We landed in Istanbul and took a bus down to Alanya six months ago today. Mid-way through the journey, the world - literally and figuratively - looks different than it did then. We were excited, nervous and very much wondering how and to some degree, if it would all would out.
Was it actually possible to work from anywhere in the world? Could we really keep an income and afford to travel? Would we kill each other? Would Emily become desperately home sick? Would our (my) dog, Conlan go crazy in his foster home causing him to be unwelcome? Could we figure it all out?
So far, so good. We don't worry about any of these things. Even Conlan has settled in, occasionally only getting in trouble for stealing bacon off a kitchen counter. As we've gone along, we've learned a bit about choosing where we go and stay and what we need to make it work. We have been blessed with continuous work. Although we have our occasional moments of tension, we get along extremely well most of the time and do not (so far as I know) plot to kill one another.
Each place we've been has offered different beauties and challenges. Some have been easier than others. Some have been more fun than others. Some - known as Patmos - have captured our hearts and still have us talking about them.
Patmos was an easy choice to fall in love with. When we look back at the past six months, the happiest, easiest, nicest time was on Patmos in Greece. Although we took an official "honeymoon" without work or anything to do except relax at the beginning of the trip in Alanya, Turkey - Patmos felt more like a honeymoon than anywhere else.
The other great surprise of the trip - at least to me - is how much we liked Istanbul. From the initial impression, I didn't think we would enjoy our two weeks there as much as we did. Something about Istanbul - a very different seeming city which isn't so vibrant or exciting - wormed its way into our hearts.
We look back fondly at Istanbul. Maybe it was all the time on the water, looking at it in the fresh air with a crisp Autumn chill. Some of it was Istanbul's predictability and traversablity. Istanbul has a character and a way about it which we could understand and find comfortable. What at first made little sense, started to feel natural. We didn't expect that.
Mumbai was somewhat similar. More modern, clean, organized and happening than we had imagined. Emily said she would be very happy spending more time in Mumbai. I felt fine with what we had, but would never think twice about returning.
Because we take more time in each place than we would if we were normal tourists, I think we often get more of a feel for a place. We absorb it and get a feel for the texture of life. There have been places that have reminded us of how sublime life can be - and others that ground us in how challenging it can be.
The range of how people live, think and feel is amazing. Understanding that spectrum, relating to each part of it, embracing it and having compassion throughout it - I think that's humanity. The best part of travel isn't the places we see and the fun that we have - although those are great. It's the opportunity we have to understand the world and most importantly its people from different eyes.
Do we succeed? I don't know if we can ever fully judge. There are so many things we probably pass without noticing or views we miss. It's hard to tear down all your constructs to bridge gaps you don't even imagine exist - even with people in your everyday life, let alone with hugely different cultures.
Everyday, I pass people whose lives I'm glad I don't have. While my gratitude and appreciation of my life is good, am I right to think that? Is that person's life any less beautiful than mine? Is he or she unhappy with it? And of course, the ever-haunting question if they are suffering and unhappy - what did I do to make it better for them? In India and Nepal, if you start following this line of thought, you can go mad. Of course, that doesn't invalidate it.
Being in this part of the world for two and a half months, I can understand how a government might not put people in slums as its top priority. People in slums have shelter - and many have electricity and running water. Meanwhile, there are people literally on the street sick as dogs and dying. Then you have people who don't care because the people dying on the streets are from low castes - perhaps untouchables.
For someone trying to solve societal problems - it must be triage.
We met a guy on the train who works for the Indian Air Force. He loves his work and has a 20 year commitment to them. When I asked him if he was happy with Prime Minister Singh, who everyone so far has said such good things about, he said that he is not impressed with the current or any past government. In the end, they serve the interests of the wealthiest parts of India and nothing changes for the poor.
This guy is from a Brahmin family - the highest caste whose interests are generally served.
I thought about what he said and it's true that the Prime Minister's general direction is to ramp up the Indian economy and invest in infrastructure to improve India's economy standing. It's a solid and smart move.
I can also see how when you're looking at the slums by the airport runway, people in the street, power outages in much of the country and people struggling to survive, why you would feel like him. Investment in better roads isn't getting a starving child with a bloated stomach off the streets of Mumbai
The thing is that the world is neither defined by its worst agonies nor its most exquisite beauties. It's both. It's all of it. This trip and experience are about many things including us. But the most amazing part besides my beautiful wife, is being taught and reminded over and over that embracing the spectrum and living a life that does right by it all, is what its about.
Was it actually possible to work from anywhere in the world? Could we really keep an income and afford to travel? Would we kill each other? Would Emily become desperately home sick? Would our (my) dog, Conlan go crazy in his foster home causing him to be unwelcome? Could we figure it all out?
So far, so good. We don't worry about any of these things. Even Conlan has settled in, occasionally only getting in trouble for stealing bacon off a kitchen counter. As we've gone along, we've learned a bit about choosing where we go and stay and what we need to make it work. We have been blessed with continuous work. Although we have our occasional moments of tension, we get along extremely well most of the time and do not (so far as I know) plot to kill one another.
Each place we've been has offered different beauties and challenges. Some have been easier than others. Some have been more fun than others. Some - known as Patmos - have captured our hearts and still have us talking about them.
Patmos was an easy choice to fall in love with. When we look back at the past six months, the happiest, easiest, nicest time was on Patmos in Greece. Although we took an official "honeymoon" without work or anything to do except relax at the beginning of the trip in Alanya, Turkey - Patmos felt more like a honeymoon than anywhere else.
The other great surprise of the trip - at least to me - is how much we liked Istanbul. From the initial impression, I didn't think we would enjoy our two weeks there as much as we did. Something about Istanbul - a very different seeming city which isn't so vibrant or exciting - wormed its way into our hearts.
We look back fondly at Istanbul. Maybe it was all the time on the water, looking at it in the fresh air with a crisp Autumn chill. Some of it was Istanbul's predictability and traversablity. Istanbul has a character and a way about it which we could understand and find comfortable. What at first made little sense, started to feel natural. We didn't expect that.
Mumbai was somewhat similar. More modern, clean, organized and happening than we had imagined. Emily said she would be very happy spending more time in Mumbai. I felt fine with what we had, but would never think twice about returning.
Because we take more time in each place than we would if we were normal tourists, I think we often get more of a feel for a place. We absorb it and get a feel for the texture of life. There have been places that have reminded us of how sublime life can be - and others that ground us in how challenging it can be.
The range of how people live, think and feel is amazing. Understanding that spectrum, relating to each part of it, embracing it and having compassion throughout it - I think that's humanity. The best part of travel isn't the places we see and the fun that we have - although those are great. It's the opportunity we have to understand the world and most importantly its people from different eyes.
Do we succeed? I don't know if we can ever fully judge. There are so many things we probably pass without noticing or views we miss. It's hard to tear down all your constructs to bridge gaps you don't even imagine exist - even with people in your everyday life, let alone with hugely different cultures.
Everyday, I pass people whose lives I'm glad I don't have. While my gratitude and appreciation of my life is good, am I right to think that? Is that person's life any less beautiful than mine? Is he or she unhappy with it? And of course, the ever-haunting question if they are suffering and unhappy - what did I do to make it better for them? In India and Nepal, if you start following this line of thought, you can go mad. Of course, that doesn't invalidate it.
Being in this part of the world for two and a half months, I can understand how a government might not put people in slums as its top priority. People in slums have shelter - and many have electricity and running water. Meanwhile, there are people literally on the street sick as dogs and dying. Then you have people who don't care because the people dying on the streets are from low castes - perhaps untouchables.
For someone trying to solve societal problems - it must be triage.
We met a guy on the train who works for the Indian Air Force. He loves his work and has a 20 year commitment to them. When I asked him if he was happy with Prime Minister Singh, who everyone so far has said such good things about, he said that he is not impressed with the current or any past government. In the end, they serve the interests of the wealthiest parts of India and nothing changes for the poor.
This guy is from a Brahmin family - the highest caste whose interests are generally served.
I thought about what he said and it's true that the Prime Minister's general direction is to ramp up the Indian economy and invest in infrastructure to improve India's economy standing. It's a solid and smart move.
I can also see how when you're looking at the slums by the airport runway, people in the street, power outages in much of the country and people struggling to survive, why you would feel like him. Investment in better roads isn't getting a starving child with a bloated stomach off the streets of Mumbai
The thing is that the world is neither defined by its worst agonies nor its most exquisite beauties. It's both. It's all of it. This trip and experience are about many things including us. But the most amazing part besides my beautiful wife, is being taught and reminded over and over that embracing the spectrum and living a life that does right by it all, is what its about.
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