I’ve spent much of my life in awe.

Of all kinds of people.  Talented musicians.  Published authors.  Fast runners.  Fearless daredevils.  This list does indeed go on.

And it’s humbling to recognize that there’s little hope of me becoming many of those things.  I was not blessed, for instance, with fast-twitch muscle fibers.  A sub five-minute mile just isn’t in my future.  And while I might actually have it in me to attempt a daring feat such as leaping from a bridge with a bungee cord attached to my ankles, I certainly would never do so without fear.

San Francisco is crawling with people to admire – and for every reason under the sun.  But one that has always stood out to me is that everyone I meet is
so well traveled.

I am not.

But the thing about awe is that sometimes it can push you to do things you otherwise might not.  Like quite your job and pack a backpack and get on a one-way flight to Europe.

That’s what it did for me, though, in truth, I can’t give all of the credit (or blame?) to awe.  This decision was also helped by curiosity, stupidity, a fear of getting older and a huge dose of very good luck.

For the story on how this all began, see this post.

WHAT TO EXPECT HERE:

A dear friend once called me a ‘seeker.’  I took this as a compliment and have tried to live up to the title ever since.  And so, in a nutshell, this blog is about the things I find.  That I’m currently ‘seeking’ on the other side of the world hopefully means those things are relatively interesting, but I make no promises.

I write from the heart and have little patience for editing, which should keep things here pretty honest.  I’m sometimes sentimental and sometimes harshly blunt and sometimes both at the same time.

I carry a camera with me most places and will share my worthwhile shots.  I have visions of becoming a better-than-terrible photographer over the course of my travels and welcome any tips from fellow photogs…

The internet is a beautifully paved two-way street and I hope to hear from you, dear reader, as often as you’ll hear from me.  I’m particularly hungry for delicious tips on places to see (or skip).

A LITTLE ABOUT ME:

I’m an optimist, a runner, a writer, a reader and a good eater.  I love rain and thumbnail moons and pickled things.

I’m generally a pretty fearful person – most often about anything that might result in death, but sometimes about very harmless things.  Like hotel bedspreads.  Fortunately, I’m traveling with a very patient and understanding man: Dave, my best friend and lover of eight years – husband of two.

I grew up in a rain-doused college town in Oregon and then moved to New York City mostly due to the advice in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen.’  For the last seven years I’ve called San Francisco home, which, according to Baz Luhrmann, may mean I’ve grown quite soft.

Me.

Conquering Fear.

My Handsome Travel Partner.

THE TRIP:

Our itinerary is a perpetual work in progress.  The destinations most important to us include the Mediterranean (a broad statement, I realize), South Africa, Nepal and South East Asia (another broad statement).  We have grand ideas of what to do and see between and after these countries, but time will tell.

What is most important to us is that we spend more time seeing less.  This, for us, is as much about the experience of traveling as it is the places we’ll actually visit.  Part of the inspiration for this adventure was that we we found ourselves questioning our way of life in San Francisco.  Were we doing things right?  Could we live better?  We’re eager to see how the rest of the world does life.  I’ll report back.