Travelling

I've been fortunate enough in my life, and in particular the last few years to visit a lot of places in the world. In 2005 I did Camp America and got a place in a county in Florida called Ocala, located about 2 hours drive from Orlando. I spent 3 months there, it was one of the best times of my life there and I'm happy to say I still keep in contact with some of the people I met there. 2 years ago with my girlfriend at the time I also got the opportunity to visit New Zealand which is easily one of my favourite places in the world, it is a country divided not just by the gap between the north and south islands but by the culture. I went to places where it is almost the same as walking down the street in any big town in England, nothing too unique or strange, but then I also went to areas of the country totally dominated by Maori culture. I was amazed to see how this kind of culture still exists today and still manages to operate as they have always done despite the western worlds clear influence over the country. I went to a traditional Maori village where I had to be inducted into their tribe in order to set foot in their homes and social areas. I'm sure it's a common thing for them to do for the tourists and I highly doubt they'll remember me if I went back and would probably try to induct me again, but still it was nice to feel part of something like that. I think people can often be very naive about other cultures that exist around the world and can often be very dismissive of them, most of us will believe that our own culture is the only one worth adhering to, but personally I love being around things that are just a little different to what I'm used to because it reminds me that the world is actually quite cool and there is such a variety in how people choose to live their lives. I even found the culture in America different to over here in the UK, obviously not quite as extensively as the Maori people but still enough to make me feel like an alien in a strange land. I'm still fascinated by all different cultures and different ways of living and I would highly recommended it to everyone on this planet to go travelling at some point in your life just to see something a little different to what your used to.
While in New Zealand I also had the opportunity to go canyon swinging, which is a bit like bungee jumping except they swing you over a canyon rather than just let you drop straight down. I didn't realise until after I had done it that it was the world's biggest one too. I'm proud I did it and I have the dvd of me doing it to prove it, but I definitely shat myself a little bit before I was swung. I wouldn't say that canyon swinging is a must for everyone but hey it's a good thing to have on your social CV.
Until next time...