Gazing out across the icy waters of the Lake of Heaven, at the snow-capped Bogda Shan Mountain, I was not concerned that I had become separated from my group. Sure, I was 100 km. from Urumqi, the most inland place on earth (farthest from any ocean), but as a seasoned traveler, I knew that eventually I’d find my way. I simply couldn’t pass up a boat trip across Tianchi Lake, after all, that was one of the reasons I was in Xinjiang.
For me, the Silk Road was symbolic of who I was, who I had become.
I never understood people who did not travel. It is something that has been in my blood as long as I can remember. Although now, with the TSA pat-downs, the lost luggage, the missed connections, not to mention trying to fit 3 weeks worth of toiletries into a tiny zip-lock bag, I can understand the desire to simply stay home.
It takes between 12 and 15 hours for me to get to my family in another state. Travel has become increasingly difficult, so, if I’m going somewhere, it better be worth it, as in, overseas.
It all started when I was a child, with weekly trips to Canada’s beaches: Wasaga Beach, Long Beach, Crystal Beach; then the camping trips to the Adirondack Mts., the Allegheny Mts., and Algonquin Park; and the occasional long distance trip to places like Montreal or Florida.
My real travel, however, came as an adult. Summer school at the Jagiellonian University in Poland, a vacation in Hawaii, trips to St. Thomas (Virgin Islands), Las Vegas, and Miami for ballroom dance competitions, and eventually, my first trip to Egypt… all set me on the path I was to take years later…. the path that led me around the world.
In my next set of blogs I will not bore you with my travel tales. After all there are too many travel blogs out there now. I will, however, just give you a sampling of what is out there. It is up to you to find your own way.
For me, the Silk Road was symbolic of who I was, who I had become.
I never understood people who did not travel. It is something that has been in my blood as long as I can remember. Although now, with the TSA pat-downs, the lost luggage, the missed connections, not to mention trying to fit 3 weeks worth of toiletries into a tiny zip-lock bag, I can understand the desire to simply stay home.
It takes between 12 and 15 hours for me to get to my family in another state. Travel has become increasingly difficult, so, if I’m going somewhere, it better be worth it, as in, overseas.
It all started when I was a child, with weekly trips to Canada’s beaches: Wasaga Beach, Long Beach, Crystal Beach; then the camping trips to the Adirondack Mts., the Allegheny Mts., and Algonquin Park; and the occasional long distance trip to places like Montreal or Florida.
My real travel, however, came as an adult. Summer school at the Jagiellonian University in Poland, a vacation in Hawaii, trips to St. Thomas (Virgin Islands), Las Vegas, and Miami for ballroom dance competitions, and eventually, my first trip to Egypt… all set me on the path I was to take years later…. the path that led me around the world.
In my next set of blogs I will not bore you with my travel tales. After all there are too many travel blogs out there now. I will, however, just give you a sampling of what is out there. It is up to you to find your own way.