It rained even harder this evening.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wat Po and Chatuchak
How to describe Wat Po? This is the third time I have been here, but the most impactful. Wat Po is where the Reclining Buddha is housed, the largest reclining Buddha in the world. There are no words to describe it, so I think I will not try. And the few pictures I've inserted can not do it justice.
There is a walking meditation you can do at Wat Po. You take a cup of coins, and drop them, one by one, in metal bowls which line the length of the Wat. It put me in such a personal, contemplative space, that when I walked to the next building, I forgot to tell Noah where I was going. After about a half an hour, I went to find him. I searched for another half hour before giving up. I had some degree of confidence that he could find his way home. And sure enough, he was reading in our hotel room whading in our hotel room when I arrived. This gave me more confidence about our future travels together, as he longs for more independence. Noah has missed talking to people his own age. We've talked about staying in different hotels so he can have more independent experiences. He thinks he is ready to do that in India.
Besides going to Wat Po in the late afternoon yesterday, we also went to Chatuchak, one of the largest weekend markets in the world. We spent a good part of the day theregood part of the day there. Traveling for a year frees me from shopping. My pack is already too heavy. I spent a long time nursing an ice coffee while Noah explored the 10,000 stalls.
There is a walking meditation you can do at Wat Po. You take a cup of coins, and drop them, one by one, in metal bowls which line the length of the Wat. It put me in such a personal, contemplative space, that when I walked to the next building, I forgot to tell Noah where I was going. After about a half an hour, I went to find him. I searched for another half hour before giving up. I had some degree of confidence that he could find his way home. And sure enough, he was reading in our hotel room whading in our hotel room when I arrived. This gave me more confidence about our future travels together, as he longs for more independence. Noah has missed talking to people his own age. We've talked about staying in different hotels so he can have more independent experiences. He thinks he is ready to do that in India.
Besides going to Wat Po in the late afternoon yesterday, we also went to Chatuchak, one of the largest weekend markets in the world. We spent a good part of the day theregood part of the day there. Traveling for a year frees me from shopping. My pack is already too heavy. I spent a long time nursing an ice coffee while Noah explored the 10,000 stalls.
8/29: The Rain and connection
It is raining really hard, like it never rained in Seattle, and for a very long time. I don't know if I will go to Ayuthaya today. I don't know if there will be flooding and how it will affect train travel.
I am the only person in the hotel restaurant, in the outside covered section. I have always been really attracted to intense weather, maybe because of growing up in Las Vegas and not experiencing it. I remember at university, in Santa Cruz, when it was really storming, I would dress warmly and go outside. There is something cleansing about it. Maybe it is a reminder of our small place in this vast and powerful earth - a good reminder of the illusion of control we sometimes try to maintain. Or maybe it is an opening of our senses to the larger reality that we are part of. I also remember when I first moved to Santa Cruz, and being amazed by the smells. My nose was always stuffed growing up in the dry desert. The sea air of Santa Cruz opened up this sense for me. There were times in Santa Cruz that I would walk about with my eyes closed, amazed by the reality of smell, adding another layer to my limited sense of reality. It makes me wonder how many more clues there are of our connection to the earth that we are, at times, too dense to appreciate. There is something about getting "lighter," carrying less on our back or in our mind which provides our heart the opportunity to connect to a greater reality, a reminder that the more we carry to protect ourself, the more insulated we get, and the more "separate." Weather, like travel, shows us that there is nothing to fear from being vulnerable. In fact, it is the space of vulnerability where we can appreciate our connections.
I am the only person in the hotel restaurant, in the outside covered section. I have always been really attracted to intense weather, maybe because of growing up in Las Vegas and not experiencing it. I remember at university, in Santa Cruz, when it was really storming, I would dress warmly and go outside. There is something cleansing about it. Maybe it is a reminder of our small place in this vast and powerful earth - a good reminder of the illusion of control we sometimes try to maintain. Or maybe it is an opening of our senses to the larger reality that we are part of. I also remember when I first moved to Santa Cruz, and being amazed by the smells. My nose was always stuffed growing up in the dry desert. The sea air of Santa Cruz opened up this sense for me. There were times in Santa Cruz that I would walk about with my eyes closed, amazed by the reality of smell, adding another layer to my limited sense of reality. It makes me wonder how many more clues there are of our connection to the earth that we are, at times, too dense to appreciate. There is something about getting "lighter," carrying less on our back or in our mind which provides our heart the opportunity to connect to a greater reality, a reminder that the more we carry to protect ourself, the more insulated we get, and the more "separate." Weather, like travel, shows us that there is nothing to fear from being vulnerable. In fact, it is the space of vulnerability where we can appreciate our connections.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Kaosan Road
It is just past midnight - my 26th anniversary just ended. I am back in Bangkok on Kaosan road. It is such an odd scene. I guess I can't say it is not Thailand, for at some level it is the essence of Thailand - tourism gone wild, alcohol, sex, international, and loud music everywhere. It is primarily populated with young back packers - tanned, long hair, few clothes, pierced and tattooed. Not exactly my scene. 25 years ago I didn't fit in either, though there is something attractive about this subculture, for it is vibrant.
>
The streets of Kaosan Road area stay busy all night long. The taxis roam slowly down the streets like sharks. Every once in a while one gets approached by prostitutes, or rickshaw or cab drivers offering to take you to "sex massage." Some of the most beautiful Thai "girls" are actually men - tall, slender and a little bit too much make up. There are also Thais rolling their food carts of dried squid, fruit and fruit juices, or phad thai. And there are the shorter, more ornately dressed hill tribe women with their frog-croaking instruments, or older Western men arm in arm with their Thai "girl friends." It is quite a scene.
On another note, I found my favorite squid restaurant, hidden on a small street at the end of an alley way. It is funny how my memory, which works so poorly, seems to always remember the way to my favorite food shops around the world.
>
The streets of Kaosan Road area stay busy all night long. The taxis roam slowly down the streets like sharks. Every once in a while one gets approached by prostitutes, or rickshaw or cab drivers offering to take you to "sex massage." Some of the most beautiful Thai "girls" are actually men - tall, slender and a little bit too much make up. There are also Thais rolling their food carts of dried squid, fruit and fruit juices, or phad thai. And there are the shorter, more ornately dressed hill tribe women with their frog-croaking instruments, or older Western men arm in arm with their Thai "girl friends." It is quite a scene.
On another note, I found my favorite squid restaurant, hidden on a small street at the end of an alley way. It is funny how my memory, which works so poorly, seems to always remember the way to my favorite food shops around the world.
8/28: Hua Hin and College buddy
Michael and Anna at the Chao Phraya river restaurant
Noah and I just spent three days in Hua Hin, 3 hours south of Bangkok on the east coast of the isthmus, with my old he isthmus, with my old college buddy Michael Deland. He has lived in Thailand for 10 years, and has been married to Anna for six years. It was a wonderful stay. Besides catching up on old times, we ate really good food - squid on a stick, as well as a delicious home cooked meal, visited a monkey temple, had long walks on the beach and gulf course (where they live), and had two massages trying to work out the kinks in my hip (and, you can never have too many massages). They drove us back to Bangkok and treated us to a delicious meal on the Chao Phraya, as well as a lovely time shopping for tile for the renovation of their new condo.
On Sunday we will go to the ancient capitol of Ayuthaya for a few days, then head to Calcutta (now called Kolkata) on Wednesday. Getting an Indian visa and international airline tickets have put a crimp in my style, but once we arrive in India, we should be more free to not plan. I am looking forward to that.
Fai (the nanny), Lena (10 months), Anna, Ryan (4 years), and Michael
Hua Hin above, and the monkey temple with Noah, Michael and monkeys (below)
On Sunday we will go to the ancient capitol of Ayuthaya for a few days, then head to Calcutta (now called Kolkata) on Wednesday. Getting an Indian visa and international airline tickets have put a crimp in my style, but once we arrive in India, we should be more free to not plan. I am looking forward to that.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Street food and our home
Bangkok may have the most delicious street food in the world. I am excited to see how India challenges that claim.
This is our hotel restaurant, and below is a view of our street.
8/25: 2000 steps
As we ferried down the Chao Praya, the main river through Bangkok, Noah saw this dilapidated building, and had to walk to it. I was hesitant as we got closer, with the fence around it, the sickly dog, and the state of disrepair. But Noah wanted to continue. We accidentally woke the security guard, who offered to walk us to the top, 50 floors, for 200 Bhat ($6). I only made it to floor 37, going my own 50 year old pace, but Noah and the guard made it all the way. He said it was the best thing he had done so far.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
8/23: Hong Kong Images
Our last two hours in Hong Kong were spent with Alan and Carmen Stewart, friends of friends, who live in Discovery Bay, a short ferry ride from Hong Kong. We met them on our way to the airport. The two hours we spent together were very memorable. They are sweet and amazing people. I appreciate their graciousness and hospitality. When hearts meet hearts, only good things can happen.
flower market
, mangosteens, and bird market
flower market
, mangosteens, and bird market
Saturday, August 22, 2009
8/22: Bangkok
I just received this image from Christy of Noah and me at the airport in Seattle just before we left on this adventure.
We arrived in Bangkok at 1AM last night. Noah is still sleeping. I have already had breakfast, found another hotel which has a room we can actually walk in, and had a one hour massage to work through my sore hip and back (not quite in the backpacking mode yet). Only one minute left on the coin driven Internet cafe meter. More later.
Friday, August 21, 2009
8/21: My story today
I finally gave up trying to sleep at around 4AM and went out for a walk. Unfortunately, the only place open was McDonalds. I bought a coffee and walked to the harbor. I sat and watched the waves and the silhouetted skyscrapers of Hong Kong island across the bay.
Travel is an opportunity of becoming, as if the compass no longer needs to point north. What "me" will emerge? who will I grow into? Maybe a more important question is, am I ready to embrace it? Each moment is a new embracing, or a new opportunity to embrace what is. Can I let go of what has been or what I wish will come, and just be?
I liked the little story above which I just wrote. But something about it felt false, or at least incomplete. and then I realized that I am just telling myself a story. And that freed me and woke me up and I felt connected and open to what will happen next.
It's identity that wants a story. It's ego searching. My mantra today is, "It's just a story." It is not about denying the story, but seeing the story as just a story. And that is where I am at right now, and it's okay. Maybe my mantra will be, "What story am I telling myself now?"
Travel is an opportunity of becoming, as if the compass no longer needs to point north. What "me" will emerge? who will I grow into? Maybe a more important question is, am I ready to embrace it? Each moment is a new embracing, or a new opportunity to embrace what is. Can I let go of what has been or what I wish will come, and just be?
I liked the little story above which I just wrote. But something about it felt false, or at least incomplete. and then I realized that I am just telling myself a story. And that freed me and woke me up and I felt connected and open to what will happen next.
It's identity that wants a story. It's ego searching. My mantra today is, "It's just a story." It is not about denying the story, but seeing the story as just a story. And that is where I am at right now, and it's okay. Maybe my mantra will be, "What story am I telling myself now?"
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
8/19: Only one full day in Hong Kong
It is hard to believe that we have had only one full day in Hong Kong. It feels like so much more. Hong Kong has changes so much in the 25 years since Christy and I were here. Kowloon is no longer the dirty (but with personality) place I remember. Promenade on the water with "no smoking" signs and art sculptures everywhere, including a sculpture of Bruce Lee. There is now Gucci and Starbucks and the largest mall I have ever seen. Noah and I spent the day at outdoor markets. First the flea market, full of tech stuff, then the flower market, the bird market, and finally the fish and animal market. We had delicious dim sum for lunch, though I didn't order any seafood, so that Noah would eat also (the compromises we make for our loved ones). Oh yes, and I found mangosteens at the fruit market!
Noah is loving Hong Kong. He says he could live here. He loves the energy, the late nights, and the pace (though slower than NY, he says). He has been out late both nights, experiencing HK as only a 19 year old can.
Our room is like a jail cell ("Smaller than a jail cell," says Noah). It is only big enough for a bunk bed and the opening of a door, though we do have a bathroom. Noah first said we have to find a new place, but now, after the air conditioning has kicked in, he says he likes the place, or at least, that it has grown on him.
On my walk this morning I found Portuguese egg tarts! yea! I am so much not in the "travel mode." While eating egg tarts my mind was else where and "else when" - thinking of other places and other times. While sitting on the board walk looking at Hong Kong island, my thoughts roamed. Right now the present is doing battle with past and future events, anxieties and imaginings. I am forever learning how to hold my "issues" gently. Byron Katie wrote, "If you are living your life, and I am living your life, then who is living mine?" Which is to say, If I am reliving my past, and projecting my future, then who is living my present?
Noah is loving Hong Kong. He says he could live here. He loves the energy, the late nights, and the pace (though slower than NY, he says). He has been out late both nights, experiencing HK as only a 19 year old can.
Our room is like a jail cell ("Smaller than a jail cell," says Noah). It is only big enough for a bunk bed and the opening of a door, though we do have a bathroom. Noah first said we have to find a new place, but now, after the air conditioning has kicked in, he says he likes the place, or at least, that it has grown on him.
On my walk this morning I found Portuguese egg tarts! yea! I am so much not in the "travel mode." While eating egg tarts my mind was else where and "else when" - thinking of other places and other times. While sitting on the board walk looking at Hong Kong island, my thoughts roamed. Right now the present is doing battle with past and future events, anxieties and imaginings. I am forever learning how to hold my "issues" gently. Byron Katie wrote, "If you are living your life, and I am living your life, then who is living mine?" Which is to say, If I am reliving my past, and projecting my future, then who is living my present?
Monday, August 17, 2009
8/17 travel morning haiku
Sunday, August 16, 2009
8/16: Leaving tomorrow and the first moment
It is 5AM. Tomorrow Noah and I leave for Asia. As I sit on my deck looking at the smallest sliver of a moon, and Venus, I contemplate how I feel. Yesterday Christy asked me if I remember how I felt the first time I went traveling. I told her that I remember places and events, but not how I felt. But the moon and Venus reminded me.
I do remember my first moment during my first trip to Asia. I was 20 years old. I knew that after my sophomore year at UC Santa Cruz, I would leave, because the school would want me to pick a major, and I wasn’t ready. I ended up going to India. The plane landed in Dum Dum Airport in Calcutta. I remember seeing and hearing other young travelers cheer as they got off the plane. I remember feeling that first humid breath of tropical Calcutta air. And I remember knowing how inappropriate cheering would be for me. I felt an overwhelming, humbling experience – as if I was in a temple, as if I was embarking on something sacred. For me, it was a very quiet moment.
That is how I feel right now.
I do remember my first moment during my first trip to Asia. I was 20 years old. I knew that after my sophomore year at UC Santa Cruz, I would leave, because the school would want me to pick a major, and I wasn’t ready. I ended up going to India. The plane landed in Dum Dum Airport in Calcutta. I remember seeing and hearing other young travelers cheer as they got off the plane. I remember feeling that first humid breath of tropical Calcutta air. And I remember knowing how inappropriate cheering would be for me. I felt an overwhelming, humbling experience – as if I was in a temple, as if I was embarking on something sacred. For me, it was a very quiet moment.
That is how I feel right now.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
8/13: Traveling with Noah
I have been thinking about this sabbatical for 5 years, ever since Noah graduated from Evergreen School. I told my headmaster at that time that I would take a sabbatical year when Natan graduated. The boys would then be old enough and independent enough not to be too much of a burden on Christy being a single parent for a year.
The original sabbatical plan had been to do some traveling and some writing. I have a year-long, project-oriented math curriculum based on architecture that I thought would be worth trying to publish. For a number of reasons, the planned changed to a year on the road.
When Noah graduated from Evergreen School, I promised him a trip abroad. I had envisioned a summer trip. Only recently did the two plans merge.
And now I contemplate what it will be like to travel with a 19 year old. I have always loved traveling alone. It gives me such freedom to not plan. Noah has mentioned numerous times over these last few months that he also wants that experience and adventure of traveling alone during this trip. I hope he gains the comfort, experience and confidence to do it.
In the mean time, we will be together, which I am overjoyed and a little anxious about. Though I have been the main care-taker of my boys (they have each been with me at Evergreen School since they were 6 months old), I have never spent this amount of intense time with either. It will be a new adventure in fatherhood. I am pretty sure I will need to let go, to some degree, of our defined relationship of father and son, and learn to be a partner with Noah.
I went to a workshop a few days ago on “Contemplative Listening and Compassionate Action,” and realized there that I was being presented with a model for a travel partner. I am leaving it up to Noah to determine the itinerary. I am hoping that I can model some of what I have learned about flexibility and acceptance, which means letting go of 19 years of experience, which I am sure has dug some deep trenches in my relationship with Noah. But I know that one cannot help but grow while traveling, so I am optimistic.
I guess it is somewhat like my role as an educator. I am at my best when I am a facilitator for “opening doors,” as opposed to “the expert.” My 22 years of teaching “gifted” children has taught me that they are much smarter than me. Sometimes the best teaching strategy is to just get out of the way. I look forward to learning from Noah, and growing our bond.
The original sabbatical plan had been to do some traveling and some writing. I have a year-long, project-oriented math curriculum based on architecture that I thought would be worth trying to publish. For a number of reasons, the planned changed to a year on the road.
When Noah graduated from Evergreen School, I promised him a trip abroad. I had envisioned a summer trip. Only recently did the two plans merge.
And now I contemplate what it will be like to travel with a 19 year old. I have always loved traveling alone. It gives me such freedom to not plan. Noah has mentioned numerous times over these last few months that he also wants that experience and adventure of traveling alone during this trip. I hope he gains the comfort, experience and confidence to do it.
In the mean time, we will be together, which I am overjoyed and a little anxious about. Though I have been the main care-taker of my boys (they have each been with me at Evergreen School since they were 6 months old), I have never spent this amount of intense time with either. It will be a new adventure in fatherhood. I am pretty sure I will need to let go, to some degree, of our defined relationship of father and son, and learn to be a partner with Noah.
I went to a workshop a few days ago on “Contemplative Listening and Compassionate Action,” and realized there that I was being presented with a model for a travel partner. I am leaving it up to Noah to determine the itinerary. I am hoping that I can model some of what I have learned about flexibility and acceptance, which means letting go of 19 years of experience, which I am sure has dug some deep trenches in my relationship with Noah. But I know that one cannot help but grow while traveling, so I am optimistic.
I guess it is somewhat like my role as an educator. I am at my best when I am a facilitator for “opening doors,” as opposed to “the expert.” My 22 years of teaching “gifted” children has taught me that they are much smarter than me. Sometimes the best teaching strategy is to just get out of the way. I look forward to learning from Noah, and growing our bond.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
8/11: Packing list
| Below is my packing list (similar to what I use with my students). It might be a useful document for anyone planning a trip. Packing for a year is the same as packing for a week. It is also useful to remember that just about anything you need you can purchase overseas, and if you are traveling in Asia, then it will be a fraction of the cost as in the U.S. | ||
| CLOTHES | ||
| 2 pair long pants/ or 1 pant and 1 capri | ||
| long skirt | ||
| 1-2 long sleeve shirts | ||
| one light outer layer | ||
| 1-2 pairs shorts | ||
| bathing suit | ||
| 4-5 short sleeve shirts | ||
| something comfortable to sleep in | ||
| tennis shoes | ||
| sandals (rubber) | ||
| 3-4 pairs socks | ||
| 5 pair underwear | ||
| 2 bras | ||
| sun hat | ||
| TOILETRIES | ||
| mosquito repellant | ||
| anti itch lotion (for mosquitoes) | ||
| Chapstick w/ SPF | ||
| baby powder or Desitin (for prickly heat) | ||
| anti-fungal cream for prickly heat | ||
| towel | ||
| soap with container | ||
| shampoo | ||
| toothbrush | ||
| tooth paste | ||
| razor | ||
| underarm deodorant | ||
| Kleenex (small packets) | ||
| brush/comb | ||
| clothes washing soap | ||
| high quality sun screen (enough for repeated applications) | ||
| aloe for sun burns | ||
| towelettes or sm. Pkg baby wipes | ||
| feminine hygiene products | ||
| 2 bottles of hand sanitizer (small bottle) | ||
| dental floss (good for repairs too) | ||
| contact cleaning solution | ||
| MEDICATIONS | ||
| antimalarial medication (I always purchase overseas - much cheaper) | ||
| general antibiotic (I always purchase overseas - much cheaper) | ||
| acetaminophen or ibuprofen | ||
| throat lozenges | ||
| antibacterial cream | ||
| antacid | ||
| water purification (filter or 2% tincture of iodine) | ||
| DOCUMENTS | ||
| passport | ||
| duplicate passport copy | ||
| travel insurance papers | ||
| credit card | ||
| debit card (for cash machines) | ||
| $200 in cash | ||
| pictures of family | ||
| copy of all cards and important papers | ||
| MISCELLANEOUS STUFF | ||
| camera and extra batteries | ||
| watch with alarm and extra battery | ||
| 2-3 plastic bags | ||
| little flash light with batteries or headlamp | ||
| sunglasses | ||
| extra contacts AND glasses AND Rx | ||
| Nalgene water bottle | ||
| lock for backpack (combo best) | ||
| 3 pencils | ||
| 3 pens | ||
| extra batteries | ||
| string (at least 50 feet) | ||
| self adhesive velcro (often comes in handy) | ||
| small sewing kit | ||
| swiss army knife | ||
| OPTIONAL | ||
| 1-2 good books | ||
| guide book | ||
| camera | ||
| eye glasses repair kit | ||
| ||
| extra camera batteries | ||
| airplane pillow | ||
| playing cards | ||
| something for a clothes line | ||
| universal plug (to wash clothes in sink) | ||
Saturday, August 8, 2009
8/8: Getting lost
We went to temple last night. Noah and I lit candles for a safe journey. Rabbi Ted talked about fate and freedom. I wish I could quote him, but I will have to paraphrase. Fate is what has already happened. Everything that has happened was necessary to bring us to this moment right now. That is fate. And freedom is how we meet this moment. We can’t control the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we meet this moment. That is our freedom.
This reminded me of a conversation I had with Rabbi Ted one and a half years ago. I was seeing him for counseling during a crisis. Somehow the conversation shifted to my love of travel, and especially my love of traveling alone. I shared with him my favorite moment. When you get off the airplane at the beginning of your journey. And you haven’t read a guide book or booked a hotel room. And you don’t know where you are going or what you are going to do next. You take the airport bus to the center of town. It is that moment, when you get off the bus. I stop, sit on my back pack, and breathe. At that moment, all paths are open. It reminds me of a line in a song, “You think you are lost. Look down. Look down. The next step you take is the path you are one.” Anyway, after sharing that thought, Rabbi Ted said, “Somehow you have found that it is safe to be alone.”
I have meditated on that line numerous times since then. “It is safe to be alone.” I actually wrote an essay once, trying to discover why I have this insatiable love of travel, and what the root of this love is. When I was a child my family used to go to Los Angeles a lot. My father would do business and I would walk. For as long as I can remember, I have been a walker. My parents would put the phone number of the place we were staying in my pocket, along with a dime for the phone call, and I would walk. My goal was not just to walk, my passion was to get lost. I would walk and walk and walk. I did this for years. I remember once that I was so excited when I thought I was lost that I went into a grocery store and bought myself an ice cream as a treat to celebrate the event. And then, upon further reflection during this writing exercise, I realized that the source of my wanderlust goes back even further. I have a very vague memory of a time when I was much younger, maybe three or four years old. I was in a city park I think. Somehow I was separated from my family. A policeman found me, or maybe he was a park ranger. I only remember a uniform. He carried me on his shoulders back to an office. I remember desks and workers. Then the officer gave me an ice cream. When my parents found me, I was happily eating.
All my travel experience may be nothing more than an attempt to relive that moment, how safe it felt to be lost, and then found. Maybe that is what I search for – to be lost and then found.
This reminded me of a conversation I had with Rabbi Ted one and a half years ago. I was seeing him for counseling during a crisis. Somehow the conversation shifted to my love of travel, and especially my love of traveling alone. I shared with him my favorite moment. When you get off the airplane at the beginning of your journey. And you haven’t read a guide book or booked a hotel room. And you don’t know where you are going or what you are going to do next. You take the airport bus to the center of town. It is that moment, when you get off the bus. I stop, sit on my back pack, and breathe. At that moment, all paths are open. It reminds me of a line in a song, “You think you are lost. Look down. Look down. The next step you take is the path you are one.” Anyway, after sharing that thought, Rabbi Ted said, “Somehow you have found that it is safe to be alone.”
I have meditated on that line numerous times since then. “It is safe to be alone.” I actually wrote an essay once, trying to discover why I have this insatiable love of travel, and what the root of this love is. When I was a child my family used to go to Los Angeles a lot. My father would do business and I would walk. For as long as I can remember, I have been a walker. My parents would put the phone number of the place we were staying in my pocket, along with a dime for the phone call, and I would walk. My goal was not just to walk, my passion was to get lost. I would walk and walk and walk. I did this for years. I remember once that I was so excited when I thought I was lost that I went into a grocery store and bought myself an ice cream as a treat to celebrate the event. And then, upon further reflection during this writing exercise, I realized that the source of my wanderlust goes back even further. I have a very vague memory of a time when I was much younger, maybe three or four years old. I was in a city park I think. Somehow I was separated from my family. A policeman found me, or maybe he was a park ranger. I only remember a uniform. He carried me on his shoulders back to an office. I remember desks and workers. Then the officer gave me an ice cream. When my parents found me, I was happily eating.
All my travel experience may be nothing more than an attempt to relive that moment, how safe it felt to be lost, and then found. Maybe that is what I search for – to be lost and then found.
Friday, August 7, 2009
8/7: Sabbatical introduction
I have been obsessed with travel all of my adult life. On two separate occasions, I have taken one and a half years off to travel around the world, almost exclusively in Asia (though the last one was a long time ago in 1984-5). I have also taken three summer trips, two to Indonesia and one, most recently, to Kerala and Goa on the west coast of India. I am the Global Studies coordinator at the Evergreen School, overseeing and organizing three and a half week trips to Asia for my 8th grade students, which is the culmination of an intensive, year long academic program for my students. Over the last 22 years of working at Evergreen School, I have led 10 Global Studies trips (4 to Vietnam, 2 to Indonesia, 2 to Thailand, and 2 to China). With my younger son heading to high school and my older son between high school and college, I finally have the luxury to do some extensive traveling again. My favorite way to travel is without a plan, open to all the possibilities. Thus, in 10 days, I will head out again on another adventure. This time I will start the trip with my older son. He has 4 months before Winter quarter at University. We bought one-way tickets, leaving for Hong Kong on 8/17, then Bangkok on 8/22. After that we do not know. We might head east to Cambodia and Laos, west to India and Nepal, or south to Malaysia and Indonesia. That is it for now.
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