Lonely Planet + New Discoveries

This morning, around 5:30, I got around to purchasing my birthday gift from my mom: Lonely Planet books. I bought Ireland, England, Scotland, and France in preparation for my summer excursions. In addition, I threw in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia in my cart, because I'll be needing those in the summer of 2010. Not only did Lonely Planet help me tremendously in South America, but the book taught me so much. I would never have thought of waking up around 3:30 am in order to see Machu Picchu at sunrise. Little suggestions and helpful reminders here and there made my Peru experience so much more epic. Literally every word I read I found to be accurate; the writers know what they're talking about. Thanks Lonely Planet!

In other news, I'm a huge fan of Collegehumor, and I just recently got around to reading all of their blogs. Not only are they hilarious, but incredibly interesting. I love the entire cast, but my favorite blog has to be Sam Reich's. I have no idea why, but he fascinates me. On it, I discovered several other epic blogs and this really good song.

Cusco

Cusco is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to. I love the cobblestone roads and ancient churches. At every twist and turn, there was something eye-catching or thought-provoking. After only a month in Peru, I've learned a shitload about the Incas - probably more than anyone should know.

The people were also a unique bunch; I'm tall, blonde, and white, which sometimes resulted in some unwanted attention. I was walking down a street once, and I was approaching a man who was staring at me really creepily. As I pass him, he says in broken english: "You're my kind!". I ignored it and kind of sped-walked away. I was really creeped out at first, but now I find it hilarious, considering that would never happen to me in the US. Other than that, the people were so diverse and interesting, I resolved I need to live in a spanish speaking country after college in order to become fluent. I also found it funny how little girls would walk around Cusco dressed in traditional Peruvian attire, often accompanied by a baby llama. Tourists, including myself, absolutely ate up this special photo-op, while the girls got some money out of it. While I commend their adaptive brilliance, my mom and I would constantly run out of cash.

I love the Peruvian culture.

Marrakech

Whether it's an abstract turban by Ralph Lauren or a flowy silk jumpsuit by Max Mara, the colorful convention of North African attire is an interesting theme in S/S 2009 season. I've always been fascinated with Saharan culture in general, so the fact that it inspired European and American luxury brands is intriguing. I can't wait to visit Morocco - heard it's a tough trip for blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls such as myself. Whatevs. I'll deal.

Sketchy

I don't normally have any problems with flying. I've accepted the fact that in order to get from A to B, I need to suck up any fear of planes. I have trained myself to do so in order to pursue my travels. However, it seems like it's like plane-fail season. I have heard of at least four different crashes in the last few months, the most recent one in Montana where 17 people died in a plane that crashed in a cemetary. 0_0 I realize that the chances of crashing are still small, but everytime I step on a plane, there's always that "what if?" The infamous Hudson crash, the Buffalo crash, and there was an accident in Turkey (because airlines in eurasian countrys are sooo reliable) are all recent debacles, all happening with months of each other. The show Lost isn't helping any insecurities either. Yay for sleeping pills!

I Won't Be Stopped

Despite the crumbling economy, I deem all expenses designated towards traveling completely appropriate. I recently purchased round-trip tickets to Greece for the end of May, tickets which cost about $450. The notion that this mind-boggling price can actually exist was confirmed after I found $250 tickets to Dublin for the end of June. And then, my friend told me of $700 tickets to Hong Kong. What the hell?? If only these price reductions would last. This recession might be the best time to travel for those seeking a bargain. With people concerned with finances all over the world, demand in traveling is low, therefore prices are low. Major airlines like Continental, American, Lufthansa and Alitalia have slashed their prices on travel from Newark airport in New Jersey to Europe for travel in late March to early April. Recently, round-trip tickets to Arizona and Italy both cost under $400. With the international economy in danger of bankruptcy (ahem, Iceland), the travel industry needs to scrape some profit in, no matter how small. If that means slashing prices, I'm not gonna complain. So, considering this global crisis, I'm going to travel my ass off. I'm off to Greece at the end of May, Ireland, Scotland, England in the end of June and early July, Paris in mid July, and Poland until mid August. Awesome.

Inspiration

I've always wanted a blog. With everything online these days, it seemed like a fitting choice. Now all I need to do is to write interesting things and persuade people to read them...