Monday, April 27, 2009

Random Thoughts

I am reading a most delightful book. It is a travel memoir of a remarkable woman. Dervla Murphy. To avid travellers and travel book readers her name is familiar. I only discovered her recently. The stories, the humor and especially the genuine, fresh impressions of people and places have set my imagination on fire. Afghanistan - will I ever see that land? Probably not, definitely not the land that she experienced and fell in love with. And it's not just her, but other people as well. I'll write down just one name: Steve McCurry. Look no further than National Geographic.



The other day I was riding Baby Oryx on a route I did approximately 2 years ago with Spiros while "preparing" for the Tour d'Afrique. To Spiros' amusement back then I felt like biking in Africa. I was traversing the savannah; looking around I saw places and images of remote beauty. Interestingly enough now, when I could pull up images from my memory rather than imagination, I was riding through this flat wind-swept area which in no way resembled any place in Africa. The green, the wind, the road, the ditches, the trees and birds, everything was different. How marvellous imagination works. How amazing the travels it allows to anywhere and everywhere instantaneously.



The inevitable, yet unexpected, has happened: I got a job. For a couple of days I was depressed. It was not about the change in rhythm going to happen, but the knowledge that I'd have to give up many trips in the mountains. For now I had to cancel two. Well, such is life. You can't have it all at the same time. That makes for variation :-)

The job is a new challenge - that makes it exciting. Will my brain be up to it ?

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