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theemotionmachine

I have a really great vocabulary, I just don’t know how to pronounce half of it.

culturenlifestyle

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culturenlifestyle:

Abandoned Green Village in China

A once prosperous fishing village, this green village is completed deserted in present day China; nature has reclaimed its existing civilization. Located on Goqui Island at the mouth of Yangtze river, the mysterious village has been captured by an unknown Shanghai-based photographer. Each image details nature’s invasion: every house is covered by ivy and vine, which makes for a spectacular, majestic view.

marmarinou

BRC534 in bicentennial colors by J. Green Via Flickr: Bicentennial gathering near BRC’s Clearing yard. July 1975

The bus. Memories old & new. Look up.

Now that I have a car again, I had a large mental debate on whether or not I would take the bus to Boston. In the end, I decided to value my time and take the bus. I nearly missed my chance with all the mental debate that was going on. I am 250% happy that I choose to use shared/public transportation. The time in the car would have been stressful and not all that productive, I was able to use the bathroom without having to stop. I was able to do some work and email. I was able to plan out my afternoon. How much is nearly three hours of your time worth? I am glad that I put value on that time.

The second I stepped on to the bus, many memories came flooding back to me. Memories of the 10+ flights I took out of Boston in the last three years. It reminded me of past visits to friends and events in the Boston area. It also reminded me of the start of my month long adventure by rail. When I arrived at South Station, I went over to Starbucks to grab a coffee for the walk I was about to take. While standing in line, my eyes gravitated to the Amtrak departures/arrivals board. I had some clothes on my back, my chromebook, my smartphone, my license and a latte in hand. Seemed to me like I had all I needed to start the adventure again.

“Where to today?” This was something that I asked myself daily while traveling for my #30DaysByRail adventure. Looking over the board, it looked like a train to Chicago or Providence would be my choice for today... “Mike, here’s your latte!” Quickly I woke up from a lovely dream. It was time to continue on to my friends Mike & Carly’s birthday celebration on the seaport for some new memories with friends new and old.

Boston is a world city. It is thriving. It is a place that many, many people want to both live and work. The opportunity is great. The economy is strong. Business is strong. The environment is great(especially for young people). WIth all of the great things come challenges such as the high cost of living, highly competitive career opportunities across all sectors and etc. As you walk down to the seaport there are many high rise apartment and condos being built. They are on the pricey side. Either way, the high price and challenge make me look up and think that some day... Some day I will find a way to add enough value where I could comfortably live in a great place like this if I believe it is a fit for me.

#Travel #Bus #Train #WhereTo #WeekendWarrior #Boston #WorldCity #Goals #Seaport #Dreaming #DayDreaming #MyExtendedTravels

Another One?...

Yesterday a friend sent me a link to be highlighted in another article about my rail adventure. At first I was a little taken back by it. The main reasons being that I am not a celebrity, an immensely successful blogger, a social media guru with thousands upon thousands of followers or have an amazing story to tell... When I responded back, highlighting those points, his reponse was short: "I dont know, you have a great story!" Sometimes all it takes is for someone to pass on the fact that they believe in you and your story. You win, I will submit today and after submitting this, I am going to look at tickets for another upcoming adventure... Where shall I go next?

Weirdness turned planning for next adventure.

Each day my mind continues to wander torward travel. How can I do it again. Do I want to go for just a long weekend, another month long adventure or could I pull off a year or two? The goal of a cross country cycling trip keeps resurfacing as July comes closer. The love of the soreness from cycling everyday is back. It is clear and apparent. The soreness is like a shot of adrenaline. But what about before July. What about after July. It hasnt even been a week and I already have the itch. The itch to travel. The itch to be around young people. The itch to be out of my comfort zone. The itch to be challenged. The itch to problem solve. The itch for something different. The itch to be immersed in diversity. The itch for the ease of meeting new people. The itch is strong for some reason... Day dreaming about adventure.... Sundays....

Weird to be back...

A comparable sense of jetlag, hangover, withdrawal and/or etc comes to mind when thinking of how I feel today. My mind is all over the place.

Every travel book and article I have read mentioned the weird return feeling. They talked of how they dealt with the feeling of norm, mediocrity, and lack of excitement in day to day compared with their extended time of travel. It goes from everyone being envious to forgetting about your journey as you are back to normal like everyone else. Each page seemed to point to keeping yourself busy so that you dont think back to the awesomeness of travel and look forward to the next extended adventure.

Being back in Concord is a really weird feeling. The trip has officially come to an end… The weird part I guess is to be back in a community where it is rare to see people that you dont know. It is very rare to come across people that are from diverse backgrounds. People know your name. Everything is familiar. Nothing has changed here… My calendar went from being completely empty in December to filling up fast for months January through June. My push notifications for email were turned off in December and are back on now.

It is like someone just flicked the light switch back on and now the dream is over. You are wide awake hoping to go back to dream land. Unfortunately you know that it was just a dream and there is no returning until it is time to go back to sleep.

Another goal has been checked off the goal list in Evernote. Now it is time to reevaluate and look to the future... Where to go from here...

Thank you to some cool people & companies big and small.

There are about a gazillion people I would like to thank for introductions, helping me out, meeting up, letting me crash, buying me food/drinks, sharing your stories, showing an interest in me and much more.

Thank you to my good friends that let me crash at there places along the way: Segreti, Carly, Ben and Joel!

Thank you to my new friends that let me crash at their places for a few nights, Anna, Mike, Brian and Eirik!

Thank you to the extremely kind individuals that hooked me up with some local food and/or drinks along the way including Joel, Ben, Hyalker, Brian, Eirik, Rob, Anna, Mike, Erin, Andrew, Chris, Zach, Ray, Segreti and many more.

Thank you to those of you that made introductions to your friends Jayme, Sara, Joe, Jeff, Robin, Ray, Rich, Allyson, Tori, Alyssa, Allison, Amy, Joe, Lincoln, Liza, Sharon and everyone else!

Thank you to all of my fellow hostellers for all the help and advice. A big thank you to my friend from South Korea who hooked my up with a free transit pass and free tickets to some epic local attractions!

Thank you to all of the random people that I had to ask for help in navigating a new transit system. You honstely could have told me to get lost but took the time to kindly help me find my way.

Thank you to all of the friends of friends that didn't mind meeting up with me and helping me to experience the best of the area. Also thanks for putting up with all my questions about each area. I know it was probably a little annoying but I learned a ton about the good, bad and the ugly about each area.

Thank you to Jayme, Megan and Sarah for following my story. It was nice to have people take an interest in what you are doing, interview and write about your journey.

Thank you to a few companies that made a big difference in this all working out in a somewhat seemless way: Amtrak, ORCA, Metro, Uber, RTD, TriMet, Google Maps, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Glympse, TripAdvisor, Starbucks, Verizonwireless, REI, Eastern Mountain Sports, LL Bean, Merrill, Osprey, Samsung, Mophie, Foursquare, Swarm, Transit App, CouchSurfing.org, Instagram, HostelWorld and more.

Thank you to our students and their families at Villari's for being so supportive over the course of the journey. We hope that the trip has inspired you to set goals and go after them.

Lastly, thank you to the NH community for following along with the trip, following the blog and for sharing it with your friends and family

Thank you everyone. Much fun was had and without your help, it wouldnt have turned out so awesome.

People of the Bus(Boston, MA - Concord, NH)

It has become a habit to start random conversation with people throughout the day. As I walked up to gate 14 to board the bus at the Boston South Station Bus Terminal I was curious about whether I was late and asked the woman beside me if she new if the bus had begun boarding.

She looked at me funny at first and quietly answered no. I responded with ok, thank you. Then she came back and said that she really wasnt sure and should not have answered yes without being sure of herself.

The conversation was a slow start but eventually it grew. She seemed very uncomfortable with talking with a stranger. That is totally fine and I can respect that. There are many people that make me uncomfortable. Anyways we ended up talking about winter in NH and hw beautiful the mountains and northern NH are. We both shared some fond memories and experiences in the 10 minute conversation. She started over very unsure of me and defensive and eventually she was smiling and carrying on with me.

It just took a little kindness and respect to get the conversation rolling and before we knew it the 10 minutes had passed and we were both saying it was nice to meet you and wishing each other well in our journies.

Sometimes it takes patience, trust, bravery and respect but there are some wonderful people out there that would love to meet you and share conversation. It just takes putting yourself out there.

Back in Boston. Bitter/sweet. Good friends. Time to go home.

I love you Boston and am happy to be back. Your city is so different with your unique city streets and creative people everywhere. You look the same as when I left and that memory of day one is floating back to me.

Arriving back in a familiar place is refreshing and exciting but dull at the same time.

Maybe it is just knowing that your time is coming to an end… The new places and new people are gone for now until another time. The challenges of the trip that put you in tough situations that need to be solved are no longer there. The reconnecting with old friends that want to help and be a part of the journey will come to an end.

The same challenges that were left behind return. The routine is coming back into focus. Reminders start popping up for appointments on the calendar. The thought of the months worth of mail brings on a slight ill feeling.

Being back in a familiar area reducing a level of stress. You can visit your favorite coffee shop again. No need to worry about loss of cell service for hours at a time. You know where the grocery store is. You can once again have alone time and not be constantly be surrounded by people. The anxiety of knowing where the next available restroom is dwindles away. Exercise becomes a regular part of life again. The community that you left is here and looking forward to seeing you. The little things that you took for granted seem much more precious now.

The same old friend that wished me well on my departure was the same old friend to pick me up from the train. I could be in the worst mood and seeing my buddy Segreti would turn it all around. He is one of my best friends. When we catch up the time passes by so fast. His soon to be wife Carly joined us for conversation and eventually called it a night as the time continued to zoom by. Eventually we both called it a night. He went off to bed and I crashed on the couch. I lay there thinking that Segreti and Carly really are the definition of awesome people and I am thankful to have such great friends in my life.

It is morning and it is time to leave Boston for New Hampshire. My friends give me a big hug and I am off to the bus stop and then the red line and then to a downtown coffee shop while I wait for my bus ride to Concord, NH.

Time continues to move at a fast pace

People of the train(NYC - Boston)

When you decide on your seat on the train, usually you hope to occupy a row of two seats. After meeting such interesting people, I tend to wander to a seat next to someone and begin a conversation with them. Most of the time it is very well received although not always. We all seek to be acknowledged and when someone shows interest in us, it usually makes us feel awesome.

When boarding the train at Penn Station, it was fairly full. There really weren’t any open rows which is fine. Especially since this will be the shortest train ride of the whole journey. Row after row I walk and finally decide to sit next to a young guy that looks about my age. Usually I look for fellow young professionals so I can learn about what they do and how they ended up traveling or living in the area they do.

Anyways, this young guy was very cool to chat with, we had ongoing conversation until it was his stop in Providence, Rhode Island. The time flew and I only looked at my phone once. If you know me, that is a rarety. Come to find out he is pursuing his PHD at Brown in a medical research field(forgot the name). He also grew up in a very rural area before moving to a city in Delaware for undergrad and then to Providence to continue his studies.

We compared and contrasted the positives of living in Maine and New Hampshire versus living in a city. We talked of income levels and opportunity as well as quality of life. He mentioned in a number of ways how quality of life means different things for different people. A place that is a beautiful place for vacation does not necessarily mean the same as a great place to reside in every case.

For example in Maine and New Hampshire it is difficult to go out and celebrate with friends. There is so much planning and risk involved that it doesn’t really make it worth it. Therefore socializing is quite difficult whereas in the cities that he has lived in, he could safely walk home or take some form of public transit.

Another point of conversation ventured toward economies of where he lived in Maine and New Hampshire. Both states primarily base most all of their economy on the hospitality industry. Somehow it has worked well for both states for a number of years although much of the employment opportunities are not advantageous from a financial perspective unless you own a thriving hospitality business.

My follow up question was, do you see yourself moving back to Maine after graduation and it was clear that he had no intention of returning for a number of reasons. There would be little if any employment opportunities for him in his field outside of a major city like Boston. The income level even if he could find something in Maine would be significantly less than in a major city. If he lived in Maine and commuted to a larger city he would easily waste 20+ hours a week in the car that is completely non productive. There would also be a sense of seclusion from friends as there are very few young people in the state and there is so much travel to get together with people.

We talked about many more things over the course of the multi hour train ride. It was very refreshing to connect with a fellow young professional. I know that they are so few and far between as I move closer to finishing my journey back home.

Just talk with people.

Extended Travel(Perception vs Reality)

People have been randomly messaging me about how awesome the trip appears to be and asking questions as I go.

It is quite comical how things are in reality versus how people think things are while on the road. Recently HostelWorld had a funny blog post that they shared titled: “Travel on Instagram vs. Travel in reality” It is hillarious but it brings to light how things are often not the way that people believe them to be. If you have not seen this post, you will find it comical at the least, here is the link: http://www.hostelworld.com/blog/travel-on-instagram-vs-travel-in-reality/158678?omnsml=fb

Anyways, people often think that when you travel it is relaxing, luxurious and everything goes according to plan. This might be the case with a well planned weekend away although when you are gone for an extended time, with a vague plan, that is far from the case.

There will be times where you think you will arrive on time and that doesnt happen. You will miss a plan, train, bus or etc and it will completely throw a wrench into the plan. You thought you had a place to stay and all of the sudden that falls through and that random building overhang, airport terminal or train station could be your sleeping quarters for the evening.

You might think it cool to stay at a really cheap hotel, hostel or place on airbnb. Cheap is good but do your research about the area. It is not fun to find that it is a great place in the roughest of neighborhoods with interesting things happening on the street. This has happened to me… Once I checked in for the night, I went back to the site to read the reviews. Usually the reviews will let you know how a place really is. If the reviews say that this is not a place that you want to leave after dark, you might want to look elsewhere. This happened in both San Francisco and in Seattle. I went for an evening run to find all kinds of interesting characters and activities going on along that particular street.

All the foodies think of all the awesome food that you are checking out for breakfast lunch and dinner while you are traveling. Meanwhile your nourishment for the next 24 hours will be a jar of peanut butter because your bank transfer wont go through until the next business day. Eating out and enjoying the culture is great but has to be done in limited quantities. Eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 30 days will easily exceed what your normal expenses at home would be.

With being on the go all day, everyday, you look far from emaculate. You have a backpack with limited space. That translates into not being able to take your whole bathroom full of personal grooming tools. You also have to rewear clothing, have a limited selection and dont always have an opportunity to do laundry.

Some things I did not pack were finger nail clippers, tweezers, comb, ear/nose hair trimmer and etc. Lately I have noticed my nose hair contributing to my facial hair, a single caterpillar eyebrow and a set of fingernails that could cut any attack to shreds. Oh my...

It is a trip for sure and it really makes you appreciate those little things. :-)

The train has begun to feel like home. People are always around.

It seems really weird to say it although I have spent hours & days on the train. It is that same feeling you get after going to college and living in the dorm for a couple months. You know how things work, you know some of the people, you know what to do on campus, you know the faster walk ways to get somewhere quickly and you have a sense of belonging there.

With the train, I now know the rules. The Amtrak staff dont have to remind me of simple things. When boarding the train, my rail pass and ticket are out and ready to go. The stuff I need for the ride comes out of my bag before storing it in the overhead storage. My bag of food and water sits in the overhead storage for easy access. I know where the restrooms are, how they work and which ones to use if I want to change my clothes.

The train was really stressful in the beginning as a new experience. Giving up control of your time, your regular schedule and work to be free flowing with mass amounts of dead time. Now it is easier to relax and take it all in, talk with people, make some food, journal, read, plan a little or sit in the observation car in comfort.

It has become a routine or habit. I am comfortable on the train. Even on the long train rides I am comfortable because its not new to me. It has become common to never be alone along the journey. You will never be the only one on the train. You will never be the only one in a hostel. You will never be the only one when you are couchsurfing. You will never be the only one exploring a city. This is a weird thought.

Many of us find ways of getting plenty of alone time. Or atleast that was plentiful for me prior to the trip. Being constantly immersed in people around you for a prolonged period of time is a first time experience for me. We always find ways of getting alone time at home. Whether it be by shutting the office door, being at home by yourself, driving with all of the windows up and etc. Even though it was a shock to the system at first, the constant energy of others being around had a positive effect on me.

Running Out Of Time. Running Out Of Resources.

Time leaves us so quickly during times of fun, fear and excitement. This trip has flown by with all of the time talking with new people, learning a new area, navigating the transit systems, figuring out the next destination, blogging, reaching out to people, experiencing all that a place has t ok offer and more. Today it feels as though things are just beginning although they are beginning to come to a close.

The second time where I have taken time off of work that was completely non work related. The first time with extended time off. The time off will have totaled more than 30 days. Taking 38 days off from running Concord Martial Arts and 30 days from my other job with Duprey Service Companies.

As frugal as you can be traveling, at some point you have to return to work. The last few days have been interesting as my resources continue to dwindle. For a first time experience, it feels like a success. To make it for that amount of time without having a regular schedule is pretty weird. The question crosses your mind often while on the road, what skill sets do I have where I could work remotely and make travel a constant lifestyle.

All aboard!

The over packed traveler.

We have all been the so called over packed traveler. Some are beyond comprehension. The images above are comical. I found them with a quick google seach. Unfortunately I missed plenty of opportunities to take a picture of insanely over packed travelers throughout this journey.

Over a 30 Day time frame I managed to stick within the bounds of one carry on backpack. It was by no means small like the pack that I took for 9 days of travel in July although it comfortably lasted 30 days and kept my hands free.

There were many people that I crossed paths with that had two full sized carry on bags as well as a personal item. Some of the carry on bags and rollers were extremely large. Maybe they were doing some extended travel and needed many options for a variety of events they were attending. Maybe because they had a larger frame that they needed additional storage space. Maybe they didnt know how to use space well. Maybe they had no knowledge of compression bags. Maybe they are not well traveled.

There are a few things that were not well planned on my part that leaded to purchasing unnecessary space consuming items that could have been avoided. Two in particular include zip lock bags and the other being envelopes. They could have been easily avoided with some preparation.

My sandals were massive in size that took up too much space where shower flip flops would have functioned just fine. Running sneakers were good but could waterproof cross country shoes have been a better all around shoe to wear and conserve space? Instead of bringing an under shirt and collared shirt for each outfit, could I have left some behind? Did I use the swimming shorts an goggles(no)? Did you use that extra wall charger(no)?

These are all things that came across my mind. It is like when we go through our home, apartment or office and do some spring cleaning… Will I actually use this? Have I used this recently? Is this necessary and will it make travel easier?

Many lessons learn internally, externally, through friends, watching others struggle, getting recommendation and much more…

Everyday is full of learning…

70 blocks. Architecture. Embrace the walk. Walking in a new place is something where the time Flys by. Everywhere you turn there is something different, new, never seen before(in your eyes) and excitement. Time seems like it stands still but it is rapidly moving ahead. All of the sudden hours have passed and you still have a smile plastered on your face. That was me in NYC. I planned on taking a short walk through central park and just kept going. Initially the plan was to ride the metro but the day was nice. The walk downtown began starting at 103 W Street, all on the sudden it was 92 W Street and before long it was 33 W Street in front of Penn Station. The architecture of the buildings was what kept me wanted more of the city. Only a couple more blocks and the view of that distant building will greatly improve. That was the mantra continuously passing through my mind. The city is like a large work of art with so many different styles of buildings and skyscrapers. The architects put their heart and soul into making these buildings there own and every piece of the outta building is fascinating. Surely the interiors are just as impressive with much character. Everything is based on mindset. Much of the time our mindset is narrowed to what we experience everyday. In a large city, it is more than acceptable to walk or cycle as a regular means of transportation. In other places people solely rely on a car for transport. Take the time to explore options and try embracing something different. Maybe you don't enjoy it, maybe you become healthier, maybe you have a positive experience, or maybe you will have a negative experience. At the end of it, you will leave with a memory and learn something about how other people live which has a huge value.

Diversity. HI NYC Hostel. Central Park.

Walking outside of Penn Station was a cool feeling. It was like running into a wall of excitement. People were everywhere. Movement all over. Somewhere to go. Fun to be had. Culture all over. Every person was rocking their own style. There is such a wide range of diversity.

This is something that much of NH has little if any at all. From different languages to different interests to different dress and interests. I could have sat in front of Penn Station for hours just taking it all in, watching people, listening to conversations and randomly talking with people as they walked by. Awesome.

Now it was time to figure out where to stay and how to get there before it got too late. That was part of the reason for skipping the trip to Washington, DC. With it being the day after one of the biggest holidays in NY, it was not going to be easy or cheap to find a place to stay. Couch surfing was out of the question because it was too last minute.

On the train I searched local Marriott Hotels to see if I could use my employee discount there for a decent deal... That was a joke. Non of the 10+ Marriott Hotels in the city gave a decent enough rate. The employee rate couldnt even beat the rates that Hotel Tonight was offering for basic, hip and lux hotels. Then it was on to search for local hostels. My favorite hostels overall have been the chain of hostels under the name Hostel International. They have great ammenities and are consistently nice places to stay for realy cheep or reasonable money.

When I got off the train, I headed to the subway to get off at 103 W Street. It was a tiny bit confusing at first. But then I asked someone if I was going in the right direction and they educated me on "uptown" meaning increasing street number and "downtown" meaning decreasing street number. Now all was good in the world.

Before I knew if, I was walking out of the subway, took a left and there was a massive hostel with blinking lights along the railings leading inside. Hopeful that they had space, I walked in. The woman at the front desk was 100% wonderful. They didnt really have enough space for me, which was fine. There are always other options but this was where I really wanted to crash for the night. She jumped through hoops and found me a room. I am so grateful!

This hostel was top notch. They had nice rooms, nice staff, cool location, a fully stocked cafe, comfortable places to chill, close proximity to central park and the metro and etc. Finally a full night of rest. When I am back in the area to visit, I will be crashing here again if I dont end up couchsurfing.

An evening walk near central park and then a long walk through the park the following day, wow. Central Park is just absolutely beautiful. People have a large appreciation for the open space here in this dense city. A sense of appreciation that we dont have in NH. Since they have so little open green space, they value it. In NH we have so much of it that we take it for granted.

People from all walks of life use the park to relax, play, walk, run, cycle and enjoy. It is amazing how many people spend time in this park. Time flys by quickly in Central Park as the land area is really large. The park is so clean and well maintained for the amount of usage that it gets. New Yorkers really care about this space and it is easy to see.

All of my time spent in NY to this point has been enjoyable and at no point have I not felt safe. There are so many people around. Everyone is focusing on what they are doing. Trouble doesnt seem to find you unless you are looking for it. That might just be in the areas that I have been in so far. What a place!

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be back to NYC sometime soon for a visit.

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