Made With Paper

Brooklyn Bridge on Flickr.

I’m home! Around the world in 107 days! My passport is full of stamps, my mind is full of stories, and my heart is full of questions. I’m home!

Please don’t think I take this experience for granted. I am extremely lucky to be fortunate enough to have the proper funds, time, ability, and intuition to pull off an around the world trip. I consider myself one of the luckiest people I know.

I want to thank everyone who has supported/hosted me before and during my trip, and also the hundreds (literally) of new people I’ve met along the way that made this journey so amazing. I’ve learned so much, answered a lot of questions, but more importantly, have asked myself even more, which will be answered in my future.

I love my mom and dad and two sisters. I love my country. I am so inspired by the hospitality and humanity I’ve seen around the world. I am truly happy to be a citizen of this earth.

Further write-up and reflections will surely come soon. Until then, I’ll be enjoying life in one of the best countries in the world.

Cheers,
Sam

Australia. (August 11-19, 2012), a set on Flickr.

Thoughts on Australia. (August 11-19, 2012)

I thought about writing this post in upside-down letters, but I think I’ve already exhausted that joke…and besides, you guys were the ones upside-down when I was in Australia!

Australia, aside from being my most expensive portion of my trip, was pretty interesting. I think it’s every American’s dream to go to Australia and ride kangaroos and obnoxiously talk with funny, fake accents and fight off deadly animals and insects. Well, it wasn’t quite like that. Except for the accent part. In fact I didn’t even see any kangaroos at all because I was in Sydney, where they don’t ride their kangaroos to work, apparently… I DID see some weird Australian possums and parrots and weirdo birds.

I flew into Sydney International airport, and randomly picked a hostel online. The train from the airport drops you off right at Circular Quay, which is the like the town center of Sydney, with the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. So I explored a little bit, and then headed for my hostel.

My hostel was in a neighborhood called Kings Cross, which is a little rough around the edges (read: homeless addicts and ugly hookers). And prostitution is legal so I’m told. Anyway, the hostels itself was nice, as well as the people in it. There’s always so much diversity in hostels. In my room was a Welsh girl, an English girl, and a Irish guy (named Pearse, who I hung out with a few days). In the other rooms were Germans, Spaniards, and Frenchies.

A lot of the people in the hostel were “long-termers.” For example, Pearse just finished 6 months of working on a banana farm a few towns north of Sydney (for $20/hour, no bad). The money situation is very odd. The conversion rate from Australian dollar to American is comparable, yet the cost of living is so high in Australia. Minimum wage is super complicated over there, but it would be normal for a McDonalds cashier to make $18/hour. But then again, a movie will cost ya $18… Many foreigners will come to Aus to work in the mines, where they can make upwards of $150k with a proper specialty (mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, etc.)

I spent my days wandering around and just experiencing the culture. It’s very much the same to America, compared to some of the other cultures I’ve seen around the world.

One of the days I made my way over to Bondi Beach. There’s a beautiful surfing beach with a boardwalk and a pretty slick concrete skatepark. Oh, by the way, it’s currently winter in Aus (southern hemisphere). It’s not too cold, but definitely worthy of a wet suit it you’re going surfing, which many of the locals were. I stuck to the skatepark. Met some cool people and skated the whole day. (I was hitting on this skater girl, who turned out to be 39… I guess she looks really good for her age, and she’s super immature to be hanging out at the skateparks with some teenagers…)

They drive on the left side of the road in Australia, and it makes sense, since most Australians are of English and Irish descent. it’s interesting. They KNOW they drive on the wrong side of the road. On the roads at crosswalks, it says in big painted letters on the road “LOOK RIGHT,” meaning to look the opposite way that normal people would look first. I also saw this in England. Guess they have a lot of tourists getting hit by cars.

I’m heading home! A 10 hour flight to Honolulu, Hawaii, and then a 10 hour flight to JFK, NYC! (fun!)

Palm-tree backflip over the Sydney Opera House. Sydney, Australia. (Taken with Instagram at Sydney Opera House)

My Pack. on Flickr.

My Pack.

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For the last 3+ months I have been backpacking across Europe (and Egypt), Asia, and Australia. All I have with me is my 25lb (12.2kg) bag. For about half of my flights, my bag was small enough to take as a carry-on. Here’s what’s inside, that got me through deserts, mountains, oceans, rivers, snow, rain, beaches, mud and everything In between.

1 Gregory Baltoro 65 hiking backpack

Clothes:
6 EMS polyester boxer briefs
6 pairs “lite wool” athletic socks
2 polyester t-shirts
2 lightweight nylon sleeveless shirts
1 long sleeve button-down shirt
1 short sleeve button-down shirt
1 pair black jeans
1 pair jean shorts
1 pair swim trunks
1 pair 3/4 capri pants
1 belt
1 hooded sweatshirt (doubles as a pillow in airplane)
1 Tasmanian Devil towel (doubles as blanket in airplane)

Toiletries (refilled throughout the trip):
1 bar of soap
1 stick of deodorant
1 beard trimmer for beard, head, “other” with extra AA batteries
1 pair of tweezers
1 pair of nail clippers
Toothbrush and toothpaste
1 travel bottle of Advil

Technology:
1 GoProHD waterproof video camera with extra battery (with GorillaPod mini-tripod)
1 Nikon D90 with extra battery
1 3G iPad with charger and world outlet adapters
1 SD Card reader for iPad
1 Promaster Digital Charger and Power Supply for charging electronics on the go
1 pair of headphones

Accessories:
1 22” StereoVinyl Cruiser skateboard
1 microfiber cleaning clothe to clean camera lenses
1 drawstring backpack for day trips
1 mid sized canvas tote bag for storing clothes within backpack
1 pair sunglasses
1 wallet
1 passport
Multiple “backups” of photocopied passport/papers with cash stashed in secrets compartments of my backpack

Footwear:
1 pair flip flops
1 pair Adidas Samba flats

Note: this picture shows EVERYTHING in my possession right now, except for the underwear I’m wearing and the camera I’m using to take the photo. Yes, I’m standing on my bed in my underwear taking pictures of my stuff…

Japan. (August 4-10, 2012), a set on Flickr.

Thoughts on Japan. (August 4-10, 2012)

I flew into Tokyo’s Narita Airport, which is about an hour bus ride from the city of Tokyo. When I first landed, I had to go through passport control, at which they FINGERPRINTED ME and took my photo. Don’t worry, it wasn’t just me, they did it to everyone, phew! Also, upon arriving at customs, they searched my whole bag. Japan had the second best security after Israel.

I took the bus to Tokyo, on which they actually made is wear the seat-belts. I found this odd since most coach buses everywhere else don’t require you to wear them, if they have them at all. Also, they drive on the left side of the road.

I arrived in Tokyo and started looking for my hostel. Okay, I’ll admit it, I got lost. I was finding my way along, going which way I thought. I came across a map and realized I was going the opposite direction that I should have been going. So I walked allllll the way back to where the bus dropped me off. After finding another map posted on a building, I realized I HAD been going the right way. The thing is, that they don’t always show the map with north at the top. It actually makes sense. So when you look at the posted map, the landscape appears on the map as it is in front of you. I didn’t know this… Anyway, Japanese people are SO nice. While I was standing there trying to figure out the whole north/map deal, a girl and her mom approached me, asking if I needed help. They then stood there with me for five minutes looking up directions on her iPhone. I thanked them and started again on my way. Got lost again, some other lady stopped and asked if I needed help. Seriously, the Japanese are the most polite culture I’ve come across.

Found my hostel. They make you take your shoes off when you arrive and you must wear indoor slippers which they provide. I made my way up to the dorm. They had awesome “capsule beds.” Similar to those sleep chambers you see on the planes in The 5th Element, except without the whole button that make you sleep instantly…

Japan is awesome because it has such rich culture that’s NOT influenced by western/American culture. I liked this. It was refreshing to see how they have their own weird candies and food and norms. In the convenience stores you can find Snickers and Kit-Kats, but other than that, everything was Japanese brand. Actually, I didn’t like their candies that much. They can’t seem to get sweets/gummies right. They do okay with chocolates. I didn’t even try to tentacle snacks…

I spent most of my days just walking around and enjoying the culture. Just eating and snacking was so different. But I did venture out that the Sensoji Temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan. Such amazing architecture and colors. And therefore very touristy. Oh well, I got a great backflip photo!

As you might have guessed, I don’t speak very much Japanese. And not too many people speak English. So eating at restaurants was VERY interesting. My first meal was amazing. It was noodles with chicken. I kinda just pointed at the menu and asked for “soba and chicken.” The waiter gave me my meal with a fork, revealing it slowly, as to not offend me. I accepted it, but then continued to eat my meal with the chopsticks like a pro. By the way, don’t got to Japan if you can’t use chopsticks. That fork was the only one I saw the whole time I was there…

Also, the Japanese SLURP their noodles. Loudly. And that’s the normal way to do it. So I just copied the guy I saw at the table next to me. I copied the whole process. They give you a soup with some vegetables in it, and a bowl of hot noodles. And a thermos of hot broth. You can add more broth if you need. So you basically take the noodles and dip them in the soup and then eat them. Then eat the soup if there’s any left. At one place I got cold noodles, blehhh. At another place I accidentally irdered octopus….it was actually pretty good.

Annnnd I bought a Japanese cartoon porn book. Yes I actually paid for porn. It’s amazingly graphic and wildly unrealistic. Ask me to show you sometime…

Well, now I’m off to Australia for the last leg of my journey! Can’t wait to go home!

Hong Kong. (July 29-August 4, 2012), a set on Flickr.

Thoughts on Hong Kong. (July 29-August 4, 2012)

Flying from Paris, I had a layover in Shanghai, which I had a few minutes to jump in the free Internet wifi. However it wouldn’t load a few pages, like Facebook and Twitter. I was able to post a photo on Instagram and checkin on Foursquare. It didn’t dawn on me until way later that China has all kinds of censorship on the Internet… Interesting since I’m currently reading 1984…similarities?

Before embarking on this 3 month journey, I had reached out to a bunch of my father’s business friend around the world. Luckily, he had a contact in Hong Kong, who I had been corresponding with.

His name is Marc. He used to work with my Dad a few years back, but now lives in Hong Kong with his wife and dog. He’s an awesome guy and was super excited to host me for a few days. I flew into the Hong Kong International airport and followed Marc’s directions on how to get to his place, which was not actually in the city of Hong Kong, but a few kilometers.

To be honest, I was a little intimidated coming to Hong Kong. It’s my first time in Asia, and I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be. Similarly, I was nervous before going to Europe, but after I arrived, I realized it wasn’t difficult at all. Of course, Hong Kong is much different than anything I’ve ever experienced, but most things are written in English. It’s a pretty big hub for international business, so there’s quite a lot of westerners there.

The community in which Marc lives, Discovery Bay, is run by one company. They build the buildings, the roads, and own the ferry system and buses. Therefore, the bus schedule syncs perfectly with the ferries and so on. Actually, in Discovery Bay, there are no cars allowed, which makes a perfect community experience for families with children or pets. You can buy a license for a golf cart to use within the community, but since there can only be 500 licenses, the cost of owning a golf cart on the property can skyrocket. It’s a monopoly, but it seems to work.

I was also lucky enough to know a Hong Kong local. My friend Tricia, originally form Hong Kong, went to high school in Wisconsin, and then attended Syracuse University, where we had a few classes together. It was great to see her, after almost 2 years, since she graduated and moved back to HK. She seemed excited enough to see me, and showed me around the city a bit. It’s almost cheating to have a friend who lives in a city you’re visiting. Like having your own personal tour guide, which in this case was good for me, since HK is a little harder to navigate than most European cities.

Other than the language barrier, there’s no big difference between HK and the cities around the world I’ve been to. The real thing that interested me, was the currency. I looked down at a 20HKD bill and saw an HSBC logo. The currency isn’t printed exclusively by the government. I believe there are 3 different private banks that print money, as well as the government. I found this fascinating.

Also, you know that building that Batman jumps from, to kidnap Lau in HK? The IFC? I WAS IN THE BUILDING. So I’m basically Bruce Wayne…

HK was a little too hot for me, so I figured my next stop should be Japan. So I flew to Tokyo!

France. (July 24-28, 2012), a set on Flickr.

Thoughts on France. (July 24-28, 2012)

We arrived in Paris and found our way to our hotel, which was a few hundred meters away from the Arc de Triomphe. We settled in and started to relax.

France was a pretty laid back stop for me. Rotolo had really wanted to see Italy because of his Italian heritage, but France really didn’t mean anything to either of us. So we took the opportunity to relax and do some sightseeing. And honestly, at this point, I am rather travel fatigued and more than excited to go home.

Anyway, we figured we’d see the city a little bit since its one of the only times we’ll ever be there in life. The Arc was right down the road, so obviously we went there first. It’s huge, and right in the middle of a roundabout, with loads of traffic circling all the time. We were really confused how people were getting to the middle, but we figured they’d just crossed the street. So we dodged some traffic and managed to get to the Arc in the middle of the roundabout… Turns out there’s underground passageways to get there safely, without having to run through traffic, oh well..

Next we headed to the Eiffel Tower, obviously. It was a few kilometers from our hotel, but we got a nice sense of the city by walking and talking. The tower was pretty cool. You’ve seen pictures, so you know what to expect. No surprises there. It was still really cool to see in person. Behind the tower were great long fields, on which locals and tourists alike were picnicking and hanging out in the grass. I like that. It felt like a community. Teenagers with a few beers or some sandwiches just hanging out. We took some photos and acted like proper tourists.

On the other side of the tower, was this oversized, multiple-leveled fountain, about 300 meters long. At timed intervals, it would shoot giant streams of water from the top to one of the mid levels, creating an awesome effect, and a novel place to cool off and swim, if you happen to find yourself with a swim suit on a hot day. A lot of tourists, but also a lot of Parisians.

We figured we should indulge ourselves in some fine French cuisine. It was hot so we got Häagen-Dazs. Yes, there was a sit-down Häagen-Dazs restaurant. We had to. It was delicious, even if it was 12€…,

During our relaxation, we decided it was a splendid idea to go enjoy some authentic French cinema. So what other film than the newly released The Dark Knight Rises movie. In English of course. I’ve been to movie theaters in a few countries now, and they’re all very different. This one, in Paris was very large. The theater could probably hold 700 viewers. No cup holders. Carpeted flooring, couch-like seats. Awesome experience. (and awesome movie!)

Our time was coming to an end. Apparently Rotolo has a real life or something, where he’s a professor, so he flew back to Syracuse (America) and I flew to Hong Kong!

Italy (2). (July 21-24, 2012), a set on Flickr.

Thoughts on Italy (2). (July 21-24, 2012)

My professor, mentor, and friend (all the same guy), Anthony Rotolo had been wanting to make a trip to Europe to see me. Since he’s Italian, we decided that Rome would be a great place to start. And since he’s from Rome, New York, Rome seemed quite fitting.

I took a train from Zermatt, Switzerland to Milan, Italy, and then to Rome. I got off the train in Rome at about 10pm, without so much as a name of a place to stay. I just started walking, and not even three blocks from the train station, I found a cheap hostel. I settled in and relaxed. I didn’t want to explore the city, only to have to do it again once Rotolo arrived, so I spent the next day relaxing and reading.

When Rotolo arrived, he was pretty jetlagged. So we just wandered aimlessly and found some food to eat. The next day we set out to see the Coliseum. I’m not one for waiting in lines, but I mean, it’s the Coliseum. We walked around the inside for a little while and admired its shear size and history. Amazing to stand in the exact place where spectators sat thousands of years ago to watch people die.

We continued to explore the city and the Roman Forums. Rome is a pretty cool place. No wonder why it’s a top European destination.

We also went to the Vatican, which is technically its own country but I don’t think it warrants its own post… The Vatican was pretty interesting. Both of us are not religious in any sense, but it’s still nice to appreciate the artwork and the significance it holds for other people. And the artwork was gorgeous. We mainly wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, so we kinda rushed through the museum, which was okay since we didn’t know what anything else in the museum was anyway. When we finally got to the Sistine Chapel. It was exactly how I imagined it. Tall ceiling, no lights, and ushers and guards everywhere urging silence. The paintings were spectacular. When you see it in person, it’s enormous and really makes you wonder how Michelangelo was able to paint so spectacularly upside down.

Rotolo had decided that we should also go to France, so I had looked for some cheap flights for us. We found some seats on a RyanAir flight for 36€! Not bad.

How do you say backflip in Japanese? Sensō-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan. (Taken with Instagram at 金龍山 浅草寺 (Sensou-ji Temple))

Buddha Backflip. Flipping over the Tian Tan Buddha in Hong Kong. (Taken with Instagram at Tian Tan Buddha (Giant Buddha) 天壇大佛)

Switzerland. (July 14-20, 2012), a set on Flickr.

Switzerland. (July 14-20, 2012)

Thoughts on Switzerland.

Wow, Switzerland was AWESOME. My friend Shaina finished her studies in Italy and wanted to meet up and go to Switzerland. She picked out Interlaken and that’s where we met up.

I came from London (through Paris) so I got to take the train though the Swiss Alps to get there. Goddamn, the Alps are gorgeous!

We arrived at the hostel, which had the feel of an off-season ski lodge, and settled in. Interlaken is like the adventure capital of switzerland. There’s bungy jumping, canyon jumping, canyoning, skydiving, etc. So Shaina signed us up for them all!

The first day we did the canyon jump. We were driven about an hour north to the base of a large cliff face. We jumped out of the van and, along with 15 others, made a small hike up to the jump site. Over the last few thousand years, the glacial river has carved a vary deep, narrow canyon out of the cliff. At its widests, the canyon is probably only 100ft wide. So, we strapped up, into our full body harnesses and started to get ready. Standing at the top on a man-made platform, I’m all hooked up, ready to jump, and free fall for 85 meters (278ft). The pressure is all on the jumper. Ther guide, sets up your harness, adjusts all ropes and makes sure everything is safe, cannot actually push you off the ledge. You must jump on your own. So you step off, and fall. The speed picks up, and you keep accelerating. You fall for a few seconds, and then the rope attached to you tightens, and you are swung towards the other end of the canyon. Quite exhilarating and extremely thrilling.See my video here!

The next day, we went “canyoning.” We were set up with wet suits, life jackets, helmets and harnesses. The idea, basically, is to make your way down a river canyon by using ropes and pulleys, natural water slides, and cliff jumping. Very fun, and cold, but definitely not as thrilling as the other aspects of the trip.

On our final full day in Interlaken, we went skydiving. I had never been skydiving before, but Shaina has, so she distinguished my nervousness. We suited up, and waiting as the first plane of jumpers took off. Amazingly, even from 13,000ft below, we could see (barely) as the skydivers left the plane and fell to earth. It was reassuring to watch as the first batch landed so gingerly, wide-eyed and giggling. Shaina and I were on the 2nd plane, so as it touched down on the runway, we ran out and got in so it didn’t have to stop the propellor. In the plane, they gave us a last minute briefing, and strapped our harness to their own. As we got closer to our jump, they tightened the straps so tight that I could barely breathe. I felt safer. At 13,000ft, when it was my turn, my guide (strapped to my back) and I nudged to the open door of the plane. I kicked my feet out and folded them under the plane, as directed. On his count, we threw ourselves forward and out of the plane.

We start to fall. That ever familiar, yet terrifying sense of free falling. You just keep accelerating and going faster and faster… The sound is deafening since the air is moving so fast around you. Rather, you’re moving so fast through the air. If it wasn’t for the goggles, you would not be able to open your eyes. The photographer who jumped with us is falling directly under us, snapping photos. I grab his shoe and spin him around. Still falling. I lower my left hand and raise my right, as I had seen in countless YouTube videos I’ve watched, wand we start to spin. Quite fast, actually, so I stop.

The guide decides its time to pull the chute. The sound disappears, the harness tightens, and I feel as though we are now going up. We are still 3,000ft above the valley. I can clearly see the airfield and where we have to land. I can take off my goggles now, and admire the view. Such an amazing sensation, to be so far off the earth, yet not in a noisy and restricting vehicle. I chat with my guide, as we loop-d-loop the whole way down.

The next day, Shaina left for Poland, but I wanted to go snowboarding… So. I took a train to Zermatt, Switzerland and rented some equipment. I waited until the next day to ride, since the mountain is only open until 1pm. I woke up early and headed up the mountain. After a cable-car, and two 120-person-gondolas, I reached the top. Since its so high up in the Swiss Alps, I actually had trouble breathing. After two runs, I had to get some water in the lodge. I ended up falling asleep at the table do 20 minutes… I got back onto the snow, and fell asleep on the snow for a few minutes while sitting down, taking a break. All in all, it was an amazing experience. I never thought I’d be doing backflips on a rental snowboard in the middle of the Swiss Alps in July, but here I am!

Here’s some photos!

Le Backflip. At the Eiffel Tower with @rotolo in Paris, France. (Taken with Instagram at Tour Eiffel)