Until I leave for sunny and hot Vietnam. Excellent.
March, 2010
25
Mar 10
Everest Base Camp
I’m trying to organize an expedition to Nepal to hike up to Everest Base Camp sometime in 2011. It’ll be expensive, and it’ll give my fat ass a good year to get in proper shape and get ready for it and hopefully not get sick like I did on Kilimanjaro.
And look! I made a map!
View Everest Base Camp in a larger map
Anyone up for going? You’ve got a year to save and to train…
24
Mar 10
Selling Out
Well, I added the Amazon Associates linkage to my blog and will shamelessly link all products to Amazon. Every penny I earn is in the form of an Amazon gift card, so what’s awesome is that if you buy something from my links, I can spend it on more travel books. Awesome.
17
Mar 10
Linkage
Travel Blog Sites thought it would be awesome to profile me. I mean, I can’t blame them. Thanks. :)
15
Mar 10
Postcards for Charity
As you know, I do a lot of writing of postcards, and postcards cost me about $100-$150 per adventure. I’d like people to contribute something but at the same time, I don’t want to make any money because I enjoy doing it. But at the same time, I’ll keep writing them as long as something good comes out of it.
After lots of insomnia and thinking about it, I’m going to respectfully request that you donate something to either of these three charities: The Wounded Warrior Project, Team Rubicon, and Nothing But Nets. I figure a few bucks to any or the organizations in exchange for postcards makes me feel better about sending them out and it does some good in the world. Win win.
13
Mar 10
Look, maps!
Ever since I started travel blogging, this is where I've been. Neat, eh?
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10
Mar 10
The Wallpaper
Today on a rare occasion, someone at work asked me something different - it was about my desktop wallpaper. It's a painting by a guy named Gustave Moreau, a 19th century Frenchman. In 1865, he painted Orpheus, my favorite person from Greek mythology.
Now, I like myths. I think that they're important for a society to have. There are bad myths, like Jews owning everything - that are perpetuated through the ages. There are "techno-myths," like the big car companies are sitting on the technology to get 300 miles a gallon with internal combustion engines.
Orpheus was a musician who played the lyre and could play so beautifully the Gods would weep. He was part of Jason (and the Argonauts') quest for the Golden Fleece. The Sirens (from the Odyssey) would sing and lure ships into the rocks to destroy them, and when the Argonauts heard the Siren's Song, Orpheus pulled out his lyre and drowned out their inciting songs.
Later in life, Orpheus got married to a woman named Eurydice and was deeply in love with her. While running away from the son of Apollo, Eurydice was bitten by snakes and died. A distraught Orpheus played his lyre in mourning so sad and tragic that the Gods wept. The Gods told Orpheus that he should go to the Underworld and he encountered the King and Queen of the Underworld - Hades and Persephone. Persephone was sympathetic (for the first time ever), and told Orpheus that he could bring his beloved Eurydice back to life under one condition: he walks in front of her and doesn't look back until they both reach Earth - the "upper world". His anxiety got the best of him and at the gateway to "the upper world" he crossed through and turned around while she was still in the Underworld. Eurydice disappeared, this time forever.
The more observant readers of my blog (both of you) will realize I've mentioned "my Eurydice" before. It's a good analogy. Sometimes circumstances present you with the most infinitesimal of odds and your anxiety will blow it, this time permanently. The lesson is clear: Don't look back. Ever.
Orpheus died a rather interesting death. For the rest of his life, he gave up on love and took on lovers - along with forsaking all the Gods except the sun god. The Kikonian women got pissed off, and threw rocks and sticks at him. Orpheus, being the lyre master, played music so beautiful that the sticks and rocks refused to hit him. Naturally, the women got super pissed, and tore him to pieces. His head and lyre still kept singing as they floated down the river into the Mediterranean.
As much as my head knows the myth, the heart doesn't. And it's only a matter of time before women get pissed off at me and tear me to pieces despite my lyre skill.
Ah analogies - how I love thee.
Now, I like myths. I think that they're important for a society to have. There are bad myths, like Jews owning everything - that are perpetuated through the ages. There are "techno-myths," like the big car companies are sitting on the technology to get 300 miles a gallon with internal combustion engines.
Orpheus was a musician who played the lyre and could play so beautifully the Gods would weep. He was part of Jason (and the Argonauts') quest for the Golden Fleece. The Sirens (from the Odyssey) would sing and lure ships into the rocks to destroy them, and when the Argonauts heard the Siren's Song, Orpheus pulled out his lyre and drowned out their inciting songs.
Later in life, Orpheus got married to a woman named Eurydice and was deeply in love with her. While running away from the son of Apollo, Eurydice was bitten by snakes and died. A distraught Orpheus played his lyre in mourning so sad and tragic that the Gods wept. The Gods told Orpheus that he should go to the Underworld and he encountered the King and Queen of the Underworld - Hades and Persephone. Persephone was sympathetic (for the first time ever), and told Orpheus that he could bring his beloved Eurydice back to life under one condition: he walks in front of her and doesn't look back until they both reach Earth - the "upper world". His anxiety got the best of him and at the gateway to "the upper world" he crossed through and turned around while she was still in the Underworld. Eurydice disappeared, this time forever.
The more observant readers of my blog (both of you) will realize I've mentioned "my Eurydice" before. It's a good analogy. Sometimes circumstances present you with the most infinitesimal of odds and your anxiety will blow it, this time permanently. The lesson is clear: Don't look back. Ever.
Orpheus died a rather interesting death. For the rest of his life, he gave up on love and took on lovers - along with forsaking all the Gods except the sun god. The Kikonian women got pissed off, and threw rocks and sticks at him. Orpheus, being the lyre master, played music so beautiful that the sticks and rocks refused to hit him. Naturally, the women got super pissed, and tore him to pieces. His head and lyre still kept singing as they floated down the river into the Mediterranean.
As much as my head knows the myth, the heart doesn't. And it's only a matter of time before women get pissed off at me and tear me to pieces despite my lyre skill.
Ah analogies - how I love thee.
7
Mar 10
The Hawkins 7: 7 Kickass Travel Gadgets, Volume 1
I hate every since travel blogger's "gadget list" because it's either some fantasy thing from a high end manufacturer or it has some sort of ubercool slant to it. Most if it is just useless. A real geek has a minimal number of devices that can do a multitude of things.
Garmin Foretrex 401. Why settle for those stupid GPS trackloggers when you can have something low-cost that has a digital compass and can be re-purposed for geotagging? It's what I use since my Garmin Edge 305 went to the gadget graveyard. Plus you can use this for planning skydiving, just in case your first time out involves you HAHOing. And it takes AAA batteries, sweet.
Sandisk Memory Cards. Many a rookie traveler has set off with their new camera that was purchased for their trip and thought that one memory card will be good enough. It never is. As I've said before: Take your camera's number of megapixels, find out how many photos will fit on the card that you have. Divide that by 300 (it's about how much I shoot on a day abroad) and that's the number of days' worth photos you can have. Does your camera do video? Video eats up memory. For example, my Canon 5D Mark II ate up 60 GB of video and photos in 6 days in Italy.
I stick with Sandisk cards because on their Extreme III series, not only do you get high transfer speeds (which is helpful when each shutter click is a 30MB file and HD video is putting down 5MB a second) but you also get RescuePro - recovery software in case a card dies. My Sandisk cards haven't, but on previous trips I was able to salvage other cards.
Speaking of paranoia...
I'm totally paranoid about my photos. At the end of the day when I sit down for my beer, I backup my photos to my trusty Sanho Hyperdrive Space.
Why? Well, I can handle my camera gear being stolen because it's insured. Shit like that happens. What I will cry like a tubby bitch about is if my photos are lost forever. At least with this, I can have a backup of my photos.
With memory cards, you get what you pay for. You're also better off buying a larger amount of smaller cards (4 4GB's vs 1 16GB card.) Why? Shit happens and cards fail. Think about it - if you went on a trip and just brought one memory card and it goes titsup, you're screwed. It's the reason why wedding photographers shoot with smaller memory cards and swap them out frequently.
If the Hyperdrive is out of your budget, then I'd suggest a 16gb USB flash drive or bigger to back up photos to just in case. If you're staying at a place that has fast internet, then you can use Microsoft Skydrive for free to back up photos - they give you 25GB of space! A flash drive is always helpful - swapping movies, tv shows and other things with fellow travelers that would get the MPAA/RIAA pissed off at you.
Nokia 5800 phone. Um, Nick - a Nokia? WTF? Hear me out. Recently Nokia offered Ovi Maps free with lifetime updates on certain models of their phones. The maps offer free walk and drive navigation, free Lonely Planet, Events and Michelin guides. What's not to like?
Oh, and the phone plays mp3s and does other apps from the Ovi store, including Email, Facebook, and other social networking apps. And it's a phone, so you can find your SIM card of choice while abroad and talk away. As I said - geekery is sometimes best displayed when you have one device that does everything.
Why carry an expensive UV steripen when a simple filtered straw will do? It'll filter up to 20 gallons of water, and is inexpensive enough to carry in a daypack for emergency situations. The Aquamira filter is around $10, which is a lot less expensive than the UV pens. The SteriPen Adventurer will give you 26 gallons of filtered water per a set of batteries. And it can break. And it's $80. Why not get the $10 filtration straw?
Pacsafe neck pouches are a good idea to keep your passport and emergency money hidden on yourself. However if you wear it around your neck you are a dork. I wear this around my waist (and for those who have seen pictures of me YES IT DOES FIT AROUND MY WAIST) and under my pants on my thigh. Combine this with the Eagle Creek All Terrain Money Belt and you're all set to keep money and your passport safe and hidden from pickpockets.
Camelbak Alpine Explorer. I know. I'm one of those assholes while abroad who loves his hydration pack. Sure, I get made fun of, but when it's hot and humid out and everyone's dehydrated, I'm sucking down water and everyone else is getting sick. I have an Octane 14+ pack right now, and that holds my travel guides, my cameras and whatever else I need for the day. I just ordered an Alpine Explorer for myself from REI. Awesome.
Fenix LD20 Flashlight. Yes, a flashlight that's over $50. Why do I love this? Well, it runs on AA batteries and is bright as hell. Seriously. 180 lumens is brighter than the LAPD's tactical flashlight that, in case of an emergency, you can shine it in someone's eyes and odds are they'll say "AAAAHHHH!!! MY EYES!" and start to cry. The flashlight itself adjustable to multiple settings, from bright to supernova bright, and is handy to use in hostels to pack in the middle of the night, flag down cars, or when I was in Mongolia - I used my Fenix to see where the hell I was going in downtown Ulanbataar and to signal to cars that I'm crossing the street (the downside of no streetlights.) It was also handy to use when using the toilet in the dark outside a ger at Terejl National Park. I used my Fenix in Cairo inside of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. And the thing is built to take punishment. Mine's been dropped and beaten and still works like a charm.
I pick gadgets that work, and aren't fancy. They may be a bit expensive but they'll last. And if you're going to go around the globe, a little investment in gear goes a long way.
Garmin Foretrex 401. Why settle for those stupid GPS trackloggers when you can have something low-cost that has a digital compass and can be re-purposed for geotagging? It's what I use since my Garmin Edge 305 went to the gadget graveyard. Plus you can use this for planning skydiving, just in case your first time out involves you HAHOing. And it takes AAA batteries, sweet.
Sandisk Memory Cards. Many a rookie traveler has set off with their new camera that was purchased for their trip and thought that one memory card will be good enough. It never is. As I've said before: Take your camera's number of megapixels, find out how many photos will fit on the card that you have. Divide that by 300 (it's about how much I shoot on a day abroad) and that's the number of days' worth photos you can have. Does your camera do video? Video eats up memory. For example, my Canon 5D Mark II ate up 60 GB of video and photos in 6 days in Italy.
I stick with Sandisk cards because on their Extreme III series, not only do you get high transfer speeds (which is helpful when each shutter click is a 30MB file and HD video is putting down 5MB a second) but you also get RescuePro - recovery software in case a card dies. My Sandisk cards haven't, but on previous trips I was able to salvage other cards.
Speaking of paranoia...
I'm totally paranoid about my photos. At the end of the day when I sit down for my beer, I backup my photos to my trusty Sanho Hyperdrive Space.
Why? Well, I can handle my camera gear being stolen because it's insured. Shit like that happens. What I will cry like a tubby bitch about is if my photos are lost forever. At least with this, I can have a backup of my photos.
With memory cards, you get what you pay for. You're also better off buying a larger amount of smaller cards (4 4GB's vs 1 16GB card.) Why? Shit happens and cards fail. Think about it - if you went on a trip and just brought one memory card and it goes titsup, you're screwed. It's the reason why wedding photographers shoot with smaller memory cards and swap them out frequently.
If the Hyperdrive is out of your budget, then I'd suggest a 16gb USB flash drive or bigger to back up photos to just in case. If you're staying at a place that has fast internet, then you can use Microsoft Skydrive for free to back up photos - they give you 25GB of space! A flash drive is always helpful - swapping movies, tv shows and other things with fellow travelers that would get the MPAA/RIAA pissed off at you.
Nokia 5800 phone. Um, Nick - a Nokia? WTF? Hear me out. Recently Nokia offered Ovi Maps free with lifetime updates on certain models of their phones. The maps offer free walk and drive navigation, free Lonely Planet, Events and Michelin guides. What's not to like?
Oh, and the phone plays mp3s and does other apps from the Ovi store, including Email, Facebook, and other social networking apps. And it's a phone, so you can find your SIM card of choice while abroad and talk away. As I said - geekery is sometimes best displayed when you have one device that does everything.
Why carry an expensive UV steripen when a simple filtered straw will do? It'll filter up to 20 gallons of water, and is inexpensive enough to carry in a daypack for emergency situations. The Aquamira filter is around $10, which is a lot less expensive than the UV pens. The SteriPen Adventurer will give you 26 gallons of filtered water per a set of batteries. And it can break. And it's $80. Why not get the $10 filtration straw?
Pacsafe neck pouches are a good idea to keep your passport and emergency money hidden on yourself. However if you wear it around your neck you are a dork. I wear this around my waist (and for those who have seen pictures of me YES IT DOES FIT AROUND MY WAIST) and under my pants on my thigh. Combine this with the Eagle Creek All Terrain Money Belt and you're all set to keep money and your passport safe and hidden from pickpockets.
Camelbak Alpine Explorer. I know. I'm one of those assholes while abroad who loves his hydration pack. Sure, I get made fun of, but when it's hot and humid out and everyone's dehydrated, I'm sucking down water and everyone else is getting sick. I have an Octane 14+ pack right now, and that holds my travel guides, my cameras and whatever else I need for the day. I just ordered an Alpine Explorer for myself from REI. Awesome.
Fenix LD20 Flashlight. Yes, a flashlight that's over $50. Why do I love this? Well, it runs on AA batteries and is bright as hell. Seriously. 180 lumens is brighter than the LAPD's tactical flashlight that, in case of an emergency, you can shine it in someone's eyes and odds are they'll say "AAAAHHHH!!! MY EYES!" and start to cry. The flashlight itself adjustable to multiple settings, from bright to supernova bright, and is handy to use in hostels to pack in the middle of the night, flag down cars, or when I was in Mongolia - I used my Fenix to see where the hell I was going in downtown Ulanbataar and to signal to cars that I'm crossing the street (the downside of no streetlights.) It was also handy to use when using the toilet in the dark outside a ger at Terejl National Park. I used my Fenix in Cairo inside of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. And the thing is built to take punishment. Mine's been dropped and beaten and still works like a charm.
I pick gadgets that work, and aren't fancy. They may be a bit expensive but they'll last. And if you're going to go around the globe, a little investment in gear goes a long way.