Wordless Thoughts

I am that fool
who hears a speechless voice
that murmurs wordlessly
in my mind's heart and sends me whirling
into the world of metaphors to find a comparison
t0 arouse an abyss of precious and immeasurable understanding.

Crossing Boarders

Finally…the plane lands. Now before I go on, I must let you know that the night before I left, I had only had about four hours sleep. Further, I’ve never done well at sleeping in moving vehicles. So in total, I had only had at most five hours of shut eye in about 48 hours. All this to say that I was probably a bit of a mess. It was in this state that I made my way through customs. I handed the young man at the booth my passport, opened to the picture. He took it. He looked at the picture, then at me, then back down at the picture. Still looking at my passport, he inquires, “so, where are you off to next?” Without thinking, I reply, “I’m kind of tired, I think I am just going to make my way downtown and then look for a hotel.” He and his colleague next to him immediately burst out into peels of laughter. They don’t even try to contain their giggles. He gives me a wide grin and then with smirk still on his face says, “So how long will you be staying in the country?” To which I reply, “Oh,” slight pause, “now I get it…this isn’t friendly chitchat to pass the time while you’re determining whether or not I really look like my passport photo. This is actually part of your job.” Then the second round of loud guffaws ensues. At this point, I am sure that he thinks that this is utterly hopeless. With a flick of the wrist and a smile, he waves me through and tells me to have a good time. And I could have sworn that I heard him say that the men in white jackets would be waiting for me down at the end of the hall.

Any guess where these photos were taken? If you’re not quite sure, don’t worry. More photos and proper hints are on their way.

The First Leg

The first part of my trip went off without a hitch. I took the airport shuttle out to catch my flight. The driver, Robin, a vivacious Australian, chatted up a storm. Turns out we have some similar interests in alternative health. I now know where and when all the best Chi gong classes take place and have the name of the best doctor of Chinese medicine in town. I intend to check it all out when I get back.

The first leg of my journey I had a suit from Vancouver sitting beside me. And no, I did not dare ask what he was wearing. Turns out this city slicker had just been up for a mountain trek “boot camp.” I am so amazed that these city folk pay big bucks to have someone take them up mountain trails that I’ve done for free my whole life. And then have someone fix them healthy meals that we make for ourselves at a fraction of the cost. He went on about his trepidation at possibly seeing a bear or other wildlife and talked about the struggles of steep mountain peaks and low oxygen levels. They were taught about “detoxification,” and encouraged to drink these health tisanes in the morning which made him rather nervous. He chattered on happily until the loud whirl of the dash 8’s propellers droned out all other sounds.

If you’ve never flown in and out of the Kootenay’s, Nelson’s nearest airport is quite an experience. The mountains are nestled so tightly together that it’s been rated one of the worst airports in North America. As the plane takes off, it heads straight for the mountain in front of it as it’s gaining altitude, making a tight turn at the last minute and then another and then another before it is eventually high enough to fly off to it’s destination. The pilots in recent years seem much more adept at maneuvering these tight angles than in the past. Only the most experienced pilots come in and out of this airport.

(Okay, now it's your turn, and I admit that some of you will have an unfair advantage. Tell me where I took that first photo. Hint...it's not so far from home.)

Going, going....

Gone...
As you see, I am off. I will try to post pics with snippets when I have time and can find an internet cafe or wireless. Your job is to figure out where I am...anywhere along the way. Let me know, and if you guess right, there just might be a special prize in it for you.