About this blog

In the past I never wrote a blog, a notebook (the paper ones), a diary or anything similar. When travelling I would just have my camera with me and try to keep widely opened eyes. This was enough for all 5 continents, so far.

So this time, when I was asked if I would “blog”, my first reaction was "what?". The trip will be exhausting enough and to complicate the calm moments with something like a blog can only be a bad idea. I wrote enough reports in the last times, and now a travel report? No way.

But this time seems to be different. Most travel I've done was mainly in small groups with the family, friends or work fellows; this time I'll be travelling mostly alone. This is something I haven't done for many many years, and the last time I didn't like it much. What I missed the most as far as I remember was having somebody next that wanted to talk and share about these or similar experiences and impressions. Languages were a bigger barrier at that time for me.

Anyway, the question kept coming from different people, very specific ("will you blog?"  "will you post in facebook?") or indirectly ("how are we staying in contact?") and I started to realize that there was perhaps a positive side on it. How much work is it really?  how much time would it take to post a short note?  what tools are available?  I though I should have a look at the blogging world and see by myself if the disadvantages I was assuming were really such.

And what I found was interesting, a surprise to me, and actually let to this blog. I now think that having a blog for this trip hits two or perhaps three flies with one slap: it allows me to share and (hopefully) discuss some of the experiences with friends at different locations, it’s a way to stay communicated with the main base, and allows me to give back my own experience in a way that can help others (future or current) travelers in the way they are helping me. My intention is to keep posts graphical (photos) with perhaps some key comments and observations, and to add prosa only when I feel like I want to and there is something to be told. We will see.

I decided to use blogspot because it's free, is open for readers (no registration), no need for much formatting (althouth possible), accesible and editable from all sorts of platforms (tablet, PC and cellphone) and can be fed via email which means I should be able to edit posts offline while riding on a bus, train or boat (and there will be a lot of them) and submit the email later when wifi is available at the hostal or hotel.

As you see I've also decided to write in English, the main reasons being that most readers should be able to understand it and, if not, the automatic google translator seems to work better when translating from english to other languages. It's not perfect but gave me the best test results.

As somebody new in this “blogging” business I'll appreciate comments and suggestions from those who have done this for longer time, but please be aware that I have no plans to touch sniplets or any other kind of  software code during the trip ;)

Happy reading!