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Published: January 12th 2012
" I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you"
In the movie Taken,Liam Neeson growls these words into the telephone when he finds out his daughter has been abducted in Paris by Albanian human traffickers. Obviously Liam isn't going to take this attack on his family sitting down and he basically goes on a rampage through Europe and KILLS EVERY MOTHERFUCKER. Because he is Liam Neeson. It's what he does.
I saw Taken a couple of years ago when someone in the house ordered it on Netflix. It was okay and I forgot about it. Until I started telling people about my plans to go on a month long trip to Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. My friend Ian recited the above monologue to me in perfect seriousness. My mom went on and on about safety and then sighed and said, "Oh that movie. I'll search every brothel for you."
"Damnit, Mom. Are you talking about Taken??"
"Yes, uggg. It was just horrible. We would come and find you."
A friend of mine said to Margo, "Hannah is going off on this big trip. It's crazy, she is going to get kidnapped. Like that movie Taken."
It confuses me that the movie Taken has become simultaneous with my trip to SE Asia. I am not a 16 year old girl, nor am I going to Europe. It's not my first trip out into the big bad world and yet the worries continue.
"Hannah, I worry for you. People in my country will try and take adventage of you," said Phuong in a motherly tone as we talked about Vietnam.
My co-teacher Maria also had something to contribute.
"You are cute. I worry for you."
Sigh.
Being small, blonde, and somewhat naive makes people think I'm helpless. An idea I don't always try to oppose. But by this time in my life, traveling doesn't scare me. The unknown is exciting and I know now that nothing will ever go to plan. I'll probably get scammed, lost, or end up in a shitty situtation because that is just a part of travel.
My last big trip was in 2007 through Italy and Greece with my friend Melissa for a month. I re-read my first ever travel blog to see if I had been nervous and it was the opposite. "
Rome is breathtaking. It is unreal. I have only driven around the city so far and will explore by foot tomorrow but damnit it is amazing. The architecture is just gorgeous. Everything around me feels so old world and I wish it was less crowded here because if so Rome would have a wonderful vibe. It really makes us feel as though you have taken a time machine back in time. I saw the Colosseum today. Just drove past it. WHAT THE FUCK"
I wouldn't say my writing style has changed much. Lots of cursing and grandiose claims. But my travel style has. I researched that trip for 6 months. SIX MONTHS. I had an itinerary down. I had a money belt, practical shoes, and guidebooks. Now I have random scraps of paper with food I want to eat and bookstores. A very loose itinerary and I just started researching hardcore last week (which hasn't failed to stress me out). No money belt and I had to force myself to put away the heels. Besides the complication of border crossings and visas, I'm not very worried about travel anymore. Let the gods roll the dice. Let the tourists have their guidebooks. I'm ready for an adventure.
And if things go badly, there is always Liam Neeson.
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Wendy West
non-member comment
Don't Worry....
....I'll come with your Mom and Liam to find you...searching brothels would be a very interesting new travel adventure for me! AND hope you can get to Lau Prabang in Laos!