I want more

Have you ever got that disappointing feeling when you eagerly want to visit that city or place because you have heard many beautiful things about it, but once you have been there, your high expectations go down?!



I mean I have many times, in my country for example, visited cities that I used to see on TV as beautiful cities, but well, lets say did not live up to my expectations.




And this happened to me here in the UK as well.

London has a reputation to live up to – the city of fog, the city of multiculturalism … it’s pretty much THE CITY. So when I went there for a weekend from Nottingham, my expectations were high even if my budget wasn’t. And I think that’s why I was disappointed. London, has a lot to offer those with deep pockets, but is a little more difficult for the budget traveller(like me :) ).

Don’t get me wrong, I think London is a very nice city. Big Ben, London Eye and the National Museum are all justifiably famous, and there’s a lot of hidden treasures that are fun to discover. But it just wasn’t magical.

I want more.... something like this ...

Traveling together

As I said in my last post,traveling alone has its advantages, of course. If you’re looking for maximum freedom to go where you desire, when you desire and in whatever way you desire, solo travel might be the right thing for you. But for many people, having someone along for the ride is indispensable.

But what about traveling with a partner?!

I asked some of my friends about how it would be to travel with a partner(wife,friend...etc)

And he said about his wife...

She’s my pillow. She’s my photographer. She’s my driver. She’s a neutral. She’s an excuse. She’s a reason. She’s my guidebook. She’s my security guard. She’s my bank. She’s my cook. She’s my alarm clock. She’s my view point. She’s my medicine

He really can not travel alone, can he?!!

Other said....

To share a moment with someone when traveling is like no other. Enjoying that perfect sunset, catching a glimpse of a rare site or experiencing another culture is enhanced when you can share your excitement, laughter and opinions with someone. Better yet, you can re-live the experience once you come home for years to come.

I liked the latter the most, indeed we have to share our opinions and experiences to enhance our excitement and find someone to laugh with, and I also believe that traveling together offers you two different outlooks on one destination making the experience richer in the end :)

You will never be alone

I LOVE TO TRAVEL ALONE. Mostly because it gives yout ime yourself and to just think:) Unless the plane blows up and crashes and everyone dies. But lets think on the bright side!

But I am tellin' you this, YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE :)

When traveling, things don't always go smoothly; often situations get a bit difficult or intimidating. But this is when you learn what you are made of! This is when you grow. And anyway, once you've got through that hectic moment you'll be laughing about it and telling it as a great anecdote a few days later this forward projection has seen me through many potentially depressing moments! The more you achieve and overcome, the stronger and more empowered you feel a feeling which is magnified if you've done it all by yourself.

Another thing is that , remember: when you travel to place that interests you, the fellows you're going to meet are a specific section of society they're people from all over the world who are also interested in coming to this place. All the boring stay-at-home folk have stayed at home. The people who get out and explore, the people who you'll meet every step of the way are your sort of people, interested in doing the very things you are doing. People who want to learn about the world, its cultures and differences. People who like to meet people! So everywhere you'll find open-minded and welcoming friends to talk with, share experiences and hang out.

I told you, you will not be alone :)

My Dream

I have three dream vacations or trips taht I would like to take. You might have something similar, so read it.

The first dream trip is. A vacation to Hawaii. perfebably when its winter here in Utah. I hate how the winters can be long and cold. I can only take so much of the cold weather. I don't like the snow after a while. It cases way to much ice for me. I can be dangerous on the ice. I would like to go to Hawaii to get warmed for a while.

The second dream trip is. To see the East coast. To visit all of the history places that there is. I love history so much. I would just love to see the history places and also get some lobster. Hopefuly that trip will come true soon. I would also be able to see my Something has been in mind for a while(my secret), sorry I can not tell.

The Third dream trip is. To see Europe. I would love to see all of the countrys that I could. Try all of food that they have. That would be so much fun to do with someone that I love. It would be nice to spend some time in places that I have ancestors from. Get to see how they would have lived.

These are the trips I would like to do someday :)

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen... (my review)

I like journeys that involve meeting new people, discovering exotic places or even facing death! However, when I first read the Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, I started to love it as it involves the three elements I just mentioned. But all that disappeared right away when I had known the real purpose of this novel.

When I read books like this one, I want enjoyment and excitement but peter was looking for something else when he set off on that journey. Here is the essence or main idea of the book:

Peter sets out on a journey that takes him and his accompanist, George, into the heart of the Himalayan region of Dolpo. This voyage is on the quest of one of the world’s most elusive big cats, the Snow Leopard, a creature that is rarely spotted as to be nearly mythical.

by now, I assume you think this story is awesome and exciting enough to make go to the nearest library to buy it. Well, I thought of this when I first read this, but after I read more, I found that Peter used the Snow Leopard as a metaphor to describe his wife loss. He says:”If the snow leopard should manifest itself, then I am ready to see the snow leopard. If not, then somehow (and I don’t understand this instinct, even now) I am not ready to perceive it, in the same way that I am not ready to resolve my koan; and in the not-seeing, I am content. I think I must be disappointed, having come so far, and yet I do not feel that way. I am disappointed, and also, I am not disappointed. That the snow leopard is, that it is there, that its frosty eyes watch us from the mountain,that is enough.”

In this way, Peter associates two ideas: the animal can not be found, but I am sure it is somewhere watching us. Similarly, I can not bring my wife back, but I am sure that she is somewhere watching me. So, as the animal is nearly considered as a mythical one, Peter tries to associate it with something that does not exist too(his wife).

At the end, by reading this book, it will give you the sense of wonder at the world’s beauty and how Peter experiences many things such as his encounters with villagers, animals and discovering the Himalaya.


Live long and prosper.

New Bus's Year!!

In the last New Year’s Eve in London, my friends and I went to watch the celebration, fireworks and all the noise made by people there. You probably think I am going to write about it now, but NOT!

After the celebration finished, we went to find a bus. But all the public transportation was suspended on that day, the New Year’s Eve day, and we could not find the bus that stops near our hotel. We had been movin’ for 2 hours till’ we found a police officer whom we had this conversation with:

. Hey!

. Hello guys

. We are tryin’ to find a bus or even a taxi to get to the hotel, but all the roads are still closed for the celebration, which means no cars or buses are allowed to enter here, and we are lost.

. I think you can use the underground, it is free tonight. Do you know the way to it?

. No! We do not even know where we are. Actually, We have been thinkin’ of takin the bus we took when we first came here earlier, but so far, no signs of buses....

. Fair enough, all the buses will operate again in one hour, we can wait for your bus or use the underground.

. Ok! thanks we will wait for the bus because the underground must be packed now! Thanks for your help

. My pleasure, bye.



We wandered on the streets till’ all the buses operated again. we took the bus and........

the bus was overcrowded, I had never seen something like that. There were no available seats, most of the people were standing and above all, all were drunk! I said to myself:” this trip is goin’ to be a disaster!” However, My friends and I managed to find seats after 5 mins of standin’. My friends were lucky enough to sit beside sober ones, but I was unfortunate when I sat with an intoxicated guy. He looked at me for one min and said:

. Is this your first time flyin’ on a plane?

. What?!!

. This plane is rubbish, no food, no TV, no beautiful attendants.

. You must be wrong, you are on a bus and on the land... not flyin!

. This flight is the worse ever, There are no toilets.

When he said that, I started to panic, I mean if he had peed, that would have made my night the worst ever in my life. Luckily, he did not do that :)

Anyway, he kept talkin’ while I was lookin’ through the window.. ahhh, the window was VERY dirty from outside and impaired my vision for the entire journey...(if you call it a journey)

The journey home took only 20 mins as if Schumacker himself was drivin’ us! he jumped two red lights and crossed the corners as if he had snow-tyres on the two-storey wheeled object!

After we arrived, I got off the bus, and stood still for a couple of secs tryin’ to comprehend what I had just been through that night.

This trip was exciting enough to stop me from goin’ to London again! I have had enough :)


Live long and prosper

Alone Across the outback(My review)

Last week in class, we discussed the journey of Robyn Davidson in the outback of Australia. Here, I am goin' to have my own discussion about it! To start with, extreme travel always attracts people,including meJ, but this one is a bit unusal, which attracts me more!

Traveling alone with four camels and a dog in a deserted place is insanity. This could mean death by getting lost or having no food or water. However, I think by doing this, Robyn wants to state that:" I like extreme traveling and it is my own way of getting' rid of boredom." In the novel, she says:" I came to enjoy the silence and solitude of the desert." So she enjoys that and could be one of the reasons she decided to do that trip. The other thing is to show us the beauty of landscape of the outback of Australia, and although it is only a desert, she writes:" From the twn of Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean coast, is a beautiful, haunting, but largely empty land," she describes it as a beautiful and haunting place. What proves that she was so excited about this trip is it took her two years working from nothing to learn how to get along with camels and own them. She did all kinds of work, including cleaning up after camels!So she wanted to show us that beauty and experience it by herself. I assume these are the two aspects the novel is based on: Landscape of austalia's outback and extreme traveling.

I like this kind of trips, and this is why I had to share my opinions about this novel with you. Read the novel for more excitement in which she spends six months in a desert facing the harsh envorinment there and how she manages to cope with all that number of animals!!