Sometimes daydreams help shape goals, crystallize fantasies, or expand consciousness. Other times they serve as a refuge from the pain of everyday life. At this time the latter dynamic is in play.
I try to keep TourAbsurd as one of my happy places, as most of you know, so I won't get into detail right now. Let's just say that I'm having to re-align my vision for the future. Most days are a mix of, "Yay! Look at this cute apartment!" And "I'm in CORK!" And, "Wow, but my friends are awesome!" interspersed with near crippling sadness and anger. But then one of my friends will text to tell me about a dancing flash mob or a trad session at a local pub. Before too long I find myself clapping along with fiddles, guitars, and a bodhrán, being amazed and delighted at the warmth and culture of this little green island. As Sam Elliott said in The Big Lebowski,
"Sometimes you eat the bear and
sometimes the bear, well, he eats you."
In keeping with the idea that it's better to eat rather than be eaten by the bear, let's get back to some daydreams for future travel. (The bear, you see, is sometimes my own unhappy thoughts.) Previously, I talked about Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar. There is, of course, so much more to see. Today I'm going to fill in the map a wee bit more and talk about Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Japan. :)
For Vietnam, I really have a nebulous view of what life and culture are truly like in the country. I have bits and bobs from boot camp and military novels tucked away in my memory, and of course some hazy memories of the political upheaval of the war. Growing up in Southern California, we were quite near Camp Pendleton where many Vietnamese refugees were temporarily housed. My mom was a volunteer English teacher, so I've got a few flashes of driving through a densely populated tent city at night. Until I got into this travel blogging stuff, that was about all I knew.
"A Junk boat sits on the tranquil waters of Halong Bay at dusk
(keep in mind, dozens of other junk boats are just out of frame!)"
