Aimee’s World Tour

It just hit me.TWO YEARS AGO TODAY I LEFT BANGKOK (technically yesterday on Thai time).After a long stint abroad, it was time to turn emails back into family and friends.I haven’t been entirely at peace with being back, everything “temporary” in spirit. I’ve been told to “grow up” but I know I’m growing as a person.For several months now I have been dreading the two year anniversary. What did I have to show for my time in the States?I’ve realized I need to let go of this “deadline”.I’ve learned things, met new friends, overcame fears, spent time with my people, and even ran a half marathon and taught a core class!Plus I’m down at least 27 lbs!The most amazing bit is that I am always able to “travel back”.I go to China, Korea, & Europe in the blink of an eye.I know I will travel again but I don’t need it hanging over my head.I have some things to do first.And it’s important to live for the now.Thank you for sharing in this moment, turning it into a positive.

THE HAPPY DRAGON, Beijing, China
happydragonhostel.com
Probably THE most amazing hostel I’d EVER experienced.
I cannot say enough good things about this place.

CHENGDU MIX-IT, Chengdu, China
mixhostel.com

BAMBOO GUEST HOUSE, Yangshuo, China

PEGASUS HOSTEL BERLIN, Berlin, Germany
www.pegasushostel.de

LYON YOUTH HOSTEL, Lyon, France

PARIS YOUTH HOSTEL, Paris, France

The ‘Just In Case’ Hostel Packing Checklist:

In addition to the obvious traveling necessities, there are certain items that will put you at ease should you have a rowdy room or a hostel that is a little lacking. Remember a hostel in Europe may tend to have more amenities than one in Asia or Africa but not necessarily. Take into account the country, culture, locale, and price. Better to be safe than, well, sorry.

Ear plugs
– you’re going to want to trust me on this one
iPod with headphones
– music can block conversation and the shuffle of people coming and going
Sleeping blindfold
– should you care for an afternoon nap or simply block out the light being switched on and off
Toilet paper/tissues/wet wipes
– some areas will not provide TP and wipes are great for, uh, refreshing
Adapter/converter
– you don’t want to blow out your laptop or camera with the wrong voltage!
HI or Hostelling International Member Card
– required for youth hostels of which there are over 4000 world-wide
– they can be purchased for approximately 7 US dollars at the hostel
– check out hihostels.com
Passport
– you’re going to need it to check in anywhere
– you may want to consider a second form of ID should a situation arise
Bottled water
– in case the area is akin to Mexico
One pillowcase
– for those of you who are afraid to share. Can also double as a laundry bag.
A lock for your backpack!
– yes, lock it up!
Money converted from US dollars
-Don’t keep it all in one big wad.
-Stash it in a few inconspicuous parts of your luggage. Get creative. But don’t forget where you put it!
Credit card
– it is important to have an alternative to straight-up cash
– ATMs will despense money from your account in the appropriate currency
Flip flops for the shower
– a lot of feet have been there before you…
Flashlight
– should you be arriving in the middle of the night, wish to read in bed or find your way around in the
dark
Washcloth or quick-drying towels
– some hostels don’t include/rent towels so pack a light alternative
-if you neglect to plan ahead, you can use t-shirt like I had to. Plan ahead!!!
Toiletries
– this is a hostel sweetheart
– biodegradable soap isnt a bad idea. It breaks down over time and can be used for washing your
body, clothes AND dishes
– hand sanitizer ( if you believe in its powers)
Snack
– hostels usually have food for sale or are located in close proximity
Pocket utensils
– for those of you in a bind not wanting to eat pudding with your fingers.

In the event that you forget something or choose to go without in favor of a lighter pack, your fellow travelers are usually more than happy to help you out, usually being the operative word. I borrowed a blow dryer, shampoo, and even used someone’s laptop.

People tend to fear the unknown. And for many unseasoned travelers the unknown is the hostel.
The hotel. The motel. Even the campground. These are familiar.
But the hostel? What’s a hostel? Is that, like, European?

People tend to resort to popular culture for life’s answers. Apparently the 2005 horror film Hostel has the final say in the matter. Hostels are where you go to die. There you have it. Hostels are the devil.

I may be the first to say this, wink wink, but kids, you can’t believe everything you see on TV.

Hostels aren’t actually hostile afterall. In fact they are typically quite friendly. These lodgings welcome backpackers and tourists from all over the globe. For a fraction of the cost of a hotel, hostels make travel affordable. Longer stays. Further travel. Or just a thicker wallet.

But hostels are more than just a cheap room. Rather, they are an experience.

Its the people you meet. Eating breakfast. Sleeping on the bunk below you. Renting bikes. Mapping out your day. Borrowing toilet paper. Even if it’s just smiling at the same people, you feel part of something larger than yourself. You may even find yourself enjoying a lazy day lounging around to catch up with some of your new friends. Or maybe you’ve made plans to further your travel together.

The impact of a hostel-stay can be life-changing. Inspiring. Adventuresome. Emotional. Unforgettable.

It is important to understand, however, that not all hostels are created equally. Are you staying in the heart of Paris or on the outskirts of a village in China? Is your hostel widely popular with party-goers or do quiet hours apply? What kind of accomodations are available? Rooms can be same-sex or co-ed, and have as few as one or two beds and upwards of 24. In some instances bedding and towels may not be included in the cost. Expect a very modest bunk and be prepared to share a bathroom whether it be with your roommates or the entire floor.

Not to panic. You can find out most everything you need to know about your hostel in advance including the atmosphere and the type of traveler it attracts. Hostelworld.com, hostels.com and hostelbooking.com are great options for finding and booking your hostel. Read the reviews. Email the hostel. Ask questions.

For good measure, Part II includes a check-list! Plus you have my segments on pre-booking your hostel and personal hostel recommendations coming up!

It’s November 2011. Sitting on the couch of my apartment in northern New Jersey, I am frustrated. My job is anything but lucrative. I’m wondering. Trying to be patient.
And of course find myself thinking of days of old. Not even old. Days of travel… the people and places.

I’m amazed that I’ve been in Jersey for a year, 2 months and 3 days. And I’m sad. Sad that my life is like molasses.

I decide that I really should go for the golden coast. Maybe next fall? Teach a bootcamp down under for 6 months. But how could I even afford the ticket over there? I hardly have enough extra cash to fill my gas tank.

For one horrible moment I think… well there’s always Korea. I mean really, I’m sure if I wanted to I could be back there by the end of the month. Save up some money. A cake walk. Only the cake doesn’t always taste so great over there. But that was just one horrible moment in which money took precedence.

I’m in jersey through Aug. 1st and I’ve realized I have to make the very best of each day here. Work out hard. Eat healthy. Try to get as many personal training clients as possible and spend time with my New Jerseyans.

Luckily for me I can always travel back to the places I’ve visitied through pictures, videos, memories and chats with my travel companions. Luckily.

Little things take me across the world. Hand soap for instance.

The other day I was washing my hands in my friend’s bathroom. The soap was Japanese Cherry blossom. Quite honestly before venturing abroad maybe I knew cherry trees had blossoms and maybe I didn’t. I just knew George Washington wasn’t Japanese.

In any case, my mind was tranported to springtime in Korea – you just can’t miss the cherry blossoms. They are gorgeous. There are festivals and whatnot. In fact people travel from all over to Korea, and likewise to Japan, just to see these beauties.

Then there are the little Japanese restaurants I run into whether it be on the streets of NYC or the strip malls of Jersey. “Osaka” and “Kyoto” are popular.

The first couple times my heart leaps with excitement at the sight of one of these establishments. The excitement has since subdued into a smug smile.

How many people getting take-out or sitting down for sushi know that Osaka is a Japanese city located right next to preserved Kyoto. That Kyoto is the only Japanese city not destoyed in World War II, boasting thousands of temples and examples of authentic Japanese architecture. 900 photos in four days gives you an idea of its magnificence. And my love for photography I guess. 😉

I may not have eaten at Osaka or Kyoto, but I’ve eaten IN Osaka and Kyoto. And that is quite satisfactory for me.

Moving on. Pandas. Do ya like pandas? You’ve seen them in the zoo or on Animal Planet? Maybe you’ve slapped a bumper sticker on your car?

The famed Panda reserve is located in Chengdu, China, where my South African travel companion Justine and I spent an interesting morning.

Back home I see signs for Chengdu eateries all the time, in much the same spots as Kyoto and Osaka establishments.

In reality, these cities are anything but close in proximity. Japan is an island for those of you in remedial geography whilst China is a giant chunk of mainland Asia. But Asian food is Asian food over here.

Chengdu is part of the Szechuan region of China, renowned for it spicy cuisine. But do American copies do the region justice?

Just how spicy is the real deal?

Justine and I experienced szechuan hot pot once upon a cold March night in 2010. It was a must on our CHinese bucket list.

We immediately lost all of our layers, sleeves rolled up, tissues a plenty. Our noses were running, and we were sweating, perspiration everywhere. My ear was hurting which is a strange reaction I must tolerate. I ordered an entire bottle of walnut milk. Maybe two. The milk was essentially the only substance that coated our mouths to stop the burning.

Had you observed the tables sat with native Chinese, you’d not think much of the experience as they did not bat an eye.

An experience as fiery in my mind as in my mouth, Szechuan hot pot is not to be forgotten.

My long saught-after dreams of being home have come true. And have I long grown tired of what I’d wished.

Eight months back in the USA.

I swore I’d never live in Jersey again. In 2006 I moved to Scottsdale, AZ, and didn’t look back. Then it was Korea and Europe. And last stop Bangkok for a bootcamp that didn’t pan out for reasons not relevent right now.

Sometimes I can’t believe I left Bangkok behind. Like BANGKOK. THAILAND. Like WHAT was I thinking?

ANd yet, nostalgia aside, I made the best decision I could at the time. To come home.

So after EIGHT agonizing months I’ve managed to lose twenty pounds and pass my ACE personal trainer exam. I suppose I’ve accomplished two major goals. Only at a snail’s pace which takes a lot of pride and pleasure out of the accomplishment.

I find myself disgusted with my limited progress and my procrastination. And with my lack of freedom. Home with my parents and no car is, for lack of a more perfect example, straight-up culture shock.

Determined to remain in NJ through most of 2012, my mind sometimes wanders out to CA and AZ. Even Australia. But most often to the adventures I’ve already had.

It blows my mind that I went from laying under yak blankets at the base of Mount Everest to living in the house I’d grown up in. And with no way of getting anywhere. Oh NJ Transit – have mercy!

I find myself reading my old blogs and thinking about how the grass is always greener. I hate that. Why can’t it just be green? Maybe one day it will be.

Some day- it never seems to arrive. 

For some day is never today.

But what if today is the some day of our yesterdays? 

And if all those yesterdays weren’t our some day, what’s to say all these tomorrows are any better? 

Is there such a perfect day? 

Our days are fast and fleeting. 

And yet we wait around for some day rather than seize the moments that present themselves here and now. 

I evny those for whom today is some day.

December 27, 2010

It was a cold December morning that I dug a heafty self-addressed envelope, posted from China, out of the back of my closet.  I put on my Spider snowpants that I’d purchased in the Beijing silk market along with my gloves.  Those gloves… they were my first purchase in China and I totally got ripped off.  Sheepishly I must admit it took me a few days to get over the swindle.

I then proceeded to the basement where I found my little blue sleeping bag and transformed it into the adidas jacket I’d lived in while visiting Tibet. 

There’d been a bit of snow the past 24 hours that one couldn’t help notice.  A blizzard in fact.  I wasn’t so much excited to get outside as I was to put on my Everest gear. 

I noticed a little bit of dirt on my pants and found myself wondering the name of the lake we’d stopped to photograph on the way back from base camp.   

And then there was the beaten sole of my hiking boots. The snow hadn’t started to seep in until well into shoveling that day.  Strangely it wasn’t an annoyance but a memory brought to life.  And I was happy. The hole in the bottom of my right boot brought me back to that night in Chengdu when Justine and I had it out with a couple of motorcycle drivers and as a result I melted my boot on the exhaust. 

It’s been just approximately 9 months since I returned home from China.  My passport, though thin and roughed up, shoved between my Lonely Planet navigators, sits grandly on my bookshelf  beside my beloved China journal.  Two of my best friends… I miss you. 

Somewhat immersed in the real world, back into the past of my home town, I have other obligations, responsibilites.  But I have not forgotten my promises to you.  To my stories.  

Dormant as I may be, I too shall spring forth again with the tales of hard working Tibetans and European vagabonds.  And then there are the tales I’ve yet to know.  For dormant is not by any means extinct.

Domestic Travel – What is it?

I fear that the thrill of flying from one side of the country to the other has lost a bit of it’s edge.  Five and a half hours to Arizona pales in comparison to  the 24-hour bus ride from Paris to Poznan that left my ankles swollen.   Two and a half day train rides in China have set the bar pretty high.

And while it’s a major relief NOT to have to go through immigration, there is something special about that stamp.  That hard to read stamp.  The stamp that surrenders letters and numbers to insufficient ink and unenthusiastic employees.  The stamp that can only be properly identified by you.  The stamp you earned.

I suppose it’s only natural to want something to show for your efforts.  But let’s face it – there’s not much effort into flying from Newark to Phoenix Sky Harbor.

After crossing so many borders, the traveling itself becomes near and dear to your heart.  Funny the things you start to miss.