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Life on caffeine continued

In a last minute turn of events, Geoff and I ended up flying up to Iowa. 

Jumping on a plane on short notice has never completely been outside the boundaries of my modus operandi, but I gotta tell you, these last few days have been so fast paced and action-packed, my mind is practically a blur of airports, connecting flights, wildly designed airport hotels with strange views, security passes, fast food, elevators, secret service, camera crews, lighting equipment, boarding passes and meeting friends I haven't seen in ages.

It all seems entirely surreal that you can be casually flipping channels in your living room lounging with your husband and your cat when all of a sudden you're informed that you've just received clearance to come up to Iowa and meet the Dalai Lama  -- but that is precisely what happened and believe me when I say we were on the next flight. Meeting him again was just too awesome for words and I will post some photos up here once clearance is granted, whenever that may be.

Meanwhile, a few photos of these stream of caffeine fueled days if I can manage to stay awake to upload them: 

The night falling on us at the gate in Chicago.

 

Been up at the crack of dawn every single day. 

Leaving Des Moines.

Breakfast at the hotel in Cedar Falls Iowa. 

We arrived here at 3:30 am so I had no idea what the place looked like till we woke at the crack of dawn. Some of my favorite travel memories through the years are waking up to not knowing where I am. 

Strange view to wake up to. For a moment there I thought I was on some indie movie set.

And I am not even sure what view our second hotel had as I didn't get to see it in daylight.

I wish I had seen more of Iowa. 

Maybe next time. I did love the countryside and all the farm houses between Des Moines and Cedar Falls. And the people were unbelievably friendly.

I really, really need to go get myself some sleep now -- I can't possibly keep my eyes open for another minute.  

Until next time.

Agnes

Life on caffeine

Sleep has positively been a rare commodity around here lately -- been tirelessly working around the clock, cultivating the agenda of our upcoming overseas trip. 

At some point in the process, my living room has morphed into a venue distinctly resembling the offspring of a travel agency and a cafeteria, complete with lipstick stained disposable coffee cups, take-out food, speaker phones, FedEx envelopes, and a clock in every respective time zone. 

And as a minor distraction from all of the above, Geoff and I are about to catch a plane for Des Moines Iowa for a quick meeting. Will be back in just a few days.

{Des Moines Iowa -- photo via weblo.com}

 

I don't think I have ever been to Iowa so I am excited.  

See you when I get back -- maybe even sooner, who knows.

Love,  

Agnes

Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind...

There must be some kind of a limit as to how many days of holidays a person can actually enjoy without developing a strong sense of guilt over all that food, doing nothing and watching documentaries till 5 am. 

I suck at New Years resolutions, but once Geoff has fully recovered, we are talking about going back to Asia for a few years. This won't be this year though. Truth be told, both of us are suffering from the syndromes of traveling withdrawal. I know some people will never understand what is so great about going from one country to the next, living in hotels month after month, and trading all the comforts of your home for a suitcase.  I can clearly hear the open road calling my name, I miss navigating long distances, and I really miss the liberation of living without safety nets, otherwise known as Adventure.  

It's hard for me to explain what I love so much about traveling, but if you remember the scene from Seven Years In Tibet where the Dalai Lama asks Heinrich (Bratt Pitt's character) what he likes so much about mountain climbing, his answer pretty much sums it up for me:

"The absolute simplicity. 

That's what I love. When you're climbing 

your mind is clear and free from all confusions. 

You have focus. 

And suddenly the light becomes sharper, the sounds are richer 

and you're filled with the deep, powerful presence of life. 

I've only felt that one other time. 

In your presence."

 

{You probably can't tell but that's me in the picture. My hair was a bit darker as we were headed to Pakistan next and sometimes it is plain suicidal to be a blonde in Pakistan, if you catch my drift. While I am at it, here I am as a brunette in Pakistan. Hope you don't mind my posting a few pictures but I have some time on my hands today, it's raining outside and I have OD'd on TV. That is Nisar Khuro sitting next to me, the late Benazier Bhutto's party leader. In spite of what it might seem, I am totally apolitical but it's hard to function in troubled areas without crossing over to politics a little.}

 

I actually had my hair chopped off in Pakistan, I can't remember why. Recognize me? This is in the Marriott shortly before it was blown up.

 

And another darker haired one, taken on New Years eve a couple of years ago:

 

That's all the darker hair pictures I could find. If I were to go to Pakistan tomorrow, I'd definitely die my hair dark. 

How this post ended up being about hair color is beyond me.

And I'd better stop here for there's no stopping me once I start rambling about other countries. You probably stopped reading ten paragraphs ago anyway. At least you now have an idea what my poor friends have to endure when they ask me an innocent little question about far away lands and the next thing they know is I have talked them into a coma. I guess most of them associate traveling with staying on the beaten track. 

So, my wish for you for the new year, chase your dreams, follow your passion and if you've lost it somewhere along the way, revive it, because without passion, my friend, we're as good as dead.

Happy 2010.