Landlore: Alternative Travel Lifestyles

Villa by Leon Gao Lesson - Where is home? It's a simple enough question, but you may not know the answer until you've left it... or until it's left you. We have a compass built into our heart. We all do. It doesn't point North and it won't help us find buried treasure. It points home. Most people call this sensation "homesickness", and it will always tell you where your home is. A home doesn't need to a be a roof or a building. When I began hitchhiking in the summer of 2000, I didn't feel homesick. At the time, I'd never before felt the sensation. The first time I felt it was in 2004, and it was for a person who took her own life. Even in death, she will always be home. A home can be a place, or an event, as the next time I felt homesickness was when leaving Burning Man in 2005. This magic city that appears in the desert for only a week out of every year is "home" to so many amazing individuals... and it isn't just traditio...

" Regrets of the Dying " from Inspiration and Chai: Working with patients in their last weeks of life, Bronnie Ware collected the five most common regrets that they told her about. No matter whether a traveler or not, these are lessons to take to heart now... right now... and not look back on them on your death bed. I, myself, am at great risk of falling into #2... at least in my life over these last four years. Read the full article, as it goes into much more detail than this small list: 1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. 2. I wish I didn't work so hard. 3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. 4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. 5. I wish that I had let myself be happier. Sending thanks to my lovely Faerie for sending this to me... and to Lili for reminding me to "take it easy". Everyone could use this reminder.

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" ~ Jack Kerouac , "On the Road"

Sometimes, the gratitude we feel cannot properly be put into words. As the Japanese would say: "gongo dödan"... "words fail". Language is such a small thing when compared to the emotions that overwhelm the mind. This week's double-hitter focuses first on gratitude, and then on basic humanitarian lessons with humorous and heart-opening twists. Muchisima Gracias Con Un Beso Y Un Abrazo : This entry from The Mad To Live grabs "Thank You" by its tail and transforms it into the all-enveloping gratitude that can only come thru experience. This isn't the "Thank You" your mama taught ya, and it's worth the minute you'll spend reading it. All thanks 'n love to Mad To Live for this one. How To Treat Others: 5 Lessons From an Unknown Author : Five quick lessons that can change everything. I was expecting a quick scan thru the story, then found myself re-reading it and forwarding it to others. At the same time, I have to say that the ...

Lesson - Worldheart : As travelers, we spend a lot of time sharing stories, tips, lessons and a lot more... and almost always focusing on the positives. This is a good time to go over a lesson from the road that comes with both the bitter and the sweet. First, let's take the cookie cutter life as an example. You have a job--maybe you have two of 'em, and are still struggling to make ends meet. You have a family, a few friends... some coworkers you like... some coworkers you hate. Maybe you go to church or to temple... and you have neighbors (no matter whether or not you like them). The news comes in of revolutions in the Middle East, and now quakes tearing apart Japan. You care. You do. I see it in how actively people spread messages of how to help and by their actions. But these things are happening to "them". Maybe a few of you are glad it's not happening to "us". Travelers can't afford that luxury. After even a short time of exploring this pla...

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. ~ Matsuo Basho

This SXSW/ACL featured speakeasy focuses in on that all important liquid that has become the staple opiate of the masses--coffee. Epoch doesn't just serve up a mean cup o' bean juice, however. What really sets it apart is the fact that it doesn't close. That's right y'all, The Poch is a 24-hour affair... 'n there's even a night owl bus that will take you from downtown to Epoch at all hours of the night. For those who don't need to read any further, here's the info: Epoch Coffee , 221 W North Loop Blvd, Austin, TX 78751 ~ 512.454.3762 Epoch Coffee Online ~ Yelp Reviews ~ Google Maps Directions : By day, take the #1 bus [ schedule ] to North Loop and Lamar. There will be a light at the intersection with a Philips 66 gas station on the right. By night, take the #481 bus [ schedule ] to 51st and Lamar. There will be a light at the intersection with a 7-Eleven gas station on the right. The night owl adds two blocks to your walk, so walk up two blocks ...

If you've been in the city for any amount of time, someone's likely already mentioned Trudy's. The thing that sets Trudy's North Star apart is that it's the last bar in the city where you can smoke inside legally. You read that right. For smokers hitting up the city for SXSW or ACL, this is an irreplaceable find. There's a bar downstairs for non-smokers, then a separate bar upstairs for smokers... 'n they're open until 2am. While Cool River Cafe boasts a cigar and cognac bar (highly suggested), it is not easily accessible along the bus lines. Trudy's, on the other hand, is one bus ride away from downtown and is entirely an Austin experience. Here's the info: Trudy's North Star , 8820 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757 ~ 512.454.1474 Trudy's Online ~ Yelp Reviews ~ Google Maps Directions : If you take the bus, it's going to drop you off across the street from Trudy's. This is a fairly busy street. Don't get yourself "the squ...

I don't know how I got on the themed news sections, but we're going with it for a while. This one's a triple-hitter on travel safety, on the media, on what you can expect when you get there and what you can expect from others on your way out. If you haven't yet set foot outside your front door on an actual trip, then you may not have heard others tell you how much danger you're putting yourself in. Trust me, after ten years of hitchhiking, I've only had one camera stolen and I've been given a million stories and amazing experiences in trade for it. Here are three other articles that look into "safety" and what it means to the traveler. 8.2 Million Tourists' Heads Still Attached After Visiting Mexico : This is actually a classic from back in 2010, but I didn't hear about it until reading the follow-up article [ Here on BookLocker ]. Tim Leffel, fed up with the fearmongering in the media, wrote up both articles... then went a step farther w...

The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding outside. ~ Dag Hammarskjold

[Speakeasy] AZ, Sedona - Random Acts of Coffee : You can't be any more of a "hole in the wall" than actually holding shop thru a physical hole in a dammd wall... and, thru that hole was Sedona's Random Acts of Coffee. Well, there were also a few steps involved. Whatever. To say it was "The Sedona Underground" would be just another literal descriptor. You get the point. Sedona's beauty draws in so many tourists that it was hard to find where the authentic Sedonites sat back, lit up 'n drank with ease. I wouldn't've even found the place had it not been for another hitchhiker called Wild Spirit. I, in turn, took it upon myself to introduce the other travelers staying at the Sedona Hostel to the wonders of Random Acts of Coffee. It was one of those places that you wanted to tell everybody about... and, sadly, I've finally confirmed my worst suspicions. Random Acts of Coffee is gone. My brother Tristan and I were on a road trip to the Gr...

Two MUST READ articles for anyone traveling on a budget... that goes double for hitchhikers. The first is from Wade Shepard. He's traveled with family, has hitchhiked, and has otherwise blazed a path for others to learn from. As a hiker, his article " Free Travel " brings a smile to my face whenever I come across familiar territory... but he had a lot to teach me, as well. The second article focuses in on arbitrage, the ability to save expenses by changing your economic territory. The article " Geographic Arbitrage: Save Money by Leaving The Country " goes into popular areas that are cheap, into general expenses that can be cut (including tax suggestions), into long-term savings and more. I just read it a second time... 'n I'm taking notes. I'll be tuning into Get Rich Slowly more often. Fav phrase of the day: (Spanish) "Corazon Gitano"; "Gypsy Heart" (/w thx to Olivia again for the phrase of the day)

I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list. ~ Susan Sontag

In the Garden of Cosmic Speculation I love math. I know, I know... put down the tomatoes. Before you ditch it, check out the history of mathematics and artists like MC Escher. You may just find yourself addicted to numbers as well. Me, I was raised on the artists Escher, Dali 'n Giger. The three of 'em did a fine job of distorting any chance I had of turning out "normal". Them'z good peeps. As a numberjunkie, the Garden of Cosmic Speculation has always held a certain hypnotic draw for me. Sadly, with its location in Scotland, and with its limited availability to the public, I've decided to scribble it off my list for now... and to pass the experience onto you , my dear reader. Let these photos and words tempt you into the garden... and bring me back your experience. Blackhole As you can tell by the photos, this is no normal garden. Fractal landscapes twist and lead the wanderer from one meditative area to another. Statues and scapings of singularities (li...