Comment by zaroth | Hacker News Reader

Comment by zaroth | Hacker News Reader

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The writing really is fantastic, the story compelling and unique, and the take-away completely expected. How could you not find yourself more focused, more present, more enrapt by the lands and peoples surrounding you, with nothing to distract you but the clothes on your back!

Modern marketing machines aside, I think the human condition really lends itself to exploring the world like this. There must be some base instinct which tends to support a high level of empathy and respect for the courageous and peaceful strangers who throw themselves into a foreign culture like this. Obviously some tribes don't invite strangers so easily, but often the people you think would be most hostile are the ones that welcome you the warmest.

One thing I'm mildly curious about, when asked, did they say they were Canadian? ;-)

Kudos to Clara and Jeff, and thanks for sharing your story with us.

EDIT: For those harping on them carrying an iPhone/iPad, let me just say this; feel free to comment about how your own similar experience was further enhanced by also unplugging. In the meantime, I'm impressed with anyone who can take such a large bet on the chivalry of strangers in a foreign land and come out so much better for it. Personally I think carrying an iPhone is orthogonal, because it's a useful planning and safety tool which does little to dampen the experience a trip like this can bring.

I found the writing middling, the story twee and arrogant and the take-away utterly predictable.

Of the two of us, I am clearly the better fit for HN.

> "Of the two of us, I am clearly the better fit for HN."

Thanks for the laugh, nailed it.

LOL. Chalk it up to euphoria following an all-nighter spent coding.

Sometimes I check for trending posts with zero comments where I can post a glowing review, just to mix things up a bit. I'll admit I may have taken it too far :-)

great reply

"I think the human condition really lends itself to exploring the world like this."

The universality of the human condition is what made me get bored with travelling. I've never done a trip like this one, but I did once pack a suitcase and move to a country where I didn't know anyone and stayed for almost 2 years. Everyone everywhere is fundamentally the same. Human civilization has been slowly building momentum towards the singularity and the current vanguard is our modern first-world urban environments. I already live in one of the best ones and don't like leaving.

So, you've now got enough experience to know what you value. The rest of us should not bother?

Traveling is not only about human condition, it's also about doing things you wouldn't have the opportunity to back home.

It took me 3 countries and 5 years to come to the same conclusion. Don't ruin the surprise for the backpackers though, they all think they're Indiana Jones.

You guys (parent & parent) should realize you don't have nearly enough information to support your conclusions. You need to travel a lot more to generalize like that. You come off as jaded know-it-alls who think romantic viewpoints and optimism are for children and idiots.

I started un-jaded then I came to the same conclusion as you two. I kept going though and I'm changing my mind again - the world is not all the same, and there is plenty of opportunity for adventure. Maybe I'll change my mind again, I don't know everything either, but I hope I don't.

I don't know exactly what you guys did or didn't do, but my advice would be to adjust your strategy for where you spend time, and push yourself to pay closer attention. Maybe learn another language if you haven't already so you can really dive in.

That comment probably came off much more negative than I intended it to, so I'll elaborate. I think the grass is basically the same shade of green everywhere, plus or minus some superficial pros and cons, and excepting a few places that really do have serious social and economic problems. I'm still mobile, and I love it, but I no longer believe that changing location will do anything more than provide 6 months or so of new and unusual experiences--which is a great thing, don't get me wrong! However, I think people tend to conflate the place with the experience of being on vacation there, which leaves you with a totally unrealistic impression of a location and its culture. Once you stick around long enough to get into a grind, you quickly realize that you can't escape the mundane. I think it's important to embrace that, enjoy your holidays, and don't spend your working days thinking that everything would be better if you could just get away. It's a recipe for permanent misery and leads to some seriously irrational decision making. I now believe that the best place in the world is wherever is most conducive to doing whatever it is you love doing without being a burden on someone else/society.

This is why I will not travel with friends who just want to party-vacation in whatever country they visit. Bars, clubs, and people are bars, clubs, and people no matter where you go. Not a world traveler by any means, but it didn't take me long to realize this.

What keeps it fresh is the unique aspects of the country/state... language, culture/history, sightseeing, etc. I spent time in Japan recently and was far more influenced by experiencing the rural way of life than Tokyo. I like to take the best parts of a country and integrate those habits/attitudes into my own life.

Traveling around also makes you realize how (generally) blessed we are in the US, at least compared to all the complaining people do.

"Wherever you go, there you are."

I thought this nothing more than a trite saying, for the longest time. But over time I've come to realize how universal and potently applicable this maxim really is.

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