Incongruous title, yes....but I must comment on a phenomena that has occurred more than a few times.
(i hope this is not the pride before the fall)
I had been planning to go to the Maldives before arriving in Sri Lanka. Geographically it made sense, and the lure of the unspoilt had been building for years.
Three days ago I changed my mind and decided to go directly to Sri Lanka.
Why? It is absurdly expensive as the islands contain Only luxury resorts.....and I could not justify this ........as a "beach time" necessity. I have gone snorkeling in some of the Most Pristine places; the outer islands of Tahiti in the early 80's,
Belize in the 90's.
And on the front page of the Int'l Herald Tribune 2 days ago;
reporting of a coup/ forced resignation of the Maldives first democratic president. This never bodes well for the tourist, (not to mention the People). And Americans are targets for a host of new and complicated reasons. Violence always ensues.....
Luck......well you can decide.
1.1968 - Israel. My parents and I were there in Jan/Feb 1968 right after the 6 Day War (which has created most of the problems in the region since then). A bus exploded next to ours. A bomb. We continued our trip.
2. 1970 - Ecuador. My parents and I were caught in the middle of a coup d'etat. We were watching a dance performance in a theatre in Quito one minute, the next we were hustled out. The universities closed, the army appeared.
We continued our trip.
3.1972- Germany. I was attending the Summer Olympics in Munich with the Clerc's; the French family I had been living with. Israeli athletes were kidnapped and subsequently murdered. Being the first of my family to actually visit Germany (after WWII) and feeling nervous anyway. I (we) fled (back to France), the games went on!
4.1975- Italy. I was living in Rome, attending art school and I walked each day through Piazza del Popolo to my school/studio. Pro-Communist demonstrations were a weekly event and I got caught in the middle of one getting pushed down and tear- gassed by the polizia. I stayed on.. warily.. .and yes....still walked each day through Piazza del Popolo (but checking through pamphlets/notices/ and inquiry the date/time of the schedule..... yes, the Italians always routinely scheduled the demonstrations)
5. 1976- Pakistan- this event is not state sponsored political action, it's more of a cultural skewing of the war between the sexes. I was riding the train (2nd class) and I found myself woken up (on the top berth) by having a gun -butt repeatedly pushed into my ribs. I was dressed modestly (long skirt+ long sleeved kurta) but it was such an affront to these men to see a woman traveling solo that this was their way of letting me know. I stared them down, intransigently..... but their look of pure hatred ultimately made me move to another car. I continued eastward to India + Nepal.
I made a vow never to return to Pakistan. It hasn't been a hard one to keep.
There have been a few natural disasters also, earthquakes+ tsunami, closings of borders..bribing Afghan commandants, being accused of smuggling art,...... but i must say my favorite story is one from my parents' intrepid travel.
In the early eighties, my parents were traveling in Colombia, down the Orinoco, following the Inca trail and found themselves in Bogota. After waiting and waiting for their domestic flight; the airport Just Shut Down. My Dad calmly looked outside and said, "Zena, the drug lords have taken over the airport". They found another mode of transportation and continued their trip.
So, I do not relay these tales to relay fear......fear is constricting..... nor do I admonish those who research
and calculate every trip to a "safe destination".
We live in Uncertainty during our time in the material world.
And having a bit of luck is just as Uncertain as what the news, your day or the weather will be.
Or maybe it's just karma.....and it's all preordained.
travelin' woman
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