When I got to the airport in San Francisco at 9:30 PM, ready to check in (and wait) for a 1:15 AM departure, I made my way up to the ticket counter and was immediately relieved that my bags were not overweight. The agent took my passport and my ticket but then she kept typing […]
Virtual Vacation: Naïve Traveler’s Lessons 1 & 2 Read More »
Many of you are already familiar with my 85-year-old mother, Temme, who I moved out to California four years ago. She lives in Sunshine Villa, an assisted living facility about ten minutes from our house. Yesterday the last thing I did after all my errands and the final check of my bags was to go
Virtual Vacation: Now I Won’t Sound Like a Tourist Read More »
There is something very satisfying and freeing about all the last minute things that need to be done before a trip: Now all I have to do is go for one last visit with my mother and get a really, really short no-muss, no-fuss hair cut. And have dinner with my family—and then off to
Virtual Vacation: All My Bags Are Packed And I’m Ready to Go… Read More »
My favorite part of getting ready for this trip (aside from picking up a very thick wad of brightly colored Balinese rupiah at the bank) has been saying “no.” For the past few weeks, I’ve been divesting myself of obligations and saying no to new work, new projects, new requests, and new ideas: “No, I’m
Anticipation: 5 Days ‘Til Bali Read More »
In ten days, I will be boarding a plane to Brisbane. I am flying to a city, a region, a country, a continent I have never been to before. I am 56 years old and there are many places in this wide, beautiful world where I have never been. I am seriously under-traveled and unfortunately,
Anticipation: 10 Days ‘Till Bali Read More »
