Semi-Pro travel blogger: Pro-blogging

I.

Pro-blogging. I am pro-bloggin.

On this piece of paper, I am blogging in our dear friend Martha's London flat. I am alone with a crashed computer. I have for tools a pen and a torn scrap of paper.

We have come up with all sorts of new widgets and apps in the course of tracing histories of ancient dialogues. This is what fills the empty space when the cyber has quieted. These are emerging technologies, too delicate even to reveal, which flew by in conversation too fast to write down.

We did discuss campfire apps (those which keep mosquitoes and biting insects away) - until we arrived at teenager apps (those which emit pitches from your phone to keep those between 11-21 years old away). We discussed million dollar apps for shopping and those for keeping our conversations on track. You see, we live in modernity.

Yet, I sit here a-scribbling. I am pro-bloggin.

I could bore you with our reams of data and news... it would be more noteworthy or worthwhile than this. Instead, I can take you where we have been. I am pro-bloggin (or is this proto-blogging). I am doing the type of exercise which takes place on pen and paper. And, I am reduced to pen and paper. I blame planned obsolescence.

So....our computer crashed. If you have been reading, you know this.

With a crashed computer and a race across four very historical (and yet very new to us) countries over a little less than two weeks; I am asking myself to run the last dash efforts as travel blogger. In this case, for this blog, what does it mean to lose all our travel technologies?

As I sat down and composed what thoughts defining these two words might mean to me ('travel' & 'blogger'), I came up with some formulaic answers which (a) might be of some use to our fellow travelers and blogging or blog friendly readers; and (b) I realized, yet again, that by unpacking our mission of exchange, service, exploration and discovery, I could discover deeper within myself sources of inspiration, language, and action. In the blogosphere, I realize in the actions and words of myself and others, that we are all becoming forces of combining self-interests.

Travel: involving every facet of life in relation to its other; ability to succeed; management of staying busy; preservation of health; enjoyment of self beyond (1) either self; or, (2) selected zone of self protection and/or self-awareness.

Blog: to publicly share and garner interest in travel.

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Semi-Pro travel blogger: Pro-blogging (Part Two)

II.

When my world was inverted (instead of pleasurably introverted as it is as a cyberwriter); when all that I could do from dawn to dusk and then into the wee hours of the morning was put the nose to the grindstone and achieve work, I was not alone. Everyone around me was tweeting me - or so it seemed; metaphorically. When I had adopted this pro-forma project philosophy, all I could breathe was work.

Lucky for me, I was in disaster recovery-mode. I was nurturing my resiliency, personally, socially, culturally, I was at one with the need to use physical and intellectual rigor to fight for the existence of the place where I was from (which through the work of the US Government and the natural phenomenology of hurricanes had wrought severe damage to this hometown). I...digress.

When one is caught up in one's projects, it is hard to turn off the phone.

In our modern world, the evolutions from beepers to tweeters ties us to technologies in ways which we love and absorb. Sometimes, we hate these technologies too; but, usually this sense is frowned upon or considered anti-social. So, let's assume that we love our technologies.

Anyway, when I was in the thrust of these previous epochs of my work life, I loved taking airplane flights. I used the airplane as analogy for what I encouraged my fellow disaster recovery comrades to also embrace - the retreat from 24 hour phone and message cycles.

In travel, we have so many opportunities to be something temporarily. This ambiguity speaks to the case of our modern life.

Last night, we watched a theater production of the "Prisoner of 2nd Avenue," a 1970's play by Neil Simon. It was a surprisingly hip and current rendition of times changing around those who cannot move forward. I could not place it fully in my own life. Yet, it had angst and urbanity.

At the beginning of theater and cinema, as the curtains rise, the managers they have conceived of nice ways of asking us to turn off our cellphones.

It is too bad there are not more ways of finding out how to do this. It is too bad that as a blogger I have not found better apps and widgets for helping me manage the distance between the objective to blog, write, and serve the communities at home (or those we visit on our trip), and how to enjoy the spirituality of travel once the netbook [laptop] gets sick. In previous millennia, it was your own sickness from the elements which brought you down; now, it is sickness from removal of portable media. I am unsure which illness is graver.

That said, I am off to take in more of London (camera in pocket, pen and scrap of paper in breast pocket).....

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Semi-Pro travel blogger: Pro-blogging (trois)

III.

Do we blog therefore to exist? Or, for us, is blogging an individual act of reaching out beyond mores of public acceptance (therefore being as an insidious and rebellious act)?

Is blogging the newest and least developed version of formal editorial publication?

Do we bring forth emerging concepts for a radical individualized project?

What does it mean to be a travel blogger?

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Paris on $25 a day (or less)

Paris is great! Paris is easily one of those cities (like all great cosmopolitan centers) where you can just as easily spend $50 a day as $5000. It is a city of great class, great confidence. It is a city that everyone who can must visit.

I recommend Paris very highly because it has so many of the ingredients which I believe give quality, luster, and value to the conditions which the western philosophies (economies, religions, aesthetics) have placed upon our world. Paris deserves your attention whether you think the western world created our time, is causing a race for more time, or has brought about the end of time... Paris is no doubt a fountainhead for our current dilemma.

Lucky for B and I that we did not try and test any of the foreboding above when we came to Paris. We were here by happenstance. You see, our trip is certainly about great luck. In Paris, our luck acted like it was effulgent, then acted as if it wanted to run dry.

This is our story.

Paris, ah, Paris. What a strange sight you are in the August vacation month of Europe. How can you live with your queer friends? Your residents completely abandon you every August; then you accept this torrid affair with mad crowds for the month? Maybe you know more about what to do with Summer than the rest of us? Anyway, the weather is good - so we gave it a try with everyone else.

I would have to admit, after beating it around the world on $5-10 day average Paris terrifies.

But, we have friends. We should be able to get off the beaten path. We know that what we are looking for is community. Surely, community is something which Paris has a lot of?




While nonsequitor - all of my points above have a meaning. For me, Paris exemplifies what our world is now, what is has been, and (maybe) what it is to become. But, this is only true through looking at Paris as a series of what ifs.

Our trip to Paris was nonsensical. We arrived having no idea where we were staying only to find that we had been put up just meters from the Seine and spitting distance from Le Jardin des Plantes - one of the loveliest gardens you will ever encounter.

Luck, it seems stays with us. But, as we have pointed out so many times in our blogs: We travel unconventionally. We are open to magic (and luck happening). We begin our travels from a very privileged position that we can imagine them; that we know we can do them; that we are not afraid of them; that we know that good and bad we will gain from our experiences.

On the downside, we were waylaid for a day and depressed for two when we busted our host's washing machine (top load washer Americans is more confusing than would at first seem). We saw the issue as a lesson, which it was. We also proved our honesty and self-worth by fessing up quickly and then doing what it took to get it fixed.

This blog is not only about Paris. It is about how you might enjoy life if you were somewhere great, ssomewhere where all the world lives, and somewhere where you wanted to enjoy the great fruits of civilization in a civilized way. Life can be very expensive. But, our quality of life depends on what is inside of us. If Paris for less than $25 a day interests you, read more.


So here is what I am going to go out on a limb about on the subject of visiting Paris: Paris is for everyone. Paris if for the old and the aged. It is for the young (everyone under 18, for example, get into all of the National Museums for FREE. (If this great perk would only also include Paris-Disney I am sure it would quickly rival Orlando, FL as the ultimate family vacation hotspot.) Paris is a city for the rich. Do not go into any corner cafe thinking you can cover the cost of a coffee and OJ or a beer without making certain that you can. My Aunt has had a reciept for purchasing a Parisien OJ on her fridge for at least 10 years and they paid $12 euro back then.

But, Paris is really free. Its best parts are. And they are not too touristic (even in August). It is a city filled with delightful parks. There is the Seine River (at night we split time between the Tango and the Irish Jig dances taking place every night on its waterfront. There are dozens of beautiful ancient churches filled with art (many masterpieces) - they are all free. Only Sacre Coeur and the other one have lines! The City itself manages about 15 museums which are almost all free. Then there are les Champs-Elysees, the Eiffel Tower, the Markets, and the street life, shopping, galleries, bakeries, fromagers - too much.

So, our story has no end. Only happy beginnings to return to. Paris, or, the Paris I know and love costs $25 a day or less. It requires a couch or the gumption to bring and sleep in your tent (people do this). It has a maximum three bottle and a minimum one baguette and one chevre diet- which is acceptable for short-termers but probably unhealthy if permanent.

BTW - we really meant to get to Musee D'Orsay, the Louvre, Palais de Luxembourg and other incredible sightseeing hits in Paris. I would probably not recommend these in August. We will save them for the next time we come. Maybe we will landd here on a first Sunday of the month (when all the museums in Paris are free.

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Travel Gear and Material Possessions

Out in the world with material possessions carried on my back, I quickly established my favorites. This blog serves as a guide to those packing for a grand adventure, and as a shout-out to those who helped to prepare us!

Twisty, Elastic Clothesline: a last-minute gift from Piper, I fall more in love with this clothesline every day. It has suction cups on either end (or you can choose to use the hooks instead) and can stretch across a wide range of distances. Lightweight, compact, and infinitely better than using a piece of rope, especially in windy places where your clothes will dry in a snap, if they don’t blow away.

Tea Tree Oil: I’m so grateful that I had the foresight to bring this along, since I haven’t seen it anywhere along our travels. Tea Tree Oil is a natural antiseptic…great for small cuts, scrapes, wounds, and even to disinfect hands in a pinch. It’s also great for easing the swelling and itching of insect bites. The pungent smell was also a lifesaver in the horrifically-stenchy shared bathrooms of Ethiopia, and daubed on a handkerchief to hold against the mouth and nose in some parts of India.

Sleeping Bag: Perhaps I have already expounded enough on the joys of my sleeping bag enough, but here’s one last bit…I love my sleeping bag!! It has been fantastic in lieu of questionable hotel sheets, as padding on hard sleeping surfaces, as a throw on cold trains, and as a generally cozy comfort item. Thanks Mom!

Point-It Book: If you haven’t already read the blog posting on this book, read it. Certainly get one if you plan to travel in lands where you don’t speak the language so well. It also works well as a distraction for finicky and noisy children and can be a splendid conversation piece. It’s like our version of a party-trick.

Business Cards: We love passing out our Hotel business cards. Our contact information is readily available on them, it advertises the hotel, and people are less inclined to lose or throw away a business card as they are a small scrap of paper. People all around the world really respect business card culture, and it ensures that we get contact information in return. One even scored us a free hotel room at a hostel in China once!

Drain Plug: Perhaps N would argue that this isn’t a favorite (of his)….but really, he’s just holding out. He knows that it’s awesome. I bought a universal drain plug from Home Depot before we left, probably $1. It’s invaluable for plugging up the sink to do laundry, stopping up the tub/shower depression to soak dirty and aching feet, and even once to close a creepy hole in the wall of our bathroom. 

LUSH Solid Shampoo: Thanks to a gift certificate from Lisa, we are still enjoying our LUSH shampoo. No worries about TSA restrictions, and it weighs much less than a comparable liquid amount. Doesn’t melt in the heat, is natural, and you can use only as much as you need to. One bar has lasted us five months…and counting. A backpacking girl doesn't get too many luxuries, but this fits the scene.

Microfiber Towel: Although I usually poo-poo techie or expensive travel gadgets, this one is well worth it. Incredibly absorbent, rolls up pretty tightly, and dries so quickly. We usually wrap our computer in it (nice padding) and have used it as a blanket many times.

Headlamp: From spelunking through the rock-hewn churchs of Lalibela, Ethiopia, to daily power outages in India, our headlamp has been a lifesaver. It's a considerate option when I want to stay up late reading and N wants to sleep. Great for sleeper trains and camping and even the night that we slept in a truck on a lonely road, waiting for a surging river to subside far enough to make a crossing (story here).

Nalgene Bottle: Great for tea in China, making hot soup in a pinch, and (now that we are back in the land of purified tap water) reducing our plastic waste by drinking the local tap water.We've used the bottle as a food storage container and as a tiny washing machine too. 

The only thing that I didn’t bring on this trip, that I wish I had, is a pedometer. I would love to know exactly how many thousands of kilometers we will have walked by the end of this journey. I bet it’s a lot.

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