Last time I
wrote, Truman (the tripod), my spouse Jim, and I, having changed our mind about
going to the Antarctic, were planning a new trip to Eastern Europe. We hadn’t actually put down the deposit, but
I did buy a travel guide which covered the majority of places we’d travel. Oddly, I hadn’t yet opened it.
Perhaps it’s
also telling that we hadn’t sent in the money, since it made things easier
when, early this morning, I heard Jim calling me to look at his computer
screen. On it I saw the most beautiful
picture of The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.
Now Jim knows that Tibet has been on my bucket list ever since my former
spouse and I traveled through Nepal to the Tibetan border. At that time, it was closed to virtually
everyone by means of a sturdy gate and armed guards everywhere we looked.
When Jim
explained that he’d found a photo tour to the Tibetan Plateau and parts of
China, I never even asked a question except – “How do we sign up?” We spent about an hour of his work-time
reading through the website, checking out the photographer guide, examining the
testimonials, and looking at each other, each sporting a wide grin.
PayPal was
quick to handle our deposit, and we began our correspondence with the
photographer who will lead the trip. He
seems pretty nice, and funny, and accepting of a trip member who will not take
pictures, but rather write slightly funny, hopefully entertaining stories of
the adventure. But the story doesn’t end
there…
As we talked
throughout the day, Jim kept bringing up the hike that he and our 14-year old
grandson had taken last week. Jim bought
Evan a small Nikon camera last year, and he’s used it sporadically but not seriously. On the hike, Evan had expressed his desire to
begin taking pictures and learning how to use his camera more effectively. To say that his words were music to Jim’s
ears would be an understatement of great magnitude. He’s been waiting for this time, and with
that in mind, we began the conversation regarding a family trip for us,
grandson Evan, and our daughter, Shannan.
This evening,
we paid them a visit and invited them to join us next summer on our new
adventure. When we got home, we sent in
their deposit to go with ours, and I’ve already changed my screen-saver to the
picture I took of the Tibetan border, those many years ago.
Conversation
about how we’ll do at altitude was brief, since we all did OK last year in
Quito at 9,000 feet, and did some hiking at 13,000 feet on the way to the
Amazon Basin. We’ll be there in the
summer, when the temperatures are relatively moderate so gear is no
problem. Come to think of it, this trip
will be easy when it comes to prep, except for all the books I’ll be reading
between now and then.
Somehow, I
think Truman will understand our vacillation since, next summer, we’re all
going to a place of our dreams. I’m
pretty sure that the change to this trip will be good for our souls.
How did you feel hiking at 13,000 ft? I was lucky and was selected as a cancellation fill in for a Kamaaina tour of a couple of observatories atop Maunakea, HI. They are at about 14,000 ft. I walked and felt like I was drunk, but otherwise no problems.
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