It started with the map – Family Travel Memories – BootsnAll 2012 Indie Travel Challenge

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Anthony StClair

Prompt #18: Family Travel Memories

For week 18 of the Indie Travel Challenge, pick any one of these questions (or as many as you like!) to answer in your post. What is your earliest childhood memory of traveling with your family? Did you take regular family vacations? Did your family encourage travel? Did any of those family trips inspire your adult life as a traveler?

It started with the map

This week’s post is a guest post from one of the characters in my travel fantasy stories. Globetrotter Jay talks about how his parents influenced his travels.

I have to confess: I never wanted to go anywhere. And then Mom got the map.

We grew up in a small town in Idaho. Some would call it Anywhere, USA, and I suppose that’s close enough to the truth of it. Mom was a teacher, and Dad was a lawyer. We never really went anywhere for vacations, just spots around the state. Americans aren’t known for vacations, after all, and Mom and Dad were always really busy.

But as I grew up, Mom and Dad suddenly started talking more about travel. Often I think it’s because of Mom teaching high school. Year after year she’d spend time with all these teenagers who were about to graduate. After years of exposure, all their dreams—jobs, travel, exotic places—must have finally become contagious.

Mom started talking about how she and Dad weren’t getting any younger. Dad started thinking about retiring from his law practice. They’d saved money over the years, and the next thing I knew, that money started getting pumped into guidebooks, backpacks, lightweight cargo pants and one-way tickets.

One night when I went over for dinner, one of Guru Deep’s guidebooks, World Through the Third Eye, was sitting on the coffee table. All that evening they talked about the Big Trip they were planning. Forget taking an RV around the USA. Mom and Dad were planning to travel the world. “We’ll spend our sunset years chasing the sunrise,” Mom liked to say.

A few months later when I went over for dinner, the guidebook was dog-eared and stuffed with bits of paper for bookmarks.

And then Mom showed me the map.

Dad had made the frame, she said, and the wood was well-oiled, perfectly cut, and framed the map with a glow that was almost alive.

The map she’d found at a bookstore. The pins had come from her sewing kit, and Mom had a lot of pins. Now they were all stuck in the map. Canada. Cuba. Argentina. Peru. Australia. New Zealand. Scotland. Europe. India. Thailand. Malaysia. Japan. Kenya. South Africa. Egypt. If it had a dot on the map, it had a pin.

All that evening they told me about the trip, and how now that Dad was retired, they’d be leaving soon. They didn’t ask, but I could tell they wanted me to be interested in coming along here and there for some of the trip.

But that was the thing. All my life, I’d never been interested in traveling.

But now? Now I live travel. Mom and Dad, you see, they were ready to go. Passports, tickets, visas, everything.

But Mom and Dad will never get to take that trip, and so I cling to a memory of them looking at the map together, pointing at pins and smiling at each other.

I guess I travel for them, as much as I travel or myself now.

It all started with the map. And it will never end till I’ve put a foot in every place where Mom once put a pin, but now will never go herself.

We’ll take a year – New Zealand – BootsnAll 2012 Indie Travel Challenge

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Anthony StClair

Prompt #17: New Zealand

Imagine you’ve just been handed a round-trip ticket to Auckland. You’ve got a grand total of three months to spend there. You can travel as much as you like within the country, hopping between islands whenever you like, but you can’t leave New Zealand. Tell us what you’d do with three months in New Zealand – whether you’d base yourself in one place or travel constantly, what activities you’d make sure to do, and what you’d skip.

We’ll take a year

BootsnAll’s Sean Keener once asked me what my big, hairy audacious goals (BHAGs) were. One of them is to live a year in New Zealand.

My wife and I have talked about this some here and there. With our 4-month-old soon to be getting a passport, we’ve already started thinking ahead to future trips (and a second kiddo to give our son a sibling and travel buddy). Something really important to us is that our children travel and live abroad. New Zealand has struck us as a great place for the family to spend 3 months.

Wait… 3 months in New Zealand?

For starters, via charm, baksheesh and perseverance, we’d find a way to expand that 3 months to a year. We could stay in one place for 3 months if it captivated us enough—a year in New Zealand still would have us feeling like we’d barely scratched the surface.

Deep instead of broad

We’d look for a few places to stay throughout New Zealand, covering both the North Island and South Island, where we could base ourselves for a few weeks or months at a time. We’ve always liked basing ourselves in a place and getting to know it well for a while, instead of constantly moving around. This way, too, we can focus on the travel, instead of regularly fielding the day-to-day logistics of lodging, transport and food for a family of four.

Family planning

I can tell you now, this post won’t be all about how we’re going to go eggshell skydiving from the old cropdusters covered with Maori tattoos that fly over New Queenarua. At this point, I’ve got zilch on specifics.

Besides, what we’d do would likely not be known until we got there. My wife and I also want our kids to help with the trip and activity planning, instead of Mom and Dad bustling everyone about arbitrarily. I have no idea what my kids will want to do, since one is 4 months old and the other isn’t even a twinkle in my pants yet.

But once we’re there, we’ll work out the details as a family, and use our own curiosity and discussions to guide us on our way.

Match what we do with where we are

We’d mix living in cities, towns and the countryside, focusing our activities around what each had to offer.

In the cities, we’d look for what makes each city stand out, and get to know what the people who live there love about it.

Outside the cities, we’d get to know the amazing nature that, as one writer quipped recently, made Lord of the Rings a documentary about how beautiful New Zealand is. Odds are there’ll be kayaking and campervans involved.

And then?

We’d suss out high points of both islands to see, and marvel over all the things “saved for next time.” We’d talk with our kids about what it’s like to live somewhere else. We’d talk about what people, cultures and places anywhere have in common, and what makes them distinct.

We’d talk about not wanting to leave, yet also being ready to come home.

And then we’d start planning another trip.

3 travel stories that can change your life and make you hit the road

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Anthony StClair

I’m a big fan of the BootsnAll Travel Network. As a traveler and someone who’s worked there, BootsnAll’s articles have always inspired me to keep learning, growing and traveling. Some recent articles have really been nailing the sense of adventure it takes to leave off the ol’ corporate “company guy” road, and hit the real road of life instead.

If you’re ready to change your life and hit the road—or if you’ve just been wondering if you are—you’ll want to check out these 3 stories:

Postcards from the Rucksack Universe – April Newsletter out now

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Anthony StClair

Postcards from the Rucksack Universe – April 2012 Newsletter

This Month’s Destination Spotlight – Agamuskara, India & The Agamuskara River
From India to Ireland! New short story coming next month
Postcard from the Universe
People to Meet

See it online now: Postcards from the Rucksack Universe – April 2012

April newsletter out now

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Anthony StClair

Photo: Ryan http://flic.kr/p/bbJjYK

Postcards from the Rucksack Universe

Out now!

This Month’s Destination Spotlight: Agamuskara, India & The Agamuskara River
Postcard from the Universe
People to Meet: Faddah Rucksack
Coming Next Month: From India to Ireland – New short story

Go: April 2012 – Postcards from the Rucksack Universe »

The broken Spork, the zipper-borked fleece jacket, and the I-can’t-bear-to-say-good-bye

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Anthony StClair

“While anyone would look at this multi-use piece of cutlery and see nothing more than that, I am reminded of so many memories from my travels where this simple little thing saved the day.”

“My Spork has broken,” said Backpack with Brock recently. His Spork has been with him for country after country, from India to New Zealand. And yes, it’s a bit of plastic. Yes, it’s easily replaceable. It’s just a Spork. But it’s not just a Spork.

All I can say is, I hear you, mate, I hear you. His Spork is as my old black fleece jacket, a travel companion in Tibet, only we have not yet had to say good-bye. Yet.

The thing about Brock’s Spork and my fleece is that they’re not just objects. They’re tools. That Spork is a compact, lightweight tool that helped Brock make sure he could always easily get his chow on. Before going to Asia in 2004, I remember finding my fleece in the kids section at the outdoor store REI (small stature can mean damn good buys on travel clothes). My fleece has kept me warm on travels from Asia to the Pacific Northwest.

A couple of years ago, the zipper started getting borked. Then my in-laws gave me a new fleece jacket for Christmas. With its black-faded-to-plum and its increasingly difficult zippiness, the old fleece was consigned to the garage. Now I wear it when doing winter work in the garden or wood pile.

After reading Brock’s post, I needed to split some firewood. Gingerly zipping my fleece, I went outside. With each thunk of the ax, I thought about my fleece, and all the travels it’s gone on with me.

Mostly, I think about Tibet. That’s where I needed it most, and it was there for me every frosty morning and cloud-blowing night. I don’t care how many times that jacket’s been washed over the years. As far as I’m concerned, the mountain dirt and yak dung of Tibet is still ground into the fleece’s fibers, spliced into its polyester molecular structure.

When I wear that fleece jacket, for a moment I walk through the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. I stand on a small rock precipice, stare down and out over miles of brown rock and blue-green lakes near a pass in the southwestern Tibetan hills.

Most of all, in my mind, the moon rises over Mt. Everest one bone-chilling, oxygen-starved night. I’m wrapped in my fleece as I watch this.

Nowadays I have snazzier jackets. But none of them have been in the presence of the world’s tallest mountain.

I know that sooner or later the fleece will be completely borked, threadbare and useless. From garment to shop rag, I’ll have to say good-bye. But the memories will still be vivid, alive and part of me.

And when I travel, I’ll always have a fleece jacket.

New story sent to NPR 3-Minute Fiction Contest with 20 minutes to spare

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Anthony StClair

Just when you think you’ve made a decision about something—suddenly a completely different decision comes to life. Literally. For Round 8 of NPR’s 3-Minute Fiction Contest, I sent in a new short story that started with this required first sentence:

“She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally, decided to walk through the door.”

Just when you thought you’d made a decision, indeed.

I hadn’t planned to enter the contest. The deadline was this past Sunday, Mar. 25. But that evening, I got an idea for a story. It happened while my wife and I listened to the judge, Luis Alberto Urrea, talk about the contest on All Things Considered:

“The key being, of course, that ‘finally.’ “There can be an infinity in what’s going on with that ‘finally.’”

Then it hit me. A woman… with a book… who comes to a big decision about her life, a new direction and travel. But just when she goes to make that decision real, she’s stopped by… herself. Literally.

In less than 2 hours, which also included me cooking and eating dinner, I’d written a draft of the story, which had to be 600 words or less. My wife reviewed and gave me feedback on 2 drafts. With 20 minutes to spare, I submitted my final draft of “The World That Waited for Her,” which clocked in at 565 words.

And now… we wait. NPR will announce updates during All Things Considered, and they’ll be listing the latest news about the contest on their Facebook page.

Will let you know how my story does, and when it can be available for you to read!

Photo: Edgar Polo

Screw Guinness: 17 St. Patrick’s Day stouts you should drink instead

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Anthony StClair

Ah, St. Patrick’s Day. Ah, Guinness. For many of us, especially in the U.S., the one automatically means the other. But should it?

Here’s a simple 1-question quiz for whether or not you should drink Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day:

Are you in Ireland? Yes or no?

If you answered yes, then by arse y’ feckin eejit, order a Guinness. You’re in its home country after all, and that’s where the Guinness tastes best. In Ireland, Guinness is a wonder, and it truly is a world-class beer.

But if you answered no, then forget it. Screw bottles and widget cans (but if you must, then fine, go for the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout). And screw taps. Is there an American who can pour a proper Guinness? Unless you find some mystical pub where the bartending Jakes and Jades actually know how to bloody pour a proper pint o’ the black stuff, stay away. It’s not worth it. You might as well order well-done Kobe beef.

Since you likely aren’t in Ireland, let’s talk about what to drink instead of Guinness. Here are 17 stouts to seek out instead:

The Stoutest 8

Oakshire Brewing Overcast Espresso Stout. Part of my Northwest Winter Survival Kit. Dark dark dark oatmeal stout that is rich, smooth and full of coffee flavor and aroma, which it bloody well should be since it has a shot of espresso in each pint.
Murphy’s Irish Stout. So creamy, balanced, bitter and good, Murphy’s will make you cry black with radiant joy.
Ninkasi Oatis Stout. Yup, I’m showing my local Oregon pride. Eugene’s juggernaut, Ninkasi rocks a stout that’s hoppier that you might expect, yet really damn smooth and balanced with roasted, dark malt flavor.
Lost Coast Brewery 8-Ball Stout. Creamy and hoppy, this stout racks up awards and will never scratch your beer game.
Deschutes Obsidian Stout. Based in Bend, Oregon, Deschutes beers are renown as classic Northwest styles. Their Obsidian stout has some harsher edges, just like the sharp rock for which it’s named, but that just adds to the enjoyment of the roasted flavors and Northwest hoppiness.
Beamish Irish Stout. Smooth roasted flavors in an Irish stout that should just go wherever you go.
Boneyard Brewing The Backbone Chocolate Espresso Stout. This seasonal release from the volcano country of Bend, Oregon, just goes to show that volcanic soil is also good for growing breweries. Smooth with velvety crispness.
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Because the only thing better than coffee in a stout, is chocolate in a stout. An award-winning British classic.

9 More for the Road

Guinness has its place, but it’s probably not in your hand. Want a really memorable St. Patrick’s Day? Reach for a pint of something else black and amazing, and see what happens.

Photo: Yumi Kimura

The Stories: New travel fantasy book coming 2012

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Anthony StClair

One day while getting ready for a trip to India in 2003, I had an idea about an ultimate traveler who became much more than just another globetrotter.

That story is the focus of my debut novel, coming this year:

MY FRIEND JAY (working title)

Jay has traveled the world, but he’s never had an adventure like the one that unfolds when a strange object hides in his backpack, leads him to India and accidentally awakens an ancient evil. After falling for a mysterious bartender and befriending the world’s only Himalayan-Irish sage, the carefree globetrotter now must save the world he just wanted to see. A tale of travel, destiny and beer, Anthony St. Clair’s debut novel MY FRIEND JAY begins a new urban fantasy series in the spirit of Douglas Adams, Tom Robbins and Terry Pratchett.

Photo: Apple Freak

I have no idea

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Anthony StClair

“While working on each sentence, he has no idea what the next sentence is going to be, much less the next chapter or the end of the book. All thoughts of where he is going or where he has been are banished.” — How to Write Like Tom Robbins, by Michael Dare

When I learned this about best-selling author Tom Robbins, it gave me something to aspire to, and it made me realize how much traveling and writing have in common: no matter what, you really have no idea where you’re going.

There’s a funny thing about traveling. So often, you might have a Grand Plan… or at least people think you do. Or you think you do. Either way, sooner or later a Grand Plan starts looking less and less grand. You’ve encountered so much more, have been thrilled by so many things you never could have planned for—and they certainly weren’t mentioned in the guidebook.

When it comes to what happens next, it can be hard to say, “I have no idea.” But it’s also the most thrilling thing of all to say. Want to know if you really feel alive? Think of something you’re doing—and step back, really look at it, and acknowledge the truth of truths:

“What’s next?” Then don’t shrug. Or um or any crap like that. Just go straight to “I have no idea.”

Bonus points if you can smile and add, “But I’m excited as hell to find out.”

As with traveling, so too with working on stories. Every time I pick up a story, I have no idea what’s going to happen. Oh, I may have a sort of rough thought. Sort of like saying, “Well, I’m going on a round-the-world trip, leaving from Oregon and going west through Australia and Asia.” That’s a general idea. But the day-to-day, the moment-by-moment? Dunno.

My characters surprise me with every word. Connections I never could’ve planned blossom before my eyes. Plots take a twist that never would have occurred to me—until I was in the thick of the story. Then, there it was, and it was exactly what the story needed to be.

It’s scary at times. And it can play hell with doing some serious rewriting later. But just as difficulties on a trip all too often are well worth it for what comes next, so too is the joy of writing without a full-on map.

I have no idea what all will happen in the story I’m working on.

But I’m excited as hell to find out.

Rucksack Press

Globetrotting adventures that fit in your backpack