Again, visions of future travels cloud my thoughts. I`m gonna roll with it.

My top 5 Travel Books of All-Time:

1. The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac

Most people point to reading Kerouac`s On the Road as the root of their wanderlust or obsession with freight trains and hitchhiking. For me, it was The Dharma Bums that turned me into a perpetual vagabond.

Amazon Description: The Dharma Bums was published one year after On the Road made Jack Kerouac a celebrity and a spokesperson for the Beat Generation. Sparked by his contagious zest for life, the novel relates the adventures of an ebullient group of Beatnik seekers in a freewheeling exploration of Buddhism and the search for Truth.

2. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

This is by far the most lucid, well-thought out book out there on extended travel. Covering both the how-to and philosophy of backpacking, it should be required reading for any traveler.

Review from Booklist:  Veteran vagabond Potts regales readers with his mantra: anyone with an adventurous spirit can achieve the feat of taking extended time off from work to experience the world. In 11 short chapters that follow the same structure, Potts tells how to negotiate time off from work, prepare for travel, and get the most out of your time on the road. Each chapter contains a profile of a famous proponent of vagabonding (e.g., Thoreau, Annie Dillard), quotes from everyday people with extensive travel experience, and a tip sheet of print and online sources for practical travel advice on topics such as airline tickets and accommodations as well as safety concerns. Alternately warning readers about using drugs in foreign countries and entertaining them with anecdotes from exotic ports of call, Potts gives a thorough recounting of his outlook on traveling. This book seems squarely aimed at twenty- and thirtysomethings; anyone with decidedly non-vagabond accoutrements (e.g., children or career ambition) might be more skeptical of Potts’ philosophy. For those with a bad case of wanderlust. Joanne Wilkinson

3. Jupiter`s Travels by Ted Simon

One guy, one motorbike, 45 countries. Awesome.

Amazon Description: Simon rode a motorcycle around the world in the seventies, when such a thing was unheard of. In four years he covered 78,000 miles through 45 countries, living with peasants and presidents, in prisons and palaces, through wars and revolutions. What distinguishes this book is that Simon was already an accomplished writer. In 25 years this book has changed many lives, and inspired many to travel, including Ewan McGregor.

4. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Guy escapes prison. Guy goes to India on fake passport and can`t leave. Epic adventure ensues.

From Publisher`s Weekly: At the start of this massive, thrillingly undomesticated potboiler, a young Australian man bearing a false New Zealand passport that gives his name as “Lindsay” flies to Bombay some time in the early ’80s. On his first day there, Lindsay meets the two people who will largely influence his fate in the city. One is a young tour guide, Prabaker, whose gifts include a large smile and an unstoppably joyful heart. Through Prabaker, Lindsay learns Marathi (a language not often spoken by gora, or foreigners), gets to know village India and settles, for a time, in a vast shantytown, operating an illicit free clinic. The second person he meets is Karla, a beautiful Swiss-American woman with sea-green eyes and a circle of expatriate friends. Lin’s love for Karla—and her mysterious inability to love in return—gives the book its central tension. “Linbaba’s” life in the slum abruptly ends when he is arrested without charge and thrown into the hell of Arthur Road Prison. Upon his release, he moves from the slum and begins laundering money and forging passports for one of the heads of the Bombay mafia, guru/sage Abdel Khader Khan. Eventually, he follows Khader as an improbable guerrilla in the war against the Russians in Afghanistan. There he learns about Karla’s connection to Khader and discovers who set him up for arrest. Roberts, who wrote the first drafts of the novel in prison, has poured everything he knows into this book and it shows. It has a heartfelt, cinemascope feel. If there are occasional passages that would make the very angels of purple prose weep, there are also images, plots, characters, philosophical dialogues and mysteries that more than compensate for the novel’s flaws. A sensational read, it might well reproduce its bestselling success in Australia here.

5. The Drifters by James Mitchner

I`m surprised this one doesn`t get more attention. Hedonistic backpacking in the 60s and 70s never had a better ambassador than Michener in this book.

Amazon Description:  In his triumphant best seller, James Michener unfolds a powerful and poignant drama of six young runaways adrift in a world they have created out of dreams, drugs, and dedication to pleasure. With the sure touch of a master, Michener pulls us into the dark center of their private world, whether it’s in Spain, Marrakech, or Mozambique, and exposes the naked nerve ends with shocking candor and infinite compassion.

Runners-up:

Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Less a travel book than a profound treatise on minimalism and living consciously.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. I`m not into drugs, but the sense of adventure conveyed in this book is wicked contagious.

And of course, The Beach, Into the Wild and Motorcycle Diaries (see my post on best travel movies)

And the Worst Travel Book Award? If you`ve read it, you know what I`m about to write:  Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I want my 5 hours back (okay, so I skimmed most of it…).

Got one that`s not on my list? I`d love to hear it.

A wise man once said, If you have nothing good to say….  Post some pictures.

This weekend, I spent almost all my time at work and writing music, and I’m pretty tapped out. So here’s some pictures from Kachoen Bird Park in Kakegawa. I went there a few weekends ago with Kim and though I expected it would be interesting, I had a total blast.

We saw a lot of birds that start with ‘P’ —  penguins, parrots, parakeets, peacocks, pelicans…

As well as some other letters: ostriches, flamingos, and a large variety of angry looking owls (they are, after all, nocturnal).

The parakeets loved kim for some reason. At one point, there were 2 birds up her sleeve and another trying to unzip her jacket.

My favorite by far were the Toucans. At first they’re a little intimidating because they’re pretty big. But they’re really gentle and surprisingly light on your arm.

That’s it. Kakegawa Bird Park. Definitely going back, since I’m here for the next year.

1. A Map For Saturday. This is the film that inspired me to write this post. It`s a documentary that follows a successful twenty-something as he quits his job to backpack around the world for a year. Watching it, I felt it really captured everything about travel and backpacking that I love. Amazing film. This is required viewing for anyone thinking about taking time off for an extended trip.

2. One Week. Follow Joshua Jackson`s (remember Charlie from the Mighty Ducks?) character, Ben,on a motorcycle journey across Canada after being told he doesn`t have long to live. Awesome soundtrack, beautiful Canadian scenery, and great cameos by Gord Downie, Emme Gryner and Joel Plaskett.

3. Motorcycle Diaries. A future revolutionary and his friend ride motorcycles across South America. Need I say more? The book was good; the movie, better. Great soundtrack too.

Consolation Prizes:

1st Runner Up goes to Into the Wild. Would have got the award too, if the idealistic protagonist didn`t die at the end.

2nd Runner Up goes to The Beach. As a film, it`s not bad. As inspiration for an adventure or a visit to Thailand, amazing.

3rd Runner Up is Y Tu Mama Tambien, which would have taken the prize save for the final sex scene. Shudder. Bad shudder.

And the award for least inspiring travel movie goes to…  Brokedown Palace. Thailand rocks. Thai prison, not so much. Don`t do drugs, kids.

What movies make you crave travel? Opinions please :)

Time for another shameless plug for my friends’ projects. I love to see people doing awesome things, especially friends and family.

Liam Mather

An upcoming singer-songwriter in Halifax and good friend of mine, Liam’s music is part alt-country, part singer-songwriter, and all heart. He just released his first album of live tracks, which I picked up the other day to no disappointment. If you feel guilty about all the free music you’ve downloaded in the past year, this would be a good time to repay that karma by paying for a copy of Liam’s album. You can do so here: http://liammather.com/music

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Slacklining

I just got back from the park where Kim and I were slacklining — imagine tightrope walking, but on a line that’s “slack” rather than rigid. Now, before my mom reads this and freaks out (Hi mom…), I should explain that you learn to do this with a line that’s only a foot or two off the ground. So if you fall (which you spend a lot of time doing when you’re learning), you don’t have far to go.

So how does one get into such a bizarre sport? It all started a year ago. I was in my little Bali house doing my lunch dishes and looked out my kitchen window to see this guy balancing on a rope.  (see picture below)

Sensing the opportunity to try something cool, I dropped my dishes and ran outside. The conversation went something like this:

Mike: “Dude. You’ve gotta let me try that.”

German dude: “Sure. Here. Just step with your feet like this and…”

(Mike carefully steps onto line, waves arms frantically, crashes to the ground)

Mike: “Awesome. I want one.”

German dude: “I can get you one.”

The German guy, Sebastian, turned out to be really cool, a fine example of the New Rich — not a millionaire, but definitely living like one.  He was working remotely for German clients doing specialized web design, billing his customers 60+ euros/hr and living like a king in Bali.

Sebastian kept his word and had his girlfriend bring me a slackline from Europe. I spent the next few weeks bruising my knees and learning how to stay upright on the line.

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With all of the things vying for our attention daily — a lot of it available for free — it can be hard to separate the merely good content from the amazing content. Once in a while you come across something free that is so beautiful, inspiring and full of life, that you just have to share it with everyone you know. Here are three free things that have made a difference in my life, available in download form:  (drumroll…)

1. This American Life, the podcast.

I’m not American — I don’t even currently live in North America. However, hands down, the most compelling and beautifully crafted stories (true and fictional) I’ve ever heard have been on this radio program.

You can listen to every episode online in your browser, or download each week’s episode (only that week’s episode) in Itunes for free.

Start with:  http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/339/break-up (then click PLAY EPISODE)

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UPDATE: I have discontinued wearing these shoes until I figure out a way to make them NOT smell.
 

“I’m not being seen in public with you if you’re wearing those – things.”
– A friend’s girlfriend to her boyfriend about his Vibram Five Finger Shoes.
 

So why would you wear them? My five favorite reasons:
 

1) They will make you run faster than Kenyans. Or at least, faster than you already run.
 
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