Impressions One Year Out

I spoke with my father on the phone the other day. We chatted about life and shared stories. He asked what I've been most surprised by during my journeys, and after thinking about it, this is what I came up with:

1) People Are Friendly.
- No matter where we've been, we've found extraordinarily interesting, courteous, and helpful people. Recently, for example, we met Chandrshakarkrishna (CK) who was working on Danga Bay's wifi network. The next morning, he came by with his wife and son, took us to breakfast, and dropped us off at the terminal to Singapore. It's much harder to find a dishonest person than it is to make a new friend.

2) Pictures Make The World Look Exotic.
- Before leaving on this trip, I pictured the remote and exotic scenery I would encounter. Maybe it's because the transition between countries and cultures is gradual, but looking around, nothing seems out of place to me. Looking through old photos the other day, even recent shots taken in Indonesia look more exotic than I remember them.

3) Bureaucracy Restricts Humanity.
- Many business management books talk about following your 'moral compass' when making decisions. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that "Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles." It is without a doubt that society requires rules to function, but in so many parts of the world, rules are ill-founded and do more harm than good. India has stifling visa requirements and as a result, we have re-routed our journey. Although India's immigration restrictions are designed to prevent terrorism, they only serve to make it more costly and difficult to visit. Policy and rules need to be enabling; they must allow people to rely on their moral compass and principles to make good decisions.


But the one thing I am continually learning above all, is that the world is an interesting place.

Read more »

Avoiding the Embrace of Mediocrity

There are certain types of books that I'm drawn to more than others. While I tend to give romance novels a pass, I do enjoy reading non-fiction books on current events, history, or people. I find that I also have a particular interest in stories about professional cycling and its riders. I recently picked up a book which covers the 2005 Tour de France entitled "Chasing Lance" by Martin Dugard. At the bottom of page 123, I found this quote:

"You rolled yourselves into a ball in your genteel security, in routine, raising a modest rampart against the winds and tides and stars. Nobody grasped you by the shoulders while there was still time. Now the clay of which you were shaped has dried and hardened, and naught will you ever awaken the sleeping musician, the poet, the astronomer that possibly inhabited you in the beginning."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The author uses the quote to describe why he thinks society admires people that have achieved greatness (like Lance Armstrong). Every human being has the potential to be great, but sometimes people find comfort in accepting simple mediocrity. However, by doing so, an individual's potential is limited, and unfortunately it is often self-limiting.

Professional cyclists like Lance Armstrong push themselves to extraordinary limits, both physically and mentally. When they achieve greatness, the effort exerted to do so is clearly visible. Perhaps by watching someone else push their limits, we are inspired to do likewise and break through Saint-Exupery's clay mold of mediocrity.

I've never met Lance Armstrong, but I've been lucky enough to meet a number of other inspirational people recently. From world travelers, to a young Malayasian man that started his own business, to cruisers raising families on sailboats, there are many people out here that have achieved greatness in their own way. What common trait have they all shared? They're bold; and although mediocrity may have been easily attainable, they were all driven to accomplish more.

Saint-Exupery's quote is a bit negative, and his allusion to hardened clay doesn't necessarily inspire hope. But don't forget, clay breaks easily - especially on a boat at sea.

Read more »

Traveling the World by Land

Two days ago, I got an e-mail from my mom telling me that a good friend from Poland is in Kuala Lumpur. I sent him an e-mail suggesting that we meet up, and received the following response:

"Hi Adam,

Sounds good! Actually I am in Malacca now, on my way to Singapore and probably Indonesia later. I'll go to Johor Bahru tomorrow morning and will give you a call. Where can I find you?

-Witek"

I gave Witek info on how to find the boat, and sure enough, the next afternoon he was standing on the dock.

Witek has been traveling for the past two months. Like me, he recently finished grad school and set aside some personal time to go see the world. Two months ago, however, he embarked on a very different journey.

Witek left Poland on a flight to Finland, traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, took a train across Siberia, crossed Mongolia, traveled south through China, hopped on a plane from Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur, and now he's in Singapore planning his next move (most likely on a plane to Indonesia). He has one more month of travel planned, and he's trying to decide how to fit Borneo, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos into his itinerary.

We sat and swapped stories from our respective journeys, and I think we both felt a little jealous of the other.
He carries nothing but a school-size backpack, travels by train and bus, and stays at hostels and cheap hotels. He said the only difficulty he encounters is finding good internet cafes; transportation has been very good and there are always hostels close to train and bus terminals.

Although the EYE of the World crew is seeing the world by sea, Witek is a prime example of another great way to travel.


Classroom Exercise:
Take a world map and trace out Witek's route. How does it compare to the EYE of the World route?



PS: We sent the above photo to both of our mothers.

Read more »