Travel Bug

I am having a hard time not hit'n the road, or the air - whichever gets me to a place far away that I haven't been, experiencing something I haven't experienced. I spend an undisclosed amount of time searching out destinations on Google Earth and then proceed to check price tags on airline tickets and accomodations. Maybe after all that I'll check to see if it's a safe place to be, provided the initial price tag on airfare didn't kill the excitement already. Palau is big on my list, but I will have to save in the background, and check out other sites in the mean time. Palau is impossible on a budget. There is no such thing. There was, until last November when Asian Spirit airlines stopped servicing Palau. That connect at the time, saved whoever was lucky enough to jump on it, about $1,000 per ticket. I wonder if someone at Asian Spirit was payed off by the one airline that still does and always has held the monopoly on flights to Palau. Airfare alone to Palau will set you back over $2,000 per ticket. Often I see $2,200 - $2,500 and this doesn't include a bed and food when you arrive. Manila, Philippines and Taipei, Taiwan are a cheaper ticket. So is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Bangkok, Thailand - even though they are much further away from Los Angeles. And, in those latter countries, you may pay a pretty penny for the airfare (although not as much as Palau), but once you get there, you can live well. I mean 5 star accomodations for less than $200 night. The problem? Terrorism I guess. Bombs, kidnappings for ransom, etc. The local economies depend on tourist dollars in many of these countries, which is why their governments will set up the military to protect these investments. However if you plan to rough it in these countries, you could be setting yourself up for a problem. Maybe I don't worry enough about it, I still say fuck it let's go.

The above photo was taken in Fiji, looking out towards the Koro Sea. Thousands of miles further is Antarctica, another destination I would like to get to. Probably stop off in New Zealand first though.