And where am I now? It feels like weeks have elapsed since Laos, and something like months for Vietnam. The memories seem to move away at an exponential rate, but returning to them feels warm and fuzzy at times. They've been aging nicely, I like to think.
It's tempting to gloss over the last bits of Laos, so that's what I'm going to do!
Vang Vieng didn't have a whole lot to do in the rainy season. It's supposedly a rock climbing paradise, but I've given up on the idea of sating my climbing fix for the time being. I miss doing what I love to do, but I can postpone gratification for a little while longer. My body's conditioning is shot anyway, so it'll likely be frustrating to hop on the walls at this point. I'd much rather take time to hit my stride again.
Due to the rainy/sleepy atmosphere, we are consigned to lounging around indoors. Sam and Michael pay us a surprise visit after we thought we had made our final goodbyes, so we just continue to bask in their glow for a while longer. They'll be heading out to California in September which prompts much future daydreaming. I share a few of my favorite things and get lost in the memories. I want to have a vicarious homecoming through them. Maybe they will have the delicious cider at Rabbit's Foot, or maybe they'll go climbing at Planet Granite. Would it be too presumptuous to invite them to stay with my parents? My mom can tell them to go to bed early and they can hike the PG&E loop with my sister. I want them to go in my stead and send all of those good sensations across the Pacific Ocean.
I know what I'm going to do but I still feel the pull of nostalgia's gravity. I'm still caught between the two possibilities. There are many others, but their influence isn't as apparent.
As far as I look into my hazy future, I'm going to orbit with New Zealand for a little while. I'll take extensive readings and head for homebase when my curiosity is quenched. I'll create mental maps of the local geography and take some samples (especially food) for further analysis. But eventually I'll whip back around to California, to my family.
I wonder if it will grow old quickly, or even if I will grow old there. Will this trip satisfy me for a while, or will it plant too many potential futures in my head? I have trouble knowing myself that far in advance. I concede that the things I'm driven to do now may change considerably, but I just can't make sense of those nebulous future desires. What will make for the best life spent? How do I even begin to quantify those things? I've been accumulating so many experiences while traveling, but I still can't tell what will stick years from now. Maybe this is a new lifestyle, this constant movement, not just an excursion. I won't rule it out.
Besides, I'll have plenty of time for sedentary activities when I'm older.
Up next: the capital city of Laos, Vientiane.
It's tempting to gloss over the last bits of Laos, so that's what I'm going to do!
Vang Vieng didn't have a whole lot to do in the rainy season. It's supposedly a rock climbing paradise, but I've given up on the idea of sating my climbing fix for the time being. I miss doing what I love to do, but I can postpone gratification for a little while longer. My body's conditioning is shot anyway, so it'll likely be frustrating to hop on the walls at this point. I'd much rather take time to hit my stride again.
Due to the rainy/sleepy atmosphere, we are consigned to lounging around indoors. Sam and Michael pay us a surprise visit after we thought we had made our final goodbyes, so we just continue to bask in their glow for a while longer. They'll be heading out to California in September which prompts much future daydreaming. I share a few of my favorite things and get lost in the memories. I want to have a vicarious homecoming through them. Maybe they will have the delicious cider at Rabbit's Foot, or maybe they'll go climbing at Planet Granite. Would it be too presumptuous to invite them to stay with my parents? My mom can tell them to go to bed early and they can hike the PG&E loop with my sister. I want them to go in my stead and send all of those good sensations across the Pacific Ocean.
I know what I'm going to do but I still feel the pull of nostalgia's gravity. I'm still caught between the two possibilities. There are many others, but their influence isn't as apparent.
As far as I look into my hazy future, I'm going to orbit with New Zealand for a little while. I'll take extensive readings and head for homebase when my curiosity is quenched. I'll create mental maps of the local geography and take some samples (especially food) for further analysis. But eventually I'll whip back around to California, to my family.
I wonder if it will grow old quickly, or even if I will grow old there. Will this trip satisfy me for a while, or will it plant too many potential futures in my head? I have trouble knowing myself that far in advance. I concede that the things I'm driven to do now may change considerably, but I just can't make sense of those nebulous future desires. What will make for the best life spent? How do I even begin to quantify those things? I've been accumulating so many experiences while traveling, but I still can't tell what will stick years from now. Maybe this is a new lifestyle, this constant movement, not just an excursion. I won't rule it out.
Besides, I'll have plenty of time for sedentary activities when I'm older.
Up next: the capital city of Laos, Vientiane.
No comments:
Post a Comment