Is it really difficult to travel the world and still remain vegetarian?
I’m a software consultant by profession. I started ‘serious’ traveling for professional reasons when I went to Hong Kong/South Korea for a business visit for one month. I did not speak Korean and did not know anyone else who spoke Korean. Being a vegetarian compounded the problem as I struggled to get the message across in hotels.
But it amazes me how human mind works. On my second visit to the restaurant, I again faced the problem of what to eat. I took the paper tissue kept on the table and drew a chicken on it. Then I put a BIG cross on it. Then I drew a four-legged animal and again drew a cross across it. Then it was the turn of the fish and again a big cross.
The photo above: Konigsee, Germany. The world is beautiful!
Then I drew an Egg next to the chicken I drew earlier and put a BIG YES tick on it (like the Nike logo). Then something with leaves again a yes there.
The waitress could not believe what was going on, but at the end of it she was amazed and gave a huge smile that she understood.
She also called her manager to see this weird fellow’s drawings and both of them laughed and put fingers on some menu options on the menu card. I ordered one of it and found that I indeed got an egg fried rice.
However later I got better. Next day, I requested one of my colleagues who could write a bit of English to write some common things for me in Korean (including one that said ‘I’m a vegetarian – no meat or fish for me. Egg is fine’) and later on only thing I had to do was to carry that paper with me and show the message.
In my next trip to South Korea, I had managed to buy English / Korean book of common phrases, had picked up the Hangul script. So I could easily write and read things correctly, although I could not tell what it means due to my limited vocabulary.
I would like to make it clear that I’m not an expert in traveling or travel guide or have anything to do with the travel industry. I’m just a web enthusiast and an avid traveler. I wish to visit at least 25 countries before I retire.
The photo above: Eiffel Tower, Paris – My favorite place so far
Later it was the turn of England, again for professional reasons. I made full use of my stay in England to visit Scotland, Frace, Holland, Switzerland (all more than once), Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Spain.
On this website, I want to inform you about not only places in England, but also want to tell you about practical itineraries that worked for me.
I also want to write about travel planning in general. One day I also wish to write on all the countries I visited and the experiences I had. If visitors like the website, they may be in the future I can recover some costs by advertising. Unfortunately, I’m at least 10 years late to make a living on a dot com 🙂
Sometimes people do ask me what are my favorite places in whatever I have seen so far?
Well, it’s:
- Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
- Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany
- Trafalgar square / Westminister, London, England
- Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Holland
- Backwaters of Kerala, India
I wish I could visit so many more places in years to come that the list keeps on growing!
Traveling by Train in England and London – Information on getting and reading your train ticket, the high speed, and regional train system; a link to training schedules.
More Info On-Â Air travel England