It's almost 2 1/2 months from when I leave D.C. and roughly 3 until I board that plane for Thailand. It occurred to me that few people actually know what my plans are, so I'll try to give a rough explanation.
I should start out by saying that I'm really trying not to plan very much. I read something that seemed to describe exactly how I am approaching this trip...
"Preparation is not in knowing exactly where you are going but being able to get there none the less"
So, at this point, I know which countries and when but I am leaving it at that. I've been reading a lot about most of the places in the first half of the trip so I have a good idea what there is to do and can just wing it as effectively as possible.
So here is my itinerary (all of which is subject to change):
Jan. 28 - Mar. 4: Exploring Thailand with my friend Pat who is flying in a week after I am and staying for 3 weeks.
Mar. - April: the classic South East Asia circuit (Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos) although I don't know if I will go clockwise or counterclockwise yet.
May: Myanmar (Burma) if the political climate is conducive to travel.
June 1 - June 15: Japan
June 15 - August 15: Exploring China ending with travel to Tibet and Kathmandu overland.
August 15 - September 15: Turkey
September 15 - ... : Eastern Europe? not really sure at this point.
And here is a handy map I made...
View Larger Map
Financially, I think I should be in great shape by the time I leave. I'm trying to put away $15,000 before I leave my job and I'm getting real close with a couple months left to go. All the research I have done has told me that that should be enough as long as I stay on budget (which shouldn't be tough since DC was the ultimate test of that). After buy medical insurance, vaccinations and some last minute gear, I hope to leave with ~$14,000 in my bank account.
So there you have it. Expect more detailed breakdowns of the logistics and exactly what I'm packing as this trip gets nearer.
I'm planning on spending the next few weeks freaking out because this trip is actually going to happen and I probably have no idea what I'm getting myself into.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
Time to set the record straight!
Probably one of the most common things that I get asked by friends and family is “how do you like D.C.?” Admittedly, I usually give some non-descript ambiguous answer to the effect of “uh its great! I am having a lot of fun!” I don’t do this on purpose but mostly because I just haven’t given it much thought yet… I mean how often to do we really stop for a second and remove ourselves from the craziness around us to figure out how we really feel about a place? My personal answer is “not enough” but I guess that is why I am writing this. So let’s try this again…
Hey Darren, tell me about your life in D.C. Do you like it? Are you having fun?
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again… D.C. is a crazy place, no doubt about it. There is more to it than that. This is a city in a small geographic area filled with people from all walks of life. The district is cohabitated by politicians and war profiteers as well as families that are just trying to get by in some of the most poor and dangerous neighborhoods in the country. There is a veritable army of lawyers and lobbyists to represent anyone with a bankroll as well as tons of non-profits and NGOs to represent the rest. For such a small city, this place really does encompass the entire spectrum of human experience for this part of the country.
This disparity of wealth in such a small area creates an exciting dynamic to be a part of. Most of the fun and interesting areas to go out in are not really in the best parts of town. Dupont and Georgetown are definitely nice areas with plenty of nightlife but my friends and I tend to avoid these areas mostly because of the high prices but also because of the homogenous nature of the crowd. Adams Morgan, U street and H street NE are all bordered on at least one side by neighborhoods in which walking alone at night can be (but often isn’t) a risky prospect but more about that later. Whether you want to experience a frat party all over again in Georgetown or more of an alternative scene in H street NE, this city despite its size, really has something for everyone in terms of night life.
Somewhere in the middle of these extremes lies the transient (but vibrant) twenty-something crowd of which I am a part of. Most of us live in the nicer or “up and coming” parts of D.C. These are neighborhoods where one could practically sit on a bench and watch gentrification happen right before their very eyes. Places like U street, Chinatown, Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights to name a few. This phenomenon was something I really wasn’t aware of before moving here but you really can’t help but notice once you are a resident. This city seems to be moving in the same direction as Manhattan did many years ago. Chinatown, being the prime example, is an area where a great number of the original Chinese inhabitants have been priced out of the neighborhood. Most moved to north Virginia to escape the exorbitant rent and real estate prices. Like them many others, including myself, take shelter from the excessive rents (which my demographic is partially responsible for) out in the suburbs. Where ever you live, though, all parts of the city are within a pretty close reach making this city is a great place to live.
This is a city where seeing a monument or some other object of national significance is so common that they quickly lose their appeal. I did most of the touristy stuff when I got here. I have lived here long enough that for the most part the wow! factor has worn off and accidentally ending up on the street with a great view of the Whitehouse means nothing more than losing 15 minutes because of the traffic and perpetual construction. I along with many of my fellow residents are annoyed at times by the monument’s presence because, although the 8th grade D.C. trip season has just about wrapped up, the summer tourist season is about to get in full swing. That said, I still do appreciate the presence of these landmarks. Driving/walking passed the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Whitehouse, Capital, etc… can be mundane or exciting depending on my mindset. It’s just like anywhere else… one has to constantly remind them self to look past the familiarity and appreciate the qualities of their home. The real story however, is not the familiar façade of these buildings but what they stand for and the business which takes place inside them.
After living here for awhile now, one thing has become abundantly clear. Disillusionment is a rite of passage in Washington, D.C. For some this comes gradually over the course of months while for others there is a single moment when it hits them. I never really gave this much thought until recently but then it had occurred to me that many people told me all about how they came out here to live to learn how they system really works. I don’t want to send the impression that this a bad thing either, I mean its sad that we seem to have some sort of idyllic conception about how this country is actually run but in my opinion, to become disillusioned is to become empowered. One must understand the system before they can effectively support (or undermine) it. I haven’t figured out my place in all this but I’m hoping it will eventually come clear.
D.C. is a place where you have to take the good with the bad. I really am enjoying myself here but there is the occasional frustration. It’s great to able to experience the typical east coast absurdity while still being able to drive only 30 minutes to some pretty good whitewater. Knowing that all the important national news in this country is coming from somewhere within a couple miles of me is exciting while at the same time depressing (depending on the news). I may not have painted a romantic picture of this city but I thought it would make more sense to describe this place as I perceive it. There is so much more that I could talk about both good and bad but I think that is better left for another time. Thanks for reading!
Hey Darren, tell me about your life in D.C. Do you like it? Are you having fun?
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again… D.C. is a crazy place, no doubt about it. There is more to it than that. This is a city in a small geographic area filled with people from all walks of life. The district is cohabitated by politicians and war profiteers as well as families that are just trying to get by in some of the most poor and dangerous neighborhoods in the country. There is a veritable army of lawyers and lobbyists to represent anyone with a bankroll as well as tons of non-profits and NGOs to represent the rest. For such a small city, this place really does encompass the entire spectrum of human experience for this part of the country.
This disparity of wealth in such a small area creates an exciting dynamic to be a part of. Most of the fun and interesting areas to go out in are not really in the best parts of town. Dupont and Georgetown are definitely nice areas with plenty of nightlife but my friends and I tend to avoid these areas mostly because of the high prices but also because of the homogenous nature of the crowd. Adams Morgan, U street and H street NE are all bordered on at least one side by neighborhoods in which walking alone at night can be (but often isn’t) a risky prospect but more about that later. Whether you want to experience a frat party all over again in Georgetown or more of an alternative scene in H street NE, this city despite its size, really has something for everyone in terms of night life.
Somewhere in the middle of these extremes lies the transient (but vibrant) twenty-something crowd of which I am a part of. Most of us live in the nicer or “up and coming” parts of D.C. These are neighborhoods where one could practically sit on a bench and watch gentrification happen right before their very eyes. Places like U street, Chinatown, Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights to name a few. This phenomenon was something I really wasn’t aware of before moving here but you really can’t help but notice once you are a resident. This city seems to be moving in the same direction as Manhattan did many years ago. Chinatown, being the prime example, is an area where a great number of the original Chinese inhabitants have been priced out of the neighborhood. Most moved to north Virginia to escape the exorbitant rent and real estate prices. Like them many others, including myself, take shelter from the excessive rents (which my demographic is partially responsible for) out in the suburbs. Where ever you live, though, all parts of the city are within a pretty close reach making this city is a great place to live.
This is a city where seeing a monument or some other object of national significance is so common that they quickly lose their appeal. I did most of the touristy stuff when I got here. I have lived here long enough that for the most part the wow! factor has worn off and accidentally ending up on the street with a great view of the Whitehouse means nothing more than losing 15 minutes because of the traffic and perpetual construction. I along with many of my fellow residents are annoyed at times by the monument’s presence because, although the 8th grade D.C. trip season has just about wrapped up, the summer tourist season is about to get in full swing. That said, I still do appreciate the presence of these landmarks. Driving/walking passed the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Whitehouse, Capital, etc… can be mundane or exciting depending on my mindset. It’s just like anywhere else… one has to constantly remind them self to look past the familiarity and appreciate the qualities of their home. The real story however, is not the familiar façade of these buildings but what they stand for and the business which takes place inside them.
After living here for awhile now, one thing has become abundantly clear. Disillusionment is a rite of passage in Washington, D.C. For some this comes gradually over the course of months while for others there is a single moment when it hits them. I never really gave this much thought until recently but then it had occurred to me that many people told me all about how they came out here to live to learn how they system really works. I don’t want to send the impression that this a bad thing either, I mean its sad that we seem to have some sort of idyllic conception about how this country is actually run but in my opinion, to become disillusioned is to become empowered. One must understand the system before they can effectively support (or undermine) it. I haven’t figured out my place in all this but I’m hoping it will eventually come clear.
D.C. is a place where you have to take the good with the bad. I really am enjoying myself here but there is the occasional frustration. It’s great to able to experience the typical east coast absurdity while still being able to drive only 30 minutes to some pretty good whitewater. Knowing that all the important national news in this country is coming from somewhere within a couple miles of me is exciting while at the same time depressing (depending on the news). I may not have painted a romantic picture of this city but I thought it would make more sense to describe this place as I perceive it. There is so much more that I could talk about both good and bad but I think that is better left for another time. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
What a long strange trip its been... so far
Well it has been a few months since I last updated this, so I felt it was time. I promised at the end of my last post that I would share some thoughts on the Metro system... so without further ado...
Darren's Adventures in Public Transportation
When I came to visit this city last July, my very first impression of D.C. was from its Metro system. When I first showed up at the end of the Green line, I asked one of the Metro Employees "how long would it take to get to Union station?" He gave me this really drawn out explanation about how I could transfer to the red line at Ft. Totten or Gallery Place/Chinatown and the timing would all come down to whether or not I made a "good transfer." So I was pretty much thrust into this unknown environment consisting of colored rail lines with weirdly named stops all with the expressed purpose of making a "good transfer." With the way that guy talked about it, I was convinced that there was skill involved and with enough practice one could be a much more efficient Metro rider than others. After spending 6 months trying to figure out exactly where to get on the train so that it drops me off closest to where I want to go as well as other riding strategies, I have come to the conclusion that the assumption that skill is involved, was completely wrong. Predicting transit time is a complete crapshoot. For each new train that someone has to get on during any trip, you could end up waiting up to 20 minutes... or 1. Some would say that 20 minutes really isn't that long, especially if thats the worst case scenario, but you cant leave the station so you just have to stand there and think about how much earlier you could have gotten to your destination.
The Metro does other wacky stuff as well... for instance, 2 days ago I was waiting on the platform after work and for some reason a blue line train wasn't going to arrive for another 15 minutes during the afternoon rush (they usually come packed full every 4 minutes during rush hour). I waited as the platform quickly filled up with people and started dreading the ride home packed in like a sardine kind of like this picture:
Anyways, the blue line train finally starts speeding into the station and much to our collective dismay, it speeds right out without stopping. This odd phenomena happens often enough that last weekend I was intending to take a video of a train pulling into the station and stopping but, well, see for yourself...
Just for the record, every train on a given line is 'supposed' to stop at every station along the way (there are no express trains). Well, that is all I have to say on that subject. Expect a post soon on this winters first snow here... I'll leave you with a picture of the fantastically long escalators in this city. I call it "Journey to the Center of the Earth"
When I came to visit this city last July, my very first impression of D.C. was from its Metro system. When I first showed up at the end of the Green line, I asked one of the Metro Employees "how long would it take to get to Union station?" He gave me this really drawn out explanation about how I could transfer to the red line at Ft. Totten or Gallery Place/Chinatown and the timing would all come down to whether or not I made a "good transfer." So I was pretty much thrust into this unknown environment consisting of colored rail lines with weirdly named stops all with the expressed purpose of making a "good transfer." With the way that guy talked about it, I was convinced that there was skill involved and with enough practice one could be a much more efficient Metro rider than others. After spending 6 months trying to figure out exactly where to get on the train so that it drops me off closest to where I want to go as well as other riding strategies, I have come to the conclusion that the assumption that skill is involved, was completely wrong. Predicting transit time is a complete crapshoot. For each new train that someone has to get on during any trip, you could end up waiting up to 20 minutes... or 1. Some would say that 20 minutes really isn't that long, especially if thats the worst case scenario, but you cant leave the station so you just have to stand there and think about how much earlier you could have gotten to your destination.The Metro does other wacky stuff as well... for instance, 2 days ago I was waiting on the platform after work and for some reason a blue line train wasn't going to arrive for another 15 minutes during the afternoon rush (they usually come packed full every 4 minutes during rush hour). I waited as the platform quickly filled up with people and started dreading the ride home packed in like a sardine kind of like this picture:
Anyways, the blue line train finally starts speeding into the station and much to our collective dismay, it speeds right out without stopping. This odd phenomena happens often enough that last weekend I was intending to take a video of a train pulling into the station and stopping but, well, see for yourself...
Just for the record, every train on a given line is 'supposed' to stop at every station along the way (there are no express trains). Well, that is all I have to say on that subject. Expect a post soon on this winters first snow here... I'll leave you with a picture of the fantastically long escalators in this city. I call it "Journey to the Center of the Earth"
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