you know this already. i love to travel. my mother was a travel agent and took me along on many trips throughout my childhood. it wasn't always fun, yet i was left with so many global impressions that it made growing up in a tiny pennsylvania oil town bearable. i knew there was more out there and that it was attainable.
something that first attracted me to my husband was his backpacker spirit. i sensed it in him right away. to us having a child didn't mean we had to throw away our sense of adventure and give up the road. tashi was with us on our honeymoon when we spent a week in mexico. we went to london, to greece and to cyprus, before spending a year in india. she drove across country with us when we moved from the west coast to michigan. and she's driven back and forth with us between virginia and the midwest several times now. tashi and i have taken a few trips to new york city together on the train. we went to london and cyprus again last summer. and tonight when we were looking through old pictures, tashi asked me eagerly when we could go back to india. the love of travel has already been nurtured in her, and she has always been a terrific companion: patient, curious, entertained and excited. a few nifty fifty mile treats, an excellent sketchpad with a good set of colored pencils, and some delicious portable snacks will get you a long way. that, some travelers tales for mothers, and the lonely planet guide to travel with children.
all the photos in this post are pictures of pictures. i don't have a scanner so i used my digital camera to take pictures of pictures originally developed from film. the above shot is of tashi and i at the bhagsu waterfall, near dharamsala, india. below she is with dan and my cousin david, in hampstead, england, before taking the underground to the airport where we would board our flight for india.
international travel with a child opened up a whole other dimension to us. her presence drew people to us, and us to people. we met other children, and befriended other couples. despite the fact that we were from america (and the judgments this can lead to), we were respected. we experienced things on another level. we couldn't just eat in restaurants all the time, we had to shop at the bazaars and cook meals. i had to wash and dry cloth diapers in monsoon humidity. i had to face my fears about disease, and dis ease. having a child with us helped us to not just visit, but to live.
tashi's presence added so much more journey to the journey. the impressions will stay with her forever. as will the openness, the worldly wisdom.
traveling has been really good for us as a family. it is a true test of team work. and a great source of joy.
travel itself can bring you closer to your god, or goddess, or the spirit in all things.
there was so much amazement when we were in india. like when i was almost run over by the nechung oracle while taking this picture.
there were so many warm smiles and intense gazes that redesigned my heartbeat.
exposure to language. mantra. and the richest of colors.
we even had visits from friends and family while in india. it is truly a gift to be able to share the magic.
it's been seven years since we were in india. i long for similar experiences. i'm certain more lies ahead. and there are the surprises. like last summer when tashi and i went to cyprus for a month with my mother.
i am a bit like the fool in the tarot deck, willing to step off the cliff and take the plunge into the unknown. that ionian sea sure does look tempting, yes?
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