Scattered Notes

world,China,35.86166,104.195397,3,H —
39.930011,116.399975,Beijing (北京)
31.229999,121.470001,Shanghai (上海)
30.579997,114.27,Wuhan (武汉)
32.10119,86.572266,Lhasa (拉萨)
22.283378,114.150009,Hong Kong (香港)
23.119996,113.249989,Guangzhou aka Canton (广州)
34.259593,108.941674,Xi'an (西安)
34.68,112.470001,Luoyang (洛阳)
36.719967,119.100037,Weifang (潍坊)
38.04728,114.467926,Shijiazhuang (石家庄)
31.300005,120.620012,Suzhou (苏州)
30.250022,120.170002,Hangzhou (杭州)
My first real international trip—and my first time flying—was when I went to China during the summer of 1993. I had just finished 10th grade, and it was an eye-opening experience. The group I was with spent three weeks going along the eastern coast of China, from Beijing to Hong Kong, which at that time was still a British colony. Though I greatly enjoyed the trip, little did I imagine I would later spend three years of my life there, in Wuhan, Hubei province. I taught English there from 2001 to early 2005, with a four-month hiatus in between.

filed under: atravelmap, countrymap

world,Greece,38.358888,24.301758,6,H —
37.979928,23.729782,Athens (Αθήνα)
37.839987,24.938579,Andros (Άνδρος)
38.533127,23.925476,Euboia (Εύβοια)
37.323485,26.549835,Patmos (Πάτμος)
36.407192,25.40657,Santorini or Thera (Σαντορίνη είτε Θήρα)
35.180543,24.796143,Crete (Κρήτη)
37.060657,25.485535,Naxos (Νάξος)
36.161162,27.92038,Rhodes (Ρόδος)
37.066136,25.186844,Paros (Πάρος)
37.071341,22.432022, Sparta (Σπάρτη)
37.074072,22.366941,Mystras (Μυστράς)
37.935736,22.928638,Corinth (Κόρινθος)
I spent a much-too-short nine months in Greece (Ελλάς) during my last semester of college in 2000, and after classes were over I wandered among the islands. Greece is one of the greatest places in the world, with the Aegean sunlight, myriad islands, plentiful wine and olives and feta, and the remnants of thousands of years everywhere you look.

filed under: atravelmap, countrymap

world,Hungary,47.162494,19.503304,6,H —
47.49714,19.058361,Budapest
46.249437,20.154934,Szeged
46.839881,17.746353,Lake Balaton
I spent one month in Hungary after my stay in Greece. I met a Hungarian guy at a hostel I was staying at in Athens shortly before I left Greece, and he kindly invited me to stay a week with his family in Budapest. We took an excursion to Lake Balaton, which has a large surface area, but is rather shallow—you can stand up in the middle of the lake. I spent the remaining three weeks in Szeged in the south, near the border with Serbia. While there I drank lots of pálinka, and enjoyed a few bottles of the sweet Tokaji Aszú dessert wine as well.

filed under: atravelmap, countrymap

world,Mexico,23.200961,-102.700195,5,H —
27.477207,-99.50609,Nuevo Laredo
25.68,-100.31,Monterrey
20.91262,-100.74729,San Miguel de Allende
19.493528,-102.251118,Paricutin (Volcan de Parícutin)
I went to Nuevo Laredo for a brief day trip for Spanish class in high school. All I remember from that trip is seeing two guys run out of a boot store with a box of new boots. Later, also while still in high school, I went with one of my friends to Monterrey and spent a week there with his family. Then during Spring Break, freshman year in college, I went down to San Miguel with some friends to attend my roommate's mother's wedding.

filed under: atravelmap, countrymap