TravelStream™ news feed for member johnnynomad on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/johnnynomad en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:24:35 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215932940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215932940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215932940/tpod.html Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:24:35 -0400 India/Kashmir/Pakistan

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Islamabad, Pakistan

India/Pakistan update coming soon!
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Karimabad, Pakistan

The vivid colors, cows on the street, the incredible stench, the poverty, the child like curiosity of Indians, the overwhelming crowdedness. These are all images I associated with traveling to India. By no stretch of the imagination has India let me down. It will take me the next 12 months of my life to process all that we have seen in done in just a few short weeks. Within our first 12 hours of arriving in the chaotic landfill/circus of New Delhi we were splattered by a fast moving taxi that covered us in an unknown street sludge we now only refer to as "Delhi Punch", which could consist of any of the following: mud, gas, feces {cow, monkey, dog, human}, rotting food, and the list can go on forever. I must mention that in India cows are worshiped so they roam the city streets freely. So as you can imigin they can add an interesting element to the punch. It just screamed "Welcome to India Bitch" with a capital BITCH! After 5 days of battling the sweltering heat and the pointless nonsense of trying to secure our Pakistan visa, we finally set sail for our adventure. From Delhi we traveled to the unexplored Northern territory of Kashmir. Before leaving for our journey I knew very little about Kashmir or the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan. Even though we never directly felt unsafe, when it comes to traveling in this part of the world there is never any certainty. On top of everything, we just happened to be travailing during a time of high tension due to a large religious pilgrimage which consequently lead to really unique experience. The first bus break stopped at a location offering free food for the pilgrims. I, of course, jumped at the chance for a free meal. After I was done eating, a large curious bunch of Indians crowed around me. They were taking pictures of me and so on when one of the guys asked me if I was willing to dance for a two minutes. I was not sure what to say to this question. I really did not know what to say other then "Abby, I am going for a dance". They led me to the front of a big crowd of people and cranked up the stero. I don't know what happened, but I just started to shake it and the crowd went wild. After a few seconds all the young guys started to shake there money makers with me. It was really intense at this point. I had a big a crowd of people watching and I knew I had to put an exclamation point on top of this experience. I knew I had something special in my bag of tricks to make them lose it. So I went for it all. I took off my hat and started waving it around my head! Not just they had a funny looking white guy awkwardly dancing at there party to make it awsome..... they had a hairless awkward white guy dancing at there party to make it super awsome! At this point the roof almost came off the building. From Kashmir we made our way East through the Himalaya's to a small mountain town Leh, just West of Tibet. The entire bus journey through the mountains was a "hold on M-fer" ride from start to finish. We logged 36 straight hours of bus-sitting already, and then decided to condense a 24 hour bus ride into one day journey. I really did not put much thought into how that would be possible before we paid for the ticket. Even though it turned out to be one of the most visually stunning bus journeys of all my travels it was also one of the most intense experiences of my life. We found out that in order to drive one of these buses, the driver must have animosity for everything good in the world! On two different occasions our driver got out of the vehicle to fight with other motorist. The last of his bouts resulted in our driver taking out a stick to not so peacefully have a high altitude discussion with two men about who should be the one to back up on the one lane, narrow highway. At this point the entire bus cleared. Everyone except for me and Abby got off the bus to either watch the action unfold or go to the defense of the driver. I am sure to everyone's surprise my fighting record has been less then steller, so there was no way I was going to get an Indian ass kicking on the side of a cliff in the defense of a bus driver I had deemed a "chod" just 10 minutes deep into the madness. Way before i ever set sail for this joureny I decided that the extent of my Indian bouts would be the occasional Indian leg wrestle.Our next holiday destination was the ye old town of Manali. As we stepped off the bus we were shocked with a new set of unexpected variables to overcome. We were in a true tourist/backpacker town for the first time of our two and a half week journey. The town was a combination of a dirty gypsy circus, a little slice of Israel, and Indian tourist street bazzar! Think dirty gypsy kids walking on tight ropes, Israeli backpackers bartering with impoverished locals over 2 cents, an occasional Elephant walking down the street, and then the Indian tourist taking pictures of us! We did not know what to make of the hodgepodge of stimulants, but we decided to jump in head first. After two straight weeks of sweating cheap Indian curry we had no problems over indulging on yummy Western delights. In the mix of the circus we even found the time to jump off a mountain. There is just something about the sound of third world adventure sports! Once again like everything else with this trip we really did not put much thought into what the experience would entail before we signed on the dotted line. It turned out we were going strap ourselves to non-English speaking Indian with a tattered looking batting helmet loosely tired around his head. I am not going to even mention the state of the parachute. But since I was already $40 deep in the experience all I had to say was "giddy up!" Like everything to date on this journey it turned out to be a good experience and a story to tell.From Manali we jumped onto another ten hour bus journey that turned out to be par with our experiences so far. Just two-hours into our ten-hour haul for some odd reason the entire front window of the bus completely shattered. After a few minutes of the driver shaking himself of broken glass, the he got back in the saddle and delivered us to where we are today! I am writing this from Mcleodganj, India. The home of the Tibetan government in exile, the largest Tibetan refuge population in the world, and last but certinatly not least the home of the Dali Lama. It was a unique experice for me having spent time in actual Tibet just under 2 years ago to see the story from the other side not to mention free of Chinese propaganda. It has been just 60 years since the Tibitean people where violently liberated from there land and the scare still runs deep. This is a topic I could and would love to talk about for days! From Mcleodganji with a short stop over in Amritsar, India we finally made the BIG jump into Pakistan! I am writing this blog from the mountians of Norhtern Paksitan just West of Afghanistan, about 5 hours South of the China border. I have a huge update coming soon telling the interesting story of how we found our way here! More updates and pictures coming soon! And so it goes! -Johnny Nomad
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215078360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215078360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215078360/tpod.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:49:32 -0400 India/Kashmir/Pakistan

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Mcleodganj, India, India

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1214116560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1214116560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1214116560/tpod.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:45:11 -0400 India/Kashmir/Pakistan

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Leh, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Islamadbad/earth quake 2005Kashmire conflict heavily disputed area with PakistanHindu pilgramigetravel warningnight time uneasy calmSrinagar is located in the heart of the Kashmir valley at an altitude of 1,730 m above sea level.very little tourist due to the political unrest.26 hour journey from New Delhi train cramped busweather changeBrief history of Kashmir:in 1947 at the conclusion of British rule of the subcontinent and the subsequent partition of the British Indian Empire into the newly independent Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. As parties to the partition process, both countries had agreed that the rulers of princely states would be given the right to opt for either Pakistan or India or-in special cases-to remain independent. In 1947, Kashmir's population "was 77 per cent Muslim and it shared a boundary with Pakistan. Hence, it was anticipated that the Maharaja would accede to Pakistan, when the British paramountcy ended on 14-15 August. When he hesitated to do this, Pakistan launched a guerilla onslaught meant to frighten its ruler into submission. Instead the Maharaja appealed to Mountbatten[14] for assistance, and the Governor-General agreed on the condition that the ruler accede to India."[15] Once the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession, which included a clause added by Mountbatten asking that the wishes of the Kashmiri people be taken into account, "Indian soldiers entered Kashmir and drove the Pakistani-sponsored irregulars from all but a small section of the state. India approached the United Nations security council for cease fire and to mediate the quarrel. The UN Security Council passed the resolution that the opinion of Kashmiris must be ascertained. The Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised a Plebiscite under UN supervision which never happened as one of the pre-conditions for the same was Pakistan should withdraw all Miliatry forces from the region of kashmir."[15]In the last days of 1948, a ceasefire was agreed under UN auspices; however, since the plebiscite demanded by the UN was never conducted, relations between India and Pakistan soured,[15] and eventually led to two more wars over Kashmir in 1965 and 1999. India has control of about half the area of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir; Pakistan controls a third of the region, the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Although there was a clear Muslim majority in Kashmir before the 1947 partition and its economic, cultural, and geographic contiguity with the Muslim-majority area of the Punjab (in Pakistan) could be convincingly demonstrated, the political developments during and after the partition resulted in a division of the region. Pakistan was left with territory that, although basically Muslim in character, was thinly populated, relatively inaccessible, and economically underdeveloped. The largest Muslim group, situated in the Vale of Kashmir and estimated to number more than half the population of the entire region, lay in Indian-administered territory, with its former outlets via the Jhelum valley route blocked."[16]Current status and political divisions A political map of Kashmir showing the different districts.The region is divided among three countries in a territorial dispute: Pakistan controls the northwest portion (Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir), India controls the central and southern portion (Jammu and Kashmir) and Ladakh, and China controls the northeastern portion (Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract). India controls the majority of the Siachen Glacier area including the Saltoro Ridge passes), whereas Pakistan controls the lower territory just southwest of the Saltoro Ridge. India controls 101,387 km² of the disputed territory, Pakistan 85,846 km² and China, the remaining 37,555 km².Though these regions are in practice administered by their respective claimants, neither India nor Pakistan has formally recognised the accession of the areas claimed by each other. India claims those areas, including the area "ceded" to China by Pakistan in the Trans-Karakoram Tract in 1963, are a part of its territory, while Pakistan claims the entire region, excluding Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract.The two countries have fought several declared wars over the territory. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 established the rough boundaries of today, with Pakistan holding roughly one-third of Kashmir, and India one-half, with a dividing line of control established by the United Nations. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 resulted in a stalemate and a UN-negotiated ceasefire.Many human rights organizations such as Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have condemned human rights abuses in Kashmir such as "extra-judicial executions", "disappearances", and torture.[20] There has been widespread condemnation of the "Armed Forces Special Powers Act" which "provides impunity for human rights abuses and fuels cycles of violence.."[21] The Public Safety Act has also been condemned by Human Rights Watch since under pretext of this act "a detainee may be held in administrative detention for a maximum of two years without a court order."[22]. On the other hand, Islamic terrorists (who, it has been alleged by India, are Pakistani backed) have been heavily coming into the Valley to fight the Indian security forces, as well as carry out attacks against civil targets.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215001020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215001020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1215001020/tpod.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:03:18 -0400 India/Kashmir/Pakistan

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Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India

The last few days have been long and rewarding. Me and Abby finally made our way out of New Delhi after the tiring and pointless process we went through to secure our Pakistan visa. From Delhi we started the long and at times exhausting trek to Kashmir and then into the Himalayans. Once we were used to the countless/faceless Indian soldiers that secure the streets and roads of Northern Kashmir, our few days in Sarinigar proved to be really enjoyable. Srinigar is the capitol of Kashmir lying just North East of Islamabad. Not to our surprise not many Western tourist seem to find there way to Kashmir. In no way did we ever really feel threatened. If anything I was really impressed at the amount of compassion and understanding the people had for each other. We found ourselves in the middle of a huge Indian pilgrimage in the predominately Muslim area of Kashmir. Obviously many sources would recommend against Westerners traveling to this area and especially during times of high tension due to religious celebrations. However, if I had to pick a few highlights from our trip thus far, many would have to come from the interactions we experienced due to the huge influx of Indian tourist and there curiosity about us. We took countless photos at the request of curios Indians. For some reason Indians think it is really novel to take pictures of white people. I am not really sure what they would ever want with a picture with me but I never turn down a photo opt, especially when I am the star. No one loves Johnny No more then Johnny No. From Kashmir we undertook a long 2 day bus journey following the Pakistan/Indian border through the Himalayans to finally land just west of Tibet. We ended up in the Northern most point of our journey in a small mountain village called Leh. We spent a few days relaxing in the mountains and riding a Vespa exploring all the Tibetan villages and monasteries nestled in the moon like landscapes of the Himalayans. After a nice 3 day break in Leh we started our long journey South to where I am today in Manali. From here we have a 10 hour bus ride to the home of the exiled Tibetan government and the temporary home of the 14th Dali Lama! From dodging poop, people and mopeds (New Delhi), to what Bill Clinton described during his Presidency to be one the most dangerous places on earth (Kashmir), to sleepy Tibetan monasteries (Leh), Here we are today...... Well over 100 hours on the road and counting we are enroute to Pakistan!So it goes -Johnny NomadPics coming soon!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1213856820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1213856820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/2/1213856820/tpod.html Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:38:06 -0400 India/Kashmir/Pakistan

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New Delhi, India

After a 13 and a half hour flight from NYC, and a 13 and a half-month hiatus from the third world, "The Johnny Nomad Experiment" is back in full swing! Here I am today sitting in a little muggy/dusty Internet parlor in New Delhi, India. Me and my girly friend Abby-G have a full two months to explore the Indian Subcontinent. From base of the Himalayans and the top of the world in Northern Kashmir, the unexplored land of Pakistan, and then a long journey down the Indian coast to end it all in the city of Mumbai (Bombay). It has taken us a few days to get over the jet lag/culture shock! Our first 24 hours in India are what I would best describe as getting an Indian cow patty up side our head! The rain, the heat, the poverty, the filth, and last but not least the hustle and bustle of people on top of people takes some getting used to! Just walking down the street is the equivalent of doing a finally orchestrated dance. You have to avoid people on bikes, rickshaws, fast moving cars, motto-taxies, rats, beggars, gypsy kids, street touts, cows, dog poop, cow poop, and last but not least human poop. India by far has the highest assortment of poop per square foot that I have ever witnessed! We have been occupying our time going back and forth to the Pakistan embassy trying to secure our Pakistan visa. We hope to pick up our passports at 4 pm today and begin making our way up North. Our first stop and the furthest point North of our journey will be at the base of the Himalayans in Northern Kashmir. From there we will work our way down into Pakistan. Follow along with the adventures/misadventures along the way! -Johnny NomadCost of things in New Delhi:Entry into the National Museum with student ID = 1 INR (2 US cents)Indian meal on the street = 5-12 INR (11-27 US cents)This hour of Internet = 15 INR (34 US cents)Mc Veggie Surprise at McDonald's = 35 INR (79 US Cents) Hotel room for 2 w/fan and HBO = 150-500 INR ($3.15-11.60 USD)Medium pizza at Pizza Hut = 227 INR ($5.28 USD)Finding a toilet just in time for my first Indian "Run go Quick" = Priceless!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1191521940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1191521940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1191521940/tpod.html Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:54:59 -0400 ¨The Johnny Nomad Experiment¨ The adventures/misadventure in the quest for understanding!?!

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New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

So for the last few weeks I have been trying to come to my senses and process one of the most outlandish experiences of my short existence. Don't get me wrong I love a good novelty as much as the next guy; I mean I support the truck and tractor pull when it comes to town! From being a part of one of the world's largest light saber battles, experiencing my first 4 hour long desert sand storm, moonlighting as Nevada's first ever naked Mexican wrestler with a Cajun accent, to a slightly confusing conversation with God.... My first Burning Man experience was definitely sensory overland, and a story to tell the grandkids (or not?) Seriously Jonald What the "F" is Burning Man?Basically the idea of Burning Man is this, a temporary community dedicated to radical self expression and the creation of art. You have 50,000 people living communally in the middle of a nowhere (which happens to be the Nevada desert/one of the harshest living conditions in the country.) It is an experimental society/art festival/party unlike anything else in the world. Over the length of a 4-5 week period a small city (Black Rock City) is raised from the desert, is inhabited by thousands for 7 days, then when the dust clears is gone without a trace. The city itself resembles more of a post Katrina refugee tent city, then an actually city. Black Rock City is a fully functioning self sustained community with a hospital, a newspaper, DMV, airport, radio stations, etc... It has everything you would expect to find in a small city. The major difference between this community and the outside world is an element of respect, and a sense of pride in the community. Of course in any society there will always be differences in opinion. Black Rock is no different, for example this year the man was burned 4 days early by a Black Rock citizen who had a different idea on how things needed to work. The charm is that people work collectively with nothing expected in return other then satisfaction. Art is created with no financial reward other then making something beautiful, of course along with a little bragging power to sweeten the deal. Burning Man stands out from any other major festival in the world in the aspect that it has no commercial ties what so ever. Nothing is advertised or sold within the confinements of Black Rock whatsoever, with coffee and ice being the only exception. The desert serves and a blank canvas for people to create on. The possibilities of what could be, and what was actually created here is limitless. The art comes in forms of thousand dollar art instillations, art cars, art bikes, right down to the people and their costumes, or even lack of clothing all together. In the desert or what burners refer to "the playa" naked = a costume. Anything that defies contemporary social norms is usually celebrated here. There are very few rules, and each person contributes as much or as little as they want into helping the make shift community function. The only events during the week that everyone collectively participates, is the Burning of "The Man" on Saturday, and the burning of the "Temple" on Sunday (see pics.) The significance of each burn is not really defined, and means something different to everyone who experiences it. If nothing else, it is always fun to light shit on fire! As cliché as it this may sound, Burning Man is one my only life experiences that I can honestly say words cannot do it justice. Until someone experiences Burning Man for themselves pictures and words cannot even begin to describe the energy that surrounds the slightly organized chaos. Above all the people and their radical forms of self expression make the Burning Man a constantly evolving mind blowing experience! For the most part there are no spectators at Burning Man. Everyone is a part of the machine in all its oddness and beauty. If you are not doing something out of the ordinary, you are in fact being the weirdo! At some point during my burn experience I got inspired and decided to join in the circus and express myself. With limited supplies to work with, I had to be extra creative. For reasons that even baffle me today, I had been traveling around with a Mexican wrestling mask (Lucha Libre.) Unfortunately I did not have anything to go along with the mask, not even a cape to accessorize. So it hit me that the mask alone would have to suffice. So as any strong willed Luchador in a fix would have done, I dropped my pants and hit the road to do some bike cruising. I am proud to announce that the awkwardly nude luchador was a BIG hit! I credit the success to many different factors. The biggest factor to my success -I am a hairless wonder of the world, and a close second to the fact that I am hung like Theodore (of the chip monks of course.) I do not feel as thought I have reached Alvin's alpha male status just yet. In a sea of absurdity I was proud to get any reaction at all. I think even more interesting then getting a reaction, was that some people paid no attention to me at all. I mean seriously where else in the world can a hairless naked kid in a Mexican wrestling mask just get brushed off as part of the landscape? But when I was noticed I was greeted with cat calls, whistles, and even one "F-ing Incredible!" Being a naked Mexican panned out to be much more work then I had originally expected. I for one thing had to be cordial and meet and greet my fans, which often involved me having to stop my bike to pose for pictures. If I got anything out of my experience it would have to be, fame does not come without a price tag. I am actually now reconsidering my 3 week depression when I found in fact, that I was not Anna Nicole's baby daddy. The playa was littered with art installations. Some of them bigger then others, with the biggest consisting of 2 full size semi-trucks stacked on end (see pics), a catapult that flung flaming pianos across the desert, to a life size oil rig that was symbolically set ablaze. I still have mixed feelings about making a statement about oil and the greed surrounding it by purchasing 2000 gallons of it to simply to burn. But really who am I to judge anyone and their symbolic gesture. I mean who can take me serious -a guy with the spelling capacity of a slightly illiterate third grader who uses punctuation to decorate sentences. Amongst the entire grandeur and excess of the playa one my favorite art instillations was one of the most basic. It was simply a lone phone booth in the middle of the desert. The phone both had a sign boasting "conversations with GOD." I was initially drawn to the booth because I have a lot of questions for the G-man. Just to name a few: How can the good lord deny me the ability to grow a pencil thin mustache and at the same time cruelly allow me to grow the occasional crusty chest hair, how did Ron Jeremy ever make himself a successful career in pornography, how can people eat hotdogs? Just to name a few, the list can go on forever. For the sake of my sanity I decided against talking to God just at that moment. But oddly enough my time came later that night to converse with "the maker." In the mix of the madness I had a 30 minute conversation with a girl who claimed to me that she was "the creator." I somewhat find it hard to believe that "the creator" would be hanging out in the form of a topless girl in the Nevada desert. Nevertheless I entertained the conversation because I liked the scenery, and not to mention the idea of her telling me that she could make my "wildest dreams come true". After a while I come to the crazy conclusion that we might just happen to be on different wave lengths. Our undefined definition of "wild dreams", along with her drug induced confusion might have lead to conviction in the majority of the lower 48 states. At that point I hit her with an "Adios Muchacha" like any kind Mexican would have done and went looking for my next experience. After leaving the desert and having time for it all to sink in, I guess people find God in stranger places then "Black Rock City". All in all it was an amazing spiritual experience in its own right, not to mention a high light in the jaded traveling circus I affectionately refer to as my life. I can't wait for the day when "The Johnny Nomad Experiment" finds its way back to the desert! ~Johnny Nomad "<i>Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind." -Burning Man Website www.burningman.com
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1178833800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1178833800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1178833800/tpod.html Thu, 17 May 2007 04:41:18 -0400 ¨The Johnny Nomad Experiment¨ The adventures/misadventure in the quest for understanding!?!

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New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

First and foremost I first just want to say a quick hello and sorry to all the people that have been keeping up with my nonsense and escapades over the last few years. Sorry for not updating this site in a month (if not more.) I do not even know where to begin..... First I need to mention that I am writing this entry from my home in New Orleans, LA USA.Where to start? I woke up a few weeks with a smile on my face. I had a smile on my face because I realized my time had come..... After over 3 yrs of living out of a single bag and traveling to the far ends of the earth, I finally decided to make the long trip home. This trip home was a little different then the previous. After spending the last 11 or so months wondering around, not to mention making a complete 365 degree circle of the world, I returned home this time with a new sense of completion. Like every other time I set out before this, this time was no different, it came to a premature ending and an unexpected early return home. I guess that is all part of living life on the outside of contemporary logic and thinking. If nothing else this time around everything was different, for the first time my flight home was occupied with a sense of completion and accomplishment. I Unfortunately did not manage to accomplish my overland goal of making it completely overland from Tokyo to London, but I did have the amazing opportunity to spend 10 months of my life exploring Asia from the top to the bottom and in finding a sense of contentment.Everyday people always ask me "what next now that you have seen the world?" I always answer that with the statement, "I have not seen all of the world just yet, I have only begun!" I will forever be a student in the game of life. It's a BIG world that we live in.&nbsp; The one thing I know for certain is that I can sleep well at night with the knowledge that I have dedicated all my energy, and not to mention the last 3 years of my life to experiencing and exploring this peculiar mixed up piece of dirt that we call the world!Thanks to everyone who has been following along with my often at times pointless ramblings. You can all sleep easy tonight knowing that the ¨Johnny Nomad Experiment¨ is far from being over! If anything we are now moving into a new era. I have seen and experienced so many amazing things over the last few years, I now want to spend the next few years doing something creative with these experiences. If nothing else we are now moving into the Sophomore years of this project. For lack of better words we can call it ¨The Johnny Nomad Experiment / The Creative Years." As of now I plan on spending the summer in New Orleans taking Spanish courses at the local university and getting back into playing music (spinning records). You can all follow along with my music project via Myspace. Search for "Dj Rooty Huxtable" and add me as a friend.&nbsp; I have lots of new exciting side projects in the works...... I just got a spot working on a new indie film and a summer job working as a roadie for a local touring band. It should be a good summer!I'm just one hit away from being a one-hit-wonder! The show has just begun. Tick Tock Tic Tock..... <i>~J No."Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, andfinds himself no wiser than before... He is full of murderousresentment of people who are ignorant without having come by theirignorance the hard way." -Kurt Vonnegut, <i>"Cat's Cradle"To all the followers of "The Johnny Nomad Experiment" have no fear, the next journey is already in the making. I recently decided that I have been neglecting the "homeland" over the last few years. I decided that if really want to call myself a true Nomad I have to pay homage to Jack Kerouac and the boys and take a "Great American Road Trip." So at some point after the summer I plan on making my way out West for a few month adventure. If all things go as planed I hope to make it all the way the West coast of America / Canada and as far as Alaska before returning home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1174458420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1174458420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1174458420/tpod.html Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:43:14 -0400 ¨The Johnny Nomad Experiment¨ The adventures/misadventure in the quest for understanding!?!

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Madrid, Spain

So my world has been turned upside and then some!!!! I will write more about that later today.&nbsp;But I have reached a new point in my Nomad career that I wanted to share. About 24 hrs ago I decided that I wanted to drop everything and come to Spain for a month to work on my Spanish. So of course with 12 hr notice I still only made my&nbsp;check in with 11 minutes to spare. I got on the plan and then spent the rest of the day changing flights and waiting at airports. My final flight ended up being about 3 hrs delayed due to weather in Rome, Italy. When I finally got to Madrid, Spain it was about 1:45 am. The last metro leaves the airport at 1:30 am, all the buses where done for the night. My only 2 options at that point where to take a $40 taxi into the city, or wait until the first metro at 6 am. Of course I decided to wait until the morning. At this point in my journey I am no stranger to sleeping in train stations, bus stations, airports, etc.... Besides there where lots of people sleeping all over the airport. So I put down my jacket and pulled up a prime piece of floor space. I woke up at one point during the night when someone put a small paper bag down beside me. I immediately woke up and looked in the bag to see it was and to make sure it was not a bomb or some sort of poop. Not&nbsp;that I have ever had an previous experiences with unclaimed bags of&nbsp;poo-poo. But you can never be to sure! When&nbsp;I saw it was&nbsp;a small lunch I thought nothing more of it and went back to sleep. When I woke up about 6:30 am I investigated the bag once more. Then it hit me!!! Someone thought I was homeless and decided to leave me food. I thought to myself WOW!&nbsp;The food&nbsp;along with someone earlier giving&nbsp;me a free train ticket made me start to think. So Johnny Nomad is now giving off the ¨-I´m homeless please feel sorry for me vibe??? I then proceded to smell my arm pits to see I&nbsp;could find the root of the problem.&nbsp;How my world has changed! When I was in Asia my money went so far, and if anything, I could always use the white card to take a pee in nice places. And now here I am in Europe where I cannot even afford a night in a dorm bed. FYI: bunk bed in a shared dormitory in Europe is almost $30! Most backpackers here have 3 times my budget. The worse part about the whole story is not that people are now thinking I am homeless.&nbsp;I&nbsp;realized&nbsp;things have gotten out of&nbsp; control&nbsp;when I opened the bag and saw it was a cheese sandwich, I said to myself FUCKIN´SCORE!!! Oh the new lows I have reached..................-Johnny NomadMore later today on how and why I got to Spain!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1174385520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1174385520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnnynomad/latin_america/1174385520/tpod.html Tue, 20 Mar 2007 06:15:19 -0400 ¨The Johnny Nomad Experiment¨ The adventures/misadventure in the quest for understanding!?!

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entry & travel map

Athens, Greece

Huge change of plans! Flying to Barcelona, Spain in a few minutes. Updated in a day or 2! -J No
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