This was Sunday's sunrise over the Dixfield hills. Next Sunday, we will be flying through the sunrise over the Andes as we prepare to land in Santiago.Brother has bought plane tickets for our parents and for C and me so that we can celebrate his wedding and new life in a small village in central Chile.
When Brother and I were young, there was a map of the world pinned up on the wall by our kitchen table. He and I sat on opposite sides of the table and against the wall. His seat was by South America and mine was near Africa. I wonder if all those childhood years of comfort food coupled with the appealing visual of that 2700 mile tendril of a country contributed to him finding happiness in Chile?
My traveling companions are all seasoned international travelers, I am not. My last foray from North America was an April, 1986 trip to England during which the United States launched an air raid against Libya. That was the beginning of the days of scary air travel. There was a concern about our plane on the return trip and the passengers were taken off for 3 hours as the plane was searched. Our luggage was put on the tarmac and we had to go out and identify each piece. It was a quiet and tense flight. T
he passengers all applauded when we landed safely in Atlanta.But that was then.
Brother has arranged for our seats on the plane to be on the side that will show the sun rising over the Andes. We will see Aconcagua. At 22,841 feet Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas. Have I ever said how much I love mountains?
We will see places that I can barely imagine, places that are now home to the only other person who shares my parents.
10 comments:
Your last line is so very beautiful. I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time, beginning with the sunrise and awesome mountains. Do they have weddings in Chile that go on for days? It's a place I would surely love to visit.
Thank you, the elementary. The wedding will be Friday evening and the band is booked until 5 a.m. on Saturday--probably long after I've worn out my dancing shoes.
Wow! Beautiful sunrise. On this trip C will be there to hold your hand rather than some total stranger. Be sure to pass on to brother our congratulations. Can't wait for your posts from Chile.
What an adventure to go on. Of course you will take your camera and record them to share with us. Have sooo much fun and see everything you can. You can sleep when you get back!
Congratulations to your daughter!(and to you for raising such a centered wonderful daughter)
Beth, you're so right about "that was then," speaking of air travel. I'm OK now, but I went for several years after 9/11 without getting on an airplane. (Now the reason I avoid air travel if I can is the ever-worsening hassle, almost guaranteed missed connections, lost luggage, etc.)
Working as staff in the Peace Corps Africa Region, I was supposed to like travel. I happened to be on vacation when 9/11 happened (I live less than a mile from the Pentagon; the plane buzzed out street as it headed for its target), but was scheduled for a trip to Burkina Faso the week I returned. I said "no thanks" and cancelled the trip. I wasn't asked to travel again until March, 2003, when I group of new volunteers headed for Senegal were scheduled to depart. As the Desk Officer for Senegal, I was "told," with three days' notice, that I would accompany the group. This was extraoridnary--groups are not normally accompanied by staff. I was furious at not being consulted and refused to go. It was nothing but a PR sop to the public--the safety of departing groups would not be enhanced just because a DC bureaucrat was with them. That incident was the last straw and what drove me to retire. I was out by August.
You appear to have pushed a button in me! That's a story I haven't told in a long time....
Oh! All that said, I envy your trip to Chile. Have a wonderful time!
Thanks for the comments, Texican, Beckie and Ralph.
Yes I will definitely be taking pictures and hope to be able to post from there.
Beth, I have awarded you the "E" for excellent! See my post for instructions.
How exciting! I can't wait for photos and stories. Great post! Have a safe trip.
I wish you a wonderful trip, and I'll be so, so interested in what you saw. I know nothing about the landscape there. What a nice brother you have.
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