The Rhythm of the Road

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Journeying is hard
Journeying is hard,
There are many turnings....
I will mount a long wind some day and break the heavy waves
And set my cloudy sail and bridge the deep, deep sea.
~~~Li Bai, "The Hard Road"
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There is no way to plan a journey. That's what I'm learning. It was foolish of me to even attempt. Even the modicum of planning that I have done - i.e., booking my round-the-world flights - ends up being a waste. I'm skipping three flights out of five on purpose. The preconceptions and expectations [as few of them as I thought I brought with me, given that I have only one backpack] are dropping away, giving way to trusting the River. Literally. The easiest, most obvious and natural route through Laos seems to be along the Mekong. So, that is what I shall do. Down to the Great Delta and the 4000 islands. It feels a bit Huck-Finnish.

I am dropping into a peaceful rhythm of stopping where my heart is warmed for longer and leaving quickly the uninspiring places. The FOMO [fear of missing out] is subsiding. No longer do I need to see everything - the innevitable glimpse of the travel gluttony - this is not the last day on earth. In fact, as one traveler has shared with me, he "always leaves a bit of the country for later - in the case he comes back." I like that.

Reading Kerouac's "On the Road."