Beijing or Bust
2.26.2007
So in two weeks I'm headed to China, Hong Kong, and Japan. Dude. I'm going with a group of friends-we've been planning it for a year now, actually. It's weird to think that for months it's just been this distant thing that equated to little more than periodic chores: sending in my passport application, getting my visa, putting down the payment with the travel agency, etc. It's like I'd begun to think I was just running these little errands for nothing. And then last week I get a packet in the mail with all my travel documentation and I'm just standing there in the rain like an idiot at my mailbox thinking
HOLY CRAP IM GOING TO CHINA AND MORE.
It was eerie. But before actually getting on that plane, of course, it means yet more chores, but these have been significantly more enjoyable: shopping for the perfect messenger bag (I've recently come to hate backpacks due to their mobile inaccessability), some novels for the 13-hour flights, a nice digital camera, and a travel watercolor set and pad. Typically I'm more of a sketcher than a painter, but I figured that with all the colors around me, I'll be inspired to replicate it in my art, and my dad was able to reccommend a good set since he did the same on his trip to China last year. (Yes, virtually everyone in my family owns at least 3 blogs.)
ANYWAYS, the reason I was posting all of this here is because I got to thinking about how inspiring it will be to travel. To see, smell, taste, and experience all of these new things in a totally foreign place: to just step into someone else's reality for once. Of course, I'll be documenting the whole thing. I've kept a daily journal for a little over a decade now, so it will be covered in writing. And of course I mentioned the watercolors and sketching I'll be doing there too. But I got to thinking: why not document the trip on a shirt? I have no idea how I'll go about it, whether I'll litterally make a collage of a bunch of places I see or whether it'll just be a thing or two that really stands out, but I definitely want to do it. Just to bring a little bit of my travels home for everyone else to enjoy, ya know?
Labels: Eric info
posted by Mr. Linty @ 10:15 PM,
6 Comments:
-
At 8:37 AM,
Alan said...
-
Good call about the messenger bag. I bought a little backpack thingy dingy, but they ARE harder to access en route... I may have to get something like that. D'oh.
-
At 3:08 PM,
Mr. Linty said...
-
Yeah for me it was a real toss up because even though messenger bags are easier to get to on the run, backpacks are easier when travelling by foot at greater SPEEDS. Hm...
But then I figure that either way, there will be dirt cheap bags there of every sort, so I figured I could always pick up one upon arrival. -
At 4:38 PM,
Alan said...
-
Well, I'm going to be carrying far more book/reading/time-consuming stuff on the plane, and the messenger bag is nice for that, but trekking thru Xian will be easier with a backpack. I'll have the pack stuffed away to use anyhow... (this has turned into Luggage 101. I digress...)
-
At 1:17 PM,
Horse N. Buggy said...
-
I'm bringing a backpack for my photo gear. But I pretty much have to - you can't stuff three extra lenses into a messenger bag (especially when one of those lenses is close to a foot long). Well, I COULD, but both the lenses and my neck would be broken by the end of the second day. At least I'm only lugging one camera around this trip.
-
At 1:18 PM,
Horse N. Buggy said...
-
And dude. How awesome that your Dad blogs!
-
At 11:04 PM,
Mr. Linty said...
-
Actually my dad did do a camera shoulder bag. Kind of for the same reason as me - he found it easier to access stuff when on the go, or when it wasn't convenient to take off a bag, put it down, and sort through it. But his bag has padded dividers and the whole deal, so it's not the typical messenger style. But hey, whatever works!
By the way, I enjoyed looking at some of your photography the other day - I'll bet you're dying for the trip!
