Landlore: Alternative Travel Lifestyles

Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world. ~ Joseph Campbell

I am a pasty white gringo. I have two shades: pale and strawberry. When traveling in the Middle East and Central America, you can see the sun shining off 'o me from a mile away. I stick out. I get asked all the time: "Are you American?" I muster my best offended tone of voice, then ask in their language: "Are you callin' me white!?" Americans have a bad reputation abroad... and we've earned it. My humorous approach to what could become a hostile situation has made me some of the best friends I've come across in this life. Racism and oppression come in many forms... and it is the traveler who has the opportunity to crack those close-minded ideals right back open. We meet so many people... often across many diverse lands... 'n that gives us far more opportunities than most peeps to challenge racist assumptions wherever we're traveling. Hurly over on Thumbs Up Canada is doing just that. He was recently featured on The Martlet by Kristi Si...

"Portal" by Kantiki Otterberg, Deutschland is a city built with rust, moss, shadow and stone. When the mortar begins to fail, they scrape off the rust and moss and layer on more stone and mortar. If the foundation weakens, they fill up the entire bottom level of the house and wall up the door (see above). Then the moss creeps back in... and then the rust. The moss is everywhere. It's not a question of what is and is not green, but what shade of green is it? Before I found Otterberg, I thought cities with such ancient character were a thing of the past. But Otterberg has embraced its past. You can read more than a hundred years simply by staring at a wall in Otterberg. The family that took us in when we landed in Otterberg would go on walks with us... sometimes in the woods... other times in the city. What history was left out by the architecture was filled in while walking the streets in conversation. Christian -- the father of the family and a landscaper by trade -- ...

Installing the "Life Is Travel" Widget (estimated setup time < 3min) Kicking off the first entry in the "Better Blogging" series. I want to help other travelers get the most out of their blogs (Facebook likes, organization, etc.). Of course, Other bloggers are free to peek in as well. The first is this widget. It auto-adjusts to fit into almost any sidebar or even a footer, then links to the Wayfaring Bloggers page. The same code that put the widget at the bottom of my sidebar put the widget at the end of this blog entry. Installing the widget is EASY! Choose your blogging platform : • How to Install the Widget on Blogger • How to Install the Widget on Wordpress • How to Install the Widget on a Different Platform How to Install the Widget on Blogger 1. Copy this code: <div style="margin: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center; border: 0; border-top: 2px #000 solid; border-bottom: #000 1px solid;" id="l2ttopdiv"><a style="m...

"New Mexican Brave" by Kantiki [ here on GoogleMaps ] [ non-mod on Panoramio ] Sadly, I didn't survive my first meeting with the native tribes of America. Shortly after pulling out my trusty soul-stealer, the warrior (above) reared back, knocked an arrow and introduced a new opening into my chest. You know... so that I could breath better. Good peep! Now... that's not what really happened... but it's how I like to remember it. For those who don't know, Santa Fe is one of the richest cultural hubs in all the South-West. They have so many art galleries and museums that they've set aside an entire hill for even more museums. This is one of two towering statues at the very top of that hill. A single day spent on Museum Hill isn't enough to take in all the tribal folk art, native legends and rich heritage. But... in that same day... one can wander down from Museum Hill to the capitol and read the names of every tribe that once was... once lived and ma...

This is an incredibly beautiful photo with no small touch of surrealism. As this site will become at least partially commercial, I've removed this piece of art from the site. Don't miss a chance to check out the original [ Here on deviantART ].