The Midway Point Reflection
These last few days have been a bit surreal because we have officially hit our “midway” mark for our yearlong global adventure. We are in Zermatt, Switzerland right now and will be here for three full weeks—the longest place we have rested our heads to date.
How are we doing? Really, really well. Touch wood and by God’s grace, we have not had any major illnesses or injuries. We have not been victims to any crimes or had major travel horrors. We have had a few scares/traumas but have survived and have pushed ourselves to embrace appropriate bounds of “fearless living.” We miss our family and friends a lot but have felt them sharing so much of this journey through visits and social media that we still feel connected and eager to see them again. We are learning so much that we can’t help but be in a state of constant gratitude.
It is crazy to think that we have been full-time travelers for six months and have experienced so much, and yet, have barely seen a sliver of the world. That dichotomous contraction has remained as an undercurrent for most of our trip—how small the world is in terms of humanity, but how vast the planet is in terms of geography and nature; how powerful nature is and how strong the elements are over small humans and yet, how fragile our planet and ecosystems are and how much destruction we have caused; how we are constantly in a spirit of cultural humility while learning from people and the planet, but how privileged one has to be to do this humble learning—and I could go on and on…
Kapil always reminds us that we have not traveled “countries” but have had experiences in them. In other words, when asked, “what is your favorite country, so far” we often redirect the question to “our favorite experience so far” because we know that there has been so much more to see, experience, and live through in each country. In fact, this has been a source of frustration for me, as a “list-maker and crosser-outer,” that with very few exceptions (Panama Canal, Machu Picchu, and Iguazu Falls), I have NOT crossed anything off my bucket list. The list keeps growing and I keep catching myself declare things like “when we come back one day…”
So how has the list grown? Well, top of mind, I want to go into different parts of the Amazon Forest (maybe the Brazilian sectors), deeper into Antarctica, mountain trekking in Bolivia, on the Argentinian side of Patagonia and Chilean “O” trek in Torres del Paine, higher up in the Arctic circle, weeklong mushing expeditions in the Norwegian wilderness, spend some real time in Brazil, see Pucon and Chiloe Island, see the Red-Footed Boobies and dive with Hammerhead sharks in Galapagos (the other side), just to name a “few” additions.
The “traveling with kids” aspect of this trip has also been life-changing. We thought we knew each other well before but spending basically every second with each other has pushed this knowledge to a whole new level. In my professional life, I often use the “Norming, Storming, and Forming” language when talking about creating functional teams. I can honestly say, this has proven to be true in this family-setting too. The first few “Norming” months we were all figuring each other out and getting used to living out of a suitcase. The second few “Storming” months held the simultaneous joy of shared experiences in exploring the world, with the woes of frustration. We began internally identifying all the things that were challenging about each other’s personalities and sometimes shared our observations in unproductive ways. But now, six months in, we are definitely “Forming” a strong team. We are beginning to accept each other’s quirks, while encouraging betterment. We now can predict each other’s moods and discomfort and know how to redirect conflict. We don’t always get it right, but generally, we get over our issues efficiently and move on.
By The Numbers: Quantitative Snapshot of HIghlights from Six Months of Travel
26 = weeks traveled by 1/13/19
65 = moves to different locations
60 = unduplicated beds we have slept on—We really miss our own beds back home!
18 = countries in which we have spent at least one full day (Belize, Guatemala, Cuba, Nevis, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador & Galapagos, Peru, Bolivia, Chile & Rapa Nui, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Portugal, Finland, Antarctica, Switzerland).
30 = flights
69 = bus/car journeys over long distances/tours (not including quick taxi/ubers or metros)
22 = boat trips (including 14 days of travel in Galapagos and Antarctica as one a total of 2 trips)
4 = train transports over long distances
300+ = kilometers of formal hikes/treks (about 200 for Aila, Kaysee, and Kenza)
19+ = new foods (termites, snails, guinea pig, alpaca, lucoma fruit, palm hearts, suri (beetle larvae), starfruit, dragon fruit, veggiemite, whole k’arachi fish, whole king crab (brain and eyes), totora reed, coca leaves and candy, alligator, reindeer, cloudberries, local cheeses and herbs, bull testicles)
8 = logged scuba dives (for Kapil/Z and 4 for Aila)
7 = mountains/volcanoes hiked/trekked (Pichincha, Rainbow Mountain, Agua, Pacaya, Cotopaxi, Torres Del Paine Towers, Rano Kau)
11 = different new activities as a family (sandboarding, mushing, reindeer sledding, snowshoeing, kayaking, surfing, repelling, ziplining, rafting, caving, volunteering)
6 = wonders of the world visited (Including both new and old lists of natural and manmade: Machu Picchu, Panama Canal, Iguazu Falls, Amazon, Aurora Borealis, and Christ Redeemer in Rio (from a distance))
By Memory and Heart: Qualitative Reflections and Learnings from Six Months of Continuous Travel
Zayan (12 years): My most memorable highlights are finishing my diving certification in Belize, completing the 4-day Inca Trail in Peru, visiting the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, and seeing the Aurora Borealis. It is interesting that everything is majestic but never as grand as captured in pictures, but on the other side of the spectrum, pictures cannot truly capture the essence of the moment. I’ve also learned how to not be homesick anymore and find patterns of how to travel and live in different places.
Kenza (9 years): It has been nice to spend time with just family. I’ve learned so much…I’ve jumped in Antarctic waters, learned to play the Ukulele, learned more sewing, practiced long division, and so much more. All of us have learned the proper way to live—like discovering new things each day and using our minds and bodies the way that they were meant to be used. I do miss my bed, friends, and the great Californian weather.
Kaysee (7 years): The thing I love about traveling is that we all get squished up as a family and stay together all of the time. I also like all of the activities we do like going under the waterfalls of Iguazu and trekking Patagonia. I have learned that it is very cool to travel and after seeing some of the places, it makes think that we are lucky.
Kapil: WOW. This has been an incredibly unique year and the longest that I’ve ever traveled. We are getting to know each other and ourselves really well. It’s hard to pick which have been my most favorite experiences, but these definitely come to mind for the list of Top 6: Diving with Z, Hiking mountains with family, Bolivia, Galapagos, Patagonia, and Antarctica.
Aila: It amazes me when we look back at our journal entries and photos of these first six months. I have loved learning to be present/awake and am very conscious of how I am pushing myself to live fearlessly. I really enjoyed practicing Spanish and learning about photography.
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