"HELLO, HOLA, NI HAO, BONJOUR!" Phalaenopsis03's Profile

While I'm not as active and involved on here as I used to be circa 2003-2005, I haven't forgotten about many of you, my VT friends, and VT website! When I need good travel ideas, I do a search on VT. When I need travel-related answers, I'll ask in the forum. When I have a travel tip I'd like to share, I'll post it on here. And when I'm just bored, I'll quietly wander through the site. Good ol' VT! Like a friend who you may not always get to talk to or see, but you know is always there. =)

NOTES:
1.) For those curious about my ID, phalaenopsis (pronounced fal-en-opp-sis) is a genus of approximately 60 species of orchid from Asia and Australia. I think orchids are just lovely, and that's why I chose it as my profile name.
2.) All photos have been taken by me unless otherwise specified by initials, captions, or I'm actually posing in them.
3.) If certain photos look bad, it's due to the upload process, which diminishes picture quality. In other words, I try not to take crappy photos. ;p
4.) Sorry if I come off mean, but I DO NOT respond to members with blank profiles. Nor do I accept random friendship requests without some communication first. I find all that creepy. I'm sure you understand.

Pontocho, Kyoto, Japan (June

TRAVELING...
...is the ultimate experience for me. I thoroughly enjoy it and everything about it - from packing up the suitcase or backpack, to checking in at the airport counter, to boarding the plane, and even airplane food puts a smile on my face. I can hardly sleep the night before a departure, and once I'm on my way I get that giddy feeling inside like I'm a kid again. It's just so exhilarating to be able to experience the peoples, cultures, traditions, sights, sounds, and the tastes of the unfamiliar (well, unfamiliar to me at least). I especially appreciate the histories of the places I visit. Traveling is truly the ultimate professor!

My site does not contain a lengthy list of foreign travels, though I hope it someday will. Not for the mere purpose of padding my list, but for the pure enjoyment of experiencing the world. So thank goodness for VT because here I can share with like-minded individuals my adventures "virtual" style. But on a more personal level, I have the opportunity to reminisce about all the fun and exciting memories I've acquired throughout the years. Good times, good times indeed!

TRAVEL PHILOSOPHY
My travel philosophy is pretty simple: Do what's most enjoyable for you, whether it be touristy or off the beaten. While some may scoff at the thought of visiting the touristy spots and others may be apprehensive in venturing to off the beaten paths, I say do whatever makes you feel comfortable and will allow you to have that "once in a lifetime experience". Personally, I like a good dose of each. Yeah, I'll admit it, I'll visit the well trodden paths. I mean, would you ever consider a trip to New York City and not even step foot onto Times Square, just even once? How 'bout a visit to Egypt without seeing the pyramids? Or maybe to Paris and bypassing the Eiffel Tower? That's crazy, I say! Though some folks may consider these places touristy or even tourist traps, I feel that they have nonetheless given character to and helped shape their respective locales, thus, warranting a visit.

But please, don't get me wrong. As much as I can appreciate the beaten, I equally and maybe more-so value the lesser known and/or hidden sights and little hole-in-the-walls. If you were to come to my beloved LOS ANGELES, I’d be remiss not to suggest visiting We-Ho, Downtown LA, Pasadena, Long Beach, the San Gabriel Valley, and any of our many ethnic enclaves that make up L.A. (you just have to rent a car to experience everything). You see, these places too, in addition to the typical haunts like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice, etc. have created their own culture, character, and charm to produce a multifaceted / multicolored vibrant L.A. and California. Wow, what a plug for my hometown! But anyway, you get my point about balancing touristy and non-touristy, which ultimately is just perfectly fine. :)

My little travel library with VT flag. =)

I GUESS I'M A FLASHPACKER THEN???
As I was cruising the net (Oct. 2010), I discovered the term flashpacker in an e-article. By "definition" flashpacking supposedly means any of the following:

- A matured backpacker.
- Backpacking with means/disposable income.
- A backpacker with gizmos and gadgets, i.e., cell phone, laptop, iPod, etc.
- Backpacking with flash (style).

While I can't profess to ever having really been a hardcore backpacker (i.e., traveling for months at a time, hitchhiking, etc.), I do have the backpacker's spirit and sense of adventure. I love independently exploring different lands, experiencing new cultures, and meeting new peoples, all the while maintaining a budget by staying in hostels and the like and foraging at local eateries. However, I'm older now, and have a stable job that affords me a slightly bigger budget for occasional splurges on accommodations, food, and activities. But on the gizmos, gadgets, and flash thing, I do prefer to leave my electronic items at home (when on int'l trips) and I'm far from being "flashy". Seriously though, for those folks wandering the earth with little more than a backpack and the desire for exploration, major kudos to you!

For more information on flashpacking, check out the following sites: Wikipedia, Vagabondish, and Articlesbase

Note: My travel style has evolved over the years. At first (after college), I participated in organized tour packages with my then boyfriend (P.G.), but as I got older and wiser and realized that traveling independently and on a budget was very doable and even more fun, exciting, and fulfilling, I switched to "flashpacking".