Action In Relaxation

Global Domination Comrades,


Apologies…I have been blog-slacking in the midst of busyness, business, and bees-knees-ness.  The summer season with Rustic Pathways is worthy of a blog in and of itself, which would land somewhere between Unicef, Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations, Invisible Children, and Gossip Girl.  Life is grand and I do love my job.  I’ve also stayed quite busy on a few life projects and recently acquired a loft in Riverfront Park, Denver to have as a vacation rental and “permanent home”, and am getting Elick.com up and running.  Excuses, excuses – I know.  Justified or not – it’s been great work/fun.


Brussels, the topic at hand, was a complete surprise – in the best way possible.  It’s a sleepier version of Paris , a unique blend of modern culture and historical context ^TM.  (Lonely Planet better not steal that trademarked line) I thoroughly enjoyed my first airbnb.com accomodation, street footy with the homies, mussels in Brussels, photo ops, and the Royal Museum for Central Africa – where the British School of Brussels so kindly hosted me at a fundraiser for their Best of Both Ghana Campaign.  This unlikely international spot on the Euro tour has to be coined with none other than the usual travel and box office quotable “A Must See!”  (I’ve gotten a bit rusty at this and am borderline traveler guide corny – meh, oh well)  Mo and mo betta posts to come soon…


The proof is in the photo pudding, and the song could have been nothing else.


Enjoy!

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Global fam,


I honestly don’t want to be writing this post because I’d rather be surfing in Bali – no offense.  So here we go, the up and clean.


The trek from Nice to London was a bit brutal (20 hour drive); luckily I had Anago and Chio as copilots until we parted ways in Paris.  After sleeping 3 hours in the now “well seasoned” (with roadtrip snacks) Citroen I was pleasantly greeted in sunny London town (London fog is a a well-executed hoax to keep tourists away…) to the Manchester City @ Chelsea game.  This greeting was epitomized by my pregame ballyhoo at a local “Chelsea ticket holder’s only” pub near Stamford Bridge, where I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation, comradery, and crushing of Fuller’s London Pride pints with some proper English hooligans.  This banter and wit eventually led to dealmaking which then landed me an incredible season pass seat via one of the lads, Martin (row 12 on the 18 yard box).  The game, deemed the most expensive in history (due to the price-tag of each player on the pitch, and the uber-weath of each club’s respective owner) was nothing short of an epic battle, and I was buzzing about it for days.  This experience was worthy of two cliché’s combined = “A childhood bucket list realized and crossed off the dream”.  There’s so much I can say here but I’ll let Facebook, Twitter, and most general conversations that turn to the brilliance of the EPL do the talking.  The rest of my limited free time in London was spent on a jaunt around Greenwich = GMT = 0°0’0.00” Latitude, and some good fun with my London-based Rustic Pathways counterpart Shar.


England Round two was a month later than Round one due to scheduling “delays” and in hindsight, I can’t be more thankful for these timing and process difficulties.  Round two was also bucket dreamable when I took a Saturday to visit the largest Land Rover – Defender 90/110/130 sales and tuning shop in England – the Tyler car – as I like to call them.  The movie Big had nothing on this day.  I spent much of my free time having early morning convos with Pete (I crashed at his new flat in the Shoreditch district) and hanging with Edward and his girlfriend Nicola.  We had the opportunity to enjoy a few nights at the Berkeley in Knightsbridge where our connection to this incredible (and free) lodging gave us the simple recommendation to “milk it.” That we did (all maturity and inhibitions aside).  The exclamation point of the trip was the Liverpool @ Arsenal game where I was able to see my two favorite teams face off and finally decide and confirm my sole EPL allegiance to The Arsenal Gunners.  What a match!


The ocean is calling and you really don’t want to read any more of this half thought witless post.  Enjoy the pics…and enjoy today!


Round 1 – London (Chelsea, Kensington, Greenwich, Shoreditch, New Cross, Brixton)

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Round 2 – Cambridge & London (Shoreditch, Knightsbridge, Highbury)

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Since finishing undergrad in 2006, and even during grad school, I have pursued a deliberate lifestyle, and have had the unique opportunity for extended world travel. In the past 5 years, I have been able to experience culture, learning, adaptation, and adventure in 35+ countries. I created www.actioninrelaxation.com to share these experiences in hopes that others may be inspired to stretch their wings and simply “join in the fun”.


I am elated to post today, because my ever-so-loving and supportive parents have made the life-changing/perspective-shifting decision to take a 3 month work sabbatical, and travel Asia for 6+ weeks (I reckon they’ll delay their return flight). I am so very proud of my parents’ decision and willingness to take a significant perceived risk, at the fine (like wine or whiskey) age of 55+ years young. I am currently headed to meet them in Bali for some of my own vacation time; and am hoping to regain my nonchalant composure (and somewhat normal sleep schedule) with a bit of R&R in my favorite destination – Uluwatu, Bali.


I will be meeting my parents tomorrow and will probably have to teach them about the oddly fulfilling joys of blogging, and may even give ‘em a crack at a few guest posts.


Coincidentally, because Rustic Pathways has a full time presence in the 22+ countries we serve, we also facilitate Gap Year travel and service projects for those 18+ years old…


I guess it’s never too late to take to take a Gap Year.


(Yes, I do know, almost every number in this post is followed by a “+” sign, because it is a “+” kind of day)


Selamat Pagi,


Kim and Patty Elick’s son, Tyler


Posts soon to come (hopefully during vacay time):

1.London & Cambridge, England
2.Brussels, Belgium
3.Amsterdam, Netherlands
4.Luxembourg
5.Berlin, Germany
6.Prague, Czech Republic
7.Geneva, Switzerland pt.2
8.Glasgow & Glenmore, Scotland
9. Barcelona, Spain pt2
10. Istanbul, Turkey

Ok – I’m a little overwhelmed after seeing that list – it’s been quite the 3 months – I’ll post England in the next week and go from there…


I’m posting a few pics (mostly unflattering from family events – we’re a pretty casual bunch) so you can get used to their mugs.

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