rantlust

Posted by renéejo on December 10th 2008 in Europe, Sex, Society
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Meanwhile in other news, in my backyard, a fight is brewing over the recent efforts by the Amsterdam city government to reduce the number of brothels and ‘coffee shops’ in the red light district. The city leaders rationalise this by saying that this move will help reduce organised crime. One of them also soothes the nerves by saying: “We can still have sex and drugs, but in a way that shows the city is in control.”

The various sections of society that’ll be severely affected by this ‘cleanup’ plan to fight back vigorously. Maybe it’s time for all the ‘lusters’ lurking here to rant about this as well.

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Posted by renéejo on November 19th 2008 in Entertainment, Law, Music
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I miss him.

It’s unfortunate the man is still the target of lawsuits. One can’t help but feel sorry Jacko.

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Posted by renéejo on July 28th 2008 in Economics, USA
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It seems like things are getting real bad out there in the good old US of A. Because the OPEC gods haven’t been smiling on America of late, some upstanding citizens are turning to the real deal for lower gasoline prices.

A few people gathered in a gas station in St. Louis recently to pray to God for lower gas prices. Are cartoons allowed?

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Posted by renéejo on April 25th 2008 in Music, Women
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Here’s to girl power! Paul Potts might have been the rage last year for ‘Britain’s got talent’, and this year also we have a budding opera singer (a 13 year old named Andrew Johnston) but it’s the electric string instrument quartet of Scala that’s impressing me.

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Posted by renéejo on February 01st 2008 in Celebrity, Humor, Sex
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She’s frequently annoying and Matt is a god. Good pair? You decide.

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Posted by renéejo on November 13th 2007 in Travel
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It’s not easy to write when you are going around the world (it’s taking more than 80 days). At the time I first announced my intentions to travel and keep the rantlust community updated on my adventures, I thought I’ll really stick to it. But there’s been too many ‘I’ll-blog-at-the-next-pit-stop’ promises to myself without much avail. Travelling is a draining activity especially if you are doing too much stuff. It’s been three months since I last wrote (about Tibet) and now Tibet is such a distant memory.

The Internet is everywhere I go and yet, I can’t bring myself to write. I am not even writing on my journal. And slowly over the months, I have attained this stage of travel nirvana where I don’t even see a lot of the touristy stuff. I just show up at places, meet some people (some fellow travelers, some locals) and just hang. Sip a coffee or chai here, sip a beer there, eat some noodle soup here, eat some Thai fish curry there. I sit and watch children play on the beach; young adults canoodle on park benches; Japanese tourists take pictures of me with whatever statue is behind me; get hit on by local men and touristy women. Life goes on. I occasionally pop into an Internet cafe to check on close friends and family and let them know I’m still in it. But even news has lost a lot of the meaning for me. I mean, what’s the point really? Unless you are on a world domination spree, why bother with what’s happening thousands of miles away? Give the conscience a break and be selfish… in your moment for a while. It feels good.

Random thoughts. Observing people and surroundings with nary a care in the world. Feeling good about humanity. Remembering how tough, interesting, life-changing and amazing the last few months of my life have been. Missing those close to me. Wishing I could get a hug.

I am now in a tiny cafe in Hobart, Tasmania. Beautiful weather. A few clouds in the sky, summer is approaching. I can see Sullivan’s Cove from where I sit. A beautiful woman with a Spanish accent sits by herself at a table nearby. Probably late 30s. She’s talking on a sleek looking phone (no, not the iPhone) to probably a jilted lover. She’s angry but the voice is soft but steady. On the only other table sits a young boy with headphones bigger than his head wrapped around. A girl sits opposite him bored and having a cake. He’s reading some thick tome. The waiter likes me. Keeps coming to my table to chit chat. I think I’ll indulge him. He’s cute. Pakistan and Darfur don’t interest me now. I am living in the here and now. And loving it.

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Posted by renéejo on August 21st 2007 in Engineering, Travel
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Tibet or Xizang as the Chinese call it, has been a dream destination for me and I finally made it out there a couple of weeks ago. And what a journey! I took the recently built Qinghai-Tibet train which is an engineering marvel as it goes through some spectacular scenery at very high altitudes. The journey on this train takes almost 48 hours from Beijing to Lhasa but is worth it just for the Golmud-Lhasa section. I booked a soft sleeper and the accommodations are quite luxurious. The train is pressurized to prevent altitude sickness. The Tanggula pass at 5072 metres through which the train passes makes this the highest rail track in the world. The dining car is decent and there is even a bar on the train. What’s amazing about this rail line is that a significant section of it is on permafrost.

I didn’t feel any effects of altitude during the train ride though I did often feel woozy once in Lhasa. This is a journey that every one who goes to China should take. You will not be disappointed.

Blogging is not easy from China as I found that from some Internet cafes I can’t even access rantlust. Weird. Now that I am finally out of China and am in Vietnam, I hope I’ll be able to blog more about my year off travelling the world.

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Posted by renéejo on July 26th 2007 in Travel
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As regular readers know, I am on the first leg of a year long odyssey away from the Netherlands, starting in China. After more than three weeks here, I am beginning to fall in love with this country…something that I didn’t expect when I landed with some trepidation in Beijing on a smoggy day in late June.

With absolutely no knowledge of the language and having never been in this part of the world before, I was a bit anxious when my taxi made its way through throngs of bicycles and smoke spewing automobiles into the heart of Beijing where I had booked two nights in a very touristy district targeting westerners named Sanlitun. I did this because I wanted to orient myself with the city before venturing into the unknown.

After a couple of days wandering around Tiananmen Square (yes, that square) and the Forbidden City (a truly magnificent architectural achievement), I checked out and moved into a less touristy part of town in the north and while it meant that I had to take public transport to get to the city centre, it was a big relief for a long time backpacker like me. I finally felt at ease.
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