Reading and Flying

Just finishing up my fluffy summer reading. A bit of fluffy chick lit is good for the summer, but I am looking forward to getting back to my real love - FOODIE NON-FICTION. I've downloaded tons of books for my travels and am especially looking forward to reading (and finishing) a book on Singapore food traditions before I get to Singapore on the last leg of my trip.

Today's door-to-door was roughly 9 hours. This was too long, prompted by many, seemingly weather related delays at ATL. Two and a half days until I find myself in the airport again!

Extreme Travel

Today I will fly through what I consider to be the most hellish airport on earth (ok, not true, Charles DeGaulle is the most hellish airport on earth, but Atlanta - you ain't far behind!).

I have a few days left in America, and then I am off around the world.

In the next 11 days, I will fly across TWELVE time zones. I will have touched down in eight airports, but I will not enter one, as it's just a refueling stop. So that's SEVEN airports I will have to deal with - luggage, lines, and all.

These airports are located in four different countries, btw (five if you include the refueling stop). In two, I do not speak the language one bit.

I've been up since 4:30 am, because that's what I do when I'm anticipating flying; which should make the next few weeks even more interesting. By the time I get to Bali, I'm going to have good reason to collapse in a heap on a beach :)

Forwards and Onwards

I've been asked, many many times this trip in particular, if I am moving back to the states...ever. No one, not even I, can look into the magic 8 ball and get all the answers; but my standard response at the moment is a quizzical brow and a definitive 'No'.

Right now I know very particularly that 'out in the world' is where I belong. Spreading my wings and catching every breeze I can.

In preparation for my upcoming trips, I received many vaccinations yesterday. The shots left me with limited use of both arms for a day, as well as leaving me feeling woozy and generally uncomfortable. (My host taking me to Woodberry Kitchen for a dinner of Soft Shelled Crabs and Deviled Eggs made me feel a lot better, though!) I should be starting anti-malarials today or tomorrow; but given my sensitivity to all medications, and the fact that I am trying to cram-in as many 'hellos' and 'how ya beens' as possible into the next few days, I'm not sure I should take them.

At the vaccination center, they gave me a print out of information and travel warnings for Egypt, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. After reading them, I decided I'm not reading travel warnings anymore. If you start reading those things, you'll never book that dream vacation to whereveritwas because somethingbad happened once and could happen again. People, somethingbad happens whereeveryouarenow pretty often. Go to whereeveritwas and have fun. You only have about 26,000 days on this planet - don't waste them!

I leave Cairo for SE Asia two weeks from today (which is crazy, as I still have a trip to Florida before that happens). I have been vaccinated, have tickets, have blank pages in my passport, and am ready to go spend nearly a month in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I will RIDE AN ELEPHANT. I might even learn to surf. I will learn a lot about Balinese Hinduism and Balinese cuisine. I hope to learn a few words of Thai and Balinese. I may take a cooking class in Northern Thailand. I will explore Singapore's food stall / street food culture (I am SO excited to try every thing K.F. Seetoh described in the Top Chef Season 7 finale!) I will be taking Benadryl like it's my job (my coconut allergy is going to be an issue. I'm hoping I will develop immunity by the time the trip is done; but last week in Baltimore there was coconut curry sauce on my dish and I broke out in welts and felt like there were fire ants biting me under the skin of my face - endure anything in the pursuit of good food, right!?!).

Overall, I will have FUN! and really, isn't that what life is all about?

Today Vacation Begins!

I have been in America for a week (after a flight cancellation, an overnight in NYC, a bus ride...). But today marks the first day of vacation, as I've been taking a rigorous, and very awesome, graduate course all week. I took the photo below on campus during a break on Tuesday.


Happy Summer and Happy Fourth of July! May blue skies dominate your days!