everyone knows everyone in this small town; yet, unlike a regular small town, the influx of travelers keeps the vibe fresh and exciting.  
15.  For a small mountain town, there are excellent restaurants from traditional Ecuadorian cuisine to American, a brewpub, international fare, French, Japanese, Swiss, Chinese, Italian, vegetarian, vegan.
16.  We appreciate that Baños is SAFE.  There is no fear of getting robbed on the streets, people are friendly, and we feel safe walking anywhere - even at night.  
17.  Baños is an excellent place to commune with nature.  There are plenty of outdoor activities, even for the less adventurous.
18.  Hyundai is huge in Ecuador! Being a Hyundai owner myself, I've noticed that half the cars and SUVs are Hyundais.  My "Sadie", the Santa Fe, will feel right at home here.

So, what's our "We can live here" factor on a scale of 1-10?  Perhaps a whopping 8.  We love it here.

-A

CTRL-ALT-DEL

An excerpt from a short conversation with my co-worker and friend after she found out she lost her entire work calendar/appointments after a failed attempt at syncing information with a new computer.

Friend: "Did we have xyz meeting today? I have no idea where I'm suppose to be."
Me: "No, that's next week."
Friend: "Oh, thank goodness. I feel like I missed something else today."
Me: "Now you'll live in paranoia from not really knowing if your calendar is accurate or not."
Friend: "Yup, but I can now recreate my life. Ha."
Me: "Good point. I think I'll try re-syncing so I can start over."
Friend: "You are! Starting in May!"
Me: "True. CTRL-ALT-DEL to life."

What We Learned at the Inaugural Meet, Plan, Go! Kansas City Get-Together

As Mike already posted on our Facebook page, we enjoyed attending the inaugural Meet, Plan, Go! get-together in Kansas City this past Monday night, hosted by Kristi Miller. Thanks, Kristi, for organizing!!

I think most of us can figure out the general theme of a get-together by the looks of the guests at the table, but I doubt anyone would've been able to guess our commonality - a seemingly random assortment of 9 individuals who got together for the sole purpose sharing our interest in extended-travel.

Here's a few things we learned from this meeting.

EXTENDED TRAVEL IS A LIFESTYLE
It seems that once the travel bug strikes, it's hard to get rid of it. In fact, working becomes only a means to surviving and saving $$ until the next extended travel opportunity. Therefore, a more flexible, self-employed, or contract type of work becomes the preferred choice. A minimalist, temporary lifestyle becomes acceptable, only amassing enough belongings to get you by but never enough to make one feel too settled down and permanent. Lest anyone worry about our sanity, remember that we have a house, a dog, and a great job to come back to (hopefully), so don't expect to have such an extreme reaction. However, don't think for a moment that this will only be a "once-in-a-lifetime" chance for us. :)

WE'RE NOT THAT CRAZY
We already suspected this, but was confirmed by Kristi and others that the majority of career breakers or extended travelers are Europeans, Australians, etc. In fact, one of the reasons for seeking out other career breakers through Meet, Plan, Go! was to meet anyone...just anyone, who had actually done this kind of thing before. Except for 1 person, we have never met anyone else who would consider doing such a thing. Americans rarely take an extended vacation, let alone a career break. It was a nice change to be among others who shared the same interest - confirming that we aren't as different or crazy as we may think.

EVERYONE WAS INSPIRED BY SOMEONE
Interestingly, most everyone was able to share a precise moment or person that inspired them to pursue extended travels. Whether it be a sister, or a friend, or a movie, we can all recall the specifics of when this world of travel became a possibility for us. For Mike, it was his friend Ray who went to Europe and traveled, sailing a boat to the Caribbean, and traveling from coast to coast in the US. All along the way, Ray sent postcards to Mike - the best geography lesson in the world - inspiring a small town Alabama boy to one day experience the same things. For me, my fearless parents made our transient life seem very normal as they dragged my brother and I around with them from Japan, to California, all over the US, to Singapore, and back to Japan. I thought everyone moved a least 10 times. By the time I became a young adult, moving alone to the East Coast, to Northern California, to Kansas, etc. was no big deal. Our hope is that through OUR travels, we can inspire a child or a friend to experience the world one day.