My allergies are making me suffer. And as much as I try to tell myself that allergies are just God's way of reminding us that our immune system is working, or that I have it pretty easy compared to all the people with food allergies, I am still feeling pretty sorry for myself.
Here's a Friday Five (more like a Sunday Ten, but whatever) to cheer me up:
Theme: International Travel
1. You have the summer and plenty of money to travel abroad. Where all would you go?
Okay, so this was actually a writing assignment for my Russian class, but we had to make a whole years' worth of plans. This is probably the only assignment I completed within a couple hours of its being assigned. I can't remember the exact plan, though it was something like this:
June - Australia, Tanzania, Zambia
July - Costa Rica, Peru, the Galapagos Islands
August - Kamchatka, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Arkhangelsk, maybe St. Petersburg
2. What foods would you be sure you got to eat?
Seeing as I've been to McDonald's in every country I've visited, I have to continue that tradition.
The countries on that list aren't exactly famous for their food. In Australia, I'd be sure to have Chinese and Indian food, both of which are hard to find and pretty expensive in Russia. I would also try kangaroo at least once.
I really know nothing about African food, but I do love ostrich meat, so that's probably what I'd eat.
I also don't know anything about food in Costa Rica or Peru, though in both cases I have heard that there is lots of seafood and it is awesome. So I'd buy a guidebook and eat what it told me to eat. I would also have to try Inca Kola, one of only two local soft drinks to outsell Coca-Cola anywhere in the world.
In Russia, well, I'd eat the same stuff that I do now (mostly cold soup, which sounds a lot sadder than it is).
3. What landmarks would you be sure you got to see?
In Australia, I'd mostly be visiting my friend, who lives near Melbourne, but I would also like to go to Tasmania to see some weird animals, Sydney to see the opera house, and somehow I'd learn to go SCUBA diving and see the Great Barrier Reef.
In Zambia, I would like to see Victoria Falls because they look really beautiful. In Tanzania, I would like to climb Mt. Kilmanjaro. Actually, I'd probably give up after the first day as I am afraid of heights, but it'd be worth a try what with the unlimited budget and all.
In Costa Rica and on the Galapagos islands, I would be all about the weird animals. In Peru, which is probably the place I am most interested in, I would visit lots and lots of archaeological sites. I would visit churches in both Costa Rica and Peru.
Kamchatka has interesting geology, Arkhangelsk and Murmansk are cities that I'm told you don't really need to spend more than a couple days in, and Petrozavodsk has Kizhi island, which is basically a museum of wooden architecture. I'd spend the rest of the time (assuming there is any) in St. Petersburg, visiting the Hermitage and the palaces and fortresses around the city.
4. What airline would you use?
Any one with a decent safety record. Since I'm short and average-weight, there's no reason whatsoever for me to be picky about airlines.
5. Would your knowledge of other languages influence where you went? (i.e. would you be more likely to go to France if you spoke French?)
From the list above, it looks like it would, but that's really just coincidence. Anywhere I went, I'd stick to cities and touristy places, at least until I got more comfortable, which would probably happen fastest in Australia (where I speak the language and look like everyone else) and slowest in Peru (where I don't).
The second set is about travel within the USA.
Theme: USA Road Trip
1. Who would you take with you on a road trip?
Somebody who can drive.
2. What states would you visit?
Good question. I would really like to visit Chicago (again), Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. (again), Atlanta, and New Orleans. Those are cities rather than states. And I would go to Florida because I want to drive on that bridge that connects the Florida keys.
3. What national parks and/or monuments would you go see?
I want to see Carlsbad Caverns and Niagara Falls. I also want to go back to Lassen, Yellowstone, and Denali. This last would be a rather long drive.
4. Las Vegas: Overrated or a Must-See?
I seem like the type of person who would say overrated, but actually I think it's a total must-see.
5. How long would you be gone?
As long as it takes!
So it seems like this Friday Five was pretty much written for me, but actually it makes me kind of sad because I don't have the time, money, or driving ability to do any of this. Yet. I have a student who responds to half of what I say with "you sound like somebody who went from Vladivostok to Moscow by train." This has become my defining characteristic as far as that student is concerned.
What will actually cheer me up: going home in three days!
If I weren't who's to say
15 years ago
2 comments:
Theme: USA Road Trip
The scary thing is that I could take this road trip, but leaving family, dogs, and home for a super-extended period is kind of scary. I can dream, though.
1. Who would you take with you on a road trip?
Somebody who understands that I need to be by myself for a bit every day, but who has a good sense of humor, especially when things go wrong.
2. What states would you visit?
I have already planned out this trip. I would visit every state on the outer edges. I would start here in CA and go south (it would be hotter as summer continued) and visit Arizona, New Mexico, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, up to Maine, across through the northern states and back down to CA.
3. What national parks and/or monuments would you go see?
I would revisit the Grand Canyon. I would want to see an Antebellum mansion/plantation. I would visit Pascagoula, Mississippi because I once was going to live there and became kind of excited about it. I would go to Everglades National Park, and Glacier National Park, Devil's Tower.
4. Las Vegas: Overrated or a Must-See?
I haven't been since 1984. It was between the ratpack days and the "whatever happens in.." days. So, pretty overrated then, though there even then was something interesting about this avenue of incredibly huge buildings in the middle of a desert. I'm certain I'm not the first person to say this, but Las Vegas represents the best and worst of America: a belief that we can do anything, but with disregard to the environmental costs.
5. How long would you be gone?
June 15-August 15.
Theme: International Travel
1. You have the summer and plenty of money to travel abroad. Where all would you go?
I think I would join you in Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. However, I would also combine that with a trip to Antarctica (since this is all a fantasy, I can ignore the fact that I wouldn't be able to go there because it is the middle of winter).
With plenty of money, I think I would get a Eurorail pass and just go wherever I wished whenever I wished.
2. What foods would you be sure you got to eat?
Hmm...In Italy, I would spend some time in a place that had its own kitchen and I would enjoy eating tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Other than that, I don't know. Italy is the only place I've ever gone where I felt like talking about the food more than the local sights, which is amazing, since it was, after all, Italy.
3. What landmarks would you be sure you got to see?
By the way, Marin, I knew someone who lived in Africa and she climbed Kilimanjaro several times. She said it took just a day and it was a climb, but not a horrible one. Though, I'm sure the heights are high.
So, in Costa Rica, Galapagos and Antarctica, it would be all about the wildlife and the landforms. Costa Rica has tropical rainforests and volcanoes to look at.
In Europe, since I've got my rail pass, I could go to the Louvre and the Prado and the Hermitage. I could see Venice. I could see the chapel that Giotto painted. I could go to Poland's Bialowieski National Park, which is the closest thing Europe has to an untouched ancient forest. I could go to where my grandfather was born, whatever country that village happens to be in now.
4. What airline would you use?
Unless there's something I don't know, they're pretty much all the same, though it would be nice to have a personal screen so I could pick my own things to watch.
5. Would your knowledge of other languages influence where you went? (i.e. would you be more likely to go to France if you spoke French?)
I do prefer to be able to be understood and to understand. Luckily, most touristy places know this. I think I would be afraid to go somewhere where it was likely no one would speak English, but I'm not sure where that would be. The few times that I was in such a situation, I found pointing and smiling to work pretty well.
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