Simply amazing stuff, i have read this 3 times and printed off several copies to hand out to friends who all loved it as much as me. Once your book is published i have at lest 8 copies sold for you already.

Your story actually left me feeling guilty by the end of it, guilty that i will probably never experience the stuff you have or have the balls to do the things you did.

You are truly an inspiring person.

We mustn't be reading the same books.

Great read, just read every page of the thread. Sad to think that I have continually skipped over this thread for months by not opening it up. Sick life ftw.

i know 1000 people have said it but thanks for writing this. easily one of the best things ive ever read, cant wait for the book. i have one and a half years left of college and am planning on taking some time off to travel the world, reading this makes me want to drop out and leave tomorrow!

A little late to this thread, but this was a fantastic read, adsman!

I'm grunching, as I'm only on page five, but adsman I have to say, you have inspired me to change my life and not be afraid of traveling to new places without any idea where it will take me. Thank you so much for writing this, and I cannot wait to finish reading it.

the last five books i read were:

Beyond Good and Evil
The Gay Science
The Lighthouse
The Revolt of the Masses
Fear and Trembling

... actually the first four books there are books so good I don't think I am ever capable of making anything comparable. Which is so rare. (The last book I don't understand what the author was saying). Still though to get to those five books I've had to pick up, read for a few hours, and then put down mediocre books. For instance I am looking at my bookshelf and see, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamis (Tom Robbins), Hotel Honolulu (Paul Theroux), Ya Ya Sisterhood, Radicalism and the American Revolution (won a pulitzer prize). I am not saying they aren't without value. But there was nothing in any of them that made me think "wow, that was incredible, what genius." The number of really talented people in the world who also put all of their energies into a craft is soooo small and I don't think books are anything different.

What's the last five books you read that left you so impressed and discouraged with your own capabilities?

Just after spending 3 nights reading this thread. Its simply the best thread i've ever read. It is very inspirational and just what I needed to read as I'm stuck in a lull right now at this moment in my life. I'm going travelling thailand, Australia, NZ and Fiji in September and your story has me all psyched to go. Thanks a millon and please let us know when you release your book for I would love to buy a copy!

Your experience on what Africa does to you is what I've felt for a while now. Where I live drinking and driving is encouraged, people cover one eye so they don't see double. Running red lights is standard, I've done it plenty of times with a cop stopped at the light. There is no real law, security guards don't do ****, shops close at sundown because they've been robbed too much, I've sped past police officers asking me to stop -- even ones with a car and a radio.

Girls cost $20/ half hour and they are gorgeous...

I need to leave though, I don't feel like this place is doing anything good for me. There are a lot of expats here, but they crowd amongst themselves and the other whites. I spend most of my time playing poker with drug runners, police officers and just straight gangsters. Every day I'm here I feel as if my sense of the worth of life gets worse.

The funny thing is that I wanted to move from where I was living because of all the laws.. getting a parking ticket pissed the *** out of me, here people park on the sidewalk. I just hated the structure and insect like organization of living in the first world, I wanted to get out to a developing country and do whatever crossed my mind.

This place is far more structured then Africa I'm sure, but it's still a huge leap from the first world.

I think it's Argentina next

neverthere, where are you? i empathize with you, from Bolivia.

Curacao... island in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela....

Really after being here for a while it's so amazing to see how segregated people are... And it's like, everyone knows this is the case, and everyone is just kinda cool with it...

Even where I work, there are local and there are expats and for the life of me I've yet to see the locals and the expats go out together... I dislike just about all the expats and the only friends I do have here are about 4 or 5 locals but even the majority of them are the well to do white locals that frown upon (and are ridiculously racist towards the others...

And the system just goes on...

On an island where 90% of the population is black, I've met at least 5, probably more white millionaires, 3 or 4 Chinese millionaires, 3 or 4 Indian millionaires and a couple of Latin American millionaires...

It's really messed up to see it, and the police are mainly black and very racist to black people...

That's just to add to the apathy that I kinda already feel just being here, the over all sense of injustice coupled with the get away with anything mentality is pretty messed up...

i don't really understand our last post.

here there is racism, but i dunno about the segregation because everyone is so poor. i'm in the richest department in the country and in the center of the city (where the richest people are), and the lighter skinned people just earn like $150 a month. supposedly, the darker skinned campesino people earn more money cause they work harder whereas the cambas are lazy and like spending their money on clothes, and drinking. i just see everybody as being apathetic, lazy, not placing value in themselves, and without confidence. then again santa cruz is one of the more unequal societies in the world, and there is Evo Morales the lightening rod indigenous President who almost started a civil war, and still could.

why are you ther, what are you doing there, what are you plans for the future

From that description, it doesn't sound like a fun place to be. I'm sure you have reasons for being there though. Want to share some of that with us?


Great thread adsman!!

Well where I live there are a lot of white people, not just lighter skinned locals... And the white people basically do whatever they want, the majority of them are very racist (as are the non black locals who hold the majority of the wealth) the black people here are extremely apathetic and the government is taking steps to basically prevent them from entering casinos....

There was a law passed some time ago that the only way a local can get into a casino is if they enter as the friend of a tourist and they are only allowed to get in twice a month.

The casino owners actually preferred this law (at least the few that i've talked to) because apparently a lot of tourists (who the owners believe spend more money then the locals) do not go to the casinos because they get 'scared' when they look inside... hahah...


In any case, I'm here because I got a hook up to be here for a year or more if I want. I needed to get out of the cold (Canada) and wanted a nice warm island with little laws and I got it... But I do want to go home..

Service here is just about the worst I've ever experienced in my life, I've lived here for a year, have payed for my cable tv since day 1 and it still doesn't work and my internet is down every other day, nobody comes to help, they hang up on you when you call and there are many many other things that drive me insane about this island...

Argentina ftw. Now I just need a hookup in Argentina that will allow me to stay there consecutively for a year or so

bump for awesomeness

just wanted to say thank you. cannot wait for the book. i spent most of my work day reading this thread. my favorite thread on 2+2 ainec

amazing thread, ty ads, look forward to buying book, any updates on book?

.

Wow, I just read this entire thread. Your writing is very enthralling, Adsman. Really makes me want to go on an adventure or something. I'm looking forward to the book.

I love whenever this thread gets bumped, definitely one of the best i've read

Wow, I just stumbled upon this since it got bumped and what I've read is great!

well played sir.

one of the best threads ever, read it str8 through.

I'd like to echo the 1,000's of "awesome!" posts. Being 22 and kind of in a stuck spot makes me realize even the small things I'd like to change are nothing compared to what a motivated person can do. Thanks again!

Just realized I haven't read this smashingly awesome thread in like a year. Book updates?

Book updates. OK, took a break over the summer while I was running bar and rafting, just got back to it now. Reread everything I had written and promptly threw out around 40,000 words. Perhaps I am too much of a perfectionist. But I do want to get it right. Over the next few months I am treating it like a job. Get up, coffee and write until noon. Lets see how it goes.