Travel Oops — “Do You Have a Gun, Miss?”

Posted on December 11, 2012 by sglaser

A “temporary” building with two classrooms, P301, on the inside, was a faded green mint color — like saltwater taffy gone stale, having been left in a carnival candy sack too long.

But I had windows, a big white board, carpet and neat tables and chairs lined up perfectly. On high, the air conditioning unit blasted air that could cut any perennial’s life short. Was this real? I didn’t have any of these items in my US classroom.

In the little climate controlled temporary, I felt a certain calm even on the first day as a new exchange teacher. Of course this was mixed with a free-flowing anxiety. I didn’t know a thing about Australian students or Year 8s, for that matter, but really, how hard could it be? Plus, if I totally bombed, I could definitely milk my accent for the first week of school, at least.

Right?

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The Travel Ahh…Roads and Streets

Posted on December 10, 2012 by sglaser

Roads and streets are definitely symbolic when it comes to travel. Just listen to Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” or read Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Of course, when you are stuck in traffic during a commute, the road is the last place where you want to be. But, when you’re traveling, roads and streets always lead somewhere new or unexpected. Sometimes it’s not always the destination, but what you see on the way that is so striking. (The photo above was taken along a remote road on Kangaroo Island, Australia.

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Friday Funny Sign — Filling Up in More Ways than One in the Outback

Posted on December 7, 2012 by sglaser

Central Australia. The Outback can be a pretty desolate place. A petrol/gas station and road house are literally like an oasis. Definitely a one-stop-shop. This Road House, which did have lodging, was not advocating drinking and driving, I would like to believe, but merely efficiency.

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Gimme Shelter — In a Balinese Elephant Cave

Posted on December 5, 2012 by sglaser

Kurt and I with Eddie and Kasey © Stephanie Glaser

Goa Gajah or the “Elephant Cave” is a beautiful ancient Hindu complex near Ubud, Bali (what isn’t beautiful in Bali?) The entrance is a bit intimidating since it looks like a dragon’s mouth. A place to worship, the Inside of the cave is rather small and at one corner stands a small statue of the Hindu deity, Ganesha, who has an elephant head. Photography is not permitted, and visitors and worshippers, alike, must cover their legs (except children and this was good since it was so hot and humid, the cave was somewhat stifling!)

A bathing temple with fountains is also part of the lovely grounds. Another open air building stands nearby in the peaceful and serene setting. It is believed the spiritual complex was built around the 11th century as a sanctuary for Hindu priests.

The bathing temple © Stephanie Glaser 2010

Eddie and Kurt check out the grounds © Stephanie Glaser

Travel Oops — Should I add McDonald’s to the Guidebook?

Posted on December 4, 2012 by sglaser

No more creating copy about high-speed railways, long-span suspension bridges, retrofitted freeways or any other engineering miracles. I was going to be a travel writer. For nearly three years, I had worked as an editor in the public affairs office for the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley, and I longed to write about other subjects. I would, however, gladly examine engineering feats along the lines of windmills, dikes and bicycles.

Hired to write insights about Europe — the Netherlands in particular — for the 1996 edition of the Berkeley Guides, a budget Fodor’s travel guide series produced by students at Berkeley, I had found a dream job. Although not a Berkeley student, I was a copywriter and editor.

Plus, I had studied in Leiden, Holland, for a year while in college. Ultimately, I could serve as a cultural anthropologist.

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The Travel Ahh…Meeting locals

Posted on December 3, 2012 by sglaser

Isn’t one of the reasons we travel to meet people from other cultures? It’s the best way to gain new perspectives and an appreciation of the world. Kurt and I met the woman above on a bus traveling to Marigot in St. Maarten. Friendly and helpful, she told us about a local market to visit and enlightened us on some Caribbean customs.

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The Friday Funny Sign — Whoa! A Storage Unit for Hannibal Lecter?

Posted on November 30, 2012 by sglaser

I did a double take BIG Time when I first saw this sign. YIKES. They sell BONES??? And units are available — what might be in the units? Don’t want to know.

Because that would be way too twisted to actually advertise the availability of bones (let alone have a business that sells them), the sign requires closer examination. When you see the sign from the correct angle, it says, We Sell Boxes. However, when you first drive into the commercial site where this storage business is located, that is NOT how the sign reads. Time to choose another font.

Gimme Shelter — Or Something to Lean On

Posted on November 28, 2012 by sglaser

Salida, Colorado, USA. This is a classic, highly photographed scene in the small mountain town. The old school kayaks against an aging brick wall of a local building are postcard ready. Located along the Arkansas River, Salida, is a boating town (river rafting and kayaking), so this is a fitting image.

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Travel Oops: “I have a Million Dollar Idea” — Milo Lids

Posted on November 27, 2012 by sglaser

I had a million dollar idea once — and this was no “pet rock” or “Snuggie.” My million dollar idea was Milo lids. A really good idea, or so I thought…

One day, when my grammar lesson was tanking at the school where I was an exchange teacher, I asked my Australian year 8 students what their favorite food was or what I should be sure to try while I was in Australia for the next year.

The unanimous answer, of course, was Vegemite, Australia’s favourite concentrated yeast extract spread. Aussie kids are pretty much weaned off the breast and on to Vegemite. I had tried it and wasn’t quite there yet with what tasted like congealed soy sauce paste.

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The Travel Ahh…Rooftops

Posted on November 25, 2012 by sglaser

Rooftops have always captured my attention like these in Florence, Italy (above). Maybe it’s the expression “a roof over your head.” Perhaps it’s that you know underneath is a home or business. A rooftop represents not only shelter, but people to me.

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