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 |   ON THE WRITE PATH: travel journal for Around-the-World in 2015, 16, 18. |
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For there are many paths.  A tlog. A travel blog. A keeping-track of my trials, er.. travels. February 26, 2015 until ... June 18,2015. January 12, 2016 until February 15, 2016. November 13 to 30 2018 ... 2019, 2020: Taiwain. I went nowhere in 2021. 2022: Portugal, Thailand. Will include: Hawai'i, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Untied Arab Emirates, Portugal, Norway, Ireland and... (2015) ... Norway and Estonia (2016), México (2018), Taiwan, Balkans, Baltics, Turkey, Costa Rica, Nicaragua. Vi får se.  "Where I have traveled, stayed and visited. Over 181 places."     |
| No Thai (or Taiwanese) ever stands alone. I laugh at the naive notion that a foreigner may have that he can fight an Asian from certain cultures one-on-one. Ain't happenin'. Start a fight? Be prepared for a brawl and a beating. Few Thais or Taiwanese travel alone. The 'Noble Survivalist' is a North American myth. People survive in family groups, tribes, circle-of-friends or gangs. Yes, people do walk alone, take the bus alone, do many things alone; but, going in pairs or groups to a bar, a cafe, school, hiking, biking, is the norm. Criminal gangs, like the Taiwanese triads, can be a problem if someone steps on their toes (as in business, power, or money issues). Travelers and tourists need only be aware that they shouldn't start fights... ever. But exchange-students and business people need to know more. Once a person enters a culture the rules apply. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. I break rules in the USA and in Costa Rica because I understand the cultures well. When I travel elsewhere I try to mind my behavior. ~180 words Posted in "Blogville " |
| Seen on the web: "More than a few Americans fantasize about picking up their lives and moving to some seaside villa in a country where your rent is less than a car payment. It's a fantasy because while it might be affordable, few people actually end up doing it. There are things to consider other than rent when moving to a far-flung beach town. Stuff like "does anyone speak English?" Or "is the food edible?" Or "is there Wi-Fi?" Miss these answers and your turquoise-watered fantasy turns into an experience so stressful you end up back in America before getting your first sun burn." Color me livid, a bruising purplish puce. 😈 First of all... Why would you move anywhere, especially abroad, without checking it out first? These silly questions, and yes they are silly, can be answered in three leisurely days. So... You have a car? You want to rent a villa?  Must be nice. Because... most Americans (this article was aimed at Americans) never want to live like the locals. That would be beneath them. Hint: common folks don't live in villas; common folks don't use cars to go to WalMart every day... if they have a car at all.If you are worried about the language learn whatever the locals speak. In Thailand that isn't always Thai. It can be Pak-dai around Phuket or Lao in Isan (อีสาน). No... learning a language needn't be as difficult as it seems. Speak it every day and you get better! Mavis Moog  learned Italian before moving to Italy. Hint: get over your attitude.Is the food edible... so 24 million Taiwanese are dying because there's nothing to eat? You don't like noodles or rice? You're scared of msg? You want gluten free (eat rice and rice noodles)? You only eat what you recognize? You want to convert the world to Veganism? Hint: either become flexible or stay home. Wi-fi... your grandparents lived without wifi. They did not starve or you wouldn't be here. However... it has become a modern necessity. For instance, there's a region west of where Robert Waltz  lives, in West Virginia and Virginia (National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) around Green Bank) where using wi-fi and microwave ovens is restricted or prohibited. But they don't have beaches. Beaches like mountains don't always have the same amenities as in town. Hint: learn how to ask. In other words: Visit! Visit again! Preferably in mosquito or blizzard or smoke or drought season. Don't believe tourist bureaus or developers. Rent for a year before making life-changing decisions. Ask about water, crime, customs, taboos, whatever bugs you. Make friends. Advice: if you can't — go somewhere else. To summerize: these internet articles are written by White Middle Class Americans who never miss a meal. If that doesn't apply to you, don't take their advice without investigating further. No one mentions the hostility towards people-of-color, those who are different, those who are gay or lesbian, those who are of the wrong religion (including Vegan Vigilantes). Visit and ask questions; you will know. ~505 words posted in "Blogville " |
| McDonalds versus the World... Shadow Prowler-Spreading Love  got me thinking about food. I wrote: Today: leftover chopped-up chicken with leftover rice and leftover pinto beans, green salsa, finely chopped cashews. Wonderful. Some animals can digest half-rotted meat but humans don't do as well. It's why smoking, cooking, salting, sugaring, fermenting and pickling were so necessary. Lots of disgusting food out there that's quite edible and harmless. Raw chicken isn't one of them. McDonalds is quite edible. But is it food? Disclaimer: healthier than what I normally eat. But why eat at a fast food place when you have other choices? 1. Familiarity. 2. In Costa Rica = clean rest rooms. 3. Standardized. You get what you ask for. 4. High standards. Corporate HQ is very strict. 5. You're American and have no clue what real food looks and tastes like. I can't argue with #2-4. But it's time to get out of your comfort zone. 1. Start at home. Most towns have some sort of local foods, ethnic restaurants, markets. We have sushi, French pastries, Brazilian, Thai, Mexican (Jalisco) among others. At market: Belorussian, Syrian, Greek. 2. When traveling know the substitutes. Pljeskavica in Serbia (spiced meat patty mixture of pork, beef and lamb) will substitute for hamburgers. Batidos in Costa Rica is basically a smoothie (I like mine with avocado). Korean bingsu is shaved ice as is Costa Rican copos dos leches. Hazelnut spread is cheaper than peanut butter in Europe. In the Balkans use ajvar instead of ketchup. 3. Go to markets. You can see the food! In Taiwan try night markets. In Japan street vendors. If there's a line the food is most likely fresh. I've ordered deep fried mudshrimp in Lugang. Takoyaki in Tokyo and Chaiyi. Swiss rosti (think potato cake) in Tromso in Northern Norway. 4. Pasta and pastries are everywhere. From wheat noodles to rice noodles. Rice and bread are common as are caakes and crackers. The toppings, fillings and sauces may look strange and the spices different but 'sandwiches' are found around the world. 5. If you are in someone's home say 'thank-you'. If you have difficulties due to allergies it's okay to apologetically say no (tell them beforehand); same if you don't drink alcohol. If you are vegan... say a prayer and try to be flexible. Try everything if you can stomach it. Locals know how to properly prepare foods you'll never get a chance to eat at home. ~420 words Posted in "Blogville " I made a list of prompts. This was number 29. No hurry. There are 362 days in most years.  |
| I travel the world... or is that travelled? Most everywhere I've been they accepted cash... except Sweden... which was going plastic years ago (cashless by 2023 they say). Cash is actually easier. I give you 100 dinari you give me burek! I give you NT$100 you give me sushi. I knew my numbers when I was 10 years old. But plastic.  It seems easier until you don't have the right type of plastic, when you need one for buses, another for trains, one for food, a third to pay for the room... ah, Sweden... you're a p.i.t.a. Cash isn't universally accepted.So you like paying by phone? Nice! You're also paying fees and your phone knows where you are and that means someone somewhere knows what you bought when and where. It's funny that Americans who demand "freedom" are so willing to give it up when $$$ are involved. And yes, I do have a debit card for major purchases. I don't have credit because it's too easily abused. Try buying a plane ticket with cash though... I pay rent by old fashioned check. When I travel I always hide a $20 in the bottom of my suitcase. I also tend to stash a bill or three elsewhere. I keep track of my foreign money because it cannot always be exchanged easily in other countries. Except in Serbia... where borders with Bosnia, Romania, Hungary, Makedonia, Bulgaria... means money exchangers (it seems at every corner in Beograd). The dinar (RSD) is the only currency acceptable in Serbia. Dollars are not accepted everywhere. Euros are not accepted everywhere. But neither is Visa or Mastercard or UnionPay. So... in a cashless society, how does someone, anyone, buy anything without a smartphone, internet connection or a piece of plastic? They don't. I imagine myself sitting on the street corner begging for food because the money in my bank is worthless. You might want to think about that in a cashless society. ~325 words Posted in "Blogville " |
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