Why I Hate ‘Backpacking Culture’

Julio Moreno Personal , 9 Comments
Why I Hate ‘Backpacking Culture’

“You will totally love New Zealand. It has a great backpacker culture!”

And immediately, I cringed. It was just a reaction that I didn’t intend to offend with, but nonetheless it confirmed something I suspected long before I even arrived in New Zealand. I may be a guy who travels with a backpack, but I definitely did not fit the profile of a ‘backpacker.’*

 

I Wanted To Be A ‘Backpacker’ SO BAD! 

Backpack Woman

My final year in Korea, I knew this was it. I regretted not doing it earlier, but I was set on traveling across South East Asia with nothing but a backpack and seeing where the wind would take me. There was something about ‘going without a plan’ and ‘meeting other travelers’ that sounded so cool and appealing. That is until I got started and realized, what a lot of people call ‘backpacking’ is not at all what I thought it was. 

 

My Idealization of ‘Backpacking’

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Five more AMAZING places you are FORBIDDEN for visiting

Julio Moreno Top 10 Style Lists , 3 Comments
Five more AMAZING places you are FORBIDDEN for visiting

The last list of amazing places you can’t visit has thus far been my most successful list, so why not make another?! As the world develops and gets smaller every day, the places you CAN’T visit are actually becoming few and far between. Nevertheless, there are some more incredibly difficult or near impossible places you’d love to visit, but simply can’t. Let’s get started shall we?

 

5) Saint Helena

Napoleon

The name might ring a bell, but high school history was so long ago, you probably forgot. St. Helena is an island (as many on this list are) between Brazil and Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean. As one of the most remote places on earth, it was where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to spend the rest of his days after nearly conquering the whole of Europe. It has been UK territory for centuries and is said to be one of the most pristine examples of Georgian architecture. In addition, it is also a Gold Tier “Dark Sky.”

 

Let’s Get Going!

Well, technically you can, if you have a ton of time and money. The voyage can only be done on the RMS St. Helena which leaves from Cape Verde. The cost is a bit over $3200 for the cheapest cabin and takes about 18 days. That doesn’t take into account the time and money to get to Cape Verde in the first place. Safe to say, this little luxury will cost in the neighborhood of 4k. An airport is under construction which should make it more accessible, but for us simpletons, it remains forbidden.

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A Trip to Piha

Julio Moreno New Zealand , 0 Comment
A Trip to Piha

My first month in New Zealand was shit. Absolute shit. From the stress of looking for a job, to one of the worst housing experiences one can have, I was not enjoying this so called ‘paradise’ at all. After a month though, I got a job, found a so-so car, and moved to a new place… it was time for a little trip to explore what NZ has to offer (more on that first month later).

Piha 1

A few weeks ago, I saw a picture of Piha on Reddit (I can’t believe I didn’t mention Reddit on this post) and realized it was just a 40 minute drive from my house. Clear skies, the sun shinning, oh yeah, the beach was calling. Read more →

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

Julio Moreno South Korea, UNESCO World Heritage Site , , , , 2 Comments
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

Location: Gyeongju, South Korea

Bell in BulguksaVisited: Sept, 2010 / March, 2011 / Oct, 2013

Site Type: Cultural

Inscribed: 1995

Background and Opinion:

This, Korea’s oldest UNESCO site, is actually a dual submission of ‘two temples’ which are adjacent to each other, the large Bulguksa Temple, and the smaller cave temple of Seokguram. Bulguksa was first built in the 8th century during the Silla period and serves as one of the few remaining examples of their architecture.

Seokgatap Pagoda
Dabotap Pagoda

One particularly impressive part of the temple is the set of two stone pagodas known as Seokgatap and Dabotap. While nothing has ever been found (officially) inside of Dabotap, the former had a number of relics dating back from the construction of these structures in 750 CE. One of these relics was a piece of the oldest known remaining woodblock print of the Mugujeonggwang Great Dharani Sutra. The two pagodas, the relics and five other structures account for a total of 8 national treasures in Bulguksa alone, 7 of which still remain on site today. Read more →

Temple of Preah Vihear

Julio Moreno Cambodia, UNESCO World Heritage Site , , , 0 Comment
Temple of Preah Vihear

Preah Vihear 2Location: Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia

Visited: August, 2014

Site Type: Cultural

Inscribed: 2008

Opinion and Background:

It is not every day that UNESCO causes a war, but that is exactly what happened in 2008 with the inclusion of Preah Vihear to the World Heritage List. The history is long and complicated, but in short, reports coming from the UNESCO meeting in Quebec, Canada exacerbated a century long dispute between Thailand and Cambodia about where exactly their border lies. This led to a number of cross border clashes between 2008-2011, making Preah Vihear only recently accessible for tourists to see.

The Path to Preah Vihear Read more →