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Now Ye're Talking - To a World Traveller
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Pippi Longstocking wrote: »Did you find it hard to settle down once you came home? Would you go travelling again for such an extended period?
Yes I did, more than I thought I would - after seven years of travelling, that is to be expected as certain things just become the norm. As I mentioned earlier, just having instant access to amenities such as a hot shower, electricity or internet access without having to plan them into my day took quite a bit of getting used to again. Psychologically it also took a while to readjust - for the first month or so after I returned, I still slept in my sleeping bag on top of the bed because anything else felt stifling (it sounds ridiculous, I know), and in general, life just felt more constricted and restrained, if that makes sense.
Would I do it again? Who knows, but I wouldn't rule it out. I'm older now and that does change things - it can be difficult being the 35 year old in a hostel full of twenty-somethings for one. And most of my friends are well and truly settled now, some with families - things I haven't considered yet. But I'm by no means finished seeing what the world has to offer, and taking off again for six months to a year could easily develop into something longer. After all, that's what happened last time.Hey! First off, thanks for your detailed and informative posts. I plan to travel the world at some stage, so have gotten a lot of things to think about.
Just a few questions:
1. Do you think travelling helped you improve and grow as a person, and if so, how? Maybe this is difficult to answer since you say you have traveled from a young age, so you may have not noticed any significant improvements in areas like confidence, patience, etc in your 7 year trip.
At risk of spieling off a list of clichés, yes, I think so - I believe that travelling allows the opportunity for personal development, and I'd like to think that it has had a positive effect on me too. The very act of going to new and unknown places puts you outside of your comfort zone, and you have no choice but to adapt to your surroundings - a new language, new culture, new customs - and those who don't bend to that generally don't last very long. I've certainly become more patient for various reasons - taking care of day to day problems with people I didn't share a common language with being a prime example, or just having to bend completely to the whims and schedule of another country. I've seen other people quite literally kick and scream when things didn't go their way, but it didn't change the situation they were in.
I also end up being exposed to a lot of humbling stuff - the depths of poverty, death due to illness that would easily be treated back home, in a couple of instances, mass death due to natural disaster, and it certainly puts your life in perspective. But with that I also witnessed many inspirational things, such as people making the best of the little they had, helping others, or picking themselves up and regaining control over their lives after losing everything and it's hard to imagine that ones perspective on life wouldn't be shaped by that.
From a practical point of view, you do end up reconsidering your attachment to things in terms of want vs need, when you have to carry them on your back every step of the way. I started out light this time around after years of trial and error, but there have been trips in the past where that thing I needed to bring with me didn't seem so important after I'd had its weight cutting into my shoulders for a few weeks but had never used it. Conversely, you appreciate more the things you have that you do need, and take better care of them accordingly.
I haven't transformed into an entirely different person by any manner or means, but I have grown, definitely. I'm still an ass at times, but I learned a lot about myself along the way, and am (hopefully) a better person as a result of that.2. What is Pakistan like?
Pakistan is similar to India in that some people love it, others hate it. A few people I met there hated it - they found the cities to be dirty, local customs off-putting and the heat unbearable - and to a certain extent they are valid observations.
Personally, I liked it a lot, particularly northern Pakistan, in the mountainous regions bordering China and Afghanistan. The foothills and mountains in the north are quite rugged and sparsely vegetated in spots, and in many ways it's like stepping back in time a thousand years when you encounter some of the villages there. I met wonderful people all over - I met an off duty police officer while out walking one day who was walking back to his village in the mountains. He had no English, but beckoned me to follow him through the hills, which I did, for an entire day, before we eventually came to his village where he invited me to eat with his family and stay for the night. By the time I woke next morning, he had sent for his son from another village, who could speak English, and they spent the day telling me about their family and region, going back generations.
On another occasion in the town of Gilgrit, I met a young man who was starting up his own business guiding tourists around the area. He spent the entire day showing me every sight there was to see, brought me for tea and samosa, and while I was waiting for the other shoe to drop at the end of the day, wondering what this was going to cost, he wouldn't entertain the notion of being paid - he just wanted foreigners to see that people from his part of the world were good and generous people, despite what the American media had portrayed. That kind of hospitality speaks values about a people and about a country, in my opinion.3. Where have you come across the most beautiful women? I realize beauty is subjective, but what's your opinion?
Probably Venezuela - they are just naturally very beautiful people. Of course the first time I was there, I was 21 and more than likely wandered around in a constant state of infatuation, but yes, very beautiful women there.4. Is it easy to enter most countries around the world with an Irish Passport?
It's by no means a guaranteed entry into every country, but given the choice, I'd have an Irish passport over most others, in terms of ease of entering countries. In a lot of ways the Irish passport seems to sit in that perfect middle ground - we haven't pissed off a lot of the world in the way America has, we're automatically allied with any former British colony, who sees us as being as downtrodden by the English as they have been, and as such are more than likely to allow us to enter freely, yet we're a wealthy enough country that we don't pose an asylum risk to any country with such concerns. I can't imagine travelling any easier with another passport, than I have with an Irish one.5. Can I have your e-mail address? :P
Sure, but then I'd have to kill you
But if you do want more information that you don't want to post here, you can drop me a PM. 0 -
Absolutely wonderful thread. I'm loving to hear the world through your real experiences. Your style of writing is more grounded than any blogs I've come across and I genuinely hope you find your dream job in getting paid to travel and write guides. You've a gift for it.
Can I be cheeky and ask you to PM me the country where Lonely Planet may have been naughty with their methods of writing the guide? Curiosity has me dying to know
Being the outdoorsy type that you are. Have you been to Scotland and done many of the hiking trails around there. It's something I'm considering this year and have got a DK Eyewitness book as a rough guide. I still have to sit down and research it more adequately. I'd like a mix of camping and hostel jumping if possible. Would like to see all of Scotland whilst there too.
When in China, did you sleep on the Wall? Did you hike more of it than other tourists? Did you get work in the rice paddies?
In the western world, we view the dog as a family member and asset to work. Did you find it difficult to see them used as a meat source or viewed as a pest in other countries?
In relation to animal welfare in farming systems, did you also find it shocking how livestock was treated in comparison to Ireland. I know I found it difficult myself when working on a 1600 head dairy farm in New Zealand, animals literally starved through winter in some parts.
Some counties in Ireland are renowned for penny pinching (generalisation I know ), where did you find people to be less likely to help you or hold back from offering assistance when you may have been in a predicament? Similarly, as technology advanced throughout your travels, did you notice more people living their travels through a lens? What nationality did you find to be the worst for this?
You've mentioned it hard keeping in touch with family due to facebook, internet, skype, etc. , not being as advanced back then or being non existent. Did you use mail service to send a postcard back home as a quick "hello, I'm doing fine". If so, was it difficult asking for what you needed from there?
I'll think of more questions, the rat race is limiting me to time here right now 0 -
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Absolutely wonderful thread. I'm loving to hear the world through your real experiences. Your style of writing is more grounded than any blogs I've come across and I genuinely hope you find your dream job in getting paid to travel and write guides. You've a gift for it.
I appreciate that - thank you!Can I be cheeky and ask you to PM me the country where Lonely Planet may have been naughty with their methods of writing the guide? Curiosity has me dying to know
You can always ask..... But the point I was trying to make wasn't so much that there was one country out there where I heard the advice was skewed, but rather that they are called guide books for a reason. They are a useful resource if people treat them as such - a guide - it's more problematic though when people follow them religiously - only go to the spots marked on the 'suggested itinerary', only stay at the 'author's choice' guesthouse, so on and so forth, and both the country and the spirit of adventure suffer as a result. And to be fair, I don't think the authors ever envisaged it being used that way.
Regarding the particular edition in question which -allegedly- contained discrepancies - I'm pretty sure that there's been at least one more recent edition of the book since I read it, which may have gotten a complete overhaul, but I haven't checked.Being the outdoorsy type that you are. Have you been to Scotland and done many of the hiking trails around there. It's something I'm considering this year and have got a DK Eyewitness book as a rough guide. I still have to sit down and research it more adequately. I'd like a mix of camping and hostel ajumping if possible. Would like to see all of Scotland whilst there too.
Yeah, I have definitely been to Scotland quite a few times - it's only a stones throw away in the greater scheme of things. My favourite area for hiking is around Glencoe - there are some beautiful hikes and climbs over there, and winter is definitely worth a visit if you are into hiking in the snow, or ice climbing, as they get far more severe winter weather than we do. But all of the highlands are beautiful, and Scotland is far better geared towards multi-day hikes than we are, in terms of access to routes, bothies along the way, etc.When in China, did you sleep on the Wall? Did you hike more of it than other tourists? Did you get work in the rice paddies?
I didn't sleep on the wall, but I probably did hike more of it than other tourists in that I did multiple day hikes there. When I was along the Great Wall it happened to be one of the most severe winters that China had experienced in recent years, and transportation was often cut off due to snowfall, so accessing the wall outside of Beijing was difficult.
I have in the past looked into what it would take to hike the Great Wall, to satisfy my own idle curiosity more than anything else. The main section of wall, which stretches from the Gobi Desert to the Yellow Sea is about 1,800 miles (2,896 km) long give or take. Compare that to something like the Appalachian Trail which is 2,185 miles (3,516 km) long, it's definitely achievable over the course of a few months. The length of the entire wall sits somewhere in between 4,800 km and 6,000 km depending on who you ask, though I believe that a few people have actually done it. Either would be some undertaking....In the western world, we view the dog as a family member and asset to work. Did you find it difficult to see them used as a meat source or viewed as a pest in other countries?
Not really, any more than I thought it was odd to see sacred cows wandering into shops in India and being revered rather than being shooed out the door. But I tend to be fairly practically minded in that regard. Some animals are treated as pets, others are treated as meat, and that line just shifts in certain cultures. And it's worth mentioning that in the couple of countries I've been in that consider dog to be a source of meat, people also keep dogs as pets. I ate it, but not too often. Not because of any moral or ethical objection, but simply because it didn't taste very good.In relation to animal welfare in farming systems, did you also find it shocking how livestock was treated in comparison to Ireland. I know I found it difficult myself when working on a 1600 head dairy farm in New Zealand, animals literally starved through winter in some parts.
Again, related to the above, practicality kicks in, and I appreciate that other countries may not have the same standards as we do, but most places I've been, there was always a base level of respect for livestock. From a purely practical point of view they are a valuable commodity, and particularly in poorer countries, often mean the difference between the family having an easy or a lean winter ahead of them, and as such they tend to be minded. And it's worth bearing in mind that not that long ago, it was exactly the same here in Ireland - even in my living memory.
That being said, I have experienced more of an emotional disconnection from the animals on the large cattle stations, such as the ones I worked on in Australia, or New Zealand as you have mentioned. Particularly when cattle were being transported by truck for resale or slaughter, it was just accepted that X number of animals would die in transit due to heat or injury, and you just insured against it. I'm not saying that I liked it, but whether that's something you just have to accept when dealing with animals that number in the thousands at a time, I'm not sure.Some counties in Ireland are renowned for penny pinching (generalisation I know ), where did you find people to be less likely to help you or hold back from offering assistance when you may have been in a predicament? Similarly, as technology advanced throughout your travels, did you notice more people living their travels through a lens? What nationality did you find to be the worst for this?
As a rule of thumb, the wealthier the country, the less likely you are to get assistance from a random stranger, though obviously that's a sweep of a very broad brush, and there have been exceptions on either side of the spectrum. But it's very hard to label a particular country like that, because it is a lazy stereotype which is unfair to the individuals living there. There have been parts of the USA where people would quite literally walk by you if you were lying dead in the street - I got the crap beaten out of me in one of the bible belt states for talking to a black girl in a bar many years ago, and people walked by while I was bleeding all over the car park. That being said, I was hitchhiking weeks later, trying to track down friends who lived in the very same same state - I only had a very rough idea of where they lived - when a 20-something year old über Christian guy pulled over, and spent the next three hours driving me around and asking strangers for help, until he had figured out where they lived. So experiences can vary wildly.You've mentioned it hard keeping in touch with family due to facebook, internet, skype, etc. , not being as advanced back then or being non existent. Did you use mail service to send a postcard back home as a quick "hello, I'm doing fine". If so, was it difficult asking for what you needed from there?
Yeah, to varying degrees of success I mailed postcards to family and friends back home, though it can be surprisingly expensive in certain countries if you have a few people expecting a card in the post. I didn't really have any trouble to be honest - postcards are something you'd pick out yourself from the shelf or display anyways, and stamps are easy to buy when you're pointing at the postcards in your hand.
Sending anything bigger than a postcard can be a different story though, particularly in India. Bureaucracy in India is an art form in itself, and every official act - even something as simple as sending a parcel - has five more stages to it than anywhere else in the world. The first thing to be aware of is that parcels in India aren't sent in cardboard boxes - the contents are placed into cloth sacks and stitched up tight. the process of which I wasn't very clued in on the first time I tried it.- Queue for 40 minutes at the post office.
- Get to the counter to be told that it's the wrong window (it's always the wrong window), and that you need to queue somewhere else.
- Queue for another 40 minutes at the other window in the post office while half the population of the post office crowds around you, trying to figure out what you are sending and where it's going to.
- Post office employee informs you that you need to get the contents of your parcel sewn into a bag and points in the general direction of the street.
- Spend an hour wandering round before you find a tailor who will sew your parcel into a cloth bag.
- Return to the post office, queue for 40 minutes until you get to the counter.
- Person behind the counter hands you a form to fill out.
- Fill out form, only to be told that it needs to be xeroxed. Xeroxing is another essential service only provided by somebody out in the street.
- Go back out into the street, find the xerox man, or more often than not, the xerox street, which is full of little shopfronts containing men with photocopiers. Get the form xeroxed.
- Return to the post office, queue for 40 minutes until you get to the counter.
- Finally hand your parcel and forms over to the person behind the counter, who weighs it and charges you the going rate.
Me too, please, please, please!
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I've travelled the world, AMA wrote: »And it's worth bearing in mind that not that long ago, it was exactly the same here in Ireland - even in my living memory.
This is very true. Fair to say Ireland has only looked at animal welfare in livestock in the last 15 years. It was a tough lesson to get through to many farmers, and still is in some parts or those who have an older generation viewpoint to farming - "Well that's how my father did it, and his father before him".I've travelled the world, AMA wrote: »That being said, I have experienced more of an emotional disconnection from the animals on the large cattle stations, such as the ones I worked on in Australia, or New Zealand as you have mentioned. Particularly when cattle were being transported by truck for resale or slaughter, it was just accepted that X number of animals would die in transit due to heat or injury, and you just insured against it. I'm not saying that I liked it, but whether that's something you just have to accept when dealing with animals that number in the thousands at a time, I'm not sure.
This. I discovered the hard way that I do NOT like intensive farming. The casual hand they gave the calves from birth until they were driven away. They weren't fed most days if I wasn't on the farm
It disappointed me as it only took ten minutes to get a trailer of milk into them 0 -
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With your experiences of the seven years in so many different cultures, where does Ireland rate to you now on the world platform? Where are our successes as you see it Where could we open our eyes a little to progress further be it intellectually, economically or culturally? Does our government look less like a sty of lying swine now that you've encountered more corrupt forces such as the Russian police?
That's a pretty extensive question, and not sure it's one that I'm remotely qualified to answer. But my own opinion is that for all we might complain at times, there are certainly worse places to live in the world than Ireland. It's easy to forget how far we've come economically speaking, unless for some reason you have to take a step backward into 1980's Ireland - we effectively went from being Europe's worst economic performer to its best in the space of 15 or so years. The eye-opener for me was Georgia - a country roughly the same land mass in size, almost the same population, mostly rural and grounded in agriculture, it wasn't a huge step above subsistence living, and was a huge throwback to the Ireland of my childhood. While it may not be a perfect system, we do have healthcare, social welfare, ecucation and such, which are far from guaranteed amenities in other parts of the world.
I think that as a whole, we sell ourselves well - other countries see us as having a highly educated workforce and as an attractive location for inward investment, compared to the rural backwater of Europe we used to be, and yes you are right - certainly compared to some of the more corrupt governments I've encountered, Ireland's seems tame by comparison, though every time something changes, it just seems to be a case of it being the same circus, but different clowns, and that perception does travel abroad, particularly to the English speaking world.
Culturally we are certainly well recognised overseas in terms of music and the arts, though in my opinion I think we are beginning to suffer compared to other countries, which is sad to see. In many ways we seem to perceive our own culture as somewhat antiquated, and holding us back - it's obvious from some of the responses even here on Boards at times that the Irish language for example, is a useless language, should just be let die out. While I agree that the Irish language needs a revival in how it's taught, it still saddens me to see that it's something that many of us are actively pushing away.
In a lot of ways our cultural identity it's something we like to trot out when it's a popular time to be Irish, and then shove it back in the drawer again once we don't need it. Other countries seem to be able to strike a far better balance between holding onto their culture and having a genuine love for it, while still living in the modern world. It's something we could definitely improve upon considering that it's a serious marketable asset.Are people in other countries TRULY shocked at how many taxes we have here property, water, refuse collection, etc) or is this just an Irish attitude that other EU countries are laughing at us :P
To be honest, for the most part other people don't really care - they are too busy worrying how their own taxes are affecting them. Though I have heard surprise being expressed on more than one occasion that we just seem to ay down and take what's dished out, and I have to say that I agree.After experiencing so many cultures, has your sense of style/fashion changed since you've come back?
Sense of style hasn't been an issue, because I never really had one to begin with
I'm certainly more appreciative of being comfortable rather than just wearing something for appearances sake, and I find it hard to justify spending crazy money on clothes unless there is a good reason to, considering that the price of a pair of Levis might be a month's income or more in some countries I've been to. One thing I have a far greater appreciation for now is traditional attire - some of the national costumes from various countries truly are beautiful, and by virtue of actually being in that country you get not only a sense of the appearance of traditional costumes, but also the story behind how they evolved, be it for dance, for battle, or for some other reason.Are you a little more flummoxed at the westerns view that money is important in comparison to those you've met who were happier with less?
I wouldn't say flummoxed, but I do think that we place too much importance on having money, and making more of it. Don't get me wrong, it's great that families can live in comfort, and can have disposable income that we couldn't even imagine twenty years ago. But the sense of one-upmanship in terms of material wealth has really gotten out of hand, even since I left. I barely recognised some of the country roads in my area when I came back home - mansions of houses being built, each one having to be a little bigger and better than the neighbours mansion which was built a few months before. I'm not saying that we all need to go back to living in thatched cottages, but for a while I think we lost sight of how to live within our means, and in many ways have lost sight of what's actually important in life too.What was the most interesting animal, insect and plant you came across that you've never heard of or experienced before your travels?
It's hard to pick just one - there are a lot of crazy and unusual things out there. One that comes to mind though is the Vietnamese Centipede - as the name suggests, it's a centipede, though not limited to Vietnam. It's about 6-8" long, but the fun fact about them is that they have a venomous bite, and although it's not usually toxic, there have been cases where the pain has been so bad, that people have cut off the bitten limb in an attempt to lessen it, or have committed suicide because they couldn't take it anymore. And you can encounter them reasonably often. Definitely something to stay away from.0 -
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J Mysterio wrote: »Great thread. Well considered responses and artfully delivered, a joy to read. My views on much of what you said would align quite closely.
I did find your tactful description of Americans hilarious. Your reference to the bible belt girl though... What was that about? Also, what state was it? etc.
That was quite a few years ago at this stage - I was 20 years old and had just finished college and decided to backpack around the southern US. The state in question was Georgia - I had just hitchhiked my way up from Florida, and found myself firmly entrenched in the bible belt, where the teaching of evolution is a big no-no, and if you dig down, you'll encounter hell before you find a fossil. The undercurrents of racism still run strong there at times, and by unfortunate coincidence, the state was trying to ban the confederate flag at the time, meaning that tensions were running higher than usual.
Georgia, being a very wooded and mountainous state, was great for camping, and sometimes if I arrived somewhere early, I'd grab a beer or something to eat at a local country bar, before setting up camp for the night. And my accent standing out like a sore thumb, I'd often have people come up to me, ask me where I was from and so on, and this time was no different. I was at the bar, ordering a beer, when a black girl who happened to be drinking close by overheard me ordering, came up, and asked the usual questions - where I was from, what I was doing in that part of the world, and being that I was travelling on my own, I was happy to sit and chat. An hour later, I'd finished my food and beer, we said our goodbyes, and I headed on out with my backpack to head a little bit out of town. I made it about halfway across the car park - three guys followed me out and beat me almost unconscious for "making eyes at a n****r". I didn't stand much of a chance. That was obviously an extreme, but there was still a lot of racial tension in backwater Georgia at that time.J Mysterio wrote: »So... A question... 7 years is a very, very long time... Where did you stay the longest?
I would imagine you would have stayed in one place or another for at least 6 months or so given you were gone so long.
Australia would be the country I stayed the longest, but the again you are dealing with a country that is also a continent, and to see it, you really do need to travel it at your leisure. I spent over a year and a half there, but in that time I got to see most of the country, including living in the outback for extended periods of time. Other than that, Georgia was a place that I fell in love with, the people, culture and the language, and I returned there repeatedly for those reasons. There are a couple of pages of stamps in my passport dedicated to Georgia alone.J Mysterio wrote: »And, why not, what would be your last meal?
An authentic green Thai curry, cooked in front of me, washed down with a bottle of Tiger beerOscars Well. wrote: »Did you have to renew your passport while abroad?
And if so, was the process difficult and did it take long?
No I didn't. As it happened, my previous passport was about to expire just before I moved to South Africa, and I paid extra to get the large version which contains 65 visa pages. I also carry a British passport, which I could fall back on if necessary, though I mostly carry that in case I ever need an embassy in an emergency. You can find a British embassy or consulate in almost every country. An Irish one, not so much. The last time I met an Irish consulate, it was to get drunk with him in a bar in Armenia.0 -
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Have you ever watched the TV series Departures? 3 Canadian guys travelling the world, 1 of which is the camera man and an amazing one at that. Ironically 1 was a well seasoned traveler before they started the show and they were all 27 too. They've been to a lot of places you've been so I'm wondering if you've watched it, if not, it might be interesting to see their route through countries you've been in. (They've been to Antartica ) Couple the fact that I've watched 2 seasons of that in 2 weeks and read this thread, the travel bug in me is eager to get going.
Really is a fantastic thread, my favourite on boards and thank you so much for all the answers and insights into various countries, you've lived the life I can only dream of living, hopefully in 7 years I'll be following in your footsteps.0 -
Whatsisname wrote: »Have you ever watched the TV series Departures? 3 Canadian guys travelling the world, 1 of which is the camera man and an amazing one at that. Ironically 1 was a well seasoned traveler before they started the show and they were all 27 too. They've been to a lot of places you've been so I'm wondering if you've watched it, if not, it might be interesting to see their route through countries you've been in. (They've been to Antartica ) Couple the fact that I've watched 2 seasons of that in 2 weeks and read this thread, the travel bug in me is eager to get going.
I haven't been a huge TV watcher for many years - travelling obviously didn't agree with it, though that's changed somewhat since I've gotten back, and I've binged watched a few shows that I'd missed while I was away. I have heard that there have been quite a few travel/adventure shows like the one you've mentioned though broadcast over the last few years - I constantly have people trying to get me to watch 'Utopia' or 'The Long Way Round' or 'The Amazing Race' or similar, trying to see how it measures up to the places I've been. I haven't seen 'Departures', though just reading the blurb on it, it does read to be on the better end of the spectrum of what these shows are all about, and I may stream a few episodes of it later on tonight.
It would be up there as one of my ideal jobs really - being paid to circumnavigate the world and have a series of adventures along the way. So if there's an I AMA TV Producer looking for a project out there.... Though I have a face more suited to radio, or writing on the internet
TV related travel travel story. When I was in Mongolia, public places such as bus stations would always have a battered old black and white TV up on a shelf somewhere, showing the latest Mongolian and Chinese soaps, which Mongolian people love - TV is a relatively new thing there and they have latched onto it with gusto. But I couldn't figure out why, every couple of hours, the TV would turn to static - it seemed oddly specific to just be lousy reception, so I asked around to find out what the issue was.
Apparently when Mongolia first started broadcasting TV, people became so hooked on it, that their animals were dropping dead on the Steppe, because their owners were too engrossed in the latest goings on in the popular Mongolian soaps to pull themselves away from the TV to check on their livestock. As a counter to this, the Mongolian government mandated that the TV station stop broadcasting for 15 minute chunks throughout the day, forcing their owners to tend to their livestock throughout the day.Whatsisname wrote: »Really is a fantastic thread, my favourite on boards and thank you so much for all the answers and insights into various countries, you've lived the life I can only dream of living, hopefully in 7 years I'll be following in your footsteps.
Thank you - I'm glad that you are being entertained by it. And I hope to see a travel thread up here from you sometime in the next few years 0 -
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What an excellent thread.
I've done a tiny bit of travelling/backpacking. Whenever we sat out at night drinking a few beers there was always an arsehole someone who pulled out a guitar.
Are you that person? If not, how did you make your excuse to leave!!:pac:
I'm afraid that I was the arsehole wonderful person who played the guitar, but I tried to limit it to rare occasions.
But I understand where you are coming from - every hostel seems to have that guy who pulls out the guitar at a fixed time every evening, playing the same 4-chord songs, in the hope of getting a sing-song going and meeting a bunch of new people to get drunk with.
That being said, if you can play an instrument, it is a great way of meeting new people, and not just other backpackers. I had great sessions on what would have been long and tedious train rides in Siberia and China, and despite not having a common language, everybody from eight years old to eighty found a way of joining in. And of course, once you pick up the guitar and play a song, someone else always decides that they can do better in their language, and the process repeats itself.0 -
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This thread just gets better and better.. the police and the beach story are some of the greatest anecdotes of all time... Any other poster and id call bull$hit but I 100% believe these!
Believe me when I say that I wish that the beach story had ended in a very different mannerGloomtastic! wrote: »Boards has a new legend!
From what I have read I'm thinking no, but do you have any brothers or sisters? If yes, do they have the travel bug?
I do have siblings - one brother and one sister, and no, they don't travel to the same degree as I do. Neither have much interest in the outdoors in general - my brother is rarely inclined to leave the country, with the exception perhaps of a lads weekend away somewhere. My sister has trvelled a little more - she took 9 months off to stay in Australia, stopping over in Thailand along the way, but her idea of a holiday is more along the lines of skiing fro a week with her friends. So as you can see, we are very different people. Which is probably not a bad thing 0
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