That Twain quote is BRILLIANT!

That's an amazing post, thanks for taking the time to write it.

quote:

From traveling in: South Africa and Iraq
-That South Africans are not all racist, they are actually well traveled and cool people.

I second that... hehe Great post, very thought provoking!

That Mark Twain quote is great! And this thread in general is awesome. Keep the observations coming folks!

People back home are always shocked when I tell them Muslims are pretty much like everyone else and could give a shit about Osama Ben Laden and other idiots like him. The only Muslim that ever wanted to kill me was my ex-girlfriend because I kept leaving the toilet seat up and throwing wet towels on our bed.

-the value of self-reliance.

-how much you're capable of when you have no other choice but to deal with the situation on your own.

-that the world is HUGE...

-but that it's also not as big as you think.

-that people are basically good.

-that "the kindness of strangers" is no myth.

-that every now and then, you should do something that scares the living shit out of you.

-that you only truly get to know yourself when you're outside your comfort zone.

-that beer and travel go hand in hand.

-that all you need is what can fit in your pack. Everything else will sort itself out.

-that if you travel seeking answers, you might just find more questions. And sometimes those are better than answers.

Top Ten Things I Have Learned on the World Tour 2006

1. The road is a tempting mistress, she will seduce you into going faster and faster with her perfect conditions and then break your heart (or more) with an unforgiving hazard.

2. Warm beer is okay.

3. I can go more than one day without a shower if I have to.

4. Laughing sounds the same no matter what country you are in.

5. The chop stick diet – eat with chop sticks for one month and you will lose weight.

6. Being poor in China and Russia is a lot different than being poor at home.

7. I’m overwhelmed at the response we get from children. Alex, a ten year old boy in Zabaikalsk, Russia, was asking me in English about our trip and where I was from. After I had answered his questions he gave me his pocket watch and asked me to take it with him on the tour and bring it to America with me. He said he would never be able to go to America but he could think about his watch and where it was. I’m carrying his watch very carefully.

8. A bottle of vodka should have a warning label on it.

9. The Western world doesn’t have a lock on beautiful women.

10. Never trust a cow.

Bill

Borrowed from http://www.globeriders.com/live!journal_main_pages/gwt06_journal_main.shtml

Everytime I pack to travel, I feel like I've got too much unnecessary stuff in my flat for my own good. Especially cloths.

Nic

ice is a luxury....

- A "5 minute walk from here" can range from 100 meters to 1 km

- If the bungalow comes with a mosquito net, use it.

- Though it said fried chicken in the menu, it can also mean it's stir-fried.

- If they said "you can't miss it," there's a 90% chance that you WILL miss it.

quote:

Originally posted by nina9702:
- A "5 minute walk from here" can range from 100 meters to 1 km

hell yes.
in greymouth new zealand a 5 minute bike ride was actually an HOUR LONG BIKERIDE what the fok. THINK PEOPLE< THINK!!!!!!!!!

I've learnt a few things about food and eating while travelling:

1. Water doesnt have to be brown to be dirty.
2. If the menu says "meat" dont ask "what sort?"
3. If you cant read the menu, or the place doesnt have one, then be prepared to mime your order - it never fails!
4. Trust your nose and not your eyes or tongue.
5. Cheap food can be very good and expensive food can be very bad.
6. And finally... Be adventurous with your food choices, you may discover some wonderful tastes!

Perspective.

Sometimes we take so much for granted. Travelling has taught me to really appreciate what I have in my life. Even when life seems hard I will always have memories of people who have a much more difficult time of things and yet still manage to be cheerful, friendly and amazingly generous.

Some of the most generous people I've met have been the poorest. Thinking about those people really does put my "problems" into perspective.

quote:

Some of the most generous people I've met have been the poorest. Thinking about those people really does put my "problems" into perspective.

how true! more than once there's been people that have shared the little they had with me. Once a kid in Cumana, Venezuela shared half the fish he had as the only meal for the day, when he knew there was not much (well practically nothing) I could give in him return. And he did it with the biggest smile ever

Since travelling last time I have realised that the best way to do it is alone. Last year I went with my girlfriend and feel that it limited my experience as her sense of adventure was not the same as mine. Whereas I wanted to explore and see cultural differences, she wanted to find the nearest clothes shop and compare prices to back home.
I feel as if the whole experienced was limited because we both did not do exactly what we wanted to do.
Now that I am single, I am planning my next trip alone. I have had several friends offer to come along but I have had to decline as I feel this is something I must do alone.