fact or fiction
Is it a fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores travel myths to help you avoid making that wrong turn.
Salvation
The scorching sun announced an imminent death sentence. The dry hairs on the lonely sailor’s arms sizzled and singed, and the skin of his salty, matted forearms were practically on fire; but the man no longer cared. He had already reached the point beyond caring days ago. Dehydration caused his eyelids to disobey its natural habit of lowering to protect his vulnerable eyes, his nose hurt as he inhaled the salty air, and his bloated tongue threatened to retreat into his cotton-dry throat. Yet, there he sat, surrounded by endless water that could never be touched, even though he knew the end was near.
Vernillia BurgherPublished 4 years ago in WanderThe Wandering Traveler
The rustle of leaves shaking in the pleasant breeze; the splashing of narrow streams flowing downhill; the chirping of birds perched on all levels of tree branches. All of these sounds flowed melodiously together, as if they were performing an orchestral piece for an engaged audience. However, such an audience did not exist; there was, instead, only one listener: a young girl, quietly traversing through the forest of music.
Wandering through the cold
Sal woke up in a daze, his heavy eyes looking around the room. A small hotel like room. The blinds are shut and so he can’t make out the rooms features. He’s confused and wonders where he’s at. He sees someone sitting on a chair beside him and they looked quite androgynous to him. He asks them where he is, they reply that he’s at a resort of some type. After a short period of silence they introduce themself as Cam. They explain what happened to him and seemed to shake while doing so. How he found his body limp, bloodied, and partially covered in snow, and how they rescued him. Sals mind was washed over with the feeling of guilt. He thanked him but afterwards apologized profusely and all the while calling himself an idiot for wandering off trail. Even if it wasn’t intentional. Cam told him to calm down and rest, he still looked pale and weak. It took some convincing but he did eventually. His heavy eyes closing, only this time he was warm and cozy. With a warm blanket wrapped around him. Cam went out to grab something for him to eat. Walking down the hallway he saw a restaurant that seemed fairly good. At least that’s what he was told. So he booked a reservation there and went back to his room. About half an hour passes and Sal wakes back up. Feeling better he gets out of the bed and walks toward Cam. They jump a little, but then laugh a bit when they see him standing beside themself. Cam tells him that he booked of them a reservation at the restaurant here. Sal looks at him surprised and replies that he really didn’t have too. They chuckle and respond that it’s really no problem. Cam offered Sal some of their clothes to borrow until he goes back home. To which Sal, who’s slightly embarrassed, accepts his offer. So both of them get changed into some nicer clothes. Sal walks out of the bathroom slightly red in the face. Cam compliments Sal on how he looks and Sal replies with a witty joke stating that it’s their clothes he’s wearing. Both of them share a laugh and walk towards the restaurant for dinner.
NotCreativeTobyPublished 4 years ago in WanderWandering through the cold
It’s a freezing negative fifteen degrees and Sal, a healthy twenty five year old, is finding his way back from a long hike. He notices a bridge near by and a sign next to it covered in snow. He thinks to himself if he should read it, just in case there’s anything important. Inevitably he doesn’t and walks across the bridge to try and find his way back. After he crosses he looks around at the snow glistening in the sun, and he hears the faint sound of water rushing behind him. The sound of a raven cawing also passes by. Five minutes pass and Sals legs have started to feel warm and ache horribly, his hands have started to go numb too. He looks up at the sky and notices the sun beginning to set in the distance. A beautiful mixture of pinks, yellows, and oranges cascading across while soft clouds float by. Seeing this causes him to panic, he runs further into the woods following what looks like his footprints and something that looks like ski tracks next to it. Sals heavy breathing mixed with the cold temperatures makes his chest hurt. While running he trips and looses his balance for a second, then tumbles onto a piece of metal protruding from the ground. In a panic, he rips off a piece of cloth from his shirt and ties off the wound to keep it from bleeding out. He then finds another small piece of cloth in his coat pocket. After thinking to himself why he didn’t use it, Sal tries to cover his mouth with this musty smelling handkerchief to make things easier but it doesn’t help much. As he’s wandering deeper into the wooded area he grows more delirious and anxious. Checking his phone he has one bar left for signal and very little battery life left. He calls for help, but his words are jumbled and speech in general is slurred. The deeper he goes, the more it feels like his body is fighting against him. He’s gone entirely numb, his vision goes blank, and not so soon after he has fallen unconscious. The cloth tied around his leg has gone undone, and he’s now bleeding profusely. It’s started snowing, huge flakes of crystallized water slowly start to burry Sals limp but still living body. His breathing has slowed significantly, and it looks like nobody came for him. Then at what seems like the last second, someone finds him laying there and rushes over to his side. They check for a pulse, and once they find out he’s still alive they pick him up. They don’t know if there’s any hope for him, but they carry him out to their truck and call for help. They tie off his wound again to attempt to stop the bleeding and starts his truck to get him warm. As the engine rumbles and their gloves are soaked in a red metallic smelling liquid, they look at down at Sal, still unsure if he’ll make it out okay.
NotCreativeTobyPublished 4 years ago in WanderMOROCCO
MOROCCO I was thinking about this trip for a long, long time. So many things happened in life, I was never really free to go. As a photographer, videographer, and someone who loves to document life, Morocco was a dream destination for me.
Rijan HamidovicPublished 4 years ago in WanderMissed Connections
A stiffly uniformed employee offered a shrug to the harried young woman on the other side of the desk. “I’m sorry, but we only have one flight to Heathrow each day. You missed today’s, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the next one.” The airline counter agent turned her gaze away from Kara and motioned for the next delayed passenger in line to come to her desk.
Jessica LippePublished 4 years ago in WanderOver-Tourism: An irreparable damage to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu was built around 1450 and the magnificence of its location nestled among the slopes of the Andes-Jungle of Peru, made it listed among the 7 wonders of the world (Brodersen, 2016). After its rediscovered in 1911, for many years it preserved the natural and authentic infrastructures: no ladders, no signs, no repaired roofs and completely pathless. It remained authentic and magnificent until UNESCO declared Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site in 1983, capturing the attention of international and local stakeholders (UNESCO, 2012).
Maria Paz UniversePublished 4 years ago in WanderThe Plane Trip
Our classroom was the 3rd one to be called up to go through the metal detector and get our luggage checked by security. I breathed in and slowly breathed out; just the thought of leaving the solid ground in a plane made me slightly queasy. Two lines down I heard BEEP BEEP BEEP, one of the alarms must have gone off. A few people including me covered our ears with our hands to block out the loud noise the machine made. There was no serious reason the detector went off, it was just a kid that was not with us trying to sneak his phone with him, I’m guessing his parents got mad at him and told him he lost his phone privileges or something around that topic.
Lillian HiersPublished 4 years ago in WanderAm I Stuck?
Lately it seems that most of the books I’ve been reading or seeing more of are those about people who just get up and leave. Either something major happened in their life, or they just were not happy with how things were going, so they packed up their entire life and left. They either just left where they were from and took a shot in a new city with no real plan on what was next or they decided to take a shot at some crazy adventure, traveling or going on a near impossible hike. And here I am. Haven’t really travelled, working a steady job, paying rent in a big city, trying to make a name for myself. All this going for me and I feel stuck.
Hannah ElliottPublished 4 years ago in WanderSantiago de Compostela - The History Of The Lighthouse of Spirituality
Millions of people from across the globe have walked the legendary path that is the Camino de Santiago, and ended their journey at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Let's take a look at how the city of Santiago de Compostela, the lighthouse of spirituality, was founded.
Samantha WilsonPublished 5 years ago in WanderBreaking the British Stereotype
Ah, Britain; the tea-drinking, Queen-loving, top-hat-wearing, la-di-da snobby country that everyone's heard of. The very country that specialises in football, 'I heart Queen Elizabeth' t-shirts, and of course, tea bags.
The Ocean's Call
The ocean breeze swept through the curtains hanging over the door that lead outside, washing the scent of saltwater throughout the room and over my sleeping form. The cool air stirred me and I opened my eyes slowly, a small smile gracing my face. This place was… beautiful. A paradise I never wanted to leave. The sound of the waves crashing against the sand bringing a sense of peacefulness.
Bryce PlastridgePublished 5 years ago in Wander