Travel Tuesday: Writing the Far-Flung Life (Shoe Leather Express)

Whenever I asked my mom for a ride when I was growing up and she couldn't (or wouldn't) swing it, I always followed my initial question "Can you take me to _________?" with the inevitable "Well, how am I going to get there?" (often accompanied by a whine and a preteen foot stomp).

To which my mom always gave the same answer: "Shoe leather express" (in other words, start walking).

Back then, that often meant that I walked to my best friend's house via the trolley tracks, the mall via the road that went past our church, and the swimming pool along one of the most commercial streets in our town. Along the way, I learned a lot. I always knew who was getting ready to have a yard sale, where the best wild blackberries grew, and how to avoid the biggest potholes. The long, solitary walks also helped me learn to pay attention...to the little things...to the aspects of a place that helped to tell its story.

So while my mom had no idea that one day I'd be living on the other side of the world writing about my far-flung life and helping others learn how to do the same, her solution to my travel woes--Shoe Leather Express--has become an important part of my writing process.

Whether I land in a new place or a place I've been many times before, I always put on my most favored, mostest comfortable walking shoes (in my case, Keens...those are my "winter" Keens [above] and my "summer" Keens [below]) and start walking.

During my first two years in China, I estimate I walked 1.75 million miles (give or take a few). In Shanghai, I walked on major thoroughfares, down old lanes, and through funky neighborhoods. I walked through the panda reserve in Chengdu, wandered about the Muslim quarter in Xian, and hiked on the Great Wall. Along every step, I paid attention to smells, colors, sounds, and the old woman selling knobs of ginger on the corner. I noted what I saw up close and what I noticed in the distance. I noted facial expressions and gestures. I gathered bits and pieces for the stories I would tell.

Sure, sometimes walking is not the easiest mode of transportation. (In Bali, I ran into so many not-so-friendly dogs, I ended up toting a big stick, and in Vietnam, dodging the scooters is not always fun.) But walking gets you up close and personal to people, food, language--the essence of a place.

So my advice to far-flung writers?

Next time you're deciding how to get from your hotel to a museum or your B&B to the beach, skip the taxi or the shuttle. Take my mom's advice and go for the Shoe Leather Express.

Comments

[Spencer L Casey]

I am loving this philosophy!

When my love and I finally took our dream trip to NYC, we stayed in a brownstone converted to a hotel at about 8th and 20th. We walked from there all the way down to the Empire State Building. Then walked up 5th Avenue to Central Park for dinner at Tavern on the Green. After dinner we did take a mancab back to our room. But it was a walking day for sure. One of the best days of any vacation we've had.

You are right, when you walk, you see a human side of things that can't be experienced any other way.

[globalgal]

I just spent a full day in the town of Qufu, in Shandong Province. It is a small town on the China scale. Qufu is the home of Confucius and there are several things to see, including a temple, former mansion of the Kong family (Confucius' descendants) and the Kong family cemetery, where Confucius and thousands of his family members are buried. The whole town is easily walkable and so my husband and I spent the entire day walking it. (Like you, we use the Shoe Leather Express frequently on our travels.) We appreciated everything so much more. As the local tourists sped by us in taxis, rickshaws and minibuses, we got to see the details. (Maybe they are not so interested in these details, but we are!) I love the Shoe Leather Express!

[Kristin Bair O'Keeffe]

Spencer...Glad to hear you got to take your dream trip to NYC. That's a great walk you took. What's one thing that grabbed your attention while you were walking?