Landlore: Alternative Travel Lifestyles

Pink Pirate Princess Graffit by Kantiki Resources - The Open Air Museum : The world is a canvas... and there's alotta peeps who don't like it this way. But they're not gonna stop all the street artists until spray paint's been banned. That ain't happenin' anytime soon. Until that day, and traveler can take a trip to the open air museum just by taking a wrong turn down the right alley. I've seen some pretty damned impressive art out on the streets, everything from random tagging, to wildstyle signatures, to full-wall murals, to Banksy-style political statements. Stencils like the one above are common these days, and it's likely you've seen this one before if you've spent any time touring the back alleys of the world. I took this particular shot in Amsterdam, just across the canal from the Reich Museum. For the record, I didn't even bother checking out the actual museum. Nothing against it for other peeps, but urban art's just more my ...

It's time to start building the list of travelers who'll be part of The Worldwide Teleporter Race and Scavenger Hunt . Yes, the tech could be ten or twenty years away, as science has been behind schedule on this one, but we're going to start the list now. Who are the racers? • christineletts • HostelsandTours • KatrinaMauro • GoSaraBeth • iTikiTweet ...and: • Olivia Demdem • Andromeda Ross • Pierced Hearts and True Love • Xoltan Maje What does the race entail? Once there are at least seven or twelve working teleporters in cities around the planet, the race will circumnavigate the globe a single time. The locations depend on what cities have the first working teleporters. Also, the race will be part scavenger hunt. Fun! To teleport to the next city, you'll need to find the item on your list. There's a 24-hour time limit, giving about two hours per city if there are a full 12 working teleporters at the time. Racers who want to ge...

A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for. ~ William Shedd

Story - Rock Like Ozzy : My brother Zero and I stopped and stood quietly for a moment after passing thru the border guard... now truly on American soil. They'd asked us what we'd been doing in Matamoros. With a shrug, we told 'em that we'd been out for a night's drinks and some writing... no hitchhiking... no drugs... and certainly no demons. Just drinking. They bought the story. Looking back towards Mexico, Zero said, "Well... that was Mexico." I smiled, saying, "If there's one thing we've left behind, we've taught their children how to rock like Ozzy!" I'd thrown up a fist, with index and pinkie fingers extended--The Horns. Zero met my horns with his, laughing, "Rock like Ozzy!" This was victory. And there's a damned good story behind all this silliness. Here's how I like to tell it... We'd found a bus stop in Coatzacoalcos de Mexico, one that edged up nicely against the railroad tracks. The trai...

Why You Need to Walk More: a Conversation with Context : If you haven't heard it enough times, they key to really getting to know a place is to immerse yourself with the ones who live there. Paul and Lani [with Context] add to this mix one o' my favorite special ingredients--walking. But the recipe isn't done, and you're gonna have to read the full article for the rest of it. The concept they've tried and tested is tempting as all hell and it actually works. Fav phrase lately, /w thx to Vernaye: (Korean) 행운 (phonetically: haeng-un) "Good Luck"

The rest of those who have gone before us cannot steady the unrest of those to follow. ~ Finding Forrester

Outhouse @ World's End by Kantiki also on: [ GoogleMaps ] [ Tumblr ] [ deviantART ] [ Facebook ] Story - Docking the Canyon, Pt 1, They call this a road : Boondocking means camping for free. The difference between "squatting" and "boondocking" is that the latter of the two is legal. If someone doesn't own the land, or if it's legally open to the public, then it's free to boondock. This includes primitive campgrounds like Toroweap in the Grand Canyon... and, lemme tell ya, some 'o these sites take "primitive" to a whole new level. The very name "boondocking" comes from the fact that most of this land is as far out into the boondocks as you can get. Toroweap, however, is easily the most impressive primitive camping ground that we've found to-date. Take the outhouse above for example. This crazy facility's literally been built on the very rim of the canyon. It has two rooms and it's been cleaned by park rangers...

She texted. We kicked her out. : Reason #7,202 to Love Austin : The standing "No A55H0L3$" policy. If a peep wants to make an ass outta themselves, they need to go to a national franchise where it's allowed. In Austin, our "Keep Austin Weird" culture owns too many stores, making weird versions of almost any chain you can imagine. A$$holez ain't allowed here, and it can border on violence when those worlds collide. The Alamo Drafthouse is Austin's weird version of a theater, and it's consistently listed as the top theater in the nation. This is an actual recording of a customer who got herself ejected from the theater for texting during the movie. That's right, chica, welcome to the pavement... and get outta Austin. Note : We also have signs in weird shops that state things like, "There is an additional $10 charge for being an a55h0le." There are also buttons on our registers to back these claims. All the tattoos and piercings you...

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within. ~ Lillian Smith

Toroweap Outlook by Kantiki Story - Docking the Canyon, Pt 2, It tastes like burning : Before getting flushed outta the Grand Canyon , my brother Skybreak and I ran into a different problem. We were running out of food and water. Now, we're pretty hardy survivors and we'd rationed for a few days... but the end was in sight. We decided to take one last hike in the canyon, then cook up an actual feast with our remaining rations. On our hike, I joked with Skybreak about the chipmunk that he'd been hallucinating for days. He would shout out, "Oh, there it is!" Then, when I went to look, he'd add, "Oh, no, it's gone." The Ghost Chipmunk had been a source of laughter for days. I was a little sad when I actually caught sight of the little bugger on our last day. It really was quick. As soon as it knew we'd spotted it, the Ghost Chipmunk darted back into the red rocks of the canyon. In the desert, your water consumption goes up by about four o...

The world is a great book, of which they that never stir from home read only a page. ~ Saint Augustine

[Excerpt from "Landlore, V1". Final writings may vary in the book.] Story - These are your knees; kneel : Zithel once made a life outta hiking around to various Phish concerts, hitting a rave or two along the way. His sister Lolo's still out hiking to this very day. Though under the awning of the house we were squatting at the time, the thick rain came down with so much force that it splashed up a mist that'd already soaked our legs. At the time, it was only Zithel and I, soaking wet and drinking up the pure energy of a rather violent Texas storm. With a gleam in his eyes, Zithel said, "I love storms." "Love... love! storms!" I affirmed. Zithel exhaled a long plume of smoke and sighed. That was all the agreement I needed... but I wasn't done. I'd hit upon the very connection that I'd been grasping for. "It's disasters! I love the Earth in turmoil... shaking, splashing, howling... roaring! ...as if to tell us she's st...

As it turns out, all my efforts to learn French have been unnecessary. I needed only a single word. If you want to learn French and/or want to go to France, then you need this word as well. Mad thanks to Lili, who's been trying to drill this word into me and who tipped me off to this excellent video: Learn French in One Word by The Observing Participant