Last weekend in New York I spent a lot of timing hailing cabs – either my destination was too far or too short of a distance which meant I stood on the street corner looking bewildered and wondering how taking me 10 blocks was too much of an inconvenience for someone who makes a living by, um, taking people places. After being turned away from 6 cabs on the corner of Broadway and 8th, I cried, and I don’t know this next cabbie took pity on me or he thought maybe I was paying in cash, but thankfully (finally) I was able to get to the airport and go home. On the ride to LGA I was thinking, why the fuck do people think New York is really all that? I haven’t a freaking clue!

New York isn’t the Big Apple, it’s the Big Ego.

crabapples by cobaltfish

I haven’t been to a bar/restaurant/site in NYC that doesn’t have an equilivant in just about every other big city. New York isn’t special, New York is BIG and I think people assume these magical things about a place they couldn’t possible see every corner of in two lifetimes. I think because of it’s size there is this general bloated-self image lingering in the air. eh, no thanks.

I’m sure I’ll be back to New York and I’m sure I’ll have many good times there (as you can have anywhere) but I’m not convinced I’ll ever understand the appeal to living there.

touristy or not, Cafe du Monde is a must when in New Orleans.

As a contributor for two different online magazines, I get solications, press releases, odd emails, and the like from tons of people….some creditable and some not.  I don’t post everything I get but they are a source of information and generally I don’t hide my source…but I’m not really an investigative reporter.  With all eyes on the travel industry- especially airport / airline security I think the goverment in being reactive instead of proactive.

Two travel bloggers have been subpoenaed over posting TSA security directives – Fishing With Fish Steven Frischling and Elliot.org Chris Elliot.  So far Steven have complied with the TSA and Chris has submitted an objection… it waits to be seen what will happen next.

I read a quote by Thomas Jefferson that says “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when thegovernment fears the people, there is liberty.”  I just don’t get this reactive mentality. Yes we need to ensure this doesn’t happen again but making people fear flying, fear traveling, fear blogging – this is not progress or change!

Since 9/11 there has been a significant increase in airport security and like most travelers, I get that this security dance we all do, is in many ways, a worthless. Security around the world varies, some have a more casual approach then others and as an outsider it all seems to work just as well.

Maybe because I’m more intune with the ongoings in the US that I see the TSA and other policies are just smoke & mirrors, giving the general public the mirage of safety…that they are doing something for you, that you need to rely on them. I don’t want to start sounding all government is bad, because it’s not. But I do think government under estimates the population….though sometimes for good reason.

I recall a time I was flying from Bozeman to Chicago (yes that same flight I mentioned last post that I thought we were literally going to fall out of the sky) that TSA made me cry. I fly frequently for business and generally pack really light for these trips. I asked at the hotel, as I always do, generally how long the security lines are — the lady at the front desk laughed and ask what time my flight was – it was 12:30, she told me to be at the airport by 12:15 and I’ll have time to stop for a cup of coffee before boarding. She wasn’t kidding, the security line was all of one person deep…and I apparently set-off all sorts of red flags – I forgot to remove the small bottle of hotel lotion from my bag, then I was scolded for not declaring my inhaler (I didn’t realize asthma was a federal issue) but the real kicker was— my pepper spray. I took my pepper spray to Israel and never once was questioned about that…but in Bozeman, it was such an issue that they almost arrested me for it. Why? Because I asked why! I said I had traveled through many major airports and it had never been questioned…so I never thought it was an issue. I was told if I “gave anymore lip” they’d have the deputy arrest me and then they informed that “they don’t know where I travel” but in Bozeman they take national security serious. uhm. Yah I’m pretty sure JFK, ORD, LAX, and DIA could careless about national security, I’m very happy that the Bozman TSA are taking things seriously. They took my pepper spray and wouldn’t even me back the handy like holster I had it in…which I thought was very rude.

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update: apparently DIA does care – I flew through DIA on 1/12 and had my second pepper spray confiscated…I didn’t ask questions this time.  I must learn to pack it in my carry on.

Crossing into and out of Jordan is probably on the top of my list as most-nerve racking travel moments Right underneath the border-crossing was the uber-bumpy flight from Bozeman, MT to Chicago…ah. It was so bumpy that the flight attendant actually came on the speaker & reminded us that if the oxygen masks dropped to breath normally..yah I cried when we landed. Anyway, we crossed at the Allenby Bridge/ King Hussein Bridge. The bridge is located in the West Bank just outside of Jericho and is the most direct crossing between Jerusalem and Amman.

When we arrived at the check-point on the Israeli side, we were instructed to get off the bus and go into the building to go through security while our luggage would be taken off and screened separately. As we started to get off the bus, we saw people running away from the building and someone shouted …”has a gun” – I’m not sure who had a gun or what that situation was about, but we all sat quietly in the bus until we were again instructed to leave the bus. Inside was a small waiting area and after our exit fees were paid, we lined up and slowly filed through passport checks. On the other side we found our luggage loaded into a new bus and our driver silently drove us across into Jordan.

It felt like an eternity crossing no-mans-land. Looking at the desolate landscape peppered with soliders & machine guns, I realized that this is still a sore spot for Israel and Jordan. Jordan doesn’t even recognize it as a border, only an entry point (I was disappointed not to have my passport stamped, but I did stick some Jordanian stamps as ‘proof’). When we arrive in Jordan the terminal had a completely different feel. There was tension but not like on the Israeli side…the tension was more of the unknown. The tension was not eased when the tour guide hopped on the bus asking for everyone to give him our passports. I’ve always been told ‘never give up your passport’ – but we reluctantly handed them over and sat in silence waiting for our guide to return. I later learned from a few Americans who frequently do business in Jordan that handling customs,etc is considered part of hospitality to Jordanians but they were nervous the first time their business associate took their passports. When our guide returned he was accompanied by an armed solider who joined us to and from Amman and on a couple short excursion. I have no clue what this soliders name is, but he was super cute if you ask me but he shy-ed away from pictures…but I snuck one!

I’m sure you’re wondering what about this was super nerve-racking, it was the return to Israel. Gary spoke today how one of the Israeli tactics is to intense questioning meant to trip up anyone who was hiding something. After crossing back into Israel, our bus parked in the lot and armed soliders circled our bus looking into the windows. After a few minutes, a couple of them boarded the bus and asked for passports (this actually happened a few times so I was too bothered yet) after asked for passports, the soliders left the bus and another solider got on, walked over to me and told me to take my bags and get off the bus.

When I got off the bus two soliders approached me, one guy and one girl. The girl went through my purse silently and handed the guy my camera. Then the questions started, questions that seems to be a no importance – how old am I, what was my birthdate, my zodiac sign, where was I born, in what year, where did I live, how long have I lived there and with who, what was my job, did I like it, how long did I work there, what year did I start, who was on this trip, why did I want to come, did I know any other languages, how much money did I make, where did I go to school, when did I graduate….and so on. They repeated most of the question multiple times. Then he went through my camera and questioned me about the locations, what day was I there, how did we get there, why did I take the picture. The entire time I was sort of scared to stare at him in face so I alternated between looking directly at him and staring at the poppyseed stuck in his teeth. I haven’t a clue how long I was out there, but when I got back on the bus people just stared at me but knew not to ask until after we left the area.

I don’t know why I was pulled off the bus…maybe I looked strange among a bus full of 50+ travelers. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. It was an experience and as uncomfortable as it was, it was a unique experience and something I will always remember about my trip.

sigh. not sure there is anything I really need to say.

I was watching a documentary about Chris McCandless a college graduate who took off into the Alaskan wild and ended up dying from starvation.  And I started to think about all the people I know in the travel world that have these lists and once one is done, they create a new one.  Or people who seem to just have this desire to continuously leave wherever they are in search of somewhere else.  Some call it living your dream, some call it a nomadic lifestyle, and there is a part of me that envies this and then there is another part of me that wonders: will they ever be satisfied with life?

I get fussy when life get stagnant and of course that happens.  I try to keep things fresh and always try to push forward with my goals — you need to do that, to not end up in the gray area.  But right now I’m really struggling lately to make sure I have everything in perspective and really dont’t want to end up alone in the Alaskan wild.

I will admit I’m surprised and delighted I haven’t puked my guts out yet. We are following behind Hurricane / Tropical Storm Ida so the sea is a bit rough. If you haven’t cruised before but taken overnight train trips – it sorta feel similar (sorta). We docked in the Bahamas and it was a beach. I wasn’t overly impressed but the water was nice, the drinks were flowing and the sun was shining.

My favorite part of today was my hot stone massage. wow. I had no idea how amazing that was going to be! Not surprisingly my masseuses said I was the tensest / tightest person she has massaged…yah. I decided to sign up later in the week for a seaweed wrap….figure why the heck not?

Tomorrow a full day on a hopefully calmer sea!

Read about the Galavanting Gals “Twitter Cruise”  here