Welcome!
Welcome to my "Globetrotting '06" Blog!
As the title implies, I'm a travel addict, though I have only documented my adventures with a blog on one other occassion - you can read the blog I created last summer in China and Taiwan by clicking on the link on this page or by going to http://funinchina.blogspot.com. While I'm uncertain as to just how many readers my previous blog reached, it was a success if only because it proved to be a great way for me to record my experiences, and this is perhaps the main reason why I'm writing a second blog. Another great advantage of the blog as a writing medium is that, with each update, I'm essentially telling my family and friends that - contrary to everyone's expectations - I am indeed still alive; this keeps the "We're all worried something's happened to you...call immediately!" emails down to about 2 or 3 a week. Basically, these blogs give my family and friends a convenient way of keeping up with me - if they choose to do so and always on their own time; they can read as much or as little as they desire. Finally, there's always the outside chance that random web-surfers might stumble upon my blogs and, for better or worse - be changed. While I do, of course, mean to be offering a not-so-subtle hint to anyone from Lonely Planet's human resources department (ie. the people who hire new writers) that might be reading, I'm also speaking of the millions of people out there who have forgotten what it means to live fully. If my blogs inspire just one of these people to leave behind the comfort and security of his home and venture out into the great big world which surrounds us all in search of challenge and increased understanding - a search which may very well bring with it certain dangers - then I'll consider myself a successful writer.
Beginning tomorrow - April 19, 2006 - I'll be traveling the world for 8 months in search of great surfing and interesting people; seeking out knowledge, beauty, and understanding; and attempting to merge my life with the endless adrenaline rush which sustains me. This blog is an attempt to capture the experiences I have along the way. Following is a brief description of the different shapes my globetrotting will take over the course of my upcoming travels:
Spring '06: SENEGAL - Living with a local French-speaking family outside of the seaside capital of Dakar. Studying West African literature, politics, and culture; improving my French; learning an African tribal language called Wolof; and surfing as often as possible on the beautiful waves which often pound the nearby coast below mosques, fishermen, and a society which knows little about the world's greatest sport.
Summer '06: TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA - Living with a local French and Tahitian-speaking family on a remote and undeveloped penninsula of Tahiti called Tahiti-Iti. Staying in an open-air, thatched roof bungalow on the beach in a village called Teahupoo, which was barely known to the outside world until just a few years ago, when it was discovered that one of the best surfing waves in the entire world breaks on the reef a kilometre off-shore. The wave at Teahupoo is now considered to be the most dangerous in the world, and to say I wet my pants every time I think about it is an understatement. I'll also be traveling to other breaks, doing a bit of snorkeling and diving, and exploring traditional Polynesian culture.
Fall '06: TAIWAN - Living in an apartment in the capital of Taipei and, at National Taiwan Normal University, continuing an already intense study of Chinese. Also, surfing everyday and enjoying Taiwan's excellent typhoon swells. Basically, taking advantage of the little known facts that Taiwan is a tropical island with absolutely amazing scenery and waves and that it has numerous moutains in the 12,000-13,000 ft range which - how shall I say it - are calling my name?
While I can't promise you perfect grammar or a spellbinding writing style, I can guarantee you that I'll have some pretty interesting things to write about over the next few months. If you can navigate through the pages of rambling which I consider my trademark, you just might find something which captures your attention; whether that thing convinces you to log off the net immediately and go follow your passions and conquer all your fears or simply entertains you for a moment, know that I'm always pleased to have you along on my adventures, if only vicariously...
As the title implies, I'm a travel addict, though I have only documented my adventures with a blog on one other occassion - you can read the blog I created last summer in China and Taiwan by clicking on the link on this page or by going to http://funinchina.blogspot.com. While I'm uncertain as to just how many readers my previous blog reached, it was a success if only because it proved to be a great way for me to record my experiences, and this is perhaps the main reason why I'm writing a second blog. Another great advantage of the blog as a writing medium is that, with each update, I'm essentially telling my family and friends that - contrary to everyone's expectations - I am indeed still alive; this keeps the "We're all worried something's happened to you...call immediately!" emails down to about 2 or 3 a week. Basically, these blogs give my family and friends a convenient way of keeping up with me - if they choose to do so and always on their own time; they can read as much or as little as they desire. Finally, there's always the outside chance that random web-surfers might stumble upon my blogs and, for better or worse - be changed. While I do, of course, mean to be offering a not-so-subtle hint to anyone from Lonely Planet's human resources department (ie. the people who hire new writers) that might be reading, I'm also speaking of the millions of people out there who have forgotten what it means to live fully. If my blogs inspire just one of these people to leave behind the comfort and security of his home and venture out into the great big world which surrounds us all in search of challenge and increased understanding - a search which may very well bring with it certain dangers - then I'll consider myself a successful writer.
Beginning tomorrow - April 19, 2006 - I'll be traveling the world for 8 months in search of great surfing and interesting people; seeking out knowledge, beauty, and understanding; and attempting to merge my life with the endless adrenaline rush which sustains me. This blog is an attempt to capture the experiences I have along the way. Following is a brief description of the different shapes my globetrotting will take over the course of my upcoming travels:
Spring '06: SENEGAL - Living with a local French-speaking family outside of the seaside capital of Dakar. Studying West African literature, politics, and culture; improving my French; learning an African tribal language called Wolof; and surfing as often as possible on the beautiful waves which often pound the nearby coast below mosques, fishermen, and a society which knows little about the world's greatest sport.
Summer '06: TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA - Living with a local French and Tahitian-speaking family on a remote and undeveloped penninsula of Tahiti called Tahiti-Iti. Staying in an open-air, thatched roof bungalow on the beach in a village called Teahupoo, which was barely known to the outside world until just a few years ago, when it was discovered that one of the best surfing waves in the entire world breaks on the reef a kilometre off-shore. The wave at Teahupoo is now considered to be the most dangerous in the world, and to say I wet my pants every time I think about it is an understatement. I'll also be traveling to other breaks, doing a bit of snorkeling and diving, and exploring traditional Polynesian culture.
Fall '06: TAIWAN - Living in an apartment in the capital of Taipei and, at National Taiwan Normal University, continuing an already intense study of Chinese. Also, surfing everyday and enjoying Taiwan's excellent typhoon swells. Basically, taking advantage of the little known facts that Taiwan is a tropical island with absolutely amazing scenery and waves and that it has numerous moutains in the 12,000-13,000 ft range which - how shall I say it - are calling my name?
While I can't promise you perfect grammar or a spellbinding writing style, I can guarantee you that I'll have some pretty interesting things to write about over the next few months. If you can navigate through the pages of rambling which I consider my trademark, you just might find something which captures your attention; whether that thing convinces you to log off the net immediately and go follow your passions and conquer all your fears or simply entertains you for a moment, know that I'm always pleased to have you along on my adventures, if only vicariously...
posted by Alex/金龍 @ Wednesday, April 19, 2006
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