Blog: Travel Commentaries

To try is to risk failure.  But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing.   The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.  He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, live and love.
Leo Buscaglia

The comments on this blog are designed to be controversial.  I want to show people new ways to view travel and the world around them. If you agree or disagree with the comments please let me know.  A blog is only be as good as the community of people it helps foster.  Send your comments to me at paul@thebigbluemarble.com. I promise to post your comments on the blog (unless it is spam, of course).

NOTE: I have two blogs. The second blog serves as a forum to sharing cool travel tips, links, books, quotes, and announcements.

NOTE #2: The first blog entry starts from August 2004.  Entries #2 through #10 were created between September 2004 and March 2005.  Entries 11 and above were written between September 2005 and Februrary 2006.  I have not written any comments since then.  Since Summer 2006, my business has been mostly dedicated to teaching seminars, I now teach over 150 seminars a year at approximately 40 venues in seven states.  For this point forward, I intend to only update my blog once a year.

Entry #22
Regrets.. I Have Had a Few

In reading over some of the past blog entries, I wonder if I might sometimes sound a bit judgmental and critical of typical "tourists." If so, I apologize and offer the following as proof positive that I have been as plagued by culture shock as an expat can be.

My most embarrassing moments on the road have almost always been caused by one of the worst diseases a traveler can catch: excessive stinginess.  Here are a few examples:

• When I was in Russia they had a double pricing structure for foreigners and local residents.  While this pricing system is common in many countries, it is nowhere near as prevalent and unfair as Russia.  It cost 20-40 times as much for a foreigner as a Russian.

This discrepancy angered me to no end.  One day, I went with Nina (my ex-wife) to a church in the Kremlin. She paid 40 cents and I was charged $7.50. I blew up at the little old lady, ticket taker, I told her that this was not fair, I'd lived there for a year, made a Russian wage, etc.  She would not budge. Nina looked at me and said, "Paul, calm down, there is nothing you can do about it. It may be unfair, but, you are making a fool of yourself."  I thought about it for a few minutes and realized she was right.

• For some reason, the whole week I spent in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, in 1991 I was a true cheapskate.  At the airport I went to the tourist desk and took up their offer of a room in a new hotel with a free private tour of Prambanan and Borobudur, both of which are among the world's best known Hindu and Buddhist temples.  I liked Eric, the tour guide, and contracted with him for a tour of the Deng Plateau for $70. 

I didn't like the Deng Plateau much and told Eric that I did not want to pay him the full cost of the tour.  I had bought several puppets and dolls at a shop he recommended a couple of days before and told him that he should rebate me any commission that he got.  He told me that the shop did not pay him a commission. (I later learned that the shop catered to professional puppeteers not tourists and thus Eric was probably right).  I told him I did not believe him and paid him $65.  He left and said that he had wanted to take me on the tour in order to get enough money to buy his wife a birthday present and that the $65 barely covered his expenses.  I didn't budge and have regretted it since then.  To make matters worse, I had promised him that I'd send him some old Spanish textbooks when I got home and could not because I lost his address.

In addition, one of the decisions I regret most was caused by excessive culture shock.  In 1984 I was a student for a semester at the American University in Cairo (AUC) as part of my college's study abroad program.  I was scheduled to stay there for a year.  I decided to come back after a semester and regret it to this day.

I was tired of Egypt and thought if I came home all would be better.  I did not want to fight cab drivers to go to school cheaply (Egyptians, at least then, had a tendency to charge foreigners five to ten times as much as Egyptians) and never really learned to feel comfortable with Egyptians.  I did not do very well academically because I traveled rather than studied and thought, erroneously, that I could get by without much work. (As it turned out, the Egyptian students were probably as well, if not better, prepared academically than me and their teachers were quite academically demanding). 

When I came back, I almost immediately knew I'd made a mistake.  The moment I got off the plane in Saint Paul, Minnesota (where my college was located), I was depressed by the snow outside and yearned to return to the warmth of Cairo.  I did not feel comfortable with American culture anymore and most of my friends had made new friends.  I began to realize that I had met some really wonderful students from all over the world at AUC and that I would miss them terribly.  I also regretted not taking AUC seriously.  It also began to dawn on me that most of my "problems" in Egypt were the result of culture shock, which probably would have passed if I gave it more time.

My semester in the US was a disaster.  I now know that I would have been better off staying in Egypt.  I look back at my time in Egypt fondly today.  I know that it was a hard time, but it was also really interesting and challenging.

Entry #21
View from the USA

Over the past couple of days since I've arrived back from Mexico, I have reread some of my earlier blog entries, decided that some of them seem a little bit too anti-American, and thought about how I might explain my opinions of the US a little better.

First off, let me say that I love the USA.  I subscribe to the "American Dream" -- namely the right to pursue happiness without excessive restraint -- and I feel grateful to have been born in a country that has given me so many opportunities.  It is improbable that I could even have started this business anywhere else (except perhaps in Western Europe) or had so many opportunities to see so much of the world.

Second, I care deeply about my country.  My compatriots are good people: kind, intelligent, warm, and generous.  Few countries have so many exotic and beautiful landscapes.  We also have one of the world's most unique, diverse, and interesting histories and cultures.  Perhaps most importantly, we still serve as a magnet for many of the world's most creative and dynamic people (though, we are increasingly shutting our borders).     

I do, however, feel that the rest of the world, especially so-called "less developed" countries like Mexico, have much more to offer than we give them credit.  I feel somewhat obliged (especially since this message doesn't seem to get much airplay) to serve as a cheerleader for these parts of the world. 

The biggest blessing of my life has been the ability to see the world and adapt what I think are the best parts of a mixture of cultures and beliefs into my life.  I am grateful for the ideas, places and terrific people I have encountered on the road.  They have made into the person I am today.

Perhaps more than anything else, I fear that the "American dream" is slowly coming to an end.  Our economy is slowly but surely becoming so corporatist and bureaucratic that it is squeezing out much of the individual initiative that made the dream so potent in the first place.  The safety nets that used to ensure that the bottom rungs of society could have access to the "dream" have disappeared over the past three decades.  

Worst of all, we have become so isolationist and insular that the dream doesn't hold much allure to the rest of the world anymore.  We have demanded that the world adopt our neo-liberalist economic policies without any real regard for the consequences and meddled too much in the affairs of other countries.  We have isolated the rest of the world, even though I don't think that the majority of the American people want to go it alone.

Entry #20
Battling Cameras

Several times I have been asked why I don't include more photos on my website.  The answer I give is always the same: "I admit it, I am a Luddite.  I hate taking photos."  (The Luddites were a group of people in Medievel England who fought against technological progress). 

Somehow or another every time I have to deal with anything technological, I suddenly change from a literate, intelligent person into a blithering idiot.  Nowhere is this truer than with cameras.  In the 1970s I had the same camera for over seven years and learned enough to be able to continue to take photos -- though admittedly blurry -- of many of the places I visited at that time. 

Ever since that camera, I haven't been able to keep a camera functional for more than one week without destroying it somehow.  My best way of destroying a camera has been dubbed the "temple toss."  Every time I visited a temple in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I dropped my camera from the top of the temple into the surrounding jungle.  My cameras grace jungles in some of the world's greatest places including Tikal, Guatemala (the Maya's greatest city), Uxmal, Mexico and the main temple in Bali, Indonesia. 

When my cameras haven't been destroyed by the "temple toss."  I have somehow managed to screw them up by loading the film incorrectly.  During my volunteer experience as an English instructor in Russia (for over a year and a half), I lost two cameras this way before I even took a single photo.  As a result, even though I was married in Russia and traveled fairly extensively, I have only one photo of my trip -- a picture of a group of my English students taken by one of the students.

My bad luck with cameras has kept me from trying to take photos for most of the last decade.  Before my recent trip to Mexico, I bought a digital camera.  I took it out several times and thought about trying to use it throughout the trip.  But the truth is everytime I got close to using it, I froze.  As a result, I don't have a single photo that I took of the trip.  (I do have some photos taken by others that I'll post from time to time on the website, though). 

One of the best (but scariest) parts of working for yourself is that you have no one else to rely on.  As a result, you have to gradually face your fears.  In keeping with this realization, I have decided to make battling my phobia of cameras into one of my goals for the next New Year (2006).  Wish me luck!  Stay tuned to find out about my latest adventures in Cameraland.

Entry #19
The Entrepreneurial Mexican

While the proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" does not, to the best of my knowledge, have a Spanish equivalent, I am constantly surprised how much more it seems to apply to Mexico than in the US.  Mexicans are, because of the lack of opportunities available here, incredibly adept at finding ways to make a little bit of money by solving other people's problems. 

Nearly every Mexican knows someone who can take care of any problem that I have confronted here-from doing laundry to taking photos to solving computer problems -with great aplomb.  It is, in fact, much easier to get problems solved here than in the US.

It is always a joy to watch people here find ingenious, jerry-rigged solutions to mechanical problems that seem almost insurmountable in the states.  I love watching people craft parts for cars that somehow mysteriously work. 

I also relish the way that somehow everyone puts their own mark on their work.  Every time I go to a shop, restaurant, or even look at the architecture of many building, the owner has managed to apply their own imprint.   Some of these personal touches at times seem odd but after a while you can't help admire their ingenuity.

While hundreds of US chain stores thrive here, it is the mixture of funky, small companies that give this place such charm.  Though admittedly some of these small companies give bad service, I think the general level of service is better than in the US because the owners have a more direct role in working with their clients. 

In the last five weeks I have spent most of my time trying to master Spanish while taking advanced level Spanish classes in Oaxaca and Tepoztlan, Mexico.  While I have learned a plethora of new words and improved my grammar and writing skills, I must profess that I have been very discouraged by my progress. 

Somehow, I feel as if by now I should speak Spanish nearly fluently.  (I had a minor in college in Spanish twenty years ago, have spent over a year in Mexico over many years, and have taken nearly three months of Spanish courses at private language schools in Latin America over the years.)  Yet, while I can talk to almost anyone about almost any topic, I still feel cheated.  When I take classes with other foreigners, I struggle to conquer the feeling that I should be able to speak better Spanish than the rest of the other students.  Yet, almost inevitably, I find someone who speaks at least as well as me and I feel defeated.

At the moment, my brain aches when I speak Spanish (which I do about 80-90% of my day).  Though I am beginning to think in Spanish without translating first to English, I want to make progress faster than I am.  My head still aches every time I try to select the right form of verbs in subjunctive or past tense to complete my conversations.  I get angry at myself every time I repeat mistakes I thought I had corrected before.  (Note: When I was at a beginning or intermediate level in Spanish, I adopted many "shortcuts" to be able to get out a reasonably clear sentence without struggling with the right grammatical form.  After awhile these shortcuts, as one of my instructors noted, have become vices that take a lot of time and effort to shut off.)

My teachers have told me that it is a good sign that I am noting my mistakes and working to perfect my Spanish.  They call it progress and say that if I can continue in the same vein for a while, I will become fluent gradually. 

While I know that they are right, I can't help but feeling disappointed by every error.  I want to be able to speak Spanish with the same ease and grace as English.  Yet, I must accept that I cannot   Learning a language fluently is a slow process.  Most people who have lived in another culture for ten years still are not fluent.

However, once I work through this morass of admittedly irrational feeling and begin to try to look at the process of learning Spanish objectively, I realize what a truly remarkable gift language provides.  I am blessed to be able to speak English fluently and Spanish and Russian reasonably well.  I feel like I can feel comfortable in three very different parts of the world.  I think that each new step in any of the three languages helps me to communicate better in my daily life.  (I am often shocked at how many new, obscure English words I am able to understand because they are similar to more common Spanish words.  .

I am amazed at how beautiful some expressions are in Russian and Spanish.  I admire that Russians, for example, can express their thoughts with great precision and beauty without the most common words in both Spanish and English.  (The word "the" and the present form of the verb "to be" --"am", "is", and "are" in English--does not exist in Russian.)   I treasure the many words in Spanish that I have learned that express ideas that take a whole sentence in English (one of my favorite Spanish verbs is "pretender" which can mean that you tried to do something but failed.)  I also love trying to figure out the Russian and Mexican culture by tracking the words that do not exist in their languages but do in English. (The Russians do not, to the best of my knowledge, have a word to distinguish "convenience" and "comfort" and they also don't give much value to making things convenient)

I am also fascinated by watching the process of learning another language.  For example, now I have learned most, if not all, of the 5,000 words in Spanish that most experts say are necessary (for 80% of all conversations).  I am beginning to discover tons of words (I think I have learned over 1,000 words since I have been in Mexico) that are not used daily but add to my fluency (experts say that you need to learn 50,000 words to speak a language fluently).  

I enjoy making up weird situations to test out my newfound vocabulary.  (You have to try to use new words a couple of time to see if you pronounce and use them correctly).  Imagine trying to use some of the new words I?ve learned like-- groin (ingle), bladder (vejiga), lust (lujuria), alibi (coartaba), voucher (aval), and crutches (muleta)- in a real conversation.  

I also like taking note of the many new ways that I have found to say the same word (I have now learned four different ways to say the Spanish word for "to give" (dar).)  It is fun to use these words in sentences to try to sound more learned than I feel.

Perhaps more than anything else I am thrilled that, for the first time, I can turn on the TV and follow a Spanish soap opera (telenovela).  It is fun to be able to follow the intricate, complicated, and shocking turn of events in a popular telenovela like my current favorite, Amor en Custodia (Love on Hold). 

I am also ecstatic that I no longer have to spend hours with a dictionary to read a newspaper or magazine article (though I think this is partly because Spanish language journalism is not as intellectual as it was when I first learned Spanish 20 years ago).

Often people from the United States, consciously or subconsciously, believe that the rest of the world isn?t nearly as technologically or culturally advanced as we are; particularly countries like Mexico that are not as wealthy as our country.

While it is true that the US is savvier in some ways than much of the rest of the world, we often don?t realize that, in some surprising ways, even so called "third world countries" are as advanced--if not more advanced--than ourselves.

This was a recurrent theme that came up while I lived for a month among many people from the US who chose to move to Lake Chapala in Mexico.  Most of these people told me that while their friends and family thought they were crazy for choosing to live in an undeveloped country, the expatriates themselves were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get things done in their adopted country. 

As I listened to these conversations, I began to think that Americans have a lot of crazy ideas about the rest of the world.  We somehow have let ourselves be deceived into thinking that, except for a few places in Europe and Japan, the rest of the world is backwards.  We have forgotten that millions of people have enough resources and skills to develop advanced systems of communication, production, and distribution.  

I am always surprised by how easy it is to find advanced technology in other countries.  Here are a few examples that spring to mind:

• The first time I saw a VCR or automatic bank teller was in 1981 in England.  By that time, both of the technologies were ubiquitious in England.  I don?t recall seeing either of these technologies in California until about a year later.
• It is much easier to get cellular phone coverage outside of the US than inside our borders.  I currently live in a small town in California without any coverage (even though it is a fairly large resort community).  This would not happen anywhere in the European Union.  In fact, I have even found that cellular coverage is as good, if not better, in Mexico than in the US. 
• While I was living in Lake Chapala this year, I heard the story of two friends of an American expat who decided to have plastic surgery.  One of the friends came to Mexico to have the surgery done. The other had it done in the Southern part of the US.  The friend who had it done in Mexico, besides spending less money, also had a much more successful operation.  She received a list of foods and drugs that she could not take within a prescribed period before the operation.  The operation was done quickly and she healed within a week.  The friend who chose to have the operation in the US did not receive any information before the surgery.  She ate and took medications that the Mexican doctor would have advised her to avoid and, as a result, took much longer to heal from the surgery.
• In Lake Chapala, I also hear that many American students who entered schools in Mexico were surprised to find that they were at least one year behind their Mexican peers.  I also heard that some people, particularly poor American families in San Diego, have decided to move to Tijuana because the schools are better. 
• Many of the technologies that we take for granted in the US started in the third world.  The world?s forerunner in recycling technologies today is Brazil.  The city of Los Angeles recently developed a much more efficient rapid transit bus system along its major streets (which has saved up to an hour commute for bus riders) based on a technology developed in Curitiba, Brazil.  Parts of the original prototype for the ?just in time? delivery system that has allowed Wal-Mart to become the world?s largest company was first tried in Brazil and then in Mexico.  These components did not arrive in the US until it had been a success in Latin America for three years.  Many lab tests in Britain today are sent to India to be analyzed and the results are returned to Britain within a couple of days.
• I believe that within the next two decades most US insurers will encourage Americans (by offering considerable cost savings) to have most of their major operations performed in another country.  Slowly but surely they?ll realize that medical professionals in other countries can offer as good if not better services for much less money than here.  Many countries such as Thailand and India are developing a large medical industry largely to serve Americans without insurance. (India has even gone so far as to develop a nation wide program to create almost 100,000 hospital beds for Americans by 2010). 
• While I was in Kaliningrad, Russia ten years ago there was a television station that collected and disseminated information hourly about the cost of different products throughout the city. I haven?t seen anything like that in the US.

Entry #16
This.. I believe

Over the last several months, National Public Radio has been running a series of essays from a mixture of notable and relatively unknown Americans called "This.. I believe." After listening to several of these essays, I decided that I'd like to write an essay about my beliefs for this blog. So here goes:

During the several years that I've been blessed to travel around the world, I've come to believe that while we all share much in terms of basic physiological needs -- the need to eat, the desire to have sex, and the urge to be part of a family and community -- we don't share as much in common in terms of intangible behaviors -- spirit, culture, and philosophy -- as most people believe.  We are each, as the ancient Aztecs believed, our own universe. We eat, communicate, think, believe, and behave differently based on our individual cultural, economic, political, sociological, biological, and physiological realities.  Yet the vast majority of people (probably more than 97% of the population worldwide) shares one thing in common: the innate desire to be kind.

I never cease to be amazed, regardless of how frightened and vulnerable I may seem, how easy it is to find help on any journey.  All I need to do is look like I need help, and people will show up, almost mysteriously, to lend a hand.  No matter what their cultural and economic background, it is never hard to find someone who is eager to listen, counsel, and give time and resources to make sure that I get what I need.

The kindness of strangers has made it easy for me to travel around the world.  I don't feel a need for a fixed itinerary or the comfortable cocoon of a familiar standard of American life-- like a fancy hotel or tour group--to make me feel safe.  I just innately trust that the universe will be on my side; and the universe has never let me down.  Sure, I take precautions to keep bad things from happening, but I know that because I can trust people to be kind, I can go almost anywhere, at any time, and in any way, and be safe.

To me, this is the greatest lesson I've learned from gallivanting around the globe.  So often we are besieged by stories of evil that keep us tied to our homes.  Yet, we needn't be so.  Millions of people, just like myself, have learned that people are unbelievably kind and ultimately forgiving.  This is why I want to encourage people to get out and see the world.  It is the best antidote I know for the fear that often pervades our lives.

Entry #15
Help! I've taken the plunge. Now what do I do?

Over the past eight years since I decided to start this business, I have read around 50 books and taken around a dozen class that talk about creating your dream job. While I found something useful (and even inspirational) in most of these books and classes, in my mind, they gloss over something important; that is once you take the plunge, what do you do next?

In recent months, several people have come to me and asked how I found my passion and made it come to life. I can talk easily about my passion (if you look through my biography, you'll discover that I've had the passion since I was born) but I feel uncomfortable talking about how I made it happen.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about why this subject puts me at a sudden loss of words (anyone who knows me, understands that I'm seldom at a loss of words) and have come to only one conclusion: I don't feel like I've made my passion come to life yet.  It is still a work in process.  Making the dive into a full time pursuit of a dream is a powerful step, but it is only a small part of a long journey, that could last a lifetime.

Often people who write about creating your dream job say things like, once you've stepped up to the plate, the universe will somehow align to help you realize your dreams.  While I have been successful in many ways since taking the plunge a year and a half ago (this website; over forty seminars taught; a good portion, between 10-50%, of four books completed), I am still waiting for the universe to "align" for me. Why?  I think it is because there are two big missing ingredients in my life now: One is money.  The second is someone to share my journey.

When I took the plunge I didn't realize that money would become so important to me. I never really considered it an important part of my life because I'd never had to fight to get enough money to provide me with a level of comfort. (My needs and wants are modest for an American). I think desire for money is not primarily based on fear for the future; rather, it's the power of the messages that have been pounded into my brain since childhood. American men, like it or not, equate success in life with the size of our paycheck. For many months, I fought against these messages; yet, now, I am not so sure that these messages are such a bad thing. Money brings sustainability and control over life and it allows you to be more generous to other people. It is these intangibles, not the pursuit of money for its own sake, that make me want more money in my life.

I also want to share my journey with some special person.  Nearly everything I do is a somewhat lonely pursuit. Traveling allows to meet a lot of interesting folks, but just when I get to become friends with someone, I leave for the next place.  Writing requires a lot of time alone to come up with new ideas and observe my surroundings. While I love what I'm doing when I am actively teaching, writing, or researching, I miss having someone to share my life -- socially, emotionally, and even financially -- during those quiet moments when the days' tasks come to close.

This doesn't mean to say that I regret taking the plunge.  I have learned so much about myself and the world.  I feel more powerful, self confident, and happier than I did when I worked as an government housing program administrator.  Often, when I was teaching classes and taking tours in California, I have felt an incredible, almost religious, sense of elation that almost brought me to tears when I'd think about incredible, inspirational, and beautiful people and places I'd encountered since quitting my "job."  I loved sharing with students my passionate belief that travel is the ultimate way to discover the world and yourself.

Now that I'm in Mexico, I am so glad that, instead of having to come here for just a short vacation, I am able to spend enough time to really rekindle my passion and knowledge of this wonderful land and look forward to sharing this passion with students next year.

While I feel like a reluctant role model, I can offer you a few lesson that I wish I had learned before I took the plunge:

• When you start your business, resist the urge to spend money.  If you spend it too fast at first, you'll have less time available to wait for people to get to know you. I have come to believe that almost any dream-inspired, business can be successful if you have a lot of time and patience. I regret spending about 1/3rd of all the money since I started my business. This "wasted" expenditure has lost me about six months to a year's worth of useful time now that I know more what I want from my business.
• It takes more time than you expect for people to know you and, equally important, for you to get to feel comforable with your new role.  Starting a business is a lot like moving to another country.  You'll quickly unearth all your insecurities and emotional baggage, especially as you sit around and "wait for the phone to ring." At least for awhile, your best friend may have to be yourself.  I am still unearthing things about myself that are stumbling blocks to my success even a year and a half later (and suspect that this process will continue for a long time) after starting. Have patience (I think the worst thing about modern American society is that our patience has been eroded) because regardless of your "best laid plans," you'll find that your business, and yourself, won't look anything like what you originally thought before you took the plunge.
• Treat yourself kindly. You're taking more of a risk than most people are willing to take.  Celebrate your successes.  Try to look at your failures as lessons and, most importantly, learn to trust yourself.  Realize that no one knows other than yourself what's right for you, and, that ultimately, you're selling your own unique vision of the world.

Entry #14
Un Nuevo Mexico (A New Mexico)

Since I mostly traveled around Mexico between 15 and 20 years ago, I've noticed a lot of things that have changed since that time.  Here are some of the more dramatic differences I've noted:

• Women's rights are much stronger than 20 years ago.  Many more women are separated or divorced from their husbands than in the past.  Several women are running for deputies in the National Senate and for municipal positions.  There is even one woman running in the primaries.  Young women, particularly in the middle class, seem to be much more willing to make demands of their potential husbands.
• Family sizes are smaller.  I?ve had several people tell me that they (or their children) are only planning to have a couple kids.  The overall birthrate for the country, if official statistics are corrected, is down by about 50% in the last 20 years
• Goods and companies from the US are everywhere here.  20 years ago, it was hard to buy appliances made in countries other than Mexico.  Now there are appliance stores with foreign goods on every corner.  In addition, there are many big box stores.  When I was in Cuernavaca, a city of 500,000 about an hour and a half south of Mexico City, I noticed over 20 large big boxes (including a Wal-Mart, Costco, a couple of Mega (Centro Commercial Mexicano) stores, and a couple of Office Max stores.)  I went into several of these stores and was surprised by the extensive inventory available.
• Mexico is more expensive than in the past.  When I was here fifteen years ago, the average cost of most products and services was between 25-40% of the costs in the US.  (In fact, in 1982 at the height of the first peso crisis, many goods and services cost as little as 10% of the cost in the US.)   Today, most goods cost between 60-80% of the equivalent in the US.  That said, goods from the US and Europe are fairly consistent in price in the US now (though they are often cheaper in US if you buy them on a sale).  15-20 years ago, these goods were very expensive (often three to four times the US price).
• Traveling is much easier than before.  I remember spending four hours one day to get a cash advance from a credit card in a fairly small, provincial Mexican town 20 years ago.  Now all I have to do is walk a few blocks to an ATM machine.  In addition, I also remember waiting in long lines to buy a ticket for a bus at the bus station.  Nowadays, these can often be bought at travel agencies and, if they can?t, the lines at the bus stations are easily manageable.
• Mexico is more democratic.  The press seems free and there is definitely a sense that the people will decide who?ll run the country in the next election in 2006 (as they did for the first time in 2000).  Watching President Fox's recent state of the nation address, I was impressed by how easily the opposition parties voiced their opinions.  In fact, in many ways the speech seemed to be more democratic than those given by the President of the US.
• It is much easier to communicate with the outside world than 20 years ago. In 1983, it cost nearly $1.50 a minute to call the US.  Since I usually made the calls from private homes at that time(outside phones to the US were rare), I always had to call up the operator and ask them to keep track (at an additional change) of the cost of the call so that I could reimburse the phone owners.  Nowadays, all I need to do is to buy a phone call card for a select amount of time (though sometime you may need to pay local call charges) from hundreds of stores.  (Note: I did find that it is cheaper to buy a card from Banamex, a nationwide bank. I bought a card at Banamex for 100 pesos, about $9.50, for an hour, a modest 15 US cents a minute.)  What's more, at least in Lake Chapala, residents can get unlimited free calls anywhere in the world through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) at home.  VoIP is available either through your computer or a separate phone line (cost here in Lake Chapala: $20 a month).

That said, the good things that I remember from the past still seem to hang on strong.  The weather, the people, and the architecture are as inviting as ever (though people do seem a bit pressed for time).  Conversely, all these changes, haven't seemed to improve the lot of the average Mexican much.  In fact, if anything, Mexicans seem to have to work harder for less money than before.

Entry #13
Warm and Cold Places

Many, if not most, of the students I've met during teaching classes in travel can't imagine traveling in the second or third world.  They seem to think that these countries are somehow too dirty and uncomfortable and that only the US and Western Europe are worthy of their attention.

While I try to understand this point of view, I must admit that I can't help somehow feeling sorry for them for several reasons.  First off, they will have a hard time traveling comfortably and cheaply in the US and Western Europe on a budget; whereas in the third and second world (former communist nations) they can travel in comfort for as little as $20-50 a day. (Though thankfully they can travel in the US/Western Europe on these budgets if they are willing to take advantage of hospitality and home exchange programs.)  Secondly, they'll miss the incredible sights and sounds of places like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Mayan temples of Mexico and Guatemala, and the bazaars of Asia.  But, most importantly, they won't be able to share my love of "warm" places.

What is a warm country?  Why do I love these places?  Part of the answer to these questions is simply visceral. Cold winds, rain, and snow in the US and Western Europe make my bones ache, my body shiver, and my teeth natter, whereas warmer, even tropical temperatures, make me feel relaxed and happy. However, it is more than just the temperature outside that makes a place warm.  (In fact, in some ways, I consider Russia a warmer place than parta of the US that are fairly temperate.)

What, besides temperature, makes a place, warm? While I am somewhat loathe to distill warm places into a cold, calculated list, I guess since I can't quite put my arms around any other way to explain it, here goes. "Warm" places:

• Are a bit quirky: People are more concerned with expressing their own personalities and taking care of their kindred folk than producing goods and services as efficiently and effectively as possible. As a result, the quality of goods and services vary.  Often in warm places, you'll find exquisite, hand crafted goods, and receive excellent services at one place only to be treated crassly and find poorly made "crap" at another.
• Emphasize human relations over anything else: People survive based on their ties to each other rather than what they own or how much money they make.  Once you are accepted to be part of someone's network, you are swept up as part of a big, messy family.
• Have a relaxed sense of time: The people work hard but don't expect everything to be like in a factory. They understand that people and things do not always work as they should.  They don't expect everything and everyone to run on a clock. (Probably my single largest gripe in the US is that people need to be so perpetually "busy" to justify their existence that they don't take time for the things that really matter like other people and communities.)

While I must admit at times warm places drive me a bit insane (particularly when it comes to dealing with bureaucracies), often when I'm in the USA and Western Europe I wish I were in a warm country.  I miss the color, quirkiness, and humanity.

Entry #12
My Love Affair with Mexico

Not long ago I read a delightful book about England entitled My Love Affair with English: A Traveler's Memoir by Susan Allen Toth.  Toth describes eloquently how despite dramatic changes in both her personal life and British culture over the past 40 years, her basic love of all things British has withstood the test of time. Though, I must admit that Britain does not hold a great deal of allure to me (however, I wouldn't scoff at a free ticket to London), I immediately could identify with Toth's "love affair" with another country because, instead of Britain, I'm in love with Mexico.

Until recently (I have been here in Mexico for almost a month and will be here for the next four months), I resisted the urge to return to Mexico (as a whole, I do not like to return to the same country often) except for a couple of short trysts for the last 15 years. Yet, now that I am here, I have fallen in love with Mexico again.

I frequently ask myself why do I still love this country so much (In fact, truth be told, I feel more at home here than in the States) and perhaps more perplexing: Why hasn't my "love affair" changed despite the dramatic changes in my life and in Mexico? While it is never easy to dissect something as emotional as a love relationship, here is a list of why I love Mexico:

• Mexico is vibrant. The colors, flavors, and people are full of spice, drama, and extreme individuality.  The markets are a riot of colorful flowers, sauces, and herbs.  The people paint their homes in shocking pinks and blues that would never pass our stringent planning codes.  Music and fireworks seemingly blast out of nowhere at odd times.  Even something as seemingly bland and universal as a shopping center in Mexico takes on a bit of spice.  Mexicans recognize the vibrancy in their homeland intuitively. While Mexican migrants appreciate many things about the USA (the freedom and economic opportunity), they also say (and I agree) that the USA is a dry country -- where the music, colors and flavors all blend together into a gray, indistinguishable mass-- without much sabor (flavor).
• Mexican people are warm and inviting.  It is never hard to find people to help you if you have a problem. Mexicans infuse everything they do with a sense of individual style and creativity (it often seems that no Mexicans would ever do any task alike), and take the time to get to know other people.
• Mexicans are among the most flexible and open people on the planet.  Judy King (the author of a newsletter for expatriates in Lake Chapala, Mexico) notes that most Mexicans greet our foibles and differences as a source of endless entertainment.  Humor is at its roots a caring way of accepting and make light of differences.  It is certainly better than our tendency to treat foreigners as a threat, criticize their differences, and sometimes even treat them as idiots.  (I'll never understand why Americans feel a need to speak louder to foreigners, they are not deaf).
• Mexicans have an almost primordial sense of attachment to the outdoors. Homes exhibit an easy flow between interior rooms and outdoor courtyards. Ceilings and walls use natural elements -- such as brick, vaulted ceiling, tree trunks, and abode walls-- rather than artificial products.  No matter where you are in Mexico, you'll hear roosters crow, dogs bark, and see animals in people's yards.
• Mexico is the world's easiest place to travel.  You can buy bus tickets in most travel agencies.  Buses travel almost everywhere, are usually very punctual, and are much more comfortable than in most other countries. (The seats are wide, coffee and snacks are served, and films, often good, are shown).  You seldom have to walk far or wait very long to get a taxi.  (Taxis run on almost every street frequently.  If you call for a cab, it'll be there within five to ten minutes). Internet cafes and telephone booths are everywhere.  Most restaurants feature well prepared foods at reasonable prices.  Abarrotes (small grocery stores) are available on every corner. I t is extremely easy to find people (though you do have to be a bit careful) to help you to solve any problem, from carrying bags to fixing your car.

I realize that not everyone shares my sense of love of Mexico.  Yet I wish they did.  It is one of the world's best places to relax and to unwind.  It is also endlessly interesting and exotic once you get a bit off the beaten path.

Entry #11
The Travel is Expensive Myth

The other day I was listening to a story on the Dr. Phil show of a family who had nearly $400,000 in debt. Among their many seemingly extravagant purchases was an $80,000 stake in a time share.  Dr. Phil chided them for their extravagance and asked them "Do you want to put your house in jeopardy for a trip to Hawaii?"

I felt like jumping up and yelling at Dr. Phil: "No one has to make a choice to forego a vacation if they are open to other options.  There are many very inexpensive ways to get away even if you have a family."

The first option that came to my mind was a home exchange.  The family in question had a lovely home in a beachside community in California.  They could have easily traded this home for a place to stay in Hawaii.  If they did they would only pay the cost of the plane tickets. Almost all of the other expenses would be comparable to staying at home.  In addition, if they are creative, they could probably even find ways -- like writing a travel article about how they learned to economize through home exchange-- that could even make the trip pay for itself.

I am saddened that people always suggest that vacations are a luxury that one must forego for their other goals. The world is big, and your options to see it are many.  Never before has it been so easy to see the world. Transportation is fast and relatively inexpensive.  There are hundreds of ways to see the world that are cheap, meaningful, and fun.  It just takes a bit of imagination and creativity.

Entry #10
Challenging Conventional Travel Wisdom

When I was growing up my father often told me that if everyone agrees that something is true, it was probably false.  As a child, I didn't really understand what he meant.  His advice seemed odd and even a bit oxymoronic. However, as I age, I begin to see my father's wisdom.  One of the best examples: Almost invariably, when I've gone to someplace that guidebooks describe as a hellhole, I've fallen in love with the place.

Here are some of my favorite places that are universally poo-poohed by guidebooks. (Note: I've published an article on one of these unfairly maligned places: Tijuana, Mexico (see Reality Tour: What a Concept):

• Villahermosa, Mexico

Guidebook: Expensive, boring, and polluted.
Paul: Home to one of the best museums outside of Mexico City.  Clean, attractive, friendly; a worthy stopover on the way to Palenque or the Yucatan.

• Acapulco, Mexico

Guidebook: Big, polluted, crowded. Better beaches elsewhere in Mexico.
Paul: The most beautiful bays anywhere in the world.  The most authentically Mexican resort city on the coast.  A lot less touristy than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta.

• Los Angeles, California

Guidebook: Polluted, crowded, sprawling, auto-dependent, and unpleasant. A place without much substance and with no center.
Paul: Incredibly diverse, endlessly interesting ethnic communities, and fantastic museums and cultural institutions. Not as auto-dependent as commonly assumed.  A great place to see what the USA will look and feel like in the 21st century. (The world's big cities are becoming more and more like Los Angeles).  The planet's greatest crucible for new cultural and political movements.  LA's center has some of the most interesting architecture and institutions anywhere in the USA.

• Oakland, California

Guidebook: Industrial, dull (after all, Gertrude Stein said of Oakland that there was no there, there.). A poor stepchild to San Francisco
Paul: Much more ethnically diverse than San Francisco.  A city filled with intriguing Victorian homes (ten such homes, compared with just two in San Francisco, are open to the public) and a compelling history (this was the end of the nation's first cross country railroad lines).  Moreover, home of pockets of great beauty (Lake Merritt at Christmas time) and interesting sites (including the Oakland Museum of California).

• Kaliningrad, Russia

Guidebook: One of the ugliest cities on Earth.
Paul: The nearby beach communities, Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk, are some of the most beautiful small towns in Eastern Europe.  While Kaliningrad is somewhat of a concrete jungle, it has some beautiful treelined streets and the old fortress abutments and amber museum are worth seeing.  In addition, the young people are some of the most attractive people on the planet.

P.S.: While it is not that badly maligned by most guidebooks, I think people do not give Chicago the attention it deserves.  Whenever a foreigner asks me where they should visit in the US, I'll always suggest Chicago.  While I love LA (and am willing to give NYC another try--I had the worst vacation of my life there in 1984), Chicago is by far the most quintessentially American of our nation's big cities.  Nowhere else can you see the best and worst of America so clearly on display.  I love their architecture, food, museums, and ethnic communities.

Some of you may have seen the TV show the Amazing Race.  In case you haven't, it is a race between 11 couples to go around the world and perform a variety of tasks in hopes of winning a million dollars. Some of these tasks involve finding something; others require the couples perform some physically grueling assignment.

I enjoy watching the show to see how people react when they travel under such exacting circumstance.  As the old Angolan proverb goes, "If you want to find out what a person is like, travel with him."

About halfway through the most recent series, a couple (who the show's producers called "the entrepreneurs"), Jonathan and Victoria, were disqualified to the delight of the viewing audience.  Jonathan never ceased to belittle and criticize his mate.  He boasted repeatedly about his prowess and kept telling Victoria that they weren't ahead because "they didn't work like a team."  Little did he know, that he was the reason for their dismise, not his wife.

His downfall came in Ethiopia.  The teams were charged with building homes in a small village near Lalibela (the country's most famous Christian church).  They had a choice of two tasks. One was covering a hut with something that looked like manure.  The other was to work with a group of locals to move a roof onto a house. Jonathan chose to plaster the house.  Jonathan chose to go it alone.

The teams who chose to work with the locals to move the roof were much faster than Jonathan.  The villagers, even though poor, were efficient workers and displayed a touching sense of grace and hospitality to the contestants.

At the end of each episode, the contestants who lose are asked what they learned from the process.  While most contestants are grateful for the opportunity to see the world and test their mettle, Jonathan said that this trip confirmed his belief that the world was a hard place.

His response has stuck in my craw for the past month since this episode aired.  Like Jonathan, many people believe that the world is hard and as a result act in ways that are painful to watch and ultimately violent and destructive.  The idea that the world is hard fosters an attitude that the only way to protect what they have is to "get someone, before they get you."  Instead of seeking help and cooperation, people like Jonathan become cold, calculating, and even emotionally abusive.

Thankfully most people aren't like Jonathan.  Even under the most dire circumstances, they try to find ways to make the world easier for each other.  Most people, regardless of nationality or background, are graceful, hospitable, and hopeful in the midst of chaos.

It is the fundamental good nature of people, regardless of their circumstances, that makes me hopeful for the world's future.  Watching repeated example of the kindness of strangers around the world is the best gift I've received from a life on the road.  It restores my faith in mankind.

Hopefully people like Jonathan will learn that world is ultimately not as hard as it is generous and merciful.  If so, the world will have a truly marvelous future.

Entry #8
How the Rest of the World Sees the USA

Many Americans assume that we are the world?s most generous, democratic, and sophisticated people and are surprised when they discover that the rest of the world does not always look at us that way.

It is important to remember that the US is the most powerful nation that the world has ever known.  We are a very reluctant empire.  We don?t know how to deal with our own power and as a result we send a real mixed message both to ourselves and the rest of the world.  On one hand, we are generous and democratic; on the other hand, we meddle in the affairs of other countries and support cruel dictatorships.  We profess our allegiance to individual economic freedom, yet our economic policies can make it hard for foreign companies to sell goods on our soil.

Stereotypes of America (and Americans) reflect these mixed messages.  Some are kind and some are negative. Yet, like many stereotypes, they contain a grain of truth.  Here are some of the stereotypes that I?ve encountered about Americans while traveling overseas. I think you should be prepared to understand that these stereotypes exist and to figure out how you?ll deal with these images. (Note: I believe that the best way to address these generalizations is to avoid criticizing other countries while you?re on foreign soil and to look at your adventure as if you are studying another way of life.)

? Loud: We dress (with large--almost phallic--cameras, Hawaiian shirts, and ill-fitting Bermuda shorts) and talk loudly. If we don?t think we are being understood rather than acknowledging that we are talking to someone who is learning English (in other words, slowing down, enunciating clearly, and using simpler terminology, free from idioms) we simply talk louder as if the locals are deaf.

? Generous: We leave good tips.  We care about the poor.  We are willing to put ourselves into wars (admittedly often misguidedly) in order to, as Woodrow Wilson so well expressed it, ?save the world for democracy.?  We give to other countries in the event of a serious disaster. (Note: on a per capita basis, the USA is one of the LEAST generous countries in the Western world. As the recent tsunami disaster showed, the Europeans and Japanese are almost always more generous than we are, particularly if you take into account that we are the third most populated country on Earth.)

•  Free: Our economic and political systems allow us to make our own decisions.  We care about preserving the rights of individuals in our own country.  This freedom enables the world to prosper if they immigrate or study on our shores.  (Note: most Americans assume that it is easy to immigrate to the USA.  The truth is that it is almost impossible for someone to immigrate here from Eastern Europe or the Third World unless they have family ties, including a marriage to a US citizen, or a very highly sought after skill.)
•  Overly friendly at first but cold and impersonal once you get to know us: Much of the planet is surprised at how willing we are talk to strangers and to even offer to put people up in our homes.  They are surprised that we often don?t act on our promises.  They also find that we are hard to get to know because we have short attention spans.  They also feel that our culture lacks any real flavor or style.  It doesn't have a lot of color.  Our foods are blend.  Our traditions are crass and commercial.
• Imperialistic and arrogant: Our companies and government are often believed to use the local people to their benefit without adding anything of value to the country. Most of the world does not understand how we can say that we are involved in Iraq for humanitarian reasons and yet we virtually ignore crises in Sudan, Liberia, and Ethiopia.  They suspect that our main reason for involvement is economic (oil) and political (domination of the Middle East).

American travelers are also known for openly holding the rest of the planet in contempt.  We are famous for reminding locals continuously that we are richer and smarter than they are.  We also are known for proselytizing the benefits of our way of life before we take anytime to learn about foreign cultures.

It is important to realize that over the past two decades, the world (partially in response to pressure from the World Bank and the US Government) has moved quite dramatically from a neo-socialist to a neo-liberal (meaning without governmental restrictions) trade and economic policy. In 1980 almost 60% of the world?s economy was controlled by governments or state-owned enterprises (semi-public, private companies that were partially run by government agencies, like Amtrak in the USA.)   In 2005, governments/ state owned enterprises control somewhere between 30% and 40% of the economy.  While this may help people in the long run, the demise of the state has caused massive economic heartache for much of the world.  Many people overseas welcome the opportunities to get rich that this economic liberalization has set into motion.  However, more people than not have become poorer than they were in the past.  (This is particularly true in Africa, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union).

• Unsophisticated: Many people are astonished how little the average American seems to know about the world. I have even heard foreigners complain that they know more about American history and culture than the average American.  Much of the world's elite are shocked by our poor manners and sloppy dress.  They don?t understand how rich people can look and act like paupers.
• Naive. Much of the planet faults us for believing that most people are innately good.  They believe that this is a naive perception.  (Note: I am glad that we are na?ve.  It means that most of the time people here treat each other well enough so that they can trust each other.  In my mind, the saddest change in the US in the past 20 or so years is that we are no longer as na?ve as we once were.)

All of these stereotypes have some truth in fact.  I have seen many Americans who conform to these stereotypes particularly overseas.  However, I've also meet some very intelligent, sophisticated, worldly, and sensitive Americans on the road and some really obnoxious non-American travelers on the road as well.

Entry #7

In order to keep my business from getting stale, I have recently redesigned my website, started a seminar series, and written several handbooks that contains a lot of useful information for travelers.  I want to build an audience of people who are dedicated to traveling like a local and to serve as a focal point for this community. I  hope that you like what you see. P lease let me know if you have any comments.

I recently went to a three day seminar in Las Vegas put on by Barbara Winter and Nick Williams about running an inspired business. Of all of the seminars that I have taken, their seminar was the most useful.  It helped me to see my business in a new light.  I now see that in many ways being an entrepreneur is a lot like being a college student.

The time I've spent researching travel and learning how to run a business is akin to getting an AA.  The first couple of years of running the business are like getting a BA or MA--you are just beginning to learning the ropes. Then, with time, you become more and more skilled and people begin to slowly seek out your services.  The only difference is that as an entrepreneur you control your educational program more.

Successfully traveling like a local and being an inspired entrepreneur are also very similar.  Everyday you learn new skills, become more and more comfortable in a new environment, connect with people you never knew before, and even have to deal with similar crap (like officious bureaucrats.)  You also have to commit yourself to always learning. While more traditional jobs (and travel experiences) require planning and education, eventually you reach a plateau where you stop learning a lot.  As an inspired entrepreneur or a traveler, there is always something or someplace new to explore.  The only real limit is your patience, desire, and imagination.

Entry #6
Political Lessons

One of the interesting things about traveling is talking to ordinary people in other countries about politics.  I generally do not state my opinions in these discussions.  However, I do ask locals about their opinions. During my travels, I have discovered several surprising perspectives on politics.  Here are a couple:

When I was in Egypt in 1984, no Egyptian had anything positive to say about Anwar Sadat.  Many people felt that he sold the country out to US.  Moreover, I heard many complaints about his extreme efforts to squash opposition (including ordering arrests of people anytime when there were more than five people gathered together to talk).

In Russia in 1994 people frequently complained that the former Soviet republics received much more from the former Soviet Union than Russia did.  (This may have some truth, the Baltic cities seemed to have better housing than Russia.)   I also heard people complain that the USSR gave a lot of aid to other countries and that the recipients did not seem to appreciate their assistance. (Americans often say that we give too much aid. Most Americans don't know that the US is not a particularly generous donor nation (on a per capita basis) compared to other developed nations.)  I also heard many heartbreaking stories about the way that Russians are treated now that they are a minority in many former Soviet republics.  While I don't know that I agree with these opinions, they have always given me food for thought and I am glad I had an opportunity to hear others' perspectives on these issues.

Entry #5
Travel Lesson

About two and a half years ago, I attended a class at the Learning Annex in San Francisco called "How to Find a Job Teaching English in Another Country".   The class was taught by a woman named Susan Cooper who taught English in China for four years.  Susan's class did not have a lot to do with the title.  Instead she taught about how to be a successful participant in the life of another country and a good teacher once you secured a job.

I sensed that many of the students were disappointed by Susan's approach; however, after having taught for a year in Russia, I quickly realized that she was giving the course that I wish I had taken before I went to Russia. Sometime during the course, she dropped what I now consider probably the most useful piece of wisdom for a traveler: Read as much as you can about a topic, then forget about what you read and just go with the flow.  You may ask, why bother to read if you are just going to forget it anyway?

My response: reading helps you to see what's going on around you better and provides some useful thoughts about how to approach a problem you may encounter.  However, ultimately, every journey is unique and if you slavishly expect to do exactly what anyone else says and get the same result that they did, then you're bound for disappointment.  Instead, you need to experiment with different ways to approach a problem until you find a solution that works just right for you.  Since that time, I have kept Susan's pearl of wisdom in mind constantly.  It has helped me to form my business, lose weight, and even become a better writer.

Entry #4
The Truth about Travel Safety

Everyday, I hear Americans say that they are more frightened to travel than in the past because the world does not like Americans.  While it is true that many people don't like Americans, I don't understand why my fellow countrymen are suddenly more frightened by this than in the past.  Until 15 years ago, we were engaged in a daily war of words with the Soviet Union that several times escalated to a deadly point.  The majority of the world was ruled by antagonistic dictatorships.  Now, the Soviet Union's threat is diminished and considerably more of the world is run by capitalist based democracies.  I feel safer every night than I did before.

To me, the biggest threat to my security is not terrorism.  Instead, it is the fact that the world's ruling elite does not seem to care that the overall economic quality of life of many people throughout the world is declining and the world is becoming even more economically polarized.  (On the positive side people are not accepting this idea lying down.  More and more grassroots organization are working throughout the world to create a more level playing field.  I hope governments and companies pay more heed to these sentiments in the future.)  In traveling around the world, I actually hear less vehemently anti-American comments than I did in the past.  The anti-American sentiments that I've heard haven't changed much in the last twenty years. America is seen as a two-faced bully who extols the values of the American dream while ignoring the needs and rights of other people.

The anti-American contingent has a definite point.  We have often acted arrogantly and the American dream is not always the best way of life for all people.  One size doesn't fit all.  The US is--like it or not--the most powerful empire that the world has probably ever seen.  Like all empires throughout history, we sometimes act in deplorable ways that legitimately enflame other people.

Yet, even when I am talking to virulently anti-American people, I have never been treated in any way that indicates that someone hates me simply because I am from the USA.  Most people throughout the world treat Americans kindly and respectfully, if they are treated likewise.  They recognize that individual Americans are exactly that--individuals.  Some Americans are unlikable.  (Americans are stereotyped as obnoxious and loud throughout the world).  Others are likable.  (Generosity and kindness are also typical American stereotypes). Armed with this knowledge, they treat people like they perceive that they are being treated.  It is as simple as that.

Entry #3
Terrorism

While it is human nature to be scared of terrorist attacks, avoiding places that were recently plagued by terrorism does not make much sense.  Since terrorists operate on an element of surprise against vulnerable targets, it is extremely rare (the World Trade Center, is admittedly a notable exception) that terrorists attack in the same place twice.

Why would they?  There are hundreds of vulnerable places throughout the earth.  Once you?ve attacked some place, governments, even in the third world, will pour resources and manpower into filling in loopholes that allowed these attacks to happen in the first place. Wouldn?t it make more sense to go after a target that is relatively poorly defended rather than attack a place that has become somewhat like an armed fortress?  Not only are places that suffered terrorist attacks generally safe, they also make good places to visit. The reasons:

1) you can be guaranteed that there will be a heavy police presence which will help reduce the likelihood of petty crimes as well as terrorism;
2) local people are very appreciative of tourists who are brave enough to go to these destinations;
3) the costs of tourist services are dramatically reduced after an attack; and
4) visiting these places is a potent way of standing up to terrorism and showing support for beleaguered parts of the world.

Entry #2
On Travel Writing

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend several days with travel writers, editors, and professionals at a travel writing conference at the Book Passage in Corte Madera, California.  I would highly recommend that anyone interested in learning the ins and outs of the travel writing business attend this conference.  It is a rare opportunity to meet some of the most respected people in the industry.  This is the second time I attended this conference (the first time in 2002).

I admire the people in the profession.  Most are extremely skilled writers and excellent researchers.  While I think that travel writers as a whole are honorable, I wish travel publications were a little less geared toward wealthy travelers with more money than time.  They inadvertently promote the image that travel is expensive and inaccessible to most people.  Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.  Almost anyone can travel as much as they want if they are flexible, creative, and willing to occasionally be a bit uncomfortable.

Entry #1
Americans Going Abroad

I was extremely happy to read a recent Los Angeles Times report (July 4, 2004) that foreign travel is nearly back to its pre 9/11 traffic.  Yet, I wish that even more people were going abroad.  Only 25% of Americans have a passport and fewer than a 1/3rd of Americans have left the country (except to visit Canada).  We need to show the world that we are interested in their ways of life rather than confining ourselves to our own border, especially in this turbulent age.

I think safety has a lot to do with our collective reluctance to see the world.  Yet, it shouldn't.  Several studies have attempted to determine if Americans are more likely to become victims of crime when they travel abroad. While none of the studies are terribly conclusive, it does appear--in light of America's somewhat higher than average murder rate--that Americans may be safer traveling abroad than staying at home. I think the US government should work harder to find out how safe we are abroad and to report actual statistics to its citizens. It seems strange to me that we have never tried to determine if our citizens are at any more risk of dying abroad than at home.  (PS: The only country to ever study this question was Canada. Their findings: 70% of all Canadians who died abroad were victims of cancer, high blood pressure, and stroke.  Guess what percentage of Canadian died of these same diseases?  You guessed it: 70%).

Here is a picture of me (Paul Heller), the editor of this blog.  The map in the background is a Peter's projection map. Traditional maps are Euro-centric.  Greenland appears larger than Africa, even though Greenland is about 7% of the size of Africa in real life.  The Peter's projection attempts to correct this discrepancy.  Want to learn more?