In 1998 I traveled from London to Kathmandu, by bus.
There were 15 of us on a 45 seat, Mercedes bus. We traversed 13 countries, for 12 weeks. Then I stayed in Nepal a couple more weeks.
We had a driver (Mitch) and a guide (Ray). Neither of which had ever done this trip before.They used a notebook from the trip completed in 1997, by others in their company - Top Deck.
Travel like this probably doesn't exist anymore. At least, not in the same fashion. For sure, some of the places don't exist in the same way any more either.
As I scanned and labeled, I found myself looking up several places to remind myself of the route, names of some of the highlights etc.
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| The White Cliffs of Dover |
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| Venice, Italy |
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| Meteora monasteries, Greece |
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| Tastes of Turkey |
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| Side, Turkey |
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| Syrian school kids |
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| The Dead Sea, Jordan |
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| Petra, Jordan |
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| Baalbek, Lebanon |
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| Palmyra, Syria |
It was a sad moment indeed when I discovered that Palmyra - breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful ruins I visited in Syria - had been destroyed by ISIS in 2015. Never again will someone like me be able to ride a camel across the site, stop and chat with the children. I was lucky enough to take pictures and memories away with me. :-(
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| Cappadocia, Turkey |
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| Dogubeyazit, Turkey |
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| Salt Desert, Iran |
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| Persepolis, Iran |
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| Isfahan, Iran |
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| Peshawar, Pakistan |
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| In the Khyber Pass |
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| Pakistan |
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| Jodhpur, India |
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| Delhi, India |
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| Taj Mahal, India |
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| Varanasi, India |
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| Nepal |
By the time I was done scanning 1000+ pictures of my London to Kathmandu trip, I felt like I had relived the experience. It was heartwarming. Exciting. Adventurous. I didn't feel like I had been sheltering at home, at all!
Yes, I'm staying busy. And there are plenty of reminders that while I stay safe, warm, well fed and entertained at home, there are people around the world who are suffering the same pandemic but with less space with which to practice distancing, fewer resources at home and diminished options for care when the sickness arrives.
Just another day to feel grateful for this life. Past, present and future.
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