Never Been Scammed, Never Gave a Damn
Lately, I’ve been reading travelogues online—blogs, diaries, FAQs from bearded guidebook authors, travel advisory warnings—both for amusement and for working up the courage to try something like that myself. My mother pointed me to this one, Tripping on Words, a trip journal of two Stanford grads, Lara and Claire, who decided to “quit life” and make a run for it. They’ve been through Spain, Italy, Greece, India, Thailand, Nepal, and probably others. I haven’t read all the entries yet.
They’ve posted to the blog pretty much every single day so far (as well as regular posting to a second blog, the thrust of which is unclear to me ). It’s a difficult thing to do, to not only have the energy to write (many of the entries being of not-insignificant substance, and some bordering on being Real Writing, the kind you might do over the course of an evening, seated at a mahogany desk with all they day’s cares behind you, a dim light illuminating your quill and the crackle of a Thelonious Monk record in the background), but to have a dependable Internet connection everywhere you go. Who knew the broadband in Laos was so widespread? They also run a mailing list and answer all kinds of reader mail and manage to run marathons here and there, and they seem to have an odd interest in the BALCO/Barry Bonds steroid case.
These two girls have landed themselves in a nice little arrangement. They work on the side, remotely, and won’t come back home until they have to. They keep their travel funds replenished by writing on the side and doing editing work, so I suppose straying too far from a computer w/ net connection isn’t an option.
I’m having problems with all this. Having never been anywhere particularly adventurous, my concept of travel in Second and Third World countries involves a lot more purse-slashing, pickpocketing, roadside robbery, and being very careful not to show signs of wealth. I imagine sleeping in flea-infested hostels, hosing your arms and neck down with DEET before stepping outside, boiling and filtering your water, and being accosted from all sides by scamsters and fraudulent taxi drivers. Not a travel guidebook in the world exists without warnings like these. And these two are carting around laptops? And digital cameras? And in general looking impeccable in every photo, right down to the jewelry, watches, and summer dresses?
I just want to know how this is possible. Even with a budget that affords four-star hotels, you’d have to be very careful in a lot of the places they’re visiting. However likely my overestimation of the dangers, I like to think that the government of Canada isn’t completely full of shit when they say that in Nepal…:
Maoist armed militia forces remain present in nearly all districts. Prior to the ceasefire, armed clashes between the Maoists and the Royal Nepal Army occurred frequently throughout the countryside, including popular trekking areas. The danger of being in the wrong place at the wrong time is always present. The situation could deteriorate rapidly without notice.
And here are two cute American tourists toting expensive electronics around and getting their pictures taken in front of certain Nepalese mountains and generally having a grand ol’ time in the midst of a Maoist insurgency. My hat is off to them.
It could be an obsolete Western habit to think of far-flung places as dangerous and chaotic. The guidebooks and web forums I’ve been reading certainly do nothing to dispel these fears (telltale quote from one I’m currently reading: “…anyone who is tempted to go to Cambodia should know that field research by Physicians for Human Rights estimates that ‘in Cambodia…one out of every 236 people has lost at least one limb to an exploding land mine.’ Do you really want to risk being next?”). But the general level of travel aptitude given off by these two bonne vivantes are filling me with something that could either be hope or despair. Hope in that they are backpacking worldwide, as I would one day like to, but they don’t appear to be staying in ratty hostels and showering on a monthly schedule, and, despair in that they make it look so easy, stoking my self-doubt even more. A few years ago I took a trip to France, a lovely but wholly unadventurous place, and I still wound up with a bag full of smelly, wrinkled clothes, a terrible rash, dirty shoes, and probably some French strain of pubic lice. Hell, even heading down to Toronto for a weekend manages to keep me away from my email account.
Their log is making me feel like this globetrotting thing isn’t so bad. But I wish they would post more details. How much is it costing them to stay in what appear to be very nice hotels for extended periods of time? They seem to be enjoying a pretty high quality of life over there; how is this possible when you’re living out of a backpack? Have they been robbed yet? Has there been any danger whatsoever? Inquiring minds, inquiring minds.
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