She was in South Africa when I picked up her trail. I stalked her through the streets of Cape Town and followed her up Table Mountain. I almost lost her on the train to Muizenburg, but I knew the way. I had been there before. It just looked so much better through her lens.
My research told me that she had been to Namibia the month before. I had been there too – though years ago and without the stop in the Sossusvlei Dessert. The photos made me wonder: If a woman visits Namibia without walking through the sand, did she really go at all? I feel the need to find out, impractical as that may be. One time in a country that I could barely find on a map should be enough, but it’s not. Not when you see these pictures. The colors, the clouds, the sky. It’s enough to make anyone want to pack her bags and do it all again.
The woman I am following, digitally speaking, of course, is Yale Meets World. And I am in love with her photos. I want to visit every place she goes – the old and new alike. Istanbul, Havana, Nairobi – it doesn’t even matter. Yale has gone and now so must I.
Traveling is something of a catch-22: the more places a person goes, the more places she then feels the need to go. And I, specifically, want to go to Cairo.
“I’m thinking about taking a trip to Egypt,” I announced to my friend a few weeks back.
“Yale?” she asked.
I shrugged. By now all my friends now about my cyberstalking. Some of them do it too.
“I saw that too,” my friend admitted. “It looked amazing.”
“For your information,” I said. “I also have been reading a book about pyramids.”
My friend smiled. “Well what’s stopping you? Go see the pyramids.”
The truth is nothing is stopping me. Nothing at all. I still have the ability to work remotely and I have more than two weeks of PTO piled up if I don’t feel like battling the WiFi. While I make less money than I used to when I worked in the States, I still make enough to afford a flight to Cairo. The only thing in my way is me. For whatever reason, I just can’t justify an extravagant trip to Africa right now – not when I have a hundred other world-class destinations accessible by bus or train awaiting me in Europe. I keep telling myself that I should exhaust my options in the EU. See it all; Do it all; Leave no stone untripped over. The pyramids have been around for thousands of years. They’ll still be there when my contract is over, won’t they?
Planning long weekends and holidays all across Europe makes sense until I catch a glimpse of the alternative, by which I mean Turkey. Yale was there last week and she took a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia. To add insult to injury, her hotel was in a cave.
“I need to get back to Turkey,” I complained to Johann.
“Haven’t you been there?” he asked.
“I have,” I whined. “But not on a balloon!!!”
He smirked. Revisiting Turkey by hot air balloon is an eccentric want, even for me. And I realise that it’s one that can wait. So can Angkor Wat and Zocalo, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Galapagos Islands. I’ve told myself that until I visit Norway, I have no business jetting off to Mongolia. I’m not allowed to visit the Philippines unless I get myself to Greece.
Forgive me for whining about my champagne problems. I talk about spending a year in Europe the way most women talk about shopping their closet. I know it’s the responsible thing to do, but really, my heart is at the mall… the mall in Dubai.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate all that Europe has to offer – it’s that I itch to go places more exotic. I want something a little less manicured… a little more exciting. Someplace with jet lag and a time difference and a crazy exchange rate. I miss the adventure of those things, the newness of them. The rush of getting through an afternoon, a week, a month in an unfamiliar place.
Sadly, it’s high season and chances of finding an incredible offer to a destination of interest are fairly slim. But still I hope that something will strike me – something exotic, like a sea turtle from Ecuador or a dogsled out of Siberia.
In the meantime, I have reminded myself to stay put and enjoy all that I have outside my front door. To go deep before I go far. To stay close until I have a good reason to push out. I am turning envy into inspiration, making a list of the rest of the world that I’d like to meet.
New Zealand’s a once-in-a-lifetime destination for a lot of people, and here’s me, yearning to get away to somewhere else. I sympathize with you, Nova.
oh I get it! so much – because new Zealand is one of those places I can’t wait to get back to! it’s just such a trek to get to or from… which I understand is what you’re saying. anyway, if you make it to Europe before I make it to NZ, let’s plan on a meet up!
You’re my “Yale” ;)
awwww. that’s high praise! thank you!!!
I can definitely sympathize- when I was living in the UK, I spent so much time traveling Europe that it started to feel “safe” and was no longer as exciting. Now that I’m back in Canada, it’s starting to feel foreign again and I can feel the itch of traveling around there again.
And a trip to Africa is still easier to do while in Europe than coming from North America- so you’re still taking advantage of your time there if you head to Egypt :)
I feel you! Europe is a amazing… until you’re a year or two in and then it can feel a bit more routine. That’s not a complaint, so much as a personal observation. In any case, I’m in Canada now. The smoke got me down big time, but it just started to clear today and I’m reminded of how much I love these mountains!
This is awesome and made me laugh. I couldn’t read in all one setting as I am multitasking, but this is absolutely awesome. Come back to Turkey, I’ll be in Cappadocia for a month.
you’re sweet :) Cappadocia is on my list… I can’t swing it in the next 30 days, but I definitely will at some point. thanks for the inspiration!!
Not sure if my other reply went through, as I accidentally hit the back button. I was finally able to sit and finish reading this and it was awesome!!!! Come back to Turkey, I’ll be in Cappadocia for a month.
Turning envy into inspiration seems like a good life motto.
Also, thanks for introducing Yale to me, her photos are incredible! I totally get why she gives you major wanderlust.
right????? love her photos. love yours too :) corgi butts 4—->
Oh my gosh, I feel these feels (and I don’t even follow Yale… it’s probably better that way.) I’ve been itching to drop everything and just go far and wide to explore the world, even though I barely know anything about the towns just 20 minutes away. Why is that?
exactly… we all have towns 20 minutes away that we should see. happy adventures to you and the doggos.
For the lord’s sweet sake, GO. You even got a personalized note from the lady herself.
It does not get any better than that.
haha – to turkey!
Another awesome post. You give me FOMO and wanderlust every time I visit your blog.
Aw – thank you! As always, appreciate the read :) For what it’s worth – FOMO happens to all of us.