Thursday, December 31, 2009

I HATE places where you can't take pictures. If we could have taken pictures of the place we went yesterday, they would have looked like this:





Actual photographs, from Reece's awesome camera, to follow in the near future.

Day 1

One day down. (Approx) 364 to go. It feels...odd. Three years of talking about it. Two years of saving. One year of being apart. Six months of preparing. It's all led up to the moment we stepped off the plane, which we thought would be filled with tremendous relief. But we feel sorta...lost. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing. Knowing that we have the ability to do whatever we want all day, wake up in any city we want tomorrow. It's just (especially for a producer) a little unsettling. We've realized that our entire lives, even while traveling, we're just so BUSY. With only 2-3 weeks off each year, we are used to cramming ALOT into a small amount of time. I've been conditioned to research well in advance, and have an event on our itinerary each and every day. Now there's this overwhelming sense of...freedom. We're sure it will be incredible, once we understand how to grasp it.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Let's go over the events of the past week...

- Meth lab storage unit
See below.

- Credit card fraud
Guess one of the sites we ordered discount travel gear from was less than reputable.

- Missed train to LAX
I grossly underestimated how long it would take to have dinner (in a major shopping complex, three days before xmas). Luckily we still caught our flyaway by approximately 45 seconds. Did I mention I also locked myself in the bathroom on said train?

- Lost luggage
Virgin America clearly didn't recognize the importance of two backpacks with all of our worldly belongings for the upcoming year. They are now safely back in our possession.

And the cherry on top of this shit sundae...

Spirit Airlines has kindly updated our reservation, now two hours and THREE DAYS before our original departure. That's right. Our flight is departing, um, as we speak. That would have been incredibly useful information to have realized YESTERDAY!

Reece and I are now the proud owners of two last minute, overpriced, Columbia laid-over, 'this flight lands the next day' flights to Lima on Tuesday.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

It is inevitable, when packing for a trip like this, that one will forget something. Luckily, the thing I forgot is relatively unimportant and completely replaceable. Unluckily, it allowed Reece to demonstrate how much more comfortable he would be on the red-eye to Ft. Lauderdale than me.


Monday, December 21, 2009

Mystery... solved!

The last time Reece and I visted our storage unit, I was mortified to find water splattered on our dresser. A leak?! Before we've even left!! And you know our insurance covers everything BUT water damage. I immediately panicked. How in the world are we going to move all of our shit into another unit when we are preparing to leave the country in a few days? I huffed and puffed all the way to the management office. A maintenance guy climbed on the roof to inspect. The manager came out to mediate. Turns out it's not a leak, just some condensation. Apparently it's warmer in our cozy unit then it is outside. Eventually I was placated by some free tarps. We covered up as much as we could and vowed not to worry about it in the mountains of Peru.

Tonight we went back to the unit to drop off our final few belongings. As we pulled up, I noticed several official looking notices taped outside of our unit. Shit!! What are they telling us?? Everything flooded and all of our stuff is destroyed?!

No need to fear. The notes were intended for our neighboring unit, from whom we are separated by a piece of plywood.

"CLANDESTINE METHAMPHETAMINE LABORATORY CLEAN UP ORDER"

Huh?!?

"The San Bernardino County Fire Department has received notification that methamphetamine laboratory activity has taken place at the posted property... Hazardous substances, toxic chemicals, or other hazardous waste products may have been present and may remain on or inside the property."

Our stuff is stored in a METH LAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. At least we don't have to worry about anyone cookin up that condensation anymore.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

My theory

Last weekend we said goodbye to our vacation rental in Venice. We are now officially homeless and unemployed. Who knew it could feel so good??

Before our departure, we had the chance to take Noah to the beach and boardwalk for a sunny afternoon. It's amazing to spend time with him and witness the pure joy of experiencing things for the first time. It is such an exciting age, the potential for discovery inherent in every moment. Each day brings literally hundreds of opportunities to see, touch and experience something brand new... The hesitation as his toes sink into damp sand. The elation as he dunks a spoon straight into a jar of peanut butter. The sheer awe at his first glimpse of Christmas lights.

As an adult, I think we forget what it's like to approach each day with this kind of anticipation, to have reason to marvel at the newness in each moment. When in our adult lives can we go through an entire day devoid of sights we have seen before? Spend a week or a month (or a year!) inspired by things we have never done?

The answer, of course, is while traveling. It's an insight that helped me to understand the overwhelming draw of my greatest passion. Deep down, maybe we all just want to remember what it's like to be a kid again. I'm told that's the draw for many people to have children to begin with. Perhaps my desires and theirs aren't so different after all. It's just that I'd prefer my sleepless nights to be the result of a noisy hostel ;)