As I was walking down the street in Saigon a few months ago, a guy was walking by with a large piece of cardboard covered in sunglasses. He stepped in front of me and asked if I wanted to buy a pair. I pointed to the pair on my face and told him that I already have a pair and I stepped around him. He started walking backwards to stay in front of me and said, “I give you better price!” Really, dude? What price is better than “I already have some”? I laughed and kept walking.
Looking Back
I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a fantastic year, with more memories than I can remember (ironic, isn’t it?) I spent over 95% of that time on my own, which meant a lot of walking through new cities, down random streets with no itinerary or schedule, with nothing but the thoughts in my own head. Some of the insights that I came to about myself and about people in general were both common sense and revelatory at the same time.
A Year In Numbers
The time has come for me to wrap up my trip and return to the real world. It’s been an amazing experience, with lots of lessons learned. Since I spent so much time on my own, there was a lot of introspection and self-analysis (much of it booze fueled), some of which I think is worth sharing. Over the next few days/ weeks, I’ll try to type some of it up and post it. But for a quick starter, here’s an overview of the last year in numbers:
Ronda, Spain
Maybe I got to Ronda at just the right time, both in terms of weather and in terms of where I was in my travels. Maybe I had been in hostels for so long that changing to a hotel for a few nights was an exceptional treat. Or maybe Ronda is an awesome little town that exceeded my expectations in every way.
Riding a camel
If you’ve ever ridden a horse, you’ll be right at home on a camel. Camels are taller, smell worse, walk slower, and are more stubborn. But other than that, it’s the exact same as riding a horse. While I’ve avoided, for the most part, doing the clichéd things on my trips, I have definitely done some. I took cooking classes in Italy, I did the “I’m holding up the leaning tower” pose in Pisa, and I rode in long boats in Cambodia. So it wasn’t too much of a stretch for me to decide to ride a camel in Morocco.
Marrakesh Part 2
More photos from my trip to Marrakesh. Part 1 is here. You don’t need to read that one before this one, but it’s got some good photos, so check it out. And now, more pictures!
Marrakesh
I’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to travel quite a bit, from Kansas City to Venice, and from Austin to Saigon. Some cities were more foreign than others, some were easy to figure out and others took time to get used to. But Marrakesh is nothing like anywhere else I’ve been. You’ve probably seen Morocco represented in movies, but the thought in the back of your head is always, “That’s what it used to look like 100 years ago” or “That has to be exaggerated. It can’t be like that.” The reality is just as exotic as you’d hope and then some.
The Moroccan Hammam
The hammam is a traditional Moroccan public bath, whose roots started with the Roman baths of 2000 years ago. Back when people didn’t have private showers in their homes but cleanliness was still a desirable state, public bath houses became the norm, as a place to both get clean as well as to meet friends and socialize. While most houses in Morocco now have indoor plumbing and hot water heaters, the hammam is still a traditional experience that’s generally high on the internet’s “must do while in Morocco” lists. So, with some hesitation, I decided to give it a shot. The last time I bathed in front of other guys was after gym class in high school. Presumably this would be less awkward.
One Day In Split
Croatia, located along the northern border of the Mediterranean and on the same peninsula as Greece, forms most of the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic. Despite the name, there were surprisingly few dogs to be found wandering the city. (And if you thought I was going to pass on the dog joke because it was too easy, you were mistaken. See if you can spot the others.) It is easily accessible from anywhere in Europe, and growing in popularity, since its climate mimics that of Italy, with warm weather and a nice coastal breeze and a lower cost of living. When Europe was dealing with their recession, many people skipped their annual vacation to Spain or Italy and went to Croatia instead.
Travel Burnout
Travel burnout is a thing. On the one hand, I think that being tired of traveling and exploring the world rates pretty high among first world problems, right up there with “My Ferrari is in the shop so I had to take the Jag to get to the helipad” and “The maid service moved the bathroom tap and the water came out way too hot. It’s hard to find good help these days.” Despite how ridiculous it sounds on the surface, you can get tired of travel. How that manifests to you and how you handle it can vary wildly. For me, my burnout results in a complete apathy towards planning, which can very easily end poorly.