Happy New Year -- 2009
Thought that for once, I'd write about something
prior to it happening. It's easier when you can pretty much predict a New Year's Eve where you'll eat wicked food, drink too much, and struggle to stay awake until midnight. So, in advance, "Happy New Year".
We've got a busy year planned. We leave for Buenos Aires at the beginning of February, and start a cruise about a week later from Ushuaia Patagonia, on a three month cruise. The cruise will take us from to Antartica to Istanbul, via the east coast of Africa and the west coast of India. The complete itinerary is
here.
After we return from Turkey, we'll spend about 3 weeks back in Tucson before heading up to British Columbia for the summer. That takes us to October, which can still be pretty toasty as Vancouver starts to chill. We're missing our favorite southeast Asia, Thailand in particular, so winter there is a possibility. Haven't really discussed it.
Oh, and the cruise costs us nothing (we pay for on-board alcohol but at a discounted rate). They even provide the airfare. We're traveling as Technology Lecturers, and we'll help the cruise line in their Internet Centre.
Watch the blog for our continued adventures. We'll probably do a full series of pages on our website for this tour, like the
last one.
Labels: Africa, Antartica, Cruising, India, Middle East, Patagonia
The Case of the Buddihst Launderer
After 30 years of travel to 70+ countries, I have come to believe that the things that are special in a place are the really mundane, and the ones that are
completely unexpected. Everything else just "is".
I'm in New Orleans, Louisiana. I'm "passing through", traveling between our home in Arizona and Kathy (my wife) Dad's place in the Florida Keys. It's a 2400 mile trip that I'm doing over 7 days. Its about at mid-point now, and I'm on my 2nd evening in New Orleans tonight.
I've been to N.O. a dozen or more times. I can get by without a map. I know the good neighborhoods and bad. You'd think "Great! Time to expand the repertoire -- expand horizons -- new areas. New experiences". And I do -- but also find especially when traveling alone, that it is nice to "re-experience the old". I walked a couple of miles to a restaurant I've been to over and over -- "
Mother's" and had basically the same meal I've eaten there 10 times before. It is
sooooo good. Comfort food for the body
and for the mind.
Wandering the streets, trying to take decent photos on a crappy day, at noon when the light is at its worst, one of the things I also needed to do is get laundry washed. Ever try to take pictures with a big SLR camera while carrying a bag of dirty laundry? I didn't think so. My bed & breakfast doesn't offer the service, but wash-dry-fold laundry services abound. Dropped off the bag and the proprietor told me in broken English that I should come back at 4:00.
If I had know that school would be in session, maybe I would have arrived earlier.I'd asked him "where his family is from". This is more diplomatic (and less ambiguous) than asking simply "Where are you from?" ("Cleveland") and it obviates any racial overtones ("Where are your people from?"). "Cambodia", was the succinct reply.
When I went to pick up the clothes, I asked the polite questions about his coming to the US. The relationship between the US and Cambodia has been tenuous at best (younger folks may not know that we bombed the crap out of them in
Vietnam era, during my formative years). He seemed to have this serenity about him -- little did I know, he was the Buddhist equivalent of a born-again-Christian -- wait -- Buddhists believe in re-incarnation -- maybe he
was born-again?
After I paid him, he launched into the Buddhist equivalent of "have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior?". It would have been interesting -- it
was interesting but it would have been
more interesting, if I had understood more than every 3rd word. He had unlocked the front door of the shop to let me in, and it briefly flashed through my mind "What if I'm locked in with this guy?". I listened politely for about 10 minutes but I guess he got the message that... I wasn't getting the message. But he was sincere so I try to be the attentive student. As I was listening I noticed that he had a glove on one hand -- he was missing several fingers. When he raised his arm I noticed the underside was all scar tissue, wrist to elbow. This guy had not had an easy life.
Tomorrow is another 500+ mile day, so I have to be a good boy ("party hardly" rather than "party hardy"). Photos to follow.
Labels: Buddhism, New Orleans, travel
