Friday, February 27, 2009

World Economic Crisis Got You Down? Travel!

An interesting article about how January was a record setting month for travel.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Mission Statement

I've created this blog to keep my adoring fans in the loop of some of the adventures I'm partaking in, planned and accidental, during my journey through the Inca's land: Peru. I've been inspired by the blog of Dani Rotenstein, who is still in Peru right now.

The theme of the trip will be versions of reality and how our brains construct it from information we gather. It's been hatched from my work in advertising, which uses the power of suggestion to convince us to believe in the "reality" it presents (buy our toilet paper - it will make your kids healthier!). Through value attribution we construct, or are told to construct, an idea of how the world works dynamically. Everyone's trying to convince someone else to assign value to a thing, idea or way of life. What have YOU been trying to sway someone to believe in lately?

Being an American and going to a land where indigenous peoples still romp around the jungle as they have been doing for centuries is going to be amazing. We, without a doubt, see reality as being two wildly different things. They don't have a TV to tell them what they should be wearing, buying or believing in. Lame!

This idea of reality came to me the more I researched Peru and the mystery and awe that surrounds it. I hope to arrive at a view of the country through new viewpoints, waypoints and angles. Yes, in the form of a "travel video" that shows much that a promo video might not. The purpose is not to have a philosophical argument but to have a look behind things to get a better understanding of ourselves through images and discussions. There will be lots of "man, this is cool" moments but hopefully I stop myself from narrating it like that. I'm going to keep my ecological footprint small, my lungs open and my mind free. I've been wanting to do this trip for over a decade. So I've had an idea of what it might be for a long time. I'm excited to see how all those preconceived notions come crashing down!

What will the air taste like?

I use the words "trip", "trek" or "adventure" and not "vacation" to describe this journey. "Vacation" conjures up a vision of lounging on a tropical beach with crystal clear ocean at your feet, sipping a pina colada with a beach resort soaring into the sky behind you. That is not what this trip is about. My mission is difficult, I don't know Spanish, the terrain is rough and the languages and customs are foreign. You can't even throw toilet paper in the toilets. I'll be out of my elements, removed from my comfort zone and alone.

This is my trip through Peru, When Reality Bends.
Experience it with me here.

Enjoy,
Jan.