Where the Hell is Matt—the book version, a perfect read for 2010

This time last year, Matt Harding was named traveler of the year by World Hum. His video, “Where the Hell is Matt?,” the one funded by Stride gum had gone viral earlier that year. No wonder. If there’s a secret to world peace, Harding had found it.

Start dancing a silly, but engaging dance and people will dance with you-most people. The guard at the DMZ in North Korea won’t dance.

In his book Where the Hell is Matt? Dancing Badly Around the World, published earlier this year, Harding tells the stories behind the video. The book is as real and honest as the video version. What makes Harding’s brand of world travel work is his lack of pretense.

This is a guy who likes people who people are drawn to by the droves.

What is made clear in the book is that Harding was as surprised by his success as anyone. He merely started out dancing at various spots around the world and filming his flailing. It was a spontaneous gesture. Once that video gained recognition, Stride gum approached him about round two and that’s when Harding’s life changed.

His book, as well as being an engaging and humorous look at the stories behind the story, delves into issues that can haunt the traveler using the people in various parts of the world for personal gain.

Harding, along with his girlfriend Melissa who held the camera for part of the video, was uncomfortable knowing that he was earning money for his efforts while some of the people he filmed were living in dire conditions. A guy with heart, Harding came up with solutions he–and Melissa, could live with. For example, at the school in Madagascar, Harding made a donation to the school as thanks for allowing the children to participate in his creation.

Making a video of dancing badly is not the easiest endeavor, even though the dancing looks as easy as pie. The shot snorkeling in Vanuatu was a feat in perseverance where a couple of minutes are, thankfully, all that was needed. That’s just one example.

The book also makes clear that Harding had no idea what a treasure he was creating. Even after the video was finished and Harding began promoting it, he had no idea. It wasn’t until he sat down one night to watch it over and over that he knew. When Harding saw his creation from the rest of our eyes, he did what most people who saw it did. He cried.

If there’s a book that will keep you engaged and give you the motivation to keep up the good work of honest, open world traveling in 2010, it’s this one.

Olympic torch: Carrying a flame of peace is not that easy

Conan O’Brien called the bus that was loaded up with the Olympic torch the burning bus. I think that’s what he said. Whatever it was, it got a chuckle from last night’s audience. He was referring to the news story that the Olympic torch was loaded onto a bus outside Paris because protesters kept trying to put it out all the way from London. The protesters are upset about China’s policies in Tibet and Sudan

I first heard about the torch woes yesterday afternoon from a radio news report. From what I heard, the torch was put out and relit a couple of times. It sure didn’t sound like a movie version of a grand athletic event to me. I’m thinking of the kind of event where the music from “Chariots of Fire” plays and everyone moves in slow motion. There’s hugging and cheering, maybe some tears–that kind of thing. Instead, I have images of pushing, shoving, yelling between those who want to put the torch out and those who don’t. The great commotion between onlookers, police officers and protesters, I imagine, might be giving the people who agreed to carry it pause–as in “What was I thinking?” Think a Shakespeare crowd scene. “Put the torch out!” yells some of the crowd. “Save the torch!” yells the bulk of the crowd. “If it’s put out, what will become of us?” The practical crowd members are the ones who saw the writing on the wall and put it on the bus.

Protesters have already scaled the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to put up Tibetan flags against the torch’s appearance in San Francisco tomorrow. Should be an exciting time to see just how this flame fares.

Considering the Olympic Torch Relay symbolizes world love or some such thing, it’s ironic that it’s the target. Actually, the flame means that people should put down their arms in a sacred truce. The arms means guns, but in this case, perhaps it should mean real arms, as in those things attached to people’s bodies. On the other hand, the protesters are making a point. It certainly makes for a twist on the tale of Olympic glory history.

If you’ve got panties, you can contribute to world peace!

First it was those ugly yellow rubber peace bands that became a fashionable accessory because it flaunted your inner most desire for world peace (!?), now it goes ‘inner’ as you can buy panties for peace, but hopefully you won’t be flaunting those too many places.

Jokes apart, if panties can shudder a superstition and bring peace, why the hell not.

Mahatma Gandhi took a vow on celibacy because he believed that if you could control your sexual desire, you could control anything in the world. Perhaps the Asian belief that ‘women’s intimate clothes can take away your power’ has some relation to that thinking(?), which is why an activist group in Burma might make some headway in their protest against the current anti-democratic regime. (See our current series, A Keyhole Into Burma for more on this topic!)

140 panties were delivered to the Burmese embassy in Geneva, but so far it seems no reactions from the embassy have surfaced. Wouldn’t it be priceless candid-camera just to see the faces of Burmese officials as they open boxes of underwear!

Since anything remotely to do with intimacy gets media coverage, not to mention numerous and repeated search hits on the world wide web, the panty-flinging act might just have been a great ploy to get more exposure in the international media.

If you over analyze this mode of activism, there maybe an inspiring lesson for us to learn: if you can grab the intention of all those people who don’t give a rats about peace, be it with panties or whatever tickles your fancy, you can contribute to world peace. Way better than wearing a yellow rubber band, no?

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.