How's the weather today?

When I was living in Moquegua, I would often go to a nearby market to collect the week's bread, yogurt, and rum. And most importantly, the peanut butter. See, this was one of the few places I had found in all of Peru that would regularly have peanut butter in stock -- the holy grail of food items for me, I would eat whole jars with a spoon. 

I definitely stood out when going to the store. I was often dirty and gross from digging in the field, bought peanut butter by the fistful, was obviously foreign, and generally had little clue what I was doing.  This made me easily memorable, and the girl at the checkout counter always greeted me warmly when I went in. Once I had collected all my necessary ingredients for the night's cooking (i.e. drinking the rum straight and then showing spoonfuls of peanut butter into my face), I would dump it all on her counter and we'd have a chat. 

We always chatted about the weather. We'd talk about the cold weather, how to stay warm in the winter, and about rain and fog and other such things. I was always very proud of these conversations, and my ability to name multiple weather events at a single time (you should have seen my excitement when I learned the word for clouds - a whole new world of conversations opened up). I just genuinely looked forward to talking to my new friend.

Finally, one day I went to the store with a friend who spoke Spanish fluently. She watched the traditional weather conversation unfold with bemusement. After we had paid and went outside, my friend asked in all seriousness "why does she ask you about the weather so much?" I answered the first thing that popped into my head, "because its the only thing I can talk about in Spanish." 

And then it hit me -- that the checkout girl was actually one of the kindest people I had met. I am sure after 5 weeks of me telling her "sure is cold today!" in various ways she was absolutely sick of speaking about the weather. But she also understood I was lonely and wanted someone to talk to, if only about the weather. So she never failed to greet me with a smile and ask me about rain.  It may not seem like a lot, but after feeling frustrated and mentally exhausted from living in a new culture it was so nice to have a safe place where I could go and answer things correctly. People asked me questions all day I didn't understand, but I always knew the answers to her weather questions. I hope the checkout girl knew how much I appreciated her kindness -- because I never had the words to tell her.  

Why I hate cruises

I suppose this is only fair.


1. All the boats seem to look the same. You've got your main shop, casino, bars, restaurants, and deck -- you'll soon be able to find all of these places even while very drunk, no matter the boat! Further, most seem to have a 1990s Vegas vibe, right down to the weird blue casino carpet. Some of the carpet and wall designs even remind me of the awful patterns picked for airplane seats. Some parts of the boat may smell like airplane too.


2. You'll have THAT couple. You know, the one who is on their 16th cruise. They'll talk about how they know all the "tricks" to cruise-riding, and spend most of their time avoiding safety regulations. But let's be real -- there aren't many tricks of the trade when it comes to sitting on your ass on a cruise ship. This couple is really just getting absolutely plastered as a coping mechanism for whatever it is at home that is driving them out to sea 8 times a year. Stay away from them -- they seem enchanting at first, but soon you'll be overwhelmed with boozy hugs, uncomfortable nicknames, and a general feeling of regret.


3. The ports aren't exactly an authentic views of the countries you visit. You are hopefully well aware that mariachi bands won't wait to cheer you on whenever you walk into town, but your port cities will really try to convince you of this. It's like visiting the Disneyland version of a country, with all the uncomfortable racist feelings that go along. Are you helping the local economy and population, or are you perpetuating harmful colonial attitudes of the natives being "entertainment"? Tough questions - you'll probably need another margarita.


4. Speaking of drinks..booze is expensive. Really expensive. You are trapped on a boat with hundreds of people you don't know, where you entertainment for the night might be limited to dancing in the geriatric dance club. You'll need some strong drinks, and the cruise company knows it. So they'll make you sell your first born to pay for those margaritas. Luckily, cruises are quite good at hiding this from you, so you don't let it ruin your trip (they're very thoughtful). They'll let you just keep ringing up purchases on your cruise card, happily enjoying yourself while the money quickly drains from your account.

MORE BEARS

I've been asking around the internet for more bear statues. I've gotten some great responses, and I have added some new places to my list:

1. California - is basically a goldmine for bear statues. I have UCLA, King's Beach and Monterrey for sure having them .

2. Canada! Also a goldmine - Jasper, Banff, Slave Lake (Alberta) and Kingston all have options.

3. Yellowstone Park. 

4. Australia: Melbourne Australia has a city wide art exhibit of bear sculptures. So does Dadswell Bridge, Victoria (it is a Koala statue, but I completely count those).


5. Spain: There is one in Madrid in the Plaza del Sol. It is called "El oso y madroño" (the bear and oak tree).


6. Berlin : apparently has a ton of statues due to the Buddy Bear project. And even though I've been to Germany many times, I haven't spent more than a few hours in Berlin....so guess I'll need to go back!

7. Kobe Japan has one! Although I have been told it is small...hmmm

8. New Bern, North Carolina. A fellow redditor was nice enough to send me some pics of his favorites! 

9. Zelenograd, Russia. Again, an awesome person gave me an exact google map. Thank you so much! 

10. Laugarvegur, Reykjavik Iceland: which was going to me high o the list of future places. How convenient! 

11. Luang Prabang, Laos. Lemonymars says, "there is a waterfall/bear zoo near the city. About 6 bear statues in a row".  6 in a row? BRB booking flights. 

12. The Paddington Bear statue in Paddington Station, London. I LOVE Paddington Bear...this might be my grand finale. 



Thanks again and please send me more suggestions, especially from countries not yet on the list!

Today is a very special day.

Every month, I celebrate a certain train ride. I rode on that train to what I had hoped would be a brief stopping point on my hectic schedule filled with constantly leaving/fleeing. However, at the train station I was lucky enough to meet a fellow adventurer - someone who taught me how to stay put and not run away. Someone who taught me how happiness works. Someone who became my traveling companion.

So today let's celebrate all those who travel with us. <3

Why I love cruises

Ok, we all knew this was coming. It is time for me to poetically describe why I absolutely love traveling by cruise.

1). It is relaxing.  Everything is taken care of for you. Going off -grid and exploring by yourself is an awesome rush. It is also exhausting: you have to plan out your stops, find sleeping arrangements, worry about safety, make sure you can communicate, have back up plans, and have back up plans for the back up plans. So there is something to be said for having your hotel travel with you. You are like a friggin turtle: the boat slowly meanders its way from port to port, with all necessities (i.e. bars) right there on its back. And you know who wins races? Turtles. 

2). It is surprisingly budget friendly. Well, this one really depends on how you travel. You can obviously spend less if you are staying in the bare minimum hostels, eating out of local street carts, and only doing free hiking tours. But if you want private rooms, decent food, and constant access to entertainment then a cruise is pretty hard to beat. Especially ones that go to multiple countries. I mean, you can leave your stuff in your safe room, have good food, enjoy ship concerts and games, and travel easily between several ports --- all for a couple hundred bucks.  Not bad. ( Just don't hit the spa because those prices are jacked up about 200%) 

3). Unlimited food. Speaking of things to help your budget...let's talk about the food. It is usually solid, it is always available, and it is included in your price. All you can eat crab cakes? Don't mind if I do. 2 am pizza because I drank too much at the pool bar? Glad I won't have to see that bill in the morning. 

4). You can go a lot of places in a short amount of time. Let's be honest - I have a lot of fucking countries left. We are really going for quantity not quality at this point. One boat can take me to 4 ports in one week? Sold. Would I consider doing this for every country on my list? Obviously not - there are places you want to go and spend weeks or months to fully enjoy. But there are places that a two-day layover on your boat will be all you want or need. 

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I can already hear some of you out there: "Aly, you want to travel the world and explore other cultures and live on the edge. You're going to try and do that in a giant slow boat because you get lots of crab cakes?" I understand; it seems to go against everything that being an adventurer is all about. Where is the action, excitement and spontaneity? 

But see, while adventuring is awesome it can also be hard. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. There are days where you will be tired and hungry and frightened. You will find yourself in a freezing village smelling disgusting. You will find yourself in a taxicab with a driver who has a high probability of kidnapping you. You will wake up sick as hell and think 'holy shit, eating food out of that street cart was probably a bad idea because now I feel my intestines liquefying." 

These moments will happen. There is nothing you can do about it, and they certainly don't make the trips less worth taking (honestly, they probably are some of the greatest moments). BUT...there comes a point where you say "for this next trip, I just to lay down and have a drink with a little umbrella. And eat crab legs. Lots of crab legs."