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.

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...

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 ...

[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...

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...