Photo of the day: VW road trip

Who doesn’t want to roll around England‘s countryside in a VW van, stopping to read and set up camp between lush rolling hills? Sometimes the idea of living by way of van, by way of the road, seems too far-fetched to travel-loving dreamers out there. I’m here to tell you… it is not far-fetched! Buy a van! Move into it! Drive! Explore! Use exclamation marks as often as possible; it will show people precisely how happy you are to be traveling this way!

This shot was taken by photographer/Flickr user, Samuel Bradley in Cumbria, England. I love it because it does seem to embody the spirit of traveling via road tripping. I’ve spent much of my time on the road and I suppose one of the reasons this photo excited me is because I’m about to start living on the road again starting at the end of October. I can’t wait to re-embrace the living-in-the-van lifestyle. It’s not for everyone, granted, but it is positively for me.

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Hippie Masala – the travelers that never went home

Have you ever experienced a moment while you were traveling where you decided you wanted to stay (permanently)? Maybe it was particularly idyllic day lazing at the beach. A revelatory meal. A vista of a gorgeous sunset or a chance encounter with some friendly locals. No matter how amazing the experience, we all end up coming home eventually. Why is that? Perhaps its because at heart we still find a line between reality and fantasy – a realization that actually living in your dream vacation spot would involve many of the same trivialities and hardships you experience in your life at home.

The traveler featured in the clip above, from a movie called Hippie Masala, faced a similar dilemma. Hippie Masala, a documentary produced in 2007, follows the current lives of several aging hippies who made their way to India in the 60’s and 70’s in search of spiritual fulfillment, the allure of drugs and the chance to live a supposedly “simpler” life. While many members of their generation took similar short trips to the east, the vast majority eventually returned to their Western lives after weeks or months. This was not the case for a determined few, who set about creating a new life for themselves among their adopted culture.

How are we to interpret these stories? It’s easy enough to write off Hippie Masala as a cautionary tale about a bunch of crusty old hippies who tripped and fell on their idealism. But perhaps there’s something larger at work – an impulse to “leave it all behind” that we’ve all considered acting on but never brought to fruition. You can watch the documentary for free, in its entirety on the SnagFilms website and decide for yourself.

[Via Metafilter]

Glastonbury hippies claim local WiFi network is damaging their “ley lines”

In something that sounds like it came right out of a South Park episode, a local group of hippies is complaining that a recently installed WiFi mesh network in the UK village of Glastonbury is causing all kinds of health problems.

The new-age residents descended upon the village several years ago because they believe in its powerful healing abilities.

To combat the signals from the Wi-Fi hotspots, the hippies have placed orgone generators around the antennae, but so far without any success.

This might have to do with the fact that orgone generators look like they are just bundt pans with some tin foil pieces.

Speaking of tin foil, despite 100’s of research studies, nobody has ever found any links between WiFi signals and health issues, and the village of Glastonbury has been blanketed in mobile phone signals since the late 80’s without anyone feeling ill from the “radiation”.

(Via: The Inquirer)

Last Hippie on Haight Street

Although a big chunk of Haight Street in San Francisco is now packed with tourists, yuppies and beggars, you can still find occasional treasures. If you can get past the cheesy hippie souvenir stores and grungy-gone-chic clothing boutiques, that is. Yes, and there is even a McDonald’s on one side and GAP smack in the middle. OK, so it is the original GAP, but still..

The Red Victorian is a small B&B at 1665 Haight Street, a part of the Peaceful World Inns, run by a sweet, entertaining lady named Sami Sunchild. She started this hippie hotel in order to create a “new alternative for corporate tourism” and it is fair to say she succeeded. You can choose from 17 unique rooms, such as the Summer of Love Room, the Flower Child Room, or the Peace Room. We recently stayed there and can definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for clean, quaint, and pretty affordable accommodation in SF.

Sami actually joins her quests for Breakfast Conversations, so if you are ready to discuss peace in the Middle East over your fair-trade latte, Sami will be all yours. Of course, if you have any good ideas on that topic, please get back to us. Peace out.