nomadic souls

[dfemc]

yeah if ur a nomad and ur homeless in constant transient just like me. share ur ventures, stories n shoots; i suppose we can have a piece or two to build our own traveling guides to this lonely planet (just a mini-pun to fellow gypsies out there)

an entire city view of barcelona from the very top of Parc Guell, overlooking the Port Veil; it's a very loooong hike (kinda obvious from our exhausted expression) but nonetheless breathtaking

 

[Wai Wai Noodles]

I've been to a few places myself, but nothing relating and or pertaining to a "nomadic's perspective." However, with that being said, I am better classified as a migrant, much less a nomad...

I'd have to say, one of a nomad's allures would probably be "freedom," maybe not financially, LOL but still freedom. The "carefree" lifestyle serves as a good enough attractant; it's interesting to see individuals who are capable of detaching themselves from any particular place(s) or person(s) and continues with their journeys.

In addition to that, certain demographic areas and or regions have their own uniqueness; therefore, the exposure to new things and or experiences are more than likely unpredictable.

I guess these unpredictable excitements and "spur of the moment" ephemeral feelings of joy could possibly be the few factors that influences their actions.

Maybe...someday I, too, can experience that nomadic life...Though, mine will be short lived , but the memories will be unforgettable...

Nonetheless, interesting pic you've got there Dfemc...LOL I can see why you've carried that big bottle of water haha or Vodka? :unsure:

 

[dfemc]

very true... liberation is the essence and allure of a nomad's soul. n though ur experience may be short lived, as u say, it will be unforgettable and among the few things that you do take with u as u depart from this life to another.

hahhaa.... i figure u would second guess the contents of that big bottle. lol. but believe it or not it was water afterall, notice i was still standing somewhat straight in that picture. hahhaha... but yeah this picture was connected to a naked bush man experience that ruined a part of my view during that hike. long story. but if you're path as a nomad ever leads u out to spain, feel free to enjoy the spectacles of parc guel n don't miss out on drinking a mojito at a corner joint, Ambar.

 

[Wai Wai Noodles]

Hahaha ohhhh really? LOL do you know me that well already?

HMMM...the path of a nomad? I'll just do like one of those people in the Chinese series...jump on a good look'n horse and see where it'll take me hehe.

Hopefully, not off a cliff or anywhere where foods are limited LOL...and IF I happen to fall asleep, let me be awakened by the handsomeness of another human kind and nothing too horrific

 

[marduk]

I always thought it was overrated that people say Paris is the most romantic city in the world, but after being there, I can see how it is true. And yes, being a nomad is great, but I prefer being an explorer because that actually gives me a sense of doing something. Because no matter where I go, I like to think that I am searching for something, even if that something is unattainable. Errrrrr (taken from the Paster), whatever. <_< By the way, I was canadian during my time there because well, apparently they hate the americans.

La Defense center. There's an arch there that's not as cool as L'Arc de Triomphe but it's kinda cool in a modern way.

Inside "La Sorbonne." Normally they have guards by the gates but all you have to do is say "J'ai oublie ma carte." Gotta love the french security.

Moulin Rouge

The Trocadero

In front of the cool Eiffel Tower

 

[dfemc]

wow...tre awesome. u've gone around paris quite a bit didn't cha. great travel photo-log.

waiwai...i love ur travel guide, the horse ;D i'd travel with you anyday

 

[marduk]

So this thread doesn't get used often, but I'm going to use it here to chronicle my trip around SE Asia. When dfemc gets back, she'll probably do the same with Nepal. Hopefully it'll catch on with the rest of you too.

This summer, I'll be going to a couple of different countries all in SE Asia. This first post will be on Laos. The last two weeks saw me going from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, and then up north to Luang Prabang. Along the way, I went trekking to different places and saw a couple of different sights.

Vientiane

Patuxai is the equivalent of the Arc d' Triomphe of France. In fact, it was modeled on that. Supposedly, Patuxai (which means "Victory Gate") was made from concrete donated by the Americans for the building of the airport. However, they used it for this instead.

The city of Vientiane is actually pretty underdeveloped for a capital of a country. However, compared with the rest of the country, it is a lot better off. This was taken as I was going around town.

These pics were taken on the way up to Vang Vieng. You can see people looking for fishes and the forests around the road.

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is one of the most beautiful towns I went to while in Laos. It's mostly a backpackers' city so you would see a lot of farangs. The town exist pretty much for the travelers as a stopping point on the way up to Luang Prabang. However, the cliffs around the town are amazing.

This is a view of the whole town from the top.

 

[marduk]

I have to continue my post in a new one since it won't let me post so many pics in one post.

Luang Prabang

This used to be the old royal capital of Laos. Here, there are over 30 wats dating back to over 600 years ago. This city is also considered the last real "city" before going off into the true north of Laos, where there is a shortage of "civilization."

While here, I did a couple of trekking and saw beautiful sights like this one.

I also went down a river and saw "kuays" (carabaos) around the river.

View from a cliff by the river.

I also went to a couple of villages like the hmong village here. These little girls were so cute as they spoke broken english to me and said "can you please buy one from me?" I bought so many bracelets even though I didn't want them and they were over priced. But it's still cheap overall so I thought I should help.

One of the last couple of things I did in Luang Prabang was see a tiger up close, which I got to pet and feed. They are truly amazing creatures.

I also scaled the cliff to go see the source of this waterfall.

That's it for now. I'll show pics of the other countries I go to as I find places to upload them. Right now, I'm at my friend's place in Bangkok so his internet is faster. I might not get to upload the other pics until I get home in late August.

 

[noungning]

wow amazing pix mike! i'm now anticipating my arrival to laos!! wow it's so pretty... well much more than what was described to me. the water fall, the water on the bottom is soo blue, creamy blue it's a strange sight! thanks for all of your thoughtfulness and sharings!

 

[aNnNeE]

wowie nice pixs P'Marduk....beautiful sceneries....and you pet and fed a tiger...omg...lol....hope you had lots of fun...and hope you have more fun, as your trips go along....

 

[LDi]

Beautiful pics everyone!

 

[bugsy]

i keep telling myself...im going to do it...im going to do it....im going to go out of this country and explore one day. And I really wish I could be out there with dfemc and marduk....but...damn...money's my biggest issue right now. Maybe next year or the year after that. I plan to go tour Europe and Asia (particularly southeast asia). ^_^

 

[hansonie]

i keep telling myself...im going to do it...im going to do it....im going to go out of this country and explore one day. And I really wish I could be out there with dfemc and marduk....but...damn...money's my biggest issue right now. Maybe next year or the year after that. I plan to go tour Europe and Asia (particularly southeast asia). ^_^

[post="134199"][/post]​

me too. though i wanna go north america and asia first ^_^

 

[Wai Wai Noodles]

LOL Mardie, I was looking and looking for that poopy brown water pic...I thought you forgot to post it, but you did

Hey, dont forget to snap a shot at the hunks of the different villages that you've visited...as you have said you will...

I cant wait til' D' gets back...I'm anticipating her photo log and more of yours too.

 

[marduk]

It's been a while since I put up anything. The next part of my trip that I'm uploading pictures from is Thailand. Thailand, considered by many to be the jewel of mainland SE Asia has been fortunate enough to develop relatively peacefully in comparison to its neighbors. That's because it was never colonized and thus, did not suffer through the decolonization process. It's a nice place, but one of the things I didn't like about it was the patronizing attitude of Thais towards the rest of their neighbors. True, it happens everywhere where there is an imbalance of resources (just ask your korean friends what the general attitude in Korea is regarding SE Asians), but still, an attitude like that is ridiculous. Nevertheless, I still think Bangkok is one of the best cities in SE Asia.

Ayuthaya
This used to be the capital of Siam before the Burmese sacked it in 1767. Located about two hours north of Bangkok, it's a nice little small town that comprises mostly of historical temples. Other than the ancient structures, there's really not much to see there.

Kanchanaburi
This is the location of the famous "Death Railway," which the movie the "Bridge Over the River Kwai" was based on. The river is actually caled "Kwae" but whatever. Below is the pic I took from the bridge and a pic of the railway. Also, a side note which a lot of people forgot was that Thailand allied itself with the Japanese in the beginning.

 

[marduk]

Bangkok

I really love this city. There are so many layers to it and something new always popped up. Being in this city, I met some people that really showed me the seedy side of Bangkok. It got to the point that I realized I had to get out of Bangkok just to save my health.

MBK Center

Siam Paragon

4th Floor of Siam Paragon has car showrooms

The hottest girl in Thailand that I met. She was a bartender at a bar I went to.

A club called "Glow"...it kinda sucked

While in Bangkok, I was fortunate to be there at the exact time that the King 60th Anniversary of his ascension to the throne was going on. As a result, there was so much more traffic than usual while I was trying to go to the city.