This traveller is bold enough to visit North Korea and eat dog soup. He also has some sage yet surprising travel advice. John Costa, we salute your badassery and anoint thee Wanderer of the Week!
Name: John Edward Costa
Age: 35
Home base: Toronto
No. of countries visited: 22
What I do when I’m not travelling (aka occupation): Combatant in the cubicle-lined halls of government, also known as a policy advisor.
My next stop: Eastern Europe – Poland, Estonia and Latvia – via the UK.
My wildest and craziest adventure was: North Korea. Walking around Pyeongyang and getting drunk with our guides (and unfortunately singing a Celine Dion ballad during karaoke) were highlights (and lowlights). The visit was sandwiched between stops in Japan and China, so it was another one of many contrasts during my first trip to Asia.
Weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten or drank: Dog soup in Kaesong, North Korea. It was slimy. I am convinced when our North Korean handlers had to call ahead to confirm our intention to slurp canine, we ‘reserved’ a little girl’s dog or a search party went out to find a stray.
I’ll never forget that time: My road trip across the USA with my brother. We started in Charleston and ended in San Francisco. We zigzagged across the country trying to see as much as we could, whether it was a former plantation in South Carolina, Southfork Ranch in Dallas or a blues club in Memphis. We stayed in an old miner’s inn and explored mountain passes in Colorado, hiked to Delicate Arch and went on one of America’s most remote roads in Utah, and drove along almost the entire southern rim of Grand Canyon National Park and saw the sun set at the Wupatkia National Monument during an unplanned detour in Arizona.
Most memorable meal: A hot dog at LA’s City Hall during the aforementioned road trip. The less than desirable meal probably tasted so good due to the preceding sequence of events. We stood in line with a city councillor and overheard conversations about an overblown bureaucratic crisis. Before that, we went up to the observation deck. Even though it has one of the best (and free) views of an American city, no one was up there enjoying it. The experience was ordinary, yet it was an authentic glimpse at the unglamorous side of the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’.
One thing on my bucket list is: Visit Africa. My grandparents, uncles and father lived in Angola, and I’ve heard so many stories about their experiences in Africa.
Three things I always pack: iPhone, laptop, and more clothes than I need. Lately, I also always pack my niece’s small stuffed bunny and take photos of it while I’m travelling. One day I’ll show them to her and hopefully inspire her to travel.
My travel advice: Visit a McDonald’s. It’s tacky, but ones in less touristy places are good places to experience everyday life.
Visit places early in the day. Early morning visits to St. Peter’s Basilica and Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto were two of the most spiritual experiences of my life.
Use a ‘circus’ as an excuse to travel and have a unique experience. Going to three Olympics and going on a road trip to New Hampshire for a rally with Obama and Clinton during the 2012 U.S. Election have been travel highlights. An Olympic Games is like no other experience. I crave the feeling of being at one again. It’s my crack.
Talk to people. I’ve likely missed out on a lot while travelling because of debilitating shyness (or perhaps snobbery in the eyes of some). Roam around aimlessly.
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