A blog of my writing. It is a place for me to create in written form. Having to write out thoughts coherently helps to develop and define them.
Man, that sounded really artsy. Well, if that's artsy, so be it!
I've never been into the standard superhero scene too much. Batman's pretty cool; I like all the cool gadgets he has. Spider-Man is pretty awesome, too; his acrobatics and mode of transportation speak to my own love of jumping and climbing (trees, rocks, buildings, anything) :)
Really, though, my favorite superhero is this guy:
Wishbone was one of my favorite shows as a kid. Wishbone was a very honorable and moral dog and had grand adventures both at home with Joe, David, and Sam, as well as in his recreations of the stories of classic literature.
One definition of super hero is, "a benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman." Wishbone is practically a paragon of benevolence and his superhuman powers include his polymathic repertoire of detective (Sherlock Holmes), explorer (Odysseus and many others), scientist (Frankenstein), spirit (Ariel), and god (Hercules). That's one awesome superhero!
[This is post 6 of 30 blog writing prompts. To see the entire list with links to the individual posts, click here.]
This is the second part of my blog post about the countries I have visited. In the first part I wrote about my home country, the United States, as well as Canada, France, Italy, and Guatemala. This post has some awesome pictures and stories from the next 5: Greece, Turkey, Germany, Cambodia, and Taiwan. Enjoy!
Greece
Population: 10,815,197
Area: 50,949 square miles
My brother and I decided to take a trip on short notice, deciding a couple of weeks in advance. We made a list of possible fun locations and examined the timing, climate, desirability, need for visas/vaccinations, etc. Using these criteria we narrowed down a list that also contained India, South Africa, and Nepal and decided to take a trip to Greece and Turkey.
Greece was an incredible place to visit! It was awe-inspiring to see the stunning monuments from ancient times and to stand in places like the Agora of Athens, Mars Hill, the Temple of Zeus (one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World), and Mycenae. It was fun to have our own contests in the original Olympic stadium with no one else around. It was thought-provoking to visit the site of the Oracle at Delphi. It was enriching to stop at a mountain monastery, the abandoned Larissa Castle, and beautiful Peloponnesian towns, and it was downright frightening to happen upon a storage site for giant parade float statues of people, animals, and things straight out of an Alice in Wonderland/Little Nemo-type nightmare. It was a blast to practice (essentially learning) driving a manual transmission in a Fiat Panda on the raucous yet flowing roads of Greece and it was a thrill to spend a windy day racing around the island of Santorini on a 4-wheeler and scooter despite becoming separated for almost an hour and fearing that my brother had been blow off a cliff.
A week or so before our departure I was talking with my friend Jacob Booher and invited him along. He met us in Athens and it was a lot of fun traveling with him. I don't know how long it would've taken us to maneuver our rental car through the intensity of Athens to the highways outside if it weren't for Jacob's driving skills. It was insightful to listen to him and my brother respectfully debating their sometimes differing views on politics and the like.
Greece is a wonderful place. The food is delicious, the landscape (both earthen and human) is beautiful, the history is inspiring and fascinating, and the people are friendly and inviting (like they are everywhere, as I'm continually reminded). I would love to return there someday.
[I'm returning to write more of this blog post and I wanted to add that I've been craving Greece a lot lately! It's such a cool place!]
Turkey
Population: 75,627,384
Area: 302,535 square miles
We traveled to Turkey via the Greek island of Chios. Perhaps we ought to have planned this better because we woke on the morning of Greek Independence Day to catch an early ferry out of the country. Funny that we moved to another country, Turkey, on the very day Greece was celebrating their independence from the Ottomans. Perhaps we missed some fun parties and interesting celebrations, it's true, but Turkey certainly didn't disappoint. That being said, next time I'll make a point to change the schedule if it means being at the right place for an important event.
Traveling to Turkey was like taking another cultural step eastward. Already, in Greece, I had felt the influence of the east and the blending of its styles and feelings with those of the west. Traveling to Turkey was like riding this cultural pendulum further east, even to the point of passing the point of equilibrium and beginning the arc upward, now undoubtedly in the east. It was a very exciting feeling!
We traveled by bus (Turkey's bus system is awesome – modern, clean, reliable, plentiful) to the ruins of Ephesus (site of the Temple of Artemis, another of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, though we didn't visit it, specifically). Tyler tested the acoustics of the nearly 2000-year old odeon by cranking out a cowboy yodel, much to the delight of the other tourists, who applauded his anachronistic performance.
Back in the nearby town of Selçuk, we purchased tickets for an overnight bus to Istanbul and passed the time before its departure by getting impromptu haircuts from a local barber, complete with a flaming q-tip used to singe unwanted hairs from the ears and face. We also indulged in multiple varieties of baklava, a common practice of ours throughout both Greece and Turkey.
Istanbul is a beautiful, enchanting city. It is very clean, modern and friendly. Though we had heard it before, in Selçuk, it was quite an experience to hear the call to prayer originating from multiple points all around us. The gorgeous and huge mosques, as well as the Hagia Sophia, were breathtaking. It is difficult to grasp the size and grandeur of these buildings without standing beneath the towering domes. To give you an idea, imagine the Statue of Liberty standing in the Hagia Sophia. From toe to tip of torch, she wouldn't be able to touch the ceiling. In fact, she'd need to balance a two-story building on her torch to reach the top of the mosaiced dome!
Our time in Istanbul was spent sightseeing, visiting the bazaars, wandering the streets, and eating more baklava. The night before we were to fly home we visited a hamam, or Turkish bath. This was an experience, indeed! It was simultaneously invigorating, cleansing, painful, hilarious, relaxing, and a fine test of our ability to not feel uncomfortable or awkward. The mix of sauna, bath, exfoliation, massage, and chiropractic visit had me feeling cleaner and more refreshed than any other time I can recall.
Here's a glamorous look at our guilty pleasure during this trip – baklava! Featured here is the chocolate baklava.
Visiting Turkey was an absolute delight! There are treasures to be discovered, both tangible and otherwise, in this region's wide-ranging history as well as its exciting present. The people are pleasant and helpful; clerks and salespeople are friendly and the continuous calls from restaurant concierges were entertaining and welcoming. I would be very happy returning to Turkey!
Germany
Population: 81,799,600
Area: 137,847 square miles
The flight home from Turkey included a stopover in Frankfurt am Main. The layover was 4-6 hours and we decided to leave the airport for a quick stop in town.
We took a rail line into the city and went to the MyZeil shopping center, which has one of the largest escalators in Europe. The architecture of this building is amazing and impressive! At one area, the glass panels forming the exterior turned in on themselves, funneling back into the building and up above it before crashing back through the center of the mall. It was like some complex, inside-out, glass-whirlpool-tornado. It’s difficult to explain; you’d need to see it. Then again, it was difficult to comprehend even when standing right next to it.
We visited the Eurotower, which is the seat of the European Central Bank, and we took pictures beneath the giant Euro symbol. My brother and I talked about the impressive German people who, despite going through so many difficulties during the early 20th century, have managed to create one of the five largest economies in the world.
On our way back to the airport we bought a couple items for a lunch at a small bakery/pastry booth. I thought it all out beforehand and was successful and thrilled to be able to complete the entire transaction in German! (Thanks to my dad and mom for the German influence over the years, including all-night German tutoring sessions while driving down to Lake Powell :) )
Cambodia
Population: 14,952,665
Area: 69,898 square miles
In early 2012 I learned that my brother was going to Cambodia in approximately a month. Though I wanted to go, it didn’t seem feasible at the time. I decided not to go. One Sunday, while reading Kevin Sites’ book about his travels and reporting, I felt that now-familiar strong desire to go somewhere. I decided to see if I could make the Cambodia trip happen. I asked my brother if I could still come along. He said yes, and that they were leaving that Thursday. Four days away! I was a little disheartened, feeling like I wouldn’t be able to make it happen after all, but I decided to look into it, nonetheless. I found a flight for (relatively) cheap, and decided to take up the matter with my boss, who sells video footage from around the world, thinking I may be able to subsidize the trip by filming while I was away.
Eventually, enough things came together that I decided and purchased my plane ticket late on Tuesday night (technically wednesday morning). I would be flying out Thursday night, less than 48 hours away! :D It was wonderfully exciting. I’m very glad I made the decision to act on the opportunity to do something I love instead of letting the occasion pass by without my trying to make it a possibility.
Cambodia is a beautiful country with an awe-inspiring history, tragic recent past, and promising future. The trip was filled with fun adventures, delicious food, awesome people, new experiences, difficulties, and opportunities to learn – both about the people and their history as well as about myself.
This trip could certainly have its own extensive blog post detailing the experiences I’ve had (as could all of these journeys I’ve written about), but for now I’ll briefly mention some of the standout moments and the people I met.
+Being greeted at the airport by a man with a sign that said "Mr. Conlin." :) My brother and our friend Adam had arrived before me and paid the guy to greet me as they hid around the corner :)
+Eating frog legs, beef with ants, tarantula legs (I couldn’t bring myself to take a bite of the whole body), crickets, and my very first Coke. Of course there were other delicious things, too, like noodles, fried rice, curry, pancake/crepes, and the most incredible fruit shakes!
+Learning of the traumatic recent history in places like the Tuol Sleng prison (which was formerly a high school) and the mass graves of the Killing Fields.
+Meeting Sam, our incredible guide to the wonders of Angkor. Though Angkor Wat is the most famous, there are tons of impressive, awesome, and huge temples scattered all around the area.
+Spending time talking with two young shopkeepers in Siem Reap while I waited for an overnight bus.
+The kind tuk-tuk driver who rushed me to catch the bus when I realized they weren’t, in fact, coming to the location where I had been waiting.
+Being directly propositioned by a prostitute, not to mention seeing the industry blatantly active and available all around. (I declined, just so you know :) )
+Sailing in a catamaran in the Gulf of Thailand with new friends.
+Meeting awesome fellow travelers, including a man who had crossed the Atlantic in a solar-powered boat and many photographers with whom I was able to connect due to our common interest and pursuit of photography of the amazing places we saw.
Here's a fun and goofy video we made at an awesome tree at the Ta Prohm temple at Angkor:
Cambodia felt like the wild west of the travel beat. There are places that are "off the beaten track" but Cambodia felt even more so. It probably doesn't compare to places like Myanmar or Chad or Kyrgyzstan in terms of "off-the-beaten-track-ness", but there was something about it. It seemed like if you ever wanted to just up and leave a place and live like an outlaw, Cambodia would be the place to do it. That being said, it wasn't too much a rough-and-tumble place. It may not be as "developed" as some European countries, but most anyone would be totally happy, safe, and successful traveling there. If you ever choose to do so, you will be greatly rewarded with magnificent sights, matchless experiences, and memorable people.
To get a feel for the feelings of this trip, check out this video that I made:
Taiwan
Population: 23,315,822
Area: 13,974 square miles While selecting my flight to Cambodia, I had the opportunity to take advantage of a layover in Taiwan. I happily picked the itinerary with a 12-hour layover. During my brief stay in Taipei I enjoyed a number of things, including getting lost :) I had a map with me, but at some point I lost track of where I was (don't tell my Map Reading/Navigation instructor :) ). It was confusing trying to get reoriented, but eventually I knew (kind of) where I was. There was a night market where I found something to eat. Wandering through the stalls and carts I eventually picked one and pointed to an item. It was a type of stuffed pastry. I don't recall seeing (or recognizing, at least) any tourists while I was in Taiwan.
Taipei has really cool street crossing signals! When it's time to walk it has a normal looking stick person, except that it walks! And it speeds up as it gets closer to turning red. It's really cool.
At one point I walked past a piano shop. I went inside and asked if I could play one of the pianos and they said it was ok. A lot of this happened without actual words; cool how that happens :) I played some songs and a couple minutes later, out of the blue, a bunch of little kids were in the store and watching me. I think they must have just got done with lessons or a recital in a back room or something. I wish now that I would've asked some of them to play, it would've been fun to have an impromptu concert. Now I'll know what to do next time there's a similar situation :)
Before catching the bus back to the airport I found my way to where I could get a view of Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world pre-Burj Khalifa. I tried a couple of timelapses and then headed back to the bus station, the airport and eventually back home.
While passing through customs I had some thoughts that I put together in my head and later revised to make this poem:
Welcome Home
An astronaut, upon safely landing back on Earth, is greeted with, "Welcome home."
A returning traveler, upon passing through customs and border security, is greeted with, "Welcome home."
Arriving in my hometown again, I feel at home
But it is upon rejoining my family that I am most truly greeted with, "Welcome home!"
It's fun and exciting to travel and be in new places, but it's also a wonderful feeling to be somewhere familiar and comfortable.
Cheerio!
+Andy
P.S. If you want to know some of the destinations high on my list of next places to travel to, check out this video I made about a year ago for a travel contest: http://youtu.be/FeO33IN93QE
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I hope you’ve had a good day.
It’s a great day to share your feelings with those you love. There are many people I love and am grateful for. My family, of course, and close friends. Unfortunately, sometimes we aren’t able to express our love to each person that means so much to us. It can be difficult on a day like today. It’s hard when people ask about your valentine, ask about your plans for the day. You know how this feels. I understand how you feel. It’s especially hard when the hurt is so real and the sadness is so fresh. It hurts me to think that you’ve been feeling the same way.
There have been so many times already these past couple of days when I’ve forgotten why we even came to that decision earlier this week, why we decided it would be best to not be together anymore. All I can remember is why it sucks to not be with you (sorry, not going to sugar coat it). All I can remember are the things we won’t be doing together anymore, the things we said goodbye to, and the things we hadn’t mentioned then but have since hit me in the chest when I realized they’re no longer on the horizon. Damn that changed horizon. It seems so empty now.
Those are the things I remember. Those things, and the wonderful memories with you, are what fill my mind and heart. Not the things that motivated us to separate. Those seem so insignificant now, and not appealing in the least. Perhaps they’ll come back and remind me why they were important enough (or at least timely enough) to encourage the decision we made. They seem so unimportant now. I speak from my side; I don’t mean to call your feelings and reasons insignificant.
Even aside from all of this, I just miss being your friend, too. I miss talking to you and being able to share neat experiences and insightful and happy thoughts. I feel so strange that it would be wrong to have any interaction. Why does that have to be a thing? Yes, perhaps that’s the best way to be a friend now. Yes, perhaps this was not the best idea, using this passive means of communication to tell you my feelings. I just feel inclined to share these feelings today. I guess I wasn’t strong enough to let Valentine’s day pass without telling you how much you mean to me. I long for the day when we can talk to each other again. I’m excited for it, even, though there are parts that will still hurt.
It’s kind of strange, how will we ever know when it’s ok to talk again if we can’t talk to each other to find out :) What an unfortunate catch 22.
We had an awesome day planned for Valentine’s! I hope you remembered that today :) I hope it will make you smile at least a little bit. It’s especially hard to hurt when the one who always took the hurt away isn’t quite as available. Not as before, anyway. But know that they are still thinking of you. And that they love you. I love you.
