The other day I decided to change my screensaver on my iPhone which I haven’t changed in years even though I upgrade my phone every year. The old photo was hard to beat as its of me sitting atop Machu Picchu overlooking the vast green expanse, and it looked so unreal! But as I was counting in my head how many months it’s been since my last international trip (15 months), I decided to look through old photos to re experience the journey in my mind. The last trip was to Jordan and I wondered how much longer I have to wait to travel again. I had to cancel my hotels for Tokyo only a couple of weeks ago which would have been a trip in March of this year. Because I rescheduled this from last March, truly thinking this past Fall that this trip WOULD happen this time around, I’m giving up on Tokyo for now. I don’t care that “the third time is the charm” as I’m so sick of waiting and dreaming about it. I’m not a person to force things, and I feel like trying to go to Tokyo for the third time would be somehow bad luck.
Anyway, I found great pleasure in looking at my photos from Jordan. It’s amazing how we relive the journey with every picture. I can feel the temperature and what the air felt like with every photo for some reason. The above photo was taken in the desert of Wadi Rum where the movie THE MARTIAN was filmed. That day we went on a jeep ride, stopped by the above scenic place to take photos, and watched the sunset. After dinner we went on a walk with a Bedouin to look at the stars in the sky (so beautiful and bright!) while listening to his stories. He warmed us with his humor all the while making hot tea for us. I kind of tuned out his stories after being so mesmerized with the sky. The stars were so bright, and after my neck started to hurt looking up I laid down on the rock. When the Bedouin started to joke (or not) about scorpions and such I freaked out at the thought of something climbing into my hair and I got up immediately. The hot tea was strong and delicious, and that moment was so magical to me. Looking up at the sky and seeing bright stars are not something I’m used to since I live in a big city. As my tea cup was almost empty, it was time to head back to our tents. I truly tried to savor that night with every sip of tea. When would I see the bright stars again against the desert? I felt sad to leave that kind of beauty.
Every day of that trip to Jordan was amazing. Each day was filled with adventure. When going to bed that night I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve because the next morning we would be frolicking in the Dead Sea! 🙌
Oh World, how I miss you so…
