German Route

I am in the pre-production phase of a language and culture series. These are the 12 locations that I have decided to shoot while in Germany. My plan is to incorporate 10-20 words per episode and travel around Germany while learning the basic language.

After watching the entire series you should have a very basic foundation in the language. I have selected vocabulary which will be most beneficial to a traveler. Topics will range from Transportation, Numbers, Shopping, Basic Conversation etc.

Once I begin releasing these videos, I hope to get feedback on how I can improve these videos.

A Day in Aspen, Colorado, United States

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Aspen, Colorado. I didn't know what to expect when I got there, but I have seen plenty of photographs and was excited. I imagined Aspen as a small place, with a lot of people walking around interacting. I thought about coffee shops, small restaurants and other places for people to meet up.

I didn't enjoy my time in Aspen at all. Everything is overpriced and it's rather boring. The ski/snowboard slopes close at 3:30pm. Once the slopes close there is a few places to occupy, such as a handful of bars and restaurants. Unless you go to Aspen with a group of people, I would suggest skipping this location.

In my opinion, the best part of the entire trip was the drive. I left from Denver and drove west on a scenic route. Along the way the mountains grew taller until I felt I was inside of them. Although I did not enjoy my time in Aspen, I may visit again in the late future.

Train Trip Across Eastern Europe

In addition to the 14 countries I previously posted, I have a great interest in these 8 countries as well. I would like to take a train from Bulgaria and ride north to Estonia. I am still undecided on how to film them. I might compile each country into one show or just do individual episodes. If I compile them into one, the episode would run much longer than 30 minutes.

Travel Show Update

I have taken a few weeks to research information on which countries I would like to make shows on. Each show will be approximately 30 minutes and will include various topics. The 14 countries I came up with are Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria, Czech Republic, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Slovenia, Italy, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Hungary and Denmark.

This is just a rough draft and I am sure this will change more than once. In addition to these 14 countries I will be producing a separate show which features 12-20 cities in Germany.

Khmer Monkeys

In 2010 I spent about a week in Sihanoukville, Kompong Som, Cambodia. My plan was to explore the area so I rented a motorbike from the place I was staying at. Naturally, I had my list of Khmer vocabulary, which included the word Monkey*.

After riding around for a bit and getting used to the area, I spoke with some locals and they pointed me in the direction of the monkeys. If you travel along the road towards the Independence Hotel, you will find a large group of monkeys hanging out.

I spotted 2 baby monkeys, sitting alone against a chain fence. At the end of the road I saw a little wooden stand that sold bananas, I bought a bunch and brought them up the street. After getting off my motorbike and walking the bananas up to them, the 2 original monkeys started multiplying. Within 45 seconds I was completely surrounded by monkeys.

Before I left on this trip, I was quite excited at the opportunity to interact with "exotic" animals. Animals that are not indigenous to my area. This thought started changing when a few adult monkeys occupied my motorbike and a baby tried ripping off my mirrors. I tried to make loud noises, I tried to shoo them as though they were a troublesome cat. Neither of these tactics worked and when I made one last attempt to shoo them by throwing my hand at them, my gesture was returned with a yell.

I decided they can borrow my motorbike for as long as they wanted. At one point in time I had the idea to chuck a rock in their direction and i'm glad I didn't. A few years later while in Indonesia, I learned they operate as a group. When one is threatened, they will all react to defend the group, which would have made for a really bad day.

So enjoy your time visiting the monkeys in Sihanoukville, just take some caution when approaching them and leaving your motorbike unoccupied.

*Normally I wouldn't include "Monkey" on a vocabulary list unless it was for a specific purpose. If I was going to the zoo, jungle or an area that I know they exist I will include it. I consider this a specialty word, because it's not for everyday use.

First Day in Laos

The morning started early. After nearly crashing off the runway, I safely entered Laos. From the airport, I took a taxi to a bus station in Vientiane, Laos. The scene was chaotic, with buses and people all over the place, in what seemed to be no logical order. No one spoke English at the ticket counter, but they understood Vang Vieng. This was the start of my 4 hour bus trip through small villages and dangerously winding roads.

The bus was packed and I took the last remaining seat in the back. We sat for a few more minutes and they started letting on everyone who had a ticket. The aisles were filled and I believe a few people were riding inside the luggage compartment as well.

After traveling down the road for about an hour we stopped off at a little village in the middle of no where. We were allowed to get out for about 30 minutes to get food, drinks, smoke and stretch out. Once the bus pulled up, it seemed as though everyone came out from the jungle. Villagers were selling everything from food to live animals. One lady bought a caged chicken, which later joined us inside the bus for the next 3 hours.

Aside from the airport, taxi and bus, this was my first interaction with Laotians. I only knew a hand full of words, but it was better than nothing. I ate chicken, bought some cigarettes and attempted to mingle.

Finally arriving at my destination of Vang Vieng, I was rushed by a group of motorbike drivers all wanting to drive me into town. I always travel light, a small backpack with 2 changes of clothes. I immediately grabbed by pockets and moved through the crowd. Last thing I needed was to have my cash lifted, while I was far from town.

I finally got to my bamboo bungalow on stilts. It was a little different from the ones the locals stayed in. For one, the structure was sealed with clear epoxy, so as to keep bugs out - that was fine with me. I want a local experience, but not into malaria or any other inconveniences.