Young, wild and traveling

A Local Encounter that Changed my Perspective - Passports in Japan

hardy — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:04:12 GMT

A lavish 7-day vacation in beautiful Japan, what more could three friends ask for? Our strict itinerary called for staying in extravagant hotels towering high above the city clouds, greeted and bowed to by hotel staff in three-piece suits, followed by drinks at the rooftop lounge bar with a piano playing off in the distance and taxis wherever we needed to go together with official tours with private companies. Unfortunately for me, my passport was stolen the second day in Japan and that all changed.
Because of the uncertainty of my situation, I was restricted in my budget and I was forced to wave a teary goodbye to my friends as they boarded their flight back home after seven dreary days. I then headed to the Asakusa district of Tokyo to check into the cheap and shanty 2-story hostel away from the luxurious 60-story hotels. As I rode the underground train, I thought to myself: Who could take such a precious item? And how could my experiences of this country turn so negative so quickly after only 48 hours? I hated the place and wanted to get out immediately. Luckily, what I thought would be a negative experience in a foreign country, turned into a local encounter that changed my perspective.
Not only did the nostalgic hostel have free Wi-Fi and breakfast but also offered free walking tours with Aya and transportation to various sites around Tokyo; none of this, which the fancy hotels offered at five times the price. I was able to walk the busy markets of Sensoji Temple, take in the smells of the burning incense and silent footsteps within the temple grounds followed by enjoying delicious Soba noodles.
Walking the lit filled streets of Roppongi and watching the thousands of feet scurry across the infamous Shibuya crosswalk in Tokyo, was all new to my American senses. And what turned into a one-week holiday in the Land of the Rising Sun, stretched out to 3 weeks while I waited for a new passport to be expedited to me from the United States. Not only did I receive better care, attention and amenities at the hostel as compared to the hotel, but I also had the opportunity to dig deep, get off the beaten path and see Japan for what it truly had to offer. As the Japanese say, “Shoganai” (“There is no way of doing, it can’t be helped”). What started as a terrifying experience circled into the country and its citizens embracing me with open arms and changing my perspective on the people and culture. And I can’t wait to go back.

Photos: My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

hardy — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:15:00 GMT

As a frequent traveller and avid photographer, I have always loved being behind the camera when visiting foreign countries. Having the opportunity to travel to Oman and working alongside Jason Edwards and National Geographic, would be an excellent chance for me to continue to develop my skills as a photographer engulfed in a foreign culture. I believe my patience and senses would greatly contribute to the Oman experience, as a photographer must use more than just their sense of sight to capture that perfect moment but most importantly to have patience while capturing it. I would like to further advance my skills in the use of photography and how to more efficiently capture shots that are powerful and effective in both a short amount of time and shots that may require a bit more endurance. I want to learn from the locals and take this knowledge through the use of photography to contribute back to the greater community so they too can see what I see and possibly experience what I have experienced. Not everyone has the means or time commitment to travel and it is with my passion that I hope I may bring the world to them by constructing their memory as if they were truly there.

My Scholarship entry - My Kind of Adventure

hardy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:35:44 GMT

My first ‘video blog’ began when I travelled to Vancouver, Canada for a weekend getaway. With the advancement of technology, the ability for young adults like myself to do more than just snap pictures with a disposable camera really prompted me to start a series of videos when I travel. Since then, I have done videos in New Zealand, Japan and most recently New Caledonia with Varun (in which prompted him to start his own video blogging). This has been my inspiration to enter my videos for the World Nomads Travel Film Scholarship 2012.

Our filmmaking experience to date is solely with our iPhones and edited with Apple Final Cut Pro X. Although we consider ourselves amateurs, we don’t aim to be the stereotypical reporters but rather
having fun and enjoying the culture in all aspects (social, eating, etc).

Our ambitions as filmmaker/presenter as described above, is not to be your typical travel video but instead to have the opportunity to showcase what we have to offer as young adults. Winning this scholarship would give us the confidence and knowledge to continue doing what we do with travel blogs but in hopes of doing it more commercially or gaining recognition for our work.