*Temple Mount – Lonely Planet says it’s possible, in practice it didn’t seem so and I didn’t have sufficient time to explore.
*Bethlehem, Jericho… – we just ran short on time and after the trying time at the Jordanian/Israeli border at Aqaba/Eilat, I decided I wasn’t up for trying to access the West Bank. Next time.
*Masada (again!) when it’s cooler.

More later, with pictures.

They were therapy to write. Cathartic. A good way to avoid the media, which is, as usual, acting as if the apocalypse is upon us.  I swear the only thing I’m still reading because it’s realistic and not over-the-top drama is Vacchiano The Blue Screen. I’ll be following that this off season because I can’t deal with the insanity in every other one.

Speaking of seasons: last year was supposed to be the year of the staycation and according to some, this is the naycation?

Um. December: Cancun February:Hawaii March: Los Angeles

I missed that memo.

[Just what I need, a longer wishlist ]

• Words Without Borders: The World Through the Eyes of Writers –Alane Salierno Mason, Dedi Felman and Samantha Schnee
• Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron (actually already on my wishlist)
• Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney

No particular reason, they just sound interesting, especially the first. My choices don’t surprise me, I tend to read about the same cultures often.

There’s another post, also from World Hum on the best travel books of all time (from 2006). I feel slightly more accomplished with this list The ones I’ve read:

• “The Great Railway Bazaar” by Paul Theroux – good read, although I picked it up and put it down a few times. Very different look at a much changed world.
• “In A Sunburned Country” by Bill Bryson – and its cousin “Down Under” – I still remember where the title came from. I read it in 2002 when I first visited and fell in love with Australia.
• “The Songlines” by Bruce Chatwin – on Mt. TBR
• “Travels with Charley” by John Steinbeck – read this this summer during my own travels – the book saw the highlights of my Europe trip and I loved the book
• “Road Fever” by Tim Cahill – on My. TBR
• “Baghdad Without a Map” by Tony Horwitz – on Mt. TBR
• “The Size of the World” by Jeff Greenwald – Mt. TBR – started this and put it down, need to pick it up again.

I still have a long ways to go, but I’m enjoying the comments about the list. What do you think? What should I read in 2008? I need a good book to start the year off with.

The other day, GoBudgetTravel asked “Is the Backpack Even Necessary“, which followed a post from this summer ” What Backpacking Is and Is Not“. Both of these were interesting reads. As far as what backpacking is, his #1 point is the one with which I agree the most:

A budget travel strategy that stresses blending in, and living like the people to develop a better understanding of the culture.

and I think that’s a big part of what feeds the travel v. tourism debate. Although I still feel strongly that there’s so much more to a destination than what is in a guidebook, I feel somewhat guilty slagging on tourists since I want to work in tourism. I think there is more to tourism development than meets the eye, unfortunately I don’t think that fits nicely in an ASP Proposal. I love coming up with lists of upcoming events for international journalists and/or for promotion for tour operators, but I question how much some of these activities teach you about [insert destination here]. It’s a personal bias I’m sure, but I feel I learned a lot more interacting with locals and seeing things from their POV than I ever did from a guidebook.

I also agree with one of his points on what backpacking is not:

All fun. It’s an adventure. It’s not uncommon to get robbed, lost, stuck out in the rain, pissed off, homesick, etc.

and I think that’s some of what came up with last week’s Oz-bus issues. Granted one could argue, and probably successfully, that paying that amount of money takes ‘backpacking’ out of the equation but I still think that anyone participating in such a trip should expect the unexpected. On that note, there’s some interesting discussion in the comments of Peter Moore’s post on the topic.

Anyway, back to the topic of last week’s post…

“…it makes a lot more sense to analyze your personal needs as a traveler, and choose your baggage accordingly, as opposed to assuming, ‘Well, I’m going ‘backpacking’ through Asia, better buy a backpack’…”

There were times I was grateful to have the backpack and overall I think it was the best choice for my trip, but there were times it was more of a hassle than a help. Namely when my dayback got heavier and carrying it on my front with the backpack on my back hurt my neck. That’s truly my own fault because I carry far too much stuff.

What works against this is hostels such as Palace Backpackers Brisbane, who have a note on their rates page that states:

*** These rooms are only available to genuine Backpackers.
A Backpacker is considered to be a person carrying a backpack- not a day pack.

Granted, I found that not to be enforced when I arrived carrying a suitcase on this past August’s trip, but it’s still irritating.

I also agree with the author’s theory that it’s damn near impossible to fit in when lumbering through the bus/train station/town with such a large back. It’s not always a bad thing because it can ID you to fellow travelers. Mixed blessing but you also then have to deal with the local thoughts on backpackers as a whole rather than the person as an individual…

then followed that with “Finally, a Bag Designed for the Modern ‘Backpacker’”

I like the idea of the backdoor bag for its ability to keep things in place. One thing that frustrated me while travelling with the backpack was that I’d put something in one spot and it would end up somewhere else entirely due to the vertical nature of my bag and its lack of compartments save for the bottom “sleeping bag” section. I doubt I’m going to be buying a new bag any time soon since I rather like my bag in general, but this new one is a good one to be aware of.

…and no, I still haven’t got the “related posts” plug in to work.

His list of regrets is:

1.Traveling too quickly
2. Trying to do too much
3. Spending too much time in internet cafés and hanging around the hostel
4. Not getting more involved in local life
5. Not having more adventures

I agree with some, but I strongly disagree with others. For one, I think 2 and 5 contradict one another. Not everything has to be an adventure and some of the little things are the most memorable. The memories of trying to get a ride in Kawaguchiko makes a far more interesting story to tell than the Red Earth Safari trip, though both were a lot of fun.

Some of the best information I got while traveling was from fellow travelers; whether that be at the internet cafe or in the common room of the hostel. Granted, you want to spend time sightseeing or interacting with the locals and not spend your trip in the hostel, but there’s nothing wrong with spending some time there. When I took the Red Earth Safari trip from Perth I recognised a couple on the trip and realised we’d met first in the lounge of the hostel in Sydney.

But maybe I’m weird… I’ve always believed a pin I found once: Destined to be an old woman with no regrets. I don’t regret any of the choices I made on my trips.

If I had to choose one of his regrets, I think it would be #4 that would bother me the most. I love the opportunity to interact with locals, or in-country tourists visiting another part of their country. You get so much information from people that you can’t get from a brochure.

That said, Go Budget Travel looks to be an interesting read. I’m looking forward to reading through the Myth Buster Series.

The interim month is, of course, summer study abroad. Four weeks, two classes. We’ll be travelling during the classes as well, both around the Czech Republic and for Sports Tourism the professor is talking about a weekend trip to either Turino or one of the World Cup sites. Still planning to also try and visit Poland, which I didn’t get to do last time, and catch up with someone :p

And then after a hiatus where I try to earn some money, Im off again…

8 August: New York to Los Angeles
8 August: Los Angeles to Melbourne via Auckland – [yet another, technically I've been to the country but I haven't made it out of the airport stops, unfortunately]. Forgot how crazy the flights from the west coast are, I don’t arrive until Friday! No Thursday just like when I went to Fiji.
19 August: Melbourne to Adelaide
23 August: Adelaide to Brisbane
24 August: Brisbane to Los Angeles
26 August: Los Angeles to New York

….probably not, but it’s going to be a fun summer.

First I have to get through the end of this semester. PGAV/Gettysburg presentation is Tuesday. Yay. Then I need to get back to my Organic Restaurant, which is due Monday. The end is in sight

• Internet – this has changed somewhat with the increase of free wireless in many locations, but I won’t give up my internet connection. Whether it be to stay in touch with friends and family, post pictures or what not, I want my connection.
• Books – the vast majority of my disposable income is probably spent on books. Reading is something I really enjoy and I can’t imagine giving it up. That said, I rarely buy new books unless they’re on sale or something I really want to read Now.
• Cell Phone – (applies mostly to now) for the amount of time I’m on the phone and make use of my free nights and weekends, it doesn’t make sense *not* to have one. And it’s $12 with the shared plan.
• Deli/Sushi – I don’t enjoy cooking and with my school/work schedule,  it’s easier to grab a meal on the run. Yes McDs is cheaper, but  I don’t enjoy it.

On the other hand, there are many things I choose not to spend money on and don’t even miss:

• Clothes – I’m not much of a shopper. I think the last time I bought new clothes was around Christmas. And that was Target. I’m not one to spend a lot on clothes. This is part of what allowed me to successfully backpack for a year- I think a real clothes horse would struggle with that.
• Outside entertainment – movies, bars… I don’t really miss them. I’ll happily spend an evening with friends having a drink or dinner but I don’t need to spend exorbitant amounts of money.

As far as the tips discussed in the BNT post, I definitely follow the living situation one and am trying to get rid of more stuff. I’m a packrat, I’m trying to change that but I still have far too much stuff.

My theory on high cost items  while traveling are is a little less strict. I figure that even an expensive day-trip is cheaper than going home and flying from there. I’ve never regretted a trip while traveling, only those I didn’t.

During my two years Down Under, I eventually made it to the real outback, fed kangaroos by hand and even held a koala at an animal sanctuary. However, nothing ever embodied the Australia of my imagination more than that one-hour walk through the gum trees, driving a handful of wandering Herefords home.

In Spain it was the vendors. In Australia it was the drive from Brisbane Airport up to the Sunshine Coast. I’ll never forget that first feeling, or waking the following morning in Australia. I’ve got the moments from Japan, Prague and England as well, but Spain and Australia are at the forefront of my mind.

It’s also funny how what you imagine of a place at times bears little resemblance on the place you visit. When I first landed in Japan and we took the train from Kansai to Nankai Namba I remember being awed at these huge apartment buildings and panicking at whether my apartment would have an elevator. I came to know and love Osaka, but I was always finding little treasures. Hidden shrines, small gardens. Not the Osaka of photographs and imagination. It comes back to authenticity, which Dawn Drew (see below) touched on. What is Authentic Japan?

The same can be said for memories having a bit of rose-tinted glasses. I think it’s a natural tendency to remember the good, and gloss over the not so good. I don’t think it’s bad though, I think it’s a sign that for the most part, the experience was a good one.

Last night I had the opportunity to hear Dawn Drew of National Geographic Traveler speak at the Grossinger Lecture. It was an interesting presentation on geotourism, but it didn’t wow me. She had quite a few of Steve McCurry‘s photos, which were phenomenal. Good material for a discussion on geotourism, but there wasn’t anything new that she told us. She touched on authenticity, I think it’s this season’s buzz word. Someone in the audience raised a good question on whose sense of authenticity does a destination’s ‘authenticity’ rely on. I think whoever answers that question will be in high demand for speeches. Still it was a fun evening and a bunch of us went to Bond 45 until far too late following the presentation. It was a good evening.

And now, back to reality. Three and a half presentations in the next few weeks. Gettysburg should be the most worrisome but right now I’m focusing on the Applied Research presentation since it’s on Wednesday. I shouldn’t be nervous since I’ve lived my research and know the aspects of it inside and out at least as far as current research is concerned and am interested in the topic but I’m still worried. Tuesday will be fun. Glamping, flashpacking and jetrosexuals. Nah, no interest in those either. This has been a fun semester, but I’m ready for a break.

On admin matters:

• gave up on having carianne.org have contact. The main page redirects here. I’m actually considering letting the domain go. Kind of sad… I’ve had that domain for a long time.
• Speaking of long times, Technorati’s ping has been broken forever. I thought it was just me until I went looking for help in the forums. Why I care, I have no idea.
• Thanks thelostglobe for the link!

He misses the worlds best attractions because there are to many tourists there and the location has lost it’s authenticity.

and I agree with that sentiment.  The anti-tourist is so busy ‘traveling’ that s/he doesn’t see the world that unfolds around them. I think there’s something to be said for avoiding tourist traps which can be disappointing, but you can see a touristed destination while still avoiding the tourist traps.

Some cities I could have skipped but would have missed wonderful moments:

• Sydney – sure some parts of the city are far too crowded and feel like any other city on the planet but there’s something special about walking out to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair and experiencing sunset with no one else around. Is that Authentic Sydney? Who knows? Who defined authentic?
• Madrid – one of my favourite cities. Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de Espana…all ‘too many tourists’ but I love them anyway. My favourite spot? The view/s overlooking the city from Metro Buenos Aires.

I haven’t found my Miracle Man yet, but I’ve found other incarnations. The couple in Kawaguchiko who gave Rebecca and I a lift back to our hotel. The locals in Karratha and Port Hedland eager to talk with an American… They’re there, you just have to keep your eyes open!