wine, beer and tangerine

Something has to be said about SOAS, it's incredible atmosphere, it's complete and utter openness to all pathways of life, and its non-judgmental attitude and acceptance of different cultures. I almost wish I had come here for my undergraduate degree, but maybe I wouldn't have appreciated it as much back then.

I guess I'm just talking like this because the slow travel talk I went to today mentioned Mongolia. <3 Mongolia. One of these days, or maybe a few years from now, I will take a good three months of my life and board the trans-siberian express and travel from Moscow to Beijing, taking the time to get off at Irkutsk and Ulaanbaatar.

So slow travel is the next big thing it seems. Traveling while minimizing your carbon footprint by avoiding the gas guzzling aluminum sausage, and opting for more eco-friendly options like trains, buses and cargo ships. Funny, you wouldn't have thought of a cargo ship as an eco friendly option eh? Well it is, and apparently their captains are happy enough to take you on-board with their crew for a minimal price. Whole websites are dedicated to finding the right cargo ship for you on your slow travel journey. I'm definitely intrigued. The idea of traveling at the luxury of your own pace without the rush and stress of airports and security checks is very appealing. Sure, I'm aware that boat travel has its literal ups and downs, but come on, adventure. Ever thought about island hopping with canoes? I have. Off the coast of Thailand, dodging the anglophone masses of gap yah youths. One day. If only holidays were longer than two weeks.

To get the travel bug jitters visit:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/globetrotters-with-a-conscience-around-the-world-in-381-days-799016.html

It's been a while. Britain's welcomed me back with the open arms of a banker embracing a new customer. It's good to be back. Observing, absorbing, getting back in touch with the anti-nature that is civilization. Realizing it's so easy to be absorbed by the hype of the media, new phone, new film, new tv, new underwear! Falling in love left and right with all the new actors, musicians, writers and artists who have popped up over the past year.  Feeling how detached the rest of the world is, how good Europe and the western world have it.

I was on a train today for five hours. I listened to conversations in different languages taking mental notes of patterns of code switching and creolization. It just happened. This is what I do now. I record languages for the greater good so that if one day a great natural catastrophe temporarily focuses the eye of the world on the islands of Micro-Polynesia, the deserts of Mongolia or the turtles of the Galapagos, those vocab and grammar books can be used to communicate with the natives.
http://www.hrelp.org/

Watch this space.