I have been reading a variety of travel blogs since I departed America almost two years ago. There is information about a majority of locations that travelers blog about. However, there are few bloggers, compared to the norm, who will write about the cultural aspects of the country. Within the characteristics of a country, positive and negative exist, and, most bloggers refrain from writing about the negative. Many onlookers abstain to identify the mass negativity within the world because of fear and hopelessness encountering a lack of control over the dynamics of the world that produce a reality of paralyzed will. Some travel blogs are based on teaching or embedded within shallow tourist content, consequently, I speed read though many blogs. Yet, there are a few bloggers that produce excellent content.
One travel blogger that I follow is AndyHoboTraveler, traveling for 12 years, though returning to America on occasion for up to two weeks, his travel writing is realistic. This last spring/early summer Andy traveled a large part of Eastern Africa. Starting in Ethiopia and traveling by land down to Kenya. From reading about his description of reality concerning the level of envy and jealousy and want of heart among this region of Africa, I can say I have no desire to visit this location of the Globe. I think Andy’s blog stands out compared to the norm in relation to the content that he posts, except when he talks about himself. It is kind of comical, his writing skills are slightly poor, which he freely admits; however the realistic context of life situations among the different cultures is superior.
Traveling abroad for a substantial about of time—as a result of reading travel blogs—I can acquire a strong sense of the dynamics of a country. Once a person understands the underlining motivation of the inner heart, comprehending the context of dynamics of a region is not difficult.
Another travel blogger I mentioned prior is Steve is Lost. After motorcycling around India, he flew to Thailand to buy another motorbike and is biking around Asia. The bike “Sasha between his legs” died. Steve bought a another bike to continue the journey. Currently, Steve is enjoying lots of fishing in southeast Asia. The Southeast Asia route for travelers is similar; from the multitudes of blogs I read, most travelers have taken the same route. Steve’s style is a little different than your average traveler which is influencing my perspicacity of traveling Southeast Asia.
My previous strong interest traveling Southeast Asia has dwindled because of the touristic syndrome: the repetitious travel route, locations, and sites perceive as bland, except for the food, or course. Nevertheless, motor-biking around Asia is attractive.
Too add, Otts-world, a woman who left the corporate world to live as a nomad, and has been living in Saigon. She is currently in Mongolia posting excellent pictures. Her motorcycle tales of Saigon are quite comical. As Westerners, we seem to have a positive outlook, only to experience that the power of negativity has engulfed a culture, country, or village/town. Otts-world’s description of the small villages in Mongolia are appealing to read. I can just sense the level of negativity within the isolated villages in Mongolia.
A quote from Otts-World concerning a village in Mongolia: What I thought would be a nice respite from the harshness of ger living turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. However, being a culture junkie, I found the villages fascinating beyond belief. I always had the same thought run through my head, “Who in their right mind would live here?”
A Travel Around the World, a couple from England traveling for a year, finished parts of Southeast Asia, and New Zealand, and now is wrapping up Australia. New Zealand and Australia are popular destinations for the one year travelers. I enjoyed their visitation beach scenes while they were in Thailand, and they post good tips concerning the location and transportation. Looks like they will be visiting America during their around the world travel.
An American couple spent close to six months in New Zealand, in addition to Two Guys Around the World that visited down-under. The context that turns me off from the countries down-under is the peculiar frame of mind concerning alcohol. Ninety percent of people I met from down-under while traveling was preoccupied with a focus (obsession) on alcohol. Yet, the people I did met that refrained from the “party lifestyle” were extremely amiable individuals that possessed a disposition of depth relating to life. My percentage of interest about traveling Australia and New Zealand is a mixed bag. I am sure visiting the locals would have a different mind-set than the travelers.
A Pair of Panties and Boxers is traveling China. The enjoyable posts are insightful for any perspective traveler to China. I do admit, she writes some most comical posts about the dire reality of squat toilets.
“The one thing I absolutely loathe about China is the lack of Western toilets. Those hole-in-the-ground-you-have-to-pee-by-squatting apparatuses make me cringe every time. I’m a girl — how am I supposed to pee that way?” Five hours into the bumpy bus ride and two bottles of water later, I was bursting with thoughts of shiny automatic-flush toilets and marble sinks. Alas, what greeted me at the makeshift rest stop was an outhouse made out of mud and three little children asking for a 50 cents fee for using their “bathroom.”
I hurriedly deposited the coins into their eagerly awaiting palms before standing in line behind my fellow travelers. I held my breath in anticipation of the stench that will inevitably waft up my nostrils. When it was my turn to step behind the tiny cloth drape that doubled as the door, I realized why there was a such a long line to begin with; there were 3 ditches lined up next to one another, with the teeniest of mud walls to separate each one.
We, being Westerners, have an innate sense of privacy that non-Westerners don’t recognize. The shame of seeing each other with our pants down forced us to go in one at a time, while the locals watched us curiously and asked each other in Chinese “How come they can’t see that there are 3 stalls in there?!”
I do have a slight interest in visiting China more than other parts of Asia.
You may be wondering about my future travels. On October 8th I will head to Istanbul to renew my Bulgarian Visa, possibly visit Cappadocia, I might stay two weeks in Turkey. This spring I will be heading to Poland in the car, which will allow me to camp along the way. Mostly what I bought for this house I will pack in my car. Not only for camping, but also if I decide to find a flat in a location of interest. After the summer road trip, I could return to Bulgaria for another winter, or move on and fly someplace—the moment will decided, and certainly within this moment, I will refrain from thinking about any details.