The latest, greatest Slovakian fruit sensation is
Bag O’ Fruit With A Nail In It.

Doesn’t that look delicious?

In search of sustenance I made my way to the supermarket and bought what seemed to be an ordinary healthy snack. Little did I know that it would also provide me with a yearly supply of nutritious iron. Those pesky vitamins, who needs ‘em?

Boy, was I hungry and I didn’t wanna waste time picking up each piece, so I ripped open the bag and just starting pouring it straight down.

But luckily my eyes did see
This 2″ nail stare back at me
Sticking to an apricot.
I was happy I did not
Swallow the nail and pierce my tongue
I didn’t want the prize I’d won.
Leave those for the cereal box,
or better yet, the hardware shops!

“What was that?!” but my driver offered no explanation. Another mile down the road a second bear jumped out!

This time the driver stepped on the gas to let the bear know he means business and as the bear jumped out of the way, I looked closely and saw that it was on a leash and there was a guy in the bushes holding it.

Wow, what a trick!
Trying to bear-jack a car!

(I know the picture shows a guy next to the bear, but between the fast driving and the trying to take a picture, I didn’t notice him until we passed)

The sunglasses were good ones that I had just gotten before I left home, ouch! And the kicker is that similar sunglasses cost double in stores where I was now.

This all started at sunset when Mr. Guardian of the City Walls came around yelling at everyone to leave the city walls because they was closing. He was rather pushy, and in my haste to exit, I left my sunglasses.

When they opened the next morning, I hurried to the City Wall’s office to ask if they had been found and the guy gave me a smirk and a cryptically odd response saying, to effect, that they don’t have a Lost and Found. He let me go to where I had left the glasses, but they weren’t there. Since I was the last one to leave at night and the first one there the next morning, obviously, the guy that works there took them.

Oh well, at least I got a cool poem out of it – Enjoy!

Requiem for My Sunglasses

As I climb the city walls
Seeing beauty that befalls
Amber roofs and flowing streets
What is that my eye now meets?
Oh, the sun, so ever bright
Won’t it relinquish its might
Even for a moment please
So I might observe with ease.

Ah, my glasses, they will shield
My eyes from the sun’s bright field.
Protect me now, while I gaze
At windswept isles now ablaze.
Ravishing red with crystal blues,
The sky, the sea, exchanging hues.
Day and night approach as one,
Half-up, half-down, is the sun.

What majesty I enjoy
Is paused by a sneaky ploy.
“Time is up! Go, leave the wall!
Hurry, Hurry!” now he squalls.
I descend and go to dine,
Forgetful of sun’s bright shine.
In the morning I remark,
“I left them when it got dark!”

I return, to no avail,
The guard had just made the sale.
Their black market awash with goods
Swiped by guards because they could.
“For lost and found, there’s no staff”
He said smirking, with a laugh.
Oh great! Now, what will I do?
Pray for clouds to breeze on through!

Nara, Japan – a 1,000 year old wooden temple protected by 1,000 Hungry Mini Deer!

I want your cookie!

My only weapon is the delicious Deer Cookie… I might survive, if I don’t eat all the cookies myself!

Mmm, deer cookies...

Suddenly I’m surrounded my a mob of hungry deer

I trade you... my cookie for my freedom

Since we’re in Japan, they bow first to show respect. Then the headbutting and shirt-chewing commence!

(The bow was actually their first headbutt attempt, which missed… so I took it as a respectful bow)

Ah, a respectful deer bow, so polite

…and now down to business

You will hand over the cookie!

They want those cookies so bad, nothing will stop them.

Up, up and away!

I’m forced to retreat

Noooooo!

Luckily, some fallen ice cream distracts them long enough for me to make my escape.

Thank you, ice cream

Whew, I got out just in time…

I think I’ll get some Green Tea ice cream myself — hold the deer, please!

]]> http://travelingg.com/japanese-deer/feed/ 3 http://travelingg.com/japanese-deer/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/travelingg/~3/LSAkGzLzjvU/ http://travelingg.com/language-learning/#comments Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:17:45 +0000 Traveling G http://travelingg.com/?p=52 If you’d tried learning a language before and met with limited results, the first piece of advice I’d suggest is to stop what you’ve been doing and try a different approach.

There are many methods available for language learning, but most involve either memorization or disjointed vocabulary that won’t help you have a real-world conversation.

I love learning languages, and I hope to help others do the same through my language courses that will be available soon. I put together the techniques that I have gleaned from learning 7 foreign languages over the years.

I grew up speaking only English and never studied abroad until after college, so I don’t have any home field advantage like people from small European countries do, who growing up speaking several languages at a time.

Young children have an advantage when learning a foreign language because they can do so without trying, but as we grow up, our brain does too, and the way we learn changes. Teenagers and adults don’t absorb new information as well as kids do, so the way we learn a new language must be different from the way we learned our first one.

My 7 languages so far are Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, Thai, Chinese and Portuguese. I can read and write in all the languages, except Chinese, which doesn’t have an alphabet. My Spanish, French and Russian are fluent, but not native. Arabic and Thai are conversational — when I’m in-country, I can speak with the locals, but not on every subject. I didn’t study Chinese as much as the others, just enough to communicate the basics and get around the country. Portuguese is my newest one, but it’s very similar to Spanish, which I already know well.

I have to say that after the first 2 or 3, it took a lot less time to learn the rest. Think of it like jogging or lifting weights. The first time I ran in gym class all those years ago, I really felt that first mile. But over time and with practice, I could run further and further and the first mile then seemed like the easy part. Similarly, the first time I tried weight-lifting, I even thought the bar was heavy, but after some practice, it didn’t take any effort at all and I was ready to add more on.

People often ask me, “How did you learn all these languages?” as if they were unrelated subjects like history and biology. Back in college, when I was taking 4 or 5 classes a semester, each in a different language, the academic advisors couldn’t understand it and kept telling me to focus on one thing.

What they failed to realize is that I was focusing on language learning. It didn’t matter that they were different languages — the point is that I was learning how to learn — which is something they didn’t teach.

To sum it up, if you’ve had trouble learning a language, it’s because what you need to know first is HOW to learn a language. Stay tuned for more on this… coming soon.

I wonder if she signs autographs?

I get the largest carry-on size the store has and make sure that the wheels spin well before I buy it. It helps a lot if the wheels are further apart, and if they are on the sides of the bag, that’s even better.

Regardless if I’m on a week-long trip or a year-long voyage, I take the same carry-on bag. Doing this keeps the airlines from losing it and me from paying any baggage fees. It also makes it so much easier once I get to my destination because I don’t have much to drag around town.

With less to carry, I’m free to take local transportation, which saves me a bundle on taxi fares. These days, most airports in major tourists destinations have bus, rail or subway links into the city for a few dollars when a taxi could cost $50. If I was carrying two heavy bags plus a carry-on, then I couldn’t take advantage of this.

Also, when you take a taxi in a new city or country, you may wonder if the driver is being honest with you about the price or even about the location. Then, you need to know the exchange rate and have the correct change to give him. I’ve heard the old “I don’t have change” line from taxis more than once.

Of course, there are plenty of good times to take a taxi, but the easiest place to get ripped off is when you’re walking out of the airport or main train station. Many times the bus or train from the airport has taken me very near my hotel, but if not, then you could take a taxi once you’re in the city and it will be much cheaper.

When I’m on a long trip and want to buy souvenirs, I’ll just go to the post office and mail them home. I usually send them back by boat since it’s cheaper, but in less expensive countries sometimes airmail is affordable too.

If I’m on a short trip, then I’ll just bring along an empty gym bag or backpack and then fill it up with my new treasure. Even though the airlines say “one carry-on”, they also allow you to take one “personal item”, which is my backpack.

Here’s to happy, and light, travels!

At the southern tip along the Croatian coast standing the impressive walled city of Dubrovnik. This is easily one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen. You can even walk atop the city walls all around the town and explore ancient towers along the way.