Wanderer's Reflections - A Desire for Travel

      "I fear a life not fully lived; I dread the thought of looking back as an elderly person and lamenting the time spent on inconsequential matters or trying to be someone I'm not. I long for a life worth narrating; an epic story where I serve as both the author and the hero." - Justin Shelter

      I have a strong passion for travel. Many factors attract me to it, but the most important is my quest to understand the world and its various cultures. It fascinates me how diverse people's experiences can be across different parts of the planet. People are innovative, adaptable, inspired, and open-minded. Learning about them has enriched me and expanded my perspective. Additionally, I have a strong desire for adventure. Discovering new things, solving challenges, experiencing life, and simply living outside my daily routines motivates me.

      My earliest inspiration came from Al Bell. Each year, he would visit my school in Lenox, IA, and present a narrated show on a screen. All the students would gather in the gym to watch his adventures from the past year. I would love to find his archive and relive those journeys through his perspective. He made one trip annually, created his film, and then spent the rest of the year traveling and sharing his experiences. I think it’s hard for today’s generation to comprehend the excitement of seeing a projector brought into the classroom for a reel-to-reel showing. These days, with NOVA, PBS, and similar platforms, we can "explore" the world or even the universe with a click, but that was a rare treat for young Dave. I must admit that I found a similar thrill in discovering a National Geographic magazine, although I struggled to get past the photographs of topless native women.

      As a young adult, international travel felt distant for me; my life was focused on family and work. My sister, Sharon, opened my eyes to the possibility. She had plans for a short trip to Paris, and everything fell into place for me to join her for my first international experience. Since my wife had no interest in international travel, it was the perfect opportunity for me. Four days in Paris, staying in a charming hotel on an island in the Seine River, right in the heart of the city, hooked me.

      Then a valuable twist happened when my youngest son, Taylor, asked if we could travel together. When I inquired about where he wanted to go, he mentioned that they were learning about China in school, and it sounded intriguing. On his 13th birthday, we hiked the Great Wall together. This sparked a series of one-on-one trips with each of my sons; I enjoyed traveling to places like Egypt, Italy, Russia, Germany, and Paris with them. As they started their families, the focus shifted, and I found joy in traveling with my three grandkids. One of them has already completed two trips of his choice with me, while the other two have each taken one trip, with another planned.

      Traveling one-on-one has provided me with unique experiences that I have cherished throughout my life. I also got the chance to travel internationally for work. With some success in my career, I was able to speak at conferences in Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Hungary, and Paris. I enjoy having someone else cover the expenses. In retirement, travel took a different turn when I started volunteering with the American Red Cross. Although most of this involved responding to disasters in the US and wasn’t very touristy, it still offered a sense of adventure and a glimpse into different parts of the country and its people. I had two remarkable experiences: being dispatched to Canada to assist with wildfires in British Columbia and spending nine months in long-term recovery efforts after a typhoon in Saipan. That experience in Saipan could have been a blog in itself.

      Now, I concentrate on adventurous travels I want to undertake before I grow old. Once I reach that stage, I plan to scale back my trips and opt for less challenging experiences, but that is still years away. There’s a song that encapsulates my love for the world and passion for travel. It holds special significance for my family, particularly for my Mom. My music tip for the day, the tune that’s playing in my mind, is: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

Other articles

Three Places to Satisfy Your Negroni Cravings During Negroni Week 2025

Negroni Week 2025 has arrived, and 65 bars in Beijing are participating! We've highlighted three that you should definitely check out.

Last Day in Lhasa - Reflections of a Traveler

I need to rectify a mistake from yesterday. Today, we visited the Potala Palace, which is a palace, not a monastery. I initially thought it would be similar to the monastery experience, but it was truly unique. We climbed 375 steps to reach the top. One advantage of being part of a tour is that it grants access to more areas than solo travelers, so we had a thorough tour. This is where the Dalai Lama would reside if he were in Tibet. In photos, his quarters can be seen on the top floor with the yellow curtains.

The flight from Chengdu to Lhasa was perfect. It lasted 2.5 hours and featured one of the best airline meals I've ever had, including yogurt, a crumbly cake, and rice with a chicken mixture. For some reason, I ended up with a priority seat that offered plenty of legroom and no one next to me, which I didn't pay extra for, so I'm just counting my lucky stars. I really wanted to sleep, but about 45 minutes into the flight, I caught a glimpse of a completely snow-covered peak rising above the clouds. The thrill and my desire to keep looking out the window kept me awake. About an hour before we landed, the clouds became thinner, revealing clear mountain peaks below, and a vast expanse of them stretched out. In the valleys, I noticed small clusters of houses, likely very remote from any significant towns. The mountain ridges had pathways that I eventually concluded were for small water tanks set high up to provide pressure for the villages below. At times, flying above the mountains felt strange, as the plane seemed to gently sway from side to side, likely due to the mild challenges posed by the air currents over the mountains. As we approached Lhasa, it seemed we were following a valley, with ridges visible on either side. Then, over a ridge, I spotted a landing strip. We continued along the valley, moving north from the runway as the ridges began to recede. The plane gradually turned about 80 degrees to align with the runway, making for an interesting airport approach. The landing and baggage claim went smoothly, and as I stepped outside, I was greeted by a smiling face, Jamie, who held a sign for Tibet Vista. He was there to welcome arrivals, so we hung out while waiting for others. In the lobby, there was a stand selling canisters of O2 and other altitude sickness supplies. Within 30 minutes of landing, I started to feel lightheaded and began some breathing exercises. Fortunately, this feeling subsided in about 10 minutes, but we were being advised on how to prevent altitude problems. Lhasa turned out to be a much busier and chaotic city than I had anticipated. The airport resembled a regional airport in the U.S. and the ride to the hotel took about 30 minutes. Upon arrival, I handed over my Tibet Permit and passport, which were returned later that evening. According to the advice and research I gathered regarding altitude sickness, although the O2 concentration here is the same as anywhere at 21%, if our bodies haven't adjusted to the altitude, they can't utilize the O2 effectively. This is why the breathing exercises help to encourage deeper breaths than I'm used to. I have a prescription for a pill to assist with acclimatization that I started taking two days before my arrival. Our first two days are scheduled in Lhasa primarily for acclimatization. We're advised to drink plenty of water, avoid exertion, not shower on the first day, and sleep with our heads elevated. On my first morning, I noticed a tingling sensation in both arms and resumed my breathing exercises. Everyone is experiencing some symptoms, but we're managing, and I feel I'm adjusting well. The tour company has O2 supplies available in case we need them once we leave Lhasa. The air here is also extremely dry. The rooms are equipped with humidifiers, which are essential because the air can dry out your head quickly. After arriving at the hotel, I did some laundry in the sink and relaxed. The hotel offered a nice buffet breakfast, and we met our guide in the lobby at the specified time of 09:37. I don't know why it was so specific. He was a local who spoke excellent English. I hadn't met any of the 11 members of my group yet, so we became acquainted as we boarded the bus for our first site. The first monastery, which served as the residence for the Dalai Lama, was about a 20-minute ride away. It featured many Buddha statues, carvings, and meeting spaces for monks. Photography was prohibited inside the buildings, so I'll need to rely on my memory. After that, we visited an area near our next tour, which was an assembly monastery. There was a small collection of coffee shops and cafes where we grabbed a quick bite since we were supposed to observe a monk debating session as part of their training. However, upon arrival, we found out that it was a holiday for them, so we ended up just walking around the monastery. These monastery complexes are massive; they once housed 10,000 monks. The kitchen had large cauldrons for food preparation, but no photographs were allowed there either. The monks had universities for their education, and the ancient buildings had steep stairs with no handrails and open troughs for water runoff, which seemed like a recipe for accidents. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring them. We concluded the day with a buffet dinner

Today, we will explore the largest and most famous monastery in Lhasa. I can see it from my hotel room window, and I am quite excited about it. If you've ever come across a postcard of Tibet, it probably features this monastery. That being said, I can express similar sentiments about monasteries as I do about ancient cathedrals; I appreciate the art, the distinctive architecture, and witnessing the local devotion, but after visiting a few in a short span, you often crave something different. This afternoon will also include some time at the local market street, which could be the perfect opportunity to find my trip souvenir.

Arrival in Lhasa - Reflections of a Traveler

The flight from Chengdu to Lhasa was just right. It lasted 2.5 hours and included one of the best airline meals I've ever had—yogurt, crumbly cake, and rice with a chicken mixture. For some reason, I found myself in a priority seat with plenty of legroom and no one next to me. I didn’t pay extra for this, so I'm feeling lucky. I really wanted to sleep, but about 45 minutes into the flight, I spotted a completely snow-covered peak rising above the clouds. This sight sparked excitement and kept me wanting to gaze out the window. Roughly an hour before we landed, the clouds began to clear, revealing numerous mountain peaks below me, and I could see a sea of them. In the valleys, I noticed small clusters of houses that were likely quite remote from any major towns. The mountain ridges had paths that seemed to connect circular structures, which I finally concluded were small water tanks positioned high to supply pressure to the villages below. Flying over the mountains occasionally felt strange, as the plane seemed to gently rock side to side, likely due to the air currents above them being somewhat turbulent. As we approached Lhasa, it appeared we were following a valley with ridges on either side. Eventually, I spotted a landing strip over a ridge. We continued to follow the valley, moving north from the landing strip as the ridges began to fade away. The plane then turned gradually about 80 degrees to align with the runway, making for an interesting approach to the airport.