Published: October 10, 2008 02:35 pm            

Globetrotters

By Tiffany Green

TGREEN@CULLMANTIMES.COM



Two Cullman teens recently had the opportunity of a lifetime. The two life long friends took a five week road trip around the world.

“We have dreamed of doing this since about the fifth grade and each year we added to where we wanted to go,” said Nathan Harvell.

Over the summer the two 18 year-old Cullman High graduates, Harvell and Spencer Hale, made their dream a reality.

“We just wanted to see the world and be on an adventure and get away from Cullman for a little while,” Harvell said.

The two became more serious about the idea in about the ninth grade. Harvell said they started discussing where they would go and started saving up money. They also let their parents know of their plans, so they could also start saving.

The pair started in Chicago, then headed to London. From London they took a train to Belgium, then on to Holland, and then another train to Paris. From Paris they rode an overnight train to Barcelona, Spain before flying to Florence, Italy, then took a train to Rome. From Rome they went to Germany, then on to Beijing. After two weeks in Beijing, they flew to Ontario, Canada then to Denver, then back home from Birmingham. They made a loop around the world, starting on the east coast and returning on the west coast.

Some of the most memorable experiences were the different types of food around the world.

“In China we saw snakes, fried sea horses and scorpions that you could eat,” said Harvell. “But I didn’t try any of that.”

China had a market where tourists could try different foods, Harvell said. Some of the most notable were cow stomachs and pig testicles. He said this foods are not common everywhere in China, just at this special market.

Harvell noted how good the food was around the world.

“The food everywhere was very good,” said Harvell. “But no one knew what a refill was.”

He said that the best cuisine was found in Italy and China.

“The food in China was a lot better there than the American-Chinese food,” said Harvell.

Beijing is known for its roasted duck, which Harvell said was very good. They serve the entire duck, stuffed with vegetables, sauces and tortillas.

“The Italian food was amazing,” Harvell said. “It was a whole lot better than here.”

After visiting so many countries and seeing so much history, Harvell said he could not pinpoint a favorite spot.

“Each country was amazing in their own way and all have something different to offer,” Harvell said.

As for the language barrier in each country, Harvell said they managed well.

“I know some French and Spanish and Spencer knows basic Chinese, so we made it,” Harvell said.

Harvell said he had to use clue words and he got by just fine.

“You can easily get confused if you’re not careful,” Harvell said. “But if you make an effort, its appreciated.”

Sometimes is was hard to order, especially in France, so they often used hand motions, he said.

“Even though I took French and Spanish in high school, it is much harder to use once you get there,” Harvell said.

“We would motion like if we wanted a hamburger, that was an easy one,” he said.

Harvell said the highlight of the trip was attending some of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Spencer’s father, Trevor Hale has lived and worked in Beijing for the past four years. Spencer has spent a six month period in Beijing and knows how to speak a little Chinese. Their longest stay on this trip was in Beijing, where they stayed for two weeks.

“We got here before the Olympics started, so we saw the city getting more and more crowded,” Harvell said.

They stayed close to the Bird’s Nest, one of the staudiums built in Beijing especially for the Olympics.

“We sat on the roof-top to see the opening ceremonies,” Harvell said. “We couldn’t get tickets because they were so expensive.”

While in Beijing, the teens attended the USA vs. Angola basketball game, a soccer game between Italy and Cameron and an Australian soccer game. They saw women’s beach volleyball game between Japan and US and men’s beach volleyball between China and Austria.

“The Olympics were great because it feels like the world is unified because everybody cheers everybody on,” Harvell said.

Harvell commented on how the Chinese loved NBA star Kobe Bryant.

“They went crazy for Kobe,” Harvell said. “Our favorite game was the basketball because we got to see all the NBA stars and the crowd really liked and cheered all of them on.”

Throughout all the venues there were military and security personnel. Occasionally there would be military marches down the street to show their presence, Harvell said. But he commented how friendly the Chinese were.

“Random people off the street would want to take pictures of us all the time while in China and walking down the street,” Harvell said. “Of all the countries we visited, the Chinese were the friendliest.”

He said traveling the world taught Harvell to appreciate the freedoms he has in America.

“I do like living in America because we have rights,” Harvell said.

        

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