Archives For travel

James Bond, Istanbul, and the value of relationships

January 18, 2013 — 11 Comments
John Gunter, Sonya and Travis Todd in Turkey

(L) Travis and Sonya Todd at a café in Istanbul; (R) Sonya and I shopping at the Grand Bazar, where there was a great chase scene in the Bond movie last night

There are many reasons we buy tickets to movies like Bond and others in the genre. As for me, I was initially attracted to these movies when I was a kid for one main reason . . . the exotic locations where 007 finds himself fighting bad guys. Thankfully really bad people always seem to hang out in really cool locations, at least in the world James Bond roams.

Would I have been drawn to the movies had they been in locals such as Tifton, GA and Provo, Utah instead of the likes of Prague and Rome, Italy? Absolutely not. My fascination with exotic locations was only stoked further by having parents that loved to travel.

I got my first passport in 7th grade, in preparation for our family trip to Europe. I was thrilled. In keeping with my love of spy movies, I actually posed for the picture looking like a “spy”. In my mind, a spy would naturally raise one eyebrow above the other and have a stern look on his face. I did the same. I don’t think that posed goofy passport pictures would float in our post-911 world, but at that time it was apparently kosher to pose any way you wanted. I looked like a buffoon, but it made for lots of laughs.

Back to last night’s Bond viewing. As I was sitting in the theater, I realized

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10 tips for surviving LONG flights. . . YOUR input desired!

August 16, 2012 — 27 Comments

As I stated in my last post, I have spent a significant part of my life on LONG, international flights (please CLICK HERE if you have not read it. . . definitely read the comments by Scott Stephenson and Tim Waddell at the end).  These flights tend to be physically demanding and life shortening, but at least we have them as opposed to boats as they had in the old days.

Flight to Asia in 1999

This was taken by a friend on one of my first flights to Asia. . . I’m busy at work.

Additionally, many of my friends will be traveling from America to Asia in the coming weeks, so I hope this will be helpful.

I’m sure one day we will find an alternative means of long-distance travel, but for now we are stuck with massive, over-crowed planes.  Until an alternative to plane travel is created. . .

Here are 10 of my suggestions for surviving LONG, international flights.  I’ll start off with a tip based on the end of my previous post.

  1. Wear shoes that can easily slip on and off – See my previous post for the reason why.  This is essential.  On a related note, ALWAYS WEAR SHOES TO THE BATHROOM!  If you have not, you really need to read this post. . . 
  2. Drink water often – I try to get up and ask the flight attendants for water every 1-2 hours.  You get massively dehydrated on flights of 8+ hours, even when you don’t realize it.  This will lead to Continue Reading…
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The 5 types of people you see on LONG airplane flights

August 13, 2012 — 23 Comments

As I type this, I am on yet another LONG flight.  This one is trans-Pacific.  By my count (you do things like count flights when bored on a LONG flight), this flight will be the 55th time I have flown over the Pacific Ocean.  Add to this the 20 times I have flown over the Atlanta Ocean (not to mention flight from Asia to Europe), and long flights are one of the few things I can truly say I know well.

In honor of my vagabond lifestyle that I have lived for much of my adult life, I am going to do a LONG flight blog or two.  This first one will be on the characters that I often see on these flights.

Here are some classic “I can’t stay awake” guys on my flight.

You see, there really are a few characteristics and/or characters that you seem to always fly with on these flights.  Let’s take a look at a few of them.

  1. The “I can’t stay awake” guy – This guy gets on board, settles his bags, fastens his seat belt, and IMMEDIATELY starts the involuntary forward head bob.  He can’t wait until the flight gets up in the air in order to push his seat back, so he risks serious back injury by simply leaning forward the entire time.  The seatbelt keeps him still, yet is also the reason way he won’t be able to walk when we stands up for the first time in a few hours.  I envy these guys, I really do.  I have trouble sleeping in sterile, comfortable settings, yet Continue Reading…
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First Impressions. . . Z-land and the Z-people

July 23, 2012 — 10 Comments

(This post is part of a series I am doing called “First Impressions. . . my first few months in Asia“. If you would like to read about this series and other articles, please CLICK HERE.)

Zland window from hostel

Window from my room in the hostel

Z-land is not the real name of the place, but it is, in fact, real. It is a politically charged region of the world, so I am leaving its real name out of this article. I would like to avoid having my name and it linked in search engines. I have been there several times, now. Each time with official permission. However, I just need to not mention the exact name. I hope you understand! This is my impressions (and a few pictures) from the first time I visited. . . um. . . Z-land.

As a broad summary statement, to say it was a different world would be the understatement of the year. Definitely unlike any place to which I have ever traveled. Though my body felt like it was being constantly pummeled for 4 straight days, the time was unforgettable and invaluable. Many of the faces and images will be burnt into my mind for a long time to come.

The Z-land people perhaps made the largest impression on all of us. They really are delightful (sorry if this word doesn’t sound like me, but it was most appropriate). Their smiles are as electric as any I have ever seen. They have a quiet confidence that seems to just stick out.

We had the privilege of staying in a hostel in the middle of the ancient side of town. It was a place that catered to western hiker/drifter types. We were able to stay for the equivalent of $5.70 a night. It was one of those places where the bathroom

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In Asia
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Alaskan beauty and the image of God

July 5, 2012 — 9 Comments

As I type this, I am sitting in a coffee house here in Skagway, Alaska.  Mom and Dad are treating the entire famliy to a 10 day cruise around Alaska.  It will end in Vancouver.  This is in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Skagway, AK

This is the view from my current writing spot. . .

Looking out of the window at this old gold rush era town of Skagway, there are snow caps engulfing the two-story building lined streets to my right.  The buildings look like something out of an old western movie you would see on TNT late at night.  To my left, the deep blue waters hold car sized ice-boulders which have chipped off from nearby glaciers.  In a word, this place is astounding.  I’m not much for scenery, but even I have been moved by this rugged, arctic locale.

In the past two days, whales have swum as close as 20 yards from the table from which we were enjoying dinner.  Two otters swam carelessly 50 yards Continue Reading…

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My worst travel day ever!!! (part 2)

May 16, 2012 — 24 Comments
John Gunter on the beach in Thailand

Me in better times in Thailand

This post is a continuation of the story from My worst travel day ever!!! (part 1).  If you have not read it, please do so first.  For the first part of the story, click here.

Now the continuation of the story. . .

It had not been over 50 hours since I had last laid down.  I arrived in Rayong, Thailand at 12:30am.  At the Rayong “drop off” (bus station would be too generous of a description), there were several men looming in hopes of offering new arrivals various services.  I found a guy with a truck, pointed to the name of my final destination on the piece of paper I had, and we were off.

I was sitting in the passenger seat of a pick-up truck, tearing down dusty back roads in a place I had never been, with a guy I had never previously met.  He spoke a language of which I could only say “hello” in.  I was exhausted to the point of hallucinations (seriously).  The road was desolate.  The surrounding was pitch black.  To say I was a bit unsettled is an understatement.

At 1:00AM, we arrived at an ocean peer in the middle of nowhere.  This place defined the phrase, “middle of nowhere”.  No evidence of human life.  Just a few dilapidated boats tied down to a rusty docks.  The driver looked around in search of a boat owner.  He found and woke up a large, shirtless, Thai gentleman.  I pointed to my trusty piece of paper of where I needed to go.  We agreed upon a price, jumped aboard his junket boat, and set sail on the Gulf of Thailand.

At 2:00AM on Thursday, I finally arrived at Samet Island, Thailand, my desired destination.  My travels were finally over, or so I thought. . .

Samet Island, the place where we were to hold our week of meetings, looks tiny on a map.  Sitting in front of my computer in Atlanta, Georgia, I thought “no problem”.  However, at 2:00am in the middle of a week, it seemed like an ocean of darkness, a vortex of lostness.  As I stepped courageously into the vast darkness Continue Reading…

In Asia
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My worst travel day ever!!! (part 1)

May 13, 2012 — 24 Comments
IPhone Chinese New Year 026

The destination was great, but the travel was awful . . .

I have lived, worked, and traveled overseas extensively for the past 13 years.  One of the legacies of life on the road is an abundance of travel stories, both good and bad.  This is my worst. . . so far.

I had been in Atlanta for a 10 day window for meetings.  Directly from there, I had to fly to a conference in Thailand.

My day started out in Atlanta on a Monday with an 8am meeting.  The day continued with a few more meetings, packing, and eating with my family.  My parents took me to the airport for a 10:10pm flight out of Atlanta.  It had been a quick and intense time in Atlanta since I only had 10 days (it was just enough time to get over jet lag, but then it starts over again when you get back on a plane for Asia).  In addition, it is always an emotional good-bye for me since I rarely know when I will be back home with family and friends.  Getting on the plane, I was already exhausted.

I laid over in Dallas for around two hours and departed from there at 2am Atlanta time.  No big deal so far.

The next leg of my trip was 14+ hours straight to Seoul, South Korea.  With only a few hours of sleep, I arrived in Seoul at 6am on a Wednesday.  I had a 10 HOUR LAYOVER, departing for Bangkok, Thailand at 4pm.  This one was brutal.

Have you ever spent 10 hours in the Seoul Airport International Terminal?  I would not recommend it.   I was told that the airport was a solid two hours outside of the city, so I felt I needed to stay put.  The chairs were steel, with a thin layer of rubber.  The terminal a flood of humanity relentlessly scurrying around from one flight to the next.  No sleep, but I did shave and wash my hair in a public airport bathroom.  Judging Continue Reading…

In Asia
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