So I Need Your Help & You Can Win A Free Postcard If You’re Right

So I finally ran out of business cards and need to get more!  My old business cards I had made in Thailand and for the most part they worked well, impressed people when I gave them out and were indestructible (they were made of plastic).  But now I want something a little smaller, different and more simple with added info.

Below you will find 12 business card designs I made up in Photoshop but the kicker is that I can only pick 5 of them.  I actually started with about 50 photos, then started narrowing them down to these 12.  Now that I’m at 12 I still don’t know what five I actually want to have produced.

This will be the backside of the card with my info on it

For me the travel cards have been a BIG hit since traveling.  There easy to hand out to the people you photograph on the street, to security people you have to deal with when trying to use a location to even travel friends you met on the bus.  I wanted to go with a smaller card this time so they would be easier to carry and not cost as much.  I hope to have them printed two sides and will make about 500 in the first batch.  If that doesn’t seem like a lot of room in my bag I might have some more printed.

So now I need your help, that’s right you get to maybe select the cards that I will use!

How It Works:

• Look through the 12 potential travel cards below
• Comment listing the 5 that you would want (their all numbered).  You can also say why you liked it but it’s not necessary
• After I get enough comments, I’ll see what you have all said and will finally decided on the 5 I want to produce for use
• Whoever is the first person to get the 5 that I picked will win a free hand written postcard from Colombia, delivered anywhere in the world.  It can go to a friend, you, whoever.  If there is something you want said on it, I’ll do it…after all it’s your postcard!

That’s it, so be cool and leave a comment below on your 5 favorite travel cards!  Thanks!!!!

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The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca was one of my favorite places when I visited Peru.  It’s not everyday that you get to see people, the Uros, living on man made floating islands made out of reeds.  Originally they did this for protection, as they could move the islands around the lake from invaders but now it’s mostly just for show for the tourists.  That being said I still liked seeing the place and this was one of the better photographs I came away with from there.

 Fact: Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake in the world

Click on the photo to download it as a wallpaper on your desktop.  Let me know what you think!

Once a month I’ll be hosting a book contest on the site, giving away a travel related book to one lucky reader.  I have been collecting non-fiction travel books the last few years and since reading them, they have been sitting on a shelf in my small home town in the US, gathering dust.  I figured I might as well give them to you guys and share the wealth.

The Contest:

Guess where this photo was taken at.  Yes I know I didn’t make it simple by making it into a puzzle but I will tell you a hint… it’s in Asia somewhere!

Contest Rules: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

THE CORRECT ANSWER WAS: The Sanctuary of Truth, Pattaya, Thailand  Congratulations to Joe Jayanth

• Leave a comment below and guess what the country, city and name of the structure pictured above is.  First person to get all 3 correct wins.  If no one gets all 3 correct, then 2-out-of-3 and so forth.  If no one even comes close… well I guess I will just randomly select someone then.
• The deadline for entering the contest is 9 PM (EST), Sunday, September 18, 2011
• One comment will be chosen by random from random.org to select the winner.
• One entry per person.  Winner will be notified by email (so have a valid email when you comment).

The Prize

“Killing Pablo- The Hunt For The World’s Greatest Outlaw” by Mark Bowden

Since I’m in Medellin, Colombia right now I thought this book would be a great fit.  I read it last year and enjoyed it immensely.  I was surprised at how much detail Mark Bowden was able to get about Pablo and the events surrounding his man hunt.  One of the better books I read last year and if you want to understand a little Colombian history, then it’s a must read!

Pablo Escobar Facts:

• Forbes magazine declared Escobar as the seventh richest man in the world in 1989, with an estimated personal fortune of US $25 billion.
• Escobar was elected to the Colombian House of Representatives in the 80s.
• Pablo’s wife, Maria Victoria Henao Vellejo, was only 15 when he married her in 1976.
• Escobar’s cartel once controlled 80% of the cocaine shipped illegally into the United States.

“A tour de force of investigative journalism-this is the story of the violent rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Colombian Medellin cocaine cartel. Escobar’s criminal empire held a nation of thirty million hostage in a reign of terror that would only end with his death. In an intense, up-close account, award-winning journalist Mark Bowden exposes details never before revealed about the U.S.-led covert sixteen-month manhunt. With unprecedented access to important players-including Colombian president César Gaviria and the incorruptible head of the special police unit that pursued Escobar, Colonel Hugo Martinez-as well as top-secret documents and transcripts of Escobar’s intercepted phone conversations, Bowden has produced a gripping narrative that is a stark portrayal of rough justice in the real world.“

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Candles In Chinatown

This photo was taken at a Chinese temple in Chinatown when I visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  While my friend was getting her fortune read, I snapped this photo.  You can see more about my visit there by clicking here.

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A Letter To My Best Friend Through All My Travels

Thank you my friend for being there for me when I needed you most.   When I was cold, you always made me warmer.  When I needed a pillow on that 48hr bus ride from Quito, Ecuador to Lima Peru, you provided me with one when no one else would.  When I ranted and didn’t want to go on, you listened quietly until I got to feeling better.  When I got sick, you helped me overcome it.  You were always so helpful like that, that if I had to pick just one you would be it.

We’ve seen a lot in the last five years together and you’ve always been there when I needed you most.  I’ll never forget the day I met you in that Wal-Mart store in Houston, Texas and talked you into going with me to Iraq.  You didn’t think I was crazy then and you haven’t judged me since.

You was there for the breakup, the drunken nights, the flight from hell, the rain, the mud but you always kept me out of trouble, making sure I made it home safely.

I have made more friends and gotten more dates because of you then I will ever be able to recall.  I hope we make it to another 20 more countries together because it’s been a blast hanging out with you amigo.

To the best travel friend and favorite sweater I’ll ever own, here’s to you Pink Floyd!

Dubai: Thanks for keeping me warm during those cold nights in the desert my friend!

Iraq: You were there for me in a Christmas war zone, keeping the mortars away, thank you my friend!

Colombia: You got to meet some awesome travel bloggers, my friend.  Dave from GoBackpacking.com, to the Gilbert Family with Christine from AlmostFearless.com and Drew of DrewGilbert.com

India: You were there keeping an eye on shaky barber hands, making sure I got a clean cut.  Thank you my friend! (Photo Credit: Rich Nacin)

Even when I pimped you out to strangers you didn’t mind.  You were always willing to help my friend!

Ecuador: When I wanted to paraglide for first time you said “Take me my friend!”

Nepal: You learned the art of yoga with me from a master instructor

Thank you for being the best friend I had in all my travels Pink Floyd!

Well I’m not sure if it’s sad that my best travel friend is a sweater or not but it’s been with me on so many trips that I just recently took notice to it’s loyalty.  I bought this sweater 5 years ago at a Wal-Mart store for $10 USD and I’ve gotten more “Nice shirt bro” to “Sweet, seen them live in ’95 in Germany” then I can count but my favorite is when people show me their tattoo of Dark Side of The Moon, as if I actually wanted to see it!

I could travel with a $200 Armani shirt and people could care less, wouldn’t even notice it.  But I have meet more people in all my travels because of this damn cheap sweater then from anything else.  It’s been with me through so much that I’d actually feel sad if it got stolen, tore to shreds or lost.  I never realized until now that every time I packed my bag, it always found a way in.

Have you ever had a piece of clothing that you always kept way longer then you should have because you just felt so comfortable in it? A shirt, hat, pair of shoes maybe?  I think there is something to be said for that, in a weird strange way.  Would love to know yours?

Akila and Patrick from The Road Forks (AWESOME website, be cool and check it out!) nominated me to participate in Tripbase’s “7 Links Project” that has been buzzing around the blogging community for the last few weeks. I liked the concept and thought I would do it here, as I have gained a lot of readers in the last six months that might not know about some of my older work outside of India.

The concept was simple: “To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.” There are seven categories, which are listed below. After you write your post, you then recommend five other blogs.

Some of you might remember these posts, some not. Enjoy!

(1) Most Beautiful Post

“Why I Travel” → I had to think for a while as to what I thought was the most beautiful post I had written to-date on this site. I didn’t want it to be just about photography or only a situation, as it had to be about both. This was the best one I could think of because it was my first great personal experience while traveling (an act of kindness) and that I got great pictures from (I tried HDR photography for the first time). It’s beautiful to read and look at I hope!

Other Reasons Why I Travel: “Why I Travel: 7 Degrees of Separation” and “Getting Stoned With Cesar Baba“

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(2) Most Popular Post

“Monkey Juice…Its So Good When It Hits Your Lips!” → It’s the #3 highest hitting page on FOGG Odyssey. Only thing that beats it out is my domain name and “Where I Have Been“. It’s about my stay on the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia, which was the closest thing I ever found to the movie “The Beach”. I guess there are enough drunks out there in the world Googling the term “Monkey Juice” and for some strange reason I pull high for it on Google, henceforth all the traffic. The power of SEO and drunks = my most popular blog post! Who would have thought huh?

Other Popular Post:

• “Fountains of Parque de la Reserva (Park of the Reserve) in Lima, Peru“: Pulls a page one rank on Google for search term
• “Faces of France: 001“: This gets many hits because the term “porn” is used in it (the guy was a porn star from France)

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(3) Most Controversial Post

“Things You See in Ecuador That Make You Wonder, WTF? Ecuadorian Math” → This was part of a little fun series I started in Ecuador about things that make you scratch your foreign head when traveling. It’s was simply just an outsiders view on culture differences but I caught a lot of flack from this one post. “F-ing Wanker” to “Cheap Bastard” were just a few of the things I was called out in the comments. Read the post and comments to know why but it’s still the principle of it and stand behind this article no matter what anyone says!

Other WTF Post: “Things You See in Ecuador That Make You Wonder, WTF?” This one is actually really funny and strange!

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(4) Most Helpful Post

“Before & After Photo: Old Cuban Men” → I’m not sure these actually helped anyone or not but it’s the only thing that comes to mind. I started doing a few posts about how I edit my photos in Adobe Lightroom. I show you what the photo looked like before and then afterwards. I would see great photos myself on other peoples website and wondered what the shot actually looked like without editing, so I started showing my readers this because no one else was. I need to do more of these and in the next coming month I will start again.

Other helpful articles about photography can be found here!

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(5) A Post Whose Success Surprised Me

“Faces of Ecuador: 001″ → When I thought up the idea to ask people I met along the way what they thought about certain questions, I didn’t think people would like it as much as they have. In fact, it’s been what people have called me several times “Oh you’re that guy who does the Faces interviews!” It’s been fun and this post is what started it all. I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing these and at the moment I still have like 10 to write up, as I can’t seem to stay ahead on them anymore.

Other “Faces” interviews can be found here!

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(6) A Post I Felt Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved

“The Only Girl to Break My Heart In Asia” → The title is bait-and-switch I know but I really liked this post and no one ever read it. I wrote this shortly after I started my blog so you would have to dig for it to find it and is why I picked it because it was a good story, plus it’s one of my favorite photos from Cambodia. She was so sweet and cute… I couldn’t say no!

Other Post That Should Have Deserved A Little More Love: “Faces of Ecuador: 011″ This old women is by far the coolest interview I have gotten to do!

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(7) Post That I’m Most Proud Of

“Giving Back This Christmas in Ecuador” → “Part II” → “Part III” → One of the best things I ever get to do when traveling is give something back. In Ecuador for Christmas one year I did that and threw some kids a Christmas party they wouldn’t of had if someone hadn’t of done it for them. I actually went a little over board with it (even a clown showed up for them) but I got some of the best pictures of those kids hyped up on sugar and it made their year complete I like to think!

Other Posts I’m Proud Of: “Rickshaw Driver 101: The Crash Course In India” and “Photo-Essay: People of Jodhpur, India”

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And now, I get to nominate five other travel bloggers to join in on the 7 Links Project… drum roll please!

• Drew Gilbert: “World Traveling Dad, Chronic Oversharer, Handsome” That’s his tag line and sums Drew up, as he’s got one hell of a funny blog going!
• Jasmine Wanders: Jasmine is one of my favorite female bloggers and specializes about Latin America. Sexy, creative and fun to read, worth checking!
• Globe Troopers: Todd and Lauren have set up a great site unlike most, as it’s not just a travel blog but a way for people to organize trips themselves. Todd’s intellectual posts are brilliant and Lauren’s are sweet and lively!
• Expert Vagabond: AWESOME site, hands down! Great photos, videos and he’s always finding some kind of weird, strange, off-the-beaten place!
• Ben & Alonna: I’m hoping this will get them writing again since they haven’t posted since Jan! (all smiles) If you want to read an RTW tale of a married couple from start to finish, then check out their site!

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Prayer Flags of Buddhist

By the time you get this months wallpaper calendar I should, if all things went well, be in Nepal finally.  Nepal as been a dream spot for me and I am anxious to see what it has in store.  If you don’t hear much from me on the blog, it’s because I’m either hiking through the country side and there for no Internet access.  I will do my best to keep the site updated but I honestly have no clue what the Internet service is like in Nepal.  If I can’t get WiFi, then I don’t update.

UPDATE:

I’m now in Nepal and am in Pokhara.  Internet so far has been good and while in Kathmandu I was able to get some really nice shots of a few stupas with prayer flags wrapped all around them.  So being really excited about how well I did on them, I decided to do something a little out of the norm for this months “Wallpaper” and wanted to give you three more options to pick from.

These extra wallpapers won’t have a calendar on them, nor will future ones.  I didn’t like having it in the end and figured most people would rather just have a good photograph without one on it.  I mean, do you really go to your desktop to see what day it is, when on your tool bar it’s already there?

So I am curious, which one do you like best and why?  Leave a comment!

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Wagah Border Ceremony in India

This months wallpaper photo comes from the ceremony at the Wagah Border.  This is the only border crossing between India and Pakistan and every evening there is a procession of drills between each side for lowering the country flags.  To read more about this, click here.

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Once a month I’ll be hosting a book contest on the site, giving away a travel related book to one lucky reader.  I have been collecting non-fiction travel books the last few years and since reading them, they have been sitting on a shelf in my small home town in the US, gathering dust.  I figured I might as well give them to you guys and share the wealth.

This book was a personal favorite of mine!  What does it have to do with travel you ask?  Well this kid decided he wanted to see the safaris of Africa and took off to see it after high school at a young age.  He liked it so much that he stayed and became a self taught guide for many years.  If you don’t ever want to see lions in the bush, then don’t bother commenting.  BUT if you’re like me and always wanted to see Africa but haven’t had a chance to, then this book will keep you entertained with his funny adventures working as a safari guide in Africa.

“Whatever You Do, Don’t Run”, actually means that only food runs in Africa and that pretty much sums up his style of humor.  This was far from being boring and found myself laughing most of the time.

Contest Rules:

• Leave a comment below stating what your dream job would be and why.  Example: “To be an expedition leader for Mount Everest because everyday would be an adventure!“
• The deadline for entering the contest is 9 PM (EST), Monday, May 23, 2011
• One comment will be chosen by random from random.org to select the winner.
• One entry per person.  Winner will be notified by email (so have a valid email when you comment). 

“Whatever You Do, Don’t Run is a hilarious collection of true tales from top safari guide Peter Allison. In a place where the wrong behavior could get you eaten, Allison has survived face-to-face encounters with big cats, angry elephants, and the world’s most unpredictable animals—herds of untamed tourists and foolhardy guides whose outrageous antics sometimes make them even more dangerous than a pride of hungry lions!

Join Allison as he faces down charging lions—twice; searches for a drunk, half-naked tourist who happens to be a member of the British royal family; drives a Land Rover full of tourists into a lagoon full of hippos; and adopts the most vicious animal in Africa as his “pet.” Full of lively humor and a genuine love and respect for Botswana and its rich wildlife, Whatever You Do, Don’t Run takes you to where the wild things are and introduces you to a place where every day is a new adventure!

In 1994 Peter Allison set off for a year-long stay in Africa. More than a dozen years and hundreds of adventures later, he’s still leading safaris and collecting stories. Allison’s safaris have been featured in National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, and on television programs such as Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures.” ~ From The Publisher’s Description

~~~ This Contest Is Now Closed ~~~

The winner goes to Alonna.  She was the 3rd person to comment correctly within the correct time frame.  She also has a travel blog, www.benandalonna.com, that is worth checking out.  Thanks to everyone who commented and be on the look-out for next months Book Giveaway!

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Red Fort in New Delhi, India

I decided to start offering a monthly calendar to my readers.  Please feel free to use this photo for your wallpaper on your computer.  All you have to do is click on the image, then right click on it and select “Set As Desktop Background”  Mac or Windows should say about the same thing.

In the future I hope to offer more then one selection, plus with different sizes.  Just trying to figure out the best way to do it and keep it simple at the same time.

Any questions on it, let me know.

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