Rishikesh: Top 10 Thoughts to Remember

I think it's easy for me to say that my time in Rishikesh was one of the highlights, if not THE highlight of the trip thus far. There was a ton of amazing stuff going on with me while I was there, all of it pretty simple. However, I haven't really tried to document that time. Basically, it was a lot of yoga, a lot of laughing at immature things and hours of conversation with some truly inspiring + real people. I'll be posting some photos from Rishikesh soon (I Know, I Know, I'm WAY f-ing behind). That said, I wanted to share some of the great things my friends in Rishikesh reminded me to keep in mind as I progress through this excellent journey. Without Further Ado, My Top 10 Thoughts About How to Be Awesomer from Rishikesh:

  1. Be Generous
  2. Be Grateful
  3. Be Real
  4. Follow Your Heart
  5. Be Fun
  6. Check your Ego
  7. Challenge Expectations (Yours, The World's, Physics')
  8. Do. Not. Settle.
  9. It is All Possible, Be Interesting
  10. Be Uncomplicated

There are lots of similarities to things I've written about before that I'd like to focus on, but this list was compiled in the midst of some of the best times of the trip, and I wanted to call this time out specifically. Special shout-out to my co-conspirators from the Seventh Heaven Guesthouse that shared that time with me and contributed to this list. Those guys rocked.

Here's to keeping this stuff in mind for a long time to come.

Here's a pic, that kind of sums up how I felt when I was out there:

11304024

 

 

The First 100 Days

Today is day 100 of the Big Trip. Thinking about what that means, I really have a hard time putting it all in perspective. One thing I've been thinking about is that it really feels like so much longer than just 100 days. Particularly given how many experiences I've had since leaving for Europe back in August. That's one of the main beauties of this journey, compacting so much of the life experience I cherish into what would otherwise be an impossibly short period of time for such a thing. On the other hand, I can't believe so much time has passed, and that my scheduled trip is about 40% complete. I have a hard time thinking it's November, and that on the other side of the planet my friends and family are prepping for the holidays while winter is looming. It's crazy to think it's already this far into the trip. But, that just reminds me how easily this time could have passed without going out on this journey. I'm pretty thrilled I'm here, and have been where I've been during these last 100 days. Here's to another 150 brilliant, fun and sometimes tough, but always interesting days.

With that sentiment, here's a recap of my top experiences thus far:

  1. Jordan - Petra. This was such a great couple of days, it had everything I enjoy all compressed into a short period of time. Beautiful geography, great new people, great old people and physically & mentally demanding challenges. I'll never forget the hike up the back side of the mountain to enter the monastery or the amazingness of leaving through the Siq at dusk.
  2. Israel - Hiking the Maktesh Ramon. This was a truly wild and fun experience and I did it completely alone. It forced me to face some fears and gave me some of the best scenery I've ever experienced in my life. Great decision to go there, an unexpected joy I think about often.
  3. Joran - Wadi Rum. I always knew I'd be going to Wadi Rum, and I had really high hopes for the experience. And it did not disappoint. I'll be writing a post just about Wadi Rum with a bunch of the photos that hopefully capture the desolate beauty of this place. I found it magical sleeping out in the desert and trekking through what felt like other-worldly rock formations and peaceful, pink/orange hued dunes.
  4. Italy - Positano Boat Ride. This was really early in the trip but just a pure, unhindered day of fun. Sharing it with Phil and Mom made it even better. I'll need to get Phil to come with me to my next sea-side destination to captain another boat.
  5. Italy - Pizza Naples. I knew I would love the pizza here. I didn't think I would eat quite as much of it as I did. But it was glorious, and will be repeated.
  6. Sweden - Lake House near Karlstad. I couldn't have come up with a more relaxing beautiful retreat if I had planned it myself (which I didn't, thanks Anders!). Hanging out in the sauna and taking dips in the midnight-moon-lit lake was pretty sweet.
  7. Croatia - Not a ton happened in Croatia. And thats exactly how I wanted it. Hanging out with Sarah and LItsy, and sipping too many lattes in various cafes was a perfect vacation from my travels. Rejuvenating, if a little fattening (damn you eastern Europe for your delicious pastry obsession!).
  8. Paris - Pure fun. This is what a weekend in Paris should be like. Tons of art. Great new friends. Great conversation. Amazing bread. Outstanding Cheese. These things won't soon be forgotten.
  9. India - Salaam Baalak Trust City Walk. Litsy found this walk given by former Delhi street kids. It was one of coolest things I've ever done while traveling. I didn't see much other than the centers where the Trust cares for its children. But, I interacted with some lovely  kids who didn't have a home but clearly had a ton of spirit. Hearing the success stories of our guides, who turned the page from being homeless in Delhi to having big dreams was truly moving.
  10. Israel - Prayer Service for Sukkot at The Western Wall. This was pretty great and again, unplanned. I couldn't understand a word of the prayer but I could feel the spirit of the thousands gathered around me in solemn unity.

Special Mention I: Indian Food. I can't eat exactly as much of it as I would like, but man the food here is pretty spectacular. I'm currently dreaming of returning to Pind Balluchi in Delhi and pigging out on various curry and tikka dishes.

Special Mention II:  Tel Aviv. What can I say, I love Tel Aviv. I'm not sure why. But it doesn't matter, it's a place I'll return to in the near future for sure. I look forward to more jogs along the beach, delicious food and great people watching.

Looking forward to much more stuff that feels like this:

SAM_8734

 

Tracking my Trip Activity

  Being a data guy, it's fun to see what the trip has done to some of the easily captured metrics I generate just by existing. In this case, I'm thinking about my Nike Fuel Points, captured by my Fuelband.

I have June 2013 here as a reference point and then August and September (First complete calendar month of the trip) as charts to compare how active I've been on the trip (According the very flawed Nike Fuel Points system).  The Initial results are not surprising. While traveling I'm way more active. (By the way, June probably included walking to work everyday and also wodding four times a week). Thankfully Croatia  isn't included in much of September, since I think slobbing around has been my primary activity since arriving here (and drinking Istrian Wines). June.2013.NikeFuel.ChartAugust.2013.NikeFuel.Chart Sept.2013.NikeFuel.Chart

The Two Month Anniversary Post: What I've Learned

So, today, I've officially been traveling for two months. And I'm about four months removed from having a house or apartment that I can call my own. But really, it's the two month anniversary of traveling part that matters. And, its an interesting time to think reflect on what's happened and where I'm headed.

25% or so of the travel time of the trip (not including time in Miami/New Orleans in December or the time in Florida before leaving) is done. Someone recently asked me what I've learned since starting this journey. Not a bad idea to document the things I think I've learned (about myself and other random stuff) since starting this trip around the world.
Here's the current rundown:

  1. I Like it Slow (really slow [ I'm only mostly talking about travel here]) - Some of my favorite moments have come from taking an extra day or two to just wander the streets of some place I've decided to linger instead of trying to tack on a new destination.
  2. What people expect to be interesting isn't necessarily interesting to me (this is code for I like some pretty boring things) - Many of my highlights involve riding a bike or walking down streets in new places just jamming out to my tunes and daydreaming. I like all the other stuff too, but it's been wonderful to just walk and run and bike in new places and soak it in.
  3. Speaking of which: Daydreaming is heaven - It's been so fun to just have the freedom to spend time thinking about almost anything. The specifics don't matter, but the time and freedom to ponder whatever fancies me in the moment is truly a blessing.
  4. Freedom is just a few minutes/days/weeks/decisions/choices/savings/jobs away - I think it's crazy how quickly my life changed from a pretty routine-driven structured existence to one of pure freedom. It's totally confidence-boosting that whatever it is we want, we can have, and its just a few decisions or milestones away.
  5. It's the people (always the people) that have made this special: It's the conversations. It's the new perspectives. The best thing about the road has been the folks. (Queue Depeche Mode: "People are people..."
  6. I'm pretty resilient - There have been some moments that were challenging and that I wasn't sure would at the time would easily fade into distant memories. But they did, and I was having a blast quickly thereafter.
  7. I could have planned more and maybe didn't give the first couple of months enough deliberate thought - No Biggie, but I'm committing to more deliberate use of my time for the next six months. This will include a lot of hanging out and taking it slow.  Some days I might do nothing - and I love that. But I'll be doing it because I've considered my options.
  8. I both love and hate being alone - some of the best times of the trip I've been completely alone wandering the streets of Tel Aviv or some other place, without wifi and not really connected to my network. But other times, it's been less fun to not share some of the cool stuff I've been doing with anyone in the moment. Navigating this has been kind of fun.
  9. I'm easily knocked off-budget - I can get pretty excited about what's going on and forget this whole I have no income thing. Just something to consider.
  10. I have a lot less free time than I thought I would- I spent a lot of time thinking about all of the cool things I'd do with my free time: THREE Blog projects. Revisiting my Italian Studies. Vetting graduate programs. Underwater basketweaving. You get the point. I thought I was going to be way more bored than I have been. Just keeping up with documenting my trip here has been a challenge.
  11. I'm working out MUCH less than I thought I would, but running much more than I was back home. This has been good - I think I've upped my average mileage and improved my average mile time during this trip - not too shabby.
  12. I miss my Purple and Yellow Japanese Hat (Which is actually mostly red in color) - I didn't bring it on the trip because it is definitely nearing its final stages of usage. But, wow, it's weird not having access to it. It's definitely the article of clothing I've worn the most in my life to date.
  13. I never don't say I'm from Miami but Live In New Orleans (lived) - I have a hard time saying I'm just from Miami and not including New Orleans. Simple, but interesting.
  14. I can't wait to get to South America to speak Spanish full time for a few months
  15. I don't think I'm ever going to really get over my hatred of flying - but I have grown to enjoy the odd plane drink or three and that seems to help.
  16. I get lost A TON - man do I have a terrible sense of direction. It's been even more apparent now that I'm traveling with Litsy, who has a great sense of direction. I'm constantly trying to get us to go in the wrong direction. It's pretty hysterical.
  17. I'm kind of obsessing with trying to get to Africa at some point soon.

The key thing I would say about the trip thus far is that I've tasted freedom and that it is  delicious, intoxicating and rejuvenating.  Here's to at least six more months of that. Here are the pics I think capture that feeling of freedom:

It's Exhilarating:

IMG_2461

It's Calming:

SAM_8317

It feels like accomplishment:SAM_8566

Budgets and Terrible Hostel Breakfasts

So, I think the biggest change in how things will be daily for me can be summarized by breakfast. Couple of mornings ago I woke up famished. I'd really not eaten dinner (vending machine chips should not count as real dinner), and I woke up ready to put on my eating pants and throw down. Well here's the thing, as the clock got closer to the nine AM last call for included hostel-breakfast; I ran out of my dorm and went down there to find what I can only describe as not nutritious and really-not-at-all-tasty "breakfast." A collection of hams that were gross (I don't really even like ham) and mediocre cheese, Some terrible looking stuff in a gravy I did not have the intestinal fortitude to try and some really old bread. Needless to say, this was not the kind of breakfast I was having while traveling with Mom and Phil, nor the kind of breakfast I would treat myself to while on a "normal trip." But, I put down a lot of that ham, and enough of that bread to keep me satiated till about  three pm.

I think this sums up one of the key differences between this kind of traveling and what most folks would consider a vacation. This breakfast didn't provide me with the health/wellness I'd like or the deliciousness I crave. But, it did give me some budget freedom for the day. And well, on that day, that's what I prioritized. So, this isn't a nine month version of what I did in Turkey last year, or the three weeks in Asia the year before, or my trip to Ecuador in the Fall. This is another beast of a thing. And this beast says eating lots mediocre ham some days is A-Ok.

Don't get me wrong, this trip is not going to be about eating terrible free food and wandering the streets in search of only free activities. But, it will be that some of the time.

Here's a summary of what I spent Thursday August 22, 2013: 

  • 5 Euro  for a coffee (terrible) and a croissant (great)
  • 5  Euro "free walking tour"
  • 1. 50 Euro huge water tha1 wasn't enough for The whole day
  • 15 Euro mediocre,  but, much enjoyed tourist trap lunch of chicken and fried cheese with a tiny glass of beer (effectively a shot)
  • 11 Euro three delicious Belgium beers (worth every penny)
  • 2 Euro dinner from vending machine of pretty tasty waffle and bottle of water

So, That's 39.50 euro on top of the 27 euro for the bed at the hostel.  Grand total for the day 66.50 euro or 89 bucks (.89 of a Benjamin if you're Diddy).

My budget for the entire trip is ninety bucks a day. So, I'm on track. BUT, this was a really really cheap travel day for Europe. I didn't go to a museum, eat more than one real meal or buy enough water (not that I wouldn't have bought water for budget reasons, they just don't have enough kwik-e marts here).

Anyways, It's scary to me how quickly and effortlessly the budget can be made for the day. Good thing to keep in mind,  but as I said above, I'm going to work hard not to treat this like I have some deathmarch to spending as little as possible. Cause I don't think I'll look back at this trip and be really sad if I spent a few thousand bucks more than I should have but got in all the great experiences I'd like during the year. I don't mind forgoing some creature comforts in the name of saving some pennies, but on the other side of this trip I'm going to have a lot less in the bank regardless of how I spend my days, I'm not going to be poor in the experience bank in order to try to be slightly less poor in the real bank.

PS - I'm off to spend whatever I feel like it on a movie and some more amazing Belgian Beers.