Why ask Why? Just be ......

The question I get most often is: "Why would you even think of traveling alone?" .... It's an interesting question and one that I hadn't actually thought about until someone expected an answer out of me. Honestly, it usually doesn't occur to me to ask anyone to go with me because 99% of the time that I have asked someone to go, there is always a reason for not being able to go whether it be time, money, they don't feel the destination is a safe place to visit, etc. I just know that I want to travel even if it is to destinations that I do not speak the language, or I don't have a lot of money….. I can't sit around waiting on everyone else. I need to do what I can while I can.

I enjoy the freedom of traveling alone, without a plan….I can do what I want and experience new people, new places, new foods, new cultures. Sometimes people come with me, sometimes they don't. Both can be good. Sometimes it can be boring, sometimes there are too many options. There are rare moments that you meet someone who is on the same page as you and you feel like you've lived a lifetime together. Sometimes, you find a soul mate and it doesn't matter if you never see them again, the experiences that you shared together are unforgettable. I've found myself in wonderful and unexpected company.

Then there are those moments alone….. Skipping stones into the Mediterranean Sea on the coast of Italy listening to the waves crash, or being stung by an unknown insect in the jungle and wondering if I was allergic and thinking to myself "if I die out here no one would ever know what had happened to me because I never told the hostel that I was setting off hiking today." Or getting into town and realizing all I want is to sit down with a cold popsicle to cool down and write in my journal! Laughing to myself as I reminisced, ignoring everyone else around me. Sleeping on the sidewalk thinking "I should've packed a small tent", walking barefoot in the rain staring at open tombs with animals scavenging around them, thinking "I'm probably sloshing around in the ashes of dead people right now... I wonder if I could catch some kind of disease from this."

One of the things I appreciate about traveling is the immediacy in which decisions and consequences play out. Also, the fact that these happen among strangers who don't have any responsibility towards each other. What if I follow a stranger to the top of the viewpoint in Koh Phang Na, Thailand? Or hop on the back of someone's motorcycle just to feel the wind blow through my hair, or twirl fire on the beach because it makes me feel free. What if I leave this town just because I don't like the feel of it after having been here for 5 minutes? What if I create a completely new identity? No expectations, no apologies, no shame.

So why do I travel alone? Because it makes me feel alive and vulnerable all at the same time. Because the experiences become my own and it's up to me if anyone ever finds out about them. Because strangers can (for the most part) be wonderful to each other. And maybe most of all, because it's a chance just to be. To live, love and die in a condensed version then come home and wonder why I even bother coming back "home" when all I really want to do is start on my next adventure…..

Hey mambo! mambo Italiano! Venezia

It was love at first sight! There is no place on earth quite like Venice, Italy. I was in awe with this unique city that rises from the water and its hypnotic charm. It took a tremendous feat of engineering to create such a city… unfortunately given time nature will someday reclaim this "living museum" of gondolas, bridges, ornate churches and palaces. This city proudly stands as a memorial to the Venetian's victories over people and the sea - but the sea is fighting back and Venice is sinking. So go and visit while you can!

Venice was built on 120 small islands which are now linked by over 400 bridges. It doesn't have the typical city noises or smells. Its roads are canals and its land is for pedestrians. Everywhere the sound of the water imposes a soft slow rhythm to tempt the tourist to linger and ponder on the contrived beauty surrounding you. The water, however, is the only natural feature of Venice. There are no parks, gardens and few flowers or trees. There are two modes of transportation in Venice - walking and floating. The city is relatively small, so traveling by foot is not a problem. However, it’s easy to get lost. If and when this happens to you, just keep walking and enjoy the experience… you’ll get to see more of what real life is like in Venice that way!

The first sight that greets you as you emerge from the train station is an amazing contrast to typical station surroundings. Outside the station is the Grand Canal and directly opposite is one of the many picturesque churches. This view sets the mood of the day and the ride on the waterbuses can be quite relaxing (minus the locals that don't wear deodorant.) The cheapest and easiest method of transport in Venice is the waterbus; and on a trip around the Grand Canal you see expensive boats sitting alongside traditional gondolas, countless palaces, some immaculate and some crumbling, dating from the 12th to 18th centuries all with their elaborate doors opening directly onto the Canal.

After seeing so many of these interesting gondolas I had to ride in one. Weaving in and out of the canals I took pictures upon pictures. The gondolier was what I had always pictured in his striped shirt and straw hat. He didn’t talk much but he let me wear his hat for most of the ride as he took me into St Mark's, the 'center' of Venice. St Mark's Basilica is the main attraction of the piazza, which somewhat reminds you of an overly decorated cake, it is the supposed resting-place of the remains of St Mark, the gospel writer. This magnificent basilica almost defies description. It has a very oriental appearance yet at the same time seems to be perfectly at home. Five great domes dominate but a myriad of other features cry for your attention. Inside the beautiful mosaic floor undulates, assuming the shape of the gentle waves which have lapped underneath it for centuries. If a church service is going on you cannot visit inside but you can still visit the upper levels. It may be studded with precious jewels and decorated with strings of pearls but it is not that alone which makes it special. There are many other delights in the Basilica. 

Before I knew it the sun has set and it was getting late. I finally checked into hotel Dolimiti, a cozy little spot that sits in an alleyway near the train station. It was very compact but comforting. Allà Lancé is a pizzeria nearby and apparently the only restaurant in this part of town that stays open until midnight. I walked in as they were closing up and asked for a slice of the Margherita (cheese) Pizza….if you are used to eating something for a large portion of your life and that is what you are expecting to bite into and it is not what you expect, it can be a bit of a shocker….there was no sauce, it was cheese on bread so I looked like an idiot when I went back and asked for some sauce and tomatoes on the side. Be sure to read the fine print or ask someone at the restaurant what it is before you order it.


I rose early the next morning and wandered the back streets of Venice to watch the city awake. The silence was occasionally broken by church bells as I discover hidden gems off the beaten track. It was Pure Magic! No trip to Venice is truly complete without a visit to the tiny and beautiful lagoon islands. Venice sits on a kind of archipelago, made up of many small islets, jutting into what's known as the Venetian lagoon. The city of Venice is the largest settlement, but there are nearby islands, such as Murano, Burano, San Michele and Torcello, which are well worth experiencing.


For centuries, Murano has been the home of the world's best in stunning glassware. I watched in wonderment as a father and son duo that live on the island displayed their glass making talents. The father took a blob of glass and in less than 2 minutes turned it into a horse that was standing on it's hind legs. It was amazing! Burano is famous for its colorfully painted houses. They also have several delicious gelatos that I savored, not really specific to the island, but good to have while walking around. San Michele is the final resting place of many famous names, and Torcello offers a once-in-a-lifetime look into the city's past. Each island can be reached by waterbus, or vaporetto, and is just a short ride from Venice.
As the day came to an end I headed back to the hotel, packed up my bag, wished farewell to Venezia and headed to the train station to ride the sleeper train to Paris.

The Land of Smiles :)

For those of you whom I don’t see often, I will attempt to summarize the last few weeks of activity into one blog:

I've become mildly obsessed with Mangosteens (a super sweet fruit that I found at the floating market a few hours from Bangkok) and a ridiculously great tasting ice cream from the Night Market in Taipei, Taiwan; I snorkeled with the beautiful sea life in Koh Nangyuan, ate squid jerky, was stepped on by an elephant, fell asleep for an 11 hour “nap”, fed monkeys peanuts (who by the way do not really eat the peanuts, they cram their cheeks full like a hamster & reach their little people hands towards you for more…. so when you see the tumor looking bulges on their neck do not be afraid…they are only peanuts), was forced to use the restroom in a trash can in the market because all of the squat toilets were clogged and paperless, had $460 USD stolen out of my back pack, lost my mobile phone in a cab, got gypped by a tuk-tuk driver in Bangkok (if someone in Thailand says “same same”, run for your life!! It is not the same…it is….different) spent a considerable amount of time contemplating the meaning of life and reached the conclusion that the purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly without fear for newer and richer experiences, so I’m doing what I love and exploring the World!!

After spending the day exploring San Francisco, Yung and I flew out at midnight March 8 to begin our adventure. After the 13 hour flight to Taipei, we walked around the rainy city overrun with mopeds and umbrellas. We rode the MRT metro all throughout the city, amazed at the organization of all of the Taiwanese people following in single file line onto the train and up and down the escalators, had my face painted by the crazy makeup lady in the market, ate see-through noodles and something that looked like chicken, visited the Brass Monkey, found hundreds of brightly colored cow sculptures throughout the city, got good use out of our metro coins, “borrowed” the Happy pig mouse pad from our hotel, survived off of animal crackers & stolen apples, visited the hot springs, and we were off to Bangkok.

We visited the floating market and bartered with the locals that put a death grip on your arm thinking somehow this will make you want to purchase their goods. Yung had her blood sucked by some monster bug that left a grape sized whelp on her arm, we drank a LOT of bottled water and pineapple juice, bamboo rafted down the Kwai Noi river, rode the death railway, were bounced around like bobble heads rendering our vertebrate close to worthless and leaving bruises on the back of my legs during the elephant trekking at Saiyok Elephant Park in Kanchanaburi (it was worth every second of it) froze our butts off in the airport. We had a good time (even when were tricked into visiting a strip club "aka pussy show" thinking it was a discoteque club) but it was time to move on to Phuket.

This place is amazing, the food is different, and they love to say “look around” even though you were already looking around! Even though everyone drives like their on crack and think its ok to reverse into busy traffic and honk at everyone in the process, there is something incredible and beautiful about this place. The culture is so accepting and friendly …it’s a genuine friendly, not a “hi! I’m being nice to you because I want something from you kind of friendly”

Unfortunately we found out the Phuket is a tourist hotspot filled with 70-100 year old men that look pregnant and walk around in skin tight Speedos. We watched Thai lady boys with perfect breasts perform at the Simon Cabaret show, sea kayaked through teeny tiny caverns, visited James Bond Island, snuck into a hotel pool by the ocean and collected hermit crabs on Patong beach. Despite having eaten the sketchy street food we somehow managed to avoid Delhi belly....
Arriving in Koh Samui we stopped at a rubber tree farm, visited the Wat Suwannakuha (Sleeping Buddha) temple swarmed with monkeys at the front entrance. We visited Na Muang Waterfall where I was told I look like Natalie Portman a movie star from the new Star Wars, and the locals asked to take pictures with me. We watched a spectacular firework display on Chaweng beach outside of Ark bar. The kindness of the monks is beyond belief! If you ever visit, please leave a donation, it is not assumed, but it's very humbling to be part of their culture as you are welcomed so easily and witness their lives.

Have a great day! ... I shall write again soon....
Love,
Syd

Gypsy goods in the Market

The first thing you notice when you enter the Antigua marketplace is all of the amazing women walking around with large items on their cabezas. They put everything up there! Baskets full of laundry, piles of wood, large vases filled with agua, it's craziness! Yung and I tried to fit in with the locals, but are talents were little to be desired. We walked through all of the small buildings, weaving in and out through the isles, touching everything and bargaining with all of the vendors.

Who says time travel is impossible?

I was 7 years old the last time I was in Antigua, and everything looked just the way I remembered it. Between Volcan de Agua, Acatenango and Volcan de Fuego sits this enchanting city that allows us to travel back in time to Guatemala’s past...

My dad had arrived a few weeks before me and had already gotten back to his roots and was spending a lot of time with the family... now it was my turn :)

Antigua was Guatemala’s capital until a major earthquake hit in 1773. The city suffered great damage and much of the population moved away from the city, reducing its population by nearly half. However, Antigua still caters to those of us living in the 21st century.

As I walked through the cobble stone streets in awe, admiring the city's colonial charm of everything that had been preserved (great ruins, churches and friendly faces) I felt at home.

If you are at first lonely, be patient....

If you are at first lonely, be patient.

If you’ve not been alone much, or if when you were, you weren’t okay with it, then just wait. You’ll find it’s fine to be alone once you’re embracing it.

You can start with the acceptable places, the bathroom, the coffee shop, the library, where you can stall and read the paper, where you can get your caffeine fix and sit and stay there. Where you can browse the stacks and smell the books; you’re not supposed to talk much anyway so it’s safe there.

There is also the gym, if you’re shy, you can hang out with yourself and mirrors, you can put headphones in.

Then there’s public transportation, because we all gotta go places.

And there’s mediation, no one will think less if your hanging with your breath seeking peace and salvation.

Start simple. Things you may have previously avoided based on your avoid being alone principles.

The lunch counter, where you will be surrounded by “chow downers”, employees who only have an hour and their spouses work across town, and they, like you, will be alone.

Resist the urge to hang out with your cell phone.

When you are comfortable with “eat lunch and run”, take yourself out for dinner; a restaurant with linen and Silverware. You’re no less an intriguing a person when you are eating solo desert and cleaning the whip cream from the dish with your finger. In fact, some people at full tables will wish they were where you were.

Go to the movies. Where it’s dark and soothing, alone in your seat amidst a fleeting community.

And then take yourself out dancing, to a club where no one knows you, stand on the outside of the floor until the lights convince you more and more and the music shows you. Dance like no one’s watching because they’re probably not. And if they are, assume it is with best human intentions. The way bodies move genuinely to beats, is after-all, gorgeous and affecting. Dance until you’re sweating. And beads of perspiration remind you of life’s best things. Down your back, like a book of blessings.

Go to the woods alone, and the trees and squirrels will watch for you. Go to an unfamiliar city, roam the streets, they are always statues to talk to, and benches made for sitting gives strangers a shared existence if only for a minute, and these moments can be so uplifting and the conversation you get in by sitting alone on benches, might of never happened had you not been there by yourself.

Society is afraid of alone though. Like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements. Like people must have problems if after awhile nobody is dating them.

But lonely is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless, and lonely is healing if you make it.

You can stand swathed by groups and mobs or hands with your partner, look both further and farther in the endless quest for company.

But no one is in your head. And by the time you translate your thoughts an essence of them maybe lost or perhaps it is just kept. Perhaps in the interest of loving oneself, perhaps all those “sappy slogans” from pre-school over to high school groaning, we’re tokens for holding the lonely at bay.

Cause if you’re happy in your head, then solitude is blessed, and alone is okay.

It’s okay if no one believes like you, all experiences unique, no one has the same synapses, can’t think like you, for this be relived, keeps things interesting, life’s magic things in reach, and it doesn’t mean you aren’t connected, and the community is not present, just take the perspective you get from being one person in one head and feel the effects of it.

Take silence and respect it.

If you have an art that needs a practice, stop neglecting it, if your family doesn’t get you or a religious sect is not meant for you, don’t obsess about it.

You could be in an instant surrounded if you need it.

If your heart is bleeding, make the best of it.

There is heat in freezing, be a testament.

SOURCE: Tanya Davis