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ARS\nPOETICA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or the man\nfacing you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My name is\nGabor Csonka. I am 48 and come from Budapest, the capital of Hungary. In the\nlast 14 years I have traveled extensively (155 countries) and completely\nindependently on as low a budget as possible, motivated to discover the real\nworld and its peoples as long as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I planned my\njourney with a very small budget so that I was forced to face and overcome far\nmore difficulties than the average traveler. I wanted to seek new challenges\nand resolve them with the assistance of the people I met. Independent, because\nI have no fixed plan other than to visit some area or culture, allowing the\ncountryside to reveal itself and friendly people to give me a deeper insight\ninto local life and customs. This wandering has taken me across 5 continents\nand 61 countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My favorite\nplace to travel is Asia, but not because I have a degree from a Buddhist University (studying philosophy,\nreligions, art and culture of the East). My instinct attracted me to this\ncontinent where I have found that the ordinary people smile more, and are more\nunderstanding and trusting than in Europe. For\nthose who have traveled extensively in Asia I may have nothing new to say, but\nfor those who are keen to learn about real life on this wonderful continent, I\naim to share my experiences through my writings (mainly in Hungarian and some\nin English), and my photographs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I arrange\nslide- shows for the public to tell them about the countries I have visited,\nand organize exhibitions for my photographs. This is my mission – to show the\nland and people as they really are. Most people have a preconception about Asia based mainly on media reports or travel programmes,\nwhich feature principally the main tourist attractions, and perhaps a little\ngeography learnt at school. They have little real knowledge or understanding of\nthe people or their rich culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And how do I? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am fortunate to have studied cultural anthropology, so I know that the manner in which one arrives at a place can influence how one is received by the local people e.g. to arrive as a typical tourist or as a strange (unusual) man. To reach by bicycle a village over 2000 meters high, or by walking deep into the jungle, brings changes to the local peoples preconceptions. I eat with them, sleep with them and then we can start communicating openly without masks. Sometimes I am the first white man they have seen so I let them know more about us.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course\ntravel without a sponsor is difficult but I have a strong desire to discover\nlands, lives, cultures, so I do so in my own way. When I have to fill in\nquestionnaires I just write as my occupation: traveler. To be truthful I have\ndone so many things in my life I can\u2019t mention all. In Hungary I had a\nregular radio programme reporting about interesting people, thoughts, arts,\ntraditions etc. I was editor of a journal, editing and writing books,\norganizing exhibitions and many other things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Travelling\nand Buddhism, what is the connection? According to the wise people: to accept\nnew things (thoughts) you should put away the old ones, or \u201egive away\neverything and follow me\u201d (as Jesus taught). By giving up the secure life you\ncan achieve (attain) a kind of emptiness. Let things work on us, not knowing\nwhere we will sleep that day, what we will eat, or whom we will meet. As the\nBuddhist monks do. Through this kind of emptiness could come everything. The\nvoid (emptiness) would be filled with everything (life, experience). And\neveryone could do it virtually, through my writings and my photos <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabor Csonka <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vandorboy\n<\/p>\n\n\nngg_shortcode_1_placeholder\n\n\n\n
Vandorboy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the hungarian global nomad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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