Heading Home

I’ve had lots of time to do lots of thinking, meditating, and reflecting. There are no words sufficiently adequate to describe it all but here’s what came up:

Everyday I’ve been in awe to be in Africa; how can I not feel the ground move beneath me, the gentle exhale and letting go of my heart’s armor, the love and trust I came to know for myself; a deeper love for my fellow humans, the forgiveness and Maitri (loving kindness) I needed to give myself. I feel softer, more open, not grasping, just trusting, at one with my heart, my breath, my inner child; I feel aligned as hell and deeply powerful, a kind but take-no-shit type of strong.

If you’re still reading after that peek into my inner world – thanks for hanging in there.

And now…for the rest of today’s story…

I took the KLM red eye to Amsterdam under a black and starry night and have had nothing but excellent experiences with their service, gluten-free meals, communications, and their app each time I’ve used them. An opportunity for both KLM and Delta is to accommodate multiple food sensitivities which they seem to struggle with currently. But I still score them high because they meet or exceed expectations in all other arenas.

Day broke with a cotton candy sky and a veil of mist covering the lights and rippling sands of El Oued, Algeria in Northern Africa. Soft desert sands turned to dry crusted mountains over Khenchela, Tebessa, and Constantine, Algeria.

After the softest of landings, we arrived in Amsterdam for a one hour layover. I love the Amsterdam airport. Things are clean and efficient, nicely designed, staff are friendly, and today it was festively decorated for the impending holiday. Spirits were high and good cheer in abundance.

What’s your favorite airport?

The Netherlands boasts a huge offshore wind farm with hundreds of mills dotting the sea. Further down the cloud highway, glimpses of England and Ireland were possible with sparse cloud cover. Who’s been to Ireland or has it on your bucket list?

Home at last after nearly 30 hours since I set off for the airport, the cold winter weather isn’t as shocking as I expected but feels like home and I am warmed with the love of family.

Thank you for joining me on this epic journey of a lifetime. It’s been a privilege sharing this very personal sojourn with you.

AND

It’s not over. This blog is a permanent part of my new work and will be updated with travels and interesting projects I’m cooking up related to travel and writing.

So, if you haven’t already, consider subscribing to the blog and even sharing with a friend. Between now and my next adventure, I may fill in with material I didn’t have room to share each day this time. And you’ll be the first to know about upcoming trips and happenings. There are some exciting things planned for next year and I hope you’ll be here to journey with me!

As always, I’d love to hear from you. What did you love most this time? What would you like to know more about? What questions linger for you? What was least interesting?

Hit me up in the Comments or email me at adventureswithwen@gmail.com

All my love,

Wen