Motions in the Oceans...and the joys of travel

After months of sharing our plans of a grand adventure to Asia, our trip is no longer an idea hovering out on the horizon. The trip is a reality, and the tickets say that we are leaving tomorrow evening at 8pm. I don't know what has happened to the last couple of months, but they have been a flurry of good times. An incredible wedding week in Colorado, packing up our house and the departure from Denver, and finally a road trip across the eastern states...with one last round of hellos and good-byes to friends and family. So, here I sit in our little hotel room in Miami, reflecting on an amazing year, and yet wondering how the upcoming year will unfold. Tim and I are anxious to hit the road and see where the wind takes us. Our tentative route will take us around India for 5-6 months before reaching Nepal for some trekking. Then on to China and SE Asia. Perhaps finishing in Australia and New Zealand, depending on the finances and time at that point. Suddenly one year seems like quite a short time frame for our ambitious travel plans. So, let's see how the year unfolds...

And as for the blog title...here is an excerpt from the book Shantaram (taking place in Mumbai)-

‘Come on!’ Prabaker urged, tugging at my arm.

‘Come on where?’

‘First to toilet’, he replied, happily. ‘You must make a motions, isn’t it? I will show you how we make a motions, into the sea, on the long cement jetty. That is where you make the motions, into the sea, on the long cement jetty. That is where the young men and boys make their motions, every morning, into the oceans—motions into the oceans, isn’t it? You just be squatting down, with your buttocks pointing on the oceans. Then you wash your good self with a shower, and you have it a happy breakfast.’

This embodies the excitement of travel--not knowing what you are going to encounter, of discovering new places and new lifestyles. It is looking at things with a new pair of eyes and accepting new ways of doing things, and appreciating how fortunate we are to have this opportunity to experience new places that will ultimately shape our lives.