The Silver-Studded Finger

We arrived in Costa Rica on January 2. I left North Carolina ill with "what's going around" [WGA]. "I don't think I know of anybody who is not sick", one of our friends from Durham noted this past week. So, it came as little surprise that Adele succumbed to the WGA four days into our arrival. Just yesterday, I spoke with my brother in Israel, a man that I mentor in Atlanta, and a friend in Los Angeles all of whom have a dose of WGA. It's everwhere.

The 'finger' of life. 

In retrospect, Adele and I had already been 'sick' from the pressure, stress and tension caused by our "luxury problem" - dealing with all that attends to departing on an extended, year-long journey. For myself, I lose my short-term memory in direct relation to my anxiety. And, I mean "short" term! I have come to rely on Adele to know where I left my keys, my wallet, my iPhone... Greater frustration sets in when I have literally held that thing in my bloody hands moments before. Indeed, I have on occasion had the item in my pocket while searching for the damn thing. I don't fear 'the worst' of implications associated with my short-term memory failure. I trust the adage: "If you forget your car keys, that's not Alzheimer's; but, if you forget what your car keys are for???" Well, then...

Adele, on the other hand, has a habit of withdrawing...and getting 'pissy'. So, we share responsibilities. Possessed with a photographic memory, Adele points me in the right direction when I inadvertently misplace my underwear; and, I ground Adele with an embrace so she doesn't disappear for long periods. Affectionately symbiotic, no? But, then there are times when we are both completely 'out of whack' or one of us has descended off the deep end. At that point, the synchronicity and any opportunity for mutual support is lost. And, rather than culminating in peaceful resolution, we resort to the universal symbol for closure - the "finger". It is said that 'Esperanto' is the most widely spoken constructed language in the world. Yet, this gesture is more widely and frequently used, so visually and exquisitely concise, and offers a multiplicity and  transcendcy of meaning as to make Esperanto seem mute.

There has been another critical element to my frustration that has acted upon me the same way an unknown foreign toxin invades the body. A visceral event so disturbing, so fundamentally wrong on so many levels, so damning and potentially damaging that it has literally psychically and, in instances, physically shaken  me. The election pall has had a devastating effect on me. In my twilight hours, a creature appears to me like a darkness - a hovering, brooding black cloud - an ominous foreboding of provocation, prejudice and fear. I am reminded of Sauron of 'Lord of the Rings' or Darth Vader of 'Star Wars', symbolic evils Joseph Campbell cites as necessarily mythological in proportion to keep us aware of our own capacity to do harm. But, this is no mythical yarn, literary device or neuro-pathology. Neither is he 'symbolic' of anything. What he is, is dangerous. I beg us all to remain alert. Keep that finger flexed. And, may we walk together in the morning light.

A new dawning... 

Beauty and the Beach

When is a walk on the beach more than a walk on the beach? Answer: When you open your eyes to the beauty around you. Seems apparent. Yes? But, 'the devil's in the details'. Adele and I are typically on Playa Portrero by 8AM the latest. Approximately 4km. long, it takes a few ticks over an hour to walk the beach from nearly one end to the other and back. In other words, it doubles the time it would normally take to walk the @2.5 miles. The slow saunter enables me the opportunity to raise my aspect across an expanse of steel blue, shimmering sea, to the rise of rock cliffs matted with tufted trees, and the distant sailors and fishermen in skiffs to schooners, searching for schools of fish.

Or, I lower my head to have revealed a beauty of a different nature - not massive but discreet; not grand rather granular in scale. The small, exquisite and surprising life in the sand. It is said that "the devil's in the details". Never so much as when you wak the beach.

A view of Playa Danta. 

Exquisite symmetry - low tide. 

The Tides at play... 

...while others play... 

The mystery of light. 

Simply a nice ending... 

Pill Packin' and Poppin'

“Your luggage can be picked up in Liberia, Costa Rica”, the attendant at the American Airlines terminal said, as we placed our baggage on the scale. We weighed our suitcases topping off at 44.8 pounds, an improvement over the 49.4 lbs. we started with. Still, we were not done paring since we had to get under 44 lbs. as determined by the least amount of allowable weight on any one of our scheduled airlines. And, since we are flying several 'small plane' internal flights within Southeast Asia, where the weight requirements are lower than U.S. airlines, the weakest link was at 20 kilos.

We decided that instead of 'stuffing' our luggage like a Thanksgiving turkey to reduce our 'carry-on' load, we could take larger satchel-like totes on board with us and transfer to them some of the heavier items. And, the obvious choice were the large zip-lock packs of pills. Adele and I are on a regimen that most would find daunting, if not downright absurd - morning pills to be taken on an empty stomach, taken with breakfast, taken in the evening or right before bed. Adele is meticulous. Clearly. Her beauty and health are testimony to her regularity...of discipline. For myself, I am becoming more diligent relenting to a pill popping schedule which has eluded me in the past.

The good news is that the bulk of our vitamins are now custom compounded into a single pill of a size usually administered to an ailing racehorse. Taking this pill requires preparation. I position the pill in the back of my tongue, take a swig of water, breath deeply through my nose, tilt my head slightly back, and attempt to swallow the pill without choking. I figure that in case I do choke to death, I will be the healithiest corpse the funeral home has ever seen. But, that is just one pill.

The bad news is that when you are traveling for a year you take with you 365 units of each pill. I take 11 pills every morning. You do the math. After sorting the pills by daily 'doses' laying the out in rows on the carpeted floor (see photo), we pack them into tiny zip-lock baggies, snap them shut, stick the packets into a gallon sized zip-lock bag, and flatten the whole for packing. I am sure, someone is making a killing in the market from our expenditure.

Then, there is the problem of explaining this 'contraband' to local constabulary. True story: About three years ago, I was returning to RDU on a direct flight from London. Passing through UK security, I was asked, "Is this your luggage?".
 "Yes".
 "Would you please 'step to the side'? We're going to check your bag".
I stood aside, with disinterest, knowing I was 'innocent' of whatever. A security personnel finally opened my bag, rummaging through it, lifting and unsorting, and finally found what he was looking for - my zip-lock bag of "drugs" - prescription drugs, vitamins and an array of nutrasceuticals (non-prescription supplements). He took one of the small packets and with gloved hands removed a single pill. Thinking he would dislodge me,
 "What's this for", he inquired. 
Leaning in as if to share a secret or maybe demonstrate modest discretion, I half whispered, "It helps me pee." He took a moment, replaced the pill in the packet, and snapped it closed.
 "You can go. Have a nice day."

Adele and I have just made a critical decision. We took with us half the number of daily doses thinking that we would re-order and have shipped to us the balance for the remainder of the year. However, we decided that if we took our packet of morning delights every other day, we would be none the less for wear and not have to deal with reorders and all that sorting later on in the trip. That decision has made me feel better already.

Laying the rows of pills on our family room carpet made an interesting design... 

Easier to swallow with yogurt...

All packaged and ready to go. 

A Taste of Things To Come

I have noticed how quickly I can get bored looking at photographs that someone else shot. No matter how expertly set and blocked, how stunning the vista, how colorful the scene, how exquisite the delicate flower, most travelogue photos have relevance and significance only to the photographer. To others, family and friends alike, the viewing pleasure quickly fades. Looking at an endless stream of photographs can be, admittedly, tiring and more so because of the inherent pride, over-the-top enthusiasm and pseudo-artistic affectation the photographer may possess for their own shots. So, at the risk of being both hypocritical and tedious I thought I would, in anticipation of our current journey, display some photos from past trips including last summer's hiking expedition through the Bavarian Alps, that could act to whet your appetites for what is to come. My intention is really to lend some excitement to our shared adventure, and to say how happy I am that you are here. Please enjoy the views.

Every turn in the Bavarian Alps is breathtaking...

The loveliness of small German towns.

Lakes near the Austrian border.

I am "Uncle David" to my Daliyat al-Karmel 'nieces' in Israel.

Praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem

A beautiful child in Peru

Amazon Family Siblings

A Friend Along the Amazon River

Please meet Emad Halabi, my brother in Daliyat al-Karmel, israel.

EMBARKATION

This is the first entry to my new blog. First off, I want to extend kudos and warm notes of appreciation to Karen Al-Chacar who patiently guided me through the process of creating, developing and learning to navigate a blog. It has been a pleasure working with her and a real learning experience.

I am looking forward to communicating with you all over the next year and by description, both written and pictorial, hope to convey our experiences in thoughts, feelings and 'reflections' as the blog tag line says. I am told that I do 'wax on' and maybe need to 'wax off' every now and then. So, my goal is to come from my heart even when I am observing and commenting from my head. I am so looking forward to speaking with all of you through this format and hope that you will respond in kind.

Please note, that I was given the option to allow discussion/comments to go 'live' or not. It was explained to me that open discussion boards can be a gnarly thing to manage. I have opted not to allow 'public' comments on the website.  For this trip Adele and I request that you simply contact us through the website. We wish to hear from you and invite your submissions, responses, tall tales and tales of woe. We want to be as much a part of your lives even as you follow ours. By setting up and utilizing a dedicated email address, we are ensuring that our emails remain private and if by some remote chance we are hacked, that no critical information is available to seriously impact our lives.

The title, "Embarkation" reflects our feelings about all the thought, preparation and energy that has gone into our 'launch' on January 2nd. Today, as an example, starting at 7:30am we unpacked our individual suitcases to allow each other the opportunity to investigate and interrogate, like whether 16 pairs of undershorts are necessary when 10 will suffice. "Where are your Keens? Did you pack them?"; "How many camisoles do you need? We're not going to a ball". Having happily submitted ourselves to mutual, impartial "third degrees", we moved on to emptying out the refrigerators and freezers. I think this 'frigid reverse-foraging' can be summed up by the evidence - 'homemade lobster sauce' and Italian Wedding Soup from June, 2014. The kitchen ended up smelling like the stale fusion of Jewish, Thai, and Mexican cuisines - "KishkaPadMole". OY! Suffice it to say that we are putting in our time. The "list Nazi" and I meet every morning and, typically scratch two or three things off the list and remember three or four additional things to accomplish. Yes, the math suggests we will not catch up. But, at least our refrigerators are clean.

We are experiencing some anxiety. Less each day and less each time we pencil a line through an open item. But, there is one thing we cannot put a line through, or forget, or slough off, or diminish the importance of...and that is YOU. We have felt so much love and good will. Adele's greatest concern was, "what happens to our friends"? The more accurate question is, "How are we with departing?" Our friends have delivered such sincere messages, often spoken with their eyes only, that we are feeling more grounded and, with the blog, have a greater sense of connection. We are truly being launched by YOU. Your thoughts and prayers will follow us. You have inspired us to take this adventure in the best of spirit - to accept the risk, to challenge the unknown, to be willing to let go of what is secure and safe, and simply take each others hand, inhale deeply, and GO! So, with your blessings, embraces and support, we are off.

There is no one that will read this blog that we are not crazy about, and love dearly. We wish you a healthy and fit, prosperous, deeply fulfilling and p-e-a-c-e-f-u-l New Year.