Apologies for posting this week’s Pull up a Seat late. I am overseas without regular internet access…and somehow the computer and I were not in agreement about what I meant when I said “schedule”.
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2019-Week 17
A PHOTO CHALLENGE OF PLACES WE SIT…OR MIGHT SIT…OR ART ABOUT SITTING
Welcome to week 17 of the Pull up a Seat Challenge in 2019. Take a load off and share a favorite perch by linking your post to this one, either with a comment or ping-back. For more detailed directions go to Pull Up a Seat page.
Thank you to everyone who participated this week. It is always fun to see the variety of ideas.
Continue reading Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2019-Week 17
Xenophobe…or xenophile?
These are two sides of one coin: the idea that the stranger is different and needs to be judged.
It is not a new idea: Many myths and ancient stories are based on the stranger. Throughout history societies have struggled with the question “what do we do about this person who is not one of us?” Current events clearly show that we still haven’t figured out a solution.
When we travel, we are ambassadors, not just for our little corner of the world. We are ambassadors for the stranger, for travelers everywhere. That extends to when we return home.
Continue reading Xenophobe…or xenophile?
Walking sticks
One thing I always bring along when I travel is a walking stick (mine is also a monopod for my camera.
I used to be too proud to use a walking stick, but that was a very long time ago. I had a bout of plantar fascistic almost 20 years ago. I got that fixed up but while my feet were hurting I started bringing along a walking stick.
It is very useful for things like crossing streams, climbing up and down slopes, area with uneven ground and the sometimes infinite, usually uneven and sometimes very tall stairs at temples and other monuments.
It is also useful for photography. I learned that using a monopod and setting ISO to 400 on my little Canon A510 camera allowed me to take nice night photos in many circumstances by experimentation at the Mantoro (Lantern Festival) we happened onto visiting Nara, Japan one August. Since then I’ve never traveled without a walking stick, even if I don’t always use it I always want it available.
Value
It is easy to get overly enthusiastic about optimization, whether it is saving money, weight, suitcase space and so on. But the most important thing is using resources wisely to maximize enjoyment and benefits.
Hotel Extras
Sometimes the extras included make it worth spending more.
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Umbrella
These days I nearly always keep a small umbrella with me. This wasn’t always so.
I live in Seattle, sometimes called “rain city”. But we don’t tend to use umbrellas much. I’m not sure why that is, maybe it’s just cultural or maybe it is the nature of our rain: it isn’t usually exceptionally heavy and often is just very wet air that seems to come at you from all directions…or if it is heavy it is often combined with wind that makes an umbrella more of a nuisance than a help.
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Themes
Maybe I’m a nerd…okay, no maybe about it, but I like to learn about stuff, and find it interesting to plan my travel to include some understanding of the geography, natural science, history and culture of the places I visit.
I am a big fan of being where you are and going with that, but with so many things to see and do one can’t do it all. One way to winnow down the choices is to focus on a theme for selecting them.
While I don’t do it all, or even most, of the time. A theme gives a trip focus. I have never gone whole hog and only done theme related activities, if there was something in the area I wanted to see I always added it in. None-the-less a theme (beyond eating Ice Cream) can enrich a holiday.
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Spiral Exploration
The main way that I get to know a new place is to walk. I walk in a spiral pattern, which helps me to not lose track of where I am staying and get a feel for what the surrounding area is like.
As I walk in the spiral pattern I make a point of photographing the names of streets. This is exceptionally useful if you might need to give a taxi directions. You can show the driver the photos of the street signs, which can be helpful. In the are near my son’s last school there was wei xian lu (pronounced way-shian-lu) and huixian lu (pronounced h-way-shian-lu).
It is surprising how well you can get a handle on what an area has to offer with two spiral walks: one starting out to the left and the other to the right. You learn where you can buy basics like water and fruits and what restaurants are available.
Do you have a method for getting to know a new area?
Realistic Planning
You can’t see and do everything in a short period of time. My preference is for quality over quantity. Which is fortunate since I am not a high energy particle.
I touched a little on this idea when I talked about planning around having jet lag.
A few things that I have learnt to plan for:
- Travel time from place to place.
- To add time beyond the minimum recommended to see things, because I process more slowly and like to take photographs.
- Realistic levels of physical activity. I can hike 13 miles on fairly even ground (I did it last June on our Hadrian’s wall walk), but on steep or choppy terrain that goes down to 9 or 10. High altitude affects that as well. Lately I have taken a couple of falls, and had some bad back days, and that has made me aware that I am smart to go places where there is an alternative activity if I am not up to hiking.
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2019-Week 16
A PHOTO CHALLENGE OF PLACES WE SIT…OR MIGHT SIT…OR ART ABOUT SITTING
Welcome to week 16 of the Pull up a Seat Challenge in 2019. Take a load off and share a favorite perch by linking your post to this one, either with a comment or ping-back. For more detailed directions go to Pull Up a Seat page.
Thank you to everyone who participated this week. It is always fun to see the variety of ideas.
Continue reading Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2019-Week 16