Observations Of A Dusty Backpack
~
2003.11.17 10:51 KST (EST + 14 hrs): Suwon, Republic of Korea
In my experience, travelling is a twofold enterprise with distinct segments.
The first is backpacking -- adventures in which standard forms of reason are abandoned, money is spent indiscriminately and hours are consumed bouncing around different cities, countries or hemispheres. Therein, we do our share to turn the globe into a truly fun place to roam. Working overseas, the second type, is deceiving insomuch as it pragmatically looks like the former, but it rarely embodies the chaotic fun so cherished therein.
Putting yourself on a different global parallel is one way to get away from a label called home, but staying long enough for it to become a new one presents nowhere near the same enjoyment as shifting the weight of a sixty-litre pack off your hips to enjoy the pedestrian breeze of a cobblestoned cafe.
The road less-travelled misses me. I can hear it whispering.
From here to there,
S*
Fave current track(s): "The Richest Man In Babylon" - Thievery Corporation
Current read(s) in progress: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - Robert M. Persig
2003.11.17 10:51 KST (EST + 14 hrs): Suwon, Republic of Korea
In my experience, travelling is a twofold enterprise with distinct segments.
The first is backpacking -- adventures in which standard forms of reason are abandoned, money is spent indiscriminately and hours are consumed bouncing around different cities, countries or hemispheres. Therein, we do our share to turn the globe into a truly fun place to roam. Working overseas, the second type, is deceiving insomuch as it pragmatically looks like the former, but it rarely embodies the chaotic fun so cherished therein.
Putting yourself on a different global parallel is one way to get away from a label called home, but staying long enough for it to become a new one presents nowhere near the same enjoyment as shifting the weight of a sixty-litre pack off your hips to enjoy the pedestrian breeze of a cobblestoned cafe.
The road less-travelled misses me. I can hear it whispering.
From here to there,
S*
Fave current track(s): "The Richest Man In Babylon" - Thievery Corporation
Current read(s) in progress: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - Robert M. Persig
Drifting Along
~
2003.11.12 01:54 KST (EST + 14 hrs): Suwon, Republic of Korea
Amigos and amigas,
Word from Guatemala is that my old mate Cuca's cousin is now in second-round running for the mayorship of Guatemala City. Sounds like a party with an open-ended ticket. Either way, he wants to (re-)hit the road less-travelled sometime soon and I said I'd accomodate him as soon as I could (read: in somewhere between 12 and 18 months). Ick, I know. "Start planning now, m'boy!" I told myself.
Far from those tropics, I can safely say that the weather is to my dismay also, slowly, greying over. I've never fully appreciated shady drab climes. I've promised myself that I'd somehow finish my last 20 years sailing through the South Pacific, island-hopping in the sun. Until then and for now ... I have Korea: land of the yellow people whose children gawk, finger and giggle; whose Western development is only surpassed by unbroken ties to underlying levels of conservatism is interesting -- albeit tiring -- but the self always shines through.
I could never make it here without having set up my own private version of home. Of friends and places to be. Music to fill my ears and a comfortable chair in which to curl up. Too bad there's nothing on the tube and I can't seem to locate any English mags, locally. Hmm, the Internet'll have to do, once again. That, and the slow, dull drawl of teaching English as a second language to Korean kids who, for lack of a better explanation, mostly don't want to be sitting in front of a foreigner blabbing along, jabbering inaudible syllables. Most days it's fine though. The good kids really want to learn and that validates the week. A good comment or a fruitful showing make it worth my several thousand kilometred displacement. Evenings, I have books, music and my newfound addiction to crossword puzzles. Which has also put me on the hunt for MENSA-like practice books (you know the stuff they make sure you can do before you're let into grad school, law school, med school and careers like glorified waste collection).
In other news, friends in Seoul have mentioned the possibility of jetting up to Pyongyang in January, during a welcomed five-day weekend celebrating the Chinese New Year. Until then, St.Nicholas-time won't see much relaxation as Koreans don't specifically over-celebrate the day as we do -- hell, forget Boxing Day: the Commonwealth has only spoiled me. Either way, I'm excited already. It's not everyday you get to visit the last Stalinist state on the globe. Apparently Canadians and Swedes are the only ones admitted across the DMZ. I knew maple syrup and duct tape would bridge all gaps. Guess the Swedes are just hot.
By now, I suspect that I'm rambling. That, or you've figured that I'm tired or gone off the end that is deep. Couldn't be that. Jamais. Pas celui-ci.
Take care, all. I miss old times, when I was hanging out, eating Gouda, hunting toothbrushes in Dutch supermarkets, flared off my head.
Remember, if you're ever in the neighbourhood: stop in, say hi, bring some pie.
S*
Fave current track(s): "Mario Man" - Super Furry Animals, "Brakhage (Live)" - Stereolab, "Darkness" - Saian Supa Crew
Current read(s) in progress: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - Robert M. Persig
2003.11.12 01:54 KST (EST + 14 hrs): Suwon, Republic of Korea
Amigos and amigas,
Word from Guatemala is that my old mate Cuca's cousin is now in second-round running for the mayorship of Guatemala City. Sounds like a party with an open-ended ticket. Either way, he wants to (re-)hit the road less-travelled sometime soon and I said I'd accomodate him as soon as I could (read: in somewhere between 12 and 18 months). Ick, I know. "Start planning now, m'boy!" I told myself.
Far from those tropics, I can safely say that the weather is to my dismay also, slowly, greying over. I've never fully appreciated shady drab climes. I've promised myself that I'd somehow finish my last 20 years sailing through the South Pacific, island-hopping in the sun. Until then and for now ... I have Korea: land of the yellow people whose children gawk, finger and giggle; whose Western development is only surpassed by unbroken ties to underlying levels of conservatism is interesting -- albeit tiring -- but the self always shines through.
I could never make it here without having set up my own private version of home. Of friends and places to be. Music to fill my ears and a comfortable chair in which to curl up. Too bad there's nothing on the tube and I can't seem to locate any English mags, locally. Hmm, the Internet'll have to do, once again. That, and the slow, dull drawl of teaching English as a second language to Korean kids who, for lack of a better explanation, mostly don't want to be sitting in front of a foreigner blabbing along, jabbering inaudible syllables. Most days it's fine though. The good kids really want to learn and that validates the week. A good comment or a fruitful showing make it worth my several thousand kilometred displacement. Evenings, I have books, music and my newfound addiction to crossword puzzles. Which has also put me on the hunt for MENSA-like practice books (you know the stuff they make sure you can do before you're let into grad school, law school, med school and careers like glorified waste collection).
In other news, friends in Seoul have mentioned the possibility of jetting up to Pyongyang in January, during a welcomed five-day weekend celebrating the Chinese New Year. Until then, St.Nicholas-time won't see much relaxation as Koreans don't specifically over-celebrate the day as we do -- hell, forget Boxing Day: the Commonwealth has only spoiled me. Either way, I'm excited already. It's not everyday you get to visit the last Stalinist state on the globe. Apparently Canadians and Swedes are the only ones admitted across the DMZ. I knew maple syrup and duct tape would bridge all gaps. Guess the Swedes are just hot.
By now, I suspect that I'm rambling. That, or you've figured that I'm tired or gone off the end that is deep. Couldn't be that. Jamais. Pas celui-ci.
Take care, all. I miss old times, when I was hanging out, eating Gouda, hunting toothbrushes in Dutch supermarkets, flared off my head.
Remember, if you're ever in the neighbourhood: stop in, say hi, bring some pie.
S*
Fave current track(s): "Mario Man" - Super Furry Animals, "Brakhage (Live)" - Stereolab, "Darkness" - Saian Supa Crew
Current read(s) in progress: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - Robert M. Persig
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