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Ralford's Travels

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This wiki entry is a plan. It's not set in stone, so it may change from time to time. Remember - "Wikis are dynamic online knowledge sharing tools" (snagged via google from: What is a wiki?). This is really just a place to get my thoughts on 'paper', and organize them a little.

General Thoughts


As you may know, I enjoy backpacking (w), and especially the idea of being able to have my belongings on my back - clothes, food, shelter, and all. To make me more mobile, I'll most likely be taking a backpack with me on the trip (rather than a suitcase). This should give me a chance to do some hiking if the opportunity presents itself. Of course, excactly what I'm carrying will depend on the country I'm visiting, and especially its water supply, food sources, lions/tigers/bears, etc.

The Essentials


I'm sure there are plenty of things that need to be taken into consideration here. I'll just let them roll out as they come...
Traveling Resources


Because I haven't been out of North America, it's obvious that some research has to go into this. Lucky for me, I still remember how to read a little from my childhood. I always hated reading, but new it would go to a good cause one day. Thank you Highlights magazine - seriously. This section is basically a list of internet resources or books I've found/purchased that will hopefully help me along the way.

Washtington State
...this section added on 2007-06-12

I've been to Washington about three times with my family when I was between about 9 and 17. My Dad grew up in Washington, so the first two trips were to visit family near Yakima (actually in Tieton) and Cle Elum. The third was a trip my Dad and I took to go backpacking on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and visit Mount Rainier National Park.

I'd like to do some more backpacking in that area. The PCT would be cool, but I'd especially like to hike the trail to the top of Desolation Peak.

While I'm there, I'd visit my Grandparent's old house, and visit an Aunt that still lives in that area. After a week or two of hiking, I'm sure I'd check out Seattle's music scene for at least a night before coming home.

Europe
...this section added on 2007-05-29

Damn, I really need to add a feature to the wiki to keep track of when changes were last made to a wiki entry (and a history of what the changes were...).

I'm starting to think of taking a starter trip since I haven't been overseas. Since I studied German for four years in high school, that is a good place to start. Also - Europe isn't quite as far from the English language as Nepal. And Germany and Europe do interest me. I'm running out of vacation days early this year, so if I can find 4-5 that I've squirreled away, that could get me out of town for a full 9 days including bookend weekends.

I hopped on Expedia tonight and did a search for a flight from Pittsburgh to Frankfurt. A roundtrip ticket from August 18th to the 25th is an affordable $621! Take note both dates are Tuesdays, as I've noticed weekend tickets tend to be more pricey. I'm a bit disspointed for not getting on the passport thing earlier. I really need to do that... Other notes that are specific to traveling in Germany:
The Himalayas


So the backpacking thing has drawn me to the Himalayas. But so have the neighboring countries. Bhutan and Nepal really interest me. I don't know much about them at all, so please don't think I do. From what it seems though, these countries seem like peaceful neighbors. Based on their location, they also seem like mediators. Tibet also seems like the peaceful type, down in the corner of China and all.

I figure that if I'm heading to this region, a good place to fly into would be India. It's a rather large country, with a decent share of larger cities. With a large population, it would be silly to miss out on the Indian culture, so I will start my travels there. Eventually, I'll meander North to the Himalayas. 

This excerpt from Jack Kerouac's On The Road really gives me the itch to travel:

"Now, Sal, we're leaving everything behind us and entering a new and unknown phase
of things.  All the years and troubles and kicks - and now this! so that we can
safely think of nothing else and just go on ahead with our faces stuck out like
this, you see, and understand the world..."

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