I was in Nepal. I was tired. I had just come downhill from Everest Base Camp and wasn't looking forward to a few extra hours in dirty, bustling Kathmandu. I needed to rearrange my flight. To do that, explained my elderly travel agent, I would need to travel by motorbike with him to the offices across town.
That's how I found myself, on my last day in Asia, perched on the back of a motorcycle weaving its way in and out of traffic. I was pretty sure the old guy wasn't keen on me clinging to him like I'd seen most Indian families do. I kept a respectful if wobbly distance until he gently said, 'Hold my shoulder, please' and I gingerly held on to him with one hand while trying to keep my balance.
My blonde hair glinted in the sun and my expression, behind my aviator sunglasses, said to the gawkers: Yeah? so?
I bring this up because it's the kind of adventure you have when you're halfway out the door. Within 48 hours I was at the bar in Boston, shaking my head to clear the dust of Delhi from my nose. (Harder than you think.) This week, I looked at what I had been missing from my year living in Europe and took a long-awaited trip to Scandinavia to stay with friends.
There I was, cycling down the street in Copenhagen with a calm but bemused smile, wondering when on earth I would ever have a chance to do something like this again. Would I ever fly all the way from America to ride the roller coaster in Tivoli? Not likely. So why not now? When there's so much to see?
My hostess, a friend from the publishing program, understood completely and ushered me from boats to museums and, just for a lark, on a quick trip to Sweden. When we played fairway games at the amusement park they let me pick the prizes, and we (accidentally) stayed past closing at the Carlsberg brewery. Sure, I could have gone to Denmark earlier in life, or later, and there's plenty of things I need to take care of in Oxford before I go. But the chance to finally see Scandinavia, with friends, is an opportunity that can't be wasted. I only hope I can share such good experiences when it's their turn to visit me in the States.
That's how I found myself, on my last day in Asia, perched on the back of a motorcycle weaving its way in and out of traffic. I was pretty sure the old guy wasn't keen on me clinging to him like I'd seen most Indian families do. I kept a respectful if wobbly distance until he gently said, 'Hold my shoulder, please' and I gingerly held on to him with one hand while trying to keep my balance.
My blonde hair glinted in the sun and my expression, behind my aviator sunglasses, said to the gawkers: Yeah? so?
I bring this up because it's the kind of adventure you have when you're halfway out the door. Within 48 hours I was at the bar in Boston, shaking my head to clear the dust of Delhi from my nose. (Harder than you think.) This week, I looked at what I had been missing from my year living in Europe and took a long-awaited trip to Scandinavia to stay with friends.
There I was, cycling down the street in Copenhagen with a calm but bemused smile, wondering when on earth I would ever have a chance to do something like this again. Would I ever fly all the way from America to ride the roller coaster in Tivoli? Not likely. So why not now? When there's so much to see?
My hostess, a friend from the publishing program, understood completely and ushered me from boats to museums and, just for a lark, on a quick trip to Sweden. When we played fairway games at the amusement park they let me pick the prizes, and we (accidentally) stayed past closing at the Carlsberg brewery. Sure, I could have gone to Denmark earlier in life, or later, and there's plenty of things I need to take care of in Oxford before I go. But the chance to finally see Scandinavia, with friends, is an opportunity that can't be wasted. I only hope I can share such good experiences when it's their turn to visit me in the States.
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