Rolf Potts's Blog, page 49

Vagablogging Field Report: Antigua Guatemala

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Cost/day: $40/day

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

Sidewalks! Living in Latin America for the past year and a half, sidewalks are unseen and non-existent… but not in Antigua, they have sidewalks to walk on, even if they are skinny and crowded.

Describe a typical day:

In the morning we head out to walk around the city’s (cobblestone) streets. We explore the cathedrals and other colonial buildings, and gawk at the nicest McDonalds we’ve ever seen. Later, we visit the large local market to shop for produce and to eat lunch. In the afternoon we watch a procession celebrating Dia de los Muertos.

What do you like about where you are? Dislike?

I love the overall cleanliness of the city, and the colorful homes and buildings. Antigua takes pride in it’s city. I didn’t dislike anything about our visit.

Describe a challenge you faced:

Trying to decide whether to stay an extra day so that we could do some extreme bungee action. (We decided to stay.)

What new lesson did you learn?

The city life can be a refreshing change after living in remote places for awhile. It’s good to have a mix.

Where next?

Next we’ll be heading to the border of El Salvador and Guatemala.

See more family travel adventures on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook.

 

Original article can be found here: Vagablogging Field Report: Antigua Guatemala

Don Blanding: The Vagabond Poet

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Some Lines Scrawled on the Door of Vagabond’s House

by Don Blanding

West of the sunset stands my house,

There… and east of the dawn;

North to the Arctic runs my yard;

South to the Pole, my lawn;

Seven seas are to sail my ships

To the ends of the earth… beyond;

Drifters’ gold is for me to spend

For I am a vagabond.

Fabulous cities are mine to loot;

Queens of the earth to wed;

Fruits of the world are mine to eat;

The couch of a king, my bed;

All that I see is mine to keep;

Foolish, the fancy seems

But I am rich with the wealth of Sight

The coin of the realm of dreams.

I found the book, Vagabond’s House laying on my friend Powell’s coffee table and couldn’t resist curling into her big white sofa for a read while the relentless rain washed the memories from Kailua Beach’s sands with yesterday’s footprints, leaving a blank canvas for tomorrow.

I read the dedication and smiled:

To the restless ones

To all the gallant frantic fools

Who follow the path of the sun

Across blue waters

To distant mountains

I dedicate my book.

 

He wrote this book for me. In 1928. 

I love that about books, the transcendence of space and time, how the words, the thoughts, the very heart of a man can reach through lifetimes and touch mine. That’s a miracle, if there ever was one.

Don Blanding is well known as The Vagabond Poet; in his day, he traveled to all of the places I’ve come to love best, across Europe and Central America before settling in Hawaii, where he kindly left one of his books for me to find.

His poetry sings to my soul. The simple line drawings he penned to accompany them captivate me. I’ve fallen in love with a man who was gone a decade and a half before I arrived. I love that about books.

Looking for a poet to inspire your vagabonding? This is your guy.

Original article can be found here: Don Blanding: The Vagabond Poet

Have you ever run out of money while travelling?

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Recently, I had my first experience, and it was a humbling, scary experience that challenged my fortitude and my creativity on a new level. We could have given up, defeated, but we held strong, kept the struggle to ourselves (because my Grandma would have been worried sick!), and we pushed through it.

I have only been broke once- right after my divorce. I made it out of that rut pretty quickly because A) My new business took off, and B) I had family and friends nearby who occasionally brought food or baked goods.

I am cautious with my money, especially while being out of the country. I have always had enough in my savings to fly the kids and I home on a moment’s notice in case of emergency, or in case I just got sick of being away. I never want to feel “stuck” somewhere, so I manage finances responsibly.

However, the end of the year poses extra challenges because my clients get too busy to pay me on time, and holidays are always expensive. This year, though we spent next to nothing during Christmas, while we celebrated in Costa Rica, I had other unexpected challenges. I had to pay lawyer fees in regards to my ex-husband trying to sabotage our travels, and we had a LOT of travel expenses that needed to be paid for immediately. I completely wiped out my entire savings, paying for airline tickets to go home for a visit and to make a court appearance, leaving a few Colones in change to pay for food.

As a mother, I felt like a complete failure. We already live on a strict budget, and I make good money, so how did this happen? This was my #1 fear by far before I left the states, and here it was, a reality. A very scary reality. Survival mode kicked in, and I had to quickly turn my thoughts towards abundance- imagining a full pantry and refrigerator, and a re-plenished bank account.

The first few days were the roughest, but a neighbor (who did not know our situation) brought us a bunch of homemade tamales. I cried out of gratefulness.

A couple of days later, Jonathan got paid for a job he has been doing here, so we paid our final month of rent here, and bought 2 days worth of food. I just kept hoping something more would come through, someone would pay their invoice, or I would find a hundred dollars on the street. I tried to remain hopeful, but I was also feeling desperate.

One night last week, we all shared a meal of cabbage, eggs and rice, and I cried through the whole meal. I get emotional even thinking about it. The kids didn’t know our struggle. They always had 3 meals a day, and knew nothing of the couple of meals I skipped so they could have enough. This, to me, is not even close to ideal. I was so angry with myself, but felt helpless to do anything about it but wait.

Finally, someone paid an invoice, so we were able to buy more food, and another large chunk of money I was expecting will be available in less than 24 hours.

I learned a lot during these couple of weeks.

Situations are temporary. A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, and it is perfectly normal to skimp on even essentials sometimes. Here, families make the best of it. I have been incredibly fortunate that this has only happened to me one time in 2 years. Not only that, but for me, I knew it was only a temporary situation, as I knew I had plenty of money on its way to me within a few days or weeks.

Money comes, and money goes. People even here in Monteverde spend their last Colones every pay period on food, and know that more money is coming. They don’t worry. They don’t live their life around money and how much or how little they have. As long as they are working hard and enjoying their lives, they know money will find its way to them when they need it. And it always does.

Karma seeds sprout when needed. One of us must have done something good for someone because we were given a bunch of tamales that fed all of us for 2 meals. People here have friends, family, and neighbors here for them, and with such a small community, everyone pitches in to help. Had we expressed even the slightest need, people here would have delivered food by the tray- I just know it. Their hearts are pure, and they feel responsible for each other in their small community- even to us as visitors. They also know that when they are in need, their community is here for them.

We will always make it. It was terrifying. I felt like a complete failure, and I had no other options except to ask someone to borrow money (which, had we gone any longer, I may have). But we used the resources we had, and we made it. Jonathan is very creative with the most off-the-wall ingredients, and when I had just about given up trying to make it all work, he stepped in, and made a meal out of very little. He encouraged me, and reminded me that I was not a failure, and we would be more than ok. He was right.

I am not immune to hard times. Just because I feel like Super Travel Mom on my best days, I don’t always have it all together, and I can’t make everything work perfectly. Things happen. Money needs to be spent. Invoices are paid late. Lawyers demand payments. Kids get sick. I think what made this situation more difficult for me is the fact that I am not home, surrounded by friends and loved ones. I have my little family with me, but no one outside of the situation was here to provide support or encouragement. I felt all alone in a foreign country with nothing left, and it was a humbling experience to say the least.

It is all part of the journey. Last night when I whipped out my calculator to make sure we really were ok, Jonathan gently grabbed my hand and told me that this was part of the experience. We could have stayed home and had plenty of money, friends, and extra support. But we gave it up for something-not necessarily better- but different. We chose another path full of different experiences, and there are ups and downs, just as there were ups and downs when we were in the safety of our home towns.

Living without increases awareness. I was intently focused on money or the lack of it during the last couple of weeks. Once I had literally worried myself sick about it, I realized that I needed to use the resources I had and to maintain a healthy atmosphere for my family. I had to ground myself in the present circumstances- all the positive and the negative- and be acutely aware of my body, my mind, and my emotions. I was creating more turbulence by walking around with a frown on my face, complaining about an empty bank account, worrying about tomorrow, and crying. One night, I chose to focus on the good, the present, and the meals we were fortunate enough to eat that day. The next morning, I woke up with money in the bank.

Has this ever happened to you while you were away from home? What resources did you use to get past it? How long did your predicament last? How creative were you in solving your dilemma?

“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” -Socrates

 

Original article can be found here: Have you ever run out of money while travelling?

On the road, serendipity is given space to enter your life

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

“As is often the case when I travel, my vulnerability — like not knowing what the hell I’m supposed to do upon arrival — makes me more open to outside interactions than I might otherwise be when I’m at home and think I know best what needs to be done. On the road, serendipity is given space to enter my life.”

–Andrew McCarthy, The Longest Way Home (2012)

Original article can be found here: On the road, serendipity is given space to enter your life

Want some free Travel Wickedness?

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

I admit it, I have been lacking a few posts and overall been bogged down with work (yes, work, because even to sustain a life abroad we need some, in a form or the other), and I beg your pardon. To start off the New Year right, I believe you might love reading some quirky, wicked travel narratives from around the world.

You might take this as a shameless example of self-promotion, but the third issue of Wicked World, an alternative digital magazine I edit with British travel writer Tom Coote, is finally available as a great eye candy: just love the gloriously wicked Ethiopian Mursi warrior on the cover!!

As well as a range of alternative travel articles and photo features, for the first time we have also included some travel related fiction. At one end of the story telling scale, is a traditional Moroccan folk tale, The Red Lantern, selected by Richard Hamilton. In a more contemporary vein, where the lines between fact and fiction blur, we are also showcasing The Death Kiss of a King Cobra Show by Jim Algie.

At the reportage end of the travel writing spectrum, in Barbed Wire Scars, Marcello Di Cintio encounters desperate African migrants determined to make their way across the razor wired walls at Ceuta, in the hope of making it to the promised land of Europe. Equally contemporary, E T Laing investigates recent political upheavals in Bangladesh in A Savage Fundamentalism.

Two articles that deal with some of the less comfortable aspects of the modern travel experience are Mursi Dreams – in which James Michael Dorsey, recalls a visit to the inaccessible and yet increasingly touristed South Omo region of Ethiopia – and Gili Air is a Feeding Frenzy by Taiwan based musician and writer, Joe Henley.

Andrew Thompson’s The Old Man and the Sea takes on the travel writing form of a literary pilgrimage, as he retraces Ernest Hemingway’s footsteps in northern Peru, meeting up with some of the characters who spent time with the legendary writer in the 1950s.

Further exploring the full range of travel writing styles, in The World through Graphic Novels: Persepolis, Pyongyang and Palestine, Tom Coote looks into some of the best travel related writing to have taken the form of the graphic novel.

As Kurdistan in northern Iraq is becoming increasingly accessible to independent travellers, we have also included a more photography based travel feature in Kurdistan: A Nation Emerges.

I hope you like what you see. And if you feel like you have something worthwhile and relevant to contribute to the Wicked World project, or would simply like to know more, then feel free to contact either marco@wickedworld.net or tom@wickedworld.net.

Original article can be found here: Want some free Travel Wickedness?

Vagablogging: Call for contributors!

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Happy 2014 to all of you vagabonds!

As the dawn of another year begins, we here at Vagablogging are seeking out new contributors to join our ranks, sharing our vagabonding wisdom with a growing worldwide community of long-term travelers.

We’re looking for dedicated weekly contributors to post on vagabonding-related topics of their choice — from travel tips to destination suggestions to reviews of travel media.

The ideal writer should be familiar with Vagabonding and the philosophy behind it. To get an idea what we’re looking for in terms of content and style, take a look at our recent posts and archives. The best posts are informative in nature and conversational in tone. The deadline for submitting is January 31st. We’ll announce our new contributors on February 15th.

Though the positions are unpaid, it’s a great opportunity to build a readership, establish contacts, and create professional opportunities in the travel-writing realm. Vagabloggers who’ve landed lucrative gigs after writing for us include Tim Ferriss (who wrote a little bestseller called The 4-Hour Work Week), Justin Glow (who went on to full-time editing positions at Gadling and AOL), and a number of individuals who’ve landed paid freelance work at World Hum, the National Post, Gadling, US Airways Magazine, Travelers’ Tales, the Los Angeles Times, and other travel-writing venues. Kristin Pope even got a call from The Daily Show after her post about “staycations”.

To be considered for a weekly slot at Vagablogging, please email 1-2 previously unpublished sample posts (200-600 words each) to our managing editor, Ted Beatie (ted *at* tedbeatie *dot* com). To ensure Ted gets your submission, please include the word “Vagablogging” in the subject header. Also be sure to include a little bit about yourself, like where you’re from, your best travel experiences, and anything else you think we should know.

Happy New Year, and may it be one filled with adventure!

Original article can be found here: Vagablogging: Call for contributors!

2014: Live passionately, commit to your dreams

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

We travel a lot, you might have noticed that. Wherever we go we meet people and we’ve always had a family habit of inviting those people to eat a meal with us, even if it’s off foldable plates on a ground tarp because we’re cycling. I love listening to people’s stories, learning about their journeys and giving our kids the opportunity to learn from as diverse a people group as possible. I make a point of asking each of these people two questions:

What are you passionate about?
What are your dreams?

There is generally one of two responses:

Deer in the headlights or immediately sparkly eyes.

The initial response tells you a lot about a person. 

I sat with a young backpacker on the shores of Lago de Atitlan, in the highlands of Guatemala last winter and he asked, “Why do you do that? Why do you ask those questions, I’ve noticed you doing it over and over again.” He’d been around a while.

I laughed a little. “Why? Indeed.”

“Because those two questions are all that really matter. They cut to the essence of who a person is. And no one else thinks to ask. The two things that are at the heart and soul of who we are are somehow taboo topics for conversation in too many circles. So, it’s the first thing I ask.”

So let me ask you:

What are you passionate about?

Family
Education
Social Justice
The Environment
Travel
Community
Sports
Science
Financial Independence
Languages

What you are passionate about will be the thing the fuels your dream, fuels your whole life, if you let it.

The best dreams are passion driven. They are the natural outgrowth of that deeply rooted fire in your chest that, if you’re like most people, you don’t feed nearly often enough.

Find your passion. Maybe you have more than one.

For me, my passions include

My Family
Travel
Education
Social Justice

If you read my blog you’ll see these themes through and through. These are the things I get fired up about, they’re the things I live and breathe, they’re the things that drive my dreams and my life choices.

These are my “Why.”

What is driving you? Look hard at what motivates you, what you get excited about, what you’re willing to joyfully spend your free time on. These are your passions.

It’s imperative in defining your dream that you define your passions & find your “Why.”

What are your dreams?

This is a tough question for lots of people to answer because they’ve neglected their dreams for so long that they honestly don’t know.

If you don’t know, how do you begin to know?

Take two hours and go somewhere alone. Don’t take your phone. Don’t take anything but a notebook and a pen.

For the first hour just walk. Quiet your mind, let go of the worries, the stresses, the daily nonsense. Acknowledge it as it comes to the surface and then let it go. Reclaim your brain space.

For the second hour, find a place to write.

Start with a description of your perfect day
Next describe where you thought you’d be now, when you were twenty
Next make a bullet point list of what your dreams WERE when you were younger
List what you’d do with your career if you could do anything you wanted
Next make a bullet point list of what you wish you could do now if time and money were not an obstacle
Circle the five you most want

If you’re half of a partnership then give your partner the time to do the same and combine the lists.

These are your dreams. 

So now you’ve got a list of dreams. Good for you, that’s a start.

Now you have to pick one. Which dream do you want the most? Which one are you ready to sell your soul for (newsflash: you’re selling your soul for SOMETHING all the time… don’t you think it’s time to sell it for something you actually want?)

You have to believe that you can have it.

You have to believe that you are worth it.

You have to believe that you are, in fact, capable of greatness and find that inside yourself.

 

Do you believe those things? Even if you don’t quite, just yet, start speaking them to yourself.

It’s New Year’s Eve, my friends. We’re standing on the precipice of a whole new year and you’ve got the power to write its story however you like. Make this your year of living passionately and committing to your dreams!

Original article can be found here: 2014: Live passionately, commit to your dreams

Tourists have a way of confusing the typical with the stereotypical

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

“Because most tourists rarely penetrate beyond the boundaries of “tourist space,” they have few opportunities to experience and photograph that which is really “unspoiled.” Their limited knowledge of the culture and life of the indigenous people tends to narrow down their conception of the “typical” to the stereotypical. …Locals often stage themselves in response to perceived touristic demands for authenticity.”

–Erik Cohen, “Stranger-Local Interaction in Photography,” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 19 No. 2 (1992)

Original article can be found here: Tourists have a way of confusing the typical with the stereotypical

Vagablogging Field Report: Christmas in Nicaragua

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Cost/day: $32/day

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

It’s ‘strange’ to observe the traditional celebrations of another culture as an outsider. Our family of seven is currently observing the holiday traditions of León, Nicaragua (and Las Peñitas, the nearby beach town.)

Describe a typical day:

The atmosphere in the city of León is becoming more festive as Christmas approaches. When we drive in (from Las Peñitas where we are renting a house), there is definitely and increasing hustle and bustle. Many weekends are busy with celebrations, starting with Griteria which is on the 7th of December. Shops are setting up selling fruit (especially apples and grapes), toys and other holiday trinkets.

Describe an interesting conversation you had with a local:

Our family was invited to the home of a local Nicaraguan family, where we visited and learned about local customs and traditions. Some of them include making a traditional dish called pollo relleno (stuffed chicken) that has potatoes, carrots, and raisins (another Nicaraguan family shared this dish with us on Griteria and it was very good!)

Nicaraguans usually celebrate more on Christmas Eve, having a meal with family and friends, opening some presents, and perhaps lighting fireworks. Christmas Day may be spent at the beach. (We drove into León on Christmas Day to watch Frozen — in Spanish and 3D — and there were few shops or vendors out.)

The family we visited showed us much love and kindness, and even gave gifts to my unborn child.

A typical Nicaraguan home

What do you like about where you are? Dislike?

We love the colonial experience here in León — lots and lots of cathedrals and historical buildings. We love the beach and surfing (the family is just learning) in Las Peñitas. This is a great area!

Not a lot that we dislike. Costs are generally cheaper here than in El Salvador or Guatemala (except for apples!) Housing is a bit more expensive however.

Describe a challenge you faced:

Not having enough time to practice surfing this week, before we head to Costa Rica.

What new lesson did you learn?

It’s often those with less that are the most generous and giving. Time and again we are amazed by the liberality of people in developing countries.

Where next?

Soon we’ll be headed to Costa Rica where we will be having baby #6!

See more family travel adventures on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook.

Original article can be found here: Vagablogging Field Report: Christmas in Nicaragua

Christmas in England: music, food and decoration

Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

In the final entry in my series of posts on the subtle but interesting variations in how European cultures celebrate Christmas, I take a look at one of the finest places to spend the holiday season, England. It’s not just a beautiful country with a joyous approach to the holiday; it’s also the spot where some of the most cherished Christmas traditions originated.

Throughout Europe, the sound of carols spill out from churches great and small, and the youthful choir’s heavenly harmonies are carried to the rafters on the cold air, just as they’ve been every year for centuries. Families cluster together and listen to the joyous sounds as their ancestors did, often in the same place.

But the singing of carols is especially beloved and ingrained in the Christmastime traditions of England. In fact, they’ve been a staple of the holiday in England since at least the sixteenth century, as many of the country’s Christmas traditions are. The great cathedrals of England—Wells, Canterbury, Durham, Bath and Salisbury to name just a few—hold spellbinding choral events by candlelight. Outside of the massive churches, colorful Christmas markets buzz with activity.

Once a pagan country with a large Druid population, England is also to thank for the tradition of the Christmas tree. The custom originated with the Druids who would decorate their places of worship with evergreen trees in the dead of winter, which to them represented life that could not be extinguished despite the cold and the dark. The later Christians appreciated this symbolism, as it reminded them of Christ’s promise of eternal life, and adopted the custom.

The holiday dishes are of course a pivotal aspect of any celebration, and the diversity in food served on the big day is one of the widely most varying customs of Europe’s Christmas celebration. In England the regulars like turkey and veggies are served, but desert is the real treat: The all-important Christmas pudding, a fruity desert usually made with figs and brandy, and mincemeat pies, both fixtures since the sixteenth century.

As if England didn’t have enough influence on Christmastime rituals, it was also the originator of the “kissing under the mistletoe” tradition. Dating from the medieval period, there was a tradition of hanging a small treetop called a “bough” upside down in one’s home as a blessing upon the occupants. As the years went by this custom lost its popularity, but was resurrected by the Victorians (nineteenth century) as a holiday decoration under which sweethearts would kiss for good luck.

A particularly English tradition also includes the wearing of a colorful paper crown—everyone is a king or queen at Christmas. Needless to say there is tea involved on this wintry day as well, often at 6pm on Christmas to warm the soul, because every proper English event involves tea.

Trees, teas, carols, and mistletoe: England is a fine place to enjoy the warmth, food and music of the season. Attend a carol performance at a magnificent old church, decorate the tree, have some pudding and kiss your honey under the mistletoe. It’s the most joyous time of the year and England is a great place to spend it.

 

 

Original article can be found here: Christmas in England: music, food and decoration