They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I have never found that statement to be truer than now. The sweetest part of my travels so far has been thoughts of you. Many of you have reached out with messages of well wishes and reminders of the community and love that is waiting for my return. I thought that the days of packing a suitcase with the intent of being gone longer than a month were behind me. To be honest, when planning my cruise to the middle east, I had no idea it would turn into an epic 35-day Odessey that would challenge my current world view and awaken my mind to the triumphs and struggles of humanity.
Having booked almost a year earlier, daydreams of new horizons, and soul-stirring sunsets, had already secured a large piece of real estate in my mind. I dreamed of foreign lands, new experiences, and foraging a deeper connection with the mother. Sadly, as the departure date approached conflict in the middle east led the cruise company to cancel. My heart went out to all those affected by the conflict but, I knew that I couldn’t let these dreams fizzle into the land of buried and forgotten fantasies. Also, I had a nonrefundable plane ticket to Dubai. Dubai being just a short 5-hour, plane trip to India, I congregated with my travel companions, and we began planning our epic odyssey.
As I am writing this I am traveling on a large sailing, vessel/yacht, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Lisbon to Barbados. It was just 28 days ago that my friends and I landed in Dubai. Our stay in Dubai was brief and we were determined to see as much as we could. We visited the local spice markets and wandered into the man-made land of the great palm tree, all while marveling at the unusual architecture. We spent the days shopping and eating wonderful pastries, and the nights admiring the lights and décor in the local clubs and restaurants.
From Dubai my companions and I took a flight to India where we changed planes and flew into Rishikesh, a quaint little yoga town on the Ganga River featuring the Temple of Maharishi Mahesh. Maharishi is best known for Transcendental meditation and being the Beatles Guru. This town filled with temples, Brahmans, yogis, and gurus, spoke to my soul as everywhere I looked I was reminded I was in the birthplace of yoga by the incredible symbolism in the murals and statues of deities. I felt like I was finally there, in the place I had felt so connected to for most of my adult life. Don’t get me wrong, traveling around Rishikesh was no easy feat. Tiny, two-lane roads would easily become five lanes as no one seemed to acknowledge any rules of the road. Cows, monkeys, Tuk Tuks, and lots of beeping horns added to the chaotic scene within the town center. Amongst the Tuk Tuks, and cars, the highways were littered with the occasional cow laying in the middle or a tractor dragging a small trailer. These trailers were seemed to defy all odds as they were stacked two stories high with sugar canes, and often accompanied by a man sitting Indian style at the very top of the heap to keep it from blowing away. In India everywhere I looked I saw something I had never seen before. As I packed my suitcases with souvenirs and sari’s, the traditional women’s wear I knew that the most important thing I was taking with me were the memories, oh, and the photos.
Apart from the general chaos, I think the most surprising thing about this part of my journey was the way we were received by the locals. Everywhere we went we were bombarded with requests for photos. Imagine the paparazzi if they were Indian people, setting scenes, asking sweetly, and extremely grateful. As babies were placed in our arms and children at our side, locals would pull out their cell phones and snap hundreds of photos. Apparently a fair complexion was enough to intrigue the locals, who we were informed, rarely, if ever, see foreigners. As a non-meat eater, I was happy to have discovered that for the most part Rishikesh was meat free and a dry town. This meant that the wine my companions had smuggled in their bags would require an outside-the-box method for opening. Yep, a town with no alcohol has no need for wine openers. Don’t worry, they managed. Where there is a will, there is a way.
From Rishikesh we traveled to New Delhi where we stayed in a 5-star hotel surrounded by armed guards. It hurt my heart to wonder why the guards were necessary, and to witness such a range of extreme poverty and wealth but, I must admit I enjoyed being pampered, soaking in the tub, and the comfortable bed.
After a wonderful nights rest, my companions and I traveled to the Maldives. A small boat transported us to a tropical paradise where we were greeted by our very own butler who took our bags and gave us a tour of the property. The tour was quick as the resort was small consisting of a restaurant, outdoor bar, with a dj and a dancefloor, another bar, a spa, gift shop, and a watersport office. We were surrounded by the sand, fish-filled, turquoise water, and the sound of the waves. There were four of us and we occupied two bungalows built on stilts. Our bungalow featured a glass floor, private pool, outside Jet-tub and a view of glowing, white sand beaches. We ate, swam with the fishes, fed the sharks, played with dolphins, snorkeled, danced, and relaxed in a living post card.
After five glorious days my friends headed home, and I set off for a journey across the Atlantic. I flew through the night from the Maldives to Abu dabhi. After a few hours in the airport, I set off on a 9 hour flight to Lisbon. I was surprised when I was greeted in Lisbon by a drop in temperature and a challenging Airbnb. Lisbon reminded me of a small Italy with narrow, cobblestone streets and lots of hills. I stayed just off a Parisian-feeling courtyard with several restaurants and a small farmers market. There were Christmas decorations and wonderful food in every direction. The Airbnb was tucked in a narrow alley and featured a long, steep, and extremely narrow, staircase that I eventually managed to drag my very large suitcase up, while exhausted.
In Lisbon I boarded the Windstar a 360 foot, sailing yacht. I was hired by Wind Star to give talks, teach yoga and meditation while the ship sailed the vast sea. I suppose it’s always lived in my heart as a romanticized dream to set sail to a far-off destination, with the sounds of waves, sunshine and star-filled, night, skies but, no one could have prepared me for all that I have experienced on board this ship so far.
There are 49 passengers from all over the world with vastly different backgrounds. College professors, judges, Professional dancers, Proprietors, winery owners, public speakers, avid travelers with very colorful lives, to name a few. These crossings tend to call a special kind of person, one with a sense of adventure and free time. Many of these travelers are in their later years in life and have done these crossings before. I am fascinated by the unusual quality and persona it takes to board a vessel knowing that you will travel across the ocean at the mercy of nature for two weeks. On this part of the journey there have been times I felt like I was in the scene of a movie. On nights where the winds and rains would blow you off the ship if you weren’t holding on, while the rocking, coupled with swells caused the boat to rise and fall, and contained to my room until the storm passed, I found myself gazing out my porthole thinking “My Epic Odyssey.” I know this doesn’t compare to the explorers many years ago that ventured into these seas, forging a path for trade and conquering lands, but, I did feel I had been witness to the sheer force and power of the mother. When the storms passed there would be, what could only be described as perfection, calm waters, blue skies, bar-b-ques, deck parties and dancing.
Overall, my takeaway from this crossing has been the eye-opening, gift of watching what life can be like in the older years. For the most part getting older is accompanied with ritual, habits and slowing down. Those who have chosen the typical path, rarely venture outside of the lines where there may find themselves in the uncertainty of a storm. I have found that those who have set sail with me are cut from a different cloth. I think, if asked, they might say the storm was the best part of a trip.
Looking out at the seemingly infinite ocean often free of any land or other boats revealed to me how small I had been living and how big this world can be. I sat each evening at a different table, listening to the stories and experiences of an incredible group of outliers, those choosing to live just outside the lines. I felt privileged to be a small part of their experience on the ship guiding them with yoga, workshops, talks and meditation. I think what I loved most about those conversations was the way they spoke about where they were going. Many had undergone vast changes such as divorce, the passing of their partner, retirement etc. and although they were moving through grief and loss they were excited about writing the next chapter of their life and open to the possibilities and adventures that lie ahead.
This is why I say outliers, considering most of them had crossed the invisible threshold of life that happens at 80 and starting over while choosing not to limit themselves. I am convinced, I have stumbled into a new breed of person. This breed has an openness and willingness to see things in a new way. They recognize the trap of routine, and they try and avoid it. They look for and thrive in adventure and don’t seem to know giving up or defeat. I think I know what I want to be when I grow up. thanks to these beautiful people.
Summing up this epic odyssey has not been easy especially since it isn’t over yet. But, overall I feel expanded, in love and excited about what lies ahead. In a few days we will port in Barbados where I will have a couple more days of beach, sunshine and maybe some Rum before heading home. See you soon!
