As I spend Thanksgiving at home in the US with family this year, I certainly have many things I am thankful for. The normal – family, friends, and health; and the not so normal – brushing teeth with tap water, pedestrian right of way, and indoor heating. However, just recently I was reminded of something that I was not only thankful for, but truly amazed with.
In the matter of one day I went from a sunset here in the Himalayas of Nepal:
Nepal Sunset
To a sunset here on the beach in Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka Sunset
As I viewed these pictures I was in awe – I could hardly believe that I could be so lucky to be in two of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes in the world in the matter of a day.
This comes down to the power of flight; and for that I’m thankful for those brilliant inventors – the Wright Brothers.
Thank you Orville and Wilbur (they must be smart with those names!) for putting us in the air and giving people the ability to see different parts of the world. If it weren’t for them, I’d still be back in the Midwest! Back in 1903, no one could imagine that human flight could be possible and 100 years later we are flying planes from Singapore to New York non-stop. Sure, planes have downsides to them – I’m well aware of that after my week of jetlag and flu caused from my 36 hour flight home last week. However – it was worth it; thanks to plane travel, I’ve been able to see all corners of the world, meet thousands of people from different cultures, and have the time of my life.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving – take a moment and share what travel thankfulness you have!
I’m thankful to have a husband who loves travel enough to make a list of all the places we should go in 2010, then schedules a conference with me to plan the year’s itinerary.
I recall my wonderful grandmother describing rushing out to some airfield in the early 1900s (no idea when) and sharing her excitement of watching one of these remarkable new flying machines landing in a bumpy paddock. What she saw in her lifetime to plane travel that is scarcely thought about and to flying into space and returning boggles the mind. I guess in the same way, computers have gone through their full development in my lifetime. Who’d have thought 40 years ago that communictions with people that you’ve never met would be done with such self-assuredness and community feel.
Happy Thanksgiving to your American readers.
We’re currently traveling in Asia and we’re thankful to be a part of such a large community of travelers who share their experiences online. We just found your site — an incredible boon to have all these first-hand tips and commentary on places to see.
Happy Holidays!
Isn’t creative thought and science great? I try to remind myself that 100 years ago getting to Europe from New York would take a crowded boat, several days, without the luxury of satellites to predict the weather all on a lifespan of what? 40-50 years? It’s certainly a great time to be a traveler.
Now if they could just perfect transporter technology like they’ve got in Star Trek…
I am so grateful to be doing what I love – travel, writing, and photography – rather than selling my soul for all the wrong reasons. And fr getting to know so many wonderful new friends via the Internet.
I’m reading so many touching blog posts because of Thanksgiving. I’d say I’m thankful that you have this tradition!
(Oh – and I’ll pass on your blog post to my husband and his colleagues, particularly since they’ll be working every weekend in the run up to Christmas…designing aeroplanes
)
Anil – I’ll pass on your comment as well
@Abi – wow – an airplane designer! Can I put in a request for more legroom – that might be easier than Anil’s request for ‘beam me up’!
@Mark – what an amazing memory of your grandmother! You are right though, the giant leap that computers have made is just as miraculous in some ways. I just got an new iphone and I”m walking around going – “I can’t believe how advanced this is!”
More legroom, eh? I’ve been working on that for years (plus proper reclining seats, except for the person in front of me) for years to no avail. Apparently that’s not his department. Bah!