Hard Work: No one will believe this, but 80 days around the world is hard work! The only things that were planned out when I left were my airline destinations (with a few unplanned overland sections) and my first couple of night’s accommodation at the hostel in London. Other arrangements were made on the road or on the spot. I ended up staying in a variety of accommodations: hostels (London, Liverpool, all of Australia and New Zealand), YMCAs (Singapore, Hong Kong, Honolulu), bed-and-breakfasts (England, Chiang Mai), low-end hotels (Delhi), mid-range hotels (Kuala Lumpur, Phuket), and high-end hotels (Mumbai, Bangkok, Malacca). Eating? Rarely did I eat in a real restaurant. The best street food was found in Thailand. The worst food was found in Hong Kong (sorry, I just don’t like Chinese food). To India: thanks for letting me be a vegetarian for two weeks. The best hamburger was found in Wangarei, New Zealand: thanks Frangs. Internet connections? McDonalds and Starbucks offer free wifi; it was like teleporting back to the US when I passed through their doors. My biggest treat was when I found a local café that had free wifi (as on Ponsonby Road).
My favorite place: probably Haridwar, India, though there are other close contenders. My prediction: Haridwar will emerge as the chic new destination in India. Biggest contradiction: loving and hating India at the same time. My least favorite place: probably Phuket in Thailand, where tourism is in the process of destroying the very resources that attract the tourists. However, I am willing to give Phuket a second try. As for traveling alone: it has its advantages and disadvantages. When alone, you are more likely to interact with the locals and other travelers, and there’s no negotiation over where to stay or what to do. Plus, only when alone can you concentrate on photography, which is really my passion on trips like this. It is in the evening when I miss not having someone with me. Also, two people can sometimes mean saving money by sharing accommodations.
Documenting Destinations: I don’t take pictures; I document the physical and cultural character of places around the world. Doesn’t that sound more scholarly? On this trip and all trips, I create primary documents: visual images of people, places, and environments at a particular conjunction of time and space. I hope you have enjoyed my photo blog at:
The irony is that an entire day of taking pictures (to the tune of hundreds) might yield two to ten really good ones. It’s the good ones that I post on Geographically Yours. The key to getting good pictures is not being in a hurry, not letting yourself be distracted, and always having your camera at hand. Pick a place, linger, wander around, become a part of the environment, look local (having a local haircut helps in that regard). Do I ask people if I can take their picture? Sometimes. The downside of asking is that people pose and look stiff. When I do ask though, rarely am I refused, and only once on the entire trip did I get a violent reaction from someone I took a picture of (that was in Bangkok, it wasn’t a Thai, and it really didn’t turn violent). When I ask, I try to be as goofy as possible; acting clueless seems to be disarming. Camera? All I have is a Cannon Powershot that fits in my pocket. It was relatively new when I began; it is now worn out. I estimate that I clicked the shutter perhaps 20,000 times on the entire trip; I erased the worst ones. Bottom line: what I enjoy the most is spending a day wandering around taking pictures.
Saying Thank You: I hope you enjoyed following me around the world. I also hope that my Geographically Yours and Geographically Yours Too blogs might continue to be of use to teachers, especially those who teach geography. I want to say Thank You to Five Ponds Press for making this trip possible. They do a wonderful job of making education exciting for young readers, and their books are widely used in Virginia. Look them up on the Internet. At their website, they have a link to this blog: http://fivepondspress.com/
July 18, 2011: One day later than expected, I arrived home at 11 pm. Thanks to my wife and brother-in-law for picking me up at the Norfolk International Airport where the trip began.
Geographically Yours,
D.J.Z.
Hostels are certainly the place for meeting people and tourists are typically young people.
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