Traveling alone

I am a lone traveler.

When I'm away on my travels, I never get quizzical looks from locals or other travelers on why I am on my own.

When I'm at home, it's quite a different story.

"Why would you go by yourself?"
"Don't you get lonely?"
"What if you get lost or kidnapped?"
"Aren't you scared?"
"You're insane!"

I know my family, friends, and acquaintances are all just worried about my safety (and perhaps my sanity), but there really is something about traveling alone that is highly addicting.

It's like working out. Asking a runner to stop their training would be darn near equivalent to asking them to chop off their arm.

After my first solo adventure, I was on cloud 9 for months. I couldn't believe I had done it, and more so, I couldn't wait to do it again.

The purpose of my post today is to share an article that really rings true with me, and many of my other solo adventurer friends.

Why you should start traveling alone

I came across this article a few days ago, when it was posted, but have been busy trying to formulate my thoughts.

I only have a handful of friends who travel alone like I do. Most of them, I have met while on the road myself. In fact, I just went to Miami (by myself, of course) a few months ago to visit one of my lovely that I met in Amsterdam (again, by myself).

For those who haven't done so, or for those who are too scared to. My advice? Listen to Nike and:

There is no better experience in your life than traveling the world. You only have one life, and the world is your (very large) oyster. Money can always be made later, but traveling is something that will not wait for you.

Keep your mind and heart open, but use your head when you make decisions. You will find that humanity isn't as doomed as you think it is (or maybe that's just me), and that true benevolence and friendship really does exist.

Some of my best and most life altering memories are from foreign countries. Swimming in and around water eroded rock crevaces in Southern Portugal, standing new to Big Ben in London, walking the roads of Fo Quang Shan Buddhist monastery in Kaohsiung Taiwan.

These are not experiences we can even come close to imagining in our home towns. The ability to visit other countries to experience their culture, their religion, and mostly their climate, is one of the most humbling and gratifying experiences.

I'll tell you right now, traveling changes you. You might think right now that you're a big deal, you have lots of friends, or that you know your way around a 3 hr driving radius from your city. But leaving your comforts behind will show you just how small you are in the view of the world.

In a sea of people at St Pancras International, you're but one of billions on earth who are trying to make a difference.

You'll see beggars on the street, you'll see the rich and famous. You'll see it all. And if you're like some people I know, you'll be so moved to make a difference, that you'll pack up your life so that you can devote it to others. Or if you're like me, you'll be humbled by the vastness of the world, and vow to see as much of it  as you can before you die.

Please read the article I have linked. And if you are still worried about traveling solo, bring a friend you can count on, and who won't drive you nuts. I'll probably write more about choosing the right travel partner at a later date. All I ask, is that everyone experience this. Even if you're only taking a 4 hour flight. There's nothing better than going somewhere without a familiar soul in sight and learning.

Broiled lobster

I love lobster.

For New Year's Eve, I decided to splurge a little, grab a bag of lobster tails, and make that for dinner.

I haven't made lobster tails before, but I have made lobster. I didn't think it'd be any different, but thought I would broil them rather do a simply boil. 

After cutting the inside of the tails lengthwise, I cracked the tails slightly to allow seasonings. Butter, salt and paprika. Sounds delicious already! The bad boys are ready after 5-10 minutes under the broiler.

I made some couscous and a light salad to go with them. Scrumptious!

I hoep everyone had a great New Year's Eve

Thin mints

A girlfriend and I love thin mints. Like literally. LOVE. If you don't know what thin mints are, I implore you PLEASE, to go find your nearest Girl Scouts/Girl Guides centre and buy a dozen boxes of these amazing cookies.

The box on the right, downright delicious.

When I discovered that they could be homemade and they could be vegan? Heaven.

Needless to say, that was exactly what I set out to do.

Were they exactly like thin mints? Well, no. They are still darn good though. And at least I know what's going in them. AKA., NOT palm oils, vegetable shortenings, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

My thin mints were a bit on the thicker side because my chocolate mixture gooped up and got thicker much faster than anticipated. However, the shortening will help maintain the silky smooth texture and slow down the thickening process. If it does start to get thick again, just heat up the mixture again and stir until smooth before continuing.

Thin Mints

Ritz crackers
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening
1 tsp peppermint extract 

1. In a double boiler, melt together chocolate chips, shortening, and peppermint extract. Let cool slightly.
2. Using a fork, coat each Ritz cracker with the melted chocolate mixture. Let the chocolate drain between the fork tines before setting to cool on parchment or wax paper.
3. Let cool in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.

Snickerdoodles

Back when I was doing my Masters degree, I worked in a lab in the Food Science building. Despite it's name and department, I was the lone regular contributor of the cookie stash. Since moving to a new lab, I haven't been keeping up my post as regularly as I could/should. Whenever I stop by, I am showered with jolly beration of coming empty handed, even by the new members of the lab. To rectify that, I decided to do good by the freshman and asked the new PhD student what his favourite cookies were. His answer? Snickerdoodles.

I had a relatively typical Asian upbringing, so aside from the classic chocolate chip cookie, I really didn't know much else. In recent years, the steep learning curve has taught me a lot, but not enough to know what snickerdoodles were. A quick Google search at home shed new light on one of my favourite guilty snacks.

Cinnamon? Sugar?

Why had I never made these amazing cookies before?

After bringing in these cookies the next time I stopped by, I was once again "appreciated", by the old and new staff.

Snickerdoodles

2 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon 

1. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla.
2. Gradually add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
3. Chill dough for 30+ minutes. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
4. Scoop 1 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
5. Bake on parchment or silpat, 2 inches apart, at 350F for 10 minutes.

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a great New Years' Eve! I hosted a party at my house for a few of my friends. More than the expected number showed up, which was a delightful surprise.

There was plenty of food and liquor to go around, more than enough to keep us going until well into the wee hours of the morning.

I had so many overnighters I had to pull out my trusty old pump up air mattress to make room! With 6 extra bodies in my house, we finally quieted down at 5 AM.

I hope 2012 treated you well and that there will only be bigger and better things in the year to come.

Happy 2013!