Europe to India

joylani-thumbnail.JPGI’m excited about today. We have one flight left this afternoon; seven hours on a plane and we will step out onto hot, humid, Indian soil. Our return is a sort of pilgrimage to our travel mecca, the place where the plan began. Three years ago Matt and I each journeyed to India for the first time. Matt went first with a group of students from the University of California for a six-month study-abroad program. I came two months later for a three-week visit. If travel were a swimming pool, Matt saw the water and dove in. I walked to the edge and dipped in my toes, and then I sat on the steps for a while to get used to the water.
One of my last days in India three years ago was on an overnight train from Udaipur to Delhi. Matt and I shared a cabin with a British couple who were on their way home from a seven-month trip through Asia. They had quit their jobs before starting their travels, and were faced with the decisions they would have to make when they returned home in a few days. Matt confided in me that he thought what they did was awesome and that he hoped to do the same. I thought he was crazy.
Now, as we return, Matt and I are going in the water together. Time and other trips have brought us to the same chapter in traveling, and since we got engaged two years ago, we’ve eagerly awaited to commence this part of our life. So much planning has gone into this trip, as well as the anticipation of how it would impact our lives. Certainly I am excited by the prospect of travel, new experiences, and learning. But I am most excited to begin this adventure with my husband and to go through crazy things together. Even though India is the foreign country we are most familiar with, we still have no idea what is in store. Last night we ended up getting a hotel for our 20+ hour layover in Helsinki. Savoring the stay, I took a long hot shower (best of the trip so far), and slept under clean sheets without a fan or AC for what will be the last time for a while. India, here we come!
164_6445-4.JPGFirst of all, Joylani also thought I was crazy when I asked her out- it just takes awhile for her to come around J

Today is our final international travel day for awhile. And I can’t say that I’m not a bit relieved. I’ve written already about how much we’ve see and experienced, but it’s been tiring too. We’ve only slept in beds 3 out of the last 5 nights and last night would’ve been a night in the Helsinki airport (where we had a one-night layover), except that Joylani convinced me to get a hotel room. The past month has been like CBS’ Amazing Race, a different country almost every day. This wild blitz through Europe has been a great way to kick-off our journey, but our trip is only starting now in many ways. We don’t plan to travel that quickly again. We really want to delve into and experience places, rather than just sightsee a bunch of places. But Joylani got to see Europe for the first time and I got to see some new countries. The European portion of our trip was planned like a military operation though, as its expensive and we were traveling in a larger group. But it was a good scouting trip, if you will, to see where in Europe we’d like to visit in the future.

Here are a few facts about our July:
26 days, 12 countries, 9 flights on 4 airlines, 3 boats, dozens of trains and buses.

Joylani’s favorite country: Turkey
Joylani’s favorite city: Copenhagen
Overall best thing Joylani saw: Hard question, but I really liked Notre Dame
Joylani’s favorite meal: Gyros with some white wine, in Athens
Best Surprise: seeing Nora Jones at the Acropolis

Matt’s favorite country: Turkey
Matt’s favorite city: Istanbul
Overall best thing Matt saw: Ephesus
Matt’s favorite meal: Every lamb kebap I ate
Best Surprise: Estonia

After such an amazing month of travel, it feels weird to continue on. It’s really unfathomable for me that we’re going to continue. I mean it seems like we should go back to work. We could have plausibly taken three and a half weeks off of work and returned with no vacation time for the remainder of the year. But we’re not returning, we’re continuing. As the reality of this whole thing dawns on me, I think “it’s” finally hitting me. What are we doing? Did we really quit our jobs? Are we crazy? What were we thinking? Is this really happening? Of course, we’ve been gone for nearly a month, but it’s only now that I’ve had a few days to really think and reflect. We’re actually doing this.

Our last night in Istanbul, Joylani and I sat with Jackie and Alex as they enjoyed some hookah on the rooftop terrace of our hotel. We were just talking about highlights and funny stuff from the past month. As Alex and Jackie began lamenting their return to home and work, they said how they couldn’t believe we get to keep going. They were incredulous that such an amazing trip was coming to an end, yet it was just the beginning for Joylani and I. Alex added, “You know I’ve been thinking about how everyone says they wish they were doing what you were doing or had done what you’re doing. And they say you’re going to have an awesome time. Well, I’ve been thinking about all that and they’re right- you ARE going to have an awesome time!”

The ironic thing about all of this is the more I realize what we’re doing, the more it hits me, the only word that comes to mind is “unbelievable.”

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