File This Under “Things You Won’t See in America”

On the inside cover of this month’s That’s Beijing:

From [09.05.13] Beer Garden and Iran

We’re Coming to America!

We’ve done it.

We’ve booked out tickets home.

我们回国。

We’re touching down in LA on June 29th and will spend the next two months weaving our way through SoCal, San Fran, Boston, New York, D.C. and Florida, until Sean settles in D.C. and me in Chicago (Evanston to be precise).

I can’t believe we’re in the final stretch of our initial Chinese adventure. Luckily we’ve got a lot more adventure to squeeze out of this country before we return.

And Now for Something Completely Different …

From [08.09.09] Paralympics

After seeing his lovely mug splattered across many of my photos and following our adventures together for quite some time, it’s high time you meet the man behind the mayhem, my boyfriend and partner-in-crime, Sean. In addition to my rambling poetics, he’ll be sharing his perspectives on our wild ride together through this great big world in his own posts to this blog. So keep a lookout for his comments and pics, as well as my regular posts.

Randomness from the Road: Fanta-stic!

I can’t wait to drink my first Chinese Fanta. And you bet your booty I’ll still be referring to it as Fanta Naranja. Consequently, I get more random hits on my blog from this post than from any other. Fanta puts the “fan” in my blog.

We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Program …

Sorry for the disruption in service, dear readers. I have finally thrown off my backpack and uncleared my head of the dizzying effects of travel and can now return to my adventures. Though I’m currently back in Quincy, MA — well, at least for today, as I head back to New York City tomorrow — my next few posts will flashback to the preceding weeks. Thanks for your patience.

Calling Home

I’m posting from a public park in Athens, plopped on a patch of grass and enjoying a live rock music festival I stumbled into. About to run out of juice but wanted to make a quick comment:

Call your mother and tell her you love her you love her. A very good friend of mine just lost his mother rather suddenly, and it was a very touching reminder that we should remember to let those we love know it as much as possible. Even thousands of miles apart from one another. My heart goes out to you and your family, P.

Randomness from the Road: Characters, Covers and Canines

Interesting people I have met on this trip:
1) Spanish honeymooner, male, who appeared to have shorn all his body hair (well, at least what I could see)
2) Old American wearing round, John Lennon-style sunglasses with holograms of blinking eyes on them
3) Woman of undetermined European origin in bookstore wearing white shorts with the world’s most unbelievable wedgie and from which spilled forth her bountiful bottom, unrestrained. Shock and awe, truly

I’ve heard a number of odd, if not disturbing, covers of famous songs. The best include a suicidally morbid version of “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” a bossa nova rendition of “Welcome to the Jungle,” and a hard rock version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella.”

I saw a dog hump another dog’s head. A big husky mix was sitting in the Oia bus stop, looking utterly miserable as another smaller dog, we facing backwards and thrusting directly in the top of the husky’s hear. It was not amused. I certainly was.

Randomness from the Road: Part 1

For some reason, I always drink Fanta on vacation. Fanta is readily available in the States and is by no means a country-specific refreshment. Nevertheless, Fanta has become synonymous with holiday jaunts in any locale but local. What’s more, myself and Sean insist on calling it Fanta naranja (orange) even far from Spanish-speaking lands. Oh Fanta, nectar of the travel gods, thanks for making my trips so much sweeter.

Europeans don’t neuter their dogs. I’ve seen more balls on this trip than at a minor league baseball game.

From here to where?

Let’s skip the poetic waxing and cut to the chase. This is a blog about how, within a few short months, I’m dropping out of the mainstream and uploading myself somewhere exciting, somewhere exotic … somewhere not “here.” Having resided in New York City for over five years, the travel bug has infected my very being, attaching its slurping tentacles to my heart and soul and holding on for dear life.

So come this May, I will be exchanging this (with its Tasty-D-Lite, yellow cabs and interminable tourists):

For this (with its tasty gelato, darting scooters and interminable tourists):

Recently, I purchased a one way ticket to Rome, the start of my open-ended adventure. The destination choice proves not as random as you may think: I will be attending a wedding in Positano on the Amalfi Coast after spending a few days basking in the seductive (and crowded) Roman atmosphere.

What and where is Positano, you ask? Positano is a small town on the Amalfi coast of Italy, located on the underside fo the Sorrento peninsula. The town is built into the side of steep cliffs leading down to the sea, lending Positano a gorgeous look and feel. Known as a hot spot for Italians and other European chic-elite, the town swells in the summer with throngs of the well-to-do enjoying the scenery (well above cost). Here’s a taste:

But this is just the start! I have a one-way ticket to crazy and I’m still figuring out the itinerary. Consider this blog my exploration chronicles. Here, I’ll update you on my preparations, considerations and destinations. Only 73 days to go until lift-off!