Posted tagged ‘travel’

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“To be matter-of-fact about the world is to blunder into fantasy – and dull fantasy at that, as the real world is strange and wonderful.”

September 24, 2011

It poured last night, and I was lulled asleep by the sound of the rain. The window was open, and I could feel a bit of a breeze, enough to make the room comfortable. This morning I called my student Florence to say hello. After having lost touch for so many years, I wanted to make sure we stayed in touch this time. She told me it was raining in Bolga, and I didn’t have to imagine the storm. My memory is recent enough to see it in my mind’s eye: the wind, the pouring rain and the sounds on the roof. I miss Ghana.

Gracie and I went for our ride yesterday. We stopped at a farm stand, and I bought a couple of pumpkins, fresh bread, some yellow and red tomatoes and apple cider. It seemed only right that on the first day of fall I buy cider and pumpkins to usher in the new season. The pumpkins, one whitish and one orange, are on the front steps. For supper last night I had toasted bread with tomatoes and melted cheese on top. It was a delicious meal.

I have the worst hankering for travel. I was afraid that would happen. Morocco did it to me and now Ghana has revived the bug. The only hurdle is an empty larder which I will fill as quickly as possible. I figure if I live a bit austerely, I can travel out of the country again by late summer or early fall next year, destination yet to be determined.

I don’t mind traveling alone, but I do wish I had company. Every day in a new place has an allure and nothing is better than sharing the ordinary, the remarkable, the beautiful and, most especially, the extraordinary. I talk outloud when I am especially struck by the beauty or even the oddity of something. The words just seem to fall out of my mouth. I figure the people around me must be a bit perplexed by the woman talking outloud, but I don’t mine. Being a bit strange is often more fun and certainly more liberating.

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“If adventure does not wait on the doorstep, climb out through the window”

September 21, 2011

The day is warmer than it’s been, the sun is shining and the air is quite still. I was on the deck just after I woke up and thought how much about how much I love the mornings almost anywhere I am. When I was in Europe, I was always up so early breakfast had yet to be served. I’d go outside and listen to and watch the stirrings of the day. I’d smell the air as the morning air smells different. It has a freshness full of possibilities. In Ghana, the mornings begin early, but they were always my favorite part of the day. On this trip, I loved getting up at 6 and watching as Bolga woke up and began its day. When I worked, I was up at 5 or 5:15, and I felt as if I were the only person alive. No other house had lights, and I never heard cars. On warm mornings I’d stand outside and watch the sky for the first rays of the sun. It was a glorious way to begin my day.

Today I have a few errands, and my friends and I are going out to dinner to celebrate both their birthdays. Nothing much is planned for the rest for the week. My dance card is fairly empty.

My trip has stirred the travel bug far more than I expected. I had hoped to silence it for a bit, but it seems the bug is spreading throughout my entire body. I find myself looking at different travel sites wondering about my next trip. I’ll have to fill the larder, my bank account, first, but now I have a reason to save more money.

I’m laughing thinking of all the new hobbies I should start to occupy my day so I can stay home and spend nothing. Maybe I’ll learn to crochet, and everyone will get doilies for Christmas, the kind that go over the chair backs. There’s always origami and making thousands of cranes. They can decorate Christmas gift boxes of doilies. Years ago I made my own wrapping paper with stamps and water-color trees.  That sounds like a wonderful project. It goes on the list. Colorful napkins are easy to make-it’s just keeping the hems straight which gives me trouble. Maybe I’ll make them all different sizes and shapes so they’ll look avant-garde, not messy. People will think me creative rather than untalented with a needle and thread.

Well, it’s time to make the bed, get dressed and get in gear. I miss having my bed made, and I miss calling Thomas to pick me up for the day’s adventure though I suppose, no matter where, every day can always be an adventure.

 

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“A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes”

August 20, 2011

Today is lovely and without that stifling humidity of yesterday. I stood on the deck a while earlier taking in the morning. It was quiet then, but the day has gotten louder. I can hear a couple of lawnmowers and some machinery sound I don’t recognize. Earlier this morning I had to go to Dunkin Donuts to buy coffee as I had forgotten to buy cream. The route took me over the highway, and I caught a glimpse of the stream of cars leaving the cape. I guess everyone had the same idea: lets leave early. The cars going down cape were far fewer. Maybe this will be a quiet week.

I have a list of stuff to do this week and the countdown has begun. One week from today I leave for Ghana, and I can hardly believe it. After forty years my wish will finally come true. I’m flying on Lufthansa from Boston to Frankfurt, have a 3 hour lay-over then land on Sunday at 6:50 pm, Ghanaian time. My body will go through 3 time zones, and I can’t imagine the effect as I have enough trouble with this one. Ghana is only 4 hours ahead of us, and I love landing in the early evening so I can have some supper, maybe my favorites, kelewele and jollof rice, then get to bed close to a normal bedtime. That will help me adjust, I hope.

It’s like the first time I went. I don’t know a single person who’s going though this time a few of us have commented back and forth on Facebook. Three people whom I’ve sort of met are all arriving a few days ahead of me and two of them are staying at the same guest lodge as I am (http://www.hotels.com.gh/triplecrown/index.html). I planned my trip with more time after the festivities so I can get up north. None of the others were stationed as far up country as I had been. I’m hoping a current volunteer from my area might be at the ceremony and will be interested in having fine company on the way home.

I have bought a few things I wished existed in my day. I used to travel with a roll of toilet paper, most of us did, but now I have travel toilet paper in packages small enough to fit into my carry around with me bag. I have soap sheets, small pieces of paper needing only water so I can wash my hands. Sanitary hand wash in what looks like a pen is also on the packing list. I have enough electronics for a small store: my iPod and iPad with their foreign travel converter and recharger, my small camera for discreet pictures and its battery recharger and my big camera also with its recharger. They are dual voltage so I can plug them right into the wall. I’ll bring my extra international plug. When I first went to Ghana, I had an Instamatic camera and a cassette player, and I was perfectly content. Forty years is a long time.

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“Grin like a dog and wander aimlessly.”

June 10, 2011

The thunder and lightning were tremendous last night. It was an amazing storm. My room lit up several times from the lightning, and the house was shaken by the thunder overhead. I loved every minute of it. Yesterday was ugly and hot. Today is cool and dry, a gift from the storm. The sunlight seems muted. It lacks the glare the heat brings. The next few days will be in the 70’s and the nights in the 50’s. I think that is perfect weather.

My passport came back yesterday with its Ghanaian visa. I’ve looked at that visa at least three times. The handwriting is typically Ghanaian: beautifully written with a flourish. I am now official!

When I was a kid, I dreamed of faraway places. My geography book was a wish book filled with pictures of where I dreamed I could be. I saw myself on Corcovado Mountain in Rio standing below the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer. I went up the Amazon, I wandered coffee plantations, and I saw the sphinx in Egypt, all in my imagination. No one I knew traveled just for the sake of traveling. Marty Barrett went to England to visit his grandmother, but that was the only place he went. Riding on an airplane was a part of my dream.

I once sneaked to Logan Airport with my uncle from my grandmother’s house. It was quite a long walk, miles, but I didn’t care. I stood on the observation deck of one of the old wooden Logan hangers and watched the planes coming and going. From displays I took brochures describing airlines and hotels. I wandered the airport watching people with their suitcases getting in lines to board planes. I was both wistful and jealous.

When I got back to my grandmother’s, my parents were livid, but I thought that a small price to pay for a great adventure. A few days later, I started reading the brochures, cut out pictures and began an album of my trip. I described the plane ride and flying in the clouds. Pictures of my hotel rooms had arrows pointing to my bed. All the wonderful sights we saw in the different cities were pasted on the pages and described by me in a first person account.

I filled the whole album with wishes and a dreams.

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“I have a trunk containing continents.”

May 2, 2011

I never much mention the news. I figure we all get enough of it, but I was taken with the President’s speech formally acknowledging the death of Osama Bin Laden. I immediately had two reactions. One was gladness and relief, but the other was the memory of the Hydra. That last one  scares me.

Today is much like yesterday: warm in the sun and chilly in the shade. It’s a typical spring day on Cape Cod. Leaves have finally appeared on many of the trees, and they’re a light green like new leaves always are. Only the oak trees are far behind with their tiny buds. The birds sing every morning, and peepers are getting louder at night. The sights and sounds of summer are getting closer.

The world is so much smaller now. Hopping a plane is no big deal. People take it as a matter of fact. Gone are the suits and dresses of the old time travelers. Comfort is more important. I, who have traveled to so many places, still get excited no matter where I’m going. It’s the anticipation. I buy new clothes, read travel books, decide what I want to see and where I might stay, but I always leave room for the unexpected. That’s the best part of any trip.

I’m already excited about Ghana. I’ve bought my new clothes, have read travel books and been roaming on line. My friend Ralph said it will be so different and yet still the same. He’s right. In my memory are sights and smells I expect to meet again, and I can hardly wait until my first market day. I know Accra is enormous now, and Bolga is much bigger than it was, but the small villages and the family compounds appear to be the same. My mouth is watering in anticipation of my first taste of kelewele and of Guinea fowl covered in red pepper and wrapped in fresh Ghanaian bread. I wish my trip was tomorrow.

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“Grin like a dog and wander aimlessly.”

April 15, 2011

The day was perfectly lovely yesterday though still a bit cold. Today is the same. The breeze is slight but it keeps the temperature at 43° despite the sun. The cat and dog are jockeying for position in the sun on the rug by the front door. I’m thinking I should join the fray.

I did it. Yesterday I found my flight to Ghana and booked it. I leave on August 27th and return on September 11th. With the two back surgeries and the length of the flight, I went business class. I decided comfort was more important than money. On the way back, I go first class-that’s just the way the routing worked, but I’m not complaining. I figure I’ll load up my iPad with books and be all set. I’m already excited and it’s months away.

Last night was trivia night though trivia is hardly the word for the questions which had answers such as ziggurat and a bonus round of match columns of words and definitions which none of us had ever seen before but we managed to get all 10 right by looking at the prefixes and other hints. We don’t do well on music as most of it is current and we are all stuck in the classical or 60’s mode.  It is always a wonderful night out with dinner and good friends. Did I mention we won?

Next week is April vacation around here. When I taught, I’d always go to Europe that week. I’d choose one country, rent a car and drive all over. Several of the trips were with my parents and my sister joined us once. They were always great trips. My dad kept us laughing with some of his comments though that was never his intention. Portugal is still my favorite of our trips. We traveled to the north as far as we could go. From my window, I could see the lights of the Spanish border station. The roads were so narrow that in some villages a light gave us the go ahead to go through the town while the cars at the other end waited for their green light. We saw Roman ruins and iron age ruins. I had kid for Easter dinner. My favorite stop was Miranda do Douro with wisteria growing all over its walls, a beautiful old cathedral and an old section with dirt streets. My parents and I wandered through the small town and stayed at a wonderful posada right on the river. On some of the roads we had to pass wagons pulled by horses and a few by donkeys. It felt as if we had gone back in time.

The weekend is open ended-no plans except for my usual Sunday breakfast out. I do have to go and buy dog treats at Agway as Gracie would never forgive me if I had none, and we’re close to that now. I just started a book and I want to work on my Ghana slide show so I do have stuff to keep me busy. That’s seldom a problem. Did I mention an afternoon nap?

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“Grin like a dog and wander aimlessly.”

March 26, 2011

Last night it was in the 20’s. Today it should get as warm as 39°. If I’m sounding facetious, you’re right. Even the sun and the blue sky aren’t inviting. I’m glad the feeders are filled so I don’t have to venture to the deck. From the window, I can see a few goldfinches munching. Their colors are still winter muted. My friends the chickadees are also here. They are such lively birds I love watching them. In summer they zoom over my head as I sit on the deck, and they let me stand close to them as they eat. I have tried feeding them from my hand, but I get impatient. Maybe this summer I’ll learn to wait.

I’m reading during the day, but I find myself house bored. I’m almost thinking of cleaning out cabinets but I don’t want to go too crazy. My back feels good today after yesterday and a day of nothing so I suppose I could give it another day. I want to be out and about with dog and camera taking a ride, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

My imagination has always been the favorite part of my mind. When I was a kid, I’d read books and picture the characters and where they lived. I’d visit ancient lands and foreign cities. I’d dream of places that have long been gone and visit places I never imagined I’d actually see. My geography book was almost like a novel to me. The pictures were of cities, mountains, rivers, statues, and camels in long lines crossing the desert. I think I made that trip several times and slept in a tent decorated with bright colors, pillows and beads. I shopped in bazaars and markets. I never shared my dreams, my imaginings, with anyone.

When I was 12, my girl scout troop went to New York. We climbed the stairs at the Statue of Liberty, and I saw the city from the top of the Empire State Building. We walked through Greenwich Village, and I took in everything. The city had come alive from the pages of my geography book, and it was the most foreign place I had ever visited. I was hooked.

I knew that my dreams were now a list of places I was going to visited. They had left my imaginings and become part of my real world.

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“All autobiography is self-indulgent.”

October 18, 2010

The day is a bit chilly but beautiful. The sun is brilliant and glints off everything. Tonight is supposed to be in the high 30’s. That’s downright cold. It’s winter nibbling on fall.

It is amazing how blank my mind is right now. I have started about four different paragraphs and none led anywhere. I was going to give a run-down of the week, but tonight and dinner with friends is my only social event. I have to grocery shop, but that doesn’t count. Next, I had an inspiration. I’ll talk about colors and seasons. I got as far as summer and the world bursting with color then I lost interest. I knew winter would be a problem. A flicker was at the feeder, the first one I’ve seen in awhile, but that one sentence said it all. English grammar even reared its ugly head, but I figured I’d lose most people at the mere mention of an objective complement. I have written almost endlessly about my childhood, and there are probably hundreds of amusing anecdotes I haven’t mentioned, but right now nothing comes to mind. I’m spending more time looking out the window than at the keys.

I have no favorite color or lucky number. I have never been superstitious. I believe more in the existence of extraterrestrials than I do in the existence of ghosts. Reading is one of my all time favorite ways to spend time. I like to do crossword puzzles. If I could always dress in my coziest clothes, I would. I’m not one for frou-frou. I don’t like cruises, but I’d go down the Nile, the Amazon or the Chobe if I got the chance. The first time I flew over the Sahara and the flight over the Andes are my two favorite views from a plane. I love trains and have ridden on some wild rides. The train from Quito to Guayaquil was the wildest. I wish I spoke several languages. I can survive in Spanish and just barely in French where I’m best at ordering food. Pomme frites and bifteck with a side of harigots verts were always a fallback. I send postcards when I travel. Christmas shopping is an all year event with me. I hate olives.

Okay, that’s it for today, a thumbnail sketch of me now.

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“A good holiday is one spent among people whose notions of time are vaguer than yours.”

September 19, 2010

Steam rose from the wet bark of the pine tree earlier this morning as the sun moved across the morning sky, and its warmth reached the bark. Today is the sort of fall day when outside is warmer than inside. The deck is bathed in sunlight. As is my wont, I stood for a while outside to take measure of the day. I noticed my neighbor has strung red and blue balloons around his deck. At four o’clock this afternoon is the party for his three year old son, and I’ve been invited. Sebastian, my neighbor, has asked me twice to make sure I’m coming. I have a feeling the party might be a bit like every evening when I sat in the living room of my Ghanaian father’s house in Bawku. The room was filled with people who spoke Hausa, and I understood very little. I just nodded my head and smiled a lot. Sebastian and his family are Brazilians, and when they are together or have company, I hear Portuguese more than I hear English. I suspect I’ll be nodding and smiling a lot.

I have been combing through travel sites looking for a place to go this fall, but nothing has piqued my interest. When air fares are posted mid-week, I look for a flight to somewhere exotic, to somewhere a bit different. I remember getting off the plane in Marrakesh and smelling unfamiliar spices in the air. I remember the trip from the airport when I first saw the ancient pink wall surrounding the old part of the city and  calishes traveling along the sides of the roads. I remember smiling and waving at the passengers. I knew I had chosen well. I want that same feeling again.

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“To me, travel is a triple delight: anticipation, performance and recollection.”

July 22, 2010

It seemed odd yesterday to be out and about by ten as that’s when I usually start to sit and ponder; instead, I was shopping for ingredients for the appetizers I was bringing to dinner. I made muhammara which I hadn’t made all summer. It’s a crowd favorite. I also made a spinach dip and carved a sandal out of bread to hold it. My sandal was a bit off center but still impressive.

Did I mention my guilt?

Today is perfectly lovely. The humidity is on hiatus, and the weather report says 60’s for tonight. I need to do a few errands then I’m going on the deck with a drink, my book and the phone. I always carry the phone with me now since I got locked out.

Last night was my Wednesday play, and I didn’t get home until close to 11:30. There was e-mail to check and a book to finish so I was up until nearly 2. Good thing as it started to rain around 12:30, and I would have missed it.

When I traveled during my twenties, I backpacked. Europe was filled with backpackers just like me. We all carried pages from Let’s Go Europe, and we stayed at the same cheap places, mostly hostels, but sometimes we slept on night trains, boats or buses. We carried cheese, bread, jam and peanut butter for those meals on the go. If we ate in a restaurant, it offered cheap and plentiful food. Wherever we stayed, we traded books we’d finished and got information about the next legs of our journeys. Because we were sharing an adventure, an expedition, it was like we had been friends for years rather than having just met over breakfast that morning in the common room. I wore clothes far too long between washings, but I didn’t really care. My money had to last the five or six weeks I was on the road, and it was better spent getting from here to there.

In my thirties, I gave up my backpack. I stayed in hotels instead of hostels. My traveling time was limited to a week or two at most so I always chose one country or one city for the entire trip. Most times I rented a car though there were a few boat and ride rides, in the daytime. I still brought pages from Let’s Go, but I added Frommer and a few others to the options. I stopped having to share a shower room, and my clothes were mostly clean. I never had to wash a single pair of underwear again.

My traveling has been about the same since then. I spend a couple of weeks in a single country and do all sorts of research before I go. I love the internet. I never stay anywhere grand, but I do treat myself well.

The flight to Ghana will take forever so I am thinking of flying first class, might as well be comfortable. I have come a long way from my backpacking days.

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