Itinerary
October 12, 2007
Itinerary
I have been working with a wonderful travel agent by the name of Lajuan Donaldson at Council Travel in Seattle’s U District LDonaldson@statravel.com. Real people with these skills still exist in this world. My tickets are an amalgam of discounted student fares and one way whole sale tickets. Lajuan has been working with STA travel for 27 years! If you have travel needs that require more than a web browser and some patience, she is an excellent resource.
TOURNAI, BELGIUM ~ arrive October 11, depart December 12
In 1991-92, as a Rotary exchange student, I lived in southern Belgium for a year. I have since cultivated close friendship with the host parents of my first family, Caddy & Jean Delhove. Fréd & Caroline, my host siblings, and Musimu, a dear friend from school, remain in the area, from Brussels to Lille, France. My companion, Ewan, will fly over to meet me for Thanksgiving…in Paris.
ISRAEL ~ 3 WEEKS (embedded in my time in Europe, cheapest to fly round trip from Brussels)
My former Seattle neighbors Lisa, Ron & their girls Laila & Mayaan (whose birth I had the good fortune to attend in 2005) just moved back to Tel Aviv. My friend Maha, also from Seattle, has been back and forth from the US to Israel over the 8 years I have known her. She and her husband Jamal now live in Haifa. My time in Israel will be shared with these wonderful people, exploring a part of the world into which I have never stepped foot.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA ~ 1 MONTH
My mother is Australian and we have family strewn up and down the eastern coast. I intend to base myself with my dear cousin and friend Alice Addison in Sydney. Christmas will entail a road trip up to Brisbane to visit her folks Susan & Rex Addison. Ewan is flying in several days after my arrival December 12th and will stay until the New Year.
INDIA ~ 3 WEEKS
My friend Cris & I have known each other through meditation practice for some years. For the past 8 months I have been providing treatment to him for cardiac arrythmias and general wellbeing. He has invited me to meet him in New Delhi, from which we will venture northeast on a pilgrimage of sacred Buddhist sites. I will be a traveling companion and offer ongoing OM treatment during our journey.
NEPAL ~ ?
Over the course of 2 trips earlier in life, I spent the better part of 2 years in Nepal. I do not have contact with those I knew from that era. I do not know what/who I will find there. However, I cannot travel to that part of the world without returning.
TAIPEI, TAIWAN ~ ?
Upon arriving in Taiwan I envision two (of myriad) possibilities. If I arrive and am able to
1) Study Chinese
2) Keep ‘my feet wet’ in OM by continuing to study with a doctor
3) Teach English in order to support myself
4) …if it all feels right then I will stay for a time.
If upon arriving I am not successful in getting all of the pieces of the puzzle in place, or I simply decide I am sated and ready to return to the US, I will do so and establish practice in Seattle. Evidently, this last leg of the journey will depend largely on Ewan’s and my willingness to remain separated by large bodies of water, for a prolonged period of time.
