Does this man deserve a holiday?
People, who have known me for a while, still are not sure what is that I do, which takes me to exotic places on all parts of the world. So they content with thinking that I am addicted to tropical beaches and that I sit under the coconut trees drinking Rum. Partly true, but that is not the full picture.
When I was in school, I read about a doctor who had travelled to many countries, so I said to myself, I want to travel to 100 countries, no reason why I chose the number but easier to remember your target number.
In each of the areas of the world I have lived in, I would explore the surrounding region, thus while living in Australia, Australasia was my playground: Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa, Aotearoa, and Tokelau, Nauru. When I came to Miami, one by one the Caribbean islands gobbled up my time. Student days in London were the time to venture into Africa. Back in Miami, Argentina, Brasil and Chile entered my life. So on and so forth, I have travelled to a few countries and many of them, Argentina, Vietnam, Japan, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Malaysia. More than ten times each. And there are three countries, which I have visited more than 100 times, details are not necessary.
I remember reading something, once again while at school. Life is a long holidays with intervals of work. At that time I couldn't figure out what was meant by that, since the idea of work was far from my head then. Many years later, working with American Indians, the significance of the saying was revealed. Roughly to have harmony in your life, you have to divide your life equally, between work 25 % Family 25 % Charity work for the welfare of others 25% and Spiritual Life 25 %. This is how you come into balance or at least try to come into balance.
So do I deserve a holiday?
Today is Friday 2oth August 2010. The last Friday night 13th August 2010 (I as a Jew always considered the number 13 to be a lucky number for us, since I think it is that day we escaped the Egyptian slave drivers?), to the curious stares of Bamar people from a remote village in Ayerawarry Division in Myanmar, I lit the candles and said the prayers in Hebrew. Tonight it will be in Paris.
In between the seven days and nights, I have been in Kuala Lumpur (two sumptuous meals, one at overseas restoran in the city, and another at Ha Lai Ton in the suburbs), a very comfortable long flight from KL to CDG via BKK and FRA. Hardly had any sleep on the night of arrival, the next morning I was on the Euro star to London, to say good bye to my sister and her husband, whom I had welcomed at the CDG terminal 1 just three weeks earlier. Arrived on a return Euro star. And today was the first day of rest…
But preparing for a little jaunt… a beachside holiday at the beach home of my sister in Miami.
So if you don't hear me for the next ten days, I am at the beach in Miami… stocking up on Whole Foods and some nice antipodean drop to wet my tonsils…
And the end of the few days, once again, I am off. Someone has given me a tee shirt from Peru as a gift but it is in KL! How can I do injustice to the gift by not going there personally to pick it up? Mekong Delta with its secrets are calling me, my dearest friend in HCMC may once again take me to a nice place to eat? A brief visit to Phnom Penh? And American Indians?
A huge wide smile and thanks to my best friend in Asia, who truly assisted me on this last trip to Myanmar; as always great help to facilitate my stay in KL… food, haircut, pedicure, facial… Yes, I have to look good to take care of my patients!
