Follow your bliss

Just so you all know…I can be reached at lizgiles@gmail.com
I have an ISIC voicemail box too…for those kind enough to leave me endearing messages.
Just ask me for the number…it´s nice to hear friendly voices. (no…not in my head, silly people!)

Barcelona -April 1, 2005 -9:18PM

ACK! Worst flight ever!
Let me start by saying that Airbus suck. There´s abnormally little leg room and everything rattles and shakes like it´s falling apart. (At the slightest turbulence the center console seriously looked like it would fall from the ceiling.) Each time I board an Airbus it convinces me further how little I like them.
To start, we took off over an hour late and I got a seat next to a lady who got up no fewer then 9 times, including 3 times when I was trying to sleep…which was futile anyway. Someone was always grabbing the back of my seat, or stomping on my foot, or knocking me upside the head as they walked down the isle. I got ZERO minutes of sleep…not the way to start a journey.
Add to this bad stewardesses (sp?). I asked for a glass of water at one point and was told no, I would have to wait. How hard is a glass of water?! They didn´t serve drinks for more then an hour…
And here´s the kicker…not for the squimish. A lady in the row behind me got suddenly, violently sick. There wasn´t even any turbulence…She puked all over her son, who was about 10, who screamed and burst into tears (not a bad reaction really.) and on the head of the man 2 seats over from me. On his head!!! Poor guy…he sat very little of the rest of the flight and when he did he put his pillow to his forehead and tried to sleep like that.
All of this conspired to make Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow seem like a good movie…better then the weird hell that was my flight anyway…though I don´t think they should show inflight movies that focus on planes being shot down from the sky and general destruction.
In the end I missed my connecting flight…but was given a new boarding pass and had to run the entire length of the airport to catch that flight…fretting about my luggage (everything I own for the next 8 months) the entire time. I made the connection, along with 2 other ladies who ran through the airport with me, and promptly passed out.
Barcelona airport is a breeze, and a quickly got my luggage and caught a bus to the city. I checked into a little hotel for my first night, desperately wanting a little sleep and a shower, then ate a good meal, and I feel human again. Wonderful. 🙂
I´m off to check out some night life, drop by Travel Bar to see if they´re doing anything fun tonight, maybe sip some sangria and go to sleep early.
Tomorrow is a new day…
*Liz

I’ve started my last week of work! It should be pretty easy because the girl I’m training knows most of the stuff already and all I have to do is sit back and answer any questions that come up.

I’ve also got a million errands to run! All sorts of things keep coming to mind: bills to change into my roommate’s name, prescriptions to fill, entry Visa photos to take…nothing I can’t handle, just time consuming. Small price to pay, really.

My goodness! Only 4 more full days! Which also means 4 more days till my going away party! Can’t wait! (Gosh, I’m exclaimation point happy!!! 😉 ) And only 10 days till I’m on a plane!

Nothing truly important to write…just getting in the habit of blogging. Guess we can call this my boring post…

I’ve got answers.
Here are answers to some of the more popular that have come up.

As my title says, and I honestly believe, if you follow your heart you’ll end up where you need to be. I can think of no better way to learn life’s lessons then to live to the fullest. Life is about more then making a living. It’s each new day, each new experience. I’m ready to experience the world, what it has to offer and what it can teach me. No, I am not trying to find myself. I already know that I’m doing what I need to do

Where are you going?
Well, I surely have thought a lot about it! I made a plan, a detailed itinerary, and when I had it all figured out I knew I was free to throw it away. Though quite detailed, I now consider this to be my idea where I’m going, because you never do know where the road will take you.
The idea is this:
First, I fly to Barcelona to attend Spanish classes for a month. Then explore more of Spain on my way to Morocco circling back north to Madrid.
I’ll take a plane to Scotland and from there I’ll amble down to London, hopefully walking some of the daily legs in entirety.
A flight will deposit me in Oslo where I start an overland leg that takes me through Norway, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on my way to Istanbul.
Back on a plane, this time headed to Bangkok, then Malaysia and Singapore before island hoping in the Philippines.
Another jet will get me to Australia and from there I’ll visit Tasmania and New Zealand.
One super long flight to Buenos Aires will kick off my South American leg. My path leads me through Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.
Finally, Mexico will be my last stop, before heading back to New York.

When are you leaving? When do you get back?
Departure date: March 31, 2005.
Return to New York: Mid November, 2005.
Approximately 8 months on the road, and I’ll be home for the holidays. I’m thinking my plan might be a bit ambitious, so there’s always the option of ‘finishing’ after the holidays.
In April it’s off to Italy, and possibly other places, with my mom…her first trip out of the country. (I guess the travel bug is a communicable!)

How much is this going to cost?!
It’s a sizeable chunk of money, but quite a lot less then I’d spend for the same amount of time in New York. In total the trip will cost around $15,000. That covers everything: Flights and local transportation, hostels/hotels, food and drink, travel/medical insurance, inoculations, gear, film, souvenirs, activities like paragliding (which I can’t wait to try!)and even some charity/donations along the way.

Are you really going by yourself?
Indeed, I am. But I’ve got some contacts along the way and I’ll be staying in hostels, so I’m sure to meet tons of people.
I’ll also be using sites like Hospitality Club, Couch Surfers and Global Freeloaders to meet locals to show me around and maybe give me a couch to crash on.

How can I get in touch with you?
I’ll be checking email when I can. Send email to lizgiles@gmail.com. (If you have another email address of mine, please forget it, gmail is where to find me from now on.)
Or, ask me for my ISIC number, which has voicemail where you can leave me phone messages(which I can conveniently check online too!).

What’s this I hear about a book?
I am going to be working on a book based on interviews I’ll be conducting on the road. You’ll all be able to read portions of the interviews on this blog. Click on the World of Wisdom heading (when I add it) for the details.

My spiffy new banner is up. Yay!
How much do I love the bootsnall crew?!
To everyone at boots: You guys rock!
Special thanks to Chris for helping me get my blog up and running, and always being so on top of things! 🙂

It’s official! Got my tickets, registered for class, told the boss…I’m on my way!
I feel so good knowing it’s 100% now.

I told my boss 2 weeks ago…I gave him 3 weeks notice and he had a small cow. He sure did freak out! From his mouth hurtled forth all sorts of abuse to which I politely said ‘I’m sorry you feel that way.’ (Such a useful phrase!)
I’ve ended up giving him 2 extra weeks because A)He had a lot of trouble finding someone. B)I could stand one more paycheck. C)I’ll be in NYC for my birthday which makes my mom happy and should be a lot of fun…going to have a combo hitting-the-road/birthday party. 🙂

I’ve registered for class. As of April 4th I’ll be studying Spanish with Languages Abroad. With what I already know, 1 month of classes and submersion into Spanish culture I’ll hopefully be moderately fluent. Here’s hoping anyway…

Booked my plane ticket too. I’m flying Iberia which is the cool. My first trip to Spain was on Iberia and I remember it being pretty decent…they had super fuzzy blankets.

So, it would appear there’s no backing out…which I SO don’t want to do anyway! I’m off on March 31st………………..leaving on a jet plane….

Well, since you asked…

Here’s the general idea…general.
I put this map together in a few minutes, so its not perfect…some cities are floating in vaguely the wrong spot. I’m also buying tickets as I go, so this could all change.
But this is the idea: the one I’ve been tossing around my head for months; the one that’s invaded my dreams…

I’ll put up more detailed maps as I go…

I’ve decided I need a flag. A flag of my very own!
Silly? Yes, perhaps a little…but then again, why not?! I’m known for a fair bit of silliness.

Also, I’m thinking that if I have my own flag then I won’t have to pretend to be Canadian 😉 When people ask where I’m from I can say I’m from the Lizland and show people my flag. (Of course, I would never disown New York…this is but jest…)

So this is the design I’m kicking around at the moment…I need a photoshop session to clean it up. It’s not exactly typical flag dimensions either, but I guess one of the perks to having your own flag is that you can make it any shape you want!

Do I need to mention it’s incredibly slow at work today?

A poem I wrote that captures some of my feelings of travelling, the warm jumble of pleasant emotion that is always my travel companion.

Roadway

Watercolor landscapes
roll by rolled down windows –
The breeze
a traveling companion –
Transplanted from winter
to spring,
searching for sunlit warmth.
My shadow stretches out
over roadside wild-flower fields.
I take mental pictures
Overcome and upside-down,
overwhelmed by
Mamma’s beauty.
The day is
soft to the touch,
sweet smelling…
-E.G.

Hello and welcome.
If you’ve found your way here then you most likely know me and have heard me, over the past six months, speak endlessly about venturing off into the great big world of ours…circumnavigating it even! Well, the time is indeed getting close (41 days left…okay, it’s not right around the corner yet but it’s getting there), so it’s blog time.

I’ll be writing regular updates from the road, posting pictures and stories, maps of where I am and where I’m headed…the usual travel blog stuff.
In addition to this standard fare, there are two exciting projects I’ll be working on which you will also be able to read about here. I’m going to hold off on the details at the moment, but check back soon for full disclosure.

Last year I got the chance to take a month exploring Europe. Those 4 short weeks changed my life. I learned a lot about myself, about (part of) the world, about people…I came back knowing for certain that my path is that of a wanderer.
I invite you to wander with me…8 months, 6 continents, more then 25 countries…architecture, music, food, dance…hundreds of encounters along the way…It’s going to be quite a trip!

It’s a great big world out there and I can’t wait to go explore.