So I knew it would hit me one of these days. And here it is - crawling around, making little cricket sounds, and buzzing in my ears: The Travelling Bug.
I do love the sounds it makes.
I come from a family of travellers. I wouldn't think we would all conciously call ourselves such, as it's impossible for us not to compare ourselves to those around-the-world-in-eighty-days types. But my sister has been all over the world, albeit not in one shot (and often on her own, I might add!). My brother up and surprised us all by travelling Europe shortly after college. My parents, in the last two years, have made it to Europe a few times, as well as to Argentina, China, and South Africa amongst other places.
I suppose some people would say that I've done a lot of travelling, but I don't feel I have. Sure, I LIVE in a foreign country. But once you live there long enough, it stops feeling so foreign, honestly. And for living in Europe, I have seen surprisingly little of it. I haven't even been to Germany yet. I'll get there eventually one day, I know it.
But for today, I have bigger dreams.
Why?
Well, I called Kdogg, my best friend from the California daze, after several months of not hearing from her. You know those friends that are just absurdly, 100% on your wavelength? That sometimes know what you are saying whereas everyone else is still blinking at you blankly? Those friends that make you laugh for hours and hours and hours and that, even after several years of constantly being together, STILL make you do so? That's Kdogg for me.
When I decided to leave California, she was the only thing I was sad to leave behind. And she was also probably the only thing that kept me sane there in the first place. I reasoned with myself by saying that true friends remain so no matter how much distance or time seperates them. Despite the fact that Kdogg and I now lead seperate lives and have had lots of ups and downs in the last three years for which we have not had the other within arm's reach, we're still as close as ever.
This is why when Kdogg suggested to me that we go on a long, long vacation bi-annually, I jumped at the opportunity. She called this her Vision. And it is time to turn that Vision to reality.
We agreed that we will do the bi-annual trips until we're 40, 50, 60. Leave the kids and the job at home, even if only for a week.
Luckily, we're still young and free, and so we're planning on leaving for six or so come next June.
Of course, where to go was the immediate question. I suggested Chile. She agreed, but then pointed out that she will most likely be doing humanitarian work in Latin America next year, so maybe something else would be better. We went through the continents - Africa, Australia, the Americas - and settled on Southeast Asia.
She's sending me a big cow with a hole in the top so that I can start saving. It's like a giant piggy bank, only made with a Mexican cow. The good thing about this is that to get into it, I must break the cow. And I am forbidden to break the cow until next May, when I have to start dishing out the finances. In this way, I will be forcing myself to save. The great thing is that around here, a two euro piece is actually a coin. This makes saving feel like it's not ripping bills from me, but I will actually be saving quite a lot.
Kdogg has already begun to do the same. Her cow's name is Segundo -or Siggy for short. We discussed possibilities for mine, possibly Trecero (third in Spanish) - with Tracy for short. But what cow looks like a Tracy?
So yes, I am thrilled to bits. I have always wanted to go a-travelling, but I have not wanted to go alone. Not just yet. I feel I might one day go alone, although this is terrifically contradictory to my nature. Regardless, I am so excited to have such a wonderful friend who is willing to go on a six-week adventure with me. And because we lived together for over a year and were psychotically obsessed with one another, I have no qualms about our ability to get along well in cramped quarters in a foreign country. Even if one of us gets diarrhea.
Now, I have gone insane with researching and developing an itinerary. I am hoping that I can ask for the ticket to get over there for Christmas, even though I wouldn't leave for another six months. They're far less expensive than I had thought they would be, although it is cheaper to go from San Francisco than it is to go from Paris. I will handle the rest of the expenses on my own (thanks to an upcoming job and a handy cow). It seems feasable; the costs of travelling in that region are amongst the cheapest in the world. Yes, it's wonderful to open presents at Christmas, but I hardly compare one evening of opening yearly calendars and perfumes to six weeks in Asia.
So I have all these beautiful plans to take place in roughly the next 390 days. A road trip to southern France with K immediately following finals. Possibly Italy or Greece with my two best friends from high school this summer. A nice casual trip back to the States sometime in July to give my mom and dad hugs and kisses, and hopefully with the added bonus of seeing my brother and sister somehow. Spain and Portugal with the Boy come August. Some time alone in Espana in Septiembre. And then a long pause (ten months) before I go on the Mother of All Trips in my not-so-well travelled life thus far.
I'm already thinking of where we will go for the second biannual trip (I'm thinking southern Africa is next). If you could go anywhere in the world for 4-6 weeks, where would YOU go?
I'd like to go to the Indian Himalaya and on to Tibet. My good friend and I were planning on doing this trip soon, but she can't afford it (sniff). I may just have to do this one alone! Hubby isn't interested.
I'd also like to go back to Europe with my husband. We'd like to go to Germany and Switzerland this time.
Dawn - I remember reading about your urge to go to India just awhile back, and thought of you while I was writing this post. When are you planning on going? Could your friend get the money together in a year? That's a long time. A lot can be done.
Switzerland is wonderful - such friendly people, so clean and beautiful. As said above, I've never done Germany.