Nathan's Trips
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"Some have called me a modern day Marco Polo. Others have simply called me crazy. I probably identify myself as somewhere in between those two labels. Really, I just see myself as a little blonde kid who has had some amazing experiences and has survived to tell about them." |
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From Southern Mexico to Southern Panama by bus |
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On the Pacific Ocean in Southern Panama |
| I took my first major trip while I was living in Southern Chiapas, Mexico. During the Christmas holidays of 2002, I rode "chicken buses" from border to border, starting in Chiapas, and ending up in Southern Panama. I passed through the countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and finally Panama. On Christmas Eve of 2002, I entered Northern Panama through Paso Canoas and on Christmas Day my lifelong dream of seeing the Panama Canal was realized. Later, I continued into Southern Panama and I attempted to reach the Northern border of Colombia through the Darien Gap but I was turned back by the police. This trip included sleeping outside on the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua and spending a night on a small boat under the bright stars in the Pacific Ocean. Looking back, I believe that this trip prepared me for far more strenuous trips that I would take in the future. |
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Beijing and Shanghai; my first few days in China |
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In the subway station in Shanghai |
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think I was too tired to be scared when I arrived in Beijing late
one night in August of 2005. I had no friends in Beijing and I
didn't speak Chinese but I knew that the challenge of finding my way
around would be fun and rewarding. That night, my taxi driver got
lost on his way to my hotel so I had a chance to see more of Beijing
than I had expected. By the time I finally reached my hotel and fell
in bed, I knew that my adventure was only just beginning in Asia. For the next few days, I spent hours walking around Beijing. I also had the chance to visit the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, and Tiananmen Square. It was in Beijing that I learned how to use chopsticks for the first time and say "thank you" in Chinese. Thanks to some help from a friend I met named Shirlene from Singapore, I was able to buy a ticket to Shanghai. In Shanghai, I spent more hours walking around the city and acclimating myself to the Asian culture. While I was there, I visited the ancient city of Zhou Zhuang and walked around the People's park. It was a dream come true to be in a city that I had always dreamed about visiting. |
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From Central China to Thailand, India, Nepal and Laos |
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A Jain temple in Delhi, India |
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Christmas Day, 2005, I left Jingzhou in Central China, where I was
teaching, and traveled 24 hours by bus to the southern province of
Fujian. From there, I took a short plane ride to Bangkok, Thailand
where I spent 7 days while waiting for a VISA to enter India. While
I was in Thailand, I explored Bangkok, and spent a few days
motorcycling and scuba diving on one of the Gulf of Thailand's
exotic islands.
From Thailand, I flew to Calcutta, India where I embarked on one my most exciting and strenuous trips ever. In 14 days, I visited 7 cities including Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, Varanasi, the holiest city in India, and Jaislamer, a charming town in the middle of the Thar desert, not far from the Pakistani border. I also entered Nepal from India and visited Lumbini, which is the site where Lord Buddha was born. During these 14 days, I never stayed in a city more than one night and often I spent the night on trains. My final train ride in India, which was from Delhi back to Calcutta, lasted 28 hours. From Calcutta, I returned again to Bangkok, Thailand, where I immediately bought a plane ticket and flew to Chiang Rai, in the Northern part of Thailand. After a good night's sleep in Chiang Rai, I crossed the Mekong River into Southern Laos and took an 8 hour boat ride up the river into Central Laos. From there, I took a truck ride and then a minibus trip into the beautiful Chinese province of Kunming. A series of bus rides and a short plane ride allowed me to return to Central China some 28 days later. |
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My 2000 kilometer motorcycle trip through Central China |
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Entering into Xian on motorcycle |
| My most daring
trip took place during the Spring of 2006. One early day in May, I
attached a duffel bag to my motorcycle, hopped on, and embarked upon
a journey that would be my most challenging yet. This grueling yet
rewarding trip would take me to Wudang Shan, the birthplace of
Taoism in China, Xian, home of the Terracotta Warriors, and Shaolin
Temple, the birthplace of Chinese Kungfu. I often traveled twelve
hours a day and the terrain included paved roads and dirt roads and
took me through the rolling hills of the Chinese countryside as well
as up and down gorgeous mountains. Some of the adventures that
occurred on the trip included being pulled over by the police,
driving in a city where motorcycles were not necessarily allowed,
experiencing a flat tire, and staying with a very kind Chinese
family. Some of the cuisine that I tried included delicious Tofu and
noodles as well as grubs and vegetables.
When I returned, 7 days later, I had driven over 2000 kilometers and had spent close to fifty hours driving. I was able to navigate quite well with the use of my Chinese road map and a simple GPS. I was also assisted by dozens of kind Chinese strangers who made my trip enjoyable and fascinating. This trip, which tested my endurance to the maximum at times, taught me a lot about perseverance and also allowed me to experience the real China. |
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My trip to Tibet and Mount Everest |
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Visiting a temple in Southern Tibet |
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suppose it was a defining moment for me when I arrived in Lhasa,
Tibet on an overcast day in July of 2006. I had managed to slip on a
non government bus to Tibet from the remote city of Germu and I had
survived a harrowing 24 bus ride that took us as high as 5000 meters
on the Tibetan Plateau. During the night on that infamous bus ride,
the deep potholes and the lack of oxygen combined for a very
uncomfortable yet nonetheless experience. I spent two days in the
ancient city of Lhasa, exploring the Barkhor Circuit, the famous
Potala Palace and some surrounding temples. Then it was time to move
on.
While Lhasa was extremely fascinating, the main goal of this trip was to reach Mount Everest. As a lone traveler, this proved to be quite difficult but after a series of harrowing bus rides, being stuck in a city for two days, and having to backtrack almost 8 hours, I finally found myself staring up at the tallest peak in the world. It is hard to describe the feelings that overcame me as I stood there. The hardships that I had experienced had been well worth it.
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