Be Open. You Never Know.

Written by Karen

Seoul, South Korea

When we let people know that our travel plans were changing at the last minute and that we were going to South Korea instead of Thailand, the most common response was, What? South Korea? Why? 

Adam and I had tried twice this year to go to Bangkok, Thailand and had to cancel our trips both times to circumstances beyond our control.

Black Gold

Written by Karen

The smell, the taste, the oral sensation of rich, fresh and strong coffee swirling around your mouth is always the best part of my morning routine. It always seems to get me going.  It also makes me happy.  Drinking a good cup of coffee through a straw in my to-go cup allows me to savor the moment multiple times as I meander my way through the traffic patterns to my office.

The Beak of Culinary Perfection

Written by Karen

Seoul

Kwang Jang Market is one of the largest markets in Seoul; known specifically for its wide and colorful array of fabrics, and for its street food scene.  We were interested in seeing - and tasting - the offerings readily available through the street food scene.  The market looks deceptively small from across the street as you approach it.  But once you stop dodging the cars and scooters and cross the street and enter into one of the crowded corridors, you can see that this place is actually large.  Very large.  A spiderweb of different aisles, colors, smells and textures all shout out for your attention.  

Welcome to Seoul, Korea

Written by Karen

Hongik University Area

We had planned to go to Bangkok, Thailand to “make-up” for the trip we had to cancel earlier this year in April. But with all of the flooding that was going on in Thailand - the worst in 50 years - it wasn’t the right time to insert ourselves into a country to vacation while so many people were struggling.    

So, the day before our flight departed from SFO, we cancelled our trip (again!) to Bangkok and made arrangements to visit Seoul.  Why Seoul?  Our tickets had us passing through Seoul on our way to Bangkok; we had never been to Korea before and didn’t know of too many people who had visited Korea; the weather forecast was indicating perfect autumn temperatures; Adam’s dad had been assigned to Korea with the US Air Force in the 1950’s; and, we knew we didn’t need a visa to visit. So we decided, let’s go! We’ll explore South Korea.

Go West

Written by Karen

Yosemite, California

This idea seemed to captivate everyone’s imagination a couple of hundred years ago. The old adage, “go west young man,” made popular in the late 1800’s was an idea that you could make a better life for yourself if you were willing to work hard and actively be in control of your own destiny. In today’s vernacular this is expressed as being the captain of your own ship.  Whether people were individually compelled to move forward or repelled by outside circumstances to go in a different direction, the idea of physically moving somewhere else to find a better life burned brightly.

Planning - Steps Taken So Far

Written by Karen

Yosemite, California

October 2010:  We started seriously talking about taking a “gap year”; what that means; were we willing to accept the consequences; could we afford it; and, what happens when we come back.  Do we really want to turn our lives completely upside down? Should we? Shouldn’t we?

Rising from the Ashes

Written by Karen

Goldfield, Arizona

We took a quick road trip to Phoenix this past weekend. We could have flown. Most people were surprised when we said we wanted to drive. Why? It takes so long. It’s so hot  True. It is a twelve hour drive without stops.  So, it is a commitment. But, we wanted to experience the Sonoran Desert again in 3-D: the heat, the long sight lines, the sparse beauty, the smells, the reddish mountains. 


It’s been about ten years since we last drove to Phoenix on Interstate 10, and it is still majestic to see the wrinkles of the mountains so crisp and clear against the blue sky, the Saguaros standing sentry, and watching the bands of blues, purples, pinks and oranges sink unimpeded behind the mountain ranges as the fiery sun sinks for another day.  All of this beauty against the backdrop of the intense and unrelenting heat to remind us of how flexible life must be out here to endure these harsh and unforgiving elements.

Interstate 10, Arizona

Interstate 10, Arizona

Interstate 10, Arizona

Interstate 10, Arizona

And, on top of just surviving, there is plenty of beauty within those parameters.  We stop along the way so that I could take pictures: blackened bark, brilliant oranges and reds, willowy sages, assorted cactus.  It is hot - no doubt about that - but taken within the context of that searing heat, the story of the Saguaro cactus is even more interesting.

Goldfield, Arizona

On a brief tour that we took, the guide let us know that if we were to plant a Saguaro seed today, in ten years we would have an one-inch baby Saguaro cactus.  The outcroppings, or arms, usually don’t grow until the plant is at least 75 years old.  The Saguaro cactus is considered to be the largest cactus in the United States and can live between 150 - 200 years.  Day after day of unrelenting heat and the Saguaro cactus still stands strong and tall.  In reading a little bit more, according to the Desert Museum, the Saguaro cactus can soak up rainwater and when completely hydrated can swell in weight from 3200 - 4800 pounds. Wow.  It has adapted to not only survive, but flourish in a rocky and unforgiving habitat.  Not surprising, the Saguaro blossom is the State wildflower of Arizona.  A symbol of strength and beauty. 

We went to Phoenix to celebrate the 90th birthday of Adam’s aunt; another symbol of strength and beauty.  It has also been about ten years since we have seen Adam’s relatives on his mother’s side, so we were looking forward to spending some time and getting caught up with everyone.  Time doesn’t demonstrate its rapid passing any more effectively than with children.  Children that we saw ten years ago are now young adults; babies have become children; and, we met little ones for the first time. 

Huge gaps are exposed in our collective experiences. Adam’s family is gracious, generous and fun-loving.  Why do we wait to get together every ten years to have a good time?, we ask ourselves. We vow to do better.
   

Birthday Celebration, Arizona

Another idea that I am taking away from this weekend is that of making an effort.  We all made an effort to get together and celebrate an amazing woman’s achievement to live  graciously and with deep kindness for 90 years.  That is true.  But, I am also thinking about the food that we had over the weekend.  Handmade food.  From scratch.  With love.  Key ingredients that make the simplest of foods transcend into something extraordinary.  Tortillas.  Beans.  Chicken in a mole sauce.  Carne Asada.  Rice.   Tamales.  This may seem like a simple menu, but in the hands of artists these foods are complete happiness.  You can taste the effort, the love, the long hours, the finger and hand prints that accumulate into a bountiful buffet of favorite and savory foods.
  
We all have childhood memories of foods that were prepared for us by our aunts, grandmothers, mothers, fathers, uncles and grandfathers.  These are the “comfort foods” of today and are highlighted on restaurant menus.  A throwback to the past. But, you really can’t buy comfort food; the component that makes it comfort food was that it was made with love, with effort and by hand.  Maybe it was a can of beans with frankfurters chopped up, or a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread, or maybe some handmade tortillas made from scratch.  Whatever it was, it was the effort taken that made it special.  We knew we were special because of the time that was being taken to prepare and serve the food.   

I was reminded this weekend that you could really taste/see/feel the difference when an effort has been made.  Whether it be the tiny pink flower determined to poke through the hot gravel next to the blazing hot road, family members driving or flying for hours to spend some time together, or the behind-the-scenes preparation to get ready for a family get-together, the efforts that were made resulted in memories that will be savored.  

Gilbert, Arizona

I was also reminded of the strength and beauty of the human spirit.  Like the Saguaro cactus, to have the ability to be flexible and find ways to adapt and flourish in difficult circumstances is necessary in order to be successful in our endeavors.  And, to always remember to celebrate life with those you care about.  Now.  Not every ten years.  

Making a Difference

Written by Karen

Phoenix, Arizona

I saw Bill at the gym today.  “Care,” he bellowed from across the room, “you making a difference today?”  I gave him a hug and told him that it was great to see him.  He mentioned that he has seen me working out during the lunch hour, and I replied, “Well, it’s not much, but it is at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes of cardio.”

He said, “Good, that’s good. You can’t make a difference in this world if you aren’t taking care of yourself.”  I nodded.  I am completely on board with this idea.

Sweet Sixteen - Follow Up on Checking Out Our World

Written by Karen

True North

A few blogs ago, I mentioned that out of the 195 recognized states by the US State Department, there were sixteen countries that I had never heard of.  Over the past few weeks, I looked up these sixteen places on Wikipedia and other internet sites, read a little about their history and culture, and placed them on our large wall map to get a visual picture of where they were located.  

It’s pretty interesting to actually research places that are completely unknown to you. There are just so many places to explore! Here are just the tiniest of snippets, courtesy of Wikipedia, of where these countries are located.   

And, for all of you who snickered when you saw Holy See on my list, clearly I was not raised Catholic! 

Travel Shots Uncovered

Written by Karen

Florence, Oregon

I got my first round of travel shots last Friday.  I received the basic travel shots for the tropics and getting off the beaten track: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Typhoid.  I was already up-to-date with my DTaP: Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough), so I thought I’d tack on the additional travel shots to my regularly scheduled doctor’s visit.  

You would think this would be a relatively straightforward process, however, it turned out to be much more complicated, unnecessarily so in my humble opinion, then just walking into the doctor’s office and getting pricked. And, just to add another layer of potential complication, I wasn’t sure if our medical insurance would cover these travel shots. Since it is rarely clear in the insurance world as to what is covered and what is not covered, I figured I would just take things as they came.  

Peeling Off The Layers

Written by Karen

Yosemite, California

A couple of blog entries ago, I talked about being a force and starting to get healthy one step at a time.  I’ve actually incorporated working out/being more active each day since then.  I ran – well, jogged, and slowly at that – for a mile at level 4 on the treadmill today.  I was ready to stop after minute 3, but kept going for the full fifteen minutes.  It’s funny.  This is something that I now want to do. I want to be as healthy as possible when I leave my current lifestyle in March and start another life chapter. I want to hit the ground running.  I’ve been pacing myself for some time here – just another day, just another week, just another month – and then we’ll be at our goal. And then life begins…our next chapter starts…and then….

Checking Out Our World

Written by Karen

Yosemite, California

As of July 15, 2011, according to the U.S. Department of State Diplomacy in Action webpage, there are 195 independent states worldwide.  I pulled the list today off the website, and starting marking the names of the countries that I had never heard of before. I was surprised at the number.  Starting in alphabetical order, they are:

Republic of Benin; Kingdom of Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Union of Comoros; Republic of Djibouti; Commonwealth of Dominica; State of Eritrea; Republic of The Gambia; Holy See; Republic of Kiribati; Kingdom of Lesotho; Republic of Mauritius; Republic of Nauru; Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis; Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste; and, Tuvalu. 

Be A Force

Written by Karen

Yosemite, California

I took another step towards getting me back today.  You can’t see it in my picture (since I’m still incognito posing as a bunch of daisies!), but I have put on about 40 pounds in the past six years.  I haven’t been ok with this – of course – but I just couldn’t shake the excuse that this was just one of the many consequences of working in the Silicon Valley.

Scratching The Surface

Written by Karen

Tokyo, Japan

I’ve been thinking about the idea of moving into different neighborhoods, towns, regions, lifestyles and cultures and “blending in” to understand a different perspective or way of life.  For me, this idea is most closely associated with travel, and it is an aspect of travel that I absolutely love.  

Planning For The Unknown

Written by Karen

Our Packs

Optimism abounds with numbers, budgets, itineraries, rail/plane schedules, ideas, suggestions, things to do, places to see; all considered, some kept, some tossed aside. A Gap Year. Wow, time to go slow, explore, savor life. 

We both now maintain long lists of computer bookmarks to travel events for 2012, newspaper articles, travel blogs, couple travel blog sites and general research of places and activities that interest us. We have created multiple “To-Do” lists.  Somehow, this will all have to come together into some coherent plan.  It’s T-minus 6 months until life as we know it begins to change.  

Hitting the Reset Button

Written by Karen

Potsdam, Germany

I think now, almost compulsively, about the future and wonder, how did I get to this place?  How did we both get to this point in our lives – at the peak of our careers, the height of our earning power and the collection of all that stuff that results from building our lives together – and willingly take this leap of faith into the unknown? To have the fearless courage to hit the reset button and have this concoction of emotions running amok with excitement about the future possibilities way out in front of fear, anxiety and doubt?

Zaanse Schans, Netherlands

5 - Paris Strike - Part Deux 2010

Written by Karen

Eiffel Tower

We arrived in Paris on a Sunday afternoon under warm, blue skies, but the Parisians were a bit cranky.  Maybe because it was hot, or maybe it was all of the talk about the strike.  Strike?  What strike?  Well, it came as a surprise to us that during the months of July and August, everyone is away on holiday and doesn’t want to think about politics.  But, come September, voila...let the games begin. 

Dispatch from Adam - 2010

Oui apologize for the inconvenience...

Yes, there have been a few.  France is quite an interesting place.  If you should stop by a brasserie for a little something to eat anywhere in Paris, they seem to be able to handle that fairly well.  We have not even found the surly waiter.  But waiting?  We have found that.  Get in one line to get your number in line.  Then keep an eye on the monitor that displays what number is coming up; not next, but more like several events beyond next.  Then, after an eternity, you are declared next.  “Everything looks good”, the lady with control of the computer says, but all you have to do now is to find the line at the train station to do what might have been easier accomplished at the train office downtown, especially since you have already waited in a line.  Maybe the presence of lines in a train office are somehow more appropriate, since tracks are lines that should not cross.  People got angry in there, since some lines were obviously crossed.  I think that is why they call them train lines.

3 - Impressions of Amsterdam - 2010

Written by Karen

Dutch Clogs

It takes a few days, once you begin any journey, to work out the kinks and to become acclimated to your new circumstances.  We are on our third full day of our journey, and I think we are close to that stage of becoming acclimated.  This blog entry will be a brief synopsis looking backwards. If you’re interested...I will be updating this blog whenever I can, and I’ll try and keep it interesting!

Amsterdam is a very enjoyable city; it has a compact human-scale feeling to it.  No really high skyscrapers.  Someone told us that the height limit in Amsterdam was four stories. Even with 12 foot ceilings, the skyline is pretty flat, so you never feel like you are in the shadows of a huge building.  Which is really nice if you walk the city.  We spend most of our time perusing neighborhoods, canal streets and exploring the city by foot.  We also visited the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum and participated in the Heineken experience tour.

2 - So...why Europe and why now? 2010

Written by Karen

Lac d'Annecy, France

So... we decided to go backpacking through Europe a few months ago.  I scheduled a 3-week vacation in September - one of the shoulder months that we try and plan our travels around.  There are less crowds; usually good weather; and, better travel deals.  We bandied about several different destinations, but instead of the typical 7 – 10 days that usually defined our vacations, we decided that this year we would go for a longer period of time.  Why?  Different and the usual reasons.  But, for me, the biggest reason was that after Adam had his emergency quadruple heart bypass surgery at the young age of 50 last Thanksgiving, due to genetics, the ripe knowledge of life being short could no longer be ignored, but had to be plucked and savored.  If not now, when?