I fast. Finally. I’ve been doing it for seven day straight. This is my first Ramadan fasting. But I’m not a Muslim and don’t believe in it. So what does this mean?
At first, I decided to do this only because it was one of the things I wanted to do in life, an item on my bucket list, nothing more. I was introduced to Ramadan in 2005 when I lived in Sarajevo. I landed in the country on the day of the Eid ul-Fitr, the festival celebrating the end of Ramadan. This country, the people and Muslim events forever has left a strong impression.
Recently I had a chat with my 22-year-old cousin about traveling and exploring the world. My cousin is of the same age as I was when I started developing this urge to see the world far beyond my front door. We are both immigrants from a developing country, and America was supposed to be that world. But after a while, even America gets a bit small. Like many 20-something Americans who followed the rite of passage from the New World to the Old World by taking a gap year backpacking around Europe or living in Europe for a year, I, too, wanted the same opportunities to explore Europe.
Depends…
Take it lightly; the jokes doesn’t mean to be culturally offensive.
Belgium: 14
1 Fleming + 1 Walloon to fix it. 1 interpreter to translate between Dutch and French. 10 to debate which language will be the printed in the manual guide. The King to intervene.
What does a backpacker do when he/she visits a country which has the highest GDP per capita? What does he/she do in a country known only for its gambling business boasting the casino for which to enter one has to dress like James Bond or his girls?
Easy. He/she stays in France, sleeps in French beds, and takes a 1-euro-fare bus to Monaco for a day trip.
Taking the 1-euro bus ride from the French Riviera to Monaco is a travel experience on its own. The bus takes you through some of the most beautiful coastline views in the world.
If you’re a backpacker, chances are you did or will do all of the above. You don’t have the kind of income that needs to be wired off to hide in Monaco’s treasury. You might gamble in the Grand Casino, but you might not stay in the hotel offered by them. Just because you entertained the idea of entering Monaco’s famous casino doesn’t mean you will do it. Instead, to save the entrance fee and the effort of dressing up, you decide that the second-class American casino next door will do justice.
Monte Carlo casino
The American casino
What else?
Very good stuff. Simple explanation for a highly complicated subject. I wish I watched this video before my trip to Iceland as I would have understood more my surrounding.
Even if you’re not fond of natural science (I’m not), you should still watch it if you plan a visit Iceland. Nature is a big part of Iceland. Chances are you’ll emerge in it during your entire time there. The earth, the volcanoes, and others will be your main experiences.
[slickr-flickr tag=”tj-iceland” captions=”on” descriptions=”on” type=”galeria”]
It’s a long time since I feel truly satisfied during my traveling. To remind those who don’t know what I’ve been doing at the moment, I’m currently trying to finish off Europe; that is to visit every official country in Europe. The first 5, great. The next 10, also cool. But after seeing 40 some countries, there wasn’t much to discover anymore. I felt I had seen and known it all: the similar architecture, food, people and even the routine at the airport.
1. Sight-seeing in Reykjavik, visit museums and galleries, people watching, sample Iceland seafood
2. Do the Golden Circle to Pingvellir National Park (Iceland’s most important historical site, world’s oldest parliament), Geysir (geyser field) and Gullfoss (the golden waterfall)
I usually don’t say this about men, but I’m in awe by the like of this man ;-). Ironically, it was my boyfriend who “introduced” us by showing me youtube videos of Bear Grylls and gushing about this guy.
Seeing these videos pumps me up a bit although there is no chance I’m going to attempt any of these survive tricks.
Update: Where is Iceland? I’ve just returned from the trip. See my mini Iceland travel guide for tips for your next trip to this country.
“There aren’t many places on the planet where u can walk behind waterfall, climb onto a glacier, explore a lava cave, marvel at an erupting volcano, sail among iceberg on a glacial lake, watch water erupting into the air from a geyser and scuba dive along the rift between 2 continental plates, all in one weekend” – Frommer travel guide
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
