It is two months before the trip and preparations have
flooded my mind. I’m the type of person
that wants to know EVERYTHING (well... almost everything) about a place before
I go. That way I can make educated decisions about what to do, where to
go, what to see, and all the other little details (like does the airport have a
luggage storage so I don’t have to tote around my backpack on my 7 hr layover
in Tokyo?) it takes to travel. I envision a big box of possibilities, and
then when I get to my destination I can pull from the box different things I
want to explore. That’s not to say I’m
not without spontaneity. Naturally I
can’t learn everything about a place via the Internet and travel guides. There is always the unforeseen event that
cannot be planned for. Also, inevitably,
something is going to come up that I “just have to do” which I didn’t know
about before. When that comes, I have no
problem crunching up my box, tossing it over my shoulder and moving forward
with reckless abandon in full knowledge that the adventure before me is way better
than anything I had read about in a book.
My last major international trip was to Europe in the Fall
2007. I did a solo hostel to hostel trip
with only a backpack from London to Venice for about a month. I then met up with friends in Venice for a 12
day Mediterranean cruise to Rome. I
learned a lot from that trip about international travel and about myself as a
traveler. The biggest difference in that
trip and this one is that I won’t be by myself.
I’m looking forward to that.
Although there are many advantages of traveling solo (go where you want,
when you want), I realized that most of my joy and fulfilment from travel comes
by experiencing it with someone else.
The people I’m going with have become great friends of mine while living
in Alaska, and sharing this trip with them adds more meaning to the experience.
I think the most important aspect of
travel is not necessarily where you go but who you go with. And… I think I have some pretty great travel
partners.
Nancy is the one that introduced me to the humanitarian
experience in the first place and started this whole adventure. She is an engineer on Alaska’s North Slope,
works with Engineers without Boarders doing various projects in Africa (she’s
actually in Africa right now!), and is very well versed in International
Travel. Nancy and I met on a hiking trip
through a friend. I liked her instantly
– fun, down to earth, intelligent and outdoorsy- just the type of person I like
to surround myself with. Since then,
we’ve gone on many adventures together, had deep conversations, and have
created a great sisterly bond. We are
alike in many ways, but Nancy is much more focused and driven than me. She has the ability to persevere and thrive
despite challenges and makes the hardest things look so easy and doable. She’s taught me to trust and believe in
myself. She has inspired me by her strength of character, her commitment to friends and
family, and her humanitarian efforts. I’m looking forward to experiencing this trip
with her!!
Nancy: Hatcher’s Pass, AK
Bryan found out about the SHe trip totally unrelated to
me. In fact, he had wanted to go on a
previous trip a few years ago but due to various reasons, could no longer
go. He found out about this trip to
Nepal and mentioned it to my roommate. She
told him I was going and the next day we meet up to talk about the project and an
extended stay in Nepal trekking around; it didn’t take much for him to say,
“I’m in!” Bryan is quite the adventurer!
He and I met within the first few weeks of me moving to Alaska, then spent the
summer playing phone tag trying to set up a weekend to go fishing
together. That finally happened and we
had a blast dipnet and fly fishing for Salmon on the Kenai River. That trip is on my top 10 favorite adventures
of being in Alaska... it was so fun! Bryan is definitely “An Alaskan Man.” He’s
never without moose meat at a campfire or a Robert Service poem to recite. Bryan and I will stay in Nepal for a few
more weeks after the humanitarian project and hike the Annapurna Circuit (Nancy
already took lots of time off this year from work and needs to go back). I’m really grateful he’s going on this
trip. Bryan is always great company and if
anything were to go wrong, I trust him to help me get down the mountain safely.
Bryan showing me the fly fishing technique used to catch Salmon
on the Kenai River.
Bryan and I on the Cross Pass Trail, Girdwood, AK
We saw some Mt. Goats along the trail, Crow Pass, AK
I feel that our three personalities with mesh together
well. We are all easy going, have
similar expectations for the trip, and enjoy the same types of activities. Although, you never REALLY know until after
the trip. When it’s all said and done,
I’ll let you know if I still feel the same about them J
Thank you to those that have supported me in words and
deeds. Your encouragement and support
mean a lot to me.
If you would still like to contribute to the cost of the
trip, you can do so via paypal or through the mail. My email
address is kamicia@gmail.com. My address
is: 3335 Kendall Loop, Anchorage AK 99507.
All my Best,
Kami
