Foreign people that meet me seem to be universally amazed that I know anything at all about their country of origin.
Sometimes, I seem to know more.....which makes for some awkward conversations. However, I have noticed that it makes great conversation to ask about possible things to do and see in the Maldives, Madrid, or Madras - which is now Chennai for those with up to date maps.
I've always wanted to explore anything and everything. I MUST explore every nook and cranny in new areas. so it makes sense that I would become fascinated by maps at an early age. Gifts for birthdays in the single digits almost always included an atlas here and there. Over time, I had built one in my head.
And then Google Earth came out. I forgot how much like crack reading atlases were to my mind, and now I'm even more geo-aware. Braggart? You bet :-)
And then I found things online that lets me complete my picture. So here are the tools necessary:
1. Google Earth. See the map.
2. Flickr. Search for what it looks like.
3. Panoramio. Explore picture on a map. Like crack for me.
I do it for fun. For a great experience, start with Western Mongolia, Kamchatka Russia, obscure Brazilian and Argentinian areas (trust me it's beautiful), and green mountain ranges in the middle of the US western desert.
Hold on, I just found out how beautiful islands-in-the-middle-of-absolutely-nowhere are.
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