Sunday, May 13, 2007

The starting line


The first question is always: where are you going? what are you doing?

That question kind of misses the point. The idea is to be open to anything. (Refer to "Life is Long" column to your right. It says it all.)

But since you ask (and since I'm notorious for hatching harebrained plots), here's a rough sketch of my idea:

summer 2007 -- Kick it in Boulder, Colorado. Bike a bunch. Get in killer shape. Work out visas, vaccinations, and other logistics. In August I'll visit friends across the U.S. -- Carrie in Glacier Nat'l Park; Caroline in Lake Tahoe.

fall 2007 - First Tibet. Three or four weeks? Then Nepal. Trek the Annapurna circuit?

winter 07/08 - Brazil is calling my name. I think I'll meet my college roommate Jessica in Sao Paolo, and together we'll sunbathe on the beach, flirt with cabana boys and practice Portugese. We'll stay November to March. It's summer in the southern hemisphere.

spring 2008 - My friend Kimberly and I plan to bike the Mediterranean border of Europe, starting in Rabat, Morocco, across southern Spain, France, Italy, and the Baltic coast, ending in Greece. Training starts mid-June when my job ends.