Learning to blog today. Don't really want to send all those individualized e-mails for the upcoming "Trip Of A Lifetime," much as I love to write. Need to get the future news out about the upcoming trip to South America, on an efficient basis. Didn't want limits on the pictures that could be sent or shown, either.
This all started with consideration of a cruise, primarily to fill in those portions of the Caribbean that are UN Member Nations that I'd not visited yet. Eventually passed beyond that for personal reasons. Went to South America as the next logical option. And then like a novel usually gets away from its author at a certain stage beyond page 50, the trip took on a life of its own.
Reasons for the change? (1) My Spanish is still functional (2) My brother is married to a gorgeous Columbian woman, who has a very hospitable family down in Baranquilla -- on the coast near Venezuela (3) I haven't been south of the equator, having been Eurocentric so far in my travels, and it was time for a little diversity (4) All the latest research says South America is the #1 place in the world to retire -- for multiple reasons -- and a calling was felt to scout the possibilities (5) Noticed that a lot of my previous travels, have inadvertantly been to what are known as "Power Vortex" spots ... locations on the globe, where strange positive-energy forces are at play and new age types flock to pick up on the magnetic and other energy fields there. Places like Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Sedona (AZ), The Great Pyramids, and other famous sites. South America has many of these Vortex spots. Having recognized a pattern, it beomes natural to try and add additional "pearls to the string" to better understand the drive to be acquainted with such sites (6) Put my sons through college, paid off the car, and got debt free. Wanted to reward myself in some manner with my favorite "snack," a lengthy trip. Went a bit over the top this time (7) I have a theory that travel is going to be much more difficult in years to come, due to dwindling resources, pocket revolutions and civil unrest, weather changes (the 2012 related sunspotting cycle zenith, and intense gravitational pull from planetary alignments for the first time in 26,000 years that will expose us all to the liklihood of increased earthquake activity, among other risks) and the Giant Ponzi Scheme that makes up our current international economy. Global warming -- no matter what the source, and no matter what your politics, will be another factor affecting extended travel. So will a growing worldwide economic slowdown that is already upon us and is projected to grow in the near future. So, a desire to expand my horizons NOW and take in what new journeys that I can just makes sense.
While in the planning stage, I realized early this was not just going to be a lark to a couple countries so I could say I'd been to Machu Picchu and visited another land mass. It became a quest to visit all 13 countries in South America, and make adequate time to do so. Wanted to familiarize myself with the cultural, historic and archelogical highlights of all the UN member nations of South America. Once inside the details, I also concluded that I'd be as far south as I could possibly be, and when would I ever get this far south again? The round trip ticket prices alone, are outrageous enough to give one pause. So, the idea of going to Antarctica, while so deep into the southern hemisphere, also took hold. Give myself the old "quantity discount." And thus the trip expanded.
Who knows, when you travel light? May even add on some of those missing Caribbean nations at trip's end, and a wee bit of Central America as well. This is possible due to what we'll call style preferences. Mine is "Freestyle," ever since my first extensive travel abroad to the four nations of the British Isles in 1974. It is characterized by saving money on hotel rooms and transportation and spending instead on good food, entertainment, and cultural venues. It mostly includes travel without prior plans, blitzkrieg fashion. Like alpine-style mountain climbers who get accimatized to the oxygen deficiences of high altitude and then rush the summit according to opportunistic conditions, I generally do not build up "base camps" with reservations and a set itinerary for my trips. I let the wind conditions and native advice guide me. Just as locals always clue you in to the best places to eat, so does serendipity guide a fortunate path. It often depends on who you meet. A missed flight or train ride, could turn into your most favorable day. That chance conversation about the proper camera at Costco, can lead to inspired destination advice. The apparently odd traveler at the waterfall, could end up being a valued fellow sojourner for a few days to a week. The shy cook who tells you about a not-to-be-missed Unesco Heritage Site, makes a willing ear a valuable commodity. These chances don't take place, with a set-in-stone plan. As Kurt Vonnegut use to say "...and so it goes."
Next: Preparations !
