George Mallory, upon being asked why he wished to climb Mount Everest is recorded as having replied: “Because its there”. Apply this logic to travel and perhaps it goes at least part of the way towards explaining the allure of exploring places that have no place or purpose in the modern world; the religious enclaves, the forgotten principalities, the relics of non existent empires and feudal times.
Travel Writing
An American tourist of no small means rides a decrepit bus, from one impoverished village to the next, the engine threatening to stall whenever the speed drops below 5mph. The bus, older than he himself, is brilliantly painted in all of the primary colors and adorned with an excerpt from the New Testament.
Have you ever woken up in the dead of night wondering why the world is running out of fish? Well, if you have, you’ve never experienced the Tokyo Tsukiji fish market.
“I am taking you to see a living saint,” He said
“Sounds boring,” I said
That was how this little adventure began. Apathy on my part and pity in the eyes of my travel companion. Apathy because I didn’t believe in saints. Pity because my friend new more than I did.
In search for a renowned bar called Delirium Café – a beer café which at a ridiculous total of two thousand and four, won the 2004 Guinness Book of World Records for having the most commercially available beers. Two thousand and four is a lot of beer.
An email from Kimi: “I do have a couple of questions for you. First of all, I’m about to turn 23, and while I am working two jobs, I only have about $15K to my name (all school loans paid off). There are certainly things I could sell for extra money like my car, but I just wanted to get your opinion about whether or not you think that’s enough to get me started on my long-term travel plans. I plan to build a blog around my travels, but I don’t want to go bankrupt trying to build a name for myself which is the biggest fear holding me back from traveling. Any advice / tips you can provide me would be extremely appreciated.”
Art of Backpacking turns two years old!
The first post went out on December 4th, 2008 with a simple picture of Grinnell Glacier Moraine. I was just testing the waters. Next was the ‘official’ first post by Teresa which was hardly a post. I had no idea what I was getting into and it started with really simple and lame articles. The site was hosted for free from a friend and we didn’t even have SEO friendly URL’s because the host didn’t have that functionality.
To celebrate the purchase of my new camcorder, I recorded a few of the panels at Travel Blog Exchange 2010. I’m currently editing another video from all the parties as well. Enjoy!
It’s a dream job to the outsiders while travel writers themselves may not think much of it. Most travel writers may have heard people say to them “Wow, that is so cool! So which countries have you been to?” as they widen their eyes in excitement. Not that kind of excitement (yet), that comes after I talk about my heavily dramatized travels around the world which leads to getting creative in the hostel. What makes a travel writer different from a cubicle corporate dweller in the sense of attraction? What’s with the attention? 2nd generation porn star? I wish.
Because of the recent Travel Blog Exchange conference, I thought this video was quite fitting. Filmed in over 25 countries, the life and times of travel writer Robin Esrock, the father of Modern Gonzo. Follow his journey at moderngonzo.com
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