John Gunter

Thoughts on Life and Living

Travels and such . . . highlights from this past month

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One of the highlights of the summer was with Sam, Young Mee, and Emmy Shin in Denver.
One of the highlights of the summer was with Sam, Young Mee, and Emmy Shin in Denver.

It’s good to be back! Though it was a needed break from writing, I am happy to be “back in the saddle” posting and checking in on this blog more regularly.

As I type this, I am back on a trans-pacific flight headed to my Asian home. In the past few weeks, I have crossed a total of 24 time zones and have slept in 11 different hotels and/or homes. There have been many very long days of work and very few times of rest and recreation. I did have some down time, but very little.

I have spent significant time in three Asian cities, as well as Los Angeles, Colorado, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. While my body is weary, my heart is full. Though I did work much, I also had significant time with a few friends and my direct family.

Here are some of my highlights from the past four weeks of travel:

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James Bond, Istanbul, and the value of relationships

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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!

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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 [Read more…]

The 5 types of people you see on LONG airplane flights

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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 Atlantic 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 [Read more…]

First Impressions. . . Z-land and the Z-people

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(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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