What I want from your YouTube travel channel or travel blog

There are lots of blogs out there telling people how to create a travel blog everyone will read, or how to create a YouTube channel regarding travel that everyone will watch, written by people who have travel blogs or YouTube channels. 

How about some advice NOT from someone who has such a channel, but from someone who watches such channels and reads travelogues? What makes me check out a channel? What makes me read a blog about a trip? What keeps me coming back? What will keep me in your audience?

First, A Thank You

Thanks for sharing your travels on a written blog or on YouTube. That's really nice and, in some cases, brave, of you to do. If you enjoy doing it, keep doing it. If you like how you are doing it and have no interest in changing, stop now and don't read anymore. 

If you want more readers and viewers, I think my perspective, as a reader and viewer, are good ones, so read on. But I won't be hurt at all if you read this and think, nope, she's not my audience.

Why I check out a channel or read a travel blog:

Usually, it's because of a recommendation from someone, either a friend on social media or an online community. 

Sometimes, it's something that YouTube recommended because of something else I watched - but, wow, that algorithm isn't very good. 

So, make sure your friends are sharing when they watch your channel or read your blog on Twitter, Facebook, an online community, etc. That's as important as making sure you are using text in the description of your channel and each video so that the people that you want to read it can find it, based on the keywords they use in a search. 

How I find a travel blog is usually because I find it while I'm searching for advice online and I come across it, because it names the places I want to go, it talks about camping or motorcycle riding, it's clear that it's by a woman, etc., and after reading a few paragraphs, I realize it's really good and I keep reading. 

So, make sure you are using text in the body of your travelogue so that the people that you want to read it can find it, based on the keywords they use in a search. 

Why I keep reading a travel blog:

Because it's interesting. It's well-written prose. I like long reads. I don't need to know every minute of the day and how a traveler spent it, but I do want to feel like I'm experiencing something right along with you. 

Two of my favorite travel books will give you an idea of what I like to read in travel blogs: Long Way 'Round and Travels With Charley. 

Here are my own travel essays, by the way. Many people hace said they are too long. I don't care. I write them mostly for myself and the two devoted fans who write me every time I publish one, to gush about how much they loved it. Publishing my blogs is how I figured out how little my family cared about my travels - buried in one of them was how I had a bad wreck on my motorcycle, complete with photos, and they never commented about it.  But my two devoted fans were frantic with worry. 

Why I keep watching a travel-focused YouTube channel:

• Your videos feel like you are doing the trip you would do even if you weren't filming it, even if you didn't have a YouTube channel. If YOU find what you are doing interesting and compelling and worth doing, if you are doing what you are doing because it's what YOU really want to do, and you are able to show me why you are doing this trip, visiting this place, taking this road, etc., that's most important to me, the viewer, and that's why I'll keep watching. I want authenticity. I'll go along with you on that trip, virtually speaking, to a place I might not be particularly interested in if YOU really want to go there, and you make it clear why in your video through what you show. This is the most important reason in all of this list.  
   
• You show beautiful vistas: landscapes, viewpoints, historic buildings, etc. I want to say "oh, that's pretty" or "interesting" at least sometimes. Show me WHY you are in that place. Even if it's just pulling over for a few seconds and saying, "How's THAT for a view?!" If YOU think it's pretty or interesting, film it and share it. 
   
• You sometimes show what you are passing: fields, villages, slums, cities, cars, whatever. I want to get a sense of what life is like where you are. And I don't want perfection - I want reality. Even if you show just 15 seconds and say, "Here I am in blah blah blah and it's not worth filming anymore so I'm not," that's fine. 
   
• If you are on a motorcycle, you show the road. A lot. I want to know if it's possible for me to ride there. Just turn on your helmet cam and ride. As long as it's not endless paved straight highway, I'm going to watch that. 
   
• When you are showing a lot of landscapes and vistas and passing scenery and the road, you throw in some music or voiceover in the edit if the sound of the motorcycle is going to get boring, if you have the tech to do so. The only time I haven't needed this is when I was watching someone doing a motorcycle rally - then I really liked hearing the engine. Just please don't talk ALL the time over scenery video. 

Those are the most important bullet points. The rest are things I really like, but not necessarily make or break. 

• You tell me where you are. Names of cities and villages. You show me on a map. Maybe I want to go there someday. You don't have to name every place, but give me an idea. 
      
• You film the sign of hotels and campsites where you stay and like. Please? Just a three-second flash of it is fine. Unless they don't want you to, of course. Again: I might want to go there myself. 
      
• You briefly film the room you stay in. "Here's my room! Goodnight! See you tomorrow!" Film your campsite and maybe a bit around the campground. Seriously, it's wonderful to just get a sense of where you are, even for a few seconds. It makes me feel like I'm setting down for the night too. 
      
• You show your challenges. I want to see what you do when you drop your motorcycle, when you get a flat on your bicycle, when you get turned away at a border, when you get lost, how you get a sim card when you don't speak the language, etc. Don't have to be a long, detailed story, but the info is really helpful to other travelers. 
   
• You talk about the challenges you can't show on camera: the argument at passport control. The guesthouse that turned you away. The guy that harassed you. About getting robbed. About police officers. About losing your passport. I particularly want to hear how you handled it, because I'm going to handle that too at some point. 
   
• You show me what you are eating! Whether you cook it yourself or you are in a restaurant, I really like to see what travelers are eating. That could be some delicious, beautiful local dish or could be "All I could find is this can of Sprite and this can of potato chips..." 
   
• I like an entire episode devote to what gear you are using: your tent, your sleeping bag, your stove, your camera, your battery packs, your helmet, your train gear, your riding hear, your boots, and anything else you want to share with me. I like that episode when you are well into your trip, not right at the beginning, because I want to hear how you like it - or don't. Not everyone will love such an episode, but there's no reason not to do one.  
   
• You are respectful of where you are. Please travel with respect. Please don't ride your motorcycle offroad when you clearly are not supposed to. Don't carve your name into a tree. Don't say something racist about local people. Don't film in a religious or historic site when you are told NOT to film. Wear a mask if you see others doing so. Traveling with respect is really important to me, and when I see a travel blogger not doing that, I turn them off. And, again, maybe you don't want me as a viewer, and that's fine with you. 
   
• You share sometimes who you are meeting on the road. You don't have to introduce me to every traveler you encounter, every kid on the street, every restaurant owner, ever guest house host, but I do like it when you show other people sometimes. I like seeing how travelers navigate checkin somewhere, or how they try to order food. I like seeing people being kind to travelers. 
   
• I don't at all mind the mentioning of personal problems or complaints - if you have ever read Long Way 'Round, not just watched the videos, you see that a lot of conflicts among the team are documented, complaints about each other, and it's a reality of group travel that too many folks gloss over and is almost completely left out of the videos (except at the beginning). Or if you read Elspeth Beard's Lone Rider, you read a lot about personal things she's going through - and it's WAY too much in the first 100 pages, as I note in my review, but once you get past that, it's a really perfect balance of road trip and personal journey story (and I so highly recommend you read it). And there's one person I love to watch on YouTube, but she NEVER mentions personal problems - to the point that it makes it sound like she has no family or friends anywhere, that she never has an ache or a pain, that everything works out, and that's just unrealistic.  
   
• A mention of how you are feeling is fine. And in a six-month or year-long journey, I don't at all mind an entire "I'm not sure I can go on" video, with tears and doubts and everything - it's real. It's most definitely part of a journey. But if you are going to make MOST of your videos here's how I feel, if you are going to talk over the scenes of landscapes and fields and forests and the road about all your complaints and doubts, over and over, you are going to lose me as a viewer. And maybe that's okay - maybe you don't want me as a viewer. 
   
• You just talking to the camera is fine in LIMITED QUANTITIES. There are people that don't do it enough - like all the Charlie and Ewan shows. And then there are people who do it WAY too much. I like it when a presenter explains something that wasn't clear earlier in the video - like why did the camera suddenly cut off when you were nearing the gas station? Or why are you now in Germany when you just showed yourself in Norway, headed to Sweden? Or explaining that your plans are changing and how, in the next video, we are NOT going to be seeing such and such waterfalls because you aren't going there after all and why. But unless it's a really compelling story, like how you almost got arrested or that the borders are closed because of a civil war or global pandemic and you are stuck in one place until further notice, keep it short. 
   
• Be kind to street animals or I will come after you like the raging banshee I can be. 
   
• Go back and read bullet #1. It really is the most important.  

Ideal length for a travel video episode for me? No longer than 20 minutes. Any longer than that should be broken up into two shorter videos. 

What about your personality? Honestly, I really don't care. My favorite travel vlogger is bubbling and bright and has a delightful and bouncy personality. My other two favorite travel vloggers speak in almost monotone, don't say much and are even hard to understand sometimes. But when it comes to my favorite travel vloggers, they do all of those first bullet points and many of the ones that follow. 

Those are the reasons I will keep watching your travel video or reading your travel blog. And if you don't want me as a subscriber, that's FINE. You absolutely cannot please everyone all the time. 

Two new travel resources from me

A blog about something travel-related again! 

I've created two new pages on the travel-portion of my web site: one to encourage people to be better prepared for a public health crisis while traveling and one to encourage people to travel with respect to others and their surroundings. Both were inspired by the current global pandemic or current political climate. 

travel with respect
To be able to travel - and to travel abroad - is a sign of your privilege. You absolutely should travel if you are able - it's a wonderful, soul-enriching act. But never forget that to be able to travel depends on your economic status, your passport and how the world labels or categorizes you. To be able to travel is a privilege. People without your privilege see you, the person that has such. And, sometimes, they see your pity and condensation. Or your outright disrespect and arrogance. And that contributes how they see and treat all travelers - including me. These are tips for how not to be an asshole while traveling - and I can't believe anyone needs this guidance but, based on what I've seen - yeah, a lot of people don't know this.

Traveling during a global pandemic
Welcome to the reality that, while you are out having a great time far from home, an intense disaster, even a global pandemic, can break out and not only alter your travel plans but force you to evacuate and get home ASAP. It's actually always been a possibility, but while there were stories here and there of travelers stranded somewhere because of a disaster, or having difficulty re-entering their home country because they are coming from a place with a widespread disease outbreak, the novel coronavirus pandemic has brought home the reality that this can happen to anyone, anywhere. If you are going to travel before the global pandemic is over, these are suggestions that will keep you safe, keep others safe from you, and help you prepare beforehand in case you need to get out of a dicey situation.

I have no idea if these will really help people. I'm expecting criticism for being sanctimonious and a killjoy. So be it. 

Lone Rider by Elspeth Beard: pioneering motorcycle traveler

I just finished Lone Rider by Elspeth Beard. She's one of the first women to ride a motorcycle all around the world, doing so back in 1982 - 1984 and, when she finished this incredible two-year journey, she found that NO ONE CARED. No, really, no one cared: not her family, not neighbors, not friends, not motorcycle magazines, not travel magazines, not anyone. No book deal, no glowing article in the newspaper upon her return, not even an invitation by the local library back home in England to come down and do a presentation. She didn't write her book until 30 years later - it came out in 2017. I'm so glad she did write it. I really enjoyed reading it. But I remain overwhelmed at how underwhelmed everyone was back in the day about her amazing achievement. I also greatly identify with that experience of an incredible achievement or life-changing event being met with blank stares and a shrug from the people you wanted most to care about it (other than yourself).

In short, Elspeth Beard should be as famous as Ted Simon and her book should be as famous as Long Way 'Round.

Beard made this trip at a time when very few women were traveling long distances by motorcycle, even within their own countries. The out-and-out hostility she gets from daring to travel this way in the 1980s, even here in the USA, is jaw-dropping - and something I have never experienced now as a motorcycle traveler or solo traveler sans bike (and I'm so glad). The amount of sexual harassment and attempted sexual assaults she experiences in every country, including the USA, Australia, and all over India, is something that few world travelers, whether motorcyclists or humanitarians, will talk about, even though it remains a reality to this day - and it's something I have experienced as well. When I've asked travelers about it, most will say "it's not that bad" or "I know how to avoid it." I'm not sure why the denial. Fear of being defined as a victim rather than a traveler? Fear of being seen as weak? As a world traveler myself, including a humanitarian worker, I can tell you: sexual harassment is real, often happens when you least expect it and happens with disturbing regularity. I bring it up with travelers because I like tips on what to look out for and advice on how to handle certain situations, and I hope I have some helpful advice to share as well. It was refreshing to see a traveler be so open about it - and never letting it stop her from doggedly pushing on.

I admit to almost giving up on the book in the first 80 pages because I couldn't believe how she treated her ride in the USA: just something to get through as quickly as possible. The USA is an amazing country to tour by motorcycle, and was in the 1980s - it's not something new - but you would never know it by reading Beard's book. In those early pages, she also talked more about her failed relationship than anything good she might have been experiencing as a motorcycle rider, and I thought, if the entire book is this way, I'm not going to be able to get through it. The first 80 pages just weren't at all a book about an adventure motorcycle rider. But after she gets to Australia and works to get enough money to continue her travels, the book improves drastically - at least for me.

I do wish she'd talked more about how she chose her routes, how she chose where to stay, etc. - the only thing she says on this regard is that she has a Lonely Planet guide for one of the countries she's in. (FYI even in this day and age of the Internet, I'm a huge fan of those guidebooks and have frequently used them myself). She also rarely talks about how she secured her bike for the night - this is a big concern for most motorcycle travelers, and it would have been nice to have heard her advice on the subject.

The book is more about the challenges Beard faces (accidents, breakdowns, bureaucracy, extortion attempts) than the sights she sees, and there are times when I was thinking, Why are you doing this? What about any of this is enjoyable? Are you ever happy? I don't travel for endless, overwhelming challenges, though it is rather awesome to do something you've never done before or face a challenge you never expected - as long as you successfully meet the challenge. I travel to see amazing places and meet interesting people and be somewhere different than what I know every day, and I like reading travel books to get ideas of places to see when I travel. Her book is rather light in terms of describing awe-inspiring moments (an exception is her account of trekking through the Himalayas) or places you might want to visit if you are in the same places she was. But, still, I really enjoyed reading how she problem-solved, I deeply admire her persistence, and I am inspired by her determination. I don't want to spoil anything in the book - part of the enjoyment is reading about the challenges that come up and how she addressed them, over and over and over. But I will say that the challenges are intense, beyond the capabilities of most motorcycle riders I've ever known - and beyond what I could deal with. I really cannot gush enough about how Beard handles a myriad of dire circumstances. She doesn't seem to think it's any big deal that she keeps overcoming these challenges, nor that she built her own panniers or that she constantly repaired her own bike on the fly - I read those accounts and thought, geesh, you are Wonder Woman on a motorcycle and you don't know it. I'm not sure her book will inspire many people to take up motorcycle travel - the constant difficulties she experienced make it sound like a fight to survive every day, and it's not like that for all travelers now - at least it doesn't have to be. But she's not exaggerating: in the 1980s, this is what she experienced, and her abilities to overcome those challenges are nothing short of amazing.

Also, I am not a fan of bare bones budget travel, and I could never sleep and eat in the conditions Beard did for weeks and weeks at a time. I love camping, including rough camping - but I don't want to do it because I can't afford a safe place and I'll be in a place where there's a very likely chance local people will walk up in the night and mess with my bike, or me. I love budget hotels, even when I have money for something more fancy, but not if they are crawling with roaches or pockmarked with peepholes. I don't want to be on the verge of starvation while traveling because I can't afford a decent meal. So, again, as you read her book, know that this is how she traveled, but you don't have to travel this way in order to see the world - even by motorcycle, though you are going to need more money that she had if you don't want to regularly experience the conditions she did.

I have no mechanical abilities and can only just-barely-assist in changing a tire - I could never do it myself. I can't fix wiring or an oil leak or build my own panniers. Beard did all this - and more. That's why Elspeth Beard was able to ride across India - and it's why I can't and won't. And that's okay!  I fancy myself a motorcycle adventure rider - but nothing on the level of Elspeth Beard. I've ridden more than 40,000 miles / more than 63,000 km, the vast majority of it done touring, but just in the USA and Canada (I'm planning on seeing Baja, California, Mexico next year). I've never done the kind of riding Beard has done in severely under-developed countries, nor could I, and I know that and am okay with it. And I bring this up for anyone who wants to be an adventure motorcycle rider and is just getting started, because you might read the book and think, oh, no, I can't do that, therefore, I'm not going to travel around by motorcycle. Times have changed and you don't have to ride in the conditions Beard did to see some amazing, even remote places and experience the thrill of adventure motorcycle riding. I could never manage to ride across India - but I did ride up the Cassiar Highway to the Yukon, I've ridden gravel and dirt roads to remote ghost towns few have heard of, I've camped rough in beautiful, remote places throughout North America. I think I could manage some Eastern European countries on my own bike - I loved my long trip there on the back of my husband's bike back in 2008. Just know as you read Beard's book that this is extreme motorcycle touring, and if you haven't ridden since you were 16 like Beard, and know you could never do many of these roads, that's okay - you still have options for amazing, exotic, challenging adventure motorcycle travel.

Despite my complaint about it while reading the first 80 pages, I ended up really liking that she shared so much about her intimate relationships - I've found most people are not emotionless drones, even motorcycle travelers, though it's very difficult to get world travelers, with or without motorcycles, to open up about this at times. I found it refreshing to hear a traveler talk about love on the road - and the aftermath. It's something to consider if you are going to invest in a lot of time away from home.

And note: I will never have legs long enough to be able to take a photo on my bike so I can look as cool as Elspeth Beard.

One thing I've wondered: is Dave Calderwood, who was then editor of Bike magazine, still alive and still an asshole, or dead, or alive and profoundly apologetic for being an asshole? When Beard was looking for sponsorship and advice for her trip, she wrote his magazine, among others, and he wrote a mocking letter with the sole intent of humiliating her. You can read the letter here.

I hope Elspeth Beard finally gets the recognition and admiration she deserves. And I'm so grateful she shared her adventure at last. I would very much like to be as tenacious as she is.

So, if Elspeth Beard isn't the first woman to go around the world on her own motorcycle, who is? It's probably Anne France Dautheville, French journalist and writer. In 1973 at the age of 28, she rode around the world on a Kawasaki 125. Both of her books, in French only, are out of print (I will totally buy into a crowdfunding effort to translate them into English and publish them!).

One more thing: Beard visited Gunung Leuser National Park in Indonesia during her travels and mentioned an NGO working in this area addressing the huge problem of Indonesians abducting baby orangutans and then wanting to get rid of them when they grow older and are so much harder to care for. Her account of this visit is a good example of transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good" - she didn't attempt to work at the NGO as a volunteer (which would have been illegal), but she did elevate its work through her book, even many years later. And that's how I know about it - and now you do too.

Motorcycle trip in Washington State: a Smokey Adventure

I just realized that I didn't link to my travelogue about our annual motorcycle trip. This year, it was 10 days in Washington State: a Smokey Motorcycle Adventure in August.

Our 2017 trip included Gifford Pinchot National Forest (our favorite), Mt. Rainier National Park, Wenatchee National Forest (new for us), Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (new for us), North Cascades National Forest (new for us), Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (new for us), Olympic National Forest (new for us), and Olympic National Park (new for us), as well as Trout Lake and Packwood, which we've been to before, plus these new cities for us in Washington state: Naches, Ellensburg, Leavenworth, Methow, Chelan, Winthrop, Newhalem, Marblemount, Concrete, Oak Harbor, Amanda Park, Humptulips and Aberdeen.

As a result of our Washington state trip, of August 30, 2017, I have ridden 23,496 miles (37,813 km) on my KLR (Kawasaki). I've ridden 34,496 (55,516 km) overall on motorcycles (my previous bike was a Honda Nighthawk).

But what's even more fun to think about is not the number of miles or kilometers, but the things I've seen. And that's why I write travelogues.

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How Trump's presidency endangers American travelers abroad

This blog elsewhere talks about the increased danger aid workers from the USA will now face when working abroad, and many of these risks are the same for anyone traveling overseas. For instance, Trump has said he will reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture. This, coupled with his stated attitudes about Muslims, immigrants and refugees from Syria, has the potential to put people from the USA traveling overseas at risk, not just aid workers.

When I lived abroad from 2001 - 2009, and someone discovered where I was from, the European, Arab, Muslim, whomever I was talking to was almost always welcoming and warm. The vast majority of people did not judge me by the George Bush government nor my nationality. But that was a different time and circumstance: George Bush did not frequently threaten other countries with destruction and insult entire religions. He invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, which caused the deaths of many thousands of people, but there were also people in those countries that supported those invasions, and some neighboring countries that did as well. I worked in Afghanistan in 2007, and I made sure the Afghans I worked with knew my heart was in helping them, not bombing them - and everyone I encountered welcomed me (and many are still good friends).

By contrast to Bush, Donald Trump has been boisterous with his threats and insults and promises of human rights abuses and destruction. Therefore, if you are someone from the USA that is traveling abroad, that means you need to be even more cautious about to whom you reveal your nationality.

I did not wear anything that indicated that I was from the USA when I lived and abroad, and I did not volunteer my nationality unless I was asked directly. I strongly suggest you do the same.

If you are financially sound enough - privileged enough - to travel abroad, and people can tell you are from the USA by looking at you or hearing you, you can expect people to ask you about this election and how you voted. You have to decide how you are going to answer that. If you voted for Hillary Clinton, you will probably receive a warm reception; she is well liked and respected abroad in most (but not all) circumstances, and such a vote shows you do not support Donald Trump. If you did vote for Donald Trump, I strongly suggest you lie - except in Russia, where you will be embraced as a hero.

Distancing yourself on social media, including Facebook, from the policies and statements of Donald Trump could help you as you meet people from other countries, people deeply angered and further disempowered by Trump’s foreign policy. That doesn’t mean you post anti-Trump memes on Instagram or are ever obligated to say publicly whom you voted for. Rather, it could mean posting sometimes on social media of your support of and concern for Muslim Americans, Syrian refugees, people in Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, the Occupied Palestinian territories, human rights for immigrants, etc., and your condemnation of waterboarding, torture and any violations of human rights.

Another consideration is how the Trump presidency puts women at greater risk for harassment, at home or abroad. Again, as this blog about aid and development work notes. the incoming USA President has, by his statements and behavior, made it acceptable for anyone, including politicians and other government representatives, to rate women by their looks and to insult women reporters, politicians, artists and celebrities with most vile statements about their character, appearance – even their sexuality. It will be hard to demand such comments stop when the head of the most powerful country on Earth is saying the same.

Be careful out there. Don't assume that just because things have gone well for days or weeks they won't suddenly, and violently, go wrong. Keep your eyes and ears open, and get out of any situation quickly if there is even a hint it could turn sour. And have the number of your nearest embassy on your person somewhere at ALL times.

Motorcycle Adventure Mostly in Idaho

This year's two-week motorcycle adventure tour? Idaho! And it was amazing. A couple of people gave incredulous responses when we said we were going to Idaho for our vacation. After motorcycle trips to the Yukon and back, to Jasper and Banff, Yellowstone, national parks in Utah, and, of course, travel all over Europe, we were going to Idaho?

Yes. It was my idea. I was ready for an adventure closer to home, one that didn't require us to ride for 700 miles over two days on the Interstate just to start a vacation. We'd seen a bit of Idaho every time we went over Lolo Pass for other trips, and we'd been to Craters of the Moon already, which we hugely enjoyed. If we concentrated mostly on Idaho for two weeks, we would, at last, see Hells Canyon, a legendary destination for motorcycle riders, and allow us to explore more the North East of Oregon, something we hadn't done yet since moving here in 2009.

Here is the route we went. Unfortunately, this map doesn't have many city names on it.All of the photos from the trip are online, with descriptions; in fact, I also put all the photos for Silver City, Idaho into their own photo album as well.

Here are the travel point highlights:

• Hells Canyon drive from Oxbow Bridge along the Snake River to the Hell's Canyon dam and then back over Oxbow dam to Cambridge, Idaho
• Historic Silver City, Idaho 
• Bruneau Dunes State Park, Idaho 
• City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho 
• Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Idaho 
• Salmon River Scenic Byway, Idaho 
• Historic Custer, Idaho 
• Ft. Missoula, Montana 
• Wallace, Idaho 
• Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 
• White Pine Scenic Byway, Idaho 
• Hell's Canyon Overlook, Oregon 
• Joseph, Oregon 
• Painted Hills, Oregon 
• Little Crater Lake, Oregon

Here is the Idaho travelogue

Celebrate Ukrainian Independence - because it's awesome!

Two posts in one day! I know... I've been busy...

I think I'm always going to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day Weekend for the rest of my life. Because the first one I've celebrated has been amazing. One of the best times I've had all year - and I've had a rather amazing year...

On Friday night, we went again to hear "Ivan Blues" - Ivan Denisenko - a Kyiv musical legend, this time at Porter Pub on Lunachars'koho on the Left Bank - my first visit to this part of Kyiv, on the other side of the river. We met up with a group of people young enough to be our GROWN children - we kept joking, "Isn't it nice that they like to hang out with their moms?" These young people are involved in various initiatives to help their country become stable, prosperous and peaceful, and my host bursts with pride in talking about them. One has even started his own NGO. Being around them and their energy… it's so hard to put into words how awesome they are. However, they kept us out until 2:30 in the morning. I was dead - not from drinking too much, but because my body NEEDS SLEEP. I think they went on for another few hours. Damn kids. 

Saturday, we slept late (whew!), then walked through the solemn, homemade remembrances and memorials for those killed in the Maydan uprising of several weeks ago, and my host explained several key moments in the conflict. Because it was THE patriotic holiday, entire families were out, walking up or down the street, to pay their respects. Everyone was wearing lovely embroidered shirts - except me. I look awful in white.

We arrived in Maydan, had a delicious lunch at a Crimean Tatar restaurant, and then headed up another hill to the artisan fair on Andriyivskyy Descent, a historic, cobblestone descent that winds steeply down a HUGE hill. It was much larger than usual, because it was the weekend of the Ukraine Independence celebration. It took us HOURS to walk through entirely. Some of the stuff was nice - some of it was crap. Just like at any artisan fair anywhere in the world. One of the first artists we encountered - the man who created a lovely piece my host brought to me in Oregon back in December. He rarely comes to Kyiv, and yet, here he was. I almost cried. I bought two more paintings for gifts and had to get my photo with him - which completely embarrassed him. He's a very humble man.

After eight hours of walking - EIGHT HOURS - we were back at the apartment for yet another amazing meal prepared by my host's husband. I AM SO SPOILED HERE. 

On Sunday, I went with my host and a work colleague out to a small village about 40 kilometers outside of Kyiv. We got off the main highway, onto tiny single lane roads full of pot holes, first to a new, beautiful monastery chapel out in the middle of no where, and then to a mutual friend's family dacha (summer home) nearby. I met Artem through my host, and he is a force to be reckoned with, although, if you didn't know who he was, you would think he was just a really polite, mild-mannered person - which he is, but he's so much more. He runs an NGO that first helped people that were permanently wounded in the Maydan conflict, and now is also helping Ukrainian soldiers wounded in the war in the East. We have had long talks about volunteer management and nonprofit management, about mission drift, and on and on. He invited us all for coffee, and it turned out to actually be coffee, barbecue, vegetables, champagne, Scotch, singing, a tour of home made wood work sculpture, walking barefoot on the grounds, talking about motorcycle touring (his father is a champion motorcyclist from way back when), and on and on and on and on. Hell, I even made a toast! I walked out of that place floating to the car in the rain and feeling like I never wanted to leave Ukraine. How in the world do I find myself in these beautiful places, surrounded by lovely people I don't know, great food I didn't cook, languages I don't speak, and laughter? I haven't felt so welcomed in a long while - but I cannot say it isn't the first time I've been so lucky. What a tremendous day. 

Then, today, Monday, a holiday off work, my host and I invited another co-worker, from Barcelona, to join us for a tour of the microminiature museum and the folk art museum at the Upper Lavra, and then back to her place for the rest of the day, for when the people from Mimoza Mobile Spa  treated us to a spa day right here in the apartment where I'm staying! One of us would have a mani and pedi from Oksana while another would be in the guest room being treated to a massage to die for by Nikolai (who is also to die for), and the third waited for her turn at either. They brought *everything*, were on time, did a tremendous job, were really nice, and found my host's cat terribly amusing. The prices were fantastic - you won't believe me if I tell you what we paid.

And after a supper of good European bread and cheese (sorry, Stefan!), I published two blogs in one day...

Three weeks in Ukraine. Six weeks to go. Oh, how will I make it… 

A global village, my move soon, & the dark side

February 2022 update: I stand by this blog and the warning regarding extremism, but I also want to make it clear: Ukraine has the same problem with Nazis that the USA has and that Russia has. Worldwide, there are people tying patriotism with White Nationalism, and lots of people denying it. It's dangerous, it's disturbing, and it needs to be addressed honestly. But let's also acknowledge that Ukraine elected an ethnically Jewish, Russian-speaking President by a HUGE margin - it's worth noting that the USA has never had Jewish President nor Vice-President. 

June 2023 update: "I think Ukrainians need to increasingly realize that these images undermine support for the country." Nazi Symbols on Ukraine’s Front Lines Highlight Thorny Issues of History.

A sweet moment here in Kyiv recently: hearing a guy from Ukraine greet a guy from Turkey outside the grocery store with, "Bonjour, Como esta Usted?" I giggled. Global village, indeed.

One of the many things I admire about my host here in Kyiv is the relationships she's built with people selling fruits, veggies, nuts, meat, whatever around her house or the nearest super market. She buys regularly from them instead of the big grocery right next to them whenever possible, and as a result, many of the vendors know her. The place she buys her meat from is run by a Turkish man (yes, the aforementioned) and his family, and they are always so kind - once, we were heading to his store and met him, walking away - he'd closed for the day. He turned around and opened back up just for us.

And that brings to mind this: one of the best pieces of advice I ever got before I moved abroad to Germany back in 2001 was from a woman in Austin, Texas, where I was living at the time, who said, "Find a restaurant near your house that you can go to every week, on generally the same day and time, buy a coffee or a meal, and sit there a while. Find a little shop or store or stand that has something you want to buy every day, or every week, at generally the same time. Become a 'regular' at such places, and those people will look out for you." And she was DEAD ON. When language is a barrier, it's a way to breed familiarity, and with familiarity can come friendliness - which is something you really crave when you're in a country where you not only can't understand the spoken language, but you can't read it either.

Not that my host has any problem with language as a barrier - she's lived abroad for most of her adult life, and previously lived in Russia and Moldova. With my live-in fixer, I've become completely spoiled. I haven't been into any store or shop without her. Instead of being lonely and scared my first three weeks here, I've been delighted - and jumped right into work. I really can't thank her enough. Sadly, the gravy train is ending - her husband's nephew will be taking over my room in a week. My free Internet, free laundry service, and free cook are all going away (I've been buying groceries and alcohol whenever they will let me to show my appreciation!). What an amazing gift she's given me!

The generosity of my American friend here has been ENORMOUS. Because of her, I've not only had a wonderfully cheap and beautiful place to live, I've had her by my side for every grocery store visit, to navigate everything once must deal with whilst being abroad (like money exchange), she's fed me I don't know how many times, she and her husband have entertained me, and on and on. I've been SPOILED.

At last, I will move into my own apartment, behind a row of apartments on Mechnikova, a very main street in Kyiv and very near my workplace (no more car to and from work - I'll be walking). It's on the 3rd or 4th floor - can't remember which. It's a small one bedroom, and the furnishings look like any usual Eastern European place - which I'm fine with. As long as a place is clean, comfortable, quiet and safe, I really don't care how it looks. It has bathtub (hurrah!), wi fi, fridge, tiny scary stove, cookware, and a washing machine. My host will tell me how to get free TV on my computer, so I'll be able to watch stuff at night, something I haven't done since I arrived - and would really like to do.

My new place also is very near a shop called Good Wines. It's like Whole Foods except, with the local currency so weak against the dollar, way way cheaper, and without the attitude of Whole Paycheck. They've got good bread, good cheese, and of course, good wine. And lots of bourbon! And there is a money exchange inside. But I'll need to find a cheaper, normal grocery as well - and load up on veggies while the sidewalk stands are still around.

I'll be in my apartment for five weeks. That will make 9 weeks in Ukraine, not 8. Realizing that, at the end of next week, I will NOT be at the halfway point depressed me. Yes, I'm loving it here, but I'm also counting down the days - I miss Stefan, my house, and not-my-cat terribly. And on the start of holiday weekend here in Kyiv, for some reason, I got really, really homesick. I just wish so much Stefan could experience this place with me.

So, here's a down side to Ukraine - because you knew there'd be a downside, right? There's a group of ultra-nationalists in Ukraine, and I'm quite wary of them - as I am of all ultra-nationalists, regardless of if I love the country or not. At an adorable restaurant that was flying the ultra-nationalist flag, there's also a really nice little folk art shop inside. I really liked it - until I saw, on the rack of jewelry, they not only have 2 or 3 swastika pendants for sale, they are also selling the Fascist Black Sun symbol as jewelry and pottery. Yes, they were swastikas - not the Buddhist version of the symbol, not the American Indian version of the symbol, neither of which have anything at all to do with Nazism. They were old fashioned, plain, Nazi swastikas. My eyes almost popped out of my head. I kept staring at them, and then back at all the staff in their little folky faux historical outfits and thinking, are you wearing one of these under your clothes RIGHT NOW?!? Apparently, it's a great vegetarian restaurant. I'm thinking, "Yeah, you know who else was vegetarian…"

As you all know, trucks from a Russian convoy said to be carrying humanitarian aid crossed the border into eastern Ukraine last week, without the consent of the Ukrainian government and unaccompanied by Red Cross escorts, as had been earlier agreed. If Ukraine fired on the convoy - a convoy which, by all accounts, had violated the sovereignty and integrity of the country, would it thereby give Russia a public excuse for a full invasion? On the one hand: what would the US do if Cuba did this in the USA? On the other hand - I don't want war. I'm a peacenik. I am. The convoy has returned to Russia... but I continue to fear provocation.

Also, this story does a good job, IMHO, of explaining why the West has trouble jumping into the Ukraine v. Russia conflict - the misinformation by both sides is really troubling.

Speaking of misinformation, the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, says that there are “historic” levels of border crossings from Mexico into the USA, and the people crossing are “from countries with terrorist ties.” Which countries? Perry specifically referenced Ukraine. And I just sat there, staring at the story and the comments and thinking, people voted for this idiot. PEOPLE STILL VOTE FOR THIS IDIOT. My host's husband's comment, in his lovely Ukrainian accent, "Mexican Ukrainian Terrorists. Yeah, right." Sigh...

POSTSCRIPT: I got chastised this morning, by someone I respect very much, for writing the reference about the swatstika in the restaurant - she says it's a symbol from Mezine, that's all.

The so-called Confederate flag that we're all so familiar with is actually the Confederate battle flag. While the Civil War was certainly about slavery - a read of the declaration of South Carolina withdrawing from the union confirms that (for all those many people who like to pretend the Civil War wasn't about slavery) - the Confederate battle flag was much more of a symbol for the soldiers than a symbol for slavery - and was NOT the flag of the Confederacy. I know that, but most people do not. And now, in 2014, the flag is, unquestionably, a symbol of racism. It was added to the flags of various Southern states in the 1950s specifically to affirm white racial control over black Americans. Now, and for many years, it is used, primarily, by people that glorify a horrible time in my country's past and the oppression of an entire race. It's not the symbol it started out as, but I must accept the symbol that it's become. As I'm from a state that was built on slavery, and where slavery was legal until December 18, 1865, and where Black Americans were horrifically oppressed until the 1960s  - and even today, don't have a very good experience - I will not display the Confederate flag under any circumstances, even though its origins aren't specifically tied to slavery. What this symbol has become most definitely is associated with racism, and I wouldn't subject anyone to that kind of discomfort by displaying the flag in my home and hoping they know its history - and mine - and aren't offended. I would never expect a visitor to my home - nor to anywhere in the South in the USA - to know the history of a Confederate flag on display anywhere so casually - not when it's so deeply associated now with my country's very worst racism.

Displaying swastika, the symbol that the world has come to know as the symbol of Nazism - of so-called racial "purity", of ultra-nationalism - comes with even more responsibility. While the symbol was used by ancient Celts, native Americans, and Greeks (I have a photo of it embedded within an ancient Mosaic in Macedonia), and is used in Buddhism and Hinduism, all to mean very different and rather benign, even loving things, things that I love and treasure, the symbol is now, world wide, associated with the darkest chapter in human history. Today, when it shows up in archival photos of the Corn Palace in South Dakota, as part of the area's celebration of native American culture, it comes with a prominent disclaimer, explaining in detail the history of the symbol in that specific area, to the local culture, and assuring viewers it has nothing whatsoever to do with Nazis. Any time the swastika is displayed in a historical context that I've seen, a context unrelated to Nazism, it has a lengthly explanation displayed of its non-Nazi origins, to assure no misunderstanding by any viewer. To display this symbol now - on a pendant, for sale in a gift shop - without such and explanation, evokes justifiable feelings of pain and even outrage by a viewer. In a country like Ukraine that has a destructive history with Jewish people, where the rich Jewish culture of Ukraine was largely wiped out, to display such a symbol comes with an extraordinary amount of responsibility, even if the symbol has an ancient association not at all associated with Nazism. This particular restaurant - and anyone else who displays the symbol - cannot assume that people will look at a swastika - the ultimate, widespread symbol of the worst kind of hate - on a pendant, and assume it means anything other than the worst human beings can be.

Before I wrote that piece, I did a bit of research on the symbol in Ukraine - something 90% of foreigners who walked into that restaurant wouldn't do. I typed in Ukraine swastika into Google. On the second page (which most people wouldn't have gotten to, having scanned just page one of the results), after a long list of articles about the symbol as associated with Nazism in Ukraine, came a Wikipedia page about Mezine. There was a reference to a swastika symbol used in this ancient site, but no photo that indicated it looked anything like what the Nazis used. At last, today, I found this photo from the site. Perhaps this restaurant could post this photo and a lengthly explanation about Mezine, the ancient association of the symbol, and how they, the restaurant, most certainly are not in any way associating the symbol with Nazism - something every other culture, from American Indian to Buddhist, now does, in order to preserve the use of the symbol in their culture.

If Ukraine truly wants to be a part of Europe, where the genocide took place, including partially in Ukraine, it's going to have to make it clear, every time it displays this symbol, exactly what is meant by such - just like anyone else claiming an alternative meaning to the symbol must do.

Followup from September 11, 2014, from an article in The Guardian:

"'Putin's not even a Russian. Putin's a Jew.'... Dmitry – which he said is not his real name – is a native of east Ukraine and a member of the Azov battalion, a volunteer grouping that has been doing much of the frontline fighting in Ukraine's war with pro-Russia separatists... Dmitry claimed not to be a Nazi, but waxed lyrical about Adolf Hitler as a military leader, and believes the Holocaust never happened. Not everyone in the Azov battalion thinks like Dmitry, but after speaking with dozens of its fighters and embedding on several missions during the past week in and around the strategic port city of Mariupol, the Guardian found many of them to have disturbing political views, and almost all to be intent on "bringing the fight to Kiev" when the war in the east is over. Many of its members have links with neo-Nazi groups, and even those who laughed off the idea that they are neo-Nazis did not give the most convincing denials... As for the swastika tattoos on at least one man seen at the Azov base, the swastika has nothing to do with the Nazis, it was an ancient sun symbol," (claimed on of the fighters).'"

What, me worry?

Update March 13, 2019: My observations of the rise of the far right in Ukraine - and the denial of such - has stayed with me all this time, even five years later. And now we've seen the rise of similar far-right, ultra-nationalist movements all over the world, including the USA - and a proliferation of right-wing symbols as fashion statements. In this February 26, 2019 article "The Far Right’s Secret Weapon: Fascist Fashion," The New Republic focuses on Europe's now flourishing niche fashion industry of clothing, jewelry, flags and other accessories which offers symbols and paraphernalia that helps ultra nationalists recognize each other and feel a sense of camaraderie, even as outsiders aren't immediately aware of what they are displaying. The article quotes New School sociologist Virag Molnar, who says a number of symbols employed by Europe far-right fashion brands, Molnar explained, “have been alternately used, embraced, tolerated, banned, later reconfigured and recycled by different regimes and have accumulated multiple layers of meaning.” It gives them an ability to play coy with symbols, like runes appropriated by the SS.

Sometimes, I really, really don't like being correct in an observation. And this is one of those times...

Update March 7, 2022: Russia has invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. This is an invasion, this is a violation, and Russia's justification - that it's going to save Ukraine from Nazis in leadership - is preposterous. The leader of Ukraine is Jewish. Ukraine has one of the fastest-growing Jewish communities in Europe. Does Ukraine have a problem with extreme nationalists? Yes - so does the USA. Does Ukraine have a problem with Nazis? Yes - so does the USA. The USA has a GROWING problem with extreme nationalists and Nazis in particular. And Russia has even bigger problems with BOTH of those issues. But none of it - NONE OF IT - justifies the invasion of Russia into Ukraine. 

Travelogue for two-week motorcycle trip in Utah & Nevada

Two-Week Motorcycle Tour, Mostly in Utah, Nevada & Oregon
June 2014
2989 miles / 4810.329 kilometers

I've put the blog on the travel portion of my web site, with plenty of photos:

• Part One
• Part Two (the crash!)
• Part Three

In case you don't want to read the entire travelogue, but want some quick advice for your own motorcycle trip to the area, then here is a list of the very best of times, the absolute highest of highlights:

• The host at the Farewell Bend Oregon State Park (I LOVE volunteer camp hosts!)
• Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry
• Capitol Reef National Park (the most under-rated national park)
• Goblin Valley (so overlooked! so fabulous!)
• Camping in a cow pasture in the deserts of Nevada (yes, again)
• Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge